Message from Councilwoman Elizabeth Stamler | May 16, 2025

Year after year, the Scotch Plains Garden Club remains committed to keeping our town as beautiful and vibrant as it can be. Toward that end, the club hosts a “seed swap” each May that is free and open to the public. 

The big swap is a great opportunity for local green thumbs to join together and share the fruits (and flowers) of their past gardening efforts. Members arrive with envelopes with seeds from their home-grown plants, ready to trade with fellow enthusiasts. 

It's more than just an exchange; it's a chance to discover unique floral varieties, glean valuable insights into what thrives in different gardens across town and connect with neighbors who share the same passion for gardening. 

As stories and helpful hints are passed along with the seeds, everyone leaves with a collection of new possibilities, ready to cultivate beauty and bounty in their own backyards, to be shared at next year’s seed swap.

This year, the event will be held Saturday, May 24, in front of the Municipal Building, 430 Park Avenue. The seed swap will run from 9 to 11:30  a.m. While you’re there, make sure to stop by the Scotch Plains Farmers Market.

It’s not required to bring seeds to participate. If you do, the club asks you to bring them in individual bags labeled with the name and age of the seeds. And, if you are bringing perennials, they should be in individual containers labeled with the type of plant. 

The seed swap is just one of the many great contributions the Scotch Plains Garden Club makes to our town. Their annual Design-a-Wreath event, which takes place at the Shady Rest clubhouse, is a holiday tradition in Scotch Plains; attendees are guided throughout all phases of wreath construction and design.

The club’s speaker series has also grown very popular, as it regularly brings in garden experts to Scotch Plains to help residents understand the particulars of the hobby. The most recent talk, on April 21 at the library, featured a botanical expert known as “The Herb Lady” who shared how to use herbs to attract beneficial insects, repel pests and improve soil.

The garden club has also contributed to multiple projects which have helped add natural spaces to the town.

Members of the club cultivate a pollinator garden at the Scotch Plains Public Library to create a habitat for monarch butterflies. The purpose of this is to help save a species whose populations have steadily declined. The garden plays the dual role of attracting pollinators and adding a splash of natural beauty to the property.

In 2023, the club built a new meditation garden in the Frazee House Park dedicated to the late Scotch Plains Councilmember Rose Checchio, one of the garden club’s founding members. The garden is open to all and offers a quiet space to reflect in nature, bringing Checchio’s vision to life.

I’m pleased to see the great work the Scotch Plains Garden Club continues to do, and I encourage all residents interested in gardening to get involved. If you’re interested, the May 24 seed swap is a perfect opportunity to meet some of the members and learn more about the club.

For more information about the garden club, visit their website here.