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The Friendly Garden Club of Traverse City - 38th Annual Garden Walk

About the Lead Author | Sherry Trautman

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Sherry Trautman is a seasoned business owner and a multifaceted content creator, deeply entrenched in the world of travel in Michigan. With her extensive background in writing, editing, photography, marketing, website design, web mastering, social media, and publishing, she is the driving force behind the acclaimed Michigan Travel site "Travel-mi.com." A lifelong Michigander, Sherry's journey began in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan led her to St. Joseph during her formative years, and further to Kalamazoo for her higher education. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design and Fine Art from Western Michigan University. Her career initially blossomed in Battle Creek, where she contributed significantly to aviation, marketing, and the art industry. In 2018, Sherry, alongside her husband Chris, embarked on a passionate endeavor with the inception of Travel-MI.com. This venture was not just a business but a full-time commitment to exploring and celebrating the diverse landscapes and communities of Michigan. Together, they tirelessly traverse the state, curating unique experiences, capturing stunning visuals, and weaving engaging narratives that showcase Michigan's rich cultural tapestry and natural beauty. From her early experiences in different Michigander locales to her extensive professional background, Sherry's life and work epitomize a deep-rooted expertise in Michigan travel, making her an authoritative voice in this niche.

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Home » News » Enjoy a Walk Through the Garden

Enjoy a Walk Through the Garden

Spring has sprung and Michigan has more flora than you could dream of! Kick off the season by visiting some of these garden destinations to add some color to your world. Keep your eye out for some of West Michigan’s loveliest wildflowers like the Blue-eyed Mary, the Skunk Cabbage, and the always beautiful Violet! 

Want to enjoy a delicious brew while taking in a beautiful garden? Check out West Michigan brewery River St. Joe in St. Joseph, where you can enjoy a plant-to-pint beer on their three acre beer garden, overlooking the vegetable garden and hopyard.

The Liberty Hyde Bailey Museum in South Haven is the only museum in the world dedicated solely to America’s Father of Modern Horticulture’s life and work. They pride themselves on their gorgeous botanic garden featuring a collection of interpretive horticultural gardens, community garden plots, and a wooded nature trail! 

Hickory Corners is home to the W.K. Kellogg Manor House and its lush garden views on Gull Lake. Visitors are welcome to take a self-guided tour year-round to enjoy these beautiful gardens on the historic grounds.

Visit the South Haven Garden Club’s Garden Tour on July 9th and view beautifully grown and curated gardens throughout the South Haven area. In addition there will be a plant sale, craft sale, and complimentary refreshments.

Connect with the ever changing but always lovely beauty of nature by walking the trails of Kalamazoo ! With plenty of trails, parks, and woods to choose from, it’s time to start wandering. Downtown Kalamazoo also highlights beautiful flowers and topiaries in Bronson Park each year during Kalamazoo in Bloom . It’s also the site for the Friday lunchtime live series throughout the summer months, where you can enjoy food trucks and live music right in Bronson Park!

The gardens at Serendipity B&B in Saugatuck are beautifully designed, filling the grounds with flowering trees, perennials, annuals, and shade gardens. The garden areas are constantly changing throughout the seasons. 

While in the Saugatuck area, make sure to spend some time at the lovely Rose Garden, maintained by the City of Saugatuck , featuring a winding path surrounded by many rose bushes and other perennials.

Pierce Cedar Creek Institute in Hastings is a nature center, environmental education center, and biological field station located on 829 acres with 9 miles of hiking trails. Don’t miss out on this spring’s native plant sale to get your West Michigan garden a little more “back to its roots.” The deadline to purchase plants is May 15th.  

Step into the gardens and leave the hustle and bustle of the city noises behind on your next visit to the Greater Lansing area. You’ll find everything from an urban oasis to the Michigan State University demonstration and horticulture gardens. Check out the koi ponds, fresh blooms, and seasonal gardens that create the perfect backdrop for breathing in the serenity of nature. Each season brings its own unique beauty!

The East Garden at Krasl Art Center is an intimate outdoor space that inspires a sense of play, wonder, and reflection through interactive contemporary art installations. New projects are installed often, transforming and invigorating the space anew with fresh artistic vision. Underwritten by Horizon Bank & the Daniel F. Hopp Family.

Windmill Island Gardens in Holland will be opening for the season on Monday, April 18th, with the 2022 theme being “holidays”. You’re invited to enjoy their Dutch attractions and beautiful, lush gardens sprinkled with canals, bridges, and artwork. A botanical paradise, this 36-acre park gets its name from the only authentic Dutch windmill operating in the United States. De Zwaan is over 200 years old and sits upon picturesque grounds that make you feel transported to another country, or even century. Tulips are anticipated to be blooming from late April to mid-May, as well as hundreds of perennials and 5,000 annuals throughout the summer and early autumn.

Tulips have attracted millions of guests from all over the world to Holland. To celebrate the colorful and beloved flowers, Holland hosts the Tulip Time Festival , with events planned throughout the area. This year’s event runs May 7th-15th, 2022.

Click here to find more tulips and other gardens in Holland.

The Children’s Garden at Blandford Nature Center in Grand Rapids will be blooming again soon! With fresh vegetables, herbs, and flowers, there is plenty to admire on a stroll through the Children’s Garden. If you are interested in tasting some of these naturally grown varieties, you can! Blandford offers Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares for purchase where members will receive a weekly share of the harvest to enjoy at home. For more information or to purchase a share, visit Blandford’s website. 

One of the world’s most significant botanic and sculpture experiences, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids features Michigan’s largest tropical conservatory, one of the largest interactive children’s gardens in the country, arid and Victorian gardens, a carnivorous plant house, and much more green fun for the whole family.

Visit Muskegon to stop and smell the flowers at the Muskegon County Public Gardens . Did you know there is a miniature replica of the famous Giverny Monet Garden in Downtown Muskegon? Once a vacant city lot; this picturesque public pocket park beckons you to relax in a botanical, scenic setting. Don’t forget your camera!

Get garden inspiration at the Muskegon Lakeshore Home, Garden + Boat Show, returning on April 22nd and 23rd. Featuring over 60 exhibitors including everything from boats, home décor, furniture, landscaping and much more! Back by popular demand, the Do-It-Yourself and Demonstration seminars will highlight floral design, cooking, and additional demonstrations.

The Michigan gardens at Castle Farms in Charlevoix— formal and informal— are stunning works of natural beauty, matching any of their counterparts found throughout Europe. Whenever possible, native plants have been used; less labor intensive and more suited to the environment, the gardens of Castle Farms blend old-world models with a 21st century approach of sustainable gardening. Schedule your tour online here .

Explore twelve acres of lavender, flowers, a strawberry patch herb garden, and farmhouse-inspired garden shop in the Secret Garden at Brys Estate Vineyard & Winery in Traverse City, opening Memorial Day Weekend. 

Spring is here, and soon beautiful plants and flowers will be sprouting all around us. Your local farmers market is the perfect place to stock up on seedlings, fresh flowers, and potted plants to enjoy all season long! Find your market here .

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Cherry Blossom Tour 

Each year people flock to Traverse City, Michigan to see one of Mother Nature's most beautiful displays -- the cherry blossoms. The blossoms blanket the miles of rolling hills throughout the area, and with the amount of attention they draw, it's fair to say there are plenty of questions that go along with them!

So we've narrowed those questions down to the "Top 3 Things to Know about the Cherry Blossoms around Traverse City" -- including when they'll be here (just an estimated time frame), how long they last, and where the best places are to see them. 

Where are the best places to see the blossoms?

The best way to see the blossoms is on a self-guided tour ( download our Blossom Tour Guide ). Fill up your gas tank, pack some snacks and make sure your phone is charged for photos and video. Please also remember that blossoms are on private farms; please view respectfully from the side of the road and do not trespass. 

On the Old Mission Peninsula, we suggest taking M-37. This state highway runs the entire length of the peninsula with views of East and West Grand Traverse Bay along the way, vineyards, and, of course, cherry blossoms! In Leelanau County, one of the best routes to venture along is County Road 633, which takes you through the heart of the county. The road meets up with the famous M-22 before jetting back into the middle of the county's fruit-growing country north of Suttons Bay. And in Benzie county, locals recommend Joyfield Rd. (south of Elberta and Benzonia) between M-22 and 31 and Herring Road in Blaine Township. Both of these roads are dotted with orchards, farms, and plenty of northern Michigan scenery. 

Since the season can bloom and be gone before we know it, make sure to stay tuned to our Facebook page to keep up-to-date on exactly where the blossoms are happening and what you can expect if you're headed out to see them!

How long will the blossoms last?

The blossoms on the trees last on average of four to five days during peak cherry blossom season, but because different parts of the region bloom at different times, it's a safe bet you can see blossoms for one to two weeks on average if you make the rounds! 

What month is best to see the cherry blossoms?

The region is scattered with cherry orchards so some areas might see blossoms appear midway through the month of May, while others might take slightly longer. Typically, blooms are first spotted in the Acme and Williamsburg areas because trees in those areas are generally farther away from the water, thus resulting in slightly warmer temperatures for the blooms. Next, we have historically seen blossoms start down in Benzie county, followed by the southern and mid-portions of Leelanau County. As we work our way north to the fruit-growing portion of Leelanau County, the blossoms will follow with the latest blooms showing up in the Northport area and the tip of the peninsula. The trend is similar on the Old Mission Peninsula with blooms typically showing first near the southern portion and progressing as we head north towards the town of Old Mission. Wherever your journey takes you, the cherry trees in Michigan are sure to impress. 

Take a look at this year's peak blossom!  

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@traversecitytourism Let’s hear it for PEAK blossom! 🌸🍒 Fill up your gas tank, pack some snacks, keep your eyes open, and get ready to see rows of cherry blossoms. #TraverseCity #traveltiktok #thingstodo #cherryblossom #cherry #travelbucketlist #blossoms ♬ Da Girls - Ciara

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The Botanic Garden

Top ways to experience nearby attractions

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Also popular with travellers

The Botanic Garden - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

• (0.97 km) Great Wolf Lodge - Traverse City, MI
• (3.17 km) Antiquities' Wellington Inn
• (3.60 km) Delamar Traverse City
• (6.92 km) A Breath of Heaven Bed and Breakfast
• (4.06 km) Bayshore Resort
• (0.96 km) Trattoria Stella
• (0.96 km) Spanglish
• (1.03 km) PepeNero
• (1.02 km) Red Spire Brunch House
• (2.02 km) Slabtown Cafe and Burgers

The Friendly Garden Club of Traverse City

P.O. Box 1286, Traverse City, MI 49685

About Us         

    If you enjoy gardening, flower arranging, being outdoors, working with others, and the joy that giving back to your community brings, join us by visiting one of The Friendly Garden Club meetings to learn more about our charitable organization.    Members meet at 11:30 a.m. on the fourth Tuesday of each month from March through November at various locations depending on the program.  

    Any individuals wishing to join The Friendly Garden Club of Traverse City can attend any of the open meetings by checking the Record Eagle newspaper for the date, time, and place of the meeting.   Prospective members need to attend at least two general meetings and must be sponsored by two members of the club who have belonged to the club for at least one year.

    To attend any of our "OPEN" meetings or to become a member, please send an email to our membership chairperson,  Sandi   a t [email protected]   who will give you all the information you need to become a member.  

Come Join Us!

The History of The Friendly Garden Club--PowerPoint Presentation

The Friendly Garden Club of Traverse City was organized in 1923 and federated in 1931.  We are a member of the National Garden Clubs, Inc.; Central Region; and the Michigan Garden Clubs, Inc., District V.   We are very involved and supportive of our community.  

Objective- -The objective of our club is to provide education and to promote the love of gardening, horticulture, landscaping and floral design and to encourage civic beautification and environmental responsibility. 

Theme --The Friendly Garden Club of Traverse City has a long history of serving the local community from designing and planting the Logo Garden at the Open Space to sponsoring other community projects through our grants and scholarships to help fund other worthwhile projects.  It is through education our members learn the basics of horticulture, floral and landscape design, and environmental responsibility.  This enables us to continue our service to the community we share and love.

The Botanic Garden

Top ways to experience nearby attractions

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Also popular with travellers

The Botanic Garden - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go - Visiting Tips (2024)

• (0.97 km) Great Wolf Lodge - Traverse City, MI
• (3.17 km) Antiquities' Wellington Inn
• (3.60 km) Delamar Traverse City
• (6.92 km) A Breath of Heaven Bed and Breakfast
• (4.06 km) Bayshore Resort
• (0.96 km) Trattoria Stella
• (0.96 km) Spanglish
• (1.03 km) PepeNero
• (1.02 km) Red Spire Brunch House
• (2.02 km) Slabtown Cafe and Burgers

Today's forecast calls for brainstorms...

A bright and beautiful blending of rich history and modern amenities awaits you for your next business meeting, company retreat or professional gathering in the visitor center of the botanic garden at historic barns park.

The Botanic Garden at Historic Barns Park is located on the grounds of the former Traverse City State Hospital. The freshly renovated Visitor Center is a bright and beautiful building that was once the farm Granary, built around 1886. The open air Pavilion once served as the farm’s crop storage building, with the root cellar below that was finished around 1891. The original stone walls and tunnel connected the farm’s root cellar to the Granary’s lower level.

Environmental sustainability is a guiding principle of The Botanic Garden and some of the many ‘green’ components of the renovation of The Visitor Center include energy saving lighting, heating & cooling and water conservation systems, a V-shaped roof that collects and stores rainwater for garden irrigation, recycled materials including wood paneling from Manistee’s Vogue Theater and even original cast iron cow water buckets from the adjoining barn that now serve as lighting fixtures!

The Visitor Center is outfitted with modern technology like WiFi, a sound bar with Bluetooth (folks often use their smartphones with their own music playlists wirelessly!), a wall-mounted monitor with HDMI cables, plus presentation tools like flip charts and white boards. The Pavilion features twinkly string lighting and electrical outlets and electricity is also available in the Walled Garden.

The Visitor Center meeting room, the open-air Pavilion, the Walled Garden and the large tent lawn adjoining the Visitor Center are available for business retreats and meetings,social and networking events, company holiday parties as well as weddings, bridal and baby showers, memorial and celebration of life services, family reunions, graduation parties and much more. We’d love to help you plan your next professional or personal event in the Garden!

A special discount is available for Botanic Garden Members and non-profit organizations. The Visitor Center meeting room can be rented year-round.

Next on our list is the 100-year-old Wagon House, which will be renovated into a classroom and be available for rentals in the future.

Questions about space rentals in the Garden?

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TC’s Friendly Garden Club celebrates 100 years

By geri dietze | june 3, 2023.

 The Friendly Garden Club of Traverse City, with over 50 active members, is still going strong after a century.

The group enjoys an advantageous mix of skill sets: master gardeners trained in the science and art of gardening, enthusiastic novices, self-taught hobbyists, retirees, and professional landscape designers. “There is such a wealth of knowledge in [the] group,” says publicity director Jean Spagnuolo.

You’ll see the work of the Friendly Garden Club (FGC) all across town, and in a moment, we’ll explore their many projects and beautiful public gardens. But first, we know that spring gardening is top of mind, and FGC members want to share that wealth of knowledge with you. Hands-on experience, measured over the seasons, is the best way to develop gardening skills, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few rules we should all live by.

Spagnuolo, once a “novice gardener,” joined the club to expand her skills. “There’s one very important thing that I am still working on [and that’s] the soil,” she says. “You have to [learn to] amend the soil.” Amendments include adjusting soil pH, improving texture with organic matter, and adding appropriate nutrients.

Sandi Clark, the club’s co-president, has been a master gardener for 20 years and an FGC member for five. She says that native oaks—swamp white, red, and bur oaks—are “the most powerful trees you can plant. [They] support the food web, sequester carbon, and support over 900 species of Lepidoptera.” (Butterflies and moths for the uninitiated.)

“I have only one tip for the home gardener,” says Terry Harding, the club’s historian/librarian, a member since 1996, and a former master gardener. “Be mindful of how large a garden you create. The temptation [is] to build big, but as you age, your body may not be able to maintain [it]!”

Susan Snyder, a member since 2013 and the club’s other co-president, has been gardening “forever” and learned at the side of her mother, who grew extensive rose gardens. “Don’t give up,” she advises, and “learn about which plants prefer sun or shade.”

Sue Soderberg joined the FGC upon retirement 20 years ago. “Never stop learning,” she says, “[and] take time to sit down and enjoy your garden. Most gardeners go out to enjoy the garden only to end up weeding, moving plants, et cetera for the next four hours.”

In other words…stop and smell the roses.

Speaking of roses, yellow ones are the official flower of the group, signifying friendship. For many, the sisterhood of the club lasts decades, so it is only fitting that a pair of sisters started it all.

The Barnum sisters, Edna and Annette, were club founders in 1923. They were forward-thinking and serious about their roles; in that first decade, the club beautified Legion Park (today’s Lardie Municipal Park), marched in the Cherry Festival Parade, and took on numerous causes.

They were protesters: No overnight camping in Bryant Park. They were civic leaders with a litter campaign and billboard oversight. And, like serious gardeners everywhere, they were warriors, going to battle against ragweed and tent caterpillars.

Unsurprisingly, the original FGC members were also environmentalists, protecting native plants, trees, and waterways. Even now, the slogan “Plant Michigan, Plant Native” tops the FGC website and illustrates the importance of restoring native plants to the area and adding them to personal gardens.

Native plants are vital to a healthy ecosystem, and the FGC has been promoting native species for years. “We all can invite wildlife, birds, bees, and butterflies into our gardens just by planting a few native plants,” explains Snyder. She cites her favorites: anemone, columbine, cosmos, butterfly weed, aster, blue false indigo, coral bells, goldenrod, milkweed, bleeding hearts, swamp sunflowers, and rudbeckia.

One hundred years later, the Friendly Garden Club of Traverse City maintains the founders’ ethos and carries on in their spirit. (Perhaps the biggest change in all those years is simply the cost of dues, which started at only $1 back in 1923.)

Today, the FGC lists more than 10 major ongoing projects on their website. One of the most recognizable is the Logo Garden, found in downtown Traverse City at the Open Space and seen by hundreds of thousands of visitors and locals each summer.

The theme of the Logo Garden, an annual endeavor since 1987, changes every year. For 2023, the theme is “A Nod to Our Hundred Years,” and shows a bright yellow flower (paying homage to the club’s mascot) on a red background with a white numeral 100. Red and white begonias, Dusty Miller, ageratum, marigolds, zinnias, and parsley—5,500 in all—comprise the design.

A 12-person committee chooses the theme and design, and then creates a planting grid with help from Traverse City Parks and Recreation. Plantings depend mainly on the colors chosen for that year’s particular design, but co-president Sandi Clark indicates that some plants are chosen for their stability. For example, begonias are a good choice, “because they’re tough” and can hold up under a variety of conditions.

Sowing New Seeds

Another huge undertaking is the new Children’s Sensory Garden at The Botanic Garden at Historic Barns Park.

“Our club has worked with kids for more than 50 years,” says Spagnuolo, explaining that this installation is indicative of that dedication. “This will be FGC’s Legacy project to the community, with ongoing tours, classes, and learning opportunities,” adds Harding.

At the heart of the project is the opportunity to offer a hands-on experience for the kiddos. This is a learning garden, a chance for children to discover, play, and explore the garden with all five senses.

“The Children’s Sensory Garden will feature all types of plants that are sensory in nature, such as lambs’ ear for touch, lavender for scent, blueberries to eat and taste, vibrant colors throughout the garden for sight, and grasses that move in the wind for sound,” says club member Stephanie Nelsen. “The garden will give children of all ages a place to put their hands in the dirt, feel the texture of plants, and learn about healthy eating and nutrition.”

Construction on the garden began in 2020, and even though it is a work in progress, there are plenty of existing features to make it a fun destination, including the life-sized bronze statue of Colantha, world-champion milk producer cow; Kinderbells, an interactive installation of musical flowers; and a Little Explorer Creek water feature. Summer will bring the amphitheater, corn crib, kaleidoscope, and maze. The garden is wheelchair accessible for all ages and abilities.

The FGC anticipates the project will be completed in 2024. In addition to designing the many gardens and features, the club is also working to amend the soil on the site so that future planting will be successful.

Blooming All Year

The Logo Garden and Children’s Sensory Garden are just the tip of the iceberg for the FGC. They also manage the Giving Garden (a teaching garden for kids where produce is donated to local food banks) and the Blue Star Memorial Garden at The Botanic Garden at Historic Barns Park. There are projects in conjunction with Michigan Garden Clubs and National Garden Clubs, educational opportunities and scholarships, and much more.

The Friendly Garden Club also has some big events coming up. First is this year’s Garden Walk, on July 20, which celebrates two anniversaries: the 40th of the garden walk itself and the centennial of the FGC. (Hence the choice of two of Traverse City’s historical neighborhoods, the Boardman and the Central.) Get a good look at some of the city’s most distinctive architecture and beautiful gardens and see special exhibits and demonstrations along the way including bonsai tree and shrub display; plein air painters; ikebana demonstration (Japanese floral arranging); and a tutorial on transitioning container plantings. The Garden Walk is a major fundraiser for the FGC and supports a variety of projects, grants, awards, and initiatives.

Their second big event is the Centennial Celebration, which takes place on Sept. 26 at the Hagerty Center. Join the Friendly Garden Club of Traverse City for a luncheon and a presentation from award-winning floral designer Derek Woodruff. The FGC invites the general public to join them along with current and former club members.

To become a member, make a donation, and for a complete overview of the activities, events, and projects of the Friendly Garden Club of Traverse City, visit thefriendlygardenclub.org .

SEVEN TAKEAWAYS FROM LOCAL REAL ESTATE AGENTS FOR THE SPRING/SUMMER MARKET

What to expect for the biggest 2024 home buying season, by art bukowski, a tale of two lofts, michigan community capital seeks to address the “missing middle” in grayling and boyne city with new apartments, by victor skinner, thriving on the new gold coast, developer teams up with nmc construction students for hands-on learning, by kierstin gunsberg, a fresh take on tradition, la catrina mexican nishinaab blends two cuisines and two cultures, by rachel pasche, net-zero living, evergreen tc is ready and waiting to break ground on a new sustainable housing project, by ross boissoneau, resistance from within, by stephen tuttle.

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