Join a Garden Club!
We have FAQ’s about joining a garden club below.
Get all your questions answered, then, contact the club in your area to join!
Garden clubs are made up of members who have a passion for growing things. Members respect plant life, animals, nature, and the environment. They feel the need to give back to their community. Each garden club is unique, and may emphasize growing, landscaping, wildlife habitats, flower arranging, or other specific interests. Members come from all ages, backgrounds and experiences. If there is not a club in your area, you can join any club in the state – or start a new club! Contact the TGCI membership chairperson for details.
Generally, most garden clubs meet monthly in homes or in a community building. Some smaller clubs meet in member’s homes. (During these times of physical distancing due to the global pandemic, many clubs are meeting virtually and/or in safe ways in person.)
Most of the Indiana clubs keep their dues between $15 and $30 per year per person.
Clubs have a board of directors consisting of a president, vice-president, secretary (recording and/or corresponding), and treasurer. Some also have appointed positions on standing committees based on what the group is interested in doing. Each club belongs to a district. There are seven districts in Indiana. The districts are comprised of clubs in one or more counties. Each district belongs to the state organization, The Garden Club of Indiana, Inc. The state organization then belongs to the Central Region, consisting of seven states and all are under the umbrella of the National Garden Clubs, Inc., headquartered in St. Louis, MO.
A federated garden club belongs to the National Garden Clubs, Inc. organization. Federation allows the club to use the resources of the national organization such as grants, monetary awards, a network of talent available as research sources, and education. Additionally, members may take classes to become nationally certified as flower show judges, landscape consultants, gardening consultants, or environmental consultants.
- $1.00 – National Garden Clubs, Inc.
- $7.00 – The Garden Club of Indiana, Inc. for state operating expenses.
*Note that club dues usually pay for programs, speakers, community projects, yearbooks, and supplies.
You can do as much or as little as you want, however the more involved you are, the more you can get out of the experience.
Here are some of the examples of the projects our state garden clubs are engaged in:
- Beautifying a main street or a park by planting and maintaining the site.
- Working with children to plant flowers or bulbs around their schools or helping them plant butterfly gardens in a public area.
- Advocating for conservation efforts.
- Providing floral design programs and education.
- Presenting programs to scouts, 4-H, and to school classes.
Garden clubs provide stimulating and informative programs for their members on a wide range of topics such as:
- Growing annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees, vegetables, houseplants, roses, chrysanthemums, cacti, succulents, hollies, broad-leaved evergreens, needled evergreens, and so on
- Learn useful landscape ideas to incorporate in one’s own yard
- Study of birds, butterflies, helpful insects in the garden and learning which plants will attract them
- Basic flower arranging techniques
- Conservation of our natural resources, preservation of historic sites, and recycling practices