The Niles Garden Club

The goal of the Niles Garden Club is to stimulate the love of gardening, encourage home and community beautification, promote better horticultural practices as well as the conservation and protection of all natural resources.

Pictures:  Top Left - Don Peterson and Dave Mongeon working the "Garden Tool Time" table at the annual Garden Party in March. Top Right - Growing Kids Growing Youth Group, a project with the Niles District Library. Center: Nancy Morgan and Carol Nois plant annuals in the Welcome to Niles Garden at Donavan Memorial Park. Lower Left: The Niles Garden Club's Annual Plant Sale in Riverfront Park. Lower right:  Elva Nugent & Helen Davis are decorating Niles City Hall.

Take a trip back in history.  Learn from the Niles Garden Club's Founding Mothers.  Click here to read excerpts from their 1932-1933 meeting minutes.	Join with the current Niles Garden Club Members to help us beautify our community and teach a new generation about the benefits of gardening.  Click here to learn more.

The Niles Garden Club was activated June 12, 1932.  There are projects like the Plant Sale in May, the annual "Greens Sale" of live wreaths & swags for the Christmas season and the "Bloomy Bulbs" Sale in the spring. The club's goals for this year are to continue to strengthen and increase club membership, inspire youth through the Growing Kids Growing Youth Garden Club, revitalize the Yellow Ribbon Daffodil garden near the Veterans' Memorial in Riverfront Park, continue to support the Adopt-A-Soldier military person as she continues to fight for America while in Afghanistan and to create, educate, conserve and preserve and most importantly. . . remember to have fun while doing it!

In 1995 the Niles Garden Club completed a major re-landscaping plan of the grounds of the historical Niles City Hall/Chapin Mansion.  They added historically appropriate perennial beds of plants that were in keeping with the Victorian theme of this beautiful landmark.  The grounds were officially christened the Eleanor Drew Memorial Gardens in honor of this civic leader and Niles Garden Club member.  Each year City Hall receives special treatment for the Christmas Holiday season when club members decorate the exterior of the mansion with natural wreaths and swags with large red ribbons.

The Welcome to Niles Garden is located on the south side of the triangular Donavon Smith Park.  The Welcome to Niles Garden was a gift to the city from the Niles Garden Club in 1986.  Local businesses and other citizens also were involved in the development of this award-winning garden.  The American British, Spanish and French Flags within the flower beds represent the countries under whose flags the "City of Four Flags" has grown.  This garden is a welcome sight for many visitors and travelers along M-51.

The Niles Garden Club and the Four Flags Garden Club work together to maintain the huge Yellow Ribbon Garden near the Veterans Memorial at Riverfront Park.  The Yellow Ribbon Garden honors our past and present service men and women.  Yellow daffodils are planted for the spring growing season, while marigolds bloom during the summer.

Niles Garden Club meetings are held at the Law Enforcement Complex on Silverbrook at 1:00 on the first Tuesday of each month, with refreshments served at 12:30, unless the program for the month involves a field trip. Monthly meeting programs include subjects such as How to Read Garden Catalogs and Ordering by Mail, Growing Plants in Containers, The Gardens of Europe, Incredible Edibles featuring Herbs and so much more.

For more information on the Niles Garden Club, contact President Wendie Stephenson or Vice President Jay Clancy.

L to R: Velma McVicker, Lois Rusch, Olive Kirkendall, Judy Richter and Elva Nugent - bagging up customer purchases at the Plant Sale.

Blue Star Memorial Dedication in November 2009 L to R: Veterans and Niles Garden Club members Bob Stephenson, Bob Smith and Don Petersen.

The Niles Garden Club Welcomes You!