Original Drawing by Helen Poole

The story behind our Nottingham Country Garden Club (NCGC) Logo

During the 2010-2011 garden club year, the NCGC board decided that it would be a great idea to establish a logo for our club. They decided a Logo Contest would be a fun way for all of the members to be involved. Pat Plesko, Phyllis Hogue and Helen Poole each submitted a design.


After a vote was taken by the entire membership, it was announced that artist Helen Poole had the winning design. Her contest prize was a one year free membership to the Nottingham Country Garden club. Our prize, of course, was the beautiful logo for our club!

Helen’s inspiration was the Carefree Beauty Rose (aka the Katy Road Pink). According to the Texas Agrilife Extension Service website, this rose was introduced in 1977. For several years it was known as “Katy Road Pink” after it was “found” on Katy Road in Houston.

The Texas Agrilife website states that “this carefree beauty was developed by Dr. Griffith Buck at Iowa State University to withstand the cold and long winters of the Midwest, Carefree Beauty has also proven to be an excellent choice for gardens in Texas that are challenged by hot, dry summers. Carefree beauty was named 2006 “Earth-Kind Rose of the Year” by the Texas Agrilife Extension Service.”

The Texas Agrilife website also states that “the Carefree Beauty Rose fast and furiously produces successive flushes of deep rich pink blossoms from spring until frost. The flowers open flat with a few irregular, loose petals at the center and an occasional white stripe running through them. Large orange hips are produced from nearly every flower. The rich color of the shrub makes it a natural choice for uses in groupings of 3 to 5 plants in locations to which you want the viewer’s eye to be drawn”. . . and it makes a beautiful inspiration for our logo! Thank you Helen Poole!