Deerpath Garden Club
Of Lake Forest

“Ex hortorum cultu, patientia, sapientia et amicita florebunt.”
“Through gardening, patience, knowledge and friendship will blossom.” 

Welcome to our website!  

The Deerpath Garden Club of Lake Forest was formed in 1960 by friends in the Lake Forest/ Lake Bluff area wanting to share their love of horticulture, to promote civic beauty and to educate themselves about landscaping, plant life and the art of floral arranging.   From those simple beginnings, a vibrant group has blossomed.  Over this period of time, the Deerpath Garden Club, a member of the Garden Clubs of Illinois and the National Council of State Garden Clubs, has become a philanthropic force, donating more than $52,000 towards beautification projects in the immediate community, as well as providing significant funds for beautification projects of other worthy entities.   

Deerpath Garden Club meetings are held on the last Thursday of each month.  Meetings include a social and refreshment time and a club business meeting followed by an informative program.  Each meeting is held at a different location, often at members’ homes, space permitting.  Programs include slide-show/ lectures and hands-on workshops by professional speakers, self-education workshops by club members, and ‘field trips’ to public and private gardens.  

Social gatherings include an annual party with spouses and a year-end garden walk for members and their guests touring local private and members’ gardens, and a bi-annual benefit, with a portion of the proceeds donated to various garden-related charitable community projects, and the remainder used for club educational purposes.

Deerpath Garden Club is most visible in its award-winning and constantly evolving Telegraph Gardens (located at Telegraph Road Train Station in West Lake Forest) which was designed and is continuously maintained by club members in partnership with the City of Lake Forest. In October 2008, Deerpath Garden Club received, for the second time, a civil award from the Lake Forest Garden Club for Deerpath’s contribution to the beautification of Lake Forest.  This award was first presented to Deerpath Garden Club in 1979.

Deerpath Garden Club of Lake Forest, ever growing and ripening, welcomes guests interested in our goals.  Click here to contact us for further information.