Welcome Messages from our Co-Presidents
What do you do when you move from your beautiful two-acre vegetable and perennial gardens in Connecticut to Southern Delaware where your gardening is limited by your space and an HOA? Where do you provide an outlet for that innate desire to “get dirty” and surround yourself with Nature’s beauty? How do you navigate the totally different soil and growing conditions and transform them into a home for pollinators? Those questions and many more swirled around in my head and caused me great frustration when my husband and I moved here five years ago.
I was fortunate to meet a wonderful woman in my community, Sally Scarangella who was President of a new garden club that met in the evenings. Coastal Gardeners was perfect for me on many levels. They met in the evenings so my days would be free, I would have the opportunity to be introduced to others who shared my interests and I would hear from a variety of speakers about how to garden in Delaware. The club did not disappoint me – my gardening skills have grown, I have developed amazing friendships and have helped to grow Coastal Garden Club in the community.
Sandy Daniels, Co-President
What Coastal Gardeners lacks in age and size they make up for in their energy and enthusiasm in the community. I am so proud of our garden at the Delaware Seashore Tower Road, our partnership with Healthy Foods for Healthy Kids at Phillip C. Showell Elementary School, the planters at South Coastal Beebe ER and Cancer Center and our Holiday Gift Bags for the Roxana Senior Center and the list goes on and on. In addition, our monthly speakers and field trips have opened my eyes and increased my gardening knowledge and showed me how I can help the environment right in my own little backyard and in my commuity.
I hope you will consider joining Costal Gardeners where our diverse members contribute their time, talent and thoughts to the growth of Coastal Gardeners. Come to a meeting and see for yourselves to discover the “joy of gardening” with friends!
Mary Kunst, Co-President
After owning a summer home in the Rehoboth area for over 20 years, my husband and I decided to make the area our permanent home in 2021. While we certainly weren’t new to Delaware, both of us being proud graduates of the University of Delaware, we were new to being retired. That meant finding groups, organizations, and opportunities to explore our passions. Gardening, being outdoors, and giving back to my community have always been mine. So, in Spring of 2022, I feel like Fate stepped in when I was approached by another Coastal Gardener to come to a meeting to see what the club was all about. And I’m sure glad I did!
From the very first meeting, I was struck by the energy and enthusiasm of the group. I remember immediately feeling at home as I listened to the speaker that evening discuss best practices for organic gardening, a subject that I was keenly interested in. Afterwards, the members broke up into small groups to discuss the many ongoing projects sponsored by the Club and I knew immediately that this is where I wanted to spend my time.
From establishing and maintaining vegetable gardens for local schools, beautifying local parks, town halls, and hospitals to picking up trash alongside local roadways with the Adopt A Highway program, and providing services to our seniors, the members of the Coastal Gardeners are engaged in projects throughout Sussex County that make it a better place for everyone. The Coastal Gardeners never stop “doing!”
I am very fortunate to be a part of such a dynamic, creative, and talented group of people that are dedicated to making their community more beautiful, more environmentally friendly, and just an all-around better place to be.