Bowral Garden Club

The Bowral Garden Club (BGC) was founded in 1963 - we celebrated our 60th anniversary of the club in 2023. Bowral is situated in the Southern Highlands, an hour’s drive south-west from Sydney, and the area is famous for the beautiful cool climate gardens where plants from all over the world flourish side by side with majestic eucalypts and native plants.

The main object of the club is “To arrange lectures, discussions and displays and other activities concerned with flowers, plants, shrubs, trees and the cultivation and layout and planning of gardens”.

The Club has a very active membership and we endeavour to be true to our motto:

“Friendship through gardening”.

Patrons of the Club
Chris and Charlotte Webb (Landscape Designers and Heritage Consultants based in Bowral) are the Patrons of the Club. They have been the driving force behind the establishment of the Southern Highlands Botanic Gardens.

  

Chris and Charlotte Webb OAM

Club Meetings

The Bowral Garden Club meets on the second Monday of each month, February to November, (with the exception of the June AGM meeting) at the Uniting Church Hall, Cnr Bendooley and Boolwey Sts, Bowral.

Newsletter
A newsletter is sent each month to members, by email. As well as the meetings on the second Monday of the month, there is usually a coffee morning and a visit to gardens (either members’ or special gardens in the area).

 

Tulip Time

For many years at Tulip Time in Bowral we have entered a float in the parade, winning the Best Float trophy in 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and a First Prize of $500 for Best Community Float in 2018.

Sadly, the parade was cancelled in 2019 and the Council opted for a Twilight Community Walk on a Tuesday night.

In 2014 the colour chosen by the Wingecarribee Tulip Time Committee was yellow so Eric (our designer and builder) decided on a Beatles theme.

He built a yellow submarine for the trailer and the octopus's garden for the back of the truck. (More photos in the Gallery.)

The colour for 2013 was red and the theme for our float in the parade on Saturday 28 September 2013 was 'Settler's Cottage' to celebrate the establishment of Bowral and Moss

Vale in 1863 - with an old Australian slab hut and colonial

garden. And we won the 'Best Float in the Parade' trophy - the third time we have won in four years of competition.

In 2012 the Tulip Time Parade took place on Saturday 22 September and the theme for our float was 'An English Country Garden' complete with cottage and wisteria archway. The classic Morgan which pulled the float attracted much admiration.

We didn't win the trophy but were beaten by the Animal Shelter float, however, since several of our members are also involved with that organisation we weren't too disappointed. And we secretly knew that our entry probably deserved the prize.

In 2011 we created Claude Monet’s house and garden at Giverny and this time we were dressed as French artists complete with palettes and paint-brushes. The colour theme was purple.

In 2010 our entry theme was a Dutch scene with a windmill surrounded by flowers and tulips and ten members dressed appropriately with Dutch hats!