30 Spring 2017 mattersmagazine.com 31 F Families are drawn to Maplewood because of its beautiful houses and parks and welcoming community. In the fall, the ginkgo trees of Maplewood Avenue litter the sidewalks with their beautiful yellow fan-shaped leaves. “The Conservatory” at Dickens Village and the decorations in the train station add a festive air come holiday time. And each spring, bridal couples pose for photographs at the picturesque Durand-Hedden Herb Garden and the Hilton Library Rain Garden while adults and children alike come to watch the butterflies and smell the flowers. We are fortunate in having the Maplewood Garden Club to thank for these and many other lovely spaces in our town. Founded in 1927, when most garden clubs were exclusively for women, the club was the offspring of two modern- thinking ladies (Miss Mildred Ock Perennial Greening The Maplewood Garden Club plant sale begins its ninth decade BY KAREN DONOVAN Left: Succulents are especially popular this year. Above: News clipping and photos from 1969-1970. and Mrs. E. Stuart Mills) who were determined that the club include both men and women. (Indeed, a man, Lewis Morley, was elected the club’s first president.) Active in the community from the outset, the club sponsored a garden show and monthly speakers on horticultural topics. But a decade later, its members wanted to take on some bigger projects and that required money – and what better way for a garden club to make its community service dreams a reality than a plant sale? This May, the club celebrates 80 years of bringing an extensive selection of plants to the community through the Maplewood Garden Club plant sale, the largest such event of any club in New Jersey. The Garden Club prides itself on having a large variety of quality plants at prices that allow gardening to be affordable for everyone. Its Sloane Goldstein, Director • (973) 762-7069 SUMMER HOURS UNTIL 6PM ! Mickey Fried Preschool’s Camp & Play Oheb Shalom 170 Scotland Road, South Orange | MickeyFriedPreschool.org Splash