With a mission to stimulate the knowledge and love of gardening, aid in the protection of native trees, plants, and birds, and encourage civic planting, the Hanover Garden Club has stayed true to its roots for 90 years. Hanover resident Ethel Burns founded the club in 1936 as an offshoot of the Hanover Women’s Club for those interested in natural habitat and environmental issues. Its charter members numbered 87, included several men, and dues were one dollar.

In the beginning, the club sponsored monthly programs with a range of topics including cooking with herbs, growing plants with or without soil, caring for trees and shrubs, pest control, growing wildflowers, and caring for houseplants. By the early 1940s, membership had grown to 90 with both men and women serving as presidents for the two-year terms.

By the 1950s, the club grew to 100 members and dues increased to two dollars. Efforts shifted to civic garden spaces and beautification of the community, which continues to this day as the club maintains 20 public spaces and gardens in Hanover. Another ongoing project started in the 1950s, the contribution of small floral arrangements known as “hospital flowers” donated weekly to
patients at Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital, remains important, now known as the Therapy Flowers Team. The other long-term club project has been providing donations for horticultural books and resources to every town library in the Upper Valley where a member lives.

 

Changing with the Times

Throughout the years, the club has grown to include residents of all towns of the Upper Valley and has changed with the times, but it has remained focused on projects that have a real impact on the Hanover community. Protecting the environment, as well as beautification of the Hanover area, continue to be top priorities for the club.

Today the Hanover Garden Club boasts 275 members who represent 30 communities in the towns around Hanover; the biggest misconception over the years is that you must be a Hanover resident to join. Annual membership is $45 and the club remains a 100 percent volunteer organization. Mundy Wilson Piper, 2025–27 club president, says, “A person doesn’t have to be an experienced gardener or even have a garden to be a member.” 

Produced in partnership with the Montshire Museum of Science and open to the public, monthly educational programs are held in person with a Zoom option. Speakers explore topics ranging from environmental sustainability and soil health, to perennials and houseplants, to historical landscapes and designers—anything that could appeal to audiences of all ages and interests.

 

A New Generation

Leading the club into the future with improved technology, addressing current environmental topics, and keeping up with the changing demographics of the members is current president Mundy Wilson Piper. Following in the footsteps of previous president Cindy Heath, who led the group through the strategic planning process, Mundy is positioning the club for a new generation of members and new community issues.

“Honoring the past and looking forward to future endeavors and projects,” says Mundy, “the board decided they needed a new structure to execute our strategic plan. New bylaws were approved at the annual meeting for the members. We recently reduced the size of the board from 27 to 17 and reconfigured some roles to the subcommittee level to help us be more efficient and productive.”

Mundy is also addressing the intergenerational challenge of membership. “Our group consists of baby boomers, millennials, Gen Xers, and the Greatest Generation, which led the club. Now the boomers’ generation is taking on the next mantle of leadership,” says Mundy. “We’ve averaged 50 new members per year in the last several years, and 25 in the first part of 2026 alone. With new members coming in, we’ve initiated changes in the form of Zoom, social media, digital platforms, and technology younger generations expect. We need to think about how we engage them, stay relevant as a nonprofit organization, and bring the club into the 21st century.”

Mundy uses her experience as a retired strategic-minded business owner to bring to the Hanover Garden Club what is needed in the future. “I ask myself, ‘What are our members going to be looking for and asking for?’ My role in the club is to create an environment for all generations, support the lifelong hobby of gardening, and foster camaraderie.”

 

A Shift Toward Sustainability

As the structure and substance of the club has changed over the decades, the areas of focus and education are shifting with the times and values of members. While the club continues to support the traditional gardening practices, Mundy sees a shift moving toward embracing sustainability, ecological services of the community gardens, and understanding how horticultural practices impact nature. The club has transitioned public gardens from traditional annuals to drought-friendly and pollinator-friendly perennials that support wildlife, a practical means to educate and help foster healthier, sustainable gardens.

“We try to show that there is so much you can do just in your own backyard. We’ve shown how removing invasive plants, reducing lawns, planting native plants, and not relying on chemicals can be empowering,” says Mundy. “We teach that small changes in gardening can show big results in the form of more birds and more insects attracted to the native plants, and a healthier environment. This approach doesn’t mean you can’t have beauty, but it is different than the expectations of prior generations.”

She continues, “My goal as president of the club is to show that we don’t have to garden the way we always we have. We can do things differently once we understand how much benefit there is to the environment. I am passionate about the club demonstrating community-oriented practices everyone can do in their own backyard.”

The goal of the Hanover Garden Club is to stimulate the knowledge and love of gardening and protect our natural environment. “I believe the more educated people are, the more they understand that part of supporting nature in your own backyard is adjusting your perspective and habits. The way to influence people is to show WIIFM: What’s in it for me? After making changes, you can observe birds and animals, notice fewer ticks because the flock of turkeys eats them, see the insects thrive because you are not spraying chemicals. The old way of thinking for the club was beautiful, curated gardens with non-native plants. When you are supporting wildlife, it looks a little different, and it involves a retraining of our human habits.

“I am a lifelong passionate gardener, and am proud to be part of a team of like-minded HGC friends who are part of this paradigm shift. Garden clubs are historically on the leading edge of changes in horticultural practices, and I believe we will attract more members interested in naturalistic, ecological gardening practices that are not only beautiful but beneficial to our community for the next 90 years.” 

 

Hanover Garden Club

PO Box 726

Hanover, NH

hanovergardenclubnh.org