CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Nearly a century ago, a group of Cleveland businessmen founded what would become the Gardeners of Greater Cleveland, one of the region’s longest-running horticultural organizations.

The club has welcomed women for decades, but its roots as a men’s organization shaped its tradition of evening meetings with spirited dinners and a membership that is a relatively balanced ratio of men and women compared to other longstanding garden clubs. Today, the club continues to adapt in its mission of bringing gardeners together.

As outgoing president Steve McIntosh puts it, “The club is as much about community as it is about gardening.”

That dual purpose has sustained the club through changing gardening trends, shifting demographics, and yes, the pandemic.

McIntosh, a high schoo

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