Garden Club Events & Programs

September 28th: Designing Landscapes with Native Plants

Carolyn Thayer, a certified Shoreline Professional and owner of Designs in Bloom, will share her knowledge in designing landscapes with native plants. The focus will be on the key elements of beneficial landscape including the combination of plants in rain gardens and shoreline buffers to create a habitat for wildlife and pollinators. Discover how these strategies can protect our freshwater supply!

October 26th: Challenges of Farm and Orchard Owners

Meeting Location: First Presbyterian Church

Sara McGuire, owner of Royal Farms, will share the challenges and rewards of the farm and orchard owners in local markets. This will help us to appreciate and understand the often fragile and demanding businesses in our area.

December: Hanging of the Greens

Greens, swags, and garlands will be prepared and placed on the Swan, Library door, Town Hall, and Pedestrian Bridge. Additional details TBD.

April 27th: Tips for Your Garden

Jeannine Rubert of Pine Hill Nursery & Landscaping always has valuable gardening advice! She will help us understand the “what, when, and how” of fertilizing our gardens, planters, and baskets. Want to combine vegetables and flowers for a new gardening look? She has ideas! You have the questions, she will have the answers.

May 25th: Exploring Dow Gardens

Chuck Martin is the Senior Horticulturist and Grounds Manager for the Whiting Forest of Dow Gardens. He will share his passion for the rain garden system he developed there. Chuck will also present the history and design of the various garden areas (gardens, forest, and orchard) throughout Dow Gardens' campus.

June 22nd: Plant Diagnostics

LOCATION: Elk Rapids Harbor Pavilion.
There will be both indoor and outdoor seating.

TIME: 12:15 - 1:00pm—Meet n Greet, purchase Garden Walk Tickets ( $24 check for 2 tickets), sign up to help with the Walk, pay dues
1:00—Garden Club meeting followed by Dr. Nate's program

RSVP: To help us properly prepare for the meeting, please RSVP by Friday, June 18 to Head Hostess, Ann Kassen at ajkass2@gmail.com

July 13th: 2021 Elk Rapids Garden Walk

Color It Blue: Celebrate Gardening!
10:00am-5:00pm
Six lovely gardens will educate and delight visitors as they stroll through the spaces and paths enjoying vibrant native plants and pollinators.
PURCHASE TICKETS and Learn More

July 27th: Norman Veliquette Photography

Meeting Location: Elk Rapids Memorial Harbor Pavilion

Norman Veliquette will present a program that will inform and entertain! Norman shoots photographs as a pastime. He has catalogued unique scenes from foreign lands to local gardens. An active and important member of our local and statewide community, he has made a significant impact on the Michigan cherry industry as president of Great Lakes Packing Company — one of Michigan’s largest and most progressive cherry processing firms.

August 24th: Green Infrastructure Project in Elk Rapids

Sarah U’Ren, Program Director at The Watershed Center of Grand Traverse Bay, will explain the goals of the Green Infrastructure Stormwater Project in Elk Rapids. We will learn the details for protecting the Grand Traverse Bay from pollutants and stormwater runoff from various locations in Elk Rapids.