Programs & Services

Mina Edison Botanical Library

The Mina Edison Botanical Library houses many books and magazines dealing with all aspects of gardening and floral design for the pleasure of members.

Mina Edison Botanical Library

Meeting Rooms

The Fort Myers–Lee County Garden Council, Inc. meeting rooms are used by several area clubs to hold meetings, picnics and other club related special events.

Speakers Bureau

A speaker’s bureau is available for club programs. In addition, we have a PowerPoint presentation about the council which can be used at events.

View available speakers. Updated Jan. 2025

Junior Gardeners

Junior Gardeners

Our Junior Garden Club meets monthly from September to June and enjoy garden related activities at each meeting.  Contact the Garden Council (fmlcgardencouncil@gmail.com for more information).

Every year, we

  • Sponsor a summer camp experience at Wekiva, a residential nature camp for 3rd to 8th grade students sponsored by the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs (FFGC).
  • Sponsor a summer camp experience at the Edison Ford Winter Estates for a local child.

Educational Activities

In addition to sponsoring the library, providing resources to local groups, hosting the Berne Davis Gardens, providing  a speakers bureau and sponsoring special events, educational activities are incorporated into the regular activities of the FMLCGC.

At each of our five general membership meetings we have a standing agenda item to present horticulture specimens and discuss their growing habits, their botanical names, and their uses to attendees.  Wendy Sprague, Horticulture Chair for the Garden Council, leads this effort.

We publish fouir editions of The Courier, the Garden Council newsletter, which is sent to all members.  Articles on upcoming events, gardening subjects, and current activities of the Garden Council are included.  .

We encourage efforts to protect our Southwest Florida water quality.  Our Environmental Chair, Carolyn France, keeps the Council updated on developments in this arena.

Our Master Garden Volunteers maintain the gardens and  conduct tours on Tuesdays throughout the year with the addition of Thursdays  December to April.  

Beautifying and Enhancing our Gardens

  • We planted a Pigeon Plum tree beside the Pollinator Pathway at the Berne Davis Gardens in celebration of Arbor Day 2024.
  • The Plant It Pink garden in the Berne Davis Gardens with its collection of Susan B. Komen birdhouses continues to flourish.  
  • We are continually reviewing and adding to the content and interest of our gardens.  Our Food Forest established in 2023 is expanding into a new area behind our building where we are establishing a vegetable garden.
  • A spiral herb garden has recently been installed in the Food Forest Area, and we hope to establish a Knot garden in the near future.
  • Our garden contractor continues to maintain the Berne Davis Gardens, which supplements the efforts of our Master Gardener volunteers.

Partnerships and Community Involvement

We continue to donate annual scholarship funds to the Florida Gulf Coast University to benefit a student in the area of conservation, horticulture or other fields related to Garden Council objectives.

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