Milwaukee District Garden Clubs
  • HOME
  • CLUBS
  • DISTRICT
  • EVENTS
  • PROJECTS
  • CONTACT

Events

| PLANT SALES | GARDEN WALKS | FLOWER SHOWS | PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST | FUND RAISERS |
| MEETINGS AND CONVENTIONS |  

 

Plant Sales

South Shore Garden Club Annual Fundraiser Plant Sale
May 1 to 31, 2025 – Shop the whole month!
Paul's Petal Pushers Greenhouse, 28058 North Lake Drive, Waterford WI
Visit Paul's Petal Pushers Greenhouse, make your selections and let them know that you are purchasing for South Shore Garden Club. A percentage of your purchases will be donated to the garden club. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Fox Point Garden Club's 54th May Market
Saturday, May 10, 2025 from 9am to 12 noon
​Longacre Pavilion by Stormonth School, 7301 Longacre Road, Fox Point, WI 53217

Fox Point Garden Club's annual plant sale features plants from members' gardens, dug and potted just for you! The club's annual fund raiser helps provide materials for the gardens that it maintains in the community.

​Four Seasons Garden Club's Annual Plant Sale
Saturday, May 17, 2025 from 9am to 2pm
​Kenosha Harbor Market, 2nd Ave & 56th St., Kenosha, WI 53144

Four Seasons Garden Club  annual plant sale at the Kenosha Harbor Market, one Block West of the Kenosha Museum. All plants are grown locally by garden club members, and all proceeds support the club's many community projects.
​

Potpourri Garden Club's Annual Perennial Plant Sale
Saturday, May 17, 2024 from 9am to noon
Franksville Park, 9614 Northwestern Avenue, Franksville WI 53126
Potpourri Garden Club members harvest perennials from their gardens for this plant sale. There is usually a large selection of hostas and daylillies to choose from.

 

Garden Walks and Tours

Four Seasons Secret Garden Walk
Saturday, July 12, 2024
Four Seasons Garden Club is making preparations for its Secret Garden Walk. Save the date and watch for more information. 

Garden Club of Greater Milwaukee and the Garden Conservancy Open Days and Digging Deeper Event
Wauwatosa’s Washington Highlands Historic District
Saturday, July 19 and Sunday, July 20, 2025
The Garden Club of Greater Milwaukee is participating in Open Days, a national program of the Garden Conservancy, on Saturday, July 19 and Sunday, July 20. Five unique, private gardens in the Washington Highlands Historic District in Wauwatosa, will welcome visitors from 10am to 4pm both days.

The participating gardens range from 1/4 acre to 1/2 acre in size and are within walking distance from each other. Washington Highlands is a neighborhood known for its unique, stately homes and lovingly tended gardens. Click HERE to learn more about the gardens in the Open Days tour.

Tickets: Tickets are available at $30 per person for all 5 gardens of Open Days with individual garden tickets also available. Children 12 and under are admitted free with paid adult admission. Advance purchase is required; tickets are timed and limited. Click HERE to buy tickets.
2025 Digging Deeper Event - Washington Highlands: Where Beer Barons, Prohibition and Garden City Landscape Architecture Intersect will be led by Garden Club of Greater Milwaukee members Peggy Rooney and David Zachman as a 90-minute architectural tour through this neighborhood rich with history. Tickets for this event are sold separately at $40 for general admission and will be available in May. The event will run both days at 10am and 2pm.

 

Flower Shows

Picture
Diggin' It at the 2025 Wisconsin State Fair Flower Show

Floral Designers of Wisconsin Garden Club is "Diggin' It" at this year's Wisconsin State Fair Flower Show. The club invites all garden club members to participate in the Aug. 7 to 10 show in the Grand Champion Hall on the fair grounds in West Allis. This is a National Garden Club Standard Flower Show.

​
Download the show's schedule HERE. Check out the rules and decide what you would like to enter. If you are interested in doing a design in the Design Division, then email Liz Murkin. Horticulture entry cards are available after June 1 from Carol Catlin, and should be filled out in advance. Anyone interested in doing an Education Exhibit should contact Nancy Gregory. 

Kitty Larkin, president of Floral Designers of Wisconsin and the show executive chairman, is looking forward to some great floral designs and horticulture entries this year. She points out that ​this is a great opportunity to show case garden clubs with more than 1 million people attending the fair.

Show Schedule Page-by-Page
Show Schedule Booklet

 

Photography Contest

Picture
Download Entry Requirements
Central Region Photography Contest:
​
"Nature is Imagination Itself"

​
Wisconsin is holding the 2025 Central Region Convention in October at the Osthoff Resort. The convention will feature a photography contest open to members of any federation garden club in the Central Region. Entries may be submitted from Jan. 1 through Aug. 1, 2025. Finalists in each category will be displayed at the convention.

The categories are:  

Class 1. Through the Looking Glass: a photo featuring reflection
Class 2. Flying High - featuring movement in nature
Class 3. Down by the Water – a color or monochromatic image showcasing the lakeside and/or wetlands 
Class 4. This really Bugs Me! - A close-up or macro image celebrating pollinators, pests and or predators in our habitats 
Class 5 Nitty Gritty – a still life or still image featuring some natural components
Class 6. This is Wild! - a photo of a subject in nature changed by your use of creative techniques.

 

District Fund Raisers

Picture
Western Acres members promoting membership and offering pollinator signs at Brookfield's Farmers Market.
Picture
Pollinator Garden Signs
Promote your pollinator garden(s) with an attractive sign! You don't have to be a garden club member to buy a sign. Also, garden clubs may combine their orders and submit them to make distribution easier.

Cost per sign is $18 or 2 for $35. Signs are 10″ x 15″ and are made out of coated aluminum composite with an average lifespan of 3 to 5 years. Suitable three foot metal posts are available from Menard’s, Home Depot or Fleet Farm.

Contact: Diane Olsen


 

Meetings and Conventions

Membership Panel Discussion, VIP Awards Highlights MDGC Fall Meeting

Discussing membership development and honoring VIP members were the highlights of the Milwaukee District's annual fall meeting Oct. 14 in Mequon. ​In addition to reports from the MDGC officers and chairs of the standing committees, garden club presidents shared their clubs' work and projects during 2024 and plans for 2025. During the MDGC business meeting, the bylaws were updated and the scholarship fund was increased.

The Wisconsin Garden Club Federation's (WGCF) Future's Subcommittee lead a panel discussion on membership development – how to enhance member experiences, increase and retain membership and have fun! The Future's Subcommittee is part of the WGCF Strategic Planning Committee. Participating in the panel discussion were:
  • Sue Wallace – WGCF Executive Committee Recording Secretary and member of the 2025 Convention Committee
  • Karen Merlau – Sheboygan District Director and Environmental School Chair
  • Kathy Shaw – Fox River Valley District Secretary, Waushara Gardeners President and Bird Committee Chair​

Sue, Karen and Kathy talked about ways to implement the National Garden Club's goals of recruiting, retaining and revitalizing membership. They provided a list of resources and discussed what they have learned from other national groups such as the American Hosta Society and Wild Ones. To learn more about the subcommittee and its resources, visit the WGCF website HERE.

VIP members nominated by their garden clubs for their dedicated service included Norma McReynolds of Floral Designers of Wisconsin Garden Club, Mary Jo Wellenstein of Fox Point Federated Garden Club and Judi Wisla of Hawthorn Garden Club.
Future's Subcommittee Resources
Karen Merlau, Kathy Shaw and Sue Wallace discuss membership
Kathy Shaw talks about Waushara Gardeners
Kerry Krokos presents VIP award to Judi Wisla of Hawthorn Garden Club
Nancy Cody shares Garden Club of Greater Milwaukee accomplishments

WGCF Convention Is Serendipitous Occasion

Picture
​The 96th Annual Business Meeting and Convention of the Wisconsin Garden Club Federation (WGCF) was held May 19 to 21, 2024 at the Milwaukee Marriott West in Waukesha, WI. Hosted by ​the members of Milwaukee District, it was a serendipitous event for WGCF members with informative speakers, creative workshops and breakout sessions and a mini-craft fair.
​
See the summer issue of Wisconsin Gardens on the WGCF website for photos and a recap of the convention. 
​

Milwaukee District Garden Clubs and Members Win Awards

Several garden clubs and their members received awards for their work at the Wisconsin Garden Club Federation's (WGCF) state convention and at the Milwaukee District Garden Clubs (MDGC) spring meeting in May. 

The following garden clubs and members from the Milwaukee District were honored at the state convention:
  • Creative Horticulture Award – Nicholas Lemus, Garden Club of Greater Milwaukee
  • Ruth West Horticulture Award, Honorable Mention – Hawthorn Garden Club
  • Wisconsin Civic Achievement Award – Garden Club of Greater Milwaukee
  • Certificate of Merit – Debra Koenig, Garden Club of Greater Milwaukee
  • Pat Dvorak Yearbook Award – Hawthorn Garden Club
    • Honorable Mention – Elmbrook Garden Club
  • And-Then-Some VIP Award – Susan Balije, Garden Club of Greater Milwaukee
  • Gardening for Wildlife – Nicholas Lemus, Garden Club of Greater Milwaukee

​At its May 23 spring meeting, MDGC presented monetary awards to the following garden clubs for their outstanding yearbooks:
  • Hawthorn Garden Club (15 members or less)
  • Town and Country Garden Club (16 to 39 members)
  • Garden Club of Greater Milwaukee (40 plus members) 
Home
Clubs
​District
Contact
Milwaukee District Garden Clubs (MDGC) was founded in 1932 as a part of the Wisconsin Garden Club Federation which is a member of National Garden Clubs, Inc. and its Central Region. A not-for-profit educational organization, we serve gardeners in Dodge, Jefferson, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Walworth, Washington and Waukesha counties who are gardening for good in our communities. 
  • HOME
  • CLUBS
  • DISTRICT
  • EVENTS
  • PROJECTS
  • CONTACT