About CGC
Dedicated to Beautifying Our Lives and Marco Island.
We Are Proud of Our Heritage, Accomplishments and Our Future.
The National Garden Club promotes education, resources, and national networking opportunities for its members, which stimulates the love of gardening, and floral design, and encourages civic and environmental responsibility. The Calusa Garden Club shares these same goals as they apply to our daily lives and the well-being of our community.
We have partnered with the City of Marco Island and help maintain multiple parks, monuments and public spaces. In addition, we present Junior Gardeners in our Marco Island schools. We sponsor college scholarships to graduating seniors who plan to major in one of the club’s areas of emphasis such as horticulture, landscape design, or related environmental studies. Students must reside on Marco Island or attend Marco Island Academy. (see eForms > Helpful Links Above)
Since 1982
The Calusa Garden Club was founded in 1982 and federated in 1983 and is part of District IX of the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc. and the National Garden Clubs, Inc.
Current Officers
President: Kimberly Korb Porter
First Vice President/ Program Chairman: Nancy Adams
Second Vice President/ Membership Chairman: Kathy Stark
Treasurer: Margie Bramel
Assistant Treasurer: Janet Watson
Recording Secretary: Debbie Kuhlman
Corresponding Secretary: Marianne Foley
Why Join Us
40 Years of Doing Great Things
We make a difference . . . in both our members’ lives and well-being and in helping to make Marco Island a nicer place to live and share with friends and family all year long.
Custom Workshops
We listen and bring our members outstanding seminars and workshops catered to their interests and desires. From horticulture tips to impressive floral designs, we deliver education to members and to the community.
We Deliver Fun
From holiday events to gala luncheons, we strive to make our lives more enriched and fun. We also host Flower Shows, Public Garden Tours, Butterfly Release parties and more.
A Sampling of Our Activities
24 Special Committees You Can Join
Awards
Blue Zones Project
Calusa Park Butterfly Garden
Camperships & Scholarships
Environmental Workshops
Floral Design Workshops
Florida Arbor Day
Flower Shows
Flowers in Public Places
Gadabouts
Horticulture Workshops
Library Projects
Leigh Plummer Park 40th Anniversary Plantings
Marketing and Sales
Meeting Hospitality
Member Events
Memorial Markers
Newsletter
Parliamentarian
Publicity & Archives
Ways and Means
Website Administration
Special Event & Project Details – Something for Everyone
Awards:
As a member of Florida Federation of Garden Clubs, Calusa Garden Club is eligible to apply to the state organization as well as to National Garden Clubs, Inc. for awards that honor club activities, events and programs. The awards criteria are set by the state and national organizations for the promotion of local, state and national garden club goals. The Awards committee selects activities or events that may be eligible for an award and documents the event or activity, then submits the applications to the appropriate committee chairperson at the state of national organization. Working toward an award is fun for the Club and promotes healthy competition with other garden clubs. The awards are given at the FFGC convention each spring, and winning an award brings recognition to our Club’s work on Marco Island.
Blue Zones Project
On March 1, 2021, Calusa Garden officially became a recognized Blue Zones organization of Southwest Florida Blue Zones Project focusing on Marco Island. Blue Zones is a community wide well-being improvement initiative to make healthy choices easier for everyone by following simple principles that encourage healthier aging. Our members incorporate many of these goals by virtue of garden club membership simply by having common goals, gardening, and growing their own vegetables and herbs.
Calusa Park Butterfly Garden
A linear area along the south side of Winterberry Drive near the multi-use trail is the site of Calusa Park Butterfly Garden. Calusa Garden Club sponsored this park on city-owned land, providing plans, plantings and benches. The committee gives tours to community and school groups on Marco Island upon request. Costs of maintaining the Butterfly Garden are paid for by the club treasury and by local grants when available. Committee members meet the last Saturday of every month at 8 :30 a.m. at the butterfly garden to check on conditions at the park and weed and plant as needed.
Campership/Scholarships
Calusa Garden Club offers a campership for a week at Camp Wekiva, the environmental camp sponsored by Florida Federation of Garden Clubs, for a student participant in Junior Gardeners when Junior Gardeners is offered at a Marco Island school. In addition, we sponsor one or more college scholarships to graduating seniors who reside on Marco Island or who go to school on Marco Island and who plan to major in one of the club’s areas of emphasis such as horticulture, landscape design, or environmental studies.
Environmental
The entire membership benefits from the Environmental Committee’s presentations of information regarding important environmental issues on Marco Island and throughout the State of Florida. The committee chair is also responsible for disseminating “calls to action” as recommended by the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs.
Calusa Garden Club’s Facebook page is simply “Calusa Garden Club.” The Facebook Chairman places announcements of club events, photos of club activities, and items of interest that fit with the Club’s goals of environmental preservation, horticulture education, and floral design.
Florida Arbor Day
Florida Arbor Day is the second Friday in January. The Club celebrates Florida Arbor Day by planting a Florida native or Florida-friendly tree in Leigh Plummer Memorial Park on Barfield Drive. In the early 1980’s, Calusa Garden Club of Marco Island spearheaded the planting of Florida native trees in the park in connection with the local Parks Department. We follow the tradition set by our Club’s founders by adding trees to the park, and in addition, at the tree planting ceremony, we commemorate our Club members who have passed away during the previous year.
Flower Shows
The Club hosts a Flower Show every two or three years that is a showcase of our horticulture talents, our Club activities, and our floral design skills and talents. The Flower Show is open to the public and usually features over 100 samples of plants, cuttings, and groupings of plants, and often includes decorative crafts and photography in categories related to the Flower Show theme. In addition, the Flower Show includes over 50 floral designs in categories authorized by National Garden Clubs, Inc. All Club members participate and enjoy this showcase of our talents. Contact the chairperson in the year the Flower Show is announced in the Club program.
Flowers in Public Places
This project lends an air of beauty to some of the public buildings on Marco Island and publicizes our club. Several times each year we place floral designs made by members, along with a placard identifying Calusa Garden Club of Marco Island as the donor, at community sites such as the YMCA, the Marco Island Branch Library, the Tax Collector’s Office, Tommie Barfield Elementary School, Marco Island Civic Association, and City Council Chambers. In addition, club members donate floral designs for centerpieces at cancer fundraiser luncheons and other charitable events. The Chairperson announces opportunities at club meetings and by email, and the Club appreciates your participation. Members pay for supplies for the arrangement they donate, place their floral designs in the assigned location, and retrieve their containers a week later.
Gadabouts
The Committee Chairpersons research and plan informal field trips monthly throughout the club year to provide opportunities to visit area parks, gardens, nurseries and other places of interest to Club members, at the members’ cost. Gadabouts is a fun way to broaden your gardening and plant knowledge while socializing with other members. Participants drive together in carpools, and riders give the carpool drivers $5.00 each to pay for the cost of gas.
Horticulture & Floral Design Workshops
Workshops are held one week and two weeks following the monthly meeting, at the locations announced by the Chairpersons (check this website and the newsletter for details). Workshops are a great hands-on way to learn horticulture and design tips and techniques, and they’re always fun.
Leigh Plummer Park 40th Anniversary Garden
In preparation for the Club’s 40th anniversary in 2023, Chairpersons Marianne Foley and Sue Oldershaw spearheaded the planting of a new garden in Leigh Plummer Park. Club members donated their plants and their talents to plant this beautiful tropical garden that features bromeliads and orchids. Get involved to exercise your green thumb in maintaining this new garden.
Library Projects
The Club donates its expertise to the Marco Island Branch of Collier County Library by conducting workshops that are free to the public at least once a year. This activity is jointly funded by Friends of the Library and Calusa Garden Club. Workshop topics have included fall floral designs, making succulent dish gardens, decorating live or artificial pumpkins with succulents, and Christmas floral designs.
Marketing and Sales Committee
This committee is responsible for selling the month-by-month Gardening Guide published by the Club, as well as marketing and selling other merchandise the Club offers to members and the community. The Gardening Guide provides local, coastal-specific information to assist area gardeners, landscapers and condominium owners and associations in caring for or planting their landscapes. Other merchandise the Club may sell includes small floral designs for Valentine’s Day, gardening aprons with our Club logo, and t-shirts with our Club logo.
Meeting Hospitality
The Club members volunteer to bring refreshments to each Club General Meeting so that members can socialize and exchange ideas informally. The Committee solicits members to sign up to bring a refreshment for one or more meeting days, sets up the refreshment and drinks tables, and cleans up after the refreshment time. Join us to volunteer for this important Club function.
Member Events
The Member Events Committee plans and executes the Club’s Holiday Party in December, the April Luncheon at the end of our Club year, and any member or member/guest receptions planned after Club events. In odd-numbered years, the April Luncheon includes new officer installation. The Chairperson depends on members for help with invitations, responses, centerpiece designs, favors, meal planning and other event components that make the event memorable. Come assist with these fun events.
Memorial Markers
In 2013, the Garden Club sponsored purchase, installation and dedication of a Blue Star Memorial in Veterans’ Community Park, including lovely plantings surrounding the marker. In 2016, the CGC assumed care of the Pineapple Marker on S. Barfield Drive across from the Methodist Church at the site of the historic pineapple plantation. In 2017, the Garden Club purchased and installed a granite marker and plaque in Leigh Plummer Park on N. Barfield Drive to recognize Calusa Garden Club’s efforts in 1986 to landscape the park with native trees. Members volunteer to check the markers and plantings monthly, clean the memorials and plaques, and water and weed the plantings as needed. Costs of new plants are paid for by the Club treasury or by donations from members and local businesses. Please sign up to use your gardening skills and spend a little time to contribute to the beauty of Marco Island public areas.
Newsletter
Each week we publish our newsletter that is sent to members by Email. The Calusa Garden Club news includes information about coming events, announcements of upcoming Club activities, and links to recent news stories or local events. To include information in the newsletter, contact the Club President.
Publicity and Archives
Ways and Means
Website Administrator
