Ways & Means Committee Reports Committees 2024-2025 — Susan Benner, Chair; Michele Trevenen, Vice Chair The mission of the Garden Club Ways & Means Committee is to raise funds to support specific projects. In 2025, the Ways & Means Committee held a BRICKS-to-BRICKS Campaign to help pay for the new brick pathways for the Avis Campbell Gardens project. Fundraising projects included local stores hosting a Montclair Garden Club Day, sharing a percentage of their sales and donating $1,313; Holiday Tea vendors donating $610; and vendors at the awards Luncheon donating $500. The Ways & Means Committee will be considering projects to support the Club’s 100th Anniversary Celebration and other 2025-2026 needs. 2024-2025 Committee : Olga Bequillard, Marie Donnelly, Christine James, Kem Louie, Cheryl Slutzky, Amy South, Michele Trevenen, Cynthia Corhan-Aiken, Deborah Hirsch, Kate Khachaturian, Susan van Inwegen, Nancy Stroud, Fran Wong, Virginia Woo, Sue Young. NOTE: There was no activity by this committee in 2023-2024 and therefore no report. 2022-2023 — Gretchen Prater, Chair; Lissa Barrett, Vice Chair Due to the wonderful support for the cocktail party and boutique profits associated with Arts & Flowers: A Design Specialty Flower Show, as well as the Club's J. McLaughlin shopping day, it was not necessary for the committee to hold another fundraiser during 2022-2023. Next year, we have planned a progressive dinner for October 13, 2023, which should help raise funds needed for our next fiscal year. We have many new Members, so it's an opportunity for us all to become better acquainted. As the Garden Club grows, we welcome discussion on future fund-raising measures. 2021-2022 — Fran Wong, Chair Rising costs and exceptional expenses, such as those to reestablish our headquarters when the Club moves back to 60 South Fullerton, have had a costly impact on the budget and the Club needs to diversify the funding base in order to avoid a dues increase. With the cooperation of everyone, as we work to maintain the strong financial position our Club has enjoyed, we need to have the ongoing means to continue all of our projects for many years to come. Over the last two years, the Ways & Means Committee has designed a long-term, multi-stage plan to provide a strong foundation to supply additional income streams to support the Club. As a first step, a simple "DONATE" button was added to the home page of the Club's website. The committee designed a more robust version, based on National Garden Club, Inc.'s example which, in combination with a modest, dedicated, giving campaign will encourage donors to participate in new ways. It awaits implementation when technical issues are resolved and promotional materials are developed. The committee has proposed that, to attract donations from the general public who enjoy Avis Campbell Gardens, and perhaps the Triangle Gardens, signage with a QRcode, our website, and mailing address be displayed in the gardens with a notation that donations can be made. We also proposed a guest book, in which visitors can record their reflections on the garden, and would hopefully stimulate a desire to contribute. A waterproof box would house the book. As the pandemic recedes and we learn to live in whatever new environment we are presented, the committee hopes that events like a mystery dinner/cocktail party or progressive dinner will be considered both to raise funds and to build camaraderie in the Club. Similarly, a major trip can be considered along with a return of excursions to nearby sites. Kudos and thanks to the Members of this excellent committee who brought their experience, expertise, and thoughtful consideration to this effort which we hope will blossom into an important support system for the Club. 2020-2021 — Fran Wong, Chair The Ways & Means Committee has designed a long-term, multi-stage plan to provide additional income streams to support the Club. The first stage will appear as a “DONATE” button on the home page of the Club website. Donors will be able to give in three categories: Avis Campbell; In Memory Of /In Honor Of; General Support There will also be a “Comment” opportunity for entry of the name of the individual being honored or memorialized, for guidance on how the donor wants the funds to be directed, or any other input the donor wants to provide. Transfer of funds will be by PayPal, credit card, check, or stock. This phase of the program is designed to be inclusive with no donation amounts designated at this time. The use of unrestricted donations will be determined by the Finance Committee. As we gain experience we will evaluate results that may change, especially in new elements of the plan. As we move forward an expanded range of donation opportunities, such as named giving circles, will be added. To attract donations from the general public who enjoy the Avis Campbell and Triangle Gardens, signage with a QR code, our website, and mailing address will be displayed in the gardens with a note that donations can be made. Pending pandemic developments in the coming year, a Mystery Dinner/Cocktail Party or progressive dinner will be considered both to raise funds and to build camaraderie in the Club. Similarly, a major trip can be considered but is less likely than the return of excursions to nearby sites which will probably come back at some point during the year. Rising costs and exceptional expenses, such as those to reestablish our headquarters when the Club moves back it to the United Way building, have a negative impact on the budget and we need to diversify our funding base. With the cooperation of everyone as we work to maintain the strong financial position our Club has enjoyed, we will have the ongoing means to continue all of our projects for many years to come. Kudos and thanks to the Committee and all the others who contributed their thoughts to this effort. 2019-2020 — Karen Kadus, Chair; Susan Dumont, Vice Chair After two cancellations due to rainy and windy weather, 11 Club members were finally able to visit the High Line, and it was well worth the wait! Our tour guide was Stephanie Ulrich, our 2019 Annual Meeting and Awards Lumcheon guest speaker. She brought along Marek Pundzak, the High Line's Urban Forestry Supervisor. Both Stephanie and Marek shared their vast knowledge of landscape architecture and plants while strolling along the elevated partk and answering our many questions. We stopped at several points along the way to enjoy the incredible views of the City and the interesting plant combinations. We came away with an appreciation of the level of detail that was incorporated into the design process and the complexity of executing the plan in a dense urban environment. Afterwards, we ate lunch at Santina's on Washington Street, right below the High Line, where we enjoyed delicious seafood. December's Holiday shopping trip to Morris County Farms Nursery (repeated by popular demand) was enjoyed by all. Thirteen Club members traveled to the nursery to shop for indoor plants, outdoor greens, and beautiful Holiday decorations. After filling our cars with shopping bags, we set off for the festive Tabor Road Tavern where we enjoyed a fabulous lunch. Our guided tour of The New York Historical Society and lunch at Storico was canceled as the City shut down in mid-March due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Our April walking tour of the Brooklyn Bridge and the sidewalks of New York, a generous donation from Boutique Chair Susan Benner, was also canceled. Both trips will be rescheduled when restrictions are lifted and it is deemed safe to gather. We used some funds remaining from the 2019 Holland trip to balance our 2019-2020 budget. The High Line trip also earned some money. We thank our Ways and Means Committee members for their involvement in planning new destinations.

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.

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Garden Therapy Committee Reports Committees 2024-2025 — Susan Dumont, Chair; Karen Kadus, Vice Chair The Garden Therapy Committee organized four large events this year. Our programs were dedicated to the organization, Oasis, a haven for women and children, in Paterson, NJ. Our objective was to maximize our impact on a select group of participants, provide a sense of accomplishment, promote social interaction and improve a participant’s mood, sense of well-being, and satisfaction in a safe and supportive environment. An aromatherapy workshop opened our season of programs. Fragrant therapy jars were filled with lavender, dried roses, calendula and sunflower petals. February found us celebrating “Galentines’ Day” with a flower design workshop using floral themed material and roses. April’s workshop engaged participants in the technique of creating collages using dried flowers and leaves. Wrapping up our scheduled events for the season was the planting of the Oasis rooftop garden. We provided both planting guidance and education on horticulture care. Working side by side with the Oasis clients, 16 raised beds were successfully planted for a summer’s bounty of blooms! Members 2024-2025: Maria Matesanz, Betty Murphy, Sheila Curry Oakes, Sara H. Olson, Imke Oster, Floss O’Sullivan, Helene Peck, Patricia Rodio, Grete Scheidl, Wendy Stahl, Suzy Straten, Eugenie Temmler, Michele Tomasik, Susan van Inwegen, Jane Wallace, Sue Young. Provisionals. 2023-2024 — Susan Dumont, Chair; Karen Kadus, Vice Chair The Garden Therapy Committee organized four large events this season, engaging both Club members and clients in therapeutic activities. November found us gathered in the Garden Club room, where we created beautiful floral arrangements with a fall holiday theme for the Toni’s Kitchen dining tables. In-house dining had happily returned after a three-year Covid closing and it was a joy to be part of welcoming Toni’s clients back to their dining room to enjoy their meals. Aromatherapy, a new outreach program offered in February to our clients of Oasis, allowed them to take away a breath of spring after creating their fragrant therapy jars filled with lavender, dried roses, and sunflower petals. April found our volunteers meeting in Paterson to hold a flower design therapy session for members of the CUMAC community. Both men and women learned about basic design technique and then indulged in using five different types of flowers to create their own masterpieces. Our final event of the season in May found us back at Oasis to help clients plant herbs and annuals in 16 large rooftop planters. Providing both planting guidance and education on horticulture care, volunteers and clients worked side by side to install over 200 annuals and herbs! 2022-2023 — Sarah Olson, Chair; Susan Dumont, Vice Chair This season Garden Therapy continued to build relationships with organizations we worked with in the past and added outreach to several new facilities. We reinstated monthly deliveries of flower arrangements designed by our members for the nurses at Mountainside Hospital, to recognize their commitment to healthcare. Our very popular flower arranging workshops were held at The Cliffs at Eagle Rock and Freedom Village, both senior living facilities, as well as at Oasis - A Haven for Women and Children. We created almost 300 seasonal floral arrangements for our Sharon's Harvest Thanksgiving event for Toni's Kitchen patrons, and seasonal winter arrangements for Park Methodist food pantry patrons, and Human Needs Food Pantry shut-ins. And we got back in the dirt for our workshops with a visit to Freedom Village where we guided clients in creating windowsill herb gardens, and a repeat visit to Oasis to assist in planting their rooftop containers. 2021-2022 — Sarah Olson, Chair; Floss O'Sullivan, Vice Chair This season, Garden Therapy expanded outreach to serve additional populations. Our work included projects creating content to be used virtually, cheerful floral gifts for those high-risk groups that couldn't risk in-person contact, and, when appropriate, spreading cheer through active project engagement. September 2021 saw us working outdoors with a small group of clients at the Canterbury Village Senior Center, planting succulent cactus container gardens. In October, we began a new monthly program for the nurses at Mountainside Hospital to recognize their commitment to healthcare. GCM Members worked alone or in small groups to design a floral arrangement that was delivered to nursing stations at the hospital. Our outreach in October was leading a flower arranging workshop at Oasis; again, a huge success as we worked with 19 clients. We repeated our Thanksgiving event for Toni's Kitchen, with a new twist to honor GCM member Sharon Karlson. Renamed "Sharon's Harvest," we teamed up with Van Vleck House & Gardens "Good Grows Here" event. GCM Members sourced and prepped materials and then assisted families on the day of the event in the design of their flower arrangement. Over 180 arrangements were delivered to Toni's Kitchen. February saw the launch of our YouTube video, "Botanical Journeys." Beautiful botanical images were set to music for the enjoyment of seniors. GCM Members supplied and curated the photos and then created the video. Connections at Home, an organization that caters to "shut-ins," was one of the recipients. March and April were active with additional flower arranging workshops for two organizations: Nassan's Place, an autistic youth program, and Oasis. In addition, GCM Members made 100 May Day baskets for Canterbury Rehab Center in Cedar Grove. We got our hands dirty with our season wrap up on June 1st by planning and planting six raised rooftop containers at Oasis. Clients and GCM Members enjoyed planting annuals and herbs. Thank you to the Garden Therapy committee for all of your support this year. And a huge thank you to the Club membership for their enthusiastic support and participation in all of our events! 2020-2021 — Sarah Olson, Chair; Floss O'Sullivan, Vice Chair Like so many other aspects of our lives, the COVID-19 pandemic affected how Garden Therapy was able to operate and achieve its mission. Our face-to-face interactions with clients had to be curtailed but we were able to spread floral good cheer due to the terrific participation of our Club members. In September 2020, Club members prepared 60 bundles of flowers for Toni’s Kitchen which had become a food bank site for the community due to COVID-19. Much of the plant material was cut from the Club’s Avis Campbell Gardens. In November, the Club delivered a windowsill hydroponic edibles project to the seniors at Canterbury Village in West Orange so those who had been confined indoors for months could enjoy a garden brought to them. Our 2020 Thanksgiving project offered an abundance of beauty to the clients of Toni's Kitchen. Club members, with foliage from Avis Campbell Gardens, designed 150 Thanksgiving floral arrangements that were given to the clients. Our Club delivered 140 May Day flower baskets to the seniors at Job Haines in Bloomfield and Canterbury Rehab in Cedar Grove. After a winter of minimal in-person interaction, our members enjoyed the social, therapeutic affects of this outdoor work session, and the seniors were thrilled to receive the cheerful arrangements. Also in May, a small group of members assisted residents of First Montclair House in planting windowsill herb gardens. The residents enjoyed talking to fellow plant lovers and showing us their raised beds planted with vegetables. Thank you to the Garden Therapy committee members for all of your support this year: Betsy Burgess, Ellen Colton, Susan Dumont, Donna Karanja, Vicky Kearns, Maria Matesanz, Maureen Michaud, Helene Peck, Peg Scott-Fleming, Wendy Stahl, Patt Sullivan-Perry, and Sue Young. And a huge Thank You to the Club Membership for your enthusiastic support and participation in all of our events. 2019-2020 — Sarah Olson, Chair; Floss O'Sullivan, Vice Chair Garden Therapy reviewed its mission and established the goal of expanding its outreach to include not only nursing homes and assisted living facilities but other groups facing personal challenges or where garden therapy would make a positive impact. To that end we created new activities and reached out to more groups in a wider geographic network. In August, four GCM members played flower Bingo with eight residents at First Montclair House in Montclair. Amy South's Moss & More supplied the succulent plants that were awarded as prizes. Canterbury Village in West Orange was our destination in September. Eight GCM members assisted thirteen senior residents in crafting artificial floral arrangements in raffia pouches that would hang on their apartment doors. Residents made their own choices from our offering of artificial and dried flowers and live greens. Our group visited Job Haines in October. Seven members assisted nineteen senior residents in creating floral arrangements for their rooms.We worked with a combination of artificial and dried flower material as well as live greens. Residents were encouraged to select their own materials from the assortment brought by the Club. In November, we shifted gears and visited Oasis in Paterson, a domestic violence support center. Our mission was to teach and create live floral arrangements with their clients. Fran Ackerly led the demonstration and six additional GCM members assisted 14 clients with their creations. Everyone was able to take home their beautiful designs. Vases and flowers were generously donated by Bartlett's Florists . Eight GCM members visited SOFIA in Montclair in February and celebrated "Gal-entine's" Day with 11 clients at this domestic violence support facility by creating live floral arrangements that the ladies could take home with them. Susan Benner led the demonstration and taught the basics of floral design. Vases were donated by Bartlett's Florists . Our March event at The Safe House was canceled due to Covid-19. We want to thank all of the GCM members who participated in our events and are counting on your support as we accept the challenge of continuing our mission of outreach during the Covid-19 era. We are grateful for the Garden Club's warm support to expand our program this upcoming year.

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Flower Design Schedule See the schedule for "Great Escapes," the NGC Small Standard Flower Show taking place on September 12-13, 2025. See summary chart of monthly schedules below with details underneath the chart. See Flower Design Rules for 2025-2026. Check Workshops for assistance. See also NGC Handbook for Flower Shows . No December competitions. See Flower Show 2024 . See Flower Show 2022 . See Clerking Guidelines. Need a refresher prior to GCM's monthly competitions? We have online videos to help, featuring Florence Leyssène and Debbie Moran, NGC accredited Master Flower Show Judges. Color Harmonies November 17, 2025 Register with Barbara Baletti by November 13. Tea Table: TBD All tables are covered with ivory tablecloths. Wall background is an off-white curtain. No green floral foam may be used in any design. Provisional An American Traditional Mass Design in the Shape of a Triangle See Handbook for Flower Shows , pp.70-71 . Staged on a shelf 43” from the floor. Frame of reference: 12”W x 12”D. No height restriction. Novice A Companion Design featuring an American Traditional Vertical Line-Mass See Handbook for Flower Shows , p .79. This is a design in which two exhibitors work together to create a single design, where a more experienced designer encourages/mentors a novice designer. Novice must choose her mentor. Staged on a dark green pedestal 36” high with a 14” square top provided by committee. Frame of reference: design may not exceed 6” beyond pedestal top in any horizontal direction. No height restriction; underlay permitted, not to exceed pedestal top. Intermediate An American Traditional Line Design in a Monochromatic Color Harmony An American Traditional Line Design in a Monochromatic Color Harmony; one color (hue) and all its related tints, tones, and shades, excluding pure achromatic colors (black, white, gray). (See Handbook for Flower Shows , p. 64, II A 5a.). Frame of reference: staged on a table 30”high in front of a 2-dimensional staging panel 24”Wx 30”H with matching underlay provided by exhibitor. Designers choice of plant materials . Advanced A Creative Mass Design in an Analogous Color Harmony: two or more colors adjacent on the color wheel using only one primary color (red, yellow, blue). (HB p.65, II A 5b) staged on table 42” H. Frame of reference: 24”W x 24” D, staged in front of a 2-dimensional staging panel with matching underlay provided by exhibitor; no height restriction. Designer’s choice of plant material and components. Advanced Plus A Cascade Design in a Direct Complimentary Color Harmony: colors opposite each other on the color wheel (Handbook for Flower Shows p.65,IIA 5c. ) ) staged on a 42” pedestal with a 16” round top provided by committee. Frame of reference: design may not exceed 6” beyond pedestal top in any horizontal direction. No height restriction, underlay permitted, not to exceed pedestal top. Designers choice of plant material and components. Small Wonders January 26, 2026 Register with Barbara Baletti by January 22. Tea Table: TBD All tables are covered with ivory tablecloths. Wall background is an off-white curtain. No green floral foam may be used in any design. Provisional An American Traditional Vertical Line Design See Handbook for Flower Shows p.71. Frame of reference: staged on a shelf 43” from the floor. Allowable space 14”W x 12”D. No height restriction. Novice A Traditional Petite American Design See Handbook for Flower Shows p.73. Frame of reference: staged on a black cube 9”x 9“x9“ on a table 30” high. Underlay optional Intermediate A Petite Design, Freedom of Style and Type See Handbook for Flower Shows p.73. Frame of reference: 10”H x 8”W x 8”D, staged on a black shelf approximately 42” from the floor. Exhibitor must provide staging panel and underlay. Designer’s choice of plant material and components. Advanced A Petite Design, Freedom of Style and Type See Handbook for Flower Shows p.73. Frame of reference: 12”H x 10”W x10”D staged on a table 42” high. Exhibitor must provide staging panel and matching underlay. Designer’s choice of plant material and components. Advanced Plus A Petite Design, Freedom of Style and Type See Handbook for Flower Shows p.73. Frame of reference: staged in a lighted box. 58 1/2" from the floor: inside measurements 7"H x 6"D. Interior of box must be covered by exhibitor. taged on a table 30” high. Designer's choice of plant material. (Limited to 5 entries.) Romeo & Juliet February 23, 2026 Register with Barbara Baletti by February 19 Tea Table: TBD All tables are covered with ivory tablecloths. Wall background is an off-white curtain. No green floral foam may be used in any design. Provisional An American Traditional Horizontal Line Design See Handbook for Flower Shows , pp.70-71 . Staged on a shelf 43” from the floor. Frame of reference: 14”W x 12”D. Novice An American Traditional Design, i n the manner of the Italian Renaissance See Handbook for Flower Shows , p.69 . Staged on a shelf 30" high. Frame of reference: 24"W x 24"D; no height restriction; two-dimentional staging panel and underlay required. Designer's choice of plant material and components. Intermediate A Parallel Design See Handbook for Flower Shows , p.75. S taged on a table 30” high. Frame of reference: 24”W x 24”D; no height restriction; two-dimensional staging panel and matching underlay required. Designer’s choice of plant material and components. Advanced A Multi-Rhythmic Design See Handbook for Flower Shows , p.75. Staged on a dark green pedestal 42” high with a 14” square top provided by committee. Frame of reference: design may not exceed 6” beyond pedestal top in any horizontal direction; no height restriction. Underlay permitted, not to exceed pedestal top. Designer’s choice of plant material and components. Advanced Plus An Assemblage Design See Handbook for Flower Shows , p.77. Staged on a table 42” high. Frame of reference: 24”W x 24”D; no height restriction; two-dimensional staging panel and matching underlay required. Designer’s choice of plant material and components. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle March 23, 2026 Register with Barbara Baletti by March 19. Tea Table: TBD All tables are covered with ivory tablecloths. Wall background is an off-white curtain. No green floral foam may be used in any design. Provisional An American Traditional Mass Design See Handbook for Flower Shows , p.71 . (3) Staged on a shelf 43" from the floor. Frame of reference: 14"W x 12"D. Novice An American Traditional Horizontal Line Design See Handbook for Flower Shows , p.71 . (b) Staged on a table 30" high. Frame of reference: 24'W x 24"D. Underlay required. Intermediate A Multi-Rhythmic Design See Handbook for Flower Shows , pp.73-75 Staged on a table 42” high. Frame of reference 24”W x 24”D, staged in front of a two-dimensional staging panel with matching underlay provided by exhibitor. No height restriction. Designer’s choice of plant material and components (may be recycled.) Advanced A Creative Design Using at least three floral techniques specified in the Handbook for Flower Shows, pp.81-83, staged on a dark green pedestal 42”H with a 14” square top provided by committee. Frame of reference: design may not exceed 6” beyond pedestal top in any horizontal direction. No height restriction; underlay permitted, not to exceed pedestal top. Designer’s choice of plant material and components (may be recycled). Advanced Plus A Panel Design See Handbook for Flower Shows , p.75 Staged on a table 42” high. Frame of reference: 24”W x 24” D; two-dimensional staging panel with matching underlay required; staging panel will determine height of frame of reference, not exceeding 48”. Designer’s choice of pant material and components (may be recycled.) Practice Makes Perfect April 27, 2026 Register with Barbara Baletti by April 17. Tea Table: TBD All tables are covered with ivory tablecloths. Wall background is an off-white curtain. No green floral foam may be used in any design. Provisional An American Traditional Design of your choice. See Handbook for Flower Shows , pp.70-71 Staged on a shelf 43” from the floor. Frame of reference: 14"W x 12"D. Novice An American Traditional Design interpreting of a work of art. Exhibitor to provide a 5” x 7” picture/photo of the artwork with the name of the artist and the title of the work and supported by an easel provided by committee; staged on a table 30” high. Frame of reference: 24”W x 24”D staged in front of a two-dimensional staging panel with a matching underlay provided by exhibitor. No height restriction. Intermediate A Design, Freedom of Style and Type interpreting of a work of art. Exhibitor to provide a 5” x 7” picture/photo of the artwork with the name of the artist and the title of the work and supported by an easel provided by committee; staged on a table 30” high. Frame of reference: 24”W x 24”D staged in front of a two-dimensional staging panel with a matching underlay provided by exhibitor. No height restriction. Designer's choice of plant material and components. Advanced A Design, Freedom of Style and Type interpreting of a work of art. Exhibitor to provide a 5” x 7” picture/photo of the artwork with the name of the artist and the title of the work and supported by an easel provided by committee; staged on a table 43” high. Frame of reference: 24”W x 24”D staged in front of a two-dimensional staging panel with a matching underlay provided by exhibitor. No height restriction. Designer's choice of plant material and components. Advanced Plus A Design, Freedom of Style and Type interpreting of a work of art. Exhibitor to provide a 5” x 7” picture/photo of the artwork with the name of the artist and the title of the work and supported by an easel provided by committee; staged on a dark green pedestal 42" high with a 14" square top povided by the committee. Frame of reference: design may not exceed 6" beyond pedestal top in any horizontal direction. No height restriction. Underlay permitted, not to exceed pedestal top. Designer's choice of plant material and components. Farm to Table October 20, 2025 Register with Barbara Baletti by October 16. Tea Table: TBD All tables are covered with ivory tablecloths. Wall background is an off-white curtain. No green floral foam may be used in any design. Provisional A Companion Design * See Handbook for Flower Shows , p .79. Staged on a shelf 43” from the floor. Frame of reference 14”W x 12”D; no height restriction. Exhibit is critiqued only. Fresh and dried fruits, nuts vegetables are permitted. Cut fruits and vegetables are not permitted. * This is a design in which two exhibitors work together to create a single design, where a more experienced designer (chosen by the Provisional) mentors/encourages the Provisional. Novice An American Traditional Design in the Form of a Triangle See Handbook for Flower Shows , p p.70-71. Staged on a table 30” high. Allowable space 24”W x 18”D; no height restriction. Underlay required. Fresh and dried fruits, nuts vegetables are permitted. Cut fruits and vegetables are not permitted. Intermediate An American Traditional Vertical Line-Mass Design See Handbook for Flower Shows , p .70. Staged on a dark green pedestal 42” high with a 14” square top provided by committee. Frame of reference: design may not exceed 6” beyond pedestal top in any horizontal direction; no height restriction; underlay optional, not to exceed pedestal top. Fresh and dried fruits, nuts vegetables are permitted. Cut fruits and vegetables are not permitted. Advanced A Creative Line Design See Handbook for Flower Shows , p .74. Staged on a table 42” high; Frame of reference 24”W x 24”D; staged in front of a two-dimensional staging panel with matching underlay provided by exhibitor. Designer’s choice of plant material and components. Fresh and dried fruits, nuts vegetables are permitted. Cut fruits and vegetables are not permitted. Advanced Plus An Exhibition Table See Handbook for Flower Shows , p .76 Staged on a table 30” high. Frame of reference 30”W x 24”D staged using a two-dimensional staging panel with matching underlay provided by exhibitor; no height restriction. Designer’s choice of plant material and components. Fresh and dried fruits, nuts, vegetables are permitted. Cut fruits and vegetables are not permitted.

Program Committee Reports Committees 2024-2025 — Cynthia Corhan-Aitken, Chair; Karen Fricke, Vice Chair Our monthly meetings returned to the auditorium at 60 South Fullerton Avenue. Below is a list of our speakers. September: David Daehnke, The Gardening Guru, hosted an Open Forum, answering questions and inspecting specimens from members. October: Yulia Bellinger presented “Wild and Free: The Art of Naturalistic Planting.” November: Ethan Kauffman, Director of Stoneleigh Garden, presented “Stoneleigh and Using Natives in a Formal Setting.” January: Lindsey Taylor, well known author and designer, presented “Art in Flower: Finding Inspiration in Art and Nature,” based on her recently published book. February: Caitlin Boyle, principal of Dirt Diva Designs, presented “Better Together: Plant Combinations that Wow.” March: CeCe Haydock, landscape architect, presented “Beyond Gatsby: The Fabled Gardens of the North Shore of Long Island.” We continue to work to find interesting and informative programs for the membership and hope we are fulfilling that mission. Our thanks and appreciation to our 2024-2025 committee members: Susan Brady, Carol Callahan, Charlene Connolly, Deborah Hirsch, Sydney Milliken, Sarah Stransky. 2023-2024 — Cynthia Corhan-Aitken, Chair; Karen Fricke, Vice Chair Our monthly program meetings moved to a beautiful new space in Bnai Keshet synagogue. With so many new members joining our Club during Covid, we decided to start off the year with an overview of all that our Club has to offer. Our September program, “Swap & Share,” introduced members, new and old, to what each hardworking committee hopes to achieve in the upcoming year. We shared our treasures in a swap of design items and gently used garden tools at this evening event. Award-winning landscape designer and author Jan Johnson, showed us in our October program, “The Spirit of Stonescaping,” how to use stone in the garden as a durable and sustainable landscape element, for rock gardens and dry streams, as benches, paths, and more. November brought Dan Benarcik, horticulturist at Chanticleer Gardens, and an international consultant, speaker, and writer, who presented his program, “Pot with a Purpose,” about the exciting world of container gardening. He shared his knowledge about styles, techniques, types of containers, and favorite plants. In the dreary month of January , Kelley Forsyth, the head horticulturist of Branch Brook Park, brightened our day with her program, “Color, Color Perception, and Colorful Plants,” as she helped us gain a deeper understanding of color perception and theory in order to create vibrant and seasonal outdoor spaces. Brian Rombough, a licensed state tree expert and co-owner of American Tree Experts, Inc., a Montclair company owned and run by the Rombough family for three generations, spoke at our February program. His presentation, “Ask the Arborist,” explained how he diagnoses and corrects typical health issues in trees and shrubs and showed us how to look for distress in our own plants. March brought Horatio Joyce, Director of Public Programs and Education at The Garden Conservancy, to speak to us on the topic, “Restoring, Rescuing, and Rehabilitating Our Nation’s Public Gardens.” He shared with us the story of The Garden Conservancy and their beloved program, Open Gardens. Our April program focused on three of our own talented and creative members: Cynthia Corhan-Aitken, Tova Narrett, and Lauren Zodel, women who found their way to the glories of gardening after (or during!) careers in the garment industry. Each designer displayed a garment representing her niche in the industry, as well as a floral design, inspired by her garment. Each shared reflections on her career in the world of fashion, and ruminated on how she transferred that same creativity to the world of gardening and floral design. This evening program was accompanied by refreshments. Monthly raffles brought in donations totaling $700. Members 2024-2025 : Susan Brady, Carol Callahan, Charlene Connolly, Deborah Hirsch, Sydney Milliken, Gretchen Prater, Sarah Stransky, Susan van Inwegen, Sue Young 2022-2023 — Susan van Inwegen, Chair; Ginny Demoreuille, Vice Chair Our speaker programs began in October this year due to September's Arts & Flowers : A Design Specialty Flower Show. In October the delightful Marc Hachadourian, author and Curator at the New York Botanical Garden kicked off the season with a wonderful presentation on orchids. The passionate Deb Ellis, environmental activist, Master Gardener and founder and co-leader of the Essex County Chapter, Native Plant Society of New Jersey, followed in November with her aptly timed talk, "Fall and Winter in the Native Garden." Next, Master Gardener, local beekeeper and owner of Stately Hyland Apiaries, Eileen Hyland regaled us with information about bees and sold the tasty honey from her apiary. Our own Amy South, owner of Moss & More, spoke to us about houseplants at our March evening meeting. We were pleased that several beautiful items from her shop were raffled. Author and City Gardens Club of New York City member, Sydney LeBlanc led us on a wildly colorful and pictural tour of "The Secret Gardens of Santa Fe." In May, Deb Ellis opened her garden and spoke briefly about the spring beauties for biodiversity that lie within. We were fortunate to be able to host our programs live this year. 2021-2022 — Susan van Inwegen, Chair; Ginny Demoreuille, Vice Chair We hoped to return to in-person meetings this year, but a resurgence in COVID-19 numbers caused us to turn to Zoom. Samir Dalal, September 's speaker, is the planning manager at the Philadelphia Landcare program. He oversees more than 12,000 previously empty lots in Philadelphia which have been turned into green spaces. These have drawn residents and pollinators, benefitting the community and the environment. Our October speaker, Bruce Crawford, guest lecturer in the landscape architecture department at Rutgers, showed many commonly used plants, and then suggested interesting and lesser-known alternatives. Steve Kristoph, nursery owner and adjunct professor of horticulture and landscape design at Rutgers, presented in November. Steve was a passionate speaker, and his talk, "Garden Getaways," caused us to start planning visits to the many wonderful gardens in the Northeast that he showcased. Lindsey Taylor, January's speaker, is a floral designer who writes the column "Flower School" for The Wall Street Journal. Each column focuses on a floral design that she creates in response to a sculpture or painting. This talk was very well attended, with a lot of questions and discussion. Hilda Krus, February's speaker, is the Director of the Horticultural Society of New York's GreenHouse Program on Rikers Island. Incarcerated men and women receive horticultural therapy, classroom training, and year-round experience in the gardens. This program touches lives, provides rehabilitation, internships, and life and job skills to the participants. In March we had our first live program of the year. We gathered in a large and well-lit space at Union Congregational Church. Jennifer Bakshi, owner of Urban Oasis Landscape Design, showed us how plantings can refresh a landscape when all the surrounding elements — building structure, driveway, porches, and other features of a home — work harmoniously together. Our final program in April, held at Union Congregational Church, was a well-attended evening meeting. Local florist Anna Coy was an enthusiastic speaker, discussing her approach to floral design while creating one of her signature hand-tied bouquets, as well as an artful compote centerpiece, and a contemporary sculptural design. 2020-2021 — Charlene Connolly, Michele Trevenen Co-Chairs Our Club embraced Zoom programs as the best way to keep Membership connected this year. With the assistance of our Committee and Zoom master Florence Leyssène, members were kept engaged with a variety of subjects from the world of gardening and flowers. Our October Zoom program featured local aviary authority and world traveler Sandy Sorkin presenting “The Birds, the Bees, the Flowers and the Trees of London” facilitated by member and spouse Kathy Sorkin. After so many months confined to our homes, we were ready for a virtual tour of London’s gardens. In November, we hosted an evening Zoom meeting featuring artist Chips (Hank) Feeley from his home in Vero Beach, Florida. Chips’s artistic talents, art history expertise, and hands-on approach educated Membership about the grand masters and their unique painting styles. We enjoyed Chips's engaging enthusiasm for his discipline. Kathy Kauhl, head archivist of Essex County Parks, gave a historical tour of our county parks in her presentation, “Not Just Cherry Blossoms — the History of Gardens in Essex County Parks”. We gained an appreciation for the vision and planning of our county forefathers in the creation of our county park system. A snowy February afternoon introduced us to Deb Ellis, founder of the New Jersey Native Plant Society, Essex County chapter. During her presentation, “Feeding Butterflies, Not Bambi: Deer Resistant Native Plants”, we learned best garden planning practices for the coming season. In March, Linda Williams introduced us to the art of jewelry design using botanical specimens. Linda presented an overview of the techniques used to create one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry from our garden’s bounty. Our final Zoom program featured Marta McDowell, a favorite Garden Club speaker. Her presentation, “Emily Dickinson’s Gardening Life” included excerpts from her book about the famed American Poet. Marta shared interesting stories about Emily Dickinson and her gardening life in Amherst, MA. We received such a favorable response from our members that we expect the Club to plan a trip to the Dickinson Family homestead when we are able to travel again. 2019-2020 — Charlene Connolly, Michele Trevenen, Co-Chairs The Program Committee scheduled a diverse and rich offering of presentations this past year. Our intention is always to capture the many and varied floral and gardening interests of our Membership. The programs were well attended with more than 60 members and their guests participating at each meeting. Although we hit the pause button in mid-March, we are excited to announce that our March and April 2020 speakers are now scheduled for the 2020-2021 programming year. Our first Program Meeting on October 21st featured Althea Llewellyn, a Master Gardener who is a certified instructor in Square Foot Gardening. Althea shared her enthusiasm for gardening in a limited space as she demonstrated the principles of square foot gardening which, we learned, produces a bountiful yield of vegetables, flowers, and herbs. The Garden Club returned to its home base, the United Way Building, on November 12, when we proudly introduced our first evening Program Meeting that welcomed over 110 members and guests. Coleen Christina Burke, author, designer, and historian, presented "Christmas with the First Ladies." Coleen served on the White House Holiday Decorating Team working under the guidance of Laura Bush and Michelle Obama. While sharing her experiences working with our nation's First Families, Coleen gave the audience an insider's view of how the White House occupants prepare for the December celebrations. The holiday spirit was embraced by all in attendance that evening. On February 24, the Garden Club returned to Van Vleck House & Gardens when Bruno Leyssène, husband of one of our own, shared his expertise as a perfumer with his program, "From Flowers to Fragrances." Bruno presented an overview of the many facets of the fragrance industry and how flowers, herbs, and spices are processed. We sampled fragrances while Bruno infused his presentation with interesting facts of how industry professionals develop the fragrances and scents for the products we use in our everyday lives. We wish to extend a heartfelt thank you to our very able Program Committee members: Marie Donnelly, Susan Dumont, Debbie Fitzpatrick, Sue Lotz, Sydney Milliken, and Patricia Rodie for their willingness to help take attendance, set up, and reassemble the space for every Program. We thank Chuck Fischer, Executive Director of Van Vleck House & Gardens, for his assistance and guidance on using the space and the audio/visual equipment for Programs.

Tips for the Judges' Clerks at Flower Design, Botanical Arts, and Horticultural Competitions Clerking Guidelines GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES Clerks shadow the judges as they view all entries in the monthly competitions. Clerks should plan to arrive for the competition promptly at 9:30am. ― it is recommended that you arrive at the appointed time to familiarize yourself with the exhibit and location of each class. Judging begins promptly at 10am; judging is completed by noon. Assist the judges for closer inspection of a horticulture specimen by gently lifting the container. The clerk should not handle the plant material apart from conditioned evergreens exhibited without containers. After the judging is completed in a particular class, the judges will circle 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or Honorable Mention. The clerk then punches a hole through the judges' circle and tears off the bottom portion of the entry card. One clerk records the judges' results on the Awards Tally Sheet (both sides). When finished clerking, a Tally Sheet is given to the Flower Design Chair, the Horticulture Chair, and the Botanical Arts Chair. One clerk affixes the appropriate award seal to the entry card. The Flower Design, Horticulture, and Botanical Arts cards need to be kept separate. One week prior to your scheduled clerking date, you will receive an email reminder. If you cannot fulfill your obligation, it is your responsibility to find your replacement. CLERKING TIPS Do stand back discreetly so as not to interrupt the judges' decisions. Don't distract the judges or ask inappropriate questions of the judges. Don't enter into discussion with judges concerning comments and/or decisions of the judges. If you are asked to write the judges' comments, do write precisely what the judges dictate.

Horticulture Committee Reports Committees 2024-2025 — Heidi Muschick, Chair; Susan Straten, Vice Chair GC members cultivated their horticulture specimens all summer in anticipation of the SSFS ‘September Serenades’. Entries were limited to four specimens per person and members had difficulty selecting which of their show worthy plants to enter. The show floor displayed a magnificent bower of flowers and foliage: 80 entries across 19 classes. The Amy Hatrak Herb Award was given to Karen Fricke for her collection of culinary herbs and The Rose Award presented to Barbara Meyer for her hybrid tea rose ‘Octoberfest.’ The Horticulture Project of the Year: exhibiting a collection of 5 different early blooming daffodils to be judged in early March. This was supported by an October workshop offering expert grooming and staging tips to enhance the daffodil exhibits. A late spring cold snap resulted in a delay in judging but at last the daffodil bulbs emerged and bloomed. Celia Radek received the Estelle Leibrecht Award for her fine daffodil collection. Three additional competitions were held with members exhibiting horticulture specimens in October, November and April (March was cancelled due to weather). In our April competition, the judges awarded 35 percent of the exhibits 1st place blue ribbons or 90+ ribbons (given to blue ribbon quality exhibits). Well done exhibitors! The President’s Horticulture Award for the highest points earned during the year’s horticulture competition was won by Denise Silverman. 2024-2025 Committee: Karen Carter, Jacoba Coes, Maria Matesanz, Celia Radek, Lisa Schweitzer, Denise Silverman, Karen Whitehaus, Virginia Woo. 2023-2024 — Michele Trevenen, Chair; Karen Whitehaus, Vice Chair The Horticulture Committee celebrated the Club’s 98th year when we hosted the September 2023 competition. This “Hort Only” competition displayed specimens from our membership’s bountiful fall gardens. The competition boasted six sections for the 26 classes featured; 25 members and provisionals participated and the 162 entries were enjoyed by all in attendance. During the September competition, Celia Radek won both the Amy Hatrack Rose Award and the Estelle Liebrecht Award . The September competition also included the Barbara Meyer Rose Award , won by Deb Hirsch for her exquisite Desdemona , which was voted Best in Show by our panel of judges. The Horticulture Committee sponsored four additional competitions during the year. The success of the Horticulture competitions is attributable to the behind-the-scenes preparation. At the beginning of the season, the Horticulture Committee joined forces with the Workshop Committee to offer a refresher course led by Heidi Muschick. The workshop used Avis Campbell Gardens as our outdoor classroom to demonstrate the necessary procedures in preparing horticulture specimens for competition. The Horticulture competitions have developed an enthusiastic following. Each of the competitions had more than 20 participants. It was truly a group effort to assemble, set up, and then break down the displays each month. We attribute the committee’s dedication and plant knowledge to our exceptional team of Celia Radek, Denise Silverman, Jacoba Coes, Virginia Woo, and Heidi Muschick. Vice Chair, Karen Whitehaus, was the backbone of our committee — always keeping us on task and organized. Her assistance was invaluable and much appreciated. 2022-2023 — Michele Trevenen, Chair; Karen Whitehaus, Vice Chair Teamwork is the operative word to describe the Horticulture Committee. We were fortunate to have a team of seasoned Club Members serving on the Horticulture Committee this season. They filled dual roles needed to offer impactful Horticulture competitions for the Club this season. We kicked off the year as Celia Radek organized the Horticulture 101 workshop in Avis Campbell Gardens led by Heidi Muschick. We counted on Susan Dumont, Deb Hirsch, and Denise Silverman to be available to assist in setting up the competitions (sometimes even on Sundays) and then help dismantle the display post competition. The committee introduced Botanical Arts Horticulture and Photography to our membership this year. Florence Leyssène and Debbie Moran provided an endless source of expertise to BA, which offered another outlet for our membership to get their creative juices flowing. Our committee Vice Chair, Karen Whitehaus, provided endless hours of support to the Horticulture Committee. Her organizational and problem-solving skills kept the committee on track for every competition. The 2022-2023 Horticulture Committee was the "Dream Team" this year. Thanks to all of you. 2021-2022 — Debbie Moran, Chair The COVID-19 pandemic continued to affect most of the Horticulture Committee's monthly activities through the end of 2021. In early September the workshop on how to exhibit horticulture was held at Avis Campbell Gardens and was well attended, even if in the subsequent months almost no Members exhibited horticulture virtually. In late September, the Estelle Liebrecht succulent propagation project, (launched in May of 2020), was judged. Four entries managed to hang in for the long COVID-19 haul and the award was won by Denise Silverman. The membership was able to enter horticulture specimens in person at the last two meetings of this spring, in March and April at Union Congregational Church, but participation was thin. The next Estelle Liebrecht Club Project is the Caladium 'Miss Muffet', a small but handsome variety that was chosen because it will be grown in a container so that it can be judged at Arts & Flowers , A Design Specialty Flower Show in September 2022. Twenty-five tubers were purchased and distributed to interested Members in late May and early June, with basic instructions on planting and care, given there is so much in-depth information available on the internet for anyone interested. Once again, the pandemic sidelined committee Members this year, but with luck the upcoming year will be a more familiar one for Horticulture activities in the Club. 2020-2021 — Debbie Moran, Chair The COVID-19 pandemic completely upended all plans for any in-person activities/ competitions sponsored by the Horticulture Committee. With so much uncertainty in the spring of 2020, I decided to front load horticulture projects which members could experience at home over the 2020 COVID-19 summer. I chose a long-range project, propagating two succulent leaves, for the Estelle Liebrecht Award that could be flexible regarding when it could be judged safely in person. Two other informal “2020 COVID Challenges” included growing three Hosta ‘Golden Tiara’ plantlets in a container, and priming Aquilegia canadensis (columbine) seeds to sprout in the summer rather than the next spring. All three projects were well received and the hope is that the succulent and hosta projects will be judged in September 2021. The monthly competitions for both horticulture and design became virtual exhibitions that were critiqued, not judged. For Horticulture, each month only one specimen per member was permitted to be exhibited via digital photographs submitted; there were several members who exhibited their specimens over the course of the year. As with many committees over this past year, the Committee was sidelined with zero action. I am looking forward to the coming year in the hope that the Committee will be able to better engage after in-person meetings resume for the Club. 2019-2020 — Jacklyn King, Chair The Horticulture year started off well at our new temporary home, Van Vleck House & Gardens. A huge thank you to Deb Hirsch, Florence Leyssène, Floss O'Sullivan, and Denise Silverman for bringing our supplies from the storage rooms and setting up our staging area outside. Denise Silverman won the Amy Hatrak Herb Award and the President's Horticulture Award! Although there were roses entered for the Barbara Meyer Rose Award, the judges found them unworthy. There were no other Awards this Horticulture Year due to Covid 19 "raining on our parade." This is my last year as Horticulture Chair. It's been so great getting to know you. I started this position knowing very little about horticulture and even less about chairing a committee. I'm so grateful to you all for your patience and your knowledge. I am certain that in Debbie Moran's capable and creative hands the Horticulture Committee will rise to new heights. Many women have helped me along the way, patiently answered questions, refreshed my memory when the name of a plant wouldn't come to me (more often than I would like to admit). So, thank you to Fran Ackerly, Cynthia Corhan-Aitken, and Celia Radek. Also, thank you to Susan Dumont and Michele Trevenen for their ongoing support and assistance. A very special thank you to Floss O'Sullivan for always "being there" for me and for introducing me to those sweet pecans. As memorialized in "Finian's Rainbow", it's been "something sweetish, something grandish ... terrifish ... magnifish ... delish ... that life could be so 'flowers' in bloomish".

Horticulture Division Rules 2025-2026 Back to main Horticulture page See also the National Garden Club Handbook for Flower Shows See Clerking Guidelines Members and Provisionals are encouraged to enter Horticulture specimens at monthly Horticulture Competitions. Points accumulate toward The President's Award for Horticulture . Horticulture Committee Members are available to consult. RULES The NGC Exhibiting Policies are printed in the NGC Handbook for Flower Shows , Chapter 6 "Exhibiting in the Horticulture Division." In order to receive a Top Exhibitor Award, the exhibitor must identify their entry by its binomial name or currently acceptable scientific designation. Consult the NGC Handbook for Flower Shows , Chapter 6 pg. 53-54 or Horticulture Exhibiting and Judging, pg. 5-7. Entry cards are to be filled out in waterproof black/blue ink or pencil in advance if possible. Refer to the NGC Handbook for Flower Shows , p. 57 for a correctly filled out entry card. Address labels may be used for exhibitor information. Entry cards are available from Horticulture Chairs, Heidi Muschick and Susan Straten, and at registration. Cut specimens should not have foliage below the water line, except for gladiolas. If a plant is considered a flowering plant, it should be exhibited as a flowering specimen. Specimens with a class designation in the schedule may not be entered in the "Any other worthy named specimen" class. The Horticulture Classification Chair and/or the Horticulture Committee Chairs are free to subdivide classes by color, form, size, cultivar, variety, or other distinguishing characteristics. The Scale of Points for Horticulture is located in Chapter 14, pp. 129-130 of the NGC Handbook for Flower Shows . All plant material must be fresh and have been grown by the exhibitor. Plant material must be in its natural state and may not be altered by application of oil, commercial shine products, etc. that change the natural appearance. No wiring of specimens is permitted. Only foliage and/or flowers naturally grown and still attached to the specimen are permitted. Unattached foliage is never included with a cut bloom specimen. All plant material must have been in the possession of the exhibitor the appropriate number of days: listed in the chart on pg. 55. All entries should be labeled by genus, specific epithet and/or variety, or patented trademark name. Common name additionally may be included within parentheses but are not a substitute for the plant’s botanical name. The Horticulture Committee will provide transparent containers and bubble wrap wedging material for cut specimens. Pre-registration with Susan Straten ( suestraten@gmail.com ) is required via email or phone by Thursday prior to competition date. Exhibitor may make more than one entry per class if each entry is a different species, variety, cultivar, type, or color. All entries must first be passed by Classification then exhibits will be placed by the Placement Committee with the exception of Collections and Displays. Specimens may be placed between 8:00am and 9:15am on the day of the competition. Judging will begin promptly at 10am. Specimens arriving late will not be judged. Specimens must be picked up no later than 30 minutes after the end of the program meeting, approximately 3:00pm.

Communications Committee Reports Committees Email reports are included by year, below. See also Potpourri editions and committee reports . 2024-2025 — Sue Young, Chair Over the past few years, the Communications team has focused on strengthening our website as both a digital archive of our Club’s history and the primary way we share current news with members. This year, to improve email delivery and avoid spam filters used by major providers, we successfully transitioned to a commercial email platform as our main method of sharing news while maintaining the website as a permanent record. We’ve also expanded into social media—thanks to the outstanding efforts of Amy South and Tracy Reilly —allowing us to connect with the broader community and attract new members. This was also the first year we offered an online printable PDF Yearbook, replacing the printed version we’ve used since 1950. Looking ahead, we’re developing systems to support Club Committees with their communications as they plan projects for our 100th Anniversary. 2024-2025 Committee : Janice Benton, Terri Breen, Karen DeLuca, Deborah Hirsch, Christine James, Floss O'Sullivan, Tracy Reilly, Ragna Sloane, Maryellen Stadtlander, Amy South, Karen Whitehaus, Fran Wong, Allyn Young. 2023-2024 — Sue Young, Chair We went a long way this year to achieving our goal of documenting all our activities on the website in words and photos. This would not have been possible without the amazing talents of the whole Communications committee, and of course our amazing photographers: Susan Yu, Barbara Baletti, Nancy Stroud and all the members who brought the activities of their committees to the whole membership. We have many plans for the new year, the most momentous of which is the transfer of the Yearbook to an online version with a shortened, printable PDF of the most popular sections. We are proud of our members who voted overwhelmingly to take advantage of the digital world and save the significant cost of printing the Yearbook. We will also be using “In the News” rather than traditional emails to notify members of upcoming events. And we plan to reach out more to the community through social media, attracting more visitors to our programs, and more members to our Club. Finally, our website address will change from https://gardenclubofmontclair.COM to https://gardenclubofmontclair.ORG (more appropriate for our non-profit status) and our email address will change to info@gardenclubofmontclair.org . After several years of a multi-pronged communication approach the board made the decision to consolidate communications to one source of communication which will be the website "In the News" emails. Potpourri and all announcements will come from our website address. Many, many thanks to Fran Wong who has managed the emails coming into and out of the Club for so long and who we are sure will continue to contribute her technical expertise to the committee and our members for many years to come. 2022-2023 — Sue Young, Chair This year we made a good start on our plan to record all our activities on the website. Seventy-five people have signed up to have these stories delivered to their inboxes the moment they are published. So far no one has asked to cancel! We are also using the website to collect dues and fees online, which is a big help to the Finance Chair. Over 100 Club Members have now signed up to use these options! None of this would have been possible without the photos and event accounts contributed by our members. Please everyone, keep them coming! In particular, many thanks to Susan Yu for her glorious pictures. I would also like to thank Floss O'Sullivan for her meticulous documenting of the competition entries, her videos that add so much to our workshops, and her quiet maintenance of the ever-changing calendar. Next year our committee will look at how to publicize our activities, so Montclair gets to know us better — and learn where the Avis Campbell Gardens are located! Email — Fran Wong Weekly email updates to Club Members, known as "e-blasts" are an important part of our Communications strategy. More than 50 email updates a year are delivered to the entire Membership on Wednesday mornings ranging from notifications of upcoming events, calls for volunteers, or Members who have passed. These year-round emails help drive attendance at Programs, Workshops, and Garden Therapy events, and help Members stay connected over the summer. With the website's "In the News" alerts, these weekly e-blasts, and the Potpourri newsletter published eight times a year, this three-tiered strategy helps keep members reminded, engaged, and up to date. If you want something sent to the Membership please submit it as you would like it to appear in a .doc file attachment to fewong@comcast.net. Photos should be sent as a separate JPG file. While PDF files can be sent, they will almost always be delivered as an attachment. The deadline for a given week is Monday at 11:59 pm, but emergencies can be accommodated as appropriate. 2021-2022 — Sue Young, Chair Thanks to the dedication of our previous creative Communications Chair, Amy South, and our technologically gifted President, Florence Leyssène, we can report that the Club flourished during COVID-19, thanks to the electronic tools of Zoom, email, the new website, and the extraordinary skills of our photographers: Barbara Baletti, Victoria Herrera, Wendy Stahl, Claire Stepleton, Michele Tomasik, Susan Yu, and many others. Early this year, like Punxsutawney Phil, we emerged cautiously from our lockdown to meet again for multiple events and to record these get-togethers on our new website. This website, which won the GCNJ's Hanover Garden Club Trophy (presented to a member club "for a successful, innovative project of merit that does not apply for an award under any other category") marks a new addition to our communication arsenal. As well as our informative weekly email (thank you Fran Wong!), and our rich and illuminating Potpourri (thank you Terri Breen, Claire Stepleton and Karen Whitehaus!), we have added many new features to our website, including last year's entire Yearbook. Our goal has been to make it easy for all our Members with varying levels of social media experience to: view the site on a phone or a laptop; access a constantly updated calendar; use a searchable directory of all Members, from Active to Provisionals to Emeriti; receive immediate posts about anything and everything in their email inboxes as events happen; browse through two years of committee reports; keep up with changing information about workshops and programs; watch sophisticated how-to videos (thank you Debbie Moran, Florence Leyssène, and Floss O'Sullivan!); enjoy slideshows and galleries of shared events; check out all award winners back to 1987 (soon to stretch to our founding in 1926); and feel comfortable that security has been upgraded to the highest level. Use of the site has been growing throughout the year, and we want all our Members to feel that our electronic forms of communication add to our central tenets of Education, Beautification, and Fellowship. Email — Fran Wong Even through the COVID-19 pandemic, The Garden Club of Montclair has worked hard to maintain an active calendar and keep its Members engaged. This necessitates adequate communication in order to be successful. Given the need to be flexible during the ever-changing challenges of maintaining the activities of the Club during the pandemic, weekly emails have become essential to keep the membership informed and up to date. Whenever possible, articles and notices are congregated to avoid encouraging a common habit of ignoring email due to high volume. Attractive stationery is used to bring attention to the content. When we send information, we want Members to read it! Every effort is made to make sure current email addresses are maintained and undelivered email is investigated and resent. Membership cooperation in notifying the Club of changes is always appreciated and is critical to the mission. Unfortunately, some Members have recently experienced delivery failures for unknown reasons. Some have found Club emails in their spam folders, but others have been unable to determine the problem. Members should expect a weekly update email between September 1 and June 1 and check their spam folder if necessary. Problems should be reported to the Club email address: gardenclubofmontclair@yahoo.com. Emails are sent on an as-requested basis during the summer months. Finally, incoming emails to the Club email address were distributed to the appropriate individuals for their action. 2020-2021 — Amy South, Chair Traditionally, Communications reports on current and future Club activities but because of COVID, we were re-directed to design a process to share individual photos for competitions anonymously. We also worked closely with Workshops to help share communications regarding workshops and fabulous videos produced by Floss O’Sullivan, Florence Leyssène, and others. Floss O’Sullivan also created an invaluable step-by-step video tutorial on completing an entry form. I am so impressed by the energy and dedication of those who continued to create magic in Avis Campbell Gardens, the Triangle Gardens, Garden Therapy, Workshops, Programs, Youth, Open Gardens and more! Additionally, thanks to Deborah Hirsch, we were able to grow our Membership during a year of lockdown. Special thanks to the photographers who jumped in and shared photos: Barbara Baletti, Claire Stepleton, Susan Yu, Marilyn Zaret, Michele Tomasik, and others. My successor, Sue Young, helped us work around the frustrating challenge of an “absent webmaster” to post on our website a new dues renewal form with a Paypal link. She is very experienced with website design and her determination and wit will surely benefit the Club. It has been my pleasure to transition Sue and I look forward to staying on the Committee to help with the website rebuild. Recently, at the request of the Ways and Means Committee, we added a 'DONATE' button that will hopefully catch the attention of website visitors — more to come! Thanks to Celia Radek for supplying Yearbook content for the annual website update. Thank you to our President, Florence Leyssène, for her knowledge and leadership during this challenging period. Her knowledge and experience, coupled with a kind heart, have helped make all we do possible. I am thankful for this amazing organization and feel inspired by the talents, energy, and dedication of our members. My heart is exceptionally heavy when I reflect on the many losses and hardships this past year but my mind is bright with the future of our extraordinary Club. Thank you to all — it is my honor to have served as your Communications Chair and I confidently pass the baton to Sue Young. Email — Fran Wong The Club is fortunate to have a robust calendar and Active membership and this necessitates adequate communication in order to be successful. Given the need to be flexible during the ever changing challenges of maintaining the activities of the Club during the pandemic, weekly e-mails were instituted to keep the membership informed and up-to-date. Whenever possible, articles and notices were congregated to avoid encouraging a common habit of ignoring email due to high volume. Appealing stationary is used to attract attention to the content. When we send it we want members to read it! Email notices and reminders have become essential to keeping the membership informed and engaged. Every attempt is made to make sure current addresses are maintained and undelivered email is investigated and resent. Membership cooperation in notifying the Club of changes is always appreciated and is critical to the mission. Finally, incoming messages to the Club email address were distributed to the appropriate individuals for their action. 2019-2020 — Amy South, Chair Communications has continued to report to local papers, publications and social media regarding both our future activities and our accomplishments. lnstagram continues to be a very useful tool to spread word about events and highlight our accomplishments. We continue to use Smugmug for photo storage. I would like to thank Susan Yu, Marilyn Zaret, Susan Straten, Michele Tomasik, Barbara Baletti, and Victoria Herrera for helping cover photographing events. Claire Stepleton continues to provide wonderful, consistent support with photography and tech related questions. The temporary transition to Van Vleck for some of our events this year went smoothly in the communications arena. Attendance was strong for the fabulous Programs which might suggest that the publicity with the Montclair Local , Montclair Times , Baristanet , and Facebook was helpful. We supported some of our partners with advertisements in publications (Montclair Art Museum, Van Vleck, and 'May in Montclair'). Unfortunately, the pandemic brought a halt to all events (March -June) but we did submit a 1/8 page ad to the ·"We Care" section of the Montclair Local in support of the community and "May in Montclair". The website requires a considerable amount of time to be updated and I appreciate all the assistance provided by Claire Stepleton. We will continue to share interactive forms (dues and Annual Luncheon responses) and to take payment on line via credit cards (with a nominal fee) through the website. Some future goals are to increase Membership engagement with the website and to work with Claire Stepleton to update the History and Award information. Thanks to Celia Radek for supplying Yearbook content for the annual website update. This year was exceptionally complicated by Covid-19 and our temporary move to Van Vleck. I am thankful to Florence Leyssène for her knowledge and leadership as President during these challenges and I look forward to another year as Communications/Publicity VP. I am thankful for my Membership and feel inspired by the talents, energy, and dedication of Garden Club members. Email — Fran Wong The Club is fortunate to have a robust calendar and active Membership and this necessitates adequate communication in order to be successful. At least two blast emails were sent each month during the year. Whenever possible, articles and notices were congregated to avoid encouraging a common habit of ignoring email due to high volume. Attractive stationery is used to attract attention to the content. When we send it we want members to read it! Special invitations such as that to the Holiday Tea were also sent. Email notices and reminders have become essential to keeping the Membership informed and engaged. Every attempt is made to make sure current addresses are maintained and undelivered email investigated and re-sent. Membership cooperation in notifying the Club of changes is always appreciated and is critical to the mission. Finally, incoming emails to the Club were distributed to the appropriate individuals and Committee Chairs for their action.

Yearbook Committee Reports Committees 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.

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. 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.

Donate a Brick to Avis Campbell Gardens CLICK HERE to donate a brick. 4" x 8" $200 8" x 8" $300 Pay by credit card or check. For over 70 years, the Garden Club of Montclair has lovingly maintained the Avis Campbell Gardens, our cherished historical gardens in Montclair located behind 60 South Fullerton Avenue (next to the library). Volunteers dedicate over 800 hours each season tending this hidden but public oasis , but the pathways have deteriorated over time, making it harder for visitors to fully enjoy this special space. As part of our 100th-anniversary celebration, we are launching a Pathway Renovation Project—and you can be a part of it! We invite you to leave your mark on this historical treasure of Montclair by donating an engraved brick to be incorporated into the new pathways between the gardens. Your contribution will help restore the paths, enhance accessibility and provide new benches for visitors to enjoy. Join us in preserving the beauty of the Avis Campbell Gardens for future generations. Donate today and become a part of this lasting legacy! The Garden Club of Montclair is a 501(c)(3) organization, and your donation is fully tax deductible. Your donation supports our ongoing service and restoration of the Avis Campbell Gardens. Disclaimer: The Garden Club of Montclair reserves the right to review and finalize all inscriptions. Should a inscription require revision, you will be contacted for assistance in submitting an alternative inscription. Questions? Ask at ACGbricks@gmail.com The Plan: Over the years, the pathways, last replaced between 1970-72, have become uneven, weed-prone, and unsafe for visitors and volunteers. The gardens' plastic edging has deteriorated, allowing the bricks to shift. The plan is to repair the existing pathways by leveling and resetting the bricks, incorporating new ones where needed, and adding polymeric sand for stability. Metal edging will be installed to secure the bricks. Additionally, benches will be placed for visitors to rest and enjoy the gardens.

Photo: Claire Stepleton Sometimes known as Montclair’s “secret garden,” the beds of the Avis Campbell Gardens are lovingly tended every Tuesday morning (and other days, too) by Members of our Club. The gardens, recognized as a historic property by the township of Montclair, were planted behind 60 South Fullerton Avenue (next to the library) in 1953, using a plan created by noted landscape architect Avis Campbell. Her Wheel of Life design from 70 years ago has been maintained until the current day with brick paths radiating out from a central fountain, lining the rich beds of flowers blooming from early spring through the cold days of late November. The beds themselves are a tribute to the glories of gardening, with more and more native plants increasing a profusion of bees, butterflies, birds, and other happy pollinators. Come and visit this gentle, hidden jewel of Montclair! Visitors are always welcome, and the cost is free. Scroll down to see the gardens in full bloom as well as some historical photos from the Smithsonian. Members should click here for committee roles and responsibilities. And see, below, three photos from the Smithsonian Institution 's Maida Babson Adams American garden collection. Molly (Maida Babson) Adams (1918 - 2003) had a 40+ year career as a nationally recognized free-lance garden and wildlife photographer and conservationist. She took thousands of photos of gardens up and down the east coast of America from the 1950s to the 1990s. Although these particular photos are not dated, the cars suggest they were taken in the late 50s to early 60s, while the beds were still being populated.. Avis Campbell Gardens Anchor 1

Photos from the 2017 Flower Show

2022 Arts & Flowers A Design Specialty Flower Show Barbara Baletti & Cynthia Corhan-Ait ken, Co-Chairs See photos of all the winners. The Garden Club of Montclair staged Arts & Flowers : A Design Specialty Flower Show , at the beautiful Van Vleck House & Gardens September 16-18, 2022. The show adhered to all the specifications of the National Garden Club. The Flower Design, Botanical Arts, and Education divisions were judged by five panels of Accredited Flower Show Judges and the Photography Division was judged by three professional photographers. Florence Leyssène was named Honorary Chair. Arts & Flowers included Flower Designs, Botanical Arts, Photography, and Educational Exhibits. As the title suggests, the focus was on the visual and performing arts. Exhibitors were challenged to create floral designs inspired by the music of Broadway, the movements of a symphony, the blues of Jazz, and the popping and multi-rhythms of Hip-Hop. There were interpretations of Monet, Matisse, and Warhol in Petite Flower Designs and Collages. A highlight was the Alvin Ailey Challenge Design where six exhibitors given the same components created their own unique design interpretations. The Photography Division classes, staged in the Education Center of Van Vleck, featured both color and black and white images that illustrated patterns or reflections in nature, as well as an "Avis Campbell Jubilee" class with photo exhibits of the club's beloved gardens in celebration of its 70th anniversary. Three classes of photographs were judged. The two Educational exhibits highlighted the importance of native trees in our environment and showcased the dedicated efforts of the Avis Campbell gardening team captains. Arts & Flowers was free and open to the public. Upwards of 700 people attended during the three-day period at Van Vleck. Club Preparation and Participation Planning for Arts & Flowers was a two-year process. The Schedule for the sh ow was written by Barbara Baletti and Cynthia Corhan-Aitken with the help, guidance, and expertise of Florence Leyssène, whose contributions were invaluable. Seventy-one Members working on 15 separate committees participated in the staging and execution. Brenda Bingham, our Judges Chairperson, sequestered six panels of 15 judges to evaluate the show. Division I Design: "Aesthetic Adventures" — 10 classes and 40 exhibits of American Traditional, Creative, Parallel, Multi-Rhythmic, and Petite Designs. Division II Botanical Arts Design: "Perceptions of Beauty " — 3 classes and 12 exhibits of Collage, Pot-et-Fleur, and Decorated Wreaths. Division II Botanical Arts Photography: "The Art of Seeing" — 3 classes and 45 entries. Division III Education: "The Garden and its Harmony " — 2 exhibits. "Native Trees: A Few Understories" and "'Oh Captain, My Captain': Avis Campbell Bed Captains Share Their Stories." Recognition from the National Garden Club Arts & Flowers earned the National Garden Club's Flower Show Achievement Award, Certificate of Merit for a Standard Flower Show with a score of 98.5 out of a possible 100. Evaluators stated that the show was "spectacular" and "showcased the talent in design". Top Exhibitor Awards included: Award of Design Excellence: Michele Tomasik Tricolor Award: Michele Tomasik Designer's Choice Award: Tova Narrett Petite Award: Celia Radek Botanical Arts Design Award: Cynthia Corhan-Aitken Educational Award: Celia Radek Recognition Award: Sarah J. Olson Recognition from the Garden Club of New Jersey Mrs. Davd L. George Silver Cup: Finest judged Standard Flower Show 22-23 Garden Club RFD Trophy: Finest Standard Flower Show Schedule of 2022 Dorothy M. Schick Trophy: Excellence in staging a Standard Flower Show Myra Brooks Memorial Trophy — Creativity in Flower Arranging: Tova Narrett Patricia Grossi Petite Award Trophy: Celia Radek Mrs. Reginald Wilson Memorial Award: Michele Tomasik Specialty Awards from the Garden Club of Montclair Betty B. Merriam Silver Bowl/Creative Use of Plant Material: Debbie Moran Barbara Slockbower Schaeberle Award: Tova Narrett Many thanks to all the Members of The Garden Club of Montclair whose efforts made the show a great success, the judges who came from far and wide, the Women's Club of Upper Montclair, the Board staff of Van Vleck House & Gardens, and the Montclair Foundation. Link

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 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 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 2011 Susan Dumont 2009 Darlene Sneden 2008 Ginger Finder 2007 Fran Weedfald 2006 Nina Rue 2005 Michele Quinn 2004 Gratia Pellicotti, Celia Radek 2003 Muriel D. Smith 2002 Terri Petti 2001 Debbie Moran 2000 May Ann Renn 1999 Kathy Quinn 1998 Patrice Sommerhalter 1997 Kathy Long 1996 Barbara W. Meyer 1995 Nadiya Clark 1994 Heidi Muschick 1993 Mary Heyman 1992 Lynda Henderson 1991 Rita Berkowitz 1990 Dolores Kelly 1989 Mrs. Peter Green 1988 Ms. John Cannell 1987 Mrs. Martin McKerrow Back to list of awards Date Recipient 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 2011 Fran Liscio 2010 Terri Breen 2009 Michele Quinn 2008 Nina Rue 2007 Trish Hill 2006 Cynthia Corhan-Aitken 2005 Celia Radek 2004 Muriel Smith, Lori Beitler 2003 Cathie Trider, Pat Russell 2002 Lucy Schneider 2001 Florence Leyssène 2000 Kathy Quinn 1999 Patti Riccardelli 1998 Dorothy Sachs 1997 Joan Crowther 1996 Nadiya Clark 1995 Heidi Muschick 1994 Ann Ferguson 1993 Lynda Henderson 1992 Brigitte Padberg 1991 Pat Green 1990 Chris Cowles 1989 Mrs. B. Leonardson, Mrs. M. McKerrow 1988 Mrs. Douglas F. Price 1987 Mrs. Carl Menk 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 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 2008 Dolores Kelly, Lucy Schneider 2007 Florence Leyssène 2006 Firth Fabend 2005 Debbie Moran 2004 Debbie Moran 2003 Dolores Kelly 2002 Joan Crowther 1995 Sue Swick 1994 Sue Swick 1993 Mary McGeown 1990 Mary McGeown 1989 Mary McGeown 1988 Kathy Parse 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 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 2005 Lori Beitler 2004 Firth Fabend 2003 Debbie Moran 2002 Florence Leyssène 2001 Dolores Kelly 2000 Chris Cowles 1999 Joan Crowther 1998 Lynda Henderson 1997 Chris Cowles 1996 Chris Cowles 1995 Chris Cowles 1994 Chris Cowles 1993 Susie Price 1992 Susie Price 1991 Connie Young 1990 Betty Menk 1989 Mrs. Roger Young 1988 Mrs. H. Hawkey, Mrs. C. Molitor 1987 Mrs. Theodore P. Swick 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 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 2012 Cynthia Corhan-Aiken 2011 Kristin Krongard 2010 Debbie Moran 2009 Kristin Krongard 2008 Cynthia Corhan-Aiken 2007 Debbie Moran 2006 Debbie Moran 2005 Gratia Pelliciotti 2004 Gratia Pelliciotti 2002 Terry Petti 2001 Lori Beitler 2000 Lynda Henderson 1999 Ellen Meriney 1998 Susie Price 1997 Barbara Meyer 1996 Barbara Meyer 1995 Heidi Muschick 1994 Barbara Meyer 1993 Peg Kaveny 1992 Peg Kaveny 1991 Susie Price 1990 Barbara Meyer 1989 Mrs. Douglas F. Price 1988 Mrs. Douglas F. Price 1987 Mrs. Douglas F. Price 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 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 2011 Cynthia Corhan-Aitken 2010 Celia Radek 2009 Darlene Sneden 2008 Ginger Finder 2007 Firth Fabend 2006 Nina Rue 2005 Debbie Moran 2004 Dolores Kelly 2003 Mary Ann Renn 2002 Lucy Schneider 2001 Lynda Henderson 2000 Mary Ann Renn 1999 Kathy Quinn 1998 Kathy Long 1997 Barbara Meyer 1996 Patti Riccardelli 1995 Susie Price 1994 Chris Cowles 1993 Mary McGeown 1992 Mary McGeown 1991 Sue Swick 1990 Barbara Etherington 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 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 2012 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 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 2001 Debbie Moran 2000 Bonni Babson 1998 Rita Hochwalt 1998 Nancy Berman 1997 Barbara Meyer 1996 Sarah Stransky 1995 Heidi Muschick 1994 Nancy Berman 1993 Pat Green 1992 Barbara Meyer 1991 Jamie Chase 1990 Barbara Meyer 1989 Mrs. David K. Meriney 1987 Mrs. William F. Treene 1986 Mrs. Frank P. Marano 1985 Mrs. J. Lloyd Berrall 1982 Mrs. L. Anthony Fisher 1980 Mrs. Edward R. Eberle 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 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 2007 Florence Leyssène 2006 Mary McGeown 2005 Margaret Kenrick 2004 Joan Crowther 2003 Ruth Lincoln 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 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 2008 Barbara Meyer 2007 Lucy Schneider 2006 Laurel Ness 2005 Lori Beitler 2004 Gratia Pelliciotti 2002 Heidi Muschick 2001 Renee Cohen 2000 Dale Birkett 1999 Margo Walter 1998 Helen Geyer 1997 Kathy Parsons 1996 Brenda Bingham 1995 Helen Breen 1994 Jamie Chase 1993 Peg Dodd 1992 Peg Kaveny 1991 Barbara Meyer 1990 Mrs. Douglas F. Price 1989 Mrs. A. Graham Ness 1988 Mrs. John T. Wooster 1987 Mrs. John H. Smith 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 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 2014 Debbie Moran 2012 Sarah Stransky 2011 Florence Leyssene 2010 Brenda Bingham 2009 Margaret Kenrick 2008 Joan Crowther 2007 Helen Breen 2006 Bonni Babson 2005 Peg Dodd 2004 Barbara Etherington 2003 Barbara Meyer 2002 Amy Hatrak 2001 Sue Swick 2000 Brenda Bingham 1999 Chris Cowles 1998 Susie Price 1996 Aubin Ames 1995 Connie Young 1994 Peg Pendelton 1992 Julie Wilson 1991 Sarita Oliphant 1990 Till Allis 1988 Mrs. Walter J. Hunziker Jr. 1986 Mr. & Mrs. Robert Dallery 1985 Mrs. Ann Rogerson 1983 Mrs. John T. Wooster 1980 Mrs. J. Lloyd Berrall 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 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 2013 Sanford Sorkin, Darlene Sneden 2012 Celia Radek, Karen Whitehaus 2011 Betty Lambourn, Odile L'hertier, Lillian Rockwood 2010 Jamie Chase, Fran Liscio 2008 Connie Young 2007 Brenda Bingham, Kate Khachaturian, Janel Oscar, Pat Russell, Sarah Stransky 2006 Firth Fabend, Sue Swick, David Nial 2002 Symon Cowles 2001 Eileen Sheehan 2000 Bonni Babson 1999 Barbara Malcom 1998 Rita Hochwalt 1995 Rita Berkowitz, Elaine Conti, Betty Lamborn 1994 Sue Swick 1991 Susan Marano 1990 Betty Bell, Ruth Lincoln 1989 Kathy Parsons 1988 Mrs. David Meriney 1987 Mrs. William Breen 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. Click on the year to see details of the 2025 , 2024 winners. Year Recipients 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

In Memoriam Click on each name for more about the Members we have lost. See the relevant Yearbooks for earlier names. 2024-2025 Michele Conlin Mary McGeown Anne von Hoffmann Terri Breen Kate Khachaturian Marilyn Yeutter 2023-2024 Connie DuHamel Pat Green Fritzi Mills Susie Price

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