In 1911, just as Detroit was exploding into one of the largest and most successful industrial cities in the US, The Garden Club of Michigan (GCM) was founded with fifty members from nine cities in Michigan.
Comprised of some of the most prominent and influential women in the area, their aim was to stimulate the knowledge and love of gardening and to protect the quality of the environment through educational programs and action in the fields of conservation and civic improvement.
More than just arm-chair enthusiasts, these dynamic women understood the importance and relevance of horticulture and were true environmentalists before the term had even been invented. Their legacy of conservation, education and civic beautification has always been – and still is – at the core of GCM.
For over 100 years, GCM has been involved with many important projects and initiatives of all kinds. And like the original founders, our current members are just as dedicated to promoting the importance of gardening and horticulture in the Detroit area and beyond.
The Garden Club of Michigan (GCM) hosted an online presentation, “Plastic Pollution”, with Kim Cameron of Beyond Plastics on Tuesday, February 13 at 7 p.m. via Zoom. You can view the presentation here; the passcode is #t1*WBb3.
Cameron, who holds a Ph.D. in Plant Physiology, delves into the toxic connections between plastics and plants, animals, soil, water, and our bodies, as well as provides information about what micro-plastic particles do to our soils and how plants take up these particles.
The Garden Club of Michigan was pleased to support the effort to have April named “Michigan Native Plant Month.“• View opportunities to celebrate native plants locally here.
• Read Governor Whitmer’s proclamation Here.
• Read the Garden Club of America’s position paper on native plants Here.
Since 2016, the Garden Club of Michigan has taken on the civic beautification of Sunset Point on Detroit’s beautiful Belle Isle. The point is a popular gathering spot with a terrific view of the Detroit skyline.
The Garden Club of Michigan is proud to have raised the initial $150,000 to commission a public garden on Belle Isle by internationally renowned garden designer Piet Oudolf. View Factsheet. Visit the Oudolf Garden Detroit website
Trial Gardens at The War Memorial
Each year local garden clubs design, plant and tend the nine plots of the Trial Gardens according to a changing theme.
Learn more about the Grosse Pointe Garden Center Trial Gardens.
Please use our online form if you wish to make a contribution in honor or in memory of a loved one, or for any other occasion.
Donate OnlineThe purpose of The Garden Club of America is to stimulate the knowledge and love of gardening, to share the advantages of association by means of educational meetings, conferences, correspondence and publications, and to restore, improve and protect the quality of the environment through educational programs and action in the fields of conservation and civic improvement.
Founded in 1913, The Garden Club of America is a volunteer, nonprofit 501(c)3 organization comprised of 200 member clubs and approximately 18,000 club members throughout the country. Learn More
