Petal Pushers Garden Club (PP)

Mission Statement

The object of this Club is to promote horticulture, conservation, and the enjoyment of gardening through activities and study.

Meetings

Meetings are the second Wednesday of the month at 12:30 p.m., unless otherwise noted. Members are encouraged to come a half-hour early for socializing and snacks. Meetings consist of a program or activity and a Club business meeting.

Programs 2026-2027

July 8, 2026 / Tour Lillian Anderson Arboretum, Greta Farley
August 12, 2026 / Tour of Hilary’s Garden
September 9, 2026 / Putting Your Garden to Bed presented by Linda Whitlock
October 14, 2026 / “Toxic Plants”
November 11, 2026 / Green Sale Projects
December TBD, 2026 / Holiday Luncheon
January 14, 2027 / No meeting
February 10, 2027 / “Seed Snails” Andrea Stork
March 10, 2027 / Wedels Garden Center speaker
April 14, 2027 / “Propagation, cuttings, grafting & dividing“, Vandersalm’s Flower Shop
May 12, 2027 / Tour at KVCC Food Innovation Center with Histina Petrovska
June 09, 2027 / Installation luncheon

Community Projects

Garden Therapy Program

Petal Pushers partners with Meilland Square Memory Care at Heritage Community of Kalamazoo for our monthly Garden Therapy Floral Arranging sessions. Each month, a group of our members takes flowers and greens that are donated by Trader Joe’s to the facility and works together with the residents to make a floral arrangement that they keep. Members work with each resident individually to create a flower arrangement. The shared time and appreciation for beauty make this a very special program the volunteers look forward to each month.

Gold Star Memorial at the Kalamazoo Air Zoo

Together with Landscapers Garden Club, Petal Pushers collaborated to establish, dedicate, and maintain a Gold Star Memorial at the Air Zoo Aerospace & Science Museum in Portage, MI. The memorial was dedicated November 11, 2021. Gold Star Families is a non-profit organization created to provide support to those who have lost a loved one in service to our country through the United Armed Forces. Their mission is to offer honor, hope, and healing through remembering fallen heroes by coming together. The Gold Star Memorial plaque was affixed to a large boulder and is located near the front entrance to the museum. The memorial will be at one end of the future memorial garden/arboretum. Both Garden Clubs will alternate on seasonal floral arrangements and wreaths to bring added beauty and respect to the memorial. www.gardenclub.org/blue-and-gold-star-memorial

First National Bank of MI Planters

Petal Pusher members volunteered to make the corner of Park and Michigan a little bit more beautiful—just in time for summer. This project was initiated through Kalamazoo Garden Council and is a beautification project that is rotated among all the member Clubs.

Kalamazoo in Bloom Planting Day

We are excited to be back to volunteering with Kalamazoo in Bloom to plant annuals as a Club project around the statues, and at various beds in Bronson Park—after years of being on hiatus. This year we got the joy of planting the Children’s Statue area across from the Civic with a beautiful array of white inpatients and other plantings with mixed annuals.

KGC’s Holiday Greens Sale

The Kalamazoo Garden Council hosts a Holiday Greens Sale every year, and member clubs make holiday-themed projects to sell at this event. A portion of our November meeting is devoted to finishing the Club projects and attaching the sales tags. Our Club is also well represented at all the council-sponsored workshops to make swags, bow-making, Porch Gnomes, and fresh green arrangements. Our members also donate many hours working at the Greens Sale. In 2022, we made Porch Gnomes and Swags as our Club projects. This year marks the 70th Annual Greens Sale, which will be held at the Portage Zhang Community Senior Center on December 2-3, 2023.

Petal Pushers Plant Sale (Spring 2024)

Petal Pushers voted to put our annual Plant Sale on “hiatus” for a year while we assess our time and talents and figure out how to host a plant sale in a smarter way. Stay tuned to see what we arrive at.

Pollinator Garden at the KGC House: Petal Pushers voted to “gift” the Kalamazoo Garden Council the planning, installation, and labor to establish a Pollinator Garden around the donated birch tree. Now this Pollinator Garden is our Club’s designated area of KGC House grounds to maintain. We worked on amending the soil, creating a planting plan, and began planting perennials in late summer 2018. Poetry stones, a Peace Pole, and a butterfly house created by Wendy Peterson and her husband were installed. In May 2021, we dedicated memory rocks painted by Evelyn Flynn in honor of Lynn Morris and Ann Wunderly. Most of the perennials were donated by Club members, with additional annuals donated through Wenke’s Good Neighbor Days. Members are encouraged to Adopt-A-Week to tend the garden.

Committees

• Awards Committee
• Bank Planters (6/23)
• Builders Home Show (8/23)
• Christmas Luncheon
• Donations 2023
• Environmental Concerns
• Facebook
• Friendship
• Flower Show (even years)
• Friendship Cards and Calls

Fiscal Year:  June 1 – May 31 | Organized: 1957 | Federated: 1960

Officers

• President: Hillary Shafqat
• Vice President: Gloria Tiller
• Secretaries: Mary Ann Laurell & Jeanne Grubb
• Treasurer: Laura McCloskey
• Club Director: Beth Dimick

Club Highlights

Organized in 1957 – Federated in 1960. Petal Pushers was the vision of two women, Gladys Seseman & Claudia Rice, in 1957. Their first program book included a constitution, by-laws, a garden creed, and a list of officers and members.

Through the years, the club has been involved in many activities throughout the community. These activities have changed over time, but they always involve ways to enhance and beautify our surroundings. Kalamazoo in Bloom, which involves Bronson Park and Portage Center, is an activity that we contribute to, as well as working with Alzheimer patients in ‘touch & feel’ activities, with flowers and greens. Our club participates in the annual KGC Greens Sale with creative gifts and arrangements, plus setup, floor work, and tear down.

In 2008, the club had its first plant sale. The plants for the sale come from club members’ yards and the yards of friends. This sale is now in its 11th year and has become a favorite of all plant sales in the area. Many years ago, two friends with a vision planted a seed, and from that our club has grown. It has deep roots and strong branches that have provided interesting activities and enjoyment to a diverse group of women. 

Find out more about becoming a garden club member by completing the form below.