Garden Club News
The Dade City Garden Club invites you to Plant A Tree!
The Dade City Garden Club is currently accepting orders for memorial trees to be planted and dedicated at our Arbor Day Celebration, scheduled for Thursday, April 24, 2025. This is a perfect opportunity to plant a living tribute to honor a memory, a celebration, or to recognize a special person or event.
The Dade City Garden Club Memorial Tree Program was created in support of The City’s Tree City USA designation and is co-sponsored by both the Dade City Garden Club and the City of Dade City. Since 1994, approximately 475 trees have been planted throughout Dade City. This year’s memorial trees may be purchased for $100, which includes the tree, planting, marker and inscribed plaque.
Bee Apiaries
The Dade City Garden Club will present a program on Bee Apiaries at its March general membership meeting on Monday, March 17, 2025, at 9:30 am at the garden club. The presenter will be Dave Hackenberg of Hackenberg Apiaries, home of Buffy Bee Honey. After serving as the president of the Pennsylvania State Beekeepers Association, the American Beekeeping Federation and as a member of the National Honey Board, Dave presently holds the position of co-chairman of the Honey Bee Health Advisory Board. He will be taking a look at commercial beekeeping's importance, how honey bees are related to your environment and human health, and how you can help.
Members will also conduct their annual election of officers and consider nominations for the garden club’s 2025 annual historic ornament at the March meeting. The ornament, which honors a local landmark or organization, will be for sale starting in September and will be the 32nd ornament issued in this exclusive Dade City collection.
The meeting will be held at The Dade City Garden Club at 13630 5th Street; Dade City, FL. Light refreshments will be served at 9 am with the membership meeting beginning promptly at 9:30 am.
Botanical Cocktail Lesson -- CANCELLED
Friday, February 21, 2025
6 pm to 8 pm; Dade City Garden Club
$20 Members
$25 Non-Members
Join Us for a Botanical Cocktail Lesson!
Sip and mingle with us at the Dade City Garden Club's Botanical Cocktail Lesson! 
Enjoy a variety of festive botanical cocktails crafted straight from the Camellia Circle’s recipe book, along with a refreshing mocktail and tea option. Light bites will also be served to complement the evening.
Discover how to create botanical beverages using ingredients you can grow in your own garden. This will be an informative and delicious tasting experience.
Solving the Mysteries of Florida Vegetable Gardening
We all know that growing your own vegetables offers many benefits. From exercise and mental clarity to fresh air and economic savings, vegetable gardening can be easy if you understand the challenges presented by growing vegetables in Florida.
The Dade City Garden Club will present Solving the Mysteries of Florida Vegetable Gardening at its January general membership meeting on Monday, January 13, 2025. Presenting will be Pam LaPan, Treasurer of the Dade City Garden Club but also, vegetable gardener extraordinaire!
Pam grew up watching and helping her grandfather and father, who first started growing vegetables out of necessity but eventually continued for enjoyment while also feeding the family. Gardening for 55 years, she is a Florida native, and all her experience has been in this area. Pam has presented to garden club circles helping them discover the fun and satisfaction of vegetable gardening in Florida.
The program will be offered at two different time slots to meet the schedules of all members and guests. The morning program will begin with socializing and refreshments at 9 am with the meeting beginning promptly at 9:30 am. The evening session will start with socializing and refreshments at 6 pm with the meeting following at 6:30 pm. Also, as part of the program will be a quick informative lesson by Laraine Stovall, Horticulture Chair, who will be instructing members on how to prepare their cut specimens for entry into the spring Flower Show.
Seed Starting Make & Take
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
6 pm; Dade City Garden Club
$15 members
$20 non-members
Details:
Kickstart your 2025 gardening season with our Seed Starting Make & Take workshop! 
Together, we'll plant seeds for beautiful flowers like zinnias, cosmos, daisies, and sunflowers—perfect for our area. These fast-growing varieties bloom in just about 60 days, giving you vibrant spring bouquets before you know it.
What You’ll Receive:
- A seed starting tray with 20 slots
- Starter plants
- Individual seed packets (with extras to take home)
- Informational sheets detailing care tips (watering, light requirements, transplanting, etc.)
What We’ll Do:
- Fill trays with soil and plant seeds together
- Learn how to grow, transplant, and harvest flowers successfully
By the end of the evening, you’ll walk away with everything you need to grow stunning flowers from seed, plus started plants to jumpstart your garden!
Spaces are limited, so sign up now to reserve your spot!
RSVP:
Don’t miss this fun and educational event. Let’s make 2025 a blooming success! 
Children's Make & Take Workshop
Saturday, December 14, 2024
10:30 am to 12 Noon
Hugh Embry Library
$15 per child (grades K thru 5)
Join us as for a fun-filled morning as members of the Dade City Garden Club help our kiddos get ready for the holidays at our festive Children's Make & Take Workshop.
Building on the success of the Make & Take series held at the garden club for adults, this program is being presented for children to create and bring home holiday gifts and decorations. Each child will be able to make three holiday crafts.
2024 Holiday Magic in the Gardens
A holiday event close to home for families to get in the holiday spirit!
The Dade City Garden Club is inviting the community to experience a little holiday magic this Christmas season and is bringing back their popular event in 2024. Planned as a thank you for the support shown the garden club, all are invited to visit on Sunday, December 8, 2024, to stroll through the festively decorated gardens, visit Santa and Mrs. Claus, and take part in the FREE family-oriented activities that have been planned by garden club members.
Santa and Mrs. Claus will be the guests of honor and will be in the clubhouse all afternoon meeting, greeting, and spreading holiday cheer. Children can visit with Santa, and families are welcome to either take their own photos or Santa’s helpers will gladly snap a family pic with Santa if you would like.
Holiday themed activity stations will be set up throughout the gardens, each offering the garden club’s guests unique opportunities for holiday fun. There will be Santa’s Workshop, where kids of all ages can create a custom ornament or other fun holiday crafts to take home; Reindeer Crossing, where families will be educated on how to blend the perfect mix of environmentally friendly Reindeer Dust to take home to feed Rudolf and his gang on Christmas Eve; Santa’s Mailbox, where kids can write and send a letter to Santa; and Santa’s Treats, where there homemade Christmas cookies will be available to taste or for a donation to the garden club’s scholarship program, to take home and enjoy.
The Dade City Garden Club was established in 1947 and is dedicated to the education of its members and the public in the fields of gardening, horticulture, landscape design, floral design, and environmental awareness. The Holiday Magic in the Gardens is a free event open to the public and will be held at The Dade City Garden Club at 13630 5th Street; Dade City, FL from 1 pm to 4 pm on December 8, 2024.
For more information about The Dade City Garden Club or the December 8th event, contact Becky Maxwell at