2025 MGC WINTER NEWSLETTER

Michigan Garden Clubs, Inc. Plant America - Grow, Share and Connect to a Brighter Future!

Lisa’s Letter  

Happy Holidays!

As I write this letter, the snow is falling softly but steadily and is a beautiful sight!

In keeping with our 2025-2027 theme, Plant America – Grow Share and Connect for a Brighter Future, we have recently updated the Youth Contest information on the website. Please read the wonderful article in this issue to learn more about the Youth Contests. Michigan students received awards for all 3 Contests in 2025, with the HS Essay winning 1st place in state and National! 


Our goal is to share knowledge and passion for gardening and the environment and support our youth in their future endeavors that match our mission. What fun and creative ways will your club employ to include, educate and inspire youth?? This winter is a great time to plan the projects for your club and I hope you'll incorporate youth in at least one.

The MGC Scholarship program continues READ MORE



Until next time…May your winter and holidays be filled with joy, family, friends, good health and… Happy Garden Planning!

Lisa

Lisa Robinson, MGC President 2025-2027

lisarobinson@migardenclubs.org 

Every day is a great day to be a gardener in Michigan

and a member of Michigan Garden Clubs, Inc! 

The MGC, Inc. Mission

is to provide leadership, education, resources, and network opportunities for its members to promote the love of gardening, floral and landscape design, civic, and environmental responsibility.

Send Us Your
Garden Gate Photos!

Your photo may be featured in a future issue of 
Thru the Garden Gate!

Please submit to:

loshaughnessy@migardenclubs.org

Iinclude your name and club
when submitting.

It’s Time to Enter the 2026 Flower Show!


The 2026 MGC State Conference
will feature a statewide
NCG Standard Flower Show


Double Tree Hotel by Hilton

Ann Arbor North

3600 Plymouth Road

Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105

Flower Show Schedule and Entry Here

D1 Karen Block

kblock@migardenclubs.org

D2A Debra Emmons

demmons@migardenclubs.org

Facebook coming soon

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D2B Joan Lenhard

jlenhard@migardenclubs.org

D3A Judy Nelson

jnelson@migardenclubs.org

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D3B Lori Dillenbeck

ldillenbeck@migardenclubs.org

D4 Joan Tolley

jtolley@migardenclubs.org

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D5 Dorothy Sandoval

dsandoval@migardenclubs.org

D6 Deborah Glasstetter

dglasstetter@migardenclubs.org

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MGC Club News

Big Rapids Garden Club hosted our annual Greens Workshop December 1st, which is an event for the community. Our prices are affordable, starting at $15. We collect the greens in our area. Foraging hunting land and city gardens. 

Great way to start the Christmas Season.

Kent Garden Club MGC D4 had a busy fall season. In September, we received the Bonnie Welch Bryant Legacy Award from Our Hope Association (OHA), a women’s drug rehabilitation center. We were recognized at their annual gala for our volunteer work teaching gardening skills during the spring and summer and our craft program during the fall and winter for the past two years. It was quite an honor. Eight members of our OHA gardening team attended.

At our October general meeting, two floral artists from Blooming Artistry Florist in East Lansing presented on IKEBANA, the Japanese art of flower arrangement. Sarah Soltis and Nina Jaffray brought several examples and also designed several pieces with us. Ikebana utilizes design simplicity while emphasizing line, balance and creating harmony. By eliminating the Japanese terminology, Sarah and Nina kept it simple. They were fun to watch and really did make it seem easy to create those wonderful traditional Japanese designs. They made the arrangements look “do-able”. At the end of the session, names were drawn and many members walked away with beautiful arrangements. This meeting was open to area garden club members. READ MORE

Brighton City Mayor Recognizes

The Brighton MI Garden Club 


Brighton Michigan Garden Club was honored for service to the community at a City Hall Meeting on Tuesday, October 14th, at 6:30 p.m. "Everyone has worked so hard on these gardens and we finally got the recognition we deserved. I know I am proud to be a part of this wonderful organization!" Marsha Lesley said. Brighton City Mayor Kristopher Tobbe gave us the "Mayoral Proclamation." After the recognition of Brighton Mi Garden Club, the city presented a PowerPoint slideshow detailing all of our club activities. READ MORE

Congratulations Williamston
Red Cedar Garden Club 100 Years



This year marks a truly historic milestone—100 years of gardening, community, and friendship for one of Michigan’s proud garden clubs. For a full century, members have dug their hands into the soil not only to plant flowers, but to plant hope, beauty, and connection throughout their community.

DeWitt Garden Club
Celebrates 25 Years

 This year, the DeWitt Garden Club proudly celebrates a beautiful milestone—25 years of growing gardens, friendships, and community spirit. What began as a small group of neighbors with a shared love of plants has blossomed into a dedicated organization that has helped shape the natural beauty of DeWitt for a quarter of a century.

NEW MGC BOARD MEMBER

2025-2027

MGC Ongoing Projects and News

NGC Schools

Held in Michigan

Environmental School

Chula Vista Garden Club is hosting Series 9 of Environmental School for MGC.

Fifty students attended the second of four courses November 3-4, 2025. This course addressed Land and Related Issues. All four courses are being held at the MSU W.K. Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) in Hickory Corners, MI. KBS consists of more than 3,800 acres of land with a variety of aquatic and terrestrial habitats. According to their website, KBS is a “premier site for field experimental research in aquatic and terrestrial ecology that takes advantage of the diverse managed and unmanaged ecosystems.” The station is named for cereal magnate W. K. Kellogg, “an early 20th-century entrepreneur who understood the importance of preserving the land and its resources”. The habitats of KBS includes forests, old fields, streams, wetlands, lakes, and agricultural lands.

Local chair Bunny LaDuke said “Finding and arranging a partnership with a local organization/facility that may be interested in the subject certainly makes managing an NGC/MGC school easier for organizers, for instructors, and for participants. It is only a matter of asking and following up. All of the MSU W. K. Kellogg area managers have been inspirational and helpful, contributing the use of a wonderful facility and their personal skills.” READ MORE

Gardening School


National Garden Clubs sponsors Gardening School which consists of 4 two-day courses. Course 2 was held on September 12 and 13 in Sawyer, MI. Forty-six registered for the course and the topics were: Plant Diseases and Garden Pests, Irrigation and Water, Lawns and Alternatives, Growing Fruits and Vegetables and Hummingbirds.

Course 3 will be held on April 17 and 18 in Sawyer, MI. Topics for this course will be: Factors That Influence Plant Growth, New Plant Development and Evaluation, Container Growing-Outdoor, Houseplant Basics, Native Trees and Shrubs and Growing Mushrooms.

Courses may be taken individually to gain knowledge. However if students take all four courses and pass the exam for each course, they gain the designation of NGC Gardening Consultant. Courses do not need to be taken in order; they can also be taken at other locations or through Zoom. To find other classes go to:

Gardening School | National Garden Clubs, Inc.


Further information will be sent out by email from MGC in February and will be posted on the MGC website. Local chair is Elizabeth Palulis, evpalulis@yahoo.com

Engaging Youth in Michigan Garden Club Contests and Projects

Kimber Nagy, Youth Gardening Activities Advisor

Involving our youth in organizations can empower and help identify needs in communities. Integration of environmental education and projects in the K-12 curriculum varies significantly across schools. Many children learn very little about Mother Nature, and numerous school systems or youth groups do not have the funding to implement programs in their districts (e.g., Kraft et. al.) Thus, garden clubs play a critical role in providing youth with educational experiences related to environmental projects. The Michigan Garden Club promotes three activities which encourage conservation stewardships and hands on experiences related to civic responsibilities. 

Smoky the Bear and Woodsy Owl Poster Contest is partnered with the U.S.Department of Agriculture and National Garden Clubs. This program is designed to help children from the ages of 1st grade through fifth, to understand the importance of caring for the environment. Smoky the Bear contestants develop posters to raise awareness of preventing forest fires. Woods Owl posters were crafted to deliver a conservation message about protecting the world.  Schools, youth programs, and equivalent groups are excellent partners, along with library systems that have youth coordinators. The participants need to submit their finished posters to Cindy Eisenhart who chairs this event by January 20, 2026

Another project is the Youth Sculpture Contest which encourages children in Grade levels 4th through 8th to become acquainted with recycling.  This activity allows youth to expand their artistic abilities and creativity by using recycled materials to develop sculptures regarding a specific topic. The theme this year was to “Encourage Youth to Keep our Planet Green.” Libraries, schools and youth groups have been great collaborators with garden clubs. All finished projects need to be submitted by Jan 20th to Kimber Nagy, The Youth Sculpture Advisor.

The third activity, High School Essay Contest invigorates teens in the 11th and 12th grade.  Students are required to write a 600 to 700 work essay on a question chosen by the Michigan Garden Club related to environmental sustainability, which was the embraced theme chosen this year.  School Counselors, English Teachers, Home School Activity Coordinators or Youth groups are good resources and alliances. All Essays should be submitted to Joyce Muz, the MGC High School Essay Advisor, by March 15, 2026. The sponsorship of all three activities READ MORE

Life Achievement Award

Virginia Froehlich, Chair

A great way to honor a club member or other individual for outstanding service to a club, district or state organization is by presenting them with a Life Achievement Award (LAA).

The $105 cost of a LAA includes a pin, a certificate and a congratulatory letter and supplements the Scholarships investment fund. MGC currently budgets annually to offer scholarships to all 15 public universities for studies in gardening, horticulture, landscaping and environment-related fields.

To request the Award, go to migardenclubs.org, click “Member Resources” and the “Awards” menu. Download the CURRENT request form. The questions are designed to ensure the recipient is recognized for a variety of contributions and accomplishments. Please allow 6 weeks for the request to be processed and the LAA packet to be mailed. Timely processing cannot be guaranteed for last-minute requests. For assistance in obtaining an MGC LAA or a National Life Membership, please contact me at vafroehlich@comcast.net.

Congratulations to these recent recipients of Life Achievement Awards:

Linda Atiemo-Obeng, Chemical City Garden Club

Leslie Hoover, Cadillac Garden Club

Jan Parmelee, Tri-Cities Garden Club, Inc.

Nancy Shirah, Burke View Garden Club

Sue Soderberg, The Friendly Garden Club of Traverse City

A National Garden Club Life Award was also presented to Carol Grainger by MGC District 2B and Williamston Red Cedar Garden Club.

Charitable Donation$

by Gail Taggart 2nd Vice President



Looking to Make a Meaningful Link to Another Nonprofit Organization? Check out MGC’s Charitable Donations. The process was rolled out in late 2024 and resulted in fourteen gifts to 501c3 organizations with a similar purpose.

We are happy to report that the program will continue with a budget of $6,000, and more coming from Districts. The MGC Board must approve all donations, as MGC, including its Districts, is all one 501c3 organization. By providing donation support, the program is intended to further MGC’s mission, increase visibility to MGC and its’ member Clubs, and foster long-term mutually beneficial relationships.

Go to the Member side of the MGC website, Administrative Area, Additional Forms, for the Charitable Donation Request form. Send your application directly to MGC’s 2nd & 4th VPs: gtaggart@migardenclubs.org and ksauber@migardenclubs.org. Application deadline: October 1st.

Black Swallowtail
Legislative Report

by Jeanette Meyer Legislative Chair

The Black Swallowtail Bill is sitting in the House Government Operations Committee which is not likely to move this session. However, we may want to see if we can have a Senator introduce a Black Swallowtail bill in the Senate to get things moving again this session.

I had a Zoom meeting with the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) as there is possible legislation proposed by the Michigan Landscape Nursery Association that would remove ALL regulations from products such as compost, fertilizer, and soil conditioner. Not only would that mean that a consumer could never be sure what was in their gardening product but also Michigan would likely become a dumping ground for products that did not meet regulations from surrounding states. That could have a significant impact not only on consumers but also on our environment. I will keep MGC updated on this important issue.

Finally, MGC members will be asked to contact their legislators to encourage them to introduce legislation that would limit the use of neonicotinoids in our state. More to come on that issue.

Central Region News

Central Region Convention 2025

by Lisa Robinson


The Osthoff Resort was the setting for the 2025 Central Region Convention, held October 26-30 in beautiful Elkhart Lake, WI. The first 2 days were dedicated to a Flower Show Judges Symposium, followed by a 2-day Convention with a joint dinner in between. 74 attendees were registered for the combined events.

The Convention consisted of Executive Committee Meeting, General Business Meeting, 3 dinners, 2 lunches and 2 receptions, one to honor NGC President, Donna Donnelly.  Optional activities included 2 make-and-take workshops, which were well received.



The venue sits on beautiful Elkhart Lake and boasts wonderful restaurants, lounges and grounds which are always lovely and professionally maintained seasonally. The Grounds supervisor was one of the speakers at the Convention. He presented the seasonal container and garden planting combinations in each area throughout the property, explaining the pros and cons of each combination and plant species. The grounds team also maintains Holiday lights, 11 miles of them, and they hand select the resort Christmas Tree each year then supervise its installation. He led a grounds tour after his presentation. 

Other speakers included:

• A shepherdess who processes wool debris into Woolly Belly Pellets, used for soil amendment and mulch

• The Central Region Photography Contest results and tips to taking photos with your phone. Michigan Garden Clubs was proudly represented with photographs from Lynn O'Shaughnessy and Jeanette Meyer.

• A local "Farm to school" program

With Michigan in line to host the next Central Region Convention, this was quite an event to follow! More information is coming soon as plans are made for an October 2026 event.

NGC News

Plant America Project

from NGC President, Donna Donnelly

The NGC PLANT AMERICA/Keep America Beautiful initiative is underway. It is a program that will have a nationwide impact, encouraging the planting of red, white, and blue at the approximately 4000 Blue and Gold Star Memorial Markers across the country to celebrate America's 250th birthday.

The project, which will culminate on July 4, 2026, aims to promote awareness of our patriots, environmental stewardship, and community beautification. There is a lot of excitement about it, as I have been discussing it at the NGC Region Meetings I attended over the last two months.

The project encourages all club members to participate in activities they would normally do during this historic 250th celebration of America, but now they can also apply for a grant of up to $1000 to fund their work. Keep America Beautiful also has a volunteer force you can work with, and this information is available on the website. If the club does not have a memorial marker in their town, they can plant the Town Hall flag or another visible patriotic site.

The project is educational and raises awareness not only of the Memorial Markers that honor our service men and women with great pride, but also about the historic 250th birthday of our freedom and the patriotic display of plant material used. The NGC website has all the information and the grant application ready to go. If you have any questions about the grant application, don't hesitate to get in touch with Val Story, Chairman – Valstory@aol.com. Good luck, and I anticipate a sea of RED, WHITE, and BLUE from coast to coast on July 4, 2026!