Wangaratta Garden Club will hold a special extraordinary meeting on 5 March to discuss its future.

Nearing its 50th anniversary next year, the club is struggling to fill committee roles, prompting its 15 members (including eight life members) to contemplate the possibility of the group's dissolution.

President Mary-Ann Jacka said the garden club could run with a three-member committee, but it would ideally like to secure a treasurer and secretary.

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, which produced a monthly newsletter, hosted regular trading tables, and conducted a mini-garden produce competition and identification of plants, as well as inviting guest speakers to meetings.

The rose garden was established in 1980, just a few years after the group started, 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.

Now, with its significantly smaller membership, the club replaces roses in the rose garden, but is no longer involved in its upkeep.

However, the passion for gardening remains and has been evident at the group's monthly daytime meetings at the Seventh Day Adventist Church Hall.

Members came to the group for a variety of reasons.

Mary-Ann, for instance, moved to Wangaratta from Sydney 10 years ago and wanted to learn what to plant in the local climate.

"It was helpful straight away, and enjoyable meeting like-minded people," she said.

Anne Vinar had belonged to a garden club in Heidelberg before shifting to Wangaratta in 2009, and decided to join a club here as well.

Current vice-president Maxine Webb said she saw an ad for the garden club in the newspaper in 1998, while Carmel Sloan is a founding member.

Carmel said early meetings were held at The Centre and at Graham Gales' house, before afternoon sessions started at the Uniting Church Hall, later moving to the Seventh Day Adventist Church Hall.

"Many people have come and gone, and contributed to the club, over the years," Maxine said.

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

While a focus on healthy lifestyles had encouraged more people to grow their own fruit and vegetables, members say decreasing yard sizes combined with the increasing installation of swimming pools had left locals with less space for gardens, while groups like Probus clubs had their own garden clubs.

However, they said the Wangaratta Garden Club was a wonderful place to meet people and make friends, and there was always a chance to learn something new.

The current members encouraged anyone who would like to help revitalise the group, particularly to take on a committee role, to come along to the special extraordinary meeting on Thursday, 5 March at the Seventh Day Adventist Church Hall from 1pm.