This year’s Garden Club of The Year member is Patricia (Patty) Schlaeger.
The award was presented at the Montana Federation of Garden Clubs’ annual session in Billings, Montana. The organization has more than 600 active garden club members.
Schlaeger received a tiara and sash which she will wear throughout the next year to gardening and community events.
“I’m very pleased and honored to be able to represent the state of Montana and our garden club members throughout the state,” Schlaeger said.
Schlaeger’s passion for gardening began when she was a child growing up in Great Falls. Most of the women in her family, including her mother, were active in the Rainbow Garden Club which allowed her to somewhat always be a part of it.
“They took me to all sorts of things in the community,” said Schlaeger. “Probably from the time before I even drove, they had me picking out twigs and pussy willows for their floral arrangements.”
After returning to Montana in 2010, Schlaeger decided to join the Rainbow Garden Club and become heavily involved with local and statewide garden club activities. She has been very active throughout the community since then.
Schlaeger said she has “been very active in both the Rainbow Garden Club [and] was the editor of the Montana Gardens Magazine,” which was an award-winning publication.
The Great Falls Flower Growers maintain the butterfly gardens at the Paris Gibson Square, the Great Falls Library, as well as the flower beds at the Montana Veteran’s Memorial.
Nationally, garden clubs have been responsible for the Blue and Gold Star Memorials since 1947. These are byway markers that pay tribute to the armed forces.
Both Great Falls clubs have purchased Blue and Gold Star Memorials and Dearborn Club has also purchased the byway markers in Cascade.
Schlaeger encourages students attending a Montana college or university and studying horticulture to apply for one of their various scholarships; click here to visit the website.
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