Kathy Heil thoroughly enjoys gardening; she likes spending time alone with her perennials that thrive in the garden outside of her home. But Heil also enjoys sharing her gardening passion with others.

A resident of Manheim Township, Heil is the president of the Women's Garden Club of Lancaster County.

"It's therapy and enjoyment," said Heil. "I enjoy seeing if the birds come, and the insects and all the natural habitat. We also have a patio in the backyard, and we enjoy sharing our meals outside. We also have a water feature to go with the garden."

There's something calming and medicinal associated with humans physically connecting with an Earth that sustains them. Gardening also has a way of triggering our nurturing mechanisms.

"I just like getting my hands in the dirt," said Heil. "I've pretty much always been a gardener. I come from a farming family. I've always had an inclination to do some gardening."

Many of the same feelings Heil has about gardening she shares with the other 50 dues-paying members of the garden club. That bond possesses the power to inspire strong friendships and uplifting camaraderie.

"They're women from all kinds of backgrounds," said Heil. "That's what makes it very interesting. You learn about all these pursuits people have.

"We share our pursuit of gardening interests," she added. "We have a lot of fun; we like to learn and share good times. The purpose of the club is to foster interests that are all about gardening."

The club periodically hosts open houses and embarks on regular field trips. Its meetings feature presentations from gardening experts and an Americanized informal tea that includes coffee and appetizers in addition to tea.

Nine subcommittees support the structure and work of the club.

"Being we meet once a month, it's always great to get together," said Heil. "We try to get everyone involved. It's not just an observation program.

"Our club is open," Heil continued. "We just have a joy, and we want to share that. We'd like to get other people interested."

The club meets monthly at 1 p.m. on the fourth Thursday at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 301 Saint Thomas Road, Lancaster. The meetings are open to the public.

"When I became a retiree, I was able to spend more time gardening and developing more perennials," said Heil. "As we get older, we have to evaluate what we can do and we can't do."

The garden club was established in 1947. Over the last 80 years, the club has promoted, advocated for and explored the beauty of gardening.

"In the 1930s, there was a men's garden club in Lancaster County," said Heil. "Since they did not allow women, women started their own garden club. In the beginning, new members had to be approved. Board members would come out to see if the new members' gardens were worthy of the club."

For additional information, go to https://womensgardencluboflancastercounty.com.