The Garden Club of Michigan In 1911 just as Detroit was exploding into one of the largest and most successful industrial cities in the US The Garden Club of Michigan GCM was founded with fifty members from nine cities in Michigan. Comprised of some of the most prominent and influential women in the area their aim was to stimulate the knowledge and love of gardening and to protect the quality of the environment through educational programs and action in the fields of conservation and civic improvement. More than just armchair enthusiasts these dynamic women understood the importance and relevance of horticulture and were true environmentalists before the term had even been invented. Their legacy of conservation education and civic beautification has always been and still is at the core of GCM.