BCAT News

The Burlington Garden Club is racking up award wins this year, earning both state and regional recognition for its creative civic beautification project,  a striking lit-lantern display showcased in container gardens on the Town Common during the winter season.

(Photo courtesy of Christina Nikitas)

This fall, the club received the Joyce A. Kimball Container Garden Award at the 96th Annual Meeting of the New England Garden Clubs in Rocky Hill, Connecticut. The regional honor recognizes the most outstanding container garden display designed for a public space across all of New England. It marks a major milestone for the Burlington Garden Club, representing its first-ever regional award in the organization’s 65-year history.

Earlier this year, the club also won the Mary F. Brewer Roadside Beautification Award at the 98th Annual Meeting of the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts in Danvers. That award recognizes the most exceptional civic roadside beautification project in the state.

The club’s award history stretches back to 1999, during Burlington’s bicentennial celebration, when members created the Colonial Garden on the island in front of Northern Bank adjacent to the Town Common. Designed with plant materials commonly used in 1799, the project earned the club an award from the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts. The engraved silver plate was later presented to Town Administrator Bob Mercier during a Select Board meeting.

Since then, the Burlington Garden Club has continued to earn recognition. The National Garden Club awarded a Certificate of Merit during the club’s 60th anniversary year of federation. In 2023, the club received the Garden Therapy Certificate for its outreach work designing floral arrangements with residents at Atria Senior Living. And in 2025, Club Vice President Christina Nikitas initiated the Unsung Hero Award to honor longtime member Rhody Nardella for her fundraising and educational efforts through the Pollinator Partnership project.

Readying the Lanterns 2023: Suzanne Raposo, Civic Development Chair of the Burlington Garden Club (foreground) and Club members Mary Algeri and Eileen Sickler, refresh the lanterns with a new coat of paint. (Photo courtesy of Christina Nikitas)

Nikitas, who also serves as a Director for the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts, prepared this year’s award submissions and represented the club at the regional conference. “The other Burlington — as in Vermont — was winning numerous awards,” she recalled with a laugh. “I assumed it just wasn’t our time, when suddenly Massachusetts was announced for a win — an exciting, emotional moment!”

She went on to praise Civic Development Chair Suzanne Raposo for her “unbridled energy, imagination, and outstanding ingenuity” in creating the now-legendary set of handcrafted wooden lanterns. The lanterns are refreshed each year by club members and arranged in seasonal greenery before being placed on the Town Common and nearby traffic islands. “Had there been an opportunity to apply for a National Garden Club award this year — unfortunately not an option due to the award cycle — I believe Suzanne’s brilliant lantern design could have merited national recognition,” Nikitas added.

Beyond awards, the Burlington Garden Club remains rooted in service to the community. Members dedicate themselves to beautification, conservation, outreach, environmental education, and scholarship support throughout the year. “Our members are creative and committed to improving our local environment and community experience,” Nikitas said. “These merit awards are a testament to the drive and team spirit of our club. We continue to strive as an inventive, collaborative, and vibrant community-minded partner in Burlington’s shared landscape.”

Founded in 1960 and federated in 1962, the Burlington Garden Club continues to engage the community through civic beautification and educational programming. Currently, meetings are held in the evening on the fourth Wednesday of the month. For more information, visit burlingtongardenclub.com, or for membership inquiries, email membership@burlingtongardenclub.com

Featured above: Burlington Garden Club is honored with the Joyce A. Kimball Container Garden Award at the New England regional meeting. Left to right: Lisa Murray, Director of the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts; Kim Edwards, President of the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts; Christina Nikitas, Director of the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts and Vice President of the Burlington Garden Club; Polly Brooks, Director of the New England Garden Clubs.
(Photo courtesy: Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut)