Landscaping Cities

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31306, 28 February 1967, Page 2

Landscaping Cities

Christchurch women joined 350,000 women in 36 countries around the world, when members of the Christchurch Federated Business and Professional Women’s Club held a candle-lighting ceremony to observe international night.

“Mrs Johnson’s interest has given us that extra push we needed after 20 years working behind the scenes,” Mrs Gearhart said in Christchurch yesterday. At her own expense, Mrs Gearhart is travelling with her close friend, Mrs H. S. Kittel, giving demonstrations in floral art

Whether waging anti-litter campaigns, co-operating with conservationists, or pressing for legislation to abolish billboards, the 400,000 members throughout the United States make quite a formidable force.

“When you get a lot of women working together you can really accomplish something” she said. The development programme, sponsored by the National Council of State Garden Clubs, aims to remove

man-made ugliness from the American scene and replace it with the beauties of nature —flowers, trees and landscaping. Conservation is also given high priority. Mrs Gearhart, regional chairman for the central Atlantic states, and Mrs Kittel, the national chairman, work with chairmen of antilitter, conservation, legislation and roadside development committees, landscape designers, and junior and senior high school gardeners. In Newark, an industrial centre close to Mrs Gearhart’s home, a scheme begun by one of the garden centres has become a city project. “It’s one of the most striking successes in civic development I’ve been close to,” she said. “A large triangle in the centre of the city was planted with roses—a special variety was developed by a leading grower and named ‘Pride of Newark.’ Soon business and other organisations were supporting the project and the electricity department gave 3000 dollars for lights.”

Montclair owes its treelined avenues to the garden centre. Members purchased and planted 30 trees, pear and two varieties of Hawthorne,

ul disease and fume resistaht.

Delighted with the result, town service organisations raised 3000 dollars for trees, and planted the rest of the town. The trees are now two years old, and this Christmas the garden centre hung them with tiny lights. Thoughts of the number of paper products in the United States bring a large sigh from Mrs Gearhart Fines for lit-ter-bugs are up to 200 dollars but the culprit must be caught in the act. “We have litter baskets of all kinds everywhere, and children are being taught in schools not to throw litter,” she said.