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Pageland Garden Club Takes Pride in Cultivating Community
Story by Laz Denes
There are 4 immaculately decorated brick monuments welcoming travelers entering the town of Pageland. Thanks to the members of the Pageland Garden Club, they are updated year-round with seasonal flowers, plants, and decor, inviting visitors and passersby to a place that takes great pride in its community.
Caring for the welcome signs is 1 of the many initiatives of the garden club, which first took root in 1973. Another signature activity is decorating and maintaining the courtyard on North Pearl Street—a popular photo location where the locals commemorate engagements, weddings, proms, graduations, and other events. The club’s colorful handiwork is also scattered along downtown sidewalks in the form of 18 large planters with beautiful shrubs and seasonal annuals.
Pageland native Robbin Usher, who joined the organization in the mid-1980s, served as its president for the last 4 years. She says members are passionate about making their community’s public spaces look their best. “We’re proud of our welcome signs out on the highways, and we are very active downtown with our courtyard and planters,” Robbin, a retired teacher, says. “They look so pretty, especially the courtyard at night.”
"Everything Began In a Garden"
Club members are quick to roll up their sleeves and jump into special projects when community organizations ask for help. Recent successes include the landscaping makeover around the public library, adding floral accents around the gazebo at Moore’s Park, working alongside agricultural science students to upgrade the signage at Central High School, and planting flowers at multiple senior care facilities in the area.
“The assisted living projects meant a lot to be a part of for me because I felt like we helped brighten things up for the people who stay there,” says Pattie Pigg, a club member since 2000 who served as the club’s vice president for the last 4 years. Pattie earned Master Gardener certification in 2001 and is referred to by Robbin as the club’s “plant guru.”
For Pattie, gardening is both scientific and biblical. “You know, everything began in a garden,” she says. “I’ve been gardening all my life and just enjoy being outside and attempting to grow things. The club allows us to do that and serve our community, as well.”