Drake Homestead

[The Drake homestead was built by my great-great-grandfather, Benjamin Drake.]

OSHTEMO TOWNSHIP — The Kalamazoo Garden Council will team up with the Oshtemo Historical Society

The historical society has been working on renovating the homestead for six years, and while it still has some polishing to do, the garden council saw it as the perfect place to display its petite flower and horticulture displays.

The Drake Homestead, built in 1852, is the former home of Benjamin Drake, one of Oshtemo’s first settlers. The historical society has plans to transform the brick farmhouse into a community and cultural center for the township. OHS member Kay Oppliger said the flower show is a perfect way to showcase the Victorian style of the home because of the Victorians’ penchant for flowers and floral decor.


















“The Victorians loved flowers: big bouquets, floral wallpaper, floral rugs, everything had flowers on it,” Oppliger said. “This is a great way to feature the progress of what we’ve done in the Drake Homestead.”

The small flower displays will be placed in nooks, niches, small tables and bookshelves throughout the home. Beattie-Ihrcke said all entries at the show will be “petite,” meaning 8 inches or less. There will be three divisions of plants featured: horticulture, design, or small displays with a theme, and special exhibits, or decorative displays made with dried flowers.


















Themes for the design division include ‘tiny toys,’ ‘fun and games’ and ‘doll’s tea time.’ The special exhibits include a small box or hat decorated with dried flowers or a small dried bouquet.

In addition, Eric Newton, president of the Bonsai Society of Kalamazoo, will show some of his most prized bonsai pieces for an invitational exhibit.

The show will be judged by nine accredited National Garden Club, Inc. judges from outside Southwest Michigan to retain impartiality, Beattie-Ihrcke said.

Admission to the flower show is free, but donations are welcome and will go toward further renovation of the historical landmark.
on Friday and Saturday for the council’s biennial flower show, titled “A Floral Tribute to the Drake Homestead.”