Woodland Wildlings Garden

A Place of Healing and Serenity

Garnet Health Medical Center – Catskills’ extensive garden began in 1987, with Beatrice Brender’s simple vision to beautify a barren hillside on the hospital grounds. She planted daffodils and as they bloomed, so did the enthusiasm of many other individuals and community groups.

Garden Clubs and Master Gardeners throughout Sullivan County contributed vision and landscape design. In 2001, the National Council of State Garden Clubs registered the Beatrice Brender Memorial Woodland Wildlings Garden in the National Directory of Arboreta and Botanical Gardens. The Federated Garden Clubs of New York State, Inc. awarded the Community Garden Club of Liberty first prize in 2014 for “Preservation of Beauty.” The gardens are available to hospital employees, patients, visitors and the public for inspiration and study.

Woodland Wildlings Gardens are now maintained by two Garden Clubs and a fund established by its founders. Memorial donations can be directed to Community Garden Club of Liberty.

The Federated Garden Clubs of New York is a member of National Garden Clubs, Inc., the largest gardening organization in the world. New York is a member of Central Atlantic Region (CAR). The Federated Garden Clubs seek to serve as an educational source, encourage the art of gardening, and to encourage civic planting and beautification.

The National Garden Clubs, Inc., (NGC) is a not-for-profit educational organization headquartered in St. Louis, MO. The organization comprises 50 state garden clubs, nearly 5,600 member garden clubs and nearly 180,000 members. NGC promotes the love of gardening, floral design, and civic and environmental responsibility along with coordinating the interests and activities of state and local garden clubs in the U.S. and abroad.