Cultivating Beauty. Growing Impact. Since 1912.
Cultivating Beauty. Growing Impact. Since 1912.
Since 1959, The Garden Club of Cleveland has shared a longstanding commitment with the Cleveland Museum of Natural History: to preserve the natural heritage of Northeast Ohio and inspire a deeper understanding of the landscapes, plants, and ecosystems that define our region.
What began as the creation of a Native Ohio Wildflower Garden has grown into an enduring legacy of botanical conservation, environmental education, and hands-on stewardship. Through financial contributions, donated materials, volunteer labor, and the preservation of native plant species, GCC members have helped cultivate a living connection between the Museum’s visitors and Ohio’s natural world.
More than six decades later, that commitment continues, reflecting the Club’s belief that preserving the beauty of nature also means protecting the ecological systems that sustain it.
Where the story began.
In 1959, The Garden Club of Cleveland established the Native Ohio Wildflower Garden on the grounds of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Conceived as both a botanical landscape and an educational resource, the garden introduced visitors to the remarkable diversity of plants native to Ohio.
For the next twenty years, GCC members collected wildflowers from their own woodlands and contributed specimens to the developing garden. Their efforts helped establish a living collection that celebrated the region’s indigenous flora while encouraging greater appreciation for the importance of native plants.
The garden represented an early expression of the Club’s conservation philosophy: that understanding the natural world begins with experiencing it firsthand. By bringing native species into an accessible public setting, GCC helped make Ohio’s botanical heritage visible, tangible, and worthy of protection.
As development increasingly altered the surrounding landscape, however, the Club recognized an opportunity to extend its work beyond cultivation and into active preservation.
As Greater Cleveland expanded, woodlands and undeveloped properties increasingly gave way to construction. With that growth came the potential loss of native plants that had flourished in these landscapes for generations.
The Garden Club of Cleveland responded with an initiative known as The Big Dig.
Working under the guidance of Museum botanists and with permission from property developers, GCC members visited sites scheduled for development to carefully collect native plants before construction began. Rather than allowing these specimens to be lost, volunteers relocated them to the Museum’s gardens and other suitable conservation settings.
The Big Dig transformed a traditional gardening activity into a meaningful act of environmental stewardship. It also demonstrated the value of collaboration among horticultural enthusiasts, scientific experts, and the broader community.
Through the dedication of its members, the Club helped preserve native plant material while advancing a principle that remains central to conservation today: protecting biodiversity requires both knowledge and action.
Over time, the Museum’s vision for its outdoor landscapes expanded beyond the study of individual plant species to embrace a more complete understanding of the relationships among plants, wildlife, and their environments.
This evolution ultimately led to the development of the Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center & Woods Garden, where visitors encounter Ohio’s native flora and fauna within interconnected natural habitats.
Reimagined and reopened in 2016, the Perkins Wildlife Center offers an immersive exploration of the region’s ecological communities. Elevated walkways wind through wooded environments, while wetlands, native plantings, and naturalistic wildlife habitats invite visitors to observe the intricate relationships that sustain the natural world.
The setting reflects the same educational ideals that inspired GCC’s original Wildflower Garden: that direct encounters with nature can foster curiosity, appreciation, and a lasting sense of responsibility for its preservation.
While the Museum’s facilities and programming have evolved considerably, the Club’s historical contributions remain part of a broader tradition of connecting people with the natural landscapes of Northeast Ohio.
In December 2024, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History unveiled a comprehensive transformation, introducing reimagined galleries, expanded visitor experiences, and new opportunities to explore the connections between science, humanity, and the environment.
For The Garden Club of Cleveland, this new chapter offers an opportunity to renew a relationship built on more than sixty years of shared purpose.
The Club continues to support the Museum through financial contributions and renewed native plant salvage efforts, carrying forward the spirit of The Big Dig and the conservation principles that inspired the original Wildflower Garden.
Although the landscapes and facilities have changed over time, the underlying commitment remains: to protect native plant life, encourage environmental understanding, and help future generations recognize the extraordinary natural heritage found close to home.
The Garden Club of Cleveland’s relationship with the Cleveland Museum of Natural History illustrates the lasting influence of thoughtful civic engagement.
From the first wildflowers planted in 1959 to the rescue of native species threatened by development, the Club’s contributions reflect a tradition of practical conservation rooted in education, collaboration, and care for the natural world.
Today, that legacy continues through ongoing support and a renewed commitment to native plant preservation.
What began as a garden has become a lasting expression of stewardship, one that continues to grow with each generation.
Our first major civic project, uniting art, nature, and community in the heart of Cleveland.
From an industrial shoreline to a thriving natural refuge, a vision for conservation and public access.
A vibrant public space in the downtown theater district, created in partnership with the community.
A shared heritage and a greener future. Six GCC members helped establish the nation’s first garden center in 1930, now part of the Holden Forests & Gardens.
Connecting people with the natural world through conservation, education, and community engagement.
Connecting people with the natural world through conservation, education, and community engagement.