As president of the Clarkston Farm and Garden Club, Diane Midgley would like to see more people seeing green.
“We take pride in Clarkston, and we want people to enjoy the beauty of Clarkston, and feel welcome when they arrive,” she said.
Toward that end, the club maintains the flower barrels in downtown Clarkston and the garden beds at the Independence Township Library. Members also work to educate folks on how they can add to the area’s beauty.
They also enjoy each other’s company, sharing gardening tips and hearing special speakers at their monthly meetings in members’ homes. There are occasional outings, such as one planned for September to the Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids.
Midgley is in the middle of a two-year term as president of the local club, having been a member about four years. She was recruited by some neighbors who encouraged her green thumb.
“I really enjoy gardening,” and she formed a special bond with those neighbors. “Family is first and foremost, but neighbors can become as close as family.”
It’s an active pastime as the group’s purpose is “to stimulate interest in agriculture and horticulture.” Midgley thinks they’re doing well.
“We always want to do more, but we only have so many hands,” she said. “We’re really trying to make a significant number of contacts with all ages in Clarkston.”
The number of hands is limited because the group limits the number of active members to 40. That’s because of the tradition of meeting in members’ homes, which Midgley said is more enjoyable than using a large meeting room.
“We don’t want to change that,” she said. “We feel so comfortable in one another’s homes.”
That doesn’t mean they don’t welcome new members. Only 36 of the 40 positions are currently full, and the club has established several “honorary” and “associate” memberships.
The active members are active, however, both in gardening and education. This past year, for example, the club visited all of Clarkston’s elementary schools, giving each student a parsley seedling and packets of marigolds and beans, with directions for planting and care. The presentation included a play with “Peter Rabbit” characters.
“We reinforced how you plant a garden,” she said. “The children just loved it.”
One loved it so much that he came to the teacher concerned about finding someone to care for his plantings while he was gone on spring break.
“We are stimulating interest in gardening through the youngsters,” Midgley said. “Those youngsters are eventually going to become adults and hopefully will have their own gardens.”
The club is a diverse group, ranging from mothers with infants to one member almost 90 years old.
“We have a wonderful diversity that is helpful, because the young people look for the experienced gardeners’ advice,” Midgley said. “And the older folks look to the young for enthusiasm and energy.”
Gardening has had a great impact on Midgley’s life in more ways than one.
A 1995 skiing accident left her with a closed-head injury and a slow recovery.
“I was dizzy for a year,” she said. “I couldn’t remember anything.”
A neurosurgeon told her she had lost some brain cells, but could “reteach” herself with academic study. She decided to seek master garden certification through the Michigan State University Cooperative Extension Service.
“It forced me to study and really concentrate,” she said.
It was a turning point not only medically, but spiritually.
“I would continue to ask myself, ‘Why was I saved?’ I do believe the Lord saved me for a purpose, to do his work, and not be shy about praising him,” she said. “God created all living things, and who else to care for other living things than humans?”
While her front yard is nicely landscaped and her “back yard” consists of woods and a view of Deer Lake, Midgley does not have an elaborate garden at her home. There’s a simply explanation.
“Because we’re retired, we’re not here that much,” she said. She is former director of community services and husband Roy is a retired General Motors executive. They enjoy travel and a blended family of six grown children and six grandchildren. The oldest, 9, recently flew by himself from Denver to enjoy a weeklong visit in Clarkston.
“We spoiled him rotten,” she said with a laugh.
Midgley’s other pastimes including golfing, reading, knitting and cooking. She is also a member of the Clarkston Optimists and the Assistance League of Southeast Michigan.
Soon she will launch another “career” of sorts. A recent graduate of a “clown academy,” she will debut as “Hugs the Clown” at children’s hospitals “to bring some smiles and laughter” to children who need both.
There are never any dull moments,” Midgley said. “My husband and I wonder how we ever had time to work. We are busier now as retirees than we ever were before.”
The farm and garden club is high on the list, however, as Midgley continues to promote the beneficial effects of gardening not only on the eyes, but the soul as well.
“There’s therapy in working in the soil,” she said. “My husband said it’s work, but for me it’s a labor of love. You have some think time, you’re working with your hands, and the results are glorious. It’s wonderful to see green.”
The Clarkston club hopes to increase their promotion of plant life with a recent $1,000 grant from the Michigan Farm and Garden Club. In addition, there are plans for a recognition program for businesses “who are doing a very nice job of ‘welcoming’ the public” with their own landscaping and flowers.
The club will have a presence at the Crafts and Cider Festival in September, and will stage their annual “greens market” in December, providing wreaths and centerpieces for the Christmas season.
For more information on the Clarkston Farm and Garden Club, call (248) 625-6869.