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Events

 | GARDEN WALKS | FLOWER SHOWS | PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST | MEETINGS AND CONVENTIONS |  

 

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. Download the Open Days flyer HERE.

Open Days Flyer
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.
Buy Tickets Here
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.
Learn More about Open Days and Digging Deeper

 

Flower Shows

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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.

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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, call Liz Murkin at 920-379-4194. Horticulture entry cards are available after June 1 by emailing Carol Catlin, and should be filled out in advance. Anyone interested in doing an Education Exhibit should email 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 and what we do with more than 1 million people attending the fair.

Show Schedule Page-by-Page
Show Schedule Booklet

 

Photography Contest

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

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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.

 

Meetings and Conventions

2025-2027 Executive Committee Installed at MDGC Spring Meeting

PictureWGCF President Joe Powelka shares his President's theme and project.
The Milwaukee District Garden Club's (MDGC) Executive Committee for 2025-2027 were installed at the MDGC's Annual Spring Meeting May 7 in Greenfield. Joe Powelka, President of the Wisconsin Garden Club Federation (WGCF) installed Norma McReynolds as Director, Kitty Larkin as Recording Secretary, Kerry Krokos as Treasurer, Cheryl Lausten as Membership Secretary and Lynne Ehnert as Parliamentarian.

Joe also discussed his WGCF President's theme – A Time for Change – and his president's project.
​In addition, garden club presidents shared their clubs' work and projects during 2025 and plans for 2025. During the MDGC business meeting, the bylaws were updated and approved and a scholarship was awarded.

MDGC Awards Chairman, Kerry Krokos presented yearbook awards to Elmbrook Garden Club and the Garden Club of Greater Milwaukee. Susan Miller received the "And Then Some" award for her work as chairman of the Habitat for Humanity Plant Share. Connie Sandell was honored with the Doris Schultz Award for outstanding contributions to the Milwaukee District. Longevity certificates were given to Hawthorn Garden Club for 100 years and to Fox Point Garden Club for 75 years. 

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WGCF President Joe Powelka installs the MDGC 2025-2027 Executive Committee: Norma McReynolds, Director; Kitty Larkin, Recording Secretary; Kerry Krokos, Treasure; Cheryl Lausten, Membership Secretary; and Lynne Ehnert, Parliamentarian.
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Kerry Krokos (far right) presents Nancy Cody, President of the Garden Club of Greater Milwaukee, with the Milwaukee District yearbook award.

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 in April. 

The following garden clubs and members from the Milwaukee District were honored at the state convention:
  • Conservation Award - Hawthorn Garden Club
  • Certificate of Merit - Ann Luba, Garden Club of Greater Milwaukee
  • Yearbook for clubs with 12 or fewer members - Hawthorn Garden Club
  • Pat Dvorak Yearbook Award - Hawthorn Garden Club
  • Wisconsin Judges Council Education Award – "Moon Garden" by Nancy Gregory, Town & Country Garden Club
  • Floral Design Program - Hawthorn Garden Club (Honorable Mention)
  • And Then Some VIP Award - Susan Miller, Garden Club of Greater Milwaukee
  • Nancy Gotham - Hawthorn Garden Club
  • WGCF Longevity Awards – 100 years to Hawthorn Garden Club and 75 years to Fox Point Garden Club
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Susan Miller received the Milwaukee District's And Then Some VIP Award at the WGCF state convention in April. Presenting the award to Susan was Diane Olsen, MDGC Director.
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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. 
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