Calusa Garden Club Summer Luncheon

Calusa Garden Club of Marco Island held its June informal luncheon on Monday, June 9, 2025, at Margarita’s, where fifteen enthusiastic attendees gathered to share their love for gardening and nature. At the luncheon, in addition to talking about their summer plans and Marco Island happenings, the gardeners discussed pollinator plants for bees and butterflies, which will be a focus at the garden club’s Fall Festival/Plant Sale. Members learned of a “cocktail tree,” which produces limes, lemons, and grapefruit, hibiscus plant bud drop and the insect that causes it and how to remedy it, protecting plants from snail damage by using crushed eggshells, and summer rains – or lack of rain.

On Friday, June 6, 2025, Calusa Garden Club members participated in the luncheon for Little Pink Houses of Hope on the Marco Island Princess. Club members made sea-themed table centerpieces featuring pink carnations along with shells and greenery.

The garden club is actively seeking members who are creative and enjoy crafting to create garden décor and crafts to sell at the Fall Festival/Plant Sale. The Fall Festival/Plant Sale will showcase club members’ talents while supporting the Calusa Garden Club’s civic beautification activities and scholarships.

Additionally, the garden club is in need of a grant writer. Persons with experience in grant writing or who are interested in contributing their skills to Calusa Garden Club should contact Diane Chestnut at 239dg2travel@gmail.com for more information about this opportunity.

One of the Calusa Garden Club’s civic beautification projects is the new garden in Lee Plummer Park. In addition to working in the garden one or two Saturdays a month, the club plans to identify and label the native trees in the park. This project is a fantastic way to connect with nature and enhance the beauty of Marco Island community space.

For more details or to sign up for any of these opportunities, reach out to Calusa Garden Club of Marco Island at calusagardenclubcommunication@gmail.com.

Calusa Garden Club of Marco Island is a Section 501(c)3 organization and is a member of the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc. Membership is open to persons interested in horticulture, floral design, and environmental matters residing five months or more in Collier County. To donate, go to calusa.org.

Calusa Garden Club of Marco Island meets the second Monday of each month, October through April, at Rose Hall at the Marco Island Branch Library.