Florida will soon have more cooling shade. Garden clubs across the state will plant more than 400 trees on January 19, 2024, to celebrate Florida Arbor Day and the 100th anniversary of the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs (FFGC). Clubs are busy now finding their planting sites and choosing their trees.

The Duke Energy Foundation is supporting this project with a $20,000 grant to FFGC. The grant will help garden clubs buy sizable native trees. To be reimbursed up to $100, a club need only plant a native tree. Priority is given to large, hurricane-resistant, shade trees in keystone genera that feed more caterpillars and baby birds. This will achieve the grant’s aim to increase climate resiliency and support biodiversity.

Most of Florida’s 153 garden clubs will plant a single tree. The Gainesville Garden Club will celebrate by planting 100 trees. The garden clubs of District XII will plant 100 native torchwood trees in West Matheson Hammock Park. The seven clubs of District III will each plant two trees with a second $100 per club contributed by the district. A dozen native trees will find homes at FFGC’s headquarters.

In addition to planting hundreds of trees, garden clubs will give away hundreds of tree seedlings. A second grant from the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) for $5,000 will help clubs buy native tree seedlings. Many of Florida’s garden clubs have shown interest in conducting a tree giveaway. Clubs are quickly reserving tree seedlings for later shipping.

If your garden club is just now learning about FFGC’s statewide tree-planting plans for January 19, and the availability of money to buy a tree to plant and tree seedlings to give away, please request more information and reimbursement forms from Lynn Artz or Dianne Amburn at ffgc24@gmail.com.