Our History

We Are Rich In History And Are Proud Of How We Were Formed

The San Clemente founder, Ole Hanson, set the tone in 1925 when he proclaimed his vision of building a beautiful city on the picturesque Orange County coastline, a “Spanish Village By The Sea”. That vision was joined a few years later with the 1951 formation of the San Clemente Garden Club, a group dedicated to preserving the town's natural beauty and adding a profusion of flowers and gardens to the red tiled buildings, new homes and quaint streets.

Mrs. Josephine (Jo) Read, wife of Henry T. Read, of San Clemente founded the San Clemente Garden Club in July of 1951 with a membership of 15. The first meeting was held in the boathouse at the end of the San Clemente pier. In September of 1951 the Club joined a national federation of garden clubs, holding their meetings in member's homes. Later, the regular meeting site became the San Clemente Community Center—after it was completed. By 1957, the club had reached 93 members and today's membership is approaching 250.

Jo Read was President of California Garden Clubs, Inc. from 1962 through 1964. The highlights of her Presidency include: Step Through the Garden Gate—brochures and history book published, compiling and releasing a policy book and procedure kit for District Directors, establishing Flower Show and Junior Gardeners policies and two (2) bird sanctuaries were dedicated.

The beautification of San Clemente continues as the garden club also continues to attract members interested in many aspects of gardening and horticulture, including civic beautification, conservation, garden therapy, junior gardening, floral design, home garden tours and workshops. Scholarships are awarded to worthy horticultural and environmental students each year by the club. The scholarship fund is supported, in part, by proceeds from annual fundraisers which includes the Fall Plant Sale held in October, GardenFest held in April and the Garden Tour which is held in May.