About Us

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Longfellow Garden Club of Howard County

Adapted from Jesselyn Johl’s presentation for the Club’s 35th Anniversary and updated for our 50th by Margaret Smith

In 1971 Jean Sease, Marlene Ferraro and Susie Chen, gathered their Longfellow friends and neighbors together and organized The Longfellow Garden Club in order to improve their new home gardens and learn about good horticultural practices. The Club initially met in members’ homes, but increasing membership caused a move to the Longfellow Neighborhood Center and later to the Bain 50+ Center. Recently we found a warm welcoming at the Hawthorn Center.

The Club was later accepted as a member of the Federated Garden Clubs of Maryland. We currently maintain and are enriched by this membership, enrolled in District V. We have been actively involved in beautifying our Howard County Community. 

In our recent past, we maintained concurrently, as many as five public gardens. These included the Howard County Conservancy west Farm House Garden, the Patapsco Female Institute Trough Garden and Planters, The Bain 50+ Center Courtyard Garden, The Historic EC Main Street Garden and the Maryland Pathway Garden by the Log Cabin on upper Main Street. We were young and energetic. We now maintain the one garden at the Howard County Conservancy. We also decorated an assigned room at the Historic Waverly Mansion for the holiday season public tours along with the other Garden clubs in the County. 

Our Club has contributed to the preservation of Howard County historic properties and infrastructure. We participated in numerous fundraisers to aid in the restoration of Waverly Mansion. To ready the historic Mount Pleasant Farm, now home to the Howard County Conservancy, for having its public opening in 1997, the Club restored and maintains the garden along the west façade, uncovering and preserving historic walkways. The Club placed two benches in the garden to invite restful contemplation of the lovely view. The Club also donated money to help restore the weathered farmhouse porch and added a trellis/arbor to enhance the garden as well as financially supported the renovation of the Gudelsky Environmental Education Center Expansion. In commutation of our 50th Anniversary, we are donating an engraved stepping stone for a pathway at the Conservancy.

Over the years, we made financial contributions to the Howard County Conservancy, National Arbor Day Foundation, Friends of the National Arboretum, National Wildlife Federation, Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage, among others. More recently, the Club has made donations to the Vivian Reid Community Fund, and contributed annually to the Family and Children’s Services of Central Maryland, now called SpringBoard.

We have shared our time and talents with our community in Howard County. In celebration of Columbia’s 50th anniversary, we planted daffodil bulbs at the Hawthorn Center. Providing centerpieces for the annual Howard County Office on Aging Thanksgiving luncheon is an ongoing project of the club. 

Longfellow Garden Club can truly be proud of its history of generous commitment and contributions to beautifying Howard County and participating in civic life.