As you approach former Saratoga mayor Jill Hunter’s front door, you can’t help but notice her blooming backyard garden basking in the sun.
Step inside, and her keen eye for plants is obvious. They are the center of attention.
What else would you expect from someone who’s spent decades gardening throughout town?
“The village looked tired, very tired,” Hunter said, reflecting in her sitting room adorned with antique dolls against walls painted muted colors. “And the flowers perked it up.”
Hunter has a passion for breathing life into things.
“When I moved here 44 years ago, I thought this village was the most beautiful,” she said, explaining she originally arrived from New York. “I thought the village looked like New York, and that’s why I moved here.”
But by 2005, she says her town of Saratoga had become a little dreary. She decided it was time to enliven the place a little.
The appearance she loved so much had lost some of its lustre. So, she decided to embark on a gardening campaign.
Starting out, she faced many headaches. Including from the City Council.
(Drew Penner / Los Gatan)
Hunter says she once even had the police called on her for simply putting lights up on trees. “They didn’t like the fact that we were rummaging around their town without asking permission,” she said.
Along with winning over Council members, Hunter knew she needed to raise funds to support the vision she held for Saratoga.
She reached out to hundreds of people and ended up raising $40,000.
Eventually, even the Council came around to her initiative.
“As time has gone on, they’ve adjusted well,” she said. “And they now love what the results are.”
The place brightened up, as more volunteers joined—not only from Saratoga but from other communities, too.
Soon, gardening became a weekly activity, where residents met on Tuesday at 10am to spend an hour on beautification tasks.
The group even puts on events for the children of the town.
They hold two main events every year, one for St. Patrick’s Day, and one for Halloween.
Both see amazing turnout, and leave the children who attend with core memories.
In addition to impacting their community, the club also competes in the national America in Bloom competition. The nonprofit organization sends judges to different towns and cities throughout the country who evaluate each on their horticulture, historic preservation and community vitality.
In its very first year participating, Saratoga won for its population category, including Saratoga won in the 30,000 to 40,000 population category, including for “best tree canopy” and “best overall impression.” Hunter was thrilled.
“We won a lot of tree prizes,” she said.
Hunter also gives back to the community in other ways, as well, such as by helping out a fellow gardener.
John was the only paid volunteer in the club, which helped him find living arrangements.
Over the years, Hunter has helped Saratoga shine, bringing it fame for its beauty.
Even after so many accomplishments, she’s still planning new projects.
Her next mission? Hanging baskets along Big Basin Way.
“I’m hoping by May,” she said. “May or June, and then they stay up until October.”
For the past twenty years, Jill Hunter has spread beauty through gardening. “It makes me happy, and all the other women I work with—and the men. I think it has given them fulfillment and—as we age—to have something to do. That gives us a bonding together.”
The community of Saratoga has flourished through Hunter’s work, and it continues to leave a positive impression on all who visit to this day.
