History

The Beltsville Garden Club (BGC),  Prince George's County, Maryland, was founded in
1952 by a group of individuals primarily from the the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).  Currently, the club has approximately 220 members from Beltsville in and throughout the Washington D.C. metropolitan Area.

Purpose

BGC promotes gardening interests of its members and increases their knowledge of horticulture.

Membership

Annual dues are $10.00 per family;  payable at the beginning of the calendar year.  Anyone interested in gardening may join the club and we look forward to new members.

Meetings

Regular meetings , open to the public, free of charge, are held on the 4th Wednesday during the months of January, February, March, April, May, September and October.  Special trips are scheduled in the summer months and an Annual Winter Banquet is held at the first Wednesday in December. Meetings take place at 7:30 pm at the James E. Duckworth School located at 11201 Evans Trail, Beltsville, Maryland.  Meetings are usually about an hour and a half long and light refreshments are served.  Plants donored by the club members are raffled at each meeting, and most attendees win a free plant.  Attendees may also submit questions concerning their gardening problems.

Special Activities

BGC conducts three public  plant sales  every year, two in April and May, and one in the fall, usually early October,  where member vendors sell plants they have grown.  The plant sales are the major source of revenue for BGC, as the club charges vendors 7% of their gross sales.

Club members maintain a fully equipped greenhouse and landscaped courtyard at the Duckworth School. The greenhouse plants are sold at the BGC plant sales, and all proceeds go to the school.

A scholarship program has been established with the University of Maryland at College Park, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, to support a student studying horticulture.

In the summer, the Peach Festival/Annual Potluck Picnic is held.  Occasionally, members tour local public or private gardens.