Login
The 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.
From the GCA Collection at the Archives of American Gardens: Floral Clocks
Telling time with flowers at the turn of the twentieth century.
Floral clocks started appearing in outdoor public spaces at the turn of the twentieth century. The clocks were large-scale timepieces placed amongst richly colored and contrasting carpet plants in elaborate patterns. Some worked like sundials, dependent on the sun to mark time, while others were fully functioning timepieces. These floral clocks are not to be confused with botanist Carl Linnaeus’ flower clock which laid out a variety of flowers in a clock-like design according to the hour of the day they opened and closed.
GCA Clubs Are Changing the Landscape
The cumulative impact of GCA clubs, by the numbers.
Did you know that legendary Wisconsin football coach Vince Lombardi was a member of The Garden Club of America? He wasn't. But he should have been. It turns out that Lombardi knew a lot more about The Garden Club of America than most would give him credit for. "Individual commitment to a group effort," he said, "is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work." That's The Garden Club of America in a nutshell.
Neighborhood Action for Conservation
Your next front yard.
Hancock Park Garden Club was distressed over the breakdown of their century-old neighborhood aesthetics and diminished ecosystems so they decided to take action. After a comprehensive study, they produced Your Next Front Yard a booklet addressing the challenge of managing individual aesthetics and neighborhood character, as well as rebuilding healthy ecosystems.
Help Solve A Garden Mystery - The Smithsonian’s Archives of American Gardens
Massachusetts, c. 1960s-70s
Do you love gardens and the thrill of the hunt? The Garden Club of America Collection at the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Gardens has images of numerous gardens across the United States that need a bit of sleuthing to be positively identified. Some images belonged to slide lectures that were dismantled over time or simply never were labelled. Regardless of how it happened, they are a mystery!
PLANT SCIENTISTS NEEDED ON PUBLIC LANDS: The GCA Supports H.R. 1054 and S. 3240
The GCA Supports H.R. 1054 and S. 3240.
A decline in trained botanists is impacting the ability of scientists and public land managers to address challenges on public lands, reports the Wall Street Journal in an article published today, reflecting a long-standing GCA concern.
In Memoriam: Christine Freitag, 30th President of The Garden Club of America
Christine Dietrich Freitag, president of The Garden Club of America from 1993-95, and 2007 GCA Achievement Medalist, passed away on August 4. We mourn the loss of this visionary conservationist, champion of our parks, native plants, and scenic beauty, great leader, and dear friend.
Crisis in Horticulture
Did you know . . .
Horticulture affects everything, from the air we breathe, to the food we eat, and to the beautiful landscapes and floral arrangements we enjoy. But few youth make this critical connection.
The Garden Club of America offers 28 merit-based scholarships and fellowships in 12 areas related to conservation, ecology, horticulture, and pollinator research. In 2018, more than $308,400 was awarded to 65 scholars.
In its inaugural year, the Montine M. Freeman Scholarship in Native Plant Studies was awarded to Angela Merriken and Dr. Uma Venkatesh.
Read more about the new Scholarship and the recipients.
Annually since 1995, the GCA has identified a stellar North American native plant to receive its Montine McDaniel Freeman Medal for Plant of the Year.
Mountain mint is The Garden Club of America's 2018 Plant of the Year.
Nominate a Plant - recognize a plant that is under-utilized but worthy of preservation, propagation and promotion.
Hancock Park Garden Club was distressed over the breakdown of their century-old neighborhood aesthetics and diminished ecosystems so they decided to take action. Read more about what HPGC is doing and consider what you might do in your community.
Download the GCA's Position Papers on Climate Change Action and Native Plants.
