Rochester Garden & Flower Club

2025-2026 CALENDAR

 

JANUARY

 

RG&FC Members are welcome as guests if they register in advance thru Karen Noltee at gramakj@charter.net before January 10th!

Happy plants make happy gardeners!  Let’s find the right plants for the right places in our garden beds!   Learn how to explore the various sources of information available to you, including what is quickly available in our digital age!    Bring your SMART cell phones with you!

January is a great time to be planning on what we will be doing in our garden beds in the Spring!  Bring in a list of plants that you felt disappointed in how they were this last summer!   Think ahead about how much sun is or isn’t in your various garden beds.  How are your houseplants doing? 

Presented by Karen Noltee, from the Rochester Garden & Flower Club

 

Presenter Maria Wesserle, owner. Foraging promotes wild harvesting through all the seasons- even winter! Though often thought of as a barren time of year, the persistent forager can find things to harvest: evergreens, fruit still hanging on trees and shrubs, hard-fleshed mushrooms. The benefits of foraging year-round are multifold. Learn about medicinal plants, plants with high nutrients, and where it is safe and legal to forage in the Rochester area. https://fourseasonforaging.com/

FEBRUARY

Earl Bye, Professional Wildlife photographer, Red Wing Wild Photography, presents The Birds of the Mississippi. Earl will have signed copies of his newest book, Eagles of Red Wing for sale. This just might be the most beautiful presentation RGFC club has ever offered. https://rwwild.com/

MARCH

 

Presented by the Co-Founder of the Rochester Public Library, Seed Library, Heidi Kern. For your beautiful flowers and delicious veggies, Heidi will walk us through all the steps needed to build your own sustainable, sharable seed library. From the proper time to collect and long-term storage. It’s Easy! https://rootsandrefuge.com/a-complete-guide-to-seed-saving/

APRIL

Diane Blazek, the Executive Director of All American Selections and the National Garden Bureau will share the newest and top performing flowering plants and veggies. Learn how the National Garden Bureau at Columbia College, Chicago, Illinois is your invaluable, all-around garden resource. https://all-americaselections.org/, https://ngb.org/

Garden Fandangles, a beaded sun catcher.   Register with Diane Klein, Suziezebrafish1@gmail.com or 605-431-6326.  Minimum number of participants is 8, maximum 20. $5 materials fee due at sign up. Members are encouraged to bring a friend. Members and their friends will have the materials fee waived.  

MAY

 

 

This is the one you just can’t miss. Club members will have their Minnesota hardy perennials for sale along with veggies and native plants. Cash, Check or Card. Location to be announced.                                                                      

JUNE                        

Presented by Tim and Julie Johnson. No matter if you are growing veggies or beautiful blooms, a backyard chicken is your ideal gardening companion. Chickens provide organic insect control, and their droppings are high nitrogen fertilizer. Bonus: Homegrown eggs that are healthier than store bought. Chickens are surprisingly easy to care for and very sociable. Our Backyard Chicken provides everything you need for the season; small mobile coop, two hens, feed, and bedding for one reasonable price. The chicks go back to the farm for winter. https://www.ourbackyardchicken.com/

JULY

 

Date to be announced.

 

AUGUST

Date and Location to be announced.

SEPTEMBER

 

Presented by Margaret MacNeal. Margaret is a past president of the American Daffodil Society, current president of the MN Daffodil Society, a frequent presenter at national gardening events, and an author of many gardening articles in the popular press. While daffodils are her passion, she is an expert in fall planting and all fall bulbs. The MN Daffodil Society maintains a daffodil garden at the MN Horticulture Society. The garden features hybrids by MN Daffodil Society members that are so rare that they are not available for retail sale. Ms. McNeal will bring daffodil bulbs to sell. Proceeds benefit the MN Daffodil Society. https://www.daffodilmn.org/

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

 

 

More information will be available at https://www.olmstedhistory.com/mayowood

 

DECEMBER

 

 

JANUARY 2026

Mike Grossmann and Kathleen Nordstrom of West Concord, Minnesota will present. Mike and Kathleen have been growing and hybridizing lilies for many years. The farm has produced many spectacular and national award-winning hybrids. Mike focuses on “toothy” edges and big eyes. Kathleen creates lilies with patterned eyes. https://northernlightsdaylilies.com/

 

Presented by James Bearsley, Northern Rosarian, American Rose Society Master Rosarian and Accredited Rose Judge, growing roses in Maplewood, Mn. A member of the Minnesota Rose Society, the Lake Superior Rose Society, the Minnesota State Horticultural Society and the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum where he is a Rose Expert. Besides roses, James grows hostas, lilies, daylilies, peonies, native shrubs, wildflowers and maintains butterfly and hummingbird gardens. https://www.northernrosarian.com

 

Jenna Mundahl, owner of Northern Aroids will share tips & tricks for your houseplants and introduce us to the newest, trendiest, and most exotic houseplant varieties. Jenna will have some plants to sell. Be prepared, you will want to collect all of them! NorthernAroids on Facebook or @palmstreetap

 

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