Monthly Programs
From September through April the Club hosts monthly meetings
9:15 AM Socializing (coffee & refreshments served)
10:00 AM Membership Meeting
10:45 AM Program
September 28, 2026
Messiah Lutheran Church
1 W. Ridge Road
9:15 AM Socializing (Coffee & refreshments served)
10:00 AM Membership Meeting
10:45 AM Program
Program: Name that Bird - Through size, color, behavior, and their song, let’s see how many birds we can identify!
Presenter: Stan Gray
Stan Gray is a seasoned gardener and dedicated birder who has served as a volunteer and has been the Iris Curator at the Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens (CGBG) for the last 19 years since relocating to Savannah. A 1972 graduate of the United States Military Academy with a career in the U.S. Army. Gray has successfully transitioned his professional discipline into environmental stewardship and avian research. He is a prominent leader within the Ogeechee Audubon Society, where he spearheads major bird survey projects, including 81 intensive surveys of Waste Management's (WM) Superior Landfill site, earning the prestigious Wildlife Habitat Council Certification in conservation commitment for WM. His extensive field work also includes coordinating Rusty Blackbird monitoring at Savannah Christian Prep School and managing the Hunter AAF sector for the Savannah Christmas Bird Count. Gray also contributes to “Bird Count" by serving as the coordinator/compiler for Richmond Hill Christmas Bird Count. In addition to his field research, he shares his expertise through his "Birding 101" classes for Georgia Southern University, Fort McAllister and the Georgia Ornithological Society, leads local bird walks as well.
October 26, 2026
Messiah Lutheran Church
1 W. Ridge Road
9:15 AM Socializing (Coffee & refreshments served)
10:00 AM Membership Meeting
10:30 Hort Short: Vicki Menke – What to plant now.
October is perfect month for planting.
Many choices of bulbs, herbs, plants, seeds.
Vicki is one of our past presidents and a very knowledgeable gardener. Vicki grew up as a child in England and lived there with her own husband and children. She has transformed her home in the Landings as a pollinator and old English garden. Vicki also is an expert on the Medici famous “Physic garden at Alnwick Castle’s Poisonous Gardens. So behave.
10:45 AM Program
Program: Native Plant and Landscape Design Native - A wonderful way to update your gardens!
Presenter: Christina Blanchard of Rewind Savannah
Christina Blanchette possesses a deep well of horticultural knowledge, professional experience, and creative vision which she brings to Re-Wild Savannah. A proud member and recipient of the Silver Medal Native Plant Habitat from the Georgia Native Plant Society and a speaker for garden clubs throughout the Savannah region, she is recognized for her expertise in native plants and ecological landscape design. https://www.rewildsavannah.com
November 16, 2026
This meeting will take place at Bethesda Chapel
9:30 AMCar Pool at Methodist Church
10:00 AM Meet in Chapel
Program: "Bethesda Orphage in 1940 and Bethesda Academy today"
A wonderful presentation of the history of Bethesda and its 600 acre campus that used to have a farm but still raise cattle. With the new opening of the William H. Ford Museum, we will have the opportunity of an exclusive tour. Come see some of Landings Garden Club work in maintaining some of the gardens around the campus of Bethesda Academy as we help uphold the old charm.
Presenter: John H. Reddan, MSEd
John Reddan is an alumnus of the McCallie School in Chattanooga. He received his bachelor's in history and political science from Furman University; master's in education from the University of Pennsylvania. He served as Editor of the Boarding Schools Directory in Washington DC and was the founder of the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs, CEP of the Eldercare Channel, served as the Head of Institutional Advancement and Business Development at Bethesda Academy since 2016. Founded in 1740 by the evangelist George Whitfield, Bethesda was the first orphanage in British North America. The school remains one of the only two institutions in Savannah that survived from the time of James Oglethorpe and stands at the heart of the story of Georgia. John Reddan is recognized as an authority on the history of Bethesda during the eighteenth century and is working with a team of archaeologists to uncover the remains of the first building. The project is funded in part by the Georgia Society of Colonial Wars and Mills Bee Lane Foundation.
December 14, 2026
Messiah Lutheran Church
1 W. Ridge Road
9:15 AM Socializing (Coffee & refreshments served)
10:00 AM Membership Meeting
10:15 AM
10:30 Hort Short: Vicki Menke – Amaryllis
Decorate your home. Give as presents. After the holidays, plant them outside. “The gift that keeps on giving!”
10:45 AM Program
Program: Artful Tables and Arrangements - Just before the holidays! What a great time to be creative and fine tune how we present tablescapes.
Presenter: Sarah Hopkins
Sarah Hopkins of Sarah Hopkin's Designs brings over three decades of passion, artistry and deep-rooted tradition to the world of floral design and entertaining. A dedicated garden club member of 30 years, she began in Texas with the Junior group of Garden Club of Dallas and the Founders Garden Club of Dallas. She continues today in her role as an affiliate of the Trustees Garden Club of Savannah, Georgia. For 15 years, she has channeled her creative talents as a professional floral designer and founder of One Pink Cookie, a boutique business specializing in custom floral design, handcrafted cookie gifts, and curated event styling. Sarah also shares her expertise through teaching floral design workshops. She has won numerous awards competing in many flower shows representing various clubs, winning several first-place awards in Table Artistry blending fresh florals and fine China with decorative pieces. Sarah, a mother of 7, resides in the Landings with her husband and precious doodle and she will be sharing her passion and secrets for memorable holiday tablescapes.
January 25, 2027
Messiah Lutheran Church
1 W. Ridge Road
9:15 AM Socializing (Coffee & refreshments served)
10:00 AM Membership Meeting
10:45 AM Program
Program: Ogeechee Riverkeeper
History & its needed protection from pollution
Presenter: Ben Kirsch, Legal Counsel to Ogeechee Riverkeepers
Ben Kirsh currently serves as the Ogeechee Riverkeepers legal director. Ben graduated from Case Western Reserve University and served in the Peace Corps teaching English in a remote Mongolian village. Living so close to wilderness and seeing the environment's central role in the community further deepened his appreciation for the natural world. He returned to the US and gained a law degree from Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon with certificates in Environmental and Natural Resources Law and Energy. In 2019, Ben won the Leadership Award. Before joining the Ogeechee Riverkeepers team, Ben worked to protect and restore the lower Deschutes River in Central Oregon. His free time is spent camping, hiking, enjoying live music, a good book, great trivia and board games trying to keep up with his dog.
February 22, 2027
Messiah Lutheran Church
1 W. Ridge Road
9:15 AM Socializing (Coffee & refreshments served)
10:00 AM Membership Meeting
10:30 AM
February Membership Meeting
10:30 Hort Short: Vicki Menke – How to design and plant a garden that will attract wildlife and get a certification from National Garden Club.
10:45 AM Program
Program: Skidaway Island State Park Conservation
Learn about birding, wildlife and hiking with miles
of spectacular nature trails on this beautiful barrier island.
Presenter: Ellen Goza, Interpretive Ranger Ellen Goza is an interpretive Ranger at Skidaway Island State Park. She has spent the last three summers introducing young minds to the natural world through Junior Ranger Camps. In addition to planning and offering programs, she and her staff are responsible for trail maintenance, including trimming and pruning as well as identifying and removing invasive plants. She is also responsible for overseeing the care of the ambassador animals on display in the Interpretive Center; six snakes, two diamondback terrapins, and three box turtles. Ellenis a Suma Cum Laude graduate of Georgia Southern University, holding a bachelor's in biology. She has researched scale insect populations on magnolia trees and interned at the biodiversity greenhouse. A U.S. Air Force weather forecaster and observer, Ellen served in the same capacity at Wormsloe State Historic Site. She currently serves on the Program Advisory Committee for Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites Division.
March 22,2027
Messiah Lutheran Church
1 W. Ridge Road
9:15 AM Socializing (Coffee & refreshments served)
10:00 AM Membership Meeting
10:45 AM Program
Program: Ossabaw Island Foundation
Presenter: Elizabeth Dubose, Executive Director
Elizabeth E. DuBose, Executive Director, has led the Ossabaw Island Foundation since 1998. A native of Atlanta, she holds a B.A. in American Studies from Hollins College (now Hollins University), and an M.A. in Historic Preservation from Savannah College of Art and Design. Ossabaw Island is a 26,000 – acre undeveloped barrier island in the Atlantic Ocean, owned now by the State of Georgia and located in Chatham County. Georgia's first Heritage Preserve, accessible only by boat, is undeveloped and set aside by an Executive Order for natural, scientific and cultural study, research and education.
During her tenure at TOIF, Ms. DuBose has led all aspects of the organization: advocacy for Ossabaw's Heritage Preserve designation and gatekeeper for appropriate island use; program development, fiscal management and fundraising; stewardship of buildings and equipment on the northern half of Ossabaw Island, including the restoration or stabilization and maintenance of ten historic buildings on the Island; historic research related to Ossabaw Island; and hosting of approximately 20 groups per year on the island (about half of all trips) for overnight stays or day trips that provide expertise on tabby-making, historic preservation techniques, indigo dyeing and dye-making, hurricane impacts, and the history of the native population, the enslaved African-American and Freedmen of Ossabaw, 20th century intellectual/creative community, and colonial-era through present-day ownership and use of the island.
April 26,2027
Messiah Lutheran Church
1 W. Ridge Road
9:15 AM Socializing (Coffee & refreshments served)
10:00 AM Membership Meeting
10:30 Hort Short: Vicki Menke – Let’s get technical about plants. A review of plant parts and their function. Putting it all together on how they all work together and work with the environment.
10:45 AM Program
Program: Bonaventure Historical Society - A presentation of the history of Bonaventure Cemetery dating back to the 1700’s. It is one of the most beautiful natural settings with the canopies of Live Oaks, amazing area for songbirds and natural beauty was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.
Presenter: Eliza Schmidt Director of Education
The most amazing area here in Savannah which is steeped in such history, is also home to visual art that when you walk through the cemetery if feels like a sculpture garden. Visitors can observe birds flying through the trees and the landscaping is magnificent. Through such dedication of maintaining its beauty and conservation of such a historical designated area, this presentation will demonstrate the wonders of Bonaventure Cemetery.
As John Muir, Camping Among the Tombs, 1867 so graciously wrote……
“I gazed awe-stricken as one new - arrived from another world. Bonaventure is called a graveyard, a town of the dead, but the few graves are powerless in such a depth of life. The rippling of living waters, the song of birds, the joyous confidence of flowers, the calm, undisturbable grandeur of the oaks, mark this place of graves as one of the Lord’s most favored abodes of life and light.”
https://www.telfair.org/article/bonaventure-a-historical-sketch/