Thanks to the members of the Covington Garden Club, which formed in November 1929, our community has received their help with beautification for decades. Members of the Covington Garden Club celebrated 90 years in December 2019. As a club in the Redbud District of The Garden Club of Georgia, Inc., they are involved with beautification of parks and public buildings, including schools and entrances to cities, towns and subdivisions.

PROJECTS OF THE COVINGTON GARDEN CLUB

One of the objectives of the Covington Garden Club is to improve the beauty of the city through the love of flowers and beautification projects. Community beautification is an important way that the area enhances the experiences of our residents, business owners and visitors, including tourists. Over their nine decades of service, the garden club has assisted with improvements through beautification of the Covington Square, beautification of the Fairy House Festival at Chimney Park, creation of floral arrangements for Piedmont Newton Hospital’s gala events, and many other projects.

After the garden club formed, one of its first projects was a flower show in May 1930. Flower shows were held for many years. In addition, the garden club was influential during World War II by sponsoring blood drives, victory gardens, and a canning school. They also held horticultural workshops, home and garden tours, and other local community events.

Covington’s beautiful homes were first opened to the public for a tour sponsored by the Covington Garden Club in 1948. According to an article on The Twelve Oaks’ website regarding the 1948 home tour, “more than 2,500 actually descended upon the little city” with visitors coming from as far as New York and California.

With today’s global pandemic, more people are looking for tourist places where they can relax and enjoy the beauty of nature while social distancing. One special place with a playground and pavilion that has a lovely shade tree area is Academy Springs Park, 3120 Conyers Street SE. A special project that began at the park in 2005 is The Covington Garden Club’s Memorial Arboretum. Every year, the garden club plants trees in memory of members who have passed away. A plaque has been placed at the arboretum honoring the members and listing the name of each tree planted in their memory.

COLLABORATIONS IN NEWTON COUNTY

Beautification of our community is an important aspect for tourism in our area. It encourages the community to become further connected, more appealing to opportunities, and significantly enhances everyone’s sense of belonging. The Covington Garden Club often collaborates with other groups to help in our community’s beautification projects. Two groups they have collaborated with include the Covington Lions Club and Keep Newton Beautiful. Another group is the Satsuki Garden Club, which focuses on Newton County and is also a member of the Redbud District of The Garden Club of Georgia, Inc.

In addition to the memorial arboretum, Academy Springs Park is an area where you can see the influences of many of our community groups. For example, the playground was built and installed by the Covington Lions Club. The Satsuki Garden Club was pivotal in creating a pollinator garden at Academy Springs Park. When visiting Newton County, this park is a must-see for anyone interested in ecotourism.

Of interest to the history tourist, The Covington Garden Club and Satsuki Garden Club partnered with the Georgia Department of Transportation and The Garden Club of Georgia, Inc. to add a historical marker along the Blue Star Memorial Highway. This tribute to our United States Armed Forces is located along Highway 43.