Civic/Environment Committee Reports Committees 2025-2026 — Deborah Hirsch, Chair; Sarah Olson, Vice Chair The Valley Road and Church Street Roundabout project that began in December 2024, following a request from the Township Planning Office, was realized in June 2025. Over the winter, the township indicated that its Urban Landscaping plan for the Valley Road and Church Street Circle might move forward in Spring 2026. The proposal called for Belgian blocks and a public art installation to replace the existing plantings. After several months of trying to verify the project's status, we learned that the work would not take place this year. After consulting with Celia Radek and Sarah Olson, we asked Cynthia Corhan-Aitken of Twig and Vine Design to order additional native plant material to replace plants damaged by snow and cars. We also arranged for Julian Landscaping to deliver and spread hardwood mulch around the perimeter, except in the areas where gravel remains. In its second year, Celia Radek's design has truly come into its own. The native garden has matured beautifully and now provides a vibrant, welcoming landscape at one entrance to our community. The YMCA lower-level entrance project was completed in October 2025. In partnership with the Rotary Club, Garden Club of Montclair members cleaned walls and a bench, installed native plantings, and spread mulch during two fall work sessions. This spring, with the help of club members, we made several modifications to accommodate traffic patterns and improve access for cyclists. The committee has met twice with Montclair High School administrators to finalize plans for our Ten Trees for One Hundred Years Centennial project. Sarah submitted the required application proposing our donation, and we are optimistic that a community planting day will take place in September or October. When Sarah Olson served as president, she articulated a clear vision for our club—to leave our community a greener, more environmentally sustainable place than we found it. Now, as chair of the Civic/Environment Committee, she continues to lead that vision with dedication and enthusiasm. Comittee Members 2025-2026: Kathy Bachmann, Karen Carter, Jacoba Coes, Marie Donnelly, Susan Dumont, Karen Kadus, Anna Lee, Maria Matesanz, Sydney Milliken, Sheila Oakes, Sarah Olson, Imke Oster, Susan Straten, Jane Wallace, Sue Young. 2024-2025 — Deborah Hirsch, Chair This year marked a turning point for our newly combined Committee — defined by renewed energy, creative collaboration, and visible progress. We began with our third Upper Montclair clean-up, assessing tree conditions and documenting findings with photographs. Building on that momentum, we met with the Township Planning Commission to revisit the Valley Road and Church Street Circle—once home to a Garden Club fountain installed in 1976. In December, we launched efforts to revitalize the site, culminating in June with the installation of a native garden designed by Committee member Celia Radek. Throughout the year, we explored additional partnerships with the Office of Sustainability, including potential plantings in tree wells slated for replacement. The committee started working with the township to plan for the native garden to be installed at the long-abandoned circle at Valley Road and Church Street. We proudly represented the Club at Montclair’s second EarthFest and Glen Ridge’s Environmental Day, engaging with the public and sharing our mission. Committee member Jacoba Coes kept us informed regarding the development of the Greenway Project which is now beginning to welcome volunteers into this exciting new public space on the old rail track between Montclair and the Hudson River. In alignment with our sustainability goals, we phased out the use of Oasis in floral arrangements and prioritized biodegradable, compostable, and reusable materials at our social gatherings. In collaboration with the Triangle team, we also supported the replanting of raised beds with native species, reinforcing our commitment to climate-resilient, pollinator-friendly landscapes. These accomplishments reflect the dedication and enthusiasm of a remarkable team: Kathy Bachmann, Andie Bertsche, Jacoba Coes, Marie Donnelly, Susan Dumont, Karen Kadus, Ann Lee, Sydney Milliken, Sarah Olson, Imke Oster, Brigitte Padberg, Helene Peck, Sheila Oakes, MaryEllen Stadtlander, Wendy Stahl, Susan Straten, Sonyia Woloshyn, Allyn Young, Sue Young. 2023-2024 — Deborah Hirsch, Chair Our Environment Committee was restored to active duty during this year. We started with an engaged group of members who reviewed lots of ideas about how we should approach this important aspect of Club work, beginning with educating ourselves about best garden practices. Some members wrote articles for the website under the new Environment tab, others submitted reference opportunities on the subject. We all agreed that collaboration with other like-minded organizations should be encouraged. Our first public effort was a clean-up of Upper Montclair Business District in early March. On a rainy Saturday we met at member Amy South’s Moss & More shop and set out to collect trash and photograph tree conditions. Later in the year we fashioned a new Civic Beautification and Environmental Responsibility Committee, with the following mission: "The mission of this Committee is to encourage environmentally responsible beautification of our town’s outdoor green spaces. This Committee’s goal is to act as a resource for individual and organizational stewardship for planning and plant selection and to provide physical help where appropriate. We will offer advice on ways to beautify town businesses and create floral displays when requested. We will search for existing gardens that exemplify sustainable practices and businesses whose plantings or containers show significant effort in the use of pollinator friendly and native plants. We will highlight these examples on social media and website platforms. We will interface with other committees of our Club to learn, educate, and share ideas". 2023-2024 — Marie Donnelly, Civic Beautification Chair; Susan Benner, Vice Chair The Civic Beautification Committee continued improving the outdoor spaces of Montclair businesses and residences by planting urns in front of Church Street stores and providing landscape designs for open spaces on Seymour Street. In keeping with our new cooperation and upcoming merger with the Environmental Committee, we encourage the use of native and pollinator plants. A generous grant from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation helped enormously in our efforts. Plans for beautifying open spaces at Montclair High School and Bradford School are in the works. Once again, this year more than 25 of our members participated in Art in Bloom at the Montclair Art Museum. Their interpretations of and meaningful insights into works of art displayed at the Museum are more examples of the many ways the Club interacts with the community. We photographed local gardens that promote the use of native plants and pollinator species. By promoting these on social media and in the local press we encouraged other gardeners to follow these examples. . In the future, we look forward to our presence as an integral part of the new Civic/Environmental Committee. 2022-2023 — Marie Donnelly, Chair; Susan Benner Vice Chair The Civic Beautification Committee meets several times a year to brainstorm and implement ideas to help beautify the community. We are continuing with plans to install a pop-up flower/plant design in Montclair next year and hoping this will become an annual event that will draw people from neighboring towns. Addressing the needs of businesses asking for help is another way we serve the community. In 2023 the Montclair Ambulance Unit at 95 Walnut Street requested help with improving the look of their building. We rose to the challenge and installed two new planters in front of their building in time for the Walnut Street Fair on May 7, 2023. 2021-2022 — Marie Donnelly, Chair; Susan Benner Vice Chair More than 25 of our Members participated in Art in Bloom at the Montclair Art Museum. Their interpretations of works of art on display offered meaningful insights to one of the many ways the Garden Club of Montclair impacts the community and supports the Museum. The committee is very enthusiastic about developing a long-range project to install "pop-up" flower design displays in Montclair 's business districts. Members are consulting with local crafters and creating a proposal to submit to the Township for a yearly event. Conversations continue enthusiastically with the Montclair Public Library Foundation to beautify the library plazas, host a farm stand, provide space for native plants, and promote sustainability initiatives. 2020-2021 — Marie Donnelly, Chair Due to the COVID pandemic and resulting restrictions in 2020–21, the Civic Beautification Committee was unable to complete its planned community projects. The Committee will renew efforts to engage the community in the upcoming year. 2020-2021 — Cheryl Slutzky, Chair It was a rather quiet year for Civic Beautification. While we looked forward to planning for Art in Bloom at the Montclair Art Museum and a "May in Montclair" coordinated experience in the township, COVID-19 had other plans! In 2019, the merchants in Upper Montclair and the South End business districts produced some lovely outdoor floral displays. There were no such displays in 2020 and no little Garden Club of Montclair cards of congratulation appeared. Here's hoping we see those little cards inserted into happy, creative displays — and that we all fare better in 2021.

Church Street Gardens Committee Reports Committees This committee was formerly known as the Triangle Gardens Committee. 2025-2026 — Kathy Bachmann, Chair; Maggie Rothman, Vice Chair This year, Triangle Gardens was renamed to Church Street Gardens and, going forward, maintenance will include the circle at Valley Road and Church Street. The new native design installed in the Church Street planters two years ago is doing well. Unfortunately the plants in the Church Street planters generally do not get enough water. Replacements are necessary each spring as well as planting SunPatiens annually and tulips seasonally. The "Christmas tree bed," located at the intersection with Fullerton Avenue, suffered the most with heavy human traffic: we will plant it anew in the spring with a different design. It has been a pleasure to work with all the dedicated and hardworking members of the Church Street Committee, and I look forward to working with Sue Young, the new chair. 2025-2026 Committee: Charlene Connolly, Nancy Foster, Deborah Hirsch, Anna Lee, Betty Murphy, Janet Oscar, Val Slamka, Wendy Stahl, Nancy Stroud, Pamela Turre, Jane Wallace. Special thanks to Michael de Castro, who was a provisional and helped tremendously. 2024-2025 — Betty Jagoda Murphy, Chair; Janet Oscar, Vice Chair Triangle Gardens had a transformative year. After the completely new native design was installed in the Church Street planters (and one planter on South Fullerton Avenue) last spring, the committee worked hard to keep the planters looking fresh all summer. Unfortunately, some of the shrubs in the large Triangle didn’t get enough water and had to be removed. A few of the ilex in the planters also had to be replaced but, for the most part, Cynthia Corhan-Aiken’s wonderful native redesign worked beautifully, and the maintenance of the planters should now prove to be less arduous. The committee planted tulip bulbs in November 2024. In May 2025, we lifted the bulbs and planted SunPatiens in the specific color palette for each planter. We worked closely with the BID regarding watering the plants adequately so the blooms would beautify Church Street throughout the summer season. It has been a pleasure to work with all the dedicated and hardworking members of the Triangle Gardens Committee, and I look forward to working with the new Co Chairs, Kathy Bachmann and Maggie Rothman. 2024-2025 Committee: Olga Bequillard, Charlene Connolly, Susan Dumont, Nancy Foster, Nancy Gerber, Helene Peck, Maggie Rothman, Kathy Sorkin, Wendy Stahl, Nancy Stroud, Patt Sullivan-Perry. 2023-2024 — Betty Jagoda Murphy, Chair; Janet Oscar, Vice Chair BIG NEWS: Triangle has seriously entered the “native plant” arena! Inspired by GC President Sarah Olson’s impassioned speech at last year’s awards meeting, I asked Cynthia Corhan-Aitken if she would create a new design incorporating native species for Church Street. After several meetings with Celia Radek, Janet Oscar and me, Cynthia created a brand-new planting scheme incorporating native and perennial plants to beautify and bring Church Street into the environmentally conscious century! The drawings, complete with examples of envisioned plants, were presented to the BID for approval. The BID agreed to support the work with a $4,000 contribution and The Montclair Foundation granted an additional $2,000. Along with several personal donations, the $6,500 project was fully funded. The ever-committed Triangle Committee has always shown up! Planting tulips in the fall, removing the bulbs in the spring (great thanks to co-chair Janet Oscar) and, following the heavy work that was shouldered by Cynthia’s landscape crew, the committee met on Church Street to implement Cynthia’s design, the first week in June. 2022-2023 — Susan Yu, Chair; Betty Murphy, Vice Chair Triangle Gardens had a beautiful pink spring display of the "Pink Impressions" tulips collection (early and mid-spring blooming Darwin varieties) this year. Calendar days were dashed when Mother Nature gave us some over 80-degree, summer-like April days coupled with torrential downpours in early May. The hot and rainy days finished off our pink flowers ahead of our usual timetable and left us looking only at green stalks. A great crew assembled at the last minute to lift the bulbs on Thursday, May 4 and then plant the rose pink and peppermint white Vincas, dark purple Elephant Ears, white and purple Astilbes, and Rose Cannas on Friday, May 12th, just in time for Mother's Day. It was wonderful to meet and see many of our Provisionals join in alongside our devoted "regulars." Our summer maintenance schedule begins soon, and we hope to see you throughout the season. Hands will be needed for mulching and adding more native plants. COVID-19 presented new challenges on Church Street, including construction that eliminated three of our longtime raised beds, but also wonderful new opportunities outdoors, like meeting when much of life was on Zoom. We team with the Montclair Center BID, namely director Jason Gleason and new manager Jerry Rafalovich. We were honored to be recognized with a GCNJ Civic Beautification award last year. Thanks to the incredible Betty Murphy and Janet Oscar who will now take over chairing Triangle Gardens — a continuance of seventy plus years of beauty and excellence. 2021-2022 — Susan Yu, Chair; Jamie Chase, Vice Chair This is a special year for Triangle Gardens. Not only is it our 70th anniversary of tending the large planters of the "triangular intersection" of Church Street, Bloomfield, and South Fullerton Avenues, but we were also honored by the Garden Club of New Jersey this June with a special Large Club Civic Beautification award. We could not have achieved this without our wonderful, enthusiastic, and dedicated committee and our longtime, expert guide Jamie Chase, who helped us implement a new matrix planting method this year. Last November 6th, into our nine large planters went 1,500 tulip bulbs. This winter, the town removed three of the bulb-filled planters (in front of the now defunct Hampton House and the Pure Energy Salon corner), while undertaking road construction on Bloomfield Avenue. They were deemed hazardous after conducting a quick pedestrian safety study. Also, in early April, the town considered a proposal to require all public spaces be 70-90% native plantings. Special thanks to Betty Murphy, Cynthia Corhan-Aitken, and Celia Radek for representing GCM at the April town ordinance meeting. We plan to incorporate more native plants with Jamie's new matrix system as the season progresses. We hope to see more Provisionals during our summer maintenance schedule and for mulching. May 16th, right after Mother's Day, we removed all the faded red-edged Hocus Pocus and white-tinged Golden Parade yellow tulips from our remaining six planters. The following Monday morning, on May 23rd, we planted Maui Gold elephant ears, pink and white periwinkles (Vinca minor), some native pollinators of coral bells and Jacob's Ladder, and replenished some soil. Thank you to our wonderful crew: Susan Benner, Jamie Chase, Susan Dumont, Maria Matesanz, Penny McCook, Betty Murphy, Sheila Oakes, Janet Oscar, Maggie Rothmann, Kathy Sorkin, Maureen Sprong, Wendy Stahl, Lauren Zodel, and our favorite duo-Charlene & Terry Connelly. All their invaluable help provides another year of beautiful plantings! We are grateful to the Montclair BID, who still supports us with funding and maintenance help, and all the local businesses and public that thank us and appreciate our efforts! 2020-2021 — Susan Yu, Chair; Jamie Chase, Vice Chair In late October our intrepid Triangle Committee enthusiastically turned out to quickly remove the annuals despite COVID conditions and a chilly, misty, steady drizzle. In less than four hours we lifted the pink and white vincas, purple salvia, red cannas and enormous elephant ears. As befitting the challenging year, our tulip bulbs were held up in delivery so we waited for their arrival and planted them mid-November. They bloomed beautifully in the spring. In mid-May, our fantastic Triangle crew removed the spent waves of yellow tulip bulbs and planted the multicolored annual varieties (rose periwinkle, purple astilbe, various cannas) all on a beautiful spring day, and in record time. Normally these tasks, bagging over a thousand tulips and planting hundreds of annuals, would take more than one work day. Later, Jamie Chase planted the crowd favorite — Maui Gold elephant ears. We will continue the summer maintenance of mulching, light weeding, pruning, and rubbish removal. Occasionally we get an extra surprise set of hands via some husbands, and we hope to see more Provisionals. We are excited to welcome the wonderful Betty Murphy, who has agreed to be our new Vice Chair next year. 2019-2020 — Susan Yu, Chair; Jamie Chase, Vice Chair Covid-19 has been a strange and challenging situation and I am especially grateful this year's committee braved the quarantine to enthusiastically help lift, plant, and mulch the Triangle planters. While most of Montclair turned into a virtual ghost town this spring, Church Street lit up downtown with its cheery waves of bright Big Smile yellow tulip blooms that our autumn 2019 committee and Provisional members planted. The tulips were soon offset by the colorful shrubs and white flowering Venus Dogwood planted in 2015. Mid-May, our Triangle crew arrived gloved and masked to lift the 1,600 spent tulips and plant the annuals and later mulch all the raised planter beds. This year's two vinca varieties were Cooler Rose and Cooler Peppermint and were again interspersed with the magnificent elephant ears, Colocasia esculenta "Jack's Giant. " Cannova Rose cannas and Sizzler White salvias were also featured in the Hampton House bed. The planters are maintained through the summer, mostly light weeding and pruning. Montclair Center Business Improvement District (BID) continues to kindly assist us with funding and maintenance. I am thankful to Debbie Moran who generously shared her many skills, especially organizing the Triangle Gardens Committee. Extra thanks are due to Kathy Parsons for transporting the tulip bulbs and helping remove and dispose of the giant elephant ears last fall, and especially to Jamie Chase, current Vice Chair and longtime Committee Chair who continues to provide her expertise and invaluable assistance.

Church Street Gardens Church Street Gardens Committee Reports Triangle Gardens are the raised planting beds along Church Street and at the corner of Fullerton Avenue. Members and provisionals plant in the spring and maintain through the summer and fall, turning downtown Montclair into an oasis taken for granted by residents and visitors. The Business Improvement District partners with the club, supplying funds and maintenance assistance during the growing season. November 8, 2022 Ten Garden Club members, including several enthusiastic provisionals "elected" to meet and quickly plant hundreds of tulip bulbs in the Church Street Planters on Election Day morning. A huge round of applause for Jamie Chase for preparing each planter with the patterned placement of tulip bulbs so that the actual planting was a breeze! Betty Murphy, Co-Chair Summer 2021

Awards Committee Reports Committees See also the full list of GCM awardees and other awards since 1980. Earlier awards are listed in Yearbooks dating back to 1951. Earlier records are covered in various printed minutes kept in the Garden Room. 2025-2026 — Tova Narrett, Chair A heartfelt thank you to all our enthusiastic, conscientious, and hardworking members: Fran Ackerly, Deb Hirsch, Barb Baletti, Olga Bequillard, and especially Sue Young who wrote every word of the tributes! Deborah Hirsch created the lovely personalized award certificates. Barb and Olga each generously donated beautiful silver trays for our two newest awards: the Howard Van Vleck Award (for civic beautification and community engagement) and the Julia Berrall Award (for Traditional flower design). Together, we bestowed 21 well-deserved awards, at a relaxed and festive outdoor luncheon in glorious Avis Campbell Gardens. 2025-2026 Committee : Fran Ackerly, Barb Baletti, Olga Bequillard, Deb Hirsch, Sue Young. 2024-2025 — Sarah Stransky, Chair Many thanks to our dedicated Awards Committee—Fran Ackerly, Deb Hirsch, Floss O’Sullivan, Suzy Straten, and President Sarah Olson—who handled unexpected changes with grace. After much thought, the Committee retired the tradition of hand engraving the Silver Awards, as our longtime engraver passed away and the craft faded. At the May 22, Awards Meeting and Luncheon, 2024–25 Silver Award winners received certificates, and their Silver Awards were loaned to them, as usual. Also at the Luncheon, engraved glass trophies for special recognition were presented to Jacquelin McMullen (55 years) and Brenda Bingham (50 years), along with community partners The Montclair Foundation and the Placek Foundation. Our new crowd favorite, the just-for-fun “Bloomies,” was a festive closer. Although we didn’t win an award this year, we proudly submitted applications to the GCNJ and NGC, often honoring us in the past. 2024-2025 Committee : Fran Ackerly, Deborah Hirsch, Floss O'Sullivan, Susan Straten, Kate Khachaturian 2023-2024 — Deborah Hirsch, Chair Thank you to the Awards team of Floss O’Sullivan, Kate Khachaturian, Celia Radek, Maureen Sprong and Florence Leyssène. Your collective knowledge, wit, compassion and attention to detail were so important to the process. And thanks, too, to Sarah Olson for attending our meetings. As of this writing we are waiting on the State, CAR, and National Clubs for responses to our five applications. We are delighted to announce the following GCNJ award: Certificate of Merit with Gold Seal for our Yearbook 2023-2024. Award Application: Floss O’Sullivan, editor in chief of the Yearbook.. The Garden Club of Montclair Awards were distributed at the Glen Ridge Country Club on May 30, 2024. We introduced a new category, The Bloomies , to recognize many unsung heroes who stepped in to make a difference during the year. Emeritus Awards 2024: Susan Straten, Gretchen Prater, and Barbara Meyer The Till Beatty Allis Award 2024: Deborah Moran The Bauer Horticulture Award 2024: Karen Whitehaus The Louise D. Mann Award 2024: Sue Young 2022-2023 — Celia Radek, Chair Ribbons, rosettes, and silver. This was a very full awards year that included a Flower Show and competitions in Horticulture, Flower Design, and Botanical Arts at monthly meetings. The Club inaugurated a new award in the Botanical Arts Division, joining top point-scored honors in other categories. Thanks to Susan Straten for her gift of the silver bowl for this new award. Silver bowl perpetual trophies earned at the Arts & Flowers : A Design Specialty Flower Show were among the Club awards and special tributes presented at the Annual Meeting in May. The President's Award for Horticulture —Sarah J. Olson The Amy Hatrak Herb Award —Denise Silverman The Barbara Meyer Rose Award —Denise Silverman The Estelle Leibrecht Horticulture Award —Debbie Moran The Bauer Horticulture Award —Maureen Sprong The President's Trophy for Flower Design, lntermed .—Sarah J. Olson The Garden Club Award for Flower Design, Adv .—Barbara Baletti The Kay Maclane Van Deusen Rose Award —Fran Ackerly The Betty B. Merriam Silver Bowl —Debbie Moran The Barbara Slockbower Schaeberle Award —Tova Narrett The Botanical Arts Award —Floss O'Sullivan The Till Beatty Allis Award —Fran Ackerly The Louise D. Mann Award —Deborah Hirsch Special Tributes —Susan Benner, Marilyn & Peter Zaret 2023 President's Special Recognition Award —Sue Young Congratulations to the Yearbook Committee and Editor Floss O'Sullivan for the Garden Club of New Jersey Certificate of Merit for Yearbook 2022-23. Many more GCNJ and NGC Awards are detailed in the report on Arts & Flowers : A Design Specialty Flower Show . With appreciation to the 2022-23 Awards Committee members: Cynthia Corhan-Aitken, Florence Leyssène, Sarah J. Olson, Maureen Sprong, and Sarah Stransky, ex officio. 2021-2022 — Sarah Stransky, Chair The Awards Committee is to be applauded for their work on GCM Awards and active participation in National and State Award/Grant applications writing. Many thanks to Cynthia Corhan-Aitken, Sarah Olson, Celia Radek, and Fran Wong. We also appreciated the guidance of the GCNJ Awards Chair, Peggy Morrissey, who helped facilitate our application process. We are delighted to announce the following GCNJ Awards: Certificate of Merit with Gold Seal 1st Place YB-1 Yearbook 2021-22 (100-299 members). Award application by Editor, Claire Stepleton. Score 100%. Hanover Garden Club Trophy for outstanding innovative project: Website 2021-22. Award application by Sue Young, 1st Vice President and Website Webmaster, and Sarah Stransky. GCNJ Special Award/Large Club for Triangle Gardens (a Civic Beautification project since 1952). Award application by Susan Yu, Triangle Gardens Chair, and Sarah Olson. The Garden Club of Montclair Awards were given at the Annual Meeting held at Avis Campbell Gardens on May 25, 2022, with the help of the Properties Chair, Nancy Stroud, Membership Chairs, Deborah Hirsch and Cheryl Slutzky, the Awards Committee, and Marilyn and Peter Zaret, who set up and dismantled chairs and tables for the event. The venue location was revised to be outdoors because of a recent outbreak of COVID-19. Emeritus Award 2022 - Brenda Bingham. Dedication to GCM, GCNJ, and NGC through focus on flower design since 1975. Tribute 2022 - Sue Young . Webmaster/renovator of current website. The Till Beatty Allis Award 2022 – Floss O’Sullivan . Flower Design Education through the creation of virtual workshops and exhibitions. The Louise D. Mann Award 2022 - Sarah Olson . Garden Therapy development and expansion of programs involving many more Members and reaching out to more people facing personal challenges in our communities. 2020-2021 — Sarah Stransky, Chair Many thanks to the 2020-21 Awards Committee including Cynthia Corhan-Aitken, Karen Kadus, Kate Khachaturian, Michele Tomasik, and Fran Wong for their Zoom input, and collection and cleaning of the silver awards. Special thanks to Michele Tomasik for her assistance writing and editing several of the Emeritus and Tribute Awards. We also appreciate the support of GCNJ Awards Chair, Peggy Morrissey, whose guidance facilitated our state and national award application processes. We are thrilled to announce these GCNJ and NGC Awards received in June 2021 for outstanding achievements in 2020 during the pandemic: Yearbook 2020-21 — Award application by Celia Radek, Editor. Score 100%. Certificate of Commendation First Place YB-1 Yearbooks (100-299 members) awarded by National Garden Clubs, Inc. Certificate of Merit with Gold Seal YB-1 Yearbooks (100-299 members) awarded by Garden Club of New Jersey. Virtual Flower Design Education 2021 — Award application by Workshop Chair, Floss O'Sullivan, Florence Leyssène, and Sarah Stransky. Certificate of Merit First Place and Overall Winner Award FD-2 (Aiv) Floral Design Program/Single Club awarded by National Garden Clubs, Inc. Garden Therapy 2021 — Award application by Garden Therapy Chair, Sarah Olson, and Sarah Stransky. Myra Brooks Garden Therapy Trophy #15a Renovated Garden Therapy Program awarded by the Garden Club of New Jersey. The Garden Club of Montclair Awards were given at the 2020-21 Annual Meeting held in Avis Campbell Gardens on May 26 with the help of the Hospitality, Properties, Membership, and Avis Campbell Gardens Committees. A celebration for Connie Young’s 100 birthday was an important part of the agenda! The Bauer Horticulture Award 2021 — Debbie Moran The Louise D. Mann Award 2021 — Floss O’Sullivan The Till Beatty Allis Award 2021 — Florence Leyssène Tributes — Cynthia Corhan-Aitken, Sandy Sorkin, Karen Whitehaus, Fran Wong Emeritus Award Members 2021 — Bonni Babson, Betty Ann Cannell, Chris Cowles, Firth Fabend, Joan Larkin, Mary McGeown, Fritzi Mills, C.Y. Treene. 2019-2020 — Sarah Stransky, Chair T he 2019-2020 Awards Program, held annually in May, was postponed until fall of 2020. Because we have chosen to honor the recipients in a timely fashion, it is with great pleasure that we announce the following 2019-2020 awards: The President's Award for Horticulture — Denise Silverman The Amy Hatrak Herb Award — Denise Silverman The Bauer Horticulture Award — Maureen Sprong The Elsie Bristol Novice Award — Ginny Demoreuille The Garden Club Award for Flower Design, Advanced — Fran Ackerly The Kay Maclane Van Deusen Rose Award — Sarah J. Olson The Louise D. Mann Award — Claire Stepleton Special Tributes — Sarah J. Olson and Floss O'Sullivan All Awards will be presented at the Awards Program in the fall of 2020. The Awards Committee congratulates the above listed, and all our members, as you further our purposes of Education, Beautification, and Fellowship! And a big Thank You to the 2019-2020 members of the Awards Committee: Fran Ackerly, Karen Kadus, Kate Khachaturian, and Michele Tomasik.

Avis Campbell Gardens Committee Reports Committees 2025-2026 — Ana Zalles Moore, Chair; Wendy Stahl, Vice Chair; Barbara Meyer, Rose Chair In May 2026, I concluded my second year as chair of the Avis Campbell Gardens Committee and, along with the team, worked closely with Rose Garden Chair Barbara Meyer. The past year saw a flurry of activity starting with “The Bricks Project” which was successful in raising funds for repairs to the brick paths in Avis Campbell Gardens. During the construction phase, the Avis team visited the New York Botanical Garden for a day of inspiration and horticultural enrichment, including luncheon at a local restaurant. The brick paths were completed by late November after unexpected irrigation repairs. In the gardens, a greater focus was placed on native plants and a natives-only bed was planned. Tulip bulbs were planted, as usual, before winter. Avis Campbell Gardens was also designated a Pollinator Pathway. Early in 2026, the Avis team began making plans for the 100th Anniversary Celebration. The plans focused on preparation of the gardens for spring and participation in the Roses to Rock Gardens tour sponsored by Van Vleck House & Gardens. The increased deer population created unexpected challenges in the tulip and rose beds in early spring. Some perennials were also affected. The club paid for the installation of a partial deer fence on the property line and increased the frequency of the deer repellent spraying service. A leak, discovered in the water pipe leading to the fountain, was repaired. A new garden bed with native species was designed and installed. A trellis with coral honeysuckle was planted to attract hummingbirds. The Avis repairs and improvements team met and researched the issues required to repair the two original marble benches at the Mills building back entrance. They also gathered information to purchase and install two new benches at the brick wall under the climbing roses. Over two days in June, the gardens welcomed many visitors, as a featured stop on the Van Vleck Roses to Rock Gardens tour. Knowledgeable team members served as docents and enchanted visitors with the treasures of this “secret garden.” Thank you, Avis team, for all you do! 2025-2026 Committee : Olga Bequillard, Susan Dumont, Donna Karanja, Anne Kerr, Clare Kuch, Kem Louie, Maria Matesanz, Barbara Meyer, Debbie Moran, Tova Narrett, Sarah Olson, Celia Radek, Edith Ries, Maggie Rothman, Valerie Slamka, Grete Scheidl, Maureen Sprong, Michelle Tomasik, Michele Trevenen, Jane Wallace, Karen Whitehaus, Susan Yu, Lauren Zodel, and Provisionals 2024-2025 — Ana Zalles Moore, Chair; Wendy Stahl, Vice Chair; Barbara Meyer, Rose Chair Gardens Report It was a wonderfully active year where the stars of the show were tulips, alliums, daisies, peonies, and roses, along with hidden treasures like Snow on the Mountains, Toad Lilies, Climbing Hydrangea and Abyssinian Gladiolus. For Salvia lovers there were ‘Amistad,’ Bog,’ ‘Leucantha,’ ‘Wendy’s Wish,' and ‘Black & Blue’ boasting all shades of blues, purples and pinks. Dahlias impressed visitors with ‘Mikayla Miranda,’ 'Luca Johanna,' ‘Creme de Cassis'’ and ‘Thomas Edison’ stealing the show with their intricate designs. Native plants took greater prominence with Ninebark, Rudbeckia Triloba and Yellow and Blue Baptisias all shining. A new granite bench replaced the broken one in the 9/11 Memorial Garden. New plant specimens and a drip irrigation line were added to enhance this shade garden. The herb garden was also expanded with new specimens added to the existing collection. To better track all perennials in the 26 gardens, plant inventories were started, and most perennials were labeled. The arch entrance to the Gardens was newly beautified by savvy Club members who found and delivered two antique concrete planters that now welcome visitors. A great horticultural performance would not be complete without a working fountain and restored brick paths. These projects have been planned and funded and will take place in 2025. Thank you, Avis Team, for all you do! On June 1, 2024, Ana Zalles Moore took over from Maureen Sprong as the Chair of the Avis Campbell Gardens Committee, with Barbara Meyer continuing as Rose Garden Chair and Wendy Stahl as Vice Chair. Ana Zalles Moore, Chair Rose Report Our rose season began with a well-attended workshop presentation on March 17, 2024, highlighting rose care and maintenance followed by a hands-on training session in restorative rose pruning. Over the next three weeks, volunteers assisted during late afternoons and weekends to complete pruning, glueing of canes, and fertilizing with Mills Magic Rose Mix. On March 30, six bare root Hybrid Tea roses were planted: Arizona, Centennial Star , two Leanne Rimes , and two McCartney Rose . By April 16, all roses were sprayed with Mancozeb and dormant oil to treat any insect or fungus spores which may have overwintered in the garden. The rose garden reached peak bloom between May 20 and June 12. Routine deadheading, fertilizing, weeding, and mulching went smoothly following closely our work schedule calendar throughout the rest of our season. With the help of Deer Solutions, deer damage was minimal. Special thanks this year to Maureen and Gary Sprong who climbed the wall in late July and filled a giant dumpster with vines which had engulfed the bricks and rose canes. Deadheading and training the New Dawn climbers on the wall was delayed until early September due to the extreme heat and difficult working conditions. Fortunately, our drip irrigation and rainfall were effective in promoting consistent strong blooms and healthy foliage. Avis Campbell Fountain Report With the professional help of Luis from Pool Concepts, on April 19, we prepared the fountain for summer. We noted several hairline cracks in the basin which were patched. Luis noted that more serious repairs would be needed perhaps next season. The mechanics of the fountain worked perfectly. Due to severe heat evaporation and the condition of the pool basin, the water level receded from week to week, and we monitored it closely. Due to the sun and heat, keeping the water clear and preventing the growth of algae was also challenging. After trying several types of algaecides without success, we found that a small amount of Clorox was effective. November 1, Pool Concepts winterized and closed the fountain. Barbara Meyer, Rose Captain 2024-2025 Committee : Olga Bequillard, Susan Dumont, Charlotte Judd, Donna Karanja, Anne Kerr, Nancy Loo, Kem Louie, Maria Matesanz, Barbara Meyer, Debbie Moran, Helene Peck, Celia Radek, Maggie Rothman, Grete Scheidl, Maureen Sprong, Michele Tomasik, Michele Trevenen, Jane Wallace, Karen Whitehaus, Lauren Zodel, Provisionals. 2023-2024 — Maureen Sprong, Chair; Wendy Stahl, Vice Chair Avis Campbell Gardens turned 70 in 2023 and our celebrations culminated in a well-attended September party in the gardens. Our own Karen DeLuca designed iconic 70th Anniversary tee shirts. A period of uncertainty about our home base came to a happy conclusion when local real estate developer David Placek Family Foundation became the owner of 60 South Fullerton. Fortunately, he took on the landscaping of the property, thus lifting the costly burden from our shoulders. More change is coming but we believe that we are valued tenants here and that our gardens will remain a treasured part of the location. Continuing Vice-Chair Wendy Stahl led a crew to transfer our tools from the leaky, north shed room to the south shed. Wendy also facilitated the donation of a dual-barrel composting bin from the Northeast Earth Coalition. May of 2024 marked the end of my extended tenure as Chair of the ACG&G Committee. It has been an honor and a joy to serve with my fellow gardeners. We are happy to welcome Ana Zalles Moore as our new leader. Rose Report — Barbara Meyer Our rose season began as usual, with a well-attended indoor workshop presentation on March 17, 2024, highlighting rose care and maintenance as well as notes on tools, rose selection, and resources. Following the program, we went outside for a hands-on training session in best practices for restorative rose pruning. Over the course of the next three weeks, various volunteers helped during late afternoons and weekends to finish all pruning, glueing of canes, and fertilizing with Mills Magic Rose Mix. On April 16, we sprayed all roses with Mancozeb and dormant oil to treat any insect or fungus spores which may have overwintered in the garden. On March 30, six bare root Hybrid Tea roses were planted: Arizona, Centennial Star, two Leanne Rimes, two The McCartney Rose. The rose garden reached peak bloom between May 20 and into June. Routine deadheading, fertilizing, weeding, and mulching went smoothly following closely the suggestions of our work schedule calendar throughout the rest of our season. Deadheading and training the New Dawn climbers on the wall was delayed for many weeks due to the extreme heat and difficult working conditions. The drip irrigation system and rainfall were effective in promoting consistent strong blooms and healthy foliage. 2022-2023 — Maureen Sprong, Chair; Wendy Stahl, Vice Chair We celebrated seventy years at our Avis Campbell Gardens this year with a party on site in September. Many thanks to talented artist and Provisional Karen DeLuca for creating our 70th Anniversary logo which we wear with pride on ACG t-shirts! Arts & Flowers : A Design and Specialty Flower Show at Van Vleck House & Gardens gave us a chance to share ACG history and highlight the volunteers who tend 'Montclair's Secret Garden.' Homestead Sprinklers will continue to fine-tune areas that were not addressed by the revamp of our sprinkler system. Bartlett Tree returned to treat our twin Japanese Snowbell trees, under attack since fall 2021, with a systemic treatment to combat Spotted Lanternfly. Fingers crossed as the season progresses! Two ad-hoc committees were formed to address the brick paths and our compost system. We are grateful to Donna Karanja's grandson Mateo for helping bring the compost area back to full use. 2021-2022 — Maureen Sprong, Chair; Wendy Stahl, Vice Chair The Garden Club of Montclair was approached in spring of 2021 by lrritech Training, an irrigation company based in Virginia that specializes in training and providing continuing education to members of the industry. Part of its business model is to renovate sprinkler systems free of charge to historical gardens, in exchange for the use of the property as a teaching location. In November 2021, lrritech arrived at Avis Campbell Gardens with instructors and attendees who worked together during the day-long session. New sprinkler lines were laid and easily adjustable heads were attached, drip hoses were placed in four of the beds, and a state-of-the-art controller and rain gauge were wired into the electrical system in our shed. We are currently working with our own provider, Homestead Sprinklers, to finish the task and add two lines along the west wall. Early in spring 2022, we treated our Japanese Snowbell Trees with a systemic pesticide to protect them from Spotted Lanternflies. We first called on Bartlett Tree to come in late fall of 2021, after spotting and killing many on these same trees. Luckily, treatments already in use on our roses are effective against this pest. Hopefully, these measures will reduce the impact on the other beds at Avis Campbell Gardens, but we are learning as we go. Once again, we were pleased and honored to host The Garden Club of Montclair's annual meeting in May. With many of our new Provisionals in attendance, we welcomed the chance to be together again face-to-face to honor award recipients, as well as our outgoing President, Florence Leyssène. Thank you, Florence, for your boundless support and love of the gardens during your tenure! We are delighted to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of Avis Campbell Gardens this year. Our Bed Captains and committee members work tirelessly to fulfill our mission of beautifying Montclair. We welcome everyone to our celebration taking place September 30, 2022. 2020-2021 — Maureen Sprong, Chair; Wendy Stahl, Vice Chair Many visitors came to the gardens to seek solace and beauty as well as a friendly face during the pandemic. We are grateful to Floss O’Sullivan and Sarah Olson, leaders of GCM Garden Therapy, who gave us very satisfying opportunities to help cheer people. Blossoms from both ACG and home were harvested for the clients at Toni’s Kitchen in fall of 2020. In addition, for Thanksgiving these ladies organized a massive effort to create dried flower arrangements for holiday clients. The breathtaking bouquets donated to the residents inspired uplifting moments. Wendy Stahl, member of the 2020 Provisional class, has agreed to lend her considerable energy and creative spirit to the garden as ACG&G Vice Chair. Wendy is a great addition to our team and her efforts in the garden are most welcome. The challenges of Spring 2021 included, for the first time ever, the incursion of hungry deer to ACG. Luckily, we were able to use a variety of tools to protect the trademark tulip display for which we are celebrated. Barbara Meyer called in experts to begin monthly spraying to protect the gardens long term from the unprecedented deer population. Deer were not the only unwanted creatures, however, for we had to request signs for the many dog walkers who frequent ACG. In May 2021, the volunteers at ACG were proud to host the Club’s Award event, the first large gathering since lock down. We are a tight-knit group: sharing plants, seeds, the latest online sources, and the liveliest garden centers. Our group was lucky to work in-person and to share the victories and milestones in our lives as well as the sorrows that are inevitable. All Avis Campbell volunteers will deeply miss Larry Whitehaus. A calm presence and knowledgeable problem-solver, Larry was always willing to lend a hand in the garden and bridge the gap for us when necessary. 2019-2020 — Maureen Sprong, Chair; Lori Vik, Vice Chair 2020 has been an unprecedented year at ACG. The long-awaited construction at the United Way Building required us to share aspects of the entire outdoor area and its quirks, recommend native plants, protect our gardeners from any safety issues, detail our essential water sources and most recently, uproot Bed Captain Jackie Kling's lovely bed to make way for a new accessible walkway and parking. Jackie has been gracious and creative regarding the disruption. My husband and garden partner, Garry, helped to move the 15-foot Hosta 'Krossa Regal' colony born from a single plant Jackie selected years ago. As the start date for UW work comes near we are still managing the small to large bumps, from the ongoing threat of lily beetles to the expensive replacement of the pump powering our beloved fountain. Kudos to our Rose Diva, Barbara Meyer, for keeping this centerpiece of our garden in working order. Several ACG&G Committee members did double duty this year by conducting the complicated and labor-intensive prep of our Club room for the construction. This huge task was gracefully conducted by Karen Whitehaus, Susan Straten, Deborah Hirsch, Florence Leyssène, and Celia Radek. Thank you, ladies! My Vice Chair and good friend, Lori Vik, decamped to Texas. Always cheerful, funny and undaunted, Lori will be missed. Every volunteer was crucial this season because the Covid-19 pandemic and its multiple uncertainties understandably kept a lot of people home. I am incredibly proud of our bed captains and volunteers who shopped for plants and supplies and came to keep ACG in shape. Gardening while masked is hot work. The closure of local parks due to the pandemic brought new admirers and some challenges. I sent a letter to local media outlets early on asking visitors to wear masks and social distance while respecting the plantings. Our favorite garden centers and nurseries rose to the challenge and kept people safe, even closing early during the busiest and hottest weekend hours out of concern for staff. Our bed captains have kept faith and managed well. Avis Campbell Gardens is having a gorgeous season — thank you all!

Programs We hold programs throughout the year that are open to the community. We invite renowned horticultural experts to speak to Club members on a variety of topics, and we welcome non-members to join us. There is no fee; a $5 -$10 donation per person is very much appreciated. Our meetings are held in the auditorium of the United Way Building, 60 S Fullerton Ave, Montclair. What Your Physical Therapist Never Told You (and Your Garden Already Knows!) 60 S. Fullerton Avenue, Auditorium Monday, October 19, 2026 at 1PM Physical therapist Dr. David Kim reveals the surprising parallels between plant health and human health — and what your body might be trying to tell you that no one's ever pointed out. Founder and owner of Auris Integrative , Dr. Kim believes in treating the whole person and helping them to understand their own body. New Jersey’s Newest State Park 60 S. Fullerton Avenue, Auditorium Monday, November 16, 2026 at 1PM We’ve been calling it “The Greenway” until it receives its official name. Julia Wong from the Department of Environmental Protection will give us an update on this new state park spanning nine miles from Montclair to Jersey City. She will include a brief history of park acquisition and development, the ongoing construction of the nearly one-mile Newark segment, and future design plans. Knockout Natives: Beautiful and Ecologically Valuable plants from Mt. Cuba's Trial Gardens 60 S. Fullerton Avenue, Auditorium Monday, January 25, 2027, 1PM Manager of Horticultural Research at the renowned Mt. Cuba Center, Sam Hoadley evaluates native plants species, cultivars, and hybrids in the Trial Garden. He’ll highlight the native standouts that provide the biggest ecological and aesthetic benefits. Three Easy Ways to Start a Cut Flower Garden 60 S. Fullerton Avenue, Auditorium Monday, February 22, 2027, 1PM Creator of the blog Bricks 'n Blooms, author of three gardening books, a Master Gardener, and contributor to numerous horticultural magazines, Stacy Ling will show you that starting a cut flower garden doesn't have to be overly complicated or expensive, focusing on three simple methods of growing beautiful flowers from seed. Weedy No More: How to Create Gardens That are Beautiful, Functional, and Realistic 60 S. Fullerton Avenue, Auditorium Monday, March 22, 2027, 1PM Trained in landscape design at the NY Botanical Garden and founder of Dirt Diva Designs, now Caitlin Bird Design , Caitlin Bird knows that gardeners are increasingly aware of the ecological benefits of native plants, but may feel overwhelmed by information overload. In this presentation, Caitlin explores how thoughful design can bridge the gap between beauty and ecology. Techniques and Secrets of Botanical Art Entries 60 S. Fullerton Avenue, Auditorium Monday, April 26, 2027, 1PM Master Gardener, Botanical Arts judge, lecturer, award-wnning exhibitor and author, Sarah Boynton will share the creative process behind her prize-winning entries. She'll demonstrate how she collects, preserves, and manipulates plant material, and reveal techniques, design principles, and planning strategies that have helped her win prestigious awards.

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Yearbook Committee Reports Committees Starting in 2045-2025, the Yearbook became a a task for the Communications Committee. The website was updated on a regular basis, and a PDF was created from the most important sections and published on September 1 of each year. Some sections, such as awards, were updated only on the web. The goal is to keep a historical record of all our activities, whether on a web page or as part of the annual PDF. 2023-2024 — Floss O'Sullivan, Editor Our team’s focus this year was to support the Club’s environmental efforts and provide information as early as possible to the membership. To highlight pollinators and native plants in New Jersey, we were fortunate to use Claire Stepleton’s beautiful cover photo. It shows the Eastern Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes asterius), which is New Jersey’s state butterfly, balanced on pink Garden Phlox (Phlox paniculata), a native plant in our state. Thanks to the hard work of all the Committee Chairs and Vice Chairs providing detailed information, the Yearbook Committee completed the 2023-24 edition by August 1. To promote use of the Club’s website and provide members with information as early as possible, we thank Sue Young for publishing all the Yearbook’s content by August 10. We printed the yearbook by August 23, mailed 50% and hand delivered 50% so members received their yearbooks by Labor Day in time for the start of the year. With thoughtful consideration about our environmental footprint and costs to produce the Yearbook, we decided to retire the standard printed edition of the yearbook. Instead, we will move all information to the Club’s website, which allows us to provide members with content earlier and place it in relevant subject areas. The Garden Club of New Jersey awarded the Club a Certificate of Merit with Gold Seal for the 2023-2024 Yearbook, with a score of 97 out of 100 points. Sincere thanks to the Yearbook team for another banner year. 2022-2023 — Floss O'Sullivan, Editor This was a banner year for our Yearbook, featuring the 70th Anniversary of Avis Campbell Gardens and Arts & Flowers: A Design Specialty Flower Show. To celebrate, we featured Claire Stepleton's photo of Avis Campbell Gardens on the cover, Victoria Herrera's colorful artwork and explanations of these events on the inside cover, and Karen DeLuca's 70th Anniversary marker and brand-new Club logo. With the Club's growth in members and the robust calendar of events, there was much to communicate to Members meeting in person once again. The Committee Reports are an indication of the dedicated contributions of the Chairs and Vice Chairs, and we thank them for their timely, accurate content. The Garden Club of New Jersey awarded the Club a Certificate of Merit for the 2022-23 Yearbook . The Yearbook team was instrumental in developing a style guide, bridging content with the website, reducing print costs, and hand delivering close to 60 percent of the 146 Yearbooks to save on postage — all by late August, well in time for our new Club year. Thank you team! 2021-2022 — Claire Stepleton, Editor Thanks to timely responses from Committee Chairs and other contributors, we were able to print and distribute 190 Yearbooks last August, well before the first program. Ongoing COVID-19 concerns did not keep this Club from scheduling engaging Programs,Workshops, Exhibitions, Gardening sessions, Garden Therapy projects, and other activities throughout the year. This quality content earned the Club a Certificate of Merit with Gold Seal from the Garden Club of New Jersey for the 2021-22 Yearbook. Karen Whitehaus, Fran Wong, Deb Hirsch, and I tried something new and hand-delivered Yearbooks to 34 of the 148 Members to save postage expense. I'm grateful to all Yearbook contributors for prompt, well-written information, schedules, and reports. Many thanks to Celia Radek for her extensive training and handholding, and to Janice Benton for her sharp-eyed editing and grammar skills. Fran Wong did a terrific job updating the bylaws and directory. Deborah Hirsch's input was key to ensure accuracy of Membership information. I'm also thankful to Florence Leyssène for her contributions and guidance. Last but definitely not least, my thanks and gratitude go to Karen Whitehaus for her excellent editing feedback and her assistance stamping and mailing the Yearbooks. There is no doubt that Floss O'Sullivan will do a fantastic job as the new editor of the 2022-23 Yearbook. 2020-2021 — Celia Radek, Editor Last summer, creativity and flexibility were the catchwords of the Committees that organized the gardening sessions, workshops, programs, and exhibitions that kept the Club connected throughout the year. The Committee reports in this Yearbook show an engaged, Active Membership despite the repeat of to be determined in last year’s calendar. One hundred and eighty-five copies of the Yearbook were printed and mailed to the Membership prior to the first Program meeting, presented on Zoom in September. The 2020-21 Yearbook was submitted to the Awards Committee of the Garden Club of New Jersey. The Club received a Certificate of Merit with Gold Seal and the Yearbook was forwarded to the Central Atlantic Region of State Garden Clubs (CAR) for national award consideration. The Club was honored to receive the National Garden Clubs, Inc., Certificate of Commendation, First Place for Club size 100 – 299 members. Congratulations to all as it is the work of the Club that is being recognized for achievement! Many thanks to all members who supplied the information, schedules, and reports that makes this Yearbook an important resource throughout the GC year; to Deb Hirsch and Fran Wong for Membership Directory updates; to Michele Tomasik for another fabulous cover image; to Fran Ackerly, Janice Benton, and Karen Whitehaus for their detailed proofreading; and to Florence Leyssène for her encouragement and leadership. I’m pleased to turn the reins over to the talented new editor, Claire Stepleton. 2019-2020 — Celia Radek, Editor In 2019, Yearbook production moved into the cloud. The online desktop publishing software, which can be accessed by PC or Mac operating systems, allows collaborative work on documents and easy sharing of draft content. Thanks to Fran Wong for researching the software which is now available for Club use through subscription. Future Yearbook editors will appreciate the easy transition from year to year. Printed at a cost of $925 for 210 copies, the Yearbook was mailed to the Membership prior to the first meeting of the Program year. The Yearbook was submitted to the Awards Committee of Garden Club of New Jersey for consideration and, in July 2020, the Club received word that the 2019-2020 edition was selected to receive a Certificate of Merit with Gold Seal. While the Award pays tribute to format and design, it is, first and foremost, the projects and programs of the Club that are being recognized for achievement. Many thanks to Committee Chairs for their Annual Reports and to the Committees for organizing the creative, fun, and informative Garden Club year; to Deb Hirsch and Fran Wong for keeping the Membership Directory updated and accurate throughout the year; to Michele Tomasik for her fabulous cover image; to proofreaders Fran Ackerly, Janice Benton, Lori Vik, and Karen Whitehaus for their collective eye for detail; and to Florence Leyssène for her good advice and much appreciated encouragement.

Workshop Committee Reports Committees 2025-2026 — Karen Fricke, Chair; Tova Narrett, Vice Chair We offered a variety of well-attended workshops this year, beginning with a Welcome Workshop for Provisionals and Novices, held at Cheryl Slutzky’s home. Other workshop topics: Color Theory in Flower Design; Creating a Combination Planting; Wholesale Flower Shopping; Using Dried and Pressed Plant Material in Botanical Arts; Schedule Reading Savvy & Staging Panel Proficiency; Botanical Art Photography; Cleaning & Sharpening Your Pruner; Seed Starting for the Kitchen Garden; Pruning Your Shrub; and Rose Revival. Our annual decorating of the Crane House began with a workshop, Honoring History in the Crane House, which included a slide presentation on period-appropriate holiday decorating and a tour from the Crane House museum staff. Greens Preparation workshop, Decorating the Crane House, and Crane House Clean-Up went seamlessly. Many hands made light work. Comittee Members 2025-2026: Barbara Baletti, Susan Brady, Florence Leysenne, Dorothy Meissner, Barbara Meyer. 2024-2025 — Karen Fricke, Chair; Tova Narrett, Vice Chair Workshops & Instructors Technology: Navigating the New Online Yearbook , Sue Young Basics of Horticulture for Provisionals and Novices , Heidi Muschick Basics of Flower Design for Provisionals and Novices , Debbie Moran and Florence Leyssène Daffodils , Heidi Muschick American Traditional Mass Design: Step-by-Step , Debbie Moran and Florence Leyssène Tips and Tricks from Our Top Tier Designers, Cynthia Corhan-Aitken, Fran Ackerly, Barbara Baletti, Karen Fricke, Floss O’Sullivan, Tova Narrett Petite Flower Design, Debbie Moran Rose Revival at Avis Campbell Gardens , Barbara Meyer Botanical Arts : Prom Corsage, Florence Leyssène We found that the workshops held specifically for Provisionals were not well attended. We will reconsider the format and scheduling of those workshops for the upcoming year. The Board determined that Crane House decorating will exist as a sub-committee of the Workshops Committee. Karen Whitehaus has agreed to take over as lead. We will meet with the museum staff this summer to review plans to adhere more rigorously to historically accurate decorations. We spent $595.26 of our $700 budget. Thank you to our Committee members: Fran Ackerly, Barbara Baletti, Floss O’Sullivan, Celia Radek, Debbie Moran, Florence Leyssène. 2023-2024 — Celia Radek, Chair; Susan Benner, Vice Chair Beginning with the essentials of exhibiting Horticulture, then on to a deep dive into Elements and Principles of design, with stops along the way to create winter gardens and decorate for the holiday, and finally returning to the garden; the Workshop year was filled with opportunities to learn new skills and refresh best practices. For Provisional members, Horticulture 101 and the Basics of Traditional Flower Design provided a foundation for taking part in flower shows and monthly competitions. A series of workshops reviewing design basics, defining characteristics of traditional and creative design, and understanding point scoring rubrics was offered to develop the more seasoned flower designer skill set. Members created beautiful and bountiful winter container gardens to grace our front entries and we decked the halls, designing festive, period-appropriate decorations throughout the Montclair History Center’s Crane House. In spring, sessions on rose culture and pruning, composting, and the edible garden opened the growing season and closed out the year’s Workshops. With many thanks to all the presenters who generously shared their expertise and a warm welcome to incoming Chair Karen Fricke and Vice Chair Tova Narrett. 2022-2023 — Celia Radek, Chair; Susan Benner, Vice Chair Nine workshops averaging over 30 attendees were held during the program year, from June through April, complementing Club activities and projects. Design sessions included a pop-up Boutique and two were recorded for later viewing. Many included information handouts, which can be found on the website. Expenses totaled $366.05. The Committee called upon Club Members to share their expertise and the name of presenter(s) follows the workshop title. "Getting Ready for the Flower Show: Staging and Botanical Arts Design" (Florence Leyssène) "Horticulture 101: Introduction to Exhibiting Horticulture in a Standard Flower Show" (Heidi Muschick) "Flower Design 101 for Provisional and Novice" (Fran Ackerly and Barbara Baletti) "Hypertufa Garden Troughs" (Debbie Moran) "Greens Workshop and Decorating the Crane House & Historic YWCA.' "Botanical Arts Artistic Crafts: Masks, Hats, and Jewelry" (Florence Leyssène) "Flower Design, American Traditional Line: Crescent & Hogarth Curve" (Debbie Moran) "Creative: Underwater Design" (Debbie Moran and Florence Leyssène) "Rose Revival" (Barbara Meyer) "Growing Annuals and Perennials from Seed and Introducing the Estelle Leibrecht Horticulture Project: Growing Zinnias from Seed (Michele Trevenen, Karen Whitehaus, and Celia Radek) 2021-2022 — Floss O'Sullivan, Chair We offered eleven workshops to 205 Members on topics from gardening to flower design to botanical arts taught by our talented judges and expert Members. We happily resumed meeting in person following safety protocols and using Avis Campbell Gardens to meet outdoors for some of our workshops. Our Provisionals learned horticulture exhibition and flower design from Debbie Moran, Fran Ackerly, and Barbara Baletti. Maureen Sprong educated us on Dahlias and led the bed captains at Avis Campbell Gardens with annual and perennial planting advice. The Crane House and Historic YWCA looked wonderful after our 27th year of decorating. We so enjoy partnering with Montclair History Center and helped them secure sixth place in USA Today's 10 Best Historic Home Tours. Exploring Botanical Arts, Florence Leyssène led a 'Galentine's Day' workshop on designing gift boxes using flowers. Debbie Moran's Terrarium workshop taught us how to create and care for miniature glassed-in gardens. Amy South, owner of Moss & More, led a workshop on Japanese moss balls called 'Kokedama' — a new concept for us. A snowy Sunday rose-pruning session led by Barbara Meyer helped produce the glorious roses now in Avis Campbell Gardens. Finally, Brenda Bingham challenged us with multi-rhythmic design by explaining her own dynamic arrangements. Thanks to items donated by Brenda and bequeathed by Joan Crowther, attendees selected interesting containers and design materials, raising a lovely donation benefiting the Garden Club of Montclair. We used technology to capture photos and videos as reference material for future generations. We employed: Zoom, Live iPhone Camera Feeds, iPhone Video, Narration, iMovie, Photography Editing with iPhone, Snapseed and Retouch applications, Microsoft Photo Editor, Google Slides, PowerPoint, and Sign-up Genius. We also added animated commercials and website news posts to increase participation. It has been a delight to expand our workshops and find new methods to educate. Thank you to Sarah Olson, my Vice Chair, Sue Young for her website help, Florence Leyssène for her leadership, and our Members' enthusiastic attendance. Celia Radek, incoming Chair, will lead Workshops with her tremendous knowledge, collaborative approach, and proven dedication, making Workshops an ongoing success for the Club. 2020-2021 — Floss O'Sullivan, Chair In a challenging year, it was inspiring to see how our Garden Club flourished. Workshops went “virtual,” combining experts, slides, photos, videos, audio, and Zoom to make education accessible for members. Heartfelt thanks to NGC Accredited Master Flower Show Judges: Florence Leyssène, Debbie Moran, Brenda Bingham, and Arabella Dane who generously shared their expertise to create informative, beautiful workshops. Sincere thanks to all members who attended workshops - your enthusiasm and engagement resulted in priceless learning experiences for all. Grateful thanks to Fran Wong for e-blast announcements, and Amy South and Sue Young who posted workshops online. Our rosarian, Barbara Meyer, deserves thanks because she offered the only in-person workshop outside this Spring. Thank you all! In September, Florence Leyssène’s narrated video workshop: American Traditional Mass Design and Debbie Moran’s slideshow video: Horticulture–Preparing to Exhibit launched. Intended for new Provisionals, these will serve future Provisionals and established members. To prepare for virtual exhibitions, in October we met the delightful Arabella Dane, who provided guidelines, technology tips, and a judge’s perspective on Smart Phone Photography. November’s American Traditional Line Design featured Florence Leyssène’s superb horizontal and vertical line flower designs, photos, time-elapsed video, and live video demonstration. Our 26th year decorating the Crane House and Historic YWCA was a challenge for a socially distanced world. Thanks to the combined efforts of our members and Montclair History Center’s Jane Eliasof, they won 4th place in USA Today’s 10 Best Historic Home Tours. Congratulations all! In January, Brenda Bingham shared a judge’s perspective on Hogarth Curve Design and her inspiring flower design evolution. During February, Debbie Moran’s amazing precision for Petite Design illustrated scale and proportion. Barbara Meyer’s excellent Roses Workshop provided an education and hands-on practice preparing the roses in Avis Campbell Gardens in March. During April, Florence Leyssène and Debbie Moran conducted Stepping Up to Creative Design including live video demonstrations and creative techniques. Altogether, we had 176 participants in seven workshops taught by five instructors. We depend on one another to grow and appreciate everyone’s contribution. What a lovely community we have built together. It is an honor to be part of this remarkable organization. 2019-2020 — Barbara Baletti, Chair Providing opportunities to learn about gardening, horticulture, flower design, and community give-back are the hallmarks of a dynamic garden club and our Workshops are the conduit that allows this to happen. Despite the fact that our calendar was abbreviated by the global pandemic, we managed to present rich and varied offerings. In addition to our annual Flower Design and Horticulture Workshops for Active and Provisional members, we added new things to the mix to prepare for the Design Specialty Flower Show, now scheduled for the fall of 2021. These included workshops in both Photography and Botanical Arts. I offer special thanks to Florence Leyssène and Debbie Moran for their work in preparing and presenting new workshops to educate our Membership this year. Their instruction and enthusiasm are nonpareil. In early September, we offered a Bed Captains' Tour of our Avis Campbell Gardens where members learned first hand and "hands-on" about the creation, care, and variety of our planting beds from our devoted, hard working bed captains. October brought us Maureen Sprong's annual Dahlia slide show and specimen review which always lures a large group of dahlia addicts who return every year to learn more. Michael Downey, a professional photographer and instructor from Unique Photo Academy, presented to a rapt group of shutterbugs in November. The group learned both photography basics and tips to capture images of gardens and close-ups of flowers and plants. Our Annual Israel Crane House decorating project in early December had overwhelming Club participation both in the preparation of the greens and in creating the festive holiday dressing of the house. Thanks to the Membership and to Jane Elias of of the Montclair History Center. Another addition to our Workshop calendar this year was an "Interior Plantscapes" event at member Amy South's botanical boutique in Montclair, Moss & More, where she took us on a journey through the world of indoor tropical plants. Amy showed us how to grow and maintain them and shared insider secrets about what is trending now. As Workshops Chair, I had the opportunity to explore new areas and get to know Garden Club members so much better. I had the opportunity to work with Mara Harkins, a lovely woman who will be missed. The past year was challenging and fun. I know that Floss O'Sullivan, as she takes the reins next year, will bring her incredible enthusiasm and energy and bring this Committee to even greater heights.

Properties Committee Reports Committees 2025-2026 — Pamela Turre, Chair; Melody Brown, Vice Chair It has been an incredible two years partnering with Vice Chair Melody Brown and creating a new storage space for the club: moving all of the items to a clean, painted and accessible space with shelves, and setting up for meetings, monthly floral arrangements, horticultural, and botanical competitions. Two years of teamwork with Melody ended due to family obligations. Angel Pollack is the new vice chair and will serve for the next two years. I am looking forward to working together for this period. 2024-2025 — Pamela Turre, Chair; Melody Brown, Vice Chair 2024-2025 was a busy year for the Properties Committee. Last summer we thoroughly revamped the Properties room at 60 South Fullerton Avenue to its current condition. The room was emptied, scrubbed, and painted, and all properties/inventories were organized in groups and placed on newly installed shelves. As a result, the monthly set-ups for routine meetings, workshops, and competitions were much easier. A special thank you to Sarah Olson, Karen Whitehaus, Floss O’Sullivan, Debra Hirsch, Barbara Baletti, and Christine James for their support and participation throughout the year. Looking forward to an exciting year in the fall. 2023-2024 — Nancy Stroud, Chair It was goodbye to Properties storage at Union Congregational Church and the Van Vleck basement; time to consolidate. Much thanks to those helping hands that moved pedestals, glassware, and many additional items to our Properties Room in 60 South Fullerton and down the street to Bnai Keshet. This move was a breeze because of the elevator there. Setups and breakdowns for the remaining competitions included repositioning chairs in the beautiful Temple and helping set up tables for floral designs, horticultural specimens, and botanical arts. Much gratitude to our members who graciously pitched in to assist. We assisted with pick up and return of pedestals for our Art in Bloom designers. Inventories are up to date. Best of luck and thanks to incoming Properties Chair Pam Turre and Vice Chair Melody Brown. 2022-2023 — Nancy Stroud, Chair 2022-23 glided by with ease for the Properties Committee. Union Congregational Church handled all our Program setups. Volunteers helped move some items out of Van Vleck House & Gardens and into Union Congregational Church's basement. Volunteers also assisted with moving photo display racks and pedestals in and out of basements. Workshops and meetings at 60 S. Fullerton were handled by presenters and attendees. The major effort went into the set-ups and breakdowns for our Arts & Flowers: A Design Specialty Flower Show held at Van Vleck House & Gardens in September. Many, many helping hands were greatly appreciated. All inventories are now complete. Properties are located at Union Congregational Church and in our properties room at 60 S. Fullerton. Thank you to all our Members who stepped up to haul our display properties up and down basement stairs. We are a team! 2021-2022 — Nancy Stroud, Chair As in-person activities and events progressed throughout the year, Properties stepped in for setups. Assistance from members of the Union Congregational Church staff, one GCM Member's husband, and many Club Members helped to lighten our work. Setups for competitions, workshops, Art in Bloom pedestal pickup and drop off, and our Annual meeting in the Garden were smooth and easy. Much gratitude to Florence Leyssène, outgoing President, for her advice and support, to Peter Zaret, Committee Members, and all who helped. Thank you to all. 2020-2021 — Nancy Stroud, Chair The Committee set up for our Awards Program, held in May in the beautiful Avis Campbell Gardens. New, lightweight folding tables were purchased for this as well as future events. Folding chairs were also set up. Recognition is due to Marilyn Zaret for her assistance carrying more than fifty metal folding chairs from the basement Club Room to the Garden, as well as to Deborah Hirsch for purchasing and delivering the new tables. Thanks to the members who stepped up to help us put everything away. Otherwise, it was a quiet year for Properties due to the COVID-19 lockdown. 2019-2020 — Debbie Moran, Chair The properties identified to go to Van Vleck for the year were taken over on "Moving Day" last summer and stored in the basement. Properties remaining in the storage room at the United Way Building were identified as either "keep" or "discard." Tables from Van Vleck made set up for Horticultural Competitions relatively fast. Using only lightweight pedestals was a boon because they had to be brought up from and then back down to the basement storage room. A set of four new pedestals for Design classes was made to add to the properties on hand at Van Vleck. There was no activity in March or April due to the corona virus lockdown.

Botanical Arts Division Rules 2026-2027 Back to main Botanical Arts Schedule page. See also the NGC Handbook for Flower Shows See Clerking Guidelines Members and Provisionals are encouraged to enter Botanical Arts entries at monthly Botanical Arts Competitions. Points accumulate across all sections of BA towards The Garden Club of Montclair's Botanical Arts Award . The Botanical Arts Chair and Vice Chair are available to consult. GENERAL INFORMATION Botanical Arts is a division in a Standard Flower Show or Specialty Show that allows for additional types of Horticulture, Design, and other art-like exhibits such as Artistic Crafts and Photography. All Botanical Arts Horticulture, Design, and Artistic Crafts must contain some plant material. No artificial, endangered, or locally invasive plant material is permitted in any exhibit. Exhibitors must pre-register with the Botanical Arts Chair at florenceleyssene@gmail.com the Thursday prior to monthly competition. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Drop off is between 8:15 and 9:15am on the day of the competition. Judging will begin promptly at 10am. Entries arriving late will not be judged. Designs must be picked up no later than 30 minutes after the end of the Program meeting, approximately 3:00pm. All exhibits are staged on a table 30” high, covered with an ivory table cloth. Exhibitor can only submit 1 entry per Section per month . BOTANICAL ARTS HORTICULTURE RULES Judged by the Horticulture Scale of Points. See NGC Handbook for Flower Shows p. 129. All exhibits must be correctly named on an entry card by the binomial or currently accepted scientific designation. Refer to Botanical Arts General Information (above) and NGC Handbook for Flower Shows pp. 91-92. BOTANICAL ARTS DESIGN RULES Judged by the Design Scale of Points. See NGC Handbook for Flower Shows p. 130. All General Rules for Design apply. Each exhibit must include an index card listing plant material. Refer to Botanical Arts General Information (above) and NGC Handbook for Flower Shows pp. 93-94. BOTANICAL ARTS ARTISTIC CRAFTS RULES Judged by the Artistic Crafts Scale of Points. See NGC Handbook for Flower Shows p. 131. Objects must have a function , i.e. ready to wear or use. Each exhibit must include an index key card listing all plant material used, with an acompanying sample glued to the card for identification (within the exhibit). Refer to Botanical Arts General Information (above) and NGC Handbook for Flower Shows pp. 94-95. BOTANICAL ARTS PHOTOGRAPHY RULES Judged by the Photography Scale of Points. See NGC Handbook for Flower Shows p. 131. All exhibits must relate to horticulture, gardening, or design. All photographs must be 8" x 10", matted in white, with a maximum size of 11" x 14" including the mat provided by the exhibitor. No frames allowed. All photographs must be labeled on the back with the exhibitor's name, phone number, and an arrow indicating the top of the photo (i.e. landscape or portrait orientation). Photographs are to be staged on a table and displayed on an easel provided by exhibitor. Refer to Botanical Arts General Information (above) and NGC Handbook for Flower Shows p. 95-96.

Visit more of our projects: Art in Bloom Avis Campbell Gardens Boutique Civic Beautification Crane House Garden Therapy Open Gardens Social Events Triangle Gardens Trips and Outings Youth Projects Art in Bloom Art in Bloom is a biennial exhibition that brings spring to life at the Montclair Art Museum. Club members create unique, harmonious, and thought-provoking floral designs to complement their assigned work of art. See all the designs created in 2026 , the designs of 25 of our members in 2024 , and just a few from 2022 .

Environment We see this page as a developing newsletter, where we document our Club's commitment to the increasingly urgent need to view everything we do individually and as a group through the lens of sustainability. Below you will find upcoming events, featured articles, this committee's mission, News Not exactly news, but read Jacoba's fascinating article on trees on this page, below . She wrote it for the Brookdale Park Conservancy . Events Nov. 13, 6:00 - 8:00pm. Groundbreaking for the Newark portion of the Greenway project is expected in 2025! Join the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and NJ Transit for an open house-style event to learn about project updates, see artistic images of the Greenway, share your thoughts and enjoy light refreshments. See details . Oct. 24, 30 and November 4, 12. at 6:30PM. Rutgers webinar series on environmental impacts from climate change. See flyer for details and click here to register. This Week's Featured Post Want to fix up your lawn the environmentally safe way? Click here . Other Interesting Articles National Wildlife Protection article: " Five Simple Ways to Create Habitat This Fall . " Article in The New York Times real estate section: " A Viable Alternative to Convention al Lawn? Cornell May Have Found One . " Washington Post: " A couple was sick of mowing. Now their wildflowers are a local attraction. " Op-Ed in The New York Times: "Turn the National Mall Into a Wildflower Meadow " Article in Environmental Journal: . "Anxiety and mood linked to bird diversity ." Article in The Cornell Lab : "After The Fire: How A Sustainable Ranch Survived A Natural Wildfire " Mission This committee's mission c enters on creating an Act of Restorative Kindness to our earth within our community. Members work to restore, improve and protect the quality of our environment with like minded community partners. This involves embracing new knowledge and science in the field of conservation and restoration as well as challenging current stan dards of beauty and landscape-care habits. Resources The Greenway Brookdale Park Conservancy Homegrown National Park ,Native Plan t S ociety of NJ Jersey-Friendly Yards Rebecca McMackin newsletter Montclair Bird Club Northeast Earth Coalition EPA: Comp o sting and Recycling Rutgers: New Jersey Climate Change Resource Center Committee Members Chair: Deborah Hirsch Committee: Kathy Bachmann, Andie Bertsche, Jacoba Coes, Karen DeLuca, Marie Donnelly, Susan Dumont, Karen Kadus, Anna Lee, Sydney Milliken, Sheila Curry Oakes, Imke Oster, Brigitte Padberg, Helene Peck, Maryellen Stadtlander, Wendy Stahl, Sonyia Woloshyn, Jane Wallace, Allyn Young, Sue Young ex officio Sarah J. Olson. by Jacoba Coes During the dog days of this sweltering summer, I escaped to Brookdale Park to walk my dog and discovered that it was significantly cooler walking in the park than around town. I figured the park climate had to do with the number of trees we are so lucky to have. A little research taught me that trees have cool powers. We’ve all taken cover under a tree for the shade but trees do even more to affect temperatures. Trees “transpire”. They absorb rainwater through their roots and then release it as vapor via the pores on their leaves, cooling the air. Areas with trees can be up to 10 degrees cooler than city streets. WHAT ELSE DID I DISCOVER IN MY RESEARCH? Trees remove fossil fuel emissions from our atmosphere - a third of worldwide emissions every year, in fact. This is known as carbon sequestration. A roadside tree can reduce indoor pollution by 50 per cent . Particulates land on the leaves and are absorbed by the tree along with the air they take in during the process of photosynthesis. Trees can reduce home heating/cooling energy use by up to 25% according to the US Energy Department . In our region, strategically planting trees based upon the prevailing wind and the sun’s path can maximize the sun’s warming power in winter, provide cooling power in summer by shading, and help influence the impact of the wind. And one of the coolest things about trees - studies show that the mere presence of trees in an urban environment appears to have a correlation to reducing aggression and violence . For more tree awesomeness check out this comprehensive list from the Arbor Day Foundation Newly inspired by how cool trees really are, I want to share a few ways we can help trees thrive. Help get more trees planted. Brookdale Park Conservancy plants trees every year to replace those we lost to storms and to create new areas of beauty. This year we will plant 50 trees - your donations directly fund this program. Advocate for more shade trees in your community. Zero in on the heat map to pinpoint opportunities. Take care of newly planted trees - review how to care for your baby tree . A key take away - watering slowly and longer will let the goodness sink into the ground. If there is a newly planted shade tree near you, help to water it. Support a healthy root system. This starts with exposing the root flare at the base of the trunk. It is part of the tree’s “lungs” and needs direct contact with the air to absorb oxygen. Burying the flare in soil or mulch suffocates the tree. Proper mulching is beneficial, but improper mulching is a tree killer . This video of Roger Cook at This Old House teaches you all about mulching correctly. While you adjust your mulch, consider being a sustainable gardener and mulch with fallen leaves. I hope these ideas take root and that you are inspired to help trees! FAMILY ACTIVITIES Volunteer at Brookdale Park. Learn about planting and caring for native plants, trees and our park. We have fun and are happy to work with volunteers of all ages, including for community service credit. Email info@brookdalepark.org to learn more. Back to main Environment section .

Facilities Committee Reports Committees 2024-2025 — Karen Whitehaus, Chair The Club is grateful to have had access to its customary space on the lower level of 60 South Fullerton Avenue for most of this past year, while renovations continued in other parts of the building. During this time, Board Meetings and Committee Meetings were held either in the room connected to the Auditorium or the Garden View Room on the first floor, and Program Meetings were held either in the Auditorium or the Garden Club room on the lower level. The Club had been asked to share its space with the Township of Montclair’s Senior Group; that request appears to no longer be an expectation. The easily accessible storage room on the lower level was painted and new storage racks and containers were purchased. Avis Campbell Gardens continue to thrive and allow easy access to the compost area and two storage sheds immediately adjacent to the parking area. 2024-2025 Committee: Deborah Hirsch, Christine James 2023-2024 — Kate Khachaturian, Chair The Garden Club of Montclair held its monthly program meetings at the Bnai Keshet synagogue on South Fullerton Avenue. Monthly board meetings were held in the first floor Garden View room at 60 South Fullerton Avenue in Montclair. The downstairs Garden Club room was occasionally used for workshops and to store different items for Flower Design, Horticulture, and Botanical Arts committees. The building has been sold to a new owner, Placek Family Foundation. We have been assured that at some point in the future we will be able to return to the building. Renovations have begun; however, it is unclear as to when we will be able to move back in. 2022-2023 — Kate Khachaturian, Chair The Garden Club of Montclair was pleased to consistently meet in person again throughout 2022-2023. Our Club continued to hold Program meetings at Union Congregational Church in Upper Montclair. The members seemed pleased with its adequate space for Floral Design, Horticulture entries, our new Botanical Arts category, and our usual tea and refreshments. Board meetings were held in the Garden View Room on the first floor at 60 S. Fullerton Ave. in Montclair. We continue to use the Garden Club Room in the basement for Workshops and if weather permits, Avis Campbell Gardens. Clarence Booker now maintains our space and cleans when necessary. 2021-2022 — Kate Khachaturian, Chair In 2021-22, The Garden Club of Montclair continued to hold both Board meetings and Program meetings via zoom due to COVID-19. In early 2022, we began holding workshops at 60 South Fullerton in the Garden Club room. In the spring of 2022, we held two program meetings at Union Congregational Church. The annual awards luncheon was held in Avis Campbell Gardens. For the upcoming year of 2022-23, our meeting place will likely be determined by the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our Club continues to thrive despite these difficult conditions. 2020-2021 — Kate Khachaturian, Chair In the year 2020–21 the COVID pandemic continued to rage. Consequently, all Garden Cub meetings were held via Zoom. We were fortunate on May 26 to hold our Annual Awards Meeting in the Avis Campbell Gardens. Due to on-site construction of the United Way building, we will continue in the to hold our meetings via Zoom. We hope to resume our meetings in the Garden Club room in 2022. 2019-2020 — Kate Khachaturian, Chair To say this year has been unusual and challenging would be an understatement. We began the year holding our meetings at Van Vleck House and Gardens due to the fact that the United Way Building was anticipating major renovations. We are very grateful to Van Vleck for its gracious hospitality. In the beginning of 2020,Covid-19 decided to pay a visit to the US and in March required a mandated lockdown. For the rest of the spring all events and Programs were canceled. Board meetings were conducted via Zoom. Thank goodness for technology! Because Workshops were still being conducted in the fall of 2019, the Facilities Committee did maintain the Garden Club room. I wish to thank my Facilities Committee members, Susan Straten and Janice Benton, and the Club Membership for their patience during this difficult time.

Reports of the Botanical Arts Committee of the Garden Club of Montclair Botanical Arts Committee Reports Committees 2025-2026 — Florence Leyssène Chair; Debbie Moran, Vice Chair The Botanical Arts Division held four competitions this past year, from October to March. In October, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, four exhibitors decorated bras or sports bras. The event was well-received and the judges had a great time evaluating the entries. In November, to celebrate the holidays, four exhibitors decorated bottles of wine to bring to dinners with family and friends. Due to a snowstorm, January’s competition was rescheduled to February 2. Two exhibitors embellished purses and six members entered the photography class. Unfortunately, the February competition was canceled due to another snowstorm. In March, two exhibitors entered the collage competition and five entered the photography class. April’s competition did not take place because our exhibitors were busy attending our 100th Year Celebration at the Montclair Museum of Art. The Botanical Arts Division offered a variety of classes, including Design, Artistic Crafts, and Photography. All were well-received by our members. 2025-2026 Committee: Kathy Bachmann, Barbara Baletti, Karen DeLuca, Karen Fricke, Debbie Moran, Tova Narrett, Floss O’Sullivan, Susan van Inwegen. 2024-2025 — Florence Leyssène Chair; Debbie Moran, Vice Chair The Botanical Arts Division held competitions this past year in October, November, January, February, March and April. Each month offered two classes from the Horticulture, Design, Artistic Crafts and Photography sections. A variety of classes was presented: Dried and Preserved Flowers in Horticulture; Exploration, Mobile, Plaque and Pot-et-Fleur in Design; Mask, Napkin Ring, Brooch, Bird House and Corsage in Artistic Crafts; two classes in Photography. The Botanical Arts Division seems to be successful as it attracts new and very enthusiastic designers. 2024-2025 Committee: Kathy Bachmann, Barbara Baletti, Karen DeLuca, Karen Fricke, Debbie Moran, Tova Narrett, Floss O’Sullivan, Susan van Inwegen. 2023-2024 — Florence Leyssène Chair; Debbie Moran, Vice Chair This past year marked the second year since the introduction of classes in the Botanical Arts Division for monthly competition. In each month, two classes were offered from among four sections in the Division ― Botanical Arts, Horticulture, Design, Artistic Craft and Photography ― and the member response was both enthusiastic and impressive in the degree of creativity and detailed execution. It’s clear that there is a home in Botanical Arts classes for some members who do not wish to participate in Flower Design, but like the opportunity to express their creativity using plant material in this different, slightly more informal environment. A decorated fresh pumpkin in the fall and a shoe embellished with plant material were enthusiastically and delightfully created, stunning invitation cards were crafted for a winter party, and a botanical jewelry bracelet and two photography assignments were also challenges embraced. Still a relatively new Division for NGC, each year brings a learning curve that will no doubt continue. Finding imaginative challenges for our members may be the toughest task for the Botanical Arts committee next year!

Some GCM Projects Avis Campbell Gardens Click on the image for more on our jewel, Avis Campbell Gardens, hidden behind 60 S. Fullerton Av., but open to all. Social Events From the Christmas Tea to outings and fundraisers, members love to get together whenever they can. Crane House For many years, the Club has decorated the historic Crane House in December, winning a national award in 2021. Open Gardens Most summer weekends, someone opens her garden to members — sharing its glory and welcoming visitors. Church Street Gardens Our members work with local businesses to keep downtown Montclair blooming throughout spring, summer, and fall. Art in Bloom Every two years, members interpret art works at the Montclair Art Museum in a stunning display of creativity. Garden Therapy Volunteers bring the joy of flowers to nursing homes and organizations, providing services for people in need. Library Our extensive library, alas, is packed away currently due to construction. Check often to see when it's available again. Boutique Shopping Still available in spite of not having a home, click here to see items such as gloves, caps, snips and other essentials.. Civic Beautification We recognize businesses in town which have made significant landscape elements with special awards. Youth Projects We sponsor many projects with Montclair's children, including the "Connected Courtyard " at Watchung School. Trips and Outings Covid permitting, we will resume our trips and outings close to home (the High Line) and far away (the Netherlands).

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Garden Club of Montclair Awards See also national and state awards . Competition Awards The Elsie Bristol Novice Award The President's Trophy for Flower Design, Intermediate The Garden Club Award for Flower Design, Advanced The Elsie Bristol Flower Design Award, Advanced Plus The Elsie Bristol Flower Award, Advanced II The President's Award for Horticulture Botanical Arts Division Award Merit Awards The Kay Maclane Van Deusen Rose Award The Amy Hatrak Herb Award The Barbara Meyer Rose Culture Award The Estelle Leibrecht Horticulture Award Special Recognition Awards The Till Beatty Allis Award The Bauer Horticulture Award The Howard Van Vleck Award The Louise D. Mann Award Special Tributes Bloomies Standard Flower Show Awards The Betty B. Merriam Silver Bowl The Barbara Slockbower Schaeberle Award National Council of Accredited Flower Show Judges Master Gardeners The Elsie Bristol Novice Award A silver bowl perpetual trophy awarded to the member of Novice Level who, during the year, achieved the highest score, including the winning of one blue ribbon. Date Recipient 2026 Lisa Schweitzer 2025 Kathy Bachmann 2024 Karen Fricke 2020 Ginny Demoreuille 2019 Cheryl Slutsky 2018 Michele Reiter 2017 Susan Benner 2016 Fran Ackerly 2015 Tessie Thomas 2014 Lorrie Weeks 2013 Lillian Rockwood 2012 Elizabeth Saylor Back to list of awards The President's Trophy for Flower Design, Intermediate A silver bowl perpetual trophy awarded to the member of Intermediate level who, during the year, achieved the highest score, including the winning of one blue ribbon. Date Recipient 2026 Kathy Bachmann 2025 Karen Fricke 2024 Cheryl Slutzky 2023 Sarah Olson 2019 Susan Straten 2018 Barbara Baletti 2017 Michele Tomasik 2016 Lillian Rockwood 2015 Lorrie Weeks 2014 Liz Saylor 2013 Susan Dumont 2012 Kathleen McCoy Back to list of awards The Garden Club Award for Flower Design, Advanced A silver plate awarded to the member of Advanced Level who received the highest number of points in a year, including two blue ribbons. Note: Prior to 2019, this award was made at the Advanced 1 Level. Year Recipient 2026 Karen Fricke 2025 Barbara Baletti 2024 Floss O'Sullivan 2023 Barbara Baletti 2020 Fran Ackerly 2019 Michele Tomasik 2018 Fran Ackerly 2017 Sarah Stransky 2014 Fran Liscio 2011 Cynthia Corham-Aitken 2010 Celia Radek 2009 Cynthia Corham-Aitken Back to list of awards The Elsie Bristol Flower Design Award, Advanced Plus A competetive award for those who have twice won the Garden Club Award for Flower Design, Advanced.. Year Recipient 2026 Cynthia Corhan-Aitken 2025 Cynthia Corhan-Aitken 2024 Cynthia Corhan-Aitken Back to list of awards The Elsie Bristol Flower Award, Advanced II This award, a silver plate perpetual trophy, was retired in June 2018 when the Advanced I and Advanced II levels were combined to become the Advanced Level. The members listed below achieved the highest score, including the winning of one blue ribbon. Year Recipient 2018 Michele Tomasik 2017 Lillian Rockwood 2016 Liz Saylor 2015 Liz Saylor 2014 Sarah Stransky 2013 Fran Liscio 2012 Michele Quinn 2011 Darlene Sneden 2010 Betty Ann Cannell, Pat Green 2008 Cynthia Corhan-Aitken 2007 Celia Radek 2006 Lori Beitler, Celia Radek Back to list of awards The President's Award for Horticulture A silver plate perpetual trophy awarded to the member who, during the year, achieved the highest score, including the winning of one blue ribbon in the Club's Horticultural Competitions. Year Recipient 2026 Denise Silverman 2025 Denise Silverman 2024 Cynthia Corhan-Aitken 2023 Sarah Olson 2020 Denise Silverman 2019 Michele Trevenen 2018 Karen Whitehaus 2017 Susan Straten 2016 Fran Wong 2015 Susan Straten 2014 Fran Liscio 2013 Michele Trevenen Back to list of awards The Botanical Arts Award A silver bowl perpetual trophy is awarded to the Garden Club member who, during the year, achieved the highest total score for participation in Botanical Arts competitions of any type, including the winning of one blue ribbon. The four types include Botanical Arts Horticulture, Botanical Arts Design, Botanical Arts Artistic Crafts, and Photography. Year Recipient 2026 Michele Tomasik 2025 Karen Fricke 2024 Karen Fricke 2023 Floss O'Sullivan Back to list of awards The Kay Maclane Van Deusen Rose Award A silver vase perpetual trophy, given in her memory by her family, awarded to the Garden Club member who, in a Competition scheduled by the Flower Design Committee, best perpetuates the love and use of roses in artistic design. The winner will be chosen by a panel of five members composed of the President, the Awards Chair, and three others appointed by the President. The presentation of this award takes place at the annual meeting. Year Recipient 2025 Cheryl Slutzky 2024 Fran Ackerly 2023 Fran Ackerly 2020 Sarah J. Olson 2019 Denise Silverman 2018 Fran Ackerly 2017 Cynthia Corhan-Aiken 2016 Celia Radek 2012 Elizabeth Saylor 2014 Cynthia Corhan-Aitken 2013 Susan Dumont 2012 Elizabeth Saylor Back to list of awards The Amy Hatrak Herb Award A silver tray perpetual trophy, given in her honor by her family, in recognition of her accomplishments in the field of herbs. To be given to the Garden Club member who, during the September or October Competition, best exemplifies and demonstrates the growing of herbs, for use and for delight, including aromatic, culinary, medicinal herbs, and scented geraniums. To be judged by a panel composed of the President, the Awards Chair, and three others appointed by the President. The Award is announced upon the judges’ decision and the trophy presented at the Annual Meeting in May. Year Recipient 2026 Debbie Moran 2025 Karen Fricke 2024 Celia Radek 2023 Denise Silverman 2020 Denise Silverman 2019 Nancy Loo 2018 Jamie Chase 2017 Susan Straten 2016 Susan Straten 2015 Elaine Conti 2014 Karen Whitehaus 2013 Elaine Conti Back to list of awards The Barbara Meyer Rose Culture Award A perpetual trophy recognizing excellence in rose culture may be awarded to the member of the Garden Club of Montclair whose single rose specimen, grown by the exhibitor, received the highest-scoring blue ribbon in a Club Horticulture Competition, Horticulture Specialty, Standard Flower or Small Standard Flower Show. Year Recipient 2026 Cynthia Corhan-Aitken 2025 Barbara Meyer 2024 Deborah Hirsch 2023 Denise Silverman 2019 Susan Straten 2018 Barbara Meyer Back to list of awards The Estelle Leibrecht Horticulture Award A silver bowl perpetual trophy awarded by the Horticulture Committee to the member who receives the blue ribbon for the Club project, to be judged at a fall or spring horticultural show, a Standard Flower Show, or a Small Standard Flower Show. Year Recipient 2025 Celia Radek 2024 Celia Radek 2023 Debbie Moran 2022 Denise Silverman 2017 Fran Wong 2015 Luce Battsek 2014 Fran Liscio 2008 Nancy Sweetser 2005 Gratia Pelliciotti 2004 Lori Beitler 2003 Maeve Clemens 2002 Ann Liedtka Back to list of awards The Till Beatty Allis Award A silver bowl perpetual trophy given in honor by her family, to be awarded by the Awards Committee to a member who has made an outstanding contribution in the area of Flower Design and Flower Design education. Year Recipient 2026 Barbara Baletti 2025 Debbie Moran, Florence Leyssène 2024 Deborah Moran 2023 Fran Ackerly 2022 Floss O'Sullivan 2021 Florence Leyssène 2019 Brenda Bingham 2018 Florence Leyssène 2017 Sarah Stransky 2015 Cynthia Corham-Aiken 2009 Debbie Moran 2008 Brenda Bingham Back to list of awards The Bauer Horticulture Award A silver bowl perpetual trophy given by the late Mrs. John Bauer may be awarded each year at the Annual Meeting for major achievement in Horticulture. The winner is chosen by decision of the Awards Committee. Individual members may make application for this award. Year Recipient 2026 Karen Fricke 2025 Heidi Muschick 2024 Karen Whitehaus 2023 Maureen Sprong 2021 Debbie Moran 2020 Maureen Sprong 2018 Michele Trevenen 2017 Jacklyn Kling 2016 Karen Whitehaus 2014 Jaimie Chase 2010 Kristin Krongard 2009 Celia Radek Back to list of awards The Howard Van Vleck Award A silver perpetual trophy awarded to a member or non-member for outstanding achievement in civic engagement designed to improve and service the greater Montclair community. Year Recipient 2026 Celia Radek Back to list of awards The Louise D. Mann Award A silver tray perpetual trophy, given in her memory by her family, to be awarded to a member of The Garden Club of Montclair when merited, in recognition of her vision and significant accomplishments in a field that advances Garden Club objectives. The winner is chosen by the Awards Committee. Year Recipient 2026 Cynthia Corhan-Aitken 2025 Sarah Olson 2024 Sue Young 2023 Deborah Hirsch 2022 Sarah J. Olson 2021 Floss O'Sullivan 2020 Claire Stepleton 2019 Gretchen Prater 2018 Celia Radek, Sarah Stransky 2017 Florence Leyssène 2016 Brenda Bingham 2015 Kate Khachaturian Back to list of awards The Betty B. Merriam Silver Bowl This perpetual trophy silver bowl may be awarded at a Standard Flower Show or Small Standard Flower Show for any decorative use of plant material having distinctive beauty. Only members of the Garden Club of Montclair are eligible for this trophy, which shall remain in the Garden Club Room. A special panel of judges shall be invited to make the award. A small version of the award shall be presented to the winner. Names of the winners are inscribed on a wall plaque in the Garden Club Room.
 Year Recipient 2023 Debbie Moran 2018 Janice Benton, Jamie Chase, Deborah Hirsch, Debbie Moran 2009 Jamie Chase, Margaret Kenrick, Florence Leyssène 2009 Debbie Moran 2006 Brenda Bingham 2004 Joan Crowther 1995 Barbara Meyer 1994 Brenda Bingham 1993 Brenda Bingham 1992 Mary McGeown 1991 Rita Berkowitz 1990 Gladys Hunziker Back to list of awards The Barbara Slockbower Schaeberle Award A silver bowl perpetual trophy given in her memory by her family, to be awarded at a Standard Flower Show or Small Standard Flower Show to the member of the Garden Club of Montclair who wins the Designer's choice Award. Year Recipient 2023 Tova Narrett 2018 Barbara Baletti 2006 Debbie Moran 2004 Joan Crowther 2000 Brenda Bingham 1998 Joan Crowther 1996 Brenda Bingham 1993 Brenda Bingham 1990 Mary McGeown 1986 Mary McGeown Back to list of awards Special Tributes Year Recipient 2026 Susan Benner, Michele Trevenen, Cynthia Corhan-Aitken, Deborah Hirsch, Ana Zalles Moore 2011 Helen Steinbrueck, Karen Whitehaus 2025 Karen DeLuca 2023 Susan Benner, Marilyn & Peter Zaret 2022 Sue Young 2021 Cynthia Corhan-Aiken, Sandy Sorkin, Karen Whitehaus, Fran Wong 2020 Sarah J. Olson, Floss O'Sullivan 2019 Larry Whitehaus, Marilyn Zaret 2018 The Montclair Foundation's Van Vleck House & Gardens 2016 Rene Cohen 2015 Firth Fabend, Gretchen Prater, Lorrie Weeks 2014 Maryetta Bartlett, Nancy Bartlett Back to list of awards Bloomies Bloomies Award shows are famous for recognizing individual accomplishments, but what about the people in the Club who also make important contributions that we sometimes forget to celebrate? Hence the new BLOOMIES Awards. See details of the 2025 and 2024 winners. Year Recipients 2026 Clare Kuch, Grete Scheidl, Peter Hirsch 2025 Valerie Slamka (Rookie), Tova Narrett (Pinch Hitter), Marilyn Zaret (Susan Lucci), Barbara Baletti (Trailblazer), Jacoba Coes (Comeback Kid), Karen Kadus (Comeback Kid), Ana Zalles Moore (Rising Star), Betty Murphy and Cynthia Corhan-Aitken (Visioneers), Tracy Reilly and Amy South (Shorty's). 2024 Susan Benner, Melody Brown, Bob Chapman, Cynthia Corhan-Aitken, Karen DeLuca, Karen Fricke, Barbara Meyer, Betty Murphy, Tova Narrett, Sarah Olson, Maggie Rothman, Cheryl Slutzky, Maureen Sprong, Wendy Stahl, Nancy Stroud, Pam Turre, Karen Whitehaus, Fran Wong, Susan Yu, Marilyn Zaret, Lauren Zodel. Back to list of awards Judges National Council of Accredited Flower Show Judges Master Judges: Brenda Bingham, Florence Leyssène, Mary McGeown, Debbie Moran, Heidi Muschick Master Gardeners Master Gardeners Members who have completed the Essex County Master Gardener Course and volunteer requirements for Master Gardener designation. Brenda Bingham, Jamie Chase, Jacoba Coes, Karen Fricke, Donna Wright, Back to list of awards