One of the most important GCA committees because of its affiliation with the Smithsonian, the GH&D committee serves as a liaison between our club and the Smithsonian Archives of American Gardens by documenting local area gardens for preservation. Smithsonian Gardens AAG's primary mission, in conjunction with The GCA’s Garden History & Design Committee, is to collect unique, high quality American cultivated garden images with accompanying documentation. Through this documentation, AAG strives to preserve and highlight a collection of significant aspects of American gardening for public access now and for researchers in the future.

Every moment a garden exists, it is subject to the forces of change, loss, and, in some cases, destruction. A familiar and beloved garden today may become a distant memory in a matter of time due to changing landscape trends, urban development or, in the case of a natural disaster in just a few minutes, i.e. tornadoes, drought, hurricanes. Even the most meticulously maintained garden evolves over time deviating from its original design. Unless gardens are photographed and their history and life span documented, the thought, creativity, care and labor that goes into them may be lost forever.

Gardens highlight the difference in regions, culture, history and the personal tastes that influence them. Despite their uniqueness, gardens are such a subtle and natural part of our surroundings they are often taken for granted and may not be “noticed” until they are in danger of disappearing, or are already gone forever.

Our GH&D committee uses photography and research, to document our Sonoran desert gardens for posterity. In the last 25 years 26 Phoenix area gardens have been documented for the Smithsonian AAG. Arizona Columbine Garden Club member, Nancy Swanson has personally documented or supervised the documentation of 17 of those gardens, more than any other garden club member in the U.S.

In 2022, el chaparral, a Phoenix garden, documented for the Smithsonian Archives of American Gardens by Arizona Columbine Garden Club members was highlighted by the Garden Club of America as its nationally Featured Garden in December 2022.  Most recently, Casa Paloma, a Paradise Valley garden was documented for the Smithsonian Archives and also recognized by the GCA as its December 2023 Featured Garden.