Please join us at our next meeting!
Interested in joining a garden club? Call me for more information, or simply come to our next meeting—we’d love to see you. You’ll meet fellow gardeners of all experience levels who are happy to share their gardening successes and challenges. Most of all, you’ll discover a welcoming circle of friendship, shared interests, and fun. Here’s what we have going in the next two months:
Friday, October 9 at 12:30 PM – Greens Sale Crafting. A “makers time” of preparing holiday crafts to be sold at the Kalamazoo Garden Council Annual Greens Sale. No experience needed. This is a fun time of crafting, socializing, and perhaps learning a new skill.
Friday, November 13 at 12:00 PM – Seasonal Floral Design at our Annual Guest Day Luncheon. A demonstration by a floral professional on how to make holiday arrangements using seasonal greens. This event does require a reservation, so please give me a call, and I will arrange for you to be my guest.
Jan Keys, President
269-341-1966
Below are some photos from the past year, capturing our interesting programs, field trips, and events.
Our Purpose
To promote knowledge and enjoyment of horticulture, landscape design, and flower arranging. To encourage conservation and protection of the environment and all natural resources. To support Kalamazoo Garden Council, Inc. and Michigan Garden Clubs, Inc. To inspire each member to participate in the Club’s community outreach projects, educational opportunities, fundraising efforts, and social events.
Meetings
2nd Friday of the month at 12:30 PM (unless otherwise specified).
There are also several special events throughout the year that you can participate in according to your interest and available time. All of these events are terrific opportunities to have fun, meet talented gardeners, increase your knowledge of gardening, and provide valued community service.The location varies depending on our program. Typically, a short business meeting is followed by a speaker a workshop, or a tour, and club members enthusiastically share their gardening knowledge and their friendship.
Committees
Standing Committees: Auditor, Celebrations, Communication, Community Projects (Hospital Hospital House, Northside Neighborhood Welcome Sign, Council Projects: East Side Native Garden and Sign Garden, Greens Sale Boutique Items, Greens Sale Bow Booth, Finance, Horticulture, Media/Photography/Historian, Membership, Nominations, Programs, Ways and Means, Yearbook.
Community Activities
- Planting seasonal container gardens at the Hospital Hospitality House.
- Annual Spring Plant Sale
- Annual President’s Project
- People’s Choice Award at a local flower show
- Active participants in the Kalamazoo Garden Council Annual Greens Sale
- Active participation in the Kalamazoo Garden Council biennial Standard Flower Show.
- Maintaining the Welcome to Kalamazoo Northside Neighborhood sign planting area.
Above: Our Civic Beautification Committee assures a cheerful welcome to our great city! We recently received a Michigan Garden Clubs First Place Award for Civic Beautification for our work on the Northside Welcome Sign.
Above: Members on a Lavender Farm Tour
Officers July 1, 2026
- President: Jan Keys
- Vice-President: Lynne Gerfen
- Secretary: Kathy Kienle
- Treasurer: Bev Love
- Council Director: Donna Robinson
- Ways and Means Chair: Mary Verleger
- Membership Chair: Sue Conat
Above: Members at our Annual Meeting where we celebrated 250 Years of American Gardeners.
Fiscal Year: July through June
Annual club dues also include membership in Michigan Garden Clubs, Inc., and National Garden Clubs, Inc. If you are interested in more information about expenses associated with being a member, please complete the form at the bottom of the page and our membership chair will contact you. Dues and other costs are very reasonable.
Club History
Organized in 1928 — Federated in 1934
In 1928, there were three garden clubs in Kalamazoo, comprised of men and women. The men worked in the garden, and the women acted as hostesses. However, women could spade, hoe, and rake too, so on June 22, 1928, seven women with a common interest in flower gardening and beautifying the city banded together and formed a new club created exclusively for women.
This new club was called “The Kalamazoo Unit of the Women’s National Farm and Garden Association”. They met twice a month, and dues were $2 a year. The club grew slowly (15 members in 1929) and was the smallest Garden Club in the city through the 20’s and 30’s.
The club was first federated in 1934, and the name was changed several times before finally establishing the name of Kalamazoo Garden Club in 1950. In 2003, Kalamazoo Garden Club celebrated its 75th birthday with a big garden party.
Early fundraising events included bridge parties, quilt raffles, and finally guest day luncheons with popular speakers. Today plant sales and auctions of garden related sales and silent auctions help fund a wide variety of programs and speakers. The club has also planted trees in local parks.
Members of the Kalamazoo Garden Club have long been active in beautifying the Kalamazoo community. Currently, members work in the garden of Hospital Hospitality House, bringing beauty and serenity to those staying there while their family member is in the hospital. In the Spring of 2021, we completely revamped the Welcome to Kalamazoo Northside Neighborhood sign planting area and maintain it throughout the year in a very positive relationship with the City of Kalamazoo. We are proud to be helping this neighborhood look its best!
Thank you for visiting our website
We hope to see you at an upcoming meeting, but if you’d simply like more information in the mail or email,
please contact our Membership Chair, Sue Conat:
847-977-3059
sueconat@att.net
Please visit our Facebook page by clicking the icon at the top.
We look forward to seeing you soon. Happy gardening!
Kalamazoo Garden Club
