Talk about Plant America in action, and over many decades as well!
Mrs. Kitty Pozer grew up in the City of Fairfax and was an active volunteer in many organizations. She was a founding member of the Garden Club of Fairfax and an officer in the Garden Club of Virginia and the Garden Club of America.
Gardening was her particular interest, both personally and professionally. She was the first to write a gardening column for the Washington Post as well as writing for gardening magazines. She travelled nationally and internationally touring gardens in pursuit of gardening knowledge.
In 1925, the Posers purchased the oldest house in the City, the Ratcliff-Allison House, built in 1812 by Richard Ratcliff. They added a new section in the back facing property that extended over a one-half block area. Mrs. Pozer then began to plant this area which resulted in a “park like” garden, including a boxwood garden, trees and many popular plants of that era.
Mrs. Pozer was a “friend” of the Fairfax Ferns Garden Club and in 1979, she invited the members of the Club to a tea and a tour of her garden at which time she identified the plants. Long standing members have a clear memory of her garden and have carried them forward into the planning of the “Memorial Garden.”
Before her death in 1981, Mrs. Pozer willed her property to the City of Fairfax. The house and the gardens were maintained by the Historic Resources Division. In 2013, the City began construction of “Olde Town Square” and planned to demolish Kitty’s garden. Historic Fairfax City, Inc.(HFCI), an organization that oversees the City’s historic sites, lobbied to save a portion of the garden as a memorial to her efforts.
Fairfax Garden Club member Hildie Carney also serves on the Board of HFCI, and was appointed Chairperson of the project. Hildie enlisted the help of the Club’s members, many who have extensive knowledge of horticulture and design. Karin Rindal, who is a Past President of the Club, is Co-Chair of the project because of her experience in designing other gardens.
Three years later and much work by the Club, the garden is coming to life with the historically accurate plant material of Mrs. Poser’s original garden. Many of the original plants were moved to members’ gardens and nurtured until they could be replanted. This is an on-going project for the Club as they continue to maintain, water, and plant other material. It’s a labor of love as a tribute to “Kitty and her garden.”
The Kitty Pozer Memorial Garden will be officially dedicated in the spring of 2018. Thanks to NCAGC District III's grant program, Fairfax Ferns Garden Club has applied grant money over the last two years to include historically appropriate plant selections.
Photography by Karin Rindal and Eileen Tumelty.
Hildie Carney and Karin Rindal are members of Fairfax Ferns Garden Club in Fairfax, Virginia. Hildie has been a member for fifty-one years, and is her club's longest standing member.
