The theme for 1999-2001 was "Ready,
Set, Grow into the 21st Century". There had been discussion the previous year to try something new and have a flower show. Our Founder, Adrienne Green, had suggested an "In House Flower Show," which would not be judged, be low key and less intimidating, so members would be encouraged to participate.
The month prior to the show, Adrienne Green, our Club Founder and Master Instructor, offered to do a design workshop which Eva Richmond hosted, so participants could learn design basics and practice techniques. After the workshop many members volunteered to participate. On the show day, after the presentations, Adrienne and Elma Garcia critiqued the entries with low key evaluations and suggestions for improvement.
When I joined VGCLJ in 1995 there were approximately one hundred members. In 1999, when I became President, the membership had increased to 260 members! There was frustration among the members that we were growing too fast and getting too big. Paula Todd was picked to chair a membership committee to discuss recommendations. The main issues were that it was hard to accommodate large numbers on field trips and garden tours. Another issue was educating new members on club history and practices. We needed to be constantly aware of how to bring new members up to date without boring the existing membership. A final decision was made to cap the current membership at 260.
One of our main club projects at this time was the Jacaranda Tree Planting Project. Over the past years of the project, we had planted hundreds of Jacaranda Trees around the City of San Diego. A Past President of the VGC, Pat Garrick, suggested to the city that the jacaranda be named the official tree of the City of San Diego. This was presented to the City Council and approved unanimously. It was also proposed that eventually the city might have a festival each year to celebrate the trees when they were in bloom.