New Marker Honors Garden Club of Lexington

The Garden Club of Lexington is the subject of the latest-installed Kentucky historical marker.

Nearly 100 people came to see the July 21 unveiling of a double-sided marker that tells the stories of the club and the Ashland Garden, which the club created in 1950. It is located at Ashland, the Henry Clay estate.

Henry Kenney designed the parterre garden, a formal space with paths and plants. It now contains more than 120 varieties of trees, shrubs and flowers, which members of the Garden Club still maintain for the Henry Clay Estate.

The Garden Club of Lexington started in 1916 with 12 members, and affiliated with the Garden Club of America in 1924. Its purpose is conservation, beautification and education.

Representatives from the offices of Sen. Mitch McConnell, Rep. Andy Barr and Gov. Matt Bevin spoke. Mayor Jim Gray declared the day “The Garden Club of Lexington Day” in Lexington.