"Great Escapes" Small Standard Flower Show Results Note: Photos of winners appear throughout the text and a slideshow of photos appears at the bottom of the page. See also schedule. The Club Room became our favorite vacation destination over the two days of our September show, “Great Escapes.” Opening the show up to the community brought in many enthusiastic visitors. Horticulture Results Horticulture presented 26 classes with a total of 43 entries. Members were awarded 20 first places, 11 second places with 5 receiving a score of 90+, 8 third places, and 6 honorable mentions. Tied for the most overall points, Kathy Bachmann and Debbie Moran both scored 22, and Michelle Tomasik came in second with a total of 21 points. Here are the award winners who were deemed the best of the best: Award of Merit: Kathy Bachmann’s lantana Award of Merit: Kathy Bachmann’s coleus ‘Red Ruffles’ Award of Merit: Barbara Meyer’s dahlia ‘Breakout’ Award of Merit: Kathy Bachmann’s sedum ‘Herbstfreude’ Award of Merit: Cynthia Corhan-Aitken’s rose ‘Crown Princess Margareta’ Award of Merit: Debbie Moran’s rosemary ‘Barbecue’ Collector’s Showcase Award: Debbie Moran’s collection of five herbs And the overall winner of the Horticulture Division: Award of Horticultural Excellence: Debbie Moran’s collection of five herbs Garden Club of Montclair ribbons awarded during this show: The Barbara Meyer Rose Award: Cynthia Corhan-Aitken’s rose ‘Crown Princess Margareta’ The Amy Hatrak Herb Award: Debbie Moran’s collection of five herbs Here are photos of the award winners. Check out the rest of the stunning exhibits from our members’ gardens at the bottom of the page. Flower Design Results Flower Design featured three classes with four entries in each class for a total of 12 arrangements in all, encompassing both Traditional and Creative designs. The creativity and skill of the designers were on full display. A Designer’s Choice Award, the overall winner in Flower Design, was awarded to Florence Leysséne for her Multi-Rhythmic design. “YOSEMITE” A Traditional Design 1st ― Lisa Schweitzer 2nd ― Sue Young 3rd ― Clare Kuch HM ― Amy Poster “MADAGASCAR” A Creative Design 1st ― Cynthia Corhan-Aitken 2nd ― Sarah Stransky 90+ 3rd ― Fran Ackerly HM ― Tova Narrett “COSTA RICA” A Creative Multi-Rhythmic Design 1st ― Florence Leyssène 2nd ― Olga Bequillard 90+ 3rd ― Karen Fricke HM ― Susan Straten Botanical Arts Artistic Crafts Results “Escape Travel Treasure” was the theme for this division which called for a necklace souvenir made of plant material. Imaginative and meticulous, these works of wearable art were a hit with the public. 1st ― Fran Ackerly 2nd ― Karen Fricke 90+ 3rd ― Pamela Turre HM ― Celia Radek Thank you to all the Members who made 'Great Escapes' a success! Melody Brown and Pamela Turre, the Properties team, for helping to break down the space. Florence Sinofsky for setting up a beautiful breakfast and lunch for the judges and committee members. Debbie Moran for preparing the delicious judges' lunch, accompanied by Florence Leyssène’s wonderful salad. Karen Whitehaus for running interference with the building team and making sure everything was ready. The helpful clerks, Karen DeLuca, Sarah Olson, Lisa Schweitzer, and last minute fill-in, Sarah Stransky. Always willing and talented photographers, the talented Sue Young, Floss O’Sullivan, and Susan Yu. The Flower Show Committee Members Debbie Moran, Schedule author, Staging and Signage Chair, chef extraordinaire, patient giver of advice and help, and tablecloth washer. Florence Leyssène, Design Classification, Judges, and Botanical Arts Chair, and able sous-chef. Maureen Sprong, Horticulture Entries Chair (and her husband Gary for delivering baked goods!) Jacoba Coes, Horticulture Classification Chair and break down helper. Heidi Muschick, Horticulture Placement Chair. Barbara Baletti, Flower Design Chair. A very appreciative THANK YOU to our Communications Committee members, Amy South, Tracey Reilly, and Sue Young, for creating such excitement and anticipation. We had a remarkable turn out both Friday and Saturday, and I'm confident that it was due to your talented efforts. And the award for the furthest travelled goes to our Awards and Clerks Chair, Floss O'Sullivan! With appreciation, Karen Fricke, Flower Show Chair. More Beautiful Entries Click on any of the photos below to open them all up as a slideshow .

Our 2025-2026 year drew to its official close with our annual meeting and awards ceremony held at the gloriously blooming Avis Campbell Gardens on June 10, 2026. Under the eagle eye of Awards Chair Tova Narrett, our members gathered together for the presentation of our annual awards and a 1920s feast catered by Florence Sinovsky and Janet Oscar and put together by their happy band of culinary elves.. We were also very happy to welcome Guita Behbin, Michael De Castro, Ali Kilduff, and Tracy White as full members, graduating successfully from their time as provisionals. The winners of our annual awards are now registered on our awards page. where you can see all the recipients back to 1980. See also a written record of tributes to our winners. Below, the photos of their smiling faces and candid shots taken of the event were snapped by our amazing photographers, Lauren Zodel and Sue Yu, with the elegant contribution of Barb Baletti. If anyone has been missed, blame the editor. We also need to thank all the members of the Awards Committee for their thoughtful selection of the recipients you see here. And how could we not thank the chair toters and table layers, especially the super powerful and ever helpful Benny? Photos of This Year's Award Recipients (Left to right): Cynthia Corhan-Aitken, Louise D. Mann Award; Elsie Bristol (Advanced Plus) Award; Barbara Meyer Rose Culture Award; Special Tribute for Bricks Project Celia Radek: Howard Van Vleck Award Barbara Baletti: Till Beatty Allis Award (Left to right): Karen Fricke, Bauer Horticultural Award; Garden Club Award for Flower Design, Advanced; Lisa Schweitzer: Elsie Bristol Novice Award Kathy Bachmann: President's Trophy for Flower Design, Intermediate (Left to right): Denise Silverman: President's Award for Horticulture Ana Zalles Moore: Special Tribute for Avis Campbell Gardens Deborah Hirsch: Special Tribute as Historian Peter Hirsch: Bloomie ― Rototiller Award (Left to right): Susan Benner, Cynthia Corhan-Aitken, Michele Trevenen (not shown): Special Tribute for the Bricks Project Clare Kuch: Bloomie ― the Everything, Everywhere, All the Time Award Grete Scheidl: Bloomie ― the Golden Trowel Award Jamie Chase: Emerita and 35-Year Member Not shown. Michele Tomasik was awarded the Botanical Arts Award. Photos of the Full Event As always, click on any photo to open them all up in a slideshow.

Designers taking a break after setting up their creations. Photo: © Andy Foster Another wonderful year, with breathtaking designs. Our biennial event at the Montclair Art Museum is, once again, a triumph with well over half the designs created by our own members. CLICK HERE for a PDF showing each entry together with the piece of art that inspired it as well as the fascinating thought processes of each designer. This document uses the exciting photographs of Andy Foster to give you a sense of the harmony between art and floral design. It's better to look at it on a laptop or IPad rather than a phone to ensure that you see all the details.. For those of us who just want to savor our members' designs, see the photos below, in no particular order. Click on one to bring up a slideshow. Each is captioned with the name of the designer.

Division IV: Botanical Arts Botanical Arts is an optional division that allows additional types of exhibits that reach beyond the scope of the Horticulture and Design Divisions, highlighting artistic designs and unique horticulture. In this show we offer two sections of Botanical Art: Artistic Crafts and Photography. Botanical Arts: Photography Exhibits must follow the rules presented in the Schedule and relate to the natural world. Accredited Flower Show judges are joined by professional and/or accomplished amateur photographers to evaluate the entries. Judges consider the following: Conformance —does the item meet the requirements set out in the Schedule? Interpretation —has the photographer captured the class title in the image? Composition —do the elements in the photo work cohesively with each other? Artistry/Creativity —is the image aesthetically pleasing, unique, and surprising? Technical —does the photo exhibit a distinctive technical achievement? Impact —does the photo offer a Wow! Factor? photography

The Garden Club of Montclair is dedicated to sharing knowledge and practice of conservation, horticulture, and the artistic use of plant material. We beautify the Township of Montclair and sponsor and support projects in the schools of our town. And, not least, we foster fellowship and friendship through our work and our social activities. FRIDAY 1PM-5PM SATURDAY 10AM-5PM SUNDAY 11AM-3PM In the News Click here to see ALL "In the News" posts Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony, 2026 Jun 14 Art in Bloom 2026 May 17 100th Birthday Party: The Event May 10 100th Birthday Party: Designs for the Decades May 9 Julia Smith Berrall May 8 March Competition Results Apr 18

Division IV: Botanical Arts Botanical Arts is an optional division that allows additional types of exhibits that reach beyond the scope of the Horticulture and Design Divisions, highlighting artistic designs and unique horticulture. In this show we offer two sections of Botanical Art: Artistic Crafts and Photography. Botanical Arts: Artistic Crafts Artistic Crafts are objects that have a function. They should also be artistically pleasing, but they must have a primary purpose, such as a shoe, a hat, a birdhouse, etc. Judges consider the following: Conformance —does the item meet the requirements set out in the Schedule? Design —are all the elements and principles of design used in crafting the object? Craftsmanship —does the item display excellence and skill, as well as technical execution? Distinction —is there an artistically unique use of materials and incorporation of the theme of the class? Are the materials used in pristine condition? Botanical Arts: Photography Exhibits must follow the rules presented in the Schedule and relate to the natural world. Accredited Flower Show judges are joined by professional and/or accomplished amateur photographers to evaluate the entries. Judges consider the following: Conformance —does the item meet the requirements set out in the Schedule? Interpretation —has the photographer captured the class title in the image? Composition —do the elements in the photo work cohesively with each other? Artistry/Creativity —is the image aesthetically pleasing, unique, and surprising? Technical —does the photo exhibit a distinctive technical achievement? Impact —does the photo offer a Wow! Factor? photography