Forming a Club

The Lombard Garden Club was organized on May 28, 1926, under the name “Lombard Flower and Garden Club”. At the first meeting, held in the home of Mrs. Jacob Brecks, the officers of the club were chosen with Mrs. Nora Wegner as President.
At this time, a poem written by Mrs. Albert Lampert was unanimously adopted as the club’s motto, a tradition that continues in the club yearbooks today.
In 1927 the club was reorganized under the new name Lombard Garden Club and became a member of the Garden Clubs of Illinois.

“Make thy garden as fair as thou canst,
Thou workest never alone;
For he whose plot is next to thine
May see it and mend his own.”

In the Beginning…

Local club meetings were held in the homes of members. When the club became too large, the meetings took place at the Mayflower Apartment building, located at 217 – 219 Main Street, Lombard. The regular meetings were held on the second and fourth Fridays from February – October.

In 1939 – 1956, the Village Hall became our new meeting space, then at 48 North Park Avenue. Meetings were held in the Council Room of the Village Hall at 2 p.m. on the second and fourth Friday of each month.

In 1957, regular meetings were held at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. The following year, the club moved once more to the Lombard Community Building at 433 East St. Charles Road and resides today for the general meetings.

Civic Projects

The members worked hard to raise money for civic improvements and for the support of the 1936 Lincoln Memorial Garden project in Springfield. Members held card parties, luncheons, dinners, sold flowers, lilac bushes and special poster stamps. Money, labor, plants, expertise for the wildflower plants and the erection of a rustic bridge were donated by our members. The garden was completed in 1939, and we continue our membership to the Lincoln Memorial Garden.

Participation in our Club history included helping to beautify the grounds of the Chicago and Northwestern train station, the Aurora and Elgin railroad station, and the village hall grounds, and parks.

The Chicago Plant, Flower and Fruit Guild was a charity in the United States, started in 1895. Its original goals were "to collect flowers, fruits and vegetables, and to distribute them to the needy, to place window boxes in unfortunate sections of one's community; and to start the children and grown people with an interest in the soil.” Members supplied flowers, fruit and jellies to Settlement Houses and Veterans Hospitals. These contributions were taken to Chicago by the C&NW and CA&E railroads. The Club was very active in this cause until the railroads could no longer handle the distribution.

Flower Shows and Projects

Beginning in 1927 and for many years, the Club held an annual flower show. Members have entered numerous award-winning exhibits at the National Flower Shows in Chicago and other local and state shows

Summer garden walks, winter house walks, and little in-house flower shows were added in past years. Other projects included making ornaments from natural materials to decorate the Club’s Christmas tree at The Morton Arboretum. Other friendly local competitions included Christmas wreath decorating at the library.

Annual Lilac Bush Sale

In 1965, and we began selling lilac bushes in Lilacia Park at the Lilac Festival which was celebrated on May 9 – 16. This annual project has continued to evolve in the cultivars offered, quantities sold, and distribution to the public. The Lombard Park District has helped our club with the Lilac Sale for many years. They provide us with a place to store the lilacs, create signage, set up tents, and provide employees who help with moving potted bushes and trees.