Just look at the maple tree twigs surrounding a fluffed-up, very cold Mourning Dove waiting for food in Sue Young's garden today. Every single twig ends with a pinkish flower bud. Don't give in to frozen January despair! We are already at the beginning of the new year. HOUSEKEEPING NOTE: Notifications about new "In the News" posts will now come from an email from the Club. We are doing this to defeat the spam filters that have been preventing many of you from receiving the automatic notifications.

"I always enjoy judging your in-house shows," stated Gail Bassolino, one of the judges from our January Flower Design and Botanical Arts competition.  This month's theme of "Shouts and Whispers" featured designs from Traditional to Tubular to Tapestry.  Florence Leyssène created an elaborate Armature Design of Torka Willow sticks, bindwired water tubes, yarn-covered aluminum wires, and lights with striking Anthurium, Gerberas, Hydrangeas, and Aspidistra leaves (shown here).   Botanical Arts featured striking black and white winter landscape photographs, as well as dried and preserved plant material, lovely reminders of Nature's intricate design. For garden club members, it was a delight to view the always inspiring creativity of our talented colleagues and in the words of another judge Teddie Falcone: "I admire all the effort that goes into your monthly shows." Flower Design   Tea Table Design Betty Murphy Provisional Amy Poster Kathy Bachmann Novice Kathy Bachmann 1st Karen Fricke Intermediate Karen Fricke 1st Olga Bequillard 2nd/90+ Barbara Baletti Advanced Barb Baletti 1st Michele Tomasik 2nd Floss O’Sullivan 3rd Susan Straten HM Cynthia Corhan-Aitken Advanced Plus Cynthia Corhan-Aitken 1st Fran Ackerly -2nd/90+ Botanical Arts Marilyn Zaret Photography Marilyn Zaret 1st Barb Baletti 2nd Olga Bequillard 3rd Sheila Curry Oakes HM Cynthia Corhan-Aitken Dried and Preserved Flowers Cynthia Corhan-Aitken 1st Celia Radek - 2nd/90+

Monday, January 13 is competition day for Botanical Arts and Flower Design. (The photo at right shows a page from Emily Dickinson's Herbarium.)   Remember, to compete you MUST sign in by THURSDAY, JANUARY 9 with Florence Leyssene at florenceleyssene@gmail.com for Botanical Arts and Barbara Baletti at bbaletti@me.com for Flower Design.   Here are some important notes from the chairs. BOTANICAL ARTS   Botanical Horticulture: Dried and Preserved Specimens: HB p.92 3 to 4 of the same dried, preserved or pressed specimen (the schedule on website says by mistake 3 to 4 different specimens but they must be from same specimen. Pressed plant material (3 or 4 of same) is not artistically arranged as a 'design' or 'artwork’ but displayed on a white cardboard 11” x 14”. Any other dried or preserved specimen  (3 or 4 of same) exhibited on a white cardboard 11” x 14”. ALL plant material must have been grown by the exhibitor. ALL plant material must be identified by the current scientific / binomial designation.  (Genus, specific epithet, variety/cultivar.) No artificial treatment is allowed EXCEPT to prevent shattering of seed heads, etc. on Dried/Pressed material.   Judges will/should look at:    Did the Exhibitor actually grow the specimen? Is it exhibited as a specimen and NOT as Botanical Arts Artistic Craft? How is it exhibited? Can you pick up the specimens? Is there more than one? Are they uniform?   Botanical Photography: HB p.95-96 A Black and White Photo of a winter landscape. Must be 8” x 10”, matted in white with a maximum size of 11’ x 14” including the mat provided by exhibitor. Staged on a table 30”high using an easel provided by the exhibitor.   Be familiar with the Scale of Points for Photography in HB p.131 as judges will look at these criteria: Conformance = 5; Interpretation of title class = 10; Composition = 25; Artistry/Creativity = 25; Technical Achievement = 25; Distinction/Wow factor = 10. FLOWER DESIGN Instructions for Flower Design can be found on the main Flower Design page .

Mary McGeown January 10, 1934 - December 14, 2024 The family of Mary Margaret McMahon McGeown is saddened to share the news of her passing. A cherished mother, wife, and grandmother, Mary died peacefully on December 14th at the age of 90. Born on January 10, 1934 in South Orange, New Jersey, Mary was a graduate of Benedictine Academy High School and the College of St. Elizabeth. She met the love of her life, John "Jack" R. McGeown, while they were working summer jobs at the Warren Hotel in Spring Lake. Mary and Jack wed in 1957 and eventually settled in Montclair, where they lived for more than 25 years and raised their five daughters. Upon retirement, Mary and Jack moved from Montclair to live full-time in Mantoloking. Throughout her life, Mary embraced every opportunity to learn, create, and connect with others. Whether she was cultivating friendships, transforming her garden, or traveling around the world, Mary approached life with enthusiasm and a positive spirit. For almost two decades, her Montclair floral design store, By Special Arrangement, allowed a team of family and friends to create a bustling hub of fresh flowers and laughter. Mary's interests extended to participation in a variety of communities. In Montclair, she was an active member in the Garden Club, Junior League, Art Museum, and Golf Club. On the Jersey Shore, she was involved with the Mantoloking Yacht Club (MYC) and the Seaweeders Garden Club. Her faith and daily Mass were also central to her life, and she was a devoted parishioner at Immaculate Conception Church in Montclair and Sacred Heart Church in Bay Head. Above all, Mary will be remembered for her love of family. She nurtured strong relationships with her twelve grandchildren and instilled in them a deep connection to the Jersey Shore. Mary was the heart of her family, fostering a close-knit bond that continues to this day. As a dear friend reflected, "She somehow pulled you along until you were having the time of your life!" Mary is survived by her daughters Elysia Gudas (Tom), Maureen McLam, Anne Rethmeyer (Craig), Michelle Gerli (John), and Mary Kay Caricato (John), and her twelve grandchildren. She was predeceased by her beloved husband, Jack, and her son-in-law, Scott McLam. A funeral will be held on Friday, January 24th, 10:00 AM, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Bay Head, NJ. A Celebration of Mary's Life will take place on May 31st at Mantoloking Yacht Club in Mantoloking, NJ. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in her memory to: 1) Seaweeders Garden Club, Attn: Mary McGeown Youth Scholarship Fund, PO Box 191, Bay Head, NJ, 08742 or 2) Columbia University Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain at givenow.columbia.edu .

First of all, Happy New Year! Well ― half-way through our gardening year. It is time, once again, to ask you all to let us know how you feel about our Club, and what you would like to see happen in the future. Please CLICK HERE  to fill out our questionnaire. The only questions that are "required" are simple ones, but we welcome any longer thoughts and suggestions you may want to add, too. Here’s looking forward to a wonderful new year of the Garden Club of Montclair.

CLICK HERE to view the last issue of Potpourri. This should not be a sad moment: new methods of communication have covered everything that was once only available through Potpourri. And we are making sure that those few members who do not have access to the internet will still be informed about everything that we do. CLICK HERE to view all back issues of Potpourri.

CLICK HERE for details of the January 16 Webinar ― hosted by the township of Montclair’s Office of Sustainability ― on incorporating native plants into our landscape. Not only will you find out information from experts but will also get details on how to sign up for a FREE individual consultation about your own backyard (Montclair gardens only). The flyer includes a QR code for you to register for this great event.

Past Presidents of the Club. Our hostess Anna Lee. Since the Club began nearly 100 years ago, we have always celebrated the holidays with a Tea. This year was no exception, held at Anna Lee's beautiful home which she generously opened to at least 70 or so of our members. Thank you so much, Anna. Thank you, too, to our photographers -- Amy Poster, Barbara Baletti, Sue Young, and the indefatigable Sue Yu. The photos on this page try to capture the sense of joyfulness that filled the rooms. If you don't see your gorgeous arrangement or your beautiful face, please forgive the photographers. We aimed to memorialize everything at the event, but we may have missed some things or people, but we hope we have captured the sense of fellowship.

Anne Perdue von Hoffmann, a lifelong resident of Montclair, passed away on November 6, 2024. She was born on June 21, 1928, to Charles and Mildred Perdue. She attended Montclair Public Schools and Randolph-Macon Woman’s College in Lynchburg, Virginia where she double majored in Chemistry and French. She graduated in June 1950 and married Robert F. von Hoffmann one week later. She recalled seeing her future husband, Bob, at St. James Episcopal Church when they were children. They reconnected at the end of WWII, when she noticed him jump off the train in his Navy uniform at the Upper Montclair train station. Anne developed a love for horses early in life, probably inspired by reading books like “Black Beauty.” She spent some summers at a riding camp in New Hampshire with her sister, Jeanne. In later years, she worked with children at a horse farm in Vermont near her second home, which Anne and Bob built in Bondville, Vermont, in 1984. Throughout her life, Anne cherished her friendships. An identical twin, she and her sister Jeanne, were popular in Montclair High School. Those friendships continued to thrive throughout her life, including groups like the “Lunch Bunch” at Montclair High School and the “Crunch Bunch” at the Stratton Mountain Golf Club in Vermont. In her later years, Anne joined a small group of friends to discuss investments, a venture she approached seriously and successfully. Additionally, she took up bowling with another group of women—a remarkable feat considering her macular degeneration. She often delightedly exclaimed, “I can't believe it! I won! And I'm going blind!” Gregarious by nature, she and Bob loved to host dinner parties for their friends with elegant desserts like crème de menthe parfaits and petit fours that her children always tried to sneak from the dessert tray. She was a member of the Junior League of Montclair and Boston, the Montclair Golf Club, and the Garden Club of Montclair. She loved gardening and created vivid borders overflowing with yellow roses, orange daylilies, and purple clematis. Her indoor plants also flourished; her spider plants and Christmas cacti multiplied and are now spread throughout New Jersey in her children’s and grandchildren's homes. An enthusiastic fan of her children’s and grandchildren’s sports games and drama performances, Anne drove her sons to their many practices and hockey camps, attending as many games as possible. In her home, she was tolerant of rainy-day indoor sports and the occasional broken window (even an antique set of cordial glasses–ouch!). When the last of her children entered high school, Anne began working in the accounting office at Montclair State University, where she again made good friends and also pursued a masters degree in accounting. During this time, she enjoyed travelling abroad—with Bob to Germany, with friends, and with her daughters and a granddaughter to England, France, and Italy. In her final years at Crane’s Mill, she retained her infectious sense of humor, chuckling or chortling at family stories and bringing laughter to those around her. She was gracious and kind to her caregivers, often addressing them as “Darling,” and recognized each of her five children when they visited right up until the last week of her life. Anne was predeceased by her husband Bob (1994), her older brother Robert F. Perdue, and her sister Jeanne Perdue Jones. She is survived by her five children and their spouses: Deborah (m. to Dale Lanzone), Susan (m. to Steven Tompson), Chris, Peter (m. to Anne), and Eric (m. to Diana), and 14 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. Her family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to the Cranes Mill staff and caregivers. A memorial service will be held on Friday, December 6 at 4:00 pm at St. James Episcopal Church at 581 Valley Road, Upper Montclair, NJ 07043. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Anne von Hoffmann, please visit Tribute Store .

On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, the Crane House was brimming with busy designers, working tirelessly to adorn the rooms in period-appropriate holiday decorations.  Thank you to all the leads, co-leads, and team members who put heart and soul into this wonderful project.   Be sure to show off our handiwork to friends and family on a tour of the house!  Below is the Crane House December schedule of tours.   Essex County Holiday Tours Opening Weekend Saturday & Sunday December 7 & 8, 12 to 3 pm   Winter Wonderland Open House Holiday Tours Sundays, December 15 & 22, 12 to 3 pm   Holiday Candlelight Tours This special event, led by Angelica Diggs, Executive Director of the Montclair History Center, is a popular evening, so register early!  Friday the 13th, 6 to 7:30pm. It requires advanced registration and has a fee . They have created a special coupon code for garden club members to get a $5 discount off each ticket. Code is 'GARDENCLUB2024'.

Hard work at Crane House on Dec. 3! Under the watchful eye of Workshops chair Karen Fricke, members began creating garlands and wreaths, ready for the next day's annual Club tradition of decorating Crane House. This year promises to be the best yet!

Once again, members of our club rose to the challenges laid out in the schedules designed by our intrepid chairs. A particular treat was Brenda Bingham's invitational tapestry design which, she assures us, our advanced designers will be making in a few months. This form of creative design is new to nearly all of us, and she gave us a short explanation of the NGC design principles while referring to her creation. The NGC Handbook describes this type of design as "a creative solid-mass design with a geometric closed silhouette/s. Volume of plant material dominates with other components optional. May have some transparent/ translucent/ diaphanous components. Imaginative design techniques and applications must be used such as pillowing, pav é , color blocking, weaving, etc. Inner space is achieved by juxtaposing colors, textures and forms." And now to the results. Flower Design Novice - An American Traditional Vertical Line Design 2nd - Kathy Bachmann   Intermediate - An American Traditional Crescent Line Design 1st - Karen Fricke 2nd - Olga Bequillard 3rd - Susan Brady   Advanced - A Parallel Design 1st - Michele Tomasik 2nd - Cheryl Slutzky 3rd - Barbara Baletti HM - Floss O’Sullivan, Susan Straten, Carol Callahan    Advanced Plus    - Petite Duo Design (each side judged separately) Fran Ackerly- 1st for one side; 3rd for the other               Cynthia Corhan-Aitken - 2nd for both sides Botanical Arts A Napkin Ring for the Holidays 1st - Karen Fricke 2nd - Susan Straten 3rd - Cheryl Slutzky An Exploration Design - Freedom of Style 1st - Karen Fricke 2nd - Tova Narrett 3rd - Barbara Baletti HM - Marilyn Zaret   Horticulure This month there were 38 entries from 8 participants. 1st - Denise Silverman with 49 points 2nd - Celia Radek with 23 points 3rd - Sara Olsen with 19 points. And here are some more gorgeous entries, in no particular order.

Our speaker at the November 18 program was Ethan Kauffman, Director of Stoneleigh Gardens in Pennsylvania, a 42-acre garden with a long history of different garden designs, including those created by the sons of Frederick Olmstead. Since 2018, Stoneleigh has been managed by Natural Lands, a non-profit organization that saves open space, cares for nature, and connects people to the outdoors in eastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey . Under its care, Stoneleigh Gardens took a new turn, focusing on creating a beautiful, colorful garden based on native plants and trees. The gardens have been open to the public — for free — since 2018. Take a look at their website to see how successful they have been. Below, some photos from the meeting. (Stay tuned for the competition results and photos in a later post!) The delicious food kept us all standing on our feet, and the pictures of Betty and Floss are included for their smiles. In addition to keeping us fed, Betty also created the table arrangement.

The Triangle Gardens committee, some of them pictured above, gathered on Monday morning, November 4 on Church Street to remove the sunpatiens from each planter and plant tulip bulbs in their place. They planted 500!  The sunpatiens are the only annual plant in the newly designed Church Street planters. The lovely native plant design that Cynthia Corhan-Aitken developed for the planters, below, will make ongoing yearly work for the Triangle committee much easier than previously.      Since the planters will have evergreen shrubs throughout the winter, we have  invited the BID shopkeepers to decorate the planters for the holidays. Church Street this winter should be more festive and beautiful than ever.   Betty Murphy Chair, Triangle Gardens

Dozens of members attended this workshop on November 14 where our GCM bounty of top tier designers explained everything from the creative process of flower design to the nitty-gritty of necessary tools and techniques. See the photos taken by Barbara Baletti and Amy Poster, below. Blue ribbon winner Cynthia Corhan-Aitken explained her own creative process, from writing meticulous notes of her ideas to her unexpected dreaming of wild solutions. Tova Narrett showed us how she puts her intricate wired designs together with the aid of hundreds of ordinary plastic bag ties, Fran Ackerly tortured some large leaves by bending, wiring, and tearing them, and Karen Fricke showed us a simple way to create a reusable staging panel with interchangeable fabric (see printout ). Floss O'Sullivan took us through the genesis of three of her very unique designs, shown in posters with a written explanation of each. The fourth shows aide memoires that percolate through Tova's brain to emerge as the designs that are filling up the homes of Montclair residents. Three tables were covered with important stuff: Karen Fricke showed us many different ways (see printout ) to replace Oasis (including a new product from Oasis); Barbara Baletti emptied her toolbox and explained how she uses each item (see printout ); Floss O'Sullivan displayed clever ways to transport our delicate designs to their place of judgement.. There was so much to see that our heads were spinning. Karen Fricke kindly put printouts together for everyone who was there and those who were not. And, as always, our experts are more than happy to share their knowledge with those of us still finding our way. Education, beautification, fellowship: that's the Garden Club of Montclair way.

Stoneleigh and Using Natives in a Formal Setting November 18, 1PM (doors open at 12:30PM) 60 S Fullerton Ave, Montclair Our November Program will feature Ethan Kauffman , Director of Stoneleigh, a public garden on an old estate in Villanova, PA. Ethan will share the story of how he and his team turned an historic formal space into a forward-thinking landscape of native plants. Their goal is to reinterpret the grand old landscape with a natives-only ethos, handed down to them by the non-profit, Natural Lands, that conserved the space. Learn more about this remarkable place: https://stoneleighgarden.org/garden/visit/

Catch a falling leaf before it hits the ground (or a bush or a car or a dog) and put it in your wallet, and you will have good luck for the upcoming year. It's harder than you think.

It’s that time of year!  Join us in our annual collaboration with the Montclair History Center as we decorate the Crane House and Historic YMCA in period-appropriate holiday splendor.  Come help prepare this historic Montclair gem for the many visitors who tour the site during the holiday season.   To get into the holiday spirit and find inspiration, take a look at the magic we’ve made in past years!   Wreath, Swag, and Bow-Making Workshop Tuesday, December 3, 1:00-3:00PM We’ll meet in the basement of the Crane House, 108 Orange Road, Montclair   This is a hands-on workshop where we’ll learn how to make the wreaths, swags, garlands and bows that we’ll use tomorrow to decorate the Crane House and Historic YMCA.  Plant material and supplies will be provided, and Michele Trevenan and Fran Ackerly will demonstrate how to tie, assemble, wire, and arrange decorations to create historically accurate adornments.  Please bring your own gloves and pruning shears. Sign up HERE .   Crane House and Historic YWCA Holiday Decorating Wednesday, December 4, 10AM-2:00PM 108 Orange Rd., Montclair   Come share your decorating skills as we make magic happen. If you haven't taken part in this festive annual event, it’s a wonderful way to make new garden club friends, and learn more about our community, too. Sign up to join or lead a room team, or sign up to be a "floating" decorator, assisting wherever help is needed. Even if you only have an hour, help us adorn this 18th century house in preparation for the public tours offered during the month of December. Sign up HERE .   Please use street parking. The limited parking in the lot behind the house can be used for those with mobility issues, as well as unloading decorating supplies. Entrance to the lot is between 108 and 110 Orange Road. Entrance to the museum is at the back of the house at 110.   Please contact Karen Fricke or Tova Narrett with any questions.

Ready to win a few ribbons and prizes? Thursday, November 14 is the last day to let the Chairs know if you are ready to face the critical eyes of the judges of New Jersey. See the schedules for November's challenges in Botanical Arts , Flower Design , and Horticulture . Scroll down the website pages to learn the details for this month, and who to contact.

THIS THURSDAY!!!! Tips and Tricks from Our Top Tier Designers Workshop Thursday, November 14, 2-4PM 60 South Fullerton Avenue in the Club Room What a wealth of knowledge we have in our club!  Join us as several members share their tips and tricks for making complicated arrangements look effortless.  Here’s the line up:   Fran Ackerly:  Leaf manipulation with Aspidistra Barbara Baletti:  What’s in a designer’s toolbox Cynthia Corhan-Aitken:  The process of coming up with a creative design idea Karen Fricke:  Making a staging panel with interchangeable fabric Floss O’Sullivan:  Clever ideas for transporting arrangements, and ways to brainstorm for arrangement inspiration Tova Narrett:   Using wiring to make avant garde forms and arrangements   Plus, we’ll have lots of information about alternatives to Oasis from the CAR meeting!   Open to all levels. CLICK HERE to sign up!