Anyone keen to help sustain the Wangaratta Garden Club is encouraged to attend the group's special extraordinary meeting next week.

Currently in its 50th year, the garden club is struggling to fill committee roles, which has prompted its 15 members to consider dissolution of the group.

Next week's special extraordinary meeting, on Thursday, 5 March from 1pm at the Seventh Day Adventist Church, will seek to secure a committee, particularly a treasurer and secretary, to ensure the group can continue.

The garden club has had a significant influence on Wangaratta's landscape during its 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 Horticulture 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 just a few years after the garden club started, in 1980, and the Merriwa Park fernery was 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.

Despite its significantly smaller membership, the group has continued to promote interest in gardening, with monthly daytime meetings held at the Seventh Day Adventist Church Hall.

Members said the current decline in involvement had started just before the COVID-19 pandemic, which had impacted many local clubs, and the increasing price of plants had also had an effect.

Anyone who would like to help revitalise the group, particularly by taking on a committee role, is invited to attend next week's meeting on Thursday, 5 March at the Seventh Day Adventist Church Hall from 1pm.