Kate Lancaster Brewster: Cultivating Gardens and Communities

May 26, 1921

On this day, dear garden enthusiasts, we find ourselves witness to a pivotal moment in the annals of horticultural history.

Kate Lancaster Brewster, a veritable doyenne of the gardening world, stepped down from her role as editor of the bulletin she had so lovingly nurtured for The Garden Club of America's first six years.

Picture, if you will, the dedication required to fund and nurture such a publication from its infancy. As she laid down her editorial trowel, Kate presented a report that might make any modern publisher's eyebrows rise:

Cost of Publishing the Bulletin (including postage) between July, 1920 and May, 1921 totaled $4038.

Number of paid subscribers... 55

Number of lapsed subscribers... 21

2 Paid subscribers have become Members-at-Large.

1 Paid subscriber has become a member of the GARDEN CLUB OF AMERICA.

Oh, how times have changed! Imagine, dear readers, the commitment required to maintain such a publication with such modest circulation.

Yet, Kate persevered, understanding the value of shared knowledge among garden enthusiasts.

But who was this Kate Lancaster Brewster, you may wonder?

Allow me to paint you a picture of a woman whose influence bloomed far beyond the pages of her bulletin.

In Lake Forest, Illinois, Kate tended to a breathtaking Italianate garden, a verdant jewel that surely sparked envy in the hearts of her neighbors.

Her horticultural prowess and social connections placed her in the inner circle of the gardening elite.

Among her confidantes was none other than Mrs. Francis King, known to her friends as Louisa Yeomans King.

When Louisa embarked on her literary journey with The Little Garden Series, it was Kate who contributed her wisdom in a volume aptly titled The Little Garden for Little Money.

One can almost hear the rustle of pages as eager gardeners devoured her cost-effective tips and tricks.

But Kate's interests weren't confined to the soil beneath her feet. With her husband Walter, she cultivated a passion for art that rivaled her love of gardens. The Brewsters' dedication to aesthetics bore fruit in their instrumental role in establishing the Chicago Art Institute.

Can you imagine the conversations that must have blossomed in their home, where the beauty of brushstrokes and blossoms intertwined?

When the world was plunged into the chaos of World War I, Kate's indomitable spirit led her across the ocean to France. There, alongside her friend Mabel Boardman of the American Red Cross, she tended to a different kind of garden - one of healing and hope in the hospitals of war-torn Europe.

As we tend to our own gardens today, let us remember Kate Lancaster Brewster.

May we cultivate not only our plants but also our communities, our passions, and our commitment to service.

For in doing so, we follow in the footsteps of this remarkable woman who understood that true growth extends far beyond the confines of a garden bed.