Fun Together
Being a member of the Rochester Garden Club is much more than giving back to the community. We love to get to know each other, share stories, develop lifelong friendships and have tons of fun together. Various standing committees host group activities that give us a chance to learn, laugh and usually have some delicious food! Our Horticultural Committee hosts an annual Nursery Crawl each May that is very popular. Members pile into the biggest vehicles and follow a route to area nurseries. We shop till we drop and then stop for lunch. This committee also arranges nature walks – even in the winter! They also hold a perennial plant exchange, and a seed exchange. The Herb Committee hosts herbal teas and herbal soup luncheons during the cold winter days. The Flower Arranging Committee offers demonstrations on how to get the best from your cut and dried flowers. Arts and Crafts Committee hosts gatherings to learn how to create cool projects, some of which end up for sale at the Gifts and Greens Market. Members have a wide variety of fun things to do with friends!
Standing Committees
The Rochester Garden Club has many standing committees, in which members can focus on areas of particular interest. These committees give us the chance to get to know each other better and share skills and knowledge. All members are required to be on at least one committee but often members join more than one.
Arts & Crafts– is a very popular committee that has member workshops for fun and educational opportunities. Painting, sculpting, garden art, sewing crafts, knitting and crochet are some of the many activities that this group will explore. Some of these craft projects end up for sale at the Gifts and Greens Market.
Civic Service – promotes beautification and civic projects within our area. This group plans and helps plant annuals at public buildings; donates holiday greens to area public buildings in December. They also determine an annual Beautification Award winner each year. This usually is awarded to an area business that has especially beautiful plantings.
Education, Rural/Urban, and International Cooperation – coordinates our financial donation to the Greater Rochester Area Foundation for funding college scholarships to horticulture students. They also identify middle school students for the scholarship to the 4-H Great Lakes Natural Resource sleep away camp and send selected elementary students to the Nature Discovery Camp. This group also promotes international activities locally and with the state and national organizations.
Environmental Stewardship – encourages the wise management of our natural resources. The committee offers members monthly environmental tips and information as well as presenting programs with guest speakers. They promote the use of native plantings, limited pesticide use, and sustainable gardening practices.
Flower Arranging – holds member educational workshops, public seminars, and makes arrangements for civic activities. This popular committee is a wonderful way to learn how to create artistic and practical flower arrangements.
Herbs – studies the culture and use of herbs. The committee meets monthly to feature information about a selected herb; and presents occasional public seminars. They also hold herbal teas and an annual herbal soup luncheon for the members.
Horticultural Therapy – works with elderly residents, disabled adults and special education students using horticulture as a therapeutic activity. Members and their participants have a terrific time together and both members and “students” benefit from the interactions.
Horticulture – focuses on the “gardening” aspect of the garden club. They plan horticultural seminars, field trips, and plant exchanges and help to maintain gardens at Van Hoosen Farm Museum.
Hospitality – greets members & guests at meetings, sends appropriate greeting cards, and provides email or telephone notification regarding member’s illnesses, death, or family deaths.
May Luncheon – plans and carries out our Annual May Meeting luncheon at an area banquet facility. The new Executive Board is installed at this event.
Membership & June Picnic – accepts and reports membership requests to the Board of Directors; introduces new members at meetings; plans and hosts new members’ orientation; provides a committee member to “mentor” each new member; and plans and carries out the June Picnic.
Summer Meeting – plans and presents a summer meeting in August. This meeting gives our group a chance to get together in mid-August and relax and have fun together. There is no business done here, just food, learning and a lot of fun interactions.
Van Hoosen Farm – is a liaison between the Rochester Garden Club and the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm. This group encourages the continued development and maintenance of the Children’s Garden. It also helps with the Rochester Garden Walk, Pumpkin Festival and other museum events and endeavors.
Ways and Means – members coordinate and/or act as chairmen of fund raising endeavors.
Yearbook – compiles, oversees printing, and distributes the annual club yearbook. This is a great resource for members. It contains everything members need to know for the current year including committee members, contact information, club bylaws, and even members photos.
Other Committees
While not official “Standing Committees”, these committees oversee the general business functions of the club.
- Executive Committee
- Auditor
- Finance Committee
- Gifts and Greens Market
- Historian
- Newsletter
- Nominating
- Programs
- Publicity
- Social and Continental Breakfast
- Special Projects
- Ways and Means
- WNF&G State and National Representative
Don’t miss out on all the fun, friendship, education, and service. Contact us to learn more.
Need something delicious. Try our Favorite Branch Recipes.