Wangaratta Garden Club has made the decision to fold, after being unable to fill committee roles at its special extraordinary meeting last Thursday.

However, president Mary Ann Jacka said the club's remaining 15 members planned to meet regularly for lunch, for unofficial social gatherings.

The garden club made an impact on Wangaratta's landscape during its almost 50-year existence, including establishing the Ryley Street rose garden and the Merriwa Park fernery in conjunction with council, as well as donating roses to the Rotary garden on the corner of Swan and Edwards Streets.

It officially began in 1977, though there had previously been in existence a Wangaratta Horticultural Society - which was founded in 1916, gradually folded through lack of support, and was revived in 1953.

A geranium club had also been formed in 1962, but there was waning interest in the groups again before the formation in '77 of the garden club.

The rose garden was established in 1980, just a few years after the group started, and the Merriwa Park fernery opened in 1982.

After these works, the club - then with 80 members - began work on cleaning and beautifying the approaches to the city's railway station, under the leadership of president Dick Edwards and secretary Bob Leask.

In recent years, the group has been holding monthly afternoon meetings at the Wangaratta Seventh-day Adventist Church Hall.