National Garden Clubs Inc.

What National Garden Clubs Inc. does

National Garden Clubs, Inc. (NGC) is a U.S.-based, Missouri-domiciled non-profit membership federation representing gardening enthusiasts and horticulture professionals. As of the input data, NGC reports 138,976 members organized across approximately 5,000 affiliated local garden clubs, with its national headquarters at 4401 Magnolia Avenue, St. Louis, MO. The organization operates a community-led, event-driven go-to-market model in which prospective members locate a nearby club through the website's club locator tool, join at the local level, and gain access to national programming, publications, and events.

NGC's core offerings are educational rather than technology-based. The organization runs four accredited school programs — Gardening School, Environmental School, Flower Show School, and Landscape Design School — each comprising multiple courses that culminate in consultant or judge designations, supplemented by advanced Symposiums and Multiple Refreshers for credential maintenance. Beyond education, NGC operates the PLANT AMERICA initiative (including grant funding and the long-standing USDA Forest Service Plant-A-Tree partnership), organizes NGC Flower Shows with competitive divisions, publishes The National Gardener magazine, runs Youth & Scholarships programs, operates the Blue & Gold Star Memorials program, and sells publications and educational materials through an online store.

The business model rests on three revenue streams: recurring membership dues from 138,976 individual members routed through 5,000 local clubs, one-time merchandise and publication sales (unit prices $5.00–$44.95), and donations/grants channeled through the PLANT AMERICA initiative. There is no disclosed technology platform, API, proprietary software, AI capability, or paid advertising inventory; NGC functions as a content-and-community organization rather than a software or platform business. The organization is independently operated with no parent company, no identified institutional investors, and no disclosed funding rounds, M&A activity, or leadership transitions in the input data.

Name

National Garden Clubs Inc.

Legal name

National Garden Clubs, Inc.

Website

https://gardenclub.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

National Garden Clubs, Inc. is a U.S. non-profit federation of approximately 5,000 local garden clubs serving 138,976 members through accredited educational schools, flower shows, publications, and community greening initiatives including a USDA Forest Service partnership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: NGC generates revenue through annual membership dues from its 138,976 members across approximately 5,000 member clubs. Members pay fees to join local garden clubs which are affiliated with the national organization.
2. Merchandise and Publications: The organization operates an online store selling educational materials, books, and publications related to gardening, floral design, and horticulture. Products include reference books like 'Outlines of Period Flower Arranging' and 'Hortulana'.
3. Donations and Grants: NGC receives donations through its PLANT AMERICA initiative and distributes grants to member clubs for community projects. The organization has awarded $390,210 in Plant America Grants and $5,326,800 in scholarships historically.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

National Garden Clubs, Inc. (NGC) is a non-profit membership organization providing horticulture education, community engagement, and recognition programs to gardening enthusiasts. It operates a federation of approximately 5,000 affiliated local garden clubs with 138,976 members, delivering accredited schools (Gardening, Environmental, Flower Show, and Landscape Design), competitive flower shows, and national initiatives like PLANT AMERICA and Plant-A-Tree.

Product overview

National Garden Clubs, Inc. (NGC) is a non-profit organization representing gardening enthusiasts with approximately 138,976 members across 5,000 member clubs. The organization operates as a unified membership organization rather than a technology product company, offering a portfolio of educational programs and member services. The core offerings include four major accredited schools: Gardening School, Environmental School, Flower Show School, and Landscape Design School, each providing courses leading to consultant designations. These educational programs are supplemented by Symposiums for advanced study and Multiple Refreshers for continuing education. Beyond education, NGC operates the PLANT AMERICA initiative with grant funding, organizes NGC Flower Shows with multiple competitive divisions, provides Awards & Grants, publishes The National Gardener Magazine, and maintains programs like Blue & Gold Star Memorials and Plant-A-Tree. The organization also provides member services including a Club Locator, Youth & Scholarships programs, and an online Store for publications. No technology platform, software product, API, or AI capabilities are offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gardening School
• Environmental School
• Flower Show School
• Landscape Design School
• Symposiums
• Multiple Refreshers
• NGC Flower Shows
• NGC Store

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• USDA Forest ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership between NGC and the USDA Forest Service sustaining national forests through the Plant-A-Tree program. This partnership enables large-scale tree planting initiatives and environmental conservation efforts, with NGC members contributing to forest maintenance and reforestation across federal forestlands.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Arbor Day Foundation: National nonprofit membership organization focused on tree planting and environmental stewardship, with comparable member-based model, large national membership, and federal-level partnerships. Highly comparable in mission alignment on community planting initiatives like NGC's PLANT AMERICA program.
• American Horticultural Society: National nonprofit organization dedicated to horticulture education, plant conservation, and gardening advocacy. Comparable to NGC in its membership structure, educational programming, and national scope, with overlap in members and events calendar.
• Garden Club of America: National membership-based garden club organization in the United States with comparable member-club structure, horticultural education programming, and flower show competitions. Founded in 1913, it represents the most direct peer to NGC's mission and operating model, though typically serves a higher-income demographic.

Others

• American Public Gardens Association: National association of public gardens and arboreta providing member services, professional development, and advocacy for garden-based institutions. Adjacent peer serving institutional rather than individual gardener members but operates in the same horticultural ecosystem.
• Society of American Florists: National trade association representing the floriculture industry. While focused on retail and wholesale florists rather than consumer gardeners, it operates adjacent floral design accreditation and competitions that overlap with NGC's Flower Show School curriculum.
• Native Plant Society of North America: Membership-based nonprofit focused on native plant conservation and education. Comparable in member-club structure and educational mission, though specialized to native species rather than general horticulture.

Broad incumbents

• Royal Horticultural Society: The UK's largest gardening charity and a globally recognized authority on horticulture. While significantly larger and operating show gardens, RHS shares NGC's model of membership dues, accredited education, flower shows, and gardening school programming.

Emerging players

• Master Gardener Program: Cooperative Extension-based volunteer horticulture education program with comparable educational programming and consultant-style training. Operates as a network of university-affiliated programs rather than an independent nonprofit, making it a distinct but overlapping participant in the same member-education space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCUnNSWjpNIff8QuqH534bMA
• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/National-Garden-Clubs-Inc/126120893390
• Instagraminstagram.com/nationalgarden/?hl=en
• Pinterestpinterest.com/natlgardenclubs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-garden-club-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National Garden Clubs Inc.