Who We Are and What We Do…

2026-2027 Cassina Garden Club’s Pamela Eastman

As we step into a new season at Cassina, I am reminded once again of the extraordinary spirit that defines our club. Every meeting, every project, and every quiet act of service reflects the heart of our members — women who show up, lift up, and cultivate beauty wherever they go.

This year holds special meaning as we continue preparing for our Centennial. Our committees are already laying thoughtful groundwork, and your enthusiasm is the energy that keeps us moving forward. Whether you are tending the gardens, preserving our history, welcoming new members, or lending your talents behind the scenes, you are shaping the legacy we will celebrate in 2028.

Your feedback continues to guide us. Because of your voices, our programs are more engaging, our communication more transparent, and our gatherings more focused on connection — the very thing that makes Cassina feel like home. Thank you for making every gathering warm, welcoming, and full of genuine fellowship. It is your presence that brings Cassina to life.

As we look ahead, may we carry gratitude for the women who built this club, pride in the work we are doing today, and excitement for the milestone just over the horizon. Together, we are tending not only gardens, but a century-long story of community, stewardship, and friendship.

Wrapped in Gratitude,

Pam

Monthly Programs

This year, our Monthly Meeting Programs celebrate GATHERING—in all its many forms.

Our year begins by addressing a member survey request: many of us want to become more successful gardeners in our island's unique environment of sandy soil, heat, humidity, and salt air. September’s panel of local Master Gardeners presenting “Gathering Local Experts So Our Gardens Will Grow!” will answer your survey questions and share practical advice to help our gardens flourish.

“Gathering Birds for our Gardens with Habitat Restoration”  presenter, a Certified Wildlife Biologist, will explain how each of us can help create better habitats for birds. She will share what her research is revealing about how birds are responding to habitat restoration efforts along the Georgia coast and offer practical and easy-to-implement ideas for creating a bird-friendly backyard, helping us attract and support more of the feathered visitors we all enjoy.

In November, “Gathering Stories from Little St. Simons Island: From Revolutionaries to Conservationists,” with the Director of the Center for Coastal Conservation at Little St. Simons, will allow us to travel through centuries of coastal Georgia and learn why Little St. Simons Island continues to lead the way in preserving our coastal heritage for future generations.

In January, after the holiday season, we will learn about one of our coastal landscape signature plants: “Camellias: Gathering with the Queens of the Winter Garden.” Their spectacular blooms reach their peak in January, making it the perfect time to celebrate these winter beauties. Our presenter will share the fascinating history, beauty, and care of camellias.

It’s time to celebrate 99 years of friendship at our Annual February Luncheon: “Our 99th Gathering: Stories, Gardens & Laughter.” Presenter Neal Sanders, acclaimed author and speaker, will present "Gardening Is Painless (and Other Lies We Tell Ourselves)," sharing the promises, pitfalls, triumphs, and absurdities of gardening with the wit of a seasoned storyteller and fellow gardener. We’ll leave with a smile, a few gardening truths, and perhaps a renewed appreciation for the wonderfully irrational things gardeners do.

By March, you may be wondering: Can our programs get any better? We think so! “Gathering for Spring: A Smorgasbord of Choices” will offer a variety of special-interest sessions, allowing members to choose a topic that interests them and enjoy a more personal, interactive experience. Whether you're interested in gardening, pollinators, healthy cooking, or floral design, there's something to inspire everyone.

In April, we are busily getting ready for our Annual Tillandsia Garden Walk, one of Cassina’s signature events. “Gathering Time for Garden Walk 2027 and Container Gardens” will allow us to finalize plans, tie up loose ends, and answer any last-minute Garden Walk questions. Then, we'll turn our attention to our own garden containers and discover how to make them bloom with color and style with the founder and owner of the specialty landscape company Coastal Bloomers.

“Gathering for High Tea, New Friends, and Happy Memories”: What better way to conclude our 99th year than with a lovely High Tea? We’ll celebrate the friendships, accomplishments, and memories we've shared while rolling out the red carpet to welcome our newest Cassina Garden Club members. It’s a joyous time to honor our past, embrace new friendships, and look ahead with excitement to our milestone 100th year.

As we begin this new year together, I’m honored to share the theme I’ve chosen to guide us during “2026-2027: 99 years of growing, gathering, and giving — all wrapped in gratitude!” These words reflect who we are — and who we aspire to be.

Community Projects and Outreach

From beautifying public spaces to supporting local schools, historic sites, and nonprofit organizations, our Outreach projects reflect Cassina’s commitment to the community we love. Each one gives us an opportunity to work together, share our talents, and make a meaningful, lasting difference in our area.

  • Since 1932, the care and maintenance of the former Hamilton Plantation slave cabins and grounds have been entrusted to the Cassina Garden Club. Maintaining the grounds, gardens and historic tabby slave cabins is an ongoing project with participation by all members.

  • Cassina Garden Members are available each Wednesday, 10 AM to 12noon, to share the history of Gascoigne Bluff and the Hamilton Plantation tabby slave cabins with visitors. Docents are also available, upon request, to conduct private and educational school tours. Please see the Cabin Tours and Educational Programs sections of this website.

  • To better tell the story of the slave cabins and Cassina property on Gascoigne Bluff to our many visitors, in 2009, glass-enclosed cabinets and hanging display panels were installed in the Meeting Cabin. Themed educational displays were added to the exhibition in 2010 using artifacts found on Cassina's property, period photographs, and storyboards.

  • Cassina has provided protection, signage, care, and community tours at the site of the grand cedar located adjacent to the Cassina Garden. This tree is estimated to be almost 400 years old and has been measured by the U.S. Forestry Service to be the second largest of its species in the United States the largest in Georgia. In 2023, winds from Hurricane Idalia broke off a main section of the cedar tree. Cassina contacted a local woodworker to create cedar benches which you will see displayed in the two different areas in the gardens.

  • Cassina is a proud participant in this festival that celebrates the history and culture of African Americans here in Coastal Georgia, providing information on the club's historical sites.

  • Cassina donated $25,000 to the Saint Simons Land Trust in 2009-2010 for the construction of a gazebo at the then-new botanical trail in Frederica Park as a resting place and focal point along the trail. We were proud to be a part of this project: Frederica Park was the first new park to be built on Saint Simons Island for more than 50 years.

  • In 2017, former member Nancy Harper helped Girl Scout Hannah Williams earn her Gold Star Award by creating a 10 x 10 Monarch Butterfly Waystation on the Cassina grounds. The garden is officially called Hannah’s Butterfly Kisses Gold Award, #10653. In August 2022, Cassina expanded the garden to include a second 10x10 square. Both squares were created using guidelines from the Monarch Watch Waystation Program. The Cassina Garden Club Garden Committee continues to take care of this garden room to provide resources necessary for monarchs to produce successive generations and sustain their migration. In 2024 Girl Scouts will use the butterfly garden to participate in The Great Southeast Pollinator Census, a citizen science project created by the University of Georgia Extension.

  • This project was started several years ago when Cassina partnered with Hospice of the Golden Isles to design and plant a pink garden at the entrance to the hospice facility. Currently, we plant seasonal flowers at the entrance of the Hospice main building as needed.

  • Cassina volunteers "ring" during the Red Kettle Campaign for the Glynn County Salvation Army during the Holiday season. The Red Kettle Campaign is the best way for the community to get involved in helping provide desperately needed food and lodging to people in our region year-round.

  • Morningstar Children and Family Services, located in Glynn County, is Georgia's only residential care community for foster boys aged 12-21 with developmental disabilities, including autism and complex care needs. Serving up to 55 boys, their mission is to provide a nurturing home that fosters a brighter future through life skills, therapeutic counseling, and workforce coaching. Several times a year, Cassina enhances the entrance with flowers and plants, creating a welcoming atmosphere.

  • Cassina had the privilege of becoming involved in Habitat for Humanity through its newly ambitious project, called the 15-home Century Place. HFH's projection is to build homes on four acres in Brunswick. Cassina provided the landscaping, sod, and volunteer labor for the first three homes.

  • Twice a year, Cassina volunteers visit Magnolia Manor and The Vitality Senior Living on Saint Simons Island. With fifty bunches of purchased vibrant flowers and greenery gathered from our own yards, we create stunning bouquets together with residents that brighten their rooms. This experience is not only fun but also deeply rewarding, as we forge new friendships and share our love for floral design.