Welcome to the Garfield Park Master Gardener Association (GPMGA).

The goals of the GPMGA are to share knowledge about gardening with our members and others and offer volunteer opportunities.

GPMGA’s Next Meeting: August 12

This is the tour you don’t want to miss!  Our next meeting on Wednesday, August 12, is a tour of Helen Steussy’s wildflower prairie garden in New Castle Indiana.

The garden is an hour from Garfield Park.  Participants will leave at 5:30 p.m. from the parking lot at the Garfield Park Conservatory to drive to the garden.  There are no bathrooms in the garden and snacks will not be provided for this meeting.

Remember to bring walking shoes, a water bottle and a hat. You also may bring little lunch bags or envelopes to collect seeds as we walk in the prairie. Helen and her husband started seeding this 20-acre tall grass prairie more than twenty five years ago when Spence Nursery installed the first plants. Since that time, they have used strategic mowing and burning for space to broadcast seeds for new plants.

There are nearly 200 varieties with some plants reaching ten feet tall. They have documented over 200 species of birds and 300 species of insects living in the prairie. With plant roots that reach 15 into the soil, this prairie can absorb eight inches of rain. Our tour promises to help us learn more about natives, collect some seeds and relax in nature.

Carpool Drivers:  The address is 1401 South County Road 125 West New Castle, IN 47362.

Follow the narrow drive past the house and park on the grass in front of the barn.

2026 GPMGA Meeting Dates

  • January – No membership meeting; Only GPMGA Board meets
  • February 11
  • March 11
  • April 8
  • May 13
  • June 10
  • July 8
  • August 12
  • September 9
  • October 14
  • November 11
  • December 9

GPMGA Meetings and Locations

At present, the meetings occur  on the 2nd Wednesday of the month February through December and feature both a program and a business meeting. We meet either virtually or at the Garfield Park Conservatory(accessible through the entrance by the Children’s Garden).  Exceptions include off-site field trips (typically in April and September) and our annual picnic (typically held in July at the shelter near the Arts Center in Garfield Park). If you require an accommodation or special assistance to attend these meetings due to a disability, please contact us at 317-275-9286. Some accommodations may require a 2-week notice.