Club Activities

Bi-monthly Meetings:

Usually the first and third Wednesday of every month @ 5:30 PM in either room 128 or 473 of Plant Science/Moore Hall.

The first meeting is usually reserved for club details and various orders of business, while the second meeting is usually guest speakers. The speakers cover a variety of topics and aspects of the green industry and are a great way to not only learn more about horticulture, but also to meet new people and potential contacts in the industry.

Some type of food, usually pizza, & soda at every meeting so even if you're not sure about joining, come have some grub and listen to what we're all about!

Trips & Activities:

Fall Events:

Past traveling in the fall have been trips to Devil's Lake State Park, Ski-Hi Apple Orchard, Wollersheim Winery and the Dome in Milwaukee. Fall activities in the past have included the Annual Plant Sale, wine & cheese socials and even a Thanksgiving dinner party.

This year we excitedly await the Second Annual Great Pumpkin Regatta to our list of fall events. The regatta involves racing nautically & aerodynamically bred Cucurbits across Lake Mendota in front of Memorial Union on the Terrace. This year we are adding a pumpkin sale, a bake sale and even face painting for the kids!

Winter Trip:

There are two club related trips in the winter, usually during winter break in January. The first is a trip to Costa Rica, this year including a day trip to Nicaragua. This trip lasts approximately 12 days and is organized in conjunction with the class Horticulture 375: Tropical Horticulture. If you plan on going on the trip you have to take the class, however if you're interested in the tropics you can take the class without going on the trip. Also, as an added perk, this trip qualifies as your capstone project if you are majoring in Horticulture.

The second trip is usually organized through the club with the destination being somewhere warm. In 2002 the club took a huge trip to California to visit a seed company, a cut flower producer, a vineyard and a few standard tourist attractions. The only way to find out about this years potential trip is to come to a few meetings! Active club members also receive some financial support from the club.

Spring Events:

In the spring the club takes a variety of local trips to people such as Bob the Bonsai Guy and Terry the Cactus Guy as well as participating in CALS Day for Kids, the annual spring banquet, courtyard clean-ups and wine & cheese socials. Other events past and planned include picnics in Allen Gardens, a trip to Skelley Farms (Joe Skelley is a former club president), Miller Park grounds tours and a trip to the Chicago Botanical Gardens.

Volunteering/Philanthropy:

As a club, we volunteer time for many activities including: planting trees, designing and installing green spaces and indoor tree cleaning.  We volunteer in the Horticulture Court Yard every fall and spring. We also help plant bulbs at Olbrich Botanical Garden and Allen Centennial Gardens.

For the past several years we have helped some local families have a better Christmas. In past years we have adopted a family through the Salvation Army's Adopt-A-Family program, we have donated money to local charities to be able to buy gifts for kids in their programs as well as adopting kids through the tree program at the mall.

Christmas isn't the only time of year to help those less fortunate so suggestions are ALWAYS welcome regarding other possible volunteer opportunities.

Fund Raising:

Annual House Plant Sale:

The house plant sale is our major fund raiser for the year and allows our club to not have any dues as well as provide food at meetings and financially assist active club members go on our trips (including the Costa Rica trip). The sale is always the second weekend after classes start, allowing us to have one meeting prior to the sale. Most of the plants we purchase are from a grower in Florida, however all of the cacti and succulents come from a local grower (Terry) and all of the orchids also come from a local grower (Orchids by the Ackers).

*NEW* Annual Great Pumpkin Regatta:

This year marks the Second Annual Great Pumpkin Regatta and due to success of its first year we are now using it as a fund raising opportunity. Held on Lake Mendota in front of the Memorial Union off the Terrace there is a Giant Pumpkin Race (on the lake, for real), a pumpkin sale, a bake sale and face painting. This year our coordinator, Professor Jim Nienhuis, was even able to secure a sponsorship from Firestone Tires!! The event is turning out to be quite popular so come out and watch (or even pilot!) pumpkins being raced on the lake!

Others:

This year we are trying to add a few supplementary fundraisers, one being a Poinsettia sale in November. In past years we have tried various other fund raisers including a fall bulb sale, Valentine's Day rose sale, apple cider sale, and caramel apple sales. As always we are very open to any suggestions so if you have any ideas for other fundraisers please shoot us an email.

 

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