Riviera Garden Group

The Riviera Garden Group was established in the late 1990’s, by Members of the Club who during a period of crisis at Rivi in the late 1990’s, were concerned about the neglected appearance of the plantings around the club’s buildings & the lack of resources to maintain or improve them.

Originally the group had no name, but eventually became known as the “Flower Power Group.” In the intervening years & especially since the reconstruction at the buildings’ end of the driveway, the group has made it their mission to work to (eventually) assure 3-4 season interest in the garden beds with plants, (shrubs, perennials, spring & summer flowering bulbs etc.) that are hardy, low maintenance, drought tolerant, height-appropriate for Rivi’s needs in an area, (e.g. the ‘dropoff’ bed) & non-hazardous (e.g. re. bees & poisonous plants). The group consists of all-Member Volunteers and includes four active Marion County Master Gardeners amongst its ranks. The initial group included current members, Rose Marie Foster & Carin Young & their husbands, Jerry & David and has been aided in recent years by the “heavy lifting” of Dan Willis.

The change to the Riviera Garden Group (RGG) name was done in January of 2022. It was decided by the participating Rivi Members to rename the group to better reflect the group's scope & inclusivity.

Currently the group includes four active Marion County Master Gardeners, Rita Hupp, Carin Young, Maggie Jordan & Shirley Fry, and two inactive ones, Rose Marie Foster & Edie Kalwara. This implies that all 6 have taken the Purdue Extension Master Gardener Course at some time & were certified as Master Gardeners (MG). To remain an active certified MG requires the annual completion of a prescribed number of volunteer hours of garden-related activities in the public sector including education as well as continuing personal education hours.

The Riviera Garden Group gathers on Wednesday morning beginning at 8:30 a.m. and new Member Volunteers are always welcome.