For at least 30 years, Corinne Slayden&8217;s passion for gardening has led her to be active in the Southside Garden Club. Next week, Slayden and her fellow club members will join with other garden clubs across the country to celebrate National Garden Week.

The week of June 1-7 is dedicated to the gardeners across the country.

But for Slayden, the whole year is a time for both making the yard beautiful and educating others about the importance role beautification plays in a community.

Slayden has done many types of gardening. She has cultivated large plots of vegetables, kept flower beds and even done gardening in pots. For her, the most important thing is variety.

Fellow member of the club Betty Baxley said gardening is not the only thing the club does.

They hold programs at local schools, such as the Arbor Day program at Westside Elementary and they also help with local organizations like Habitat for Humanity.

The first Habitat for Humanity House was landscaped in part due to the efforts of the club and a grant from their national organization.

This year&8217;s National Garden Week, sponsored by National Garden Clubs Inc. actually coincides with Habitat for Humanity International&8217;s home-building blitz, which is an accelerated building effort conducted nationwide, takes place May 31-June 7.

NGC members will provide the new Habitat for Humanity homeowners with container gardens and assist in planting low-maintenance, environmentally friendly landscaping.

When asked why gardening has become so important to them, both Slayden and Baxley were in agreement &8212; it&8217;s all about seeing the end result of a long season&8217;s worth of work.

Baxley traces her love of gardening to childhood.

The Southside Garden Club of Demopolis meets September through May. If you are interested in joining, you may call 334-289-2957 for more information.