Naples Garden Club Inc.

Naples Garden Club™ general meetings are diverse. Horticulture, floral design and environmental topics are covered by nationally and internationally-known speakers and Naples experts who share exciting new points of view. These meetings are open to the public and guests are welcome.

At least five horticulture workshops are held each year. At each workshop, a member or visiting horticulturist gives a short lecture or tour. Each month, several floral design workshops are held at the Garden Club office. Instruction is given in applying the principles and elements of design as stated in the National Garden Club’s Handbook. Workshops are open to members only.

Our accredited flower show judges participate in the Florida Judges Council, flower show schools and symposiums and judge numerous shows each year.

Member workshops: Educational workshops offer NGC members the opportunity to have a hands-on, in-depth experience to learn more about floral design, horticulture, the environment, and Flower Show preparation. New members, Provisionals, are required to complete a 6 month training and instructional program to become active members. Until 2004 these workshops were held in our offices at the Naples Depot. Expansion of the museum led to an opportunity to move to a new office in the Naples Botanical Garden strengthening our partnership with this organization.

Workshops and demonstrations to visitors: In 2010 the Club partnered with the Naples Botanical Garden to establish and Idea Garden. Members actively maintain and create "ideas" such as container gardens, living walls, espaliered trees, and topiaries to inspire visitors and home gardeners. Weekly educational demonstrations are planned from November - March each year and are very popular with many repeat attendees.

From one-time civic improvements such as palm trees for the Sugden Theater courtyard to our long-standing commitment to the Naples Botanical Garden since its inception, our legacy can be seen in almost every corner of Naples. The projects have varied widely from building and restoring trails, creating numerous gardens for children, seniors, Naples public schools, and the Naples Zoo to using native plants in landscaping and installation of sea oats on the beach to prevent erosion. One of the many notable contributions was the club’s initiative in coordination with the City of Naples in the 1980’s to save the landscaped 6th Street medians from conversion to parking. The Club received an award from the City, and “Naplescape” became a landscape preservation model for Collier County and Southwest Florida. In 2010 he Club established an Endowment for a research fellowship in plant science at Florida Gulf Coast University.

In 2010 he Club established an Endowment for an annual research scholarship to provide a fellowship in plant science to a Florida Gulf Coast University. Students work on a specific project at the Naples Botanical Garden Kapnick Education Center.

In 2010 the Club partnered with the Naples Botanical Garden to establish and Idea Garden. It is centrally located within the Naples Botanical Garden and has welcomed thousands of visitors who have enjoyed a relaxing walk through a garden of “Ideas” ! Green-thumbed enthusiasts discover a mix of colorful native plants and flowers, works-in-progress, and attractive design features showing that all home gardeners can find success by using plants in creative ways. Members actively maintain and create "ideas" such as container gardens, living walls, espaliered trees, and topiaries to inspire visitors and home gardeners. Weekly educational demonstrations are planned by members from November - March each year and are so popular that there are many repeat attendees!

Our annual, perennially sold-out House & Garden Tour is our major fundraiser. As our need for funding has expanded over the past 65 years this event has developed into an intricately planned production requiring complex coordination begun a year in advance. Originally staffed by 33 members it is now conducted by all 250 members who contribute to the preparation and staff this event. Attendees from all over Florida purchase timed tickets for the Tour boarding buses to view four distinctive, luxury homes and gardens in downtown Naples prestigious neighborhoods. Proceeds raised from the Tour help fund our community wide initiatives and opportunities in horticulture, floral design, and the environment. Our Grants Program has distributed funds to more than 50 civic and non-profit organizations throughout the Greater Naples community.