Proposed by: a member of Cincinnati Town & Country Garden Club, Zone X

Hope Taft, The Garden Club of Dayton, Zone X, and first lady of Ohio (1999–2007), left an indelible fingerprint at the Governor’s Residence by advocating for natural ecosystems. In collaboration with garden design experts, she developed the master plan for the Ohio Heritage Garden at the residence—featuring the state’s five ecoregions—filled with native plants, many of which are threatened or rare.

Her work with Nancy Linz, The Garden Club of Cincinnati, Zone X, and Nathan Johnson, public lands director for the Ohio Environmental Council, to highlight the benefits of native plants and encourage the removal of invasive non-native species, led to the establishment of her home state as the first to enact a law designating April as Native Plant Month.

To draw attention to the ecological value of native species nationwide, Hope contacted Senator Rob Portman (R-OH, 2011–23) who sponsored, with co-sponsor Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI), the first US Senate resolution declaring April National Native Plant Month. The effort received unanimous bipartisan support. With an eye to the enactment of future federal law, Hope’s work served as the model and springboard for the GCA’s successful initiative to enlist club-member advocates in all fifty states and the District of Columbia to urge lawmakers to adopt a US Senate resolution designating April as National Native Plant Month, which it has done each year since 2021.