Donate Thank you for choosing to support the Garden Club of Montclair. Please use the form below to contribute to our general fund, or specifically to the Avis Campbell Garden, funded and maintained by the Club. You can also choose to make your donation in honor of, or in memory of, someone dear to you. If you prefer to send a check directly to our Treasurer, Bob Chapman, please email him directly for instructions.. You can also talk to Bob at 973-746-0965 about other types of giving, such as a gift of stock or a legacy. Donate to the Club Online First name Last name Email Phone Street Address Street Address Line 2 City State Zip I would like to donate in the name of Please apply my donation to General support for the Club Specific assistance to Avis Campbell Garden Is there anything more you would like to add? Enter the amount you wish to donate: $ Donate Thank you so much for supporting our Club!

Garden Therapy Garden Therapy is an opportunity to “give back” to the community with visits to nursing homes, senior centers, specialized schools and refuges. GC members work with institutions to design programs that will interest participants, ranging from hands on workshops such as aromatherapy, floral design, botanical arts and the planting of annuals, perennials and herbs in garden beds or windowsill planters.

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 judge's 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.

Youth Committee Reports Committees 2025-2026— Jacoba Coes, Chair; Susan Yu, Vice Chair The Youth Committee offers members the opportunity to spark the “green enthusiasm” that brought us to join the Garden Club of Montclair with a new generation. We introduce young people to gardening, design, ecology, and conservation. The enjoyment of the participants and the pride in their gardening accomplishments touch our hearts. We know they will continue to appreciate gardens in the future! This year the committee initiated programs with new partners: Educational events with Van Vleck House & Gardens (thanks to Donna Karanja and Suzy Straten for setting up this collaboration) Establishing students' participation in horticultural events and campus beautification at the Sawtelle Learning Center Assisting Master Gardeners at the new Hillside School garden Our events: Planted tulips at the YMCA with Montclair High School Planted tulips at Mountainside Cancer Center with Deron School Planted daffodils at Sawtelle Learning Center with students and faculty Created and led activities at three Van Vleck House & Gardens events: Sensory Celebration, Art and Nature, and Scout Program: Insect Exploration Planted more than twenty different varieties of seeds and native plants with Hillside School 3rd, 4th and 5th graders and the Hillside School Garden team. All varieties germinated successfully and were planted in the garden! Trained teachers at Sawtelle Learning Center in a Winter Sowing Workshop to allow more involvement of classes and students Introduced aromatherapy jars to the Sawtelle Learning Center faculty. Multiple classes enjoyed creating these very popular Mother’s Day gifts Right now we are a small dedicated team—we’d love to increase our members. If you want to grow future gardeners we are the team to join! 2025-2026 Committee: Nancy Foster, Sarah Olson, Susan Straten. 2024-2025 — Donna Karanja, Chair; Susan Straten, Vice Chair This year, the Youth Committee continued working with two long-term partners, Deron School and the Montclair High School Transition program, while also exploring possible new partnerships with other youth groups. In November, we planted tulips at Mountainside Hospital with Deron students and staff and at the YMCA with MHS students and staff. We are grateful to May in Montclair and its tulip chairperson Celia Radek for providing the bulbs. In April, we created jars of potpourri with Deron School students and teachers in their classroom. We met several times during the year with the education staff of Van Vleck House and Gardens to discuss ways we could help with their existing youth-centered programs or present activities of our own on their site. In June, we taught children how to create simple paper flowers as part of Van Vleck's "Sunflowers and Summer Blooms" family day. We have reached out to two local elementary schools and hope to provide activities for them as well as for our existing partners in the coming year. 2024-2025 Committee: Nancy Foster, Grete Scheidl, Allyn Young. 2023-2024 — Donna Karanja, Chair; Susan Straten, Vice Chair Throughout most of the past year the Youth Committee continued to work on rebuilding community relationships that had been disrupted by the long Covid shutdown and on developing new partnerships in and around Montclair. In November we spent two mornings with students and staff from Deron School and Montclair High’s Transition Program planting tulips at Mountainside Hospital and the YMCA. The bulbs for this long-time Youth Committee tradition were provided by the May in Montclair Tulip Committee through its chairperson, GCM’s Celia Radek. After the tulips were planted, things were quiet for our committee until early spring when we suddenly received positive responses from three groups which we had contacted much earlier in the year. Between late April and mid-May we created floral designs with teenagers at Deron School, planted succulent container gardens with fourth graders at Kelly School, West Orange, and taught basic plant identification and potting skills to local fifth grade Girl Scouts at Avis Campbell Gardens. We were delighted by the young people’s enthusiastic participation in these projects; and their leaders provided very positive feedback. Another exciting event in the spring was a meeting we initiated with Van Vleck staff members to discuss partnering with them for a few activities next year. We had a great time brainstorming with Van Vleck’s Director of Education, Michelle Weissner and Environmental Educator, Kelsey Sirica. We look forward to developing projects with them in the months ahead. Overall, our committee ended the year on a high note, resurrected and eager to build on our successes in the year to come. 2022-2023 — Debbie Fitzpatrick, Chair; Donna Karanja, Vice Chair In fall 2023, the on-going pandemic continued to limit opportunities for our committee to work directly with children, especially indoors. We were very happy that Deron School students and staff agreed to join us on a crisp November morning for our traditional tulip planting project at Mountainside Hospital. Many thanks to Celia Radek and "May in Montclair" for once again providing the bulbs for this activity! The rest of our activities this year have involved consulting with youth leaders to plan for the coming year. Sue Straten and Donna Karanja have been in regular contact with Watchung School teacher Drury Thorp about the progress of the school's Connected Courtyard, a project that several GCM members contributed to in prior years. Sue and Donna visited the Courtyard in April and were delighted to see the once overgrown area converted into a beautiful outdoor classroom filled with native plants, weather-proof tables and benches, and hands-on learning centers. Our committee plans to continue supporting Watchung's outdoor classroom in the coming year by suggesting learning activities and helping teachers implement them. Donna has been talking to two local Girl Scout leaders about activities our committee could do with them. We are excited about developing these new relationships and sharing the joys of the plant world with children and their leaders. 2021-2022 — Debbie Fitzpatrick, Chair; Donna Karanja, Vice Chair The Youth Committee's annual tulip bulb planting took place in November 2021. Students from the Deron School in Montclair helped plant tulip bulbs along with Youth Committee Members and GCM volunteers at Mountainside Hospital. In addition, students from the Community-Based Instruction (CBI) Program at Montclair High School and Club volunteers helped plant bubs at the Park Street YMCA. A special thank you to Celia Radek and "May in Montclair " for providing the bulbs! Youth Committee Members also assisted the Garden Therapy Committee in November at the "Good Grows Here" celebration at Van Vleck House & Gardens. They helped families create crafts and seasonal, natural material centerpieces to keep and to donate to "Sharon's Harvest" Thanksgiving guests at Toni's Kitchen. Our primary anticipated project this year was working with Watchung School to develop a landscape plan for its outdoor classroom. Watchung School received a $10,000 award from the Sustainable Jersey for Schools Grant Program for its Connected Courtyard Project. The school has hired a landscaper and work is scheduled to begin in late August. No further assistance is needed from the Garden Club at this time. We had also planned to offer flower design workshops to local Scouting organizations. Activities and opportunities to work with both local schools and organizations were limited due to COVID-19 restrictions and concerns this past year. 2020-2021 — Nancy Foster, Chair; Susan Straten, Vice Chair Our annual tulip planting took place in November 2020. Traditionally, students from the Deron School help plant about 200 pink tulip bulbs in front of the Oncology Clinic at Mountainside Hospital. The students could not come this year because of COVID. Many, many thanks to Nancy Sweetser and her family who volunteered and completed the planting! The main project this year was working with Watchung School to develop a landscape plan for an “outdoor classroom” in its courtyard. Suzy Straten, Deb Hirsch, Maureen Sprong, Sarah Olson, Barb Baletti, Claire Stepleton, and Susan Dumont met many times during the winter months with Drury Thorp and Sarah Paulsen from Watchung School to develop this plan. Cynthia Corhan-Aitken provided invaluable expertise, including landscape design and plant selection recommendations. Watchung School received a $10,000 grant from the Sustainable Jersey for Schools Grant for their “Connected Courtyard” project. Additional fund-raising and implementation of the Connected Courtyard will continue next year. We had planned to again offer flower design classes to local Girl Scout troops to provide an opportunity for participants to enter designs in the Garden Club’s Flower Show. Eight classes were scheduled to take place in the spring, but due to COVID only one workshop took place. The goal of assessing the status of Pollinator Gardens in Montclair’s elementary schools and following up with a plan to implement them was deferred because of COVID constraints. Thanks to our enthusiastic and determined Committee, we made it through the pandemic challenges and had a successful year! 2019-2020 — Nancy Foster, Chair; Susan Straten, Vice Chair Nancy Sweetser again organized a very successful pink tulip bulb planting at the Oncology Center at Mountainside Hospital. On November 6, students from the Deron School enthusiastically planted over 200 bulbs. The Youth Committee identified three projects to pursue for the year: Develop a landscape plan for Watchung School's Courtyard that incorporates a Native American teaching garden. A group consisting of Deb Hirsch, Maureen Sprong, Sarah Olson, Barb Baletti, Claire Stepleton, and Susan Dumont met many times during the winter and, working with Drury Thorpe and Sarah Paulsen from Watchung School, developed a plan for the courtyard which features an outdoor classroom/lunch area, teaching stations and utilizes native species. A few final touches have yet to be made, but the plan has been enthusiastically received by the school and they are seeking funding to execute the plan. Offer Flower Design classes to local Girl Scout troops and provide an opportunity for participants to enter a design in September's Flower Show. Working through the Girl Scout Council, we had 10 local troops express interest in doing a Flower Design workshop. We had eight scheduled to take place in March, April and early May. Unfortunately, due to Covid-19, only one workshop took place. We will try again in the fall. Floss O'Sullivan, Susan Benner, Susan Dumont, Marilyn Zaret, Sarah Olson, and Terri Breen volunteered to run workshops Assess the status of Pollinator Gardens in Montclair's elementary schools and follow up with a plan for schools that do not have them. This goal was also to be worked on in the ·spring and is deferred to next year.

What is a Flower Show? NOTE: If you’ve never been to a National Garden Clubs flower show, think of it as part art gallery, part agricultural fair, and part science museum. It’s a free public event where garden club members display beautiful plants, creative floral designs, prized horticultural specimens, and educational exhibits―and compete for awards. Our show, “A Century in Bloom ,” celebrates the Garden Club of Montclair’s 100th anniversary. Every category reflects a different era or idea from the past century. How the Show Is Organized Our flower shows follows rules established by National Garden Clubs (NGC), Inc. The exhibits are organized into Divisions , Sections , and Classes. This simply means that similar entries are grouped together and judged by the same standards. The requirements for each category are listed in the show’s comprehensive Schedule. The brochure you received as you entered is an abbreviated version of the complete Schedule. Our show includes five Divisions, details of which are reached from the QR codes in each room: Horticulture : Plants and flowers displayed at their best. Design: Creative arrangements made with flowers and other plant materials. Education : Displays that teach visitors about flower design, gardening, nature, or related topics. Botanical Arts: Nature-inspired crafts and photography. Youth: Gardening and creative projects by young people. How Are Exhibits Judged? Judges evaluate each entry against a standard of excellence—not simply against the other entries. They look at things such as quality, creativity, design, craftsmanship, and whether the entry follows the rules for its class. Ribbons are based on scores: First: Blue = 90 or above Second: Red = 85 or above Third: Yellow = 80 or above Honorable Mention: White = 75 or above (There may be more than one of these.) A blue ribbon does not simply mean “best of the bunch.” It means the entry reached the required standard of excellence. Judges may choose not to award a ribbon if no entry meets that standard. A 90+ sticker means the exhibit earned enough points to qualify for a blue ribbon. However, another exhibit in the same class might score even higher, pushing the other 90+ awards down to red or yellow. The judges will also present certain special club awards, such as best in division, and best in section. Summary of What Judges Look For QR codes in the different rooms provide more details of these divisions. In Horticulture , look closely at the plants. Judges consider their health, maturity, appearance, correct botanical name, and presentation. In Design , notice how the flowers, colors, shapes, textures, and spaces work together. Judges consider balance, proportion, rhythm, creativity, and how well the design expresses its assigned theme. In Education , look for displays that clearly and creatively explain a topic. Botanical Arts includes nature-inspired crafts and photography. Youth exhibits showcase gardening and creative projects by young people. Most of all, enjoy the show! You don’t need to know the rules to appreciate the beauty, creativity, and skill on display. If you’ve never been to a National Garden Clubs flower show, think of it as part art gallery, part agricultural fair, and part science museum. It’s a free public event where garden club members display beautiful plants, creative floral designs, prized horticultural specimens, and educational exhibits―and compete for awards. Our show, “A Century in Bloom ,” celebrates the Garden Club of Montclair’s 100th anniversary. Every category reflects a different era or idea from the past century. How the Show Is Organized Our flower shows follows rules established by National Garden Clubs (NGC), Inc. The exhibits are organized into Divisions , Sections , and Classes. This simply means that similar entries are grouped together and judged by the same standards. The requirements for each category are listed in the show’s comprehensive Schedule. The brochure you received as you entered is an abbreviated version of the complete Schedule. Our show includes five Divisions, details of which are reached from the QR codes in each room: Horticulture : Plants and flowers displayed at their best. Design: Creative arrangements made with flowers and other plant materials. Education : Displays that teach visitors about flower design, gardening, nature, or related topics. Botanical Arts: Nature-inspired crafts and photography. Youth: Gardening and creative projects by young people. How Are Exhibits Judged? Judges evaluate each entry against a standard of excellence—not simply against the other entries. They look at things such as quality, creativity, design, craftsmanship, and whether the entry follows the rules for its class. Ribbons are based on scores: First: Blue = 90 or above Second: Red = 85 or above Third: Yellow = 80 or above Honorable Mention: White = 75 or above (There may be more than one of these.) A blue ribbon does not simply mean “best of the bunch.” It means the entry reached the required standard of excellence. Judges may choose not to award a ribbon if no entry meets that standard. A 90+ sticker means the exhibit earned enough points to qualify for a blue ribbon. However, another exhibit in the same class might score even higher, pushing the other 90+ awards down to red or yellow. The judges will also present certain special club awards, such as best in division, and best in section. Summary of What Judges Look For QR codes in the different rooms provide more details of these divisions. In Horticulture , look closely at the plants. Judges consider their health, maturity, appearance, correct botanical name, and presentation. In Design , notice how the flowers, colors, shapes, textures, and spaces work together. Judges consider balance, proportion, rhythm, creativity, and how well the design expresses its assigned theme. In Education , look for displays that clearly and creatively explain a topic. Botanical Arts includes nature-inspired crafts and photography. Youth exhibits showcase gardening and creative projects by young people. Most of all, enjoy the show! You don’t need to know the rules to appreciate the beauty, creativity, and skill on display.

Our Club and the Community Community Connections Avis Campbell Gardens & Grounds : Maintain at 60 S. Fullerton Ave. Montclair: Montclair Business Districts: Maintain Triangle Gardens at Church Street and conduct clean-ups of business areas. Montclair History Center : Decorate for the holidays at the Crane House and Historic YWCA . Van Vleck House & Gardens : Support "Scarecrows in the Garden," plant sale, "Roses to Rock Gardens," and "Deck the Halls." Native Plant Society of New Jersey , Essex County Chapter Rutgers Master Gardeners of Essex County : Support plant sale. Montclair Art Museum : Design/support biennial "Art in Bloom." Oasis - A Haven for Women and Children : Offer flower and therapeutic gardening activities. CUMAC : Conduct therapeutic flower arranging workshops with seniors in subsidized housing. Local Public Schools : Plant tulip bulbs in town, introduce elementary children to the joys of plants. Offer landscape and beautification advice. Montclair High School : Award annual scholarship. Deron School : Tulip planting and flower arranging workshop. Girl Scouts : Offer flower/gardening activities and tours of ACG. Grants Other Interesting and Useful Websites Francoise Weeks's unique floral creations Friends of Anderson Park New Jersey Botanical Garden at Skylands The Garden Conservancy American Horticultural Society United Way of Northern New Jersey United States Botanic Garden Essex-Hudson Greenway New York Botanical Garden Brooklyn Botanic Garden GCM Members can also check out some of the fascinating links provided by speakers in our programs. These website links are provided as a convenience. A link does not imply The Garden Club of Montclair's sponsorship. When you access one of these sites, you are leaving The Garden Club of Montclair website.

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

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

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

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

Finance Committee Reports Committees 2025-2026 — Bob Chapman, Treasurer and Chair We are close to the end of two years of major financial activities for the club: revisions to Church Street Gardens; the YMCA project; rehabilitation of Avis Campbell Gardens, including major repairs to the fountain and irrigation system, and completion of the bricks project; and the 100th Anniversary Celebration. These are all unusually large in terms of expenditures for the Club and they have all turned out well. Our conversion to QuickBooks Online has helped to keep track of these big activities. 2025-2026 Committee: Lissa Barrett, Karen Kadus, Imke Oster, Nancy Stroud, Ways & Means—Gretchen Prater (non-voting), President (ex officio)—Fran Ackerly. 2024-2025 — Bob Chapman, Treasurer and Chair From a financial perspective, it has been a good year: Membership dues are back to normal, we have strong assets to protect our future, and we had good participation from Committee leaders in preparing the budget for our next year. We are attracting more grants and donations than ever before: $7,700 in memorial donations and grants from the BID ($4,000) and the Montclair Foundation ($2,000). We renewed our maturing CD at Bank of America with a new $41,000 CD at Valley Bank, which had a much better rate: 4% APY, maturing Jan 26, 2026. We have purchased QuickBooks Online for better reporting and access. We have added two new categories (Committees) to the financial information: o Donations Made: Tracks donations to outside organizations o Memorial Committee Expenses. 2024-2025 Committee: Lissa Barrett, Susan Benner, Karen Kadus, Imke Oster, Nancy Stroud. 2023-2024 — Bob Chapman, Treasurer and Chair We try to keep the finances of GCM really boring: when Finances get exciting, you’re in real trouble! I am happy to say that we have done a pretty good job of “boring” this year. When our approximately $75,000 of CDs matured this year, we rolled them over at the same bank and for about the same annual yield. There weren’t a lot of different options in the marketplace. We are happy to have the income from these investments. We used some funds from savings to replace a vandalized bench at ACG and committed funds to the Triangle Gardens rehab project, which has largely been funded from grants and donations. Probably the most interesting item of the year is that we are apparently exempt now from paying rent and, instead, reserve the meeting rooms we need, including the auditorium, using the building's master reservation system. 2022-2023 — Bob Chapman, Treasurer and Chair The Finance Committee met three times this year by email and Zoom to discuss financial reporting, next year's budget, and investment decisions. It was decided that with the higher interest rates now available in these inflationary times, we should be investing in either T-Bills or CDs. In May we chose CDs of 7-month and 13-month duration. GCM is holding funds that have been donated in memory of several people. One of those amounts was dispensed this year, and we now have a better accounting as to the purpose of the others. The 2023-2024 budget was presented to the Board in March, reviewed and modified through meetings in April and May, and approved at the June Board meeting. We now have a better records-retention arrangement for financial information with solid offsite storage, and improvements in our non-financial records. 2021-2022 — Susan Straten, Treasurer and Chair The Finance Committee met three times this year to discuss the disposition of our savings/endowment, ideas for fund raising suggested by the Ways and Means Committee, and the preparation of the 2022-2023 budget. Our CD at Haven Savings Bank came due February 4th. It was decided not to roll it over and wait to invest the funds, pending improved interest rates. The funds were deposited into our Bank of America savings account. The Garden Club of Montclair was the recipient of many donations in memory of Larry Whitehaus, husband of member Karen Whitehaus, who passed away in May of 2021. The money has been earmarked for repairing the pathways in Avis Campbell Gardens. The Finance Committee presented the initial budget for 2022-2023 at the March Board meeting. Amendments were made then and after further discussions at the April and May Board meetings. The budget for 2022-2023 was approved by the new Board at its first meeting in June. 2020-2021 — Susan Straten, Treasurer and Chair Year-end actual expenses vs income came in $572 under budget due to the lack of activity of a number of Committees. The Finance Committee met several times to create the budget for 2021-2022. It became clear that dues income and random contributions would be insufficient in the future to support the needs of our expanding Committee activities. The Finance Committee recommended that the Ways and Means Committee explore fundraising opportunities which would bring in an additional $3,000-5,000 each year. Ted O'Dell, CPA, is reviewing our books for 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 and will prepare our 2019 and 2020 Tax returns which are due October 1, 2021. We welcome Class of 2023 Bob Chapman and Maureen Michaud to the Finance Committee. 2019-2020 — Tessie Thomas, Treasurer and Chair When the COVID-19 crisis hit, I was amazed how quickly GCM went digital. When I created the ballot for virtual elections, I was thinking, "This was not in our plans!" Over two years in the Treasurer role (and the previous two as Editor of Potpourri), my mantra was automate and digitize. This pandemic just accelerated the whole plan. GCM continues to celebrate nature and make the world a more beautiful place for all. To me, GCM is a reminder of all that is normal and good in the world. There is a natural selflessness in what GCM does — a powerful reminder that collectively we can overcome anything, even a pandemic. As a mother of two teenagers with active sports and academic schedules, along with my work with other nonprofits, I am grateful for the support and inspiration from GCM Board and the Membership. In the work as Treasurer, we continued to build upon the themes of simplifying and digitizing. Nothing gave me more pleasure than instances where we were able to save many a lot of time and effort - even when it was a simple thing like taking a picture of a bill and emailing it to me rather than dropping the bill to my home or mailing it. We continued using Quicken accounting software and stuck to cash accounting. We filed taxes successfully and in a timely manner. We are on strong financial grounds. Despite all the sudden cancellations of plans and programs, we ended the year with $82,619.67: We made the budgeting process even more transparent with inputs over Zoom and buy-in from all the Committee Chairs before settling on the budget with the Finance Committee. After all that hard work, I handed over the keys to Susan Straten. Needless to say, the transition is straightforward as she has been my helpline and mentor! GCM remains fiscally strong. Account 2019 2020 CD $40,315.00 $41,403.98 Savings account $27,053.00 $25,112.87 Checking account $23,986.00 $16,102.82

Calendar Garden Club of Montclair events have green dates; NGC, CAR-SGC, and GCNJ events appear as purple dates.

Garden Boutique Committee Reports Committees 2025-2026 — Susan Benner, Chair The mission of the Garden Club Boutique is to support gardening and design needs while generating revenue. We continue to sell items at programs and workshops. In the fall, the “Waxed Amaryllis,” a great holiday gift, was a popular item. While we use an “at cost” pricing strategy as a service to our club members, keeping costs below retail prices, the Boutique still generated $450 in profit. Exciting Boutique items were for sale at “Great Escapes,” the Small Standard Flower Show held in September, and the Boutique will sell 100th Anniversary Celebration bags, notecards, and various gardening and other gift items at this year's Standard Flower Show. Boutique items are now stored in the club’s storage room. 2025-2026 Committee : Susan Brady, Ellen Colton, Marie Donnelly, Susan Dumont, Dorothy Meissner, Sara Olson, Brigitte Padberg, Nancy Stroud. 2024-2025 — Susan Benner, Chair The mission of the Garden Club Boutique is to support members’ gardening and design needs while contributing revenue. Items are sold at our Program Meetings and Workshops. Although a Basket Raffle wasn’t held this year, we hope to hold one for the 100th Anniversary. The Boutique generated $450 in profit. Boutique items are now stored in the Club storage room. 2024-2025 Committee : Marie Donnelly, Anna Lee, Kem Louie, Nancy Stroud, Allyn Young, Marilyn Zaret. 2023-2024 — Susan Benner, Chair The mission of the Garden Club Boutique is to support your gardening and design needs while contributing revenue to the Club. Once again, flexibility is the key for the Garden Club Boutique. We continued selling items at our Programs and Workshops and had another successful “Basket” program. We generated $1,895 in profit this past year (Revenue: $3,188, Expenses: $1,293). Awards luncheon vendor donations from 2023 appear as income for 2023-2024. We have not received all the donations from the recent awards program, so they will appear as income for 2024-2025. Vendors donated over $450 from sales at our Holiday Tea. We anticipate similar donations from vendors at the Awards Luncheon. Special thanks to all those members and local businesses which donated items and bought tickets for our Baskets at the Luncheon, which contributed $760 to the Club. For those who got a basket, please thank the businesses who donated when you visit their shops. Special thanks to the members of the Boutique Committee for all their efforts. We welcome any new members to the team. All items are stored at the home of Susan Benner. If an item is needed, just ask Susan. 2022-2023 — Susan Benner, Chair The mission of the Garden Boutique is to support your gardening and design needs with flexibility, while contributing revenue. We continued our "Basket" sales and started selling items at our Program and Workshop meetings. We generated over $4000 in profit this past year. With revenue from a large donation of items from Brenda Bingham, we started off the year with $1,351 at our July "Garage Sale." Arts & Flowers : A Design Specialty Flower Show generated over $2,200 in sales ($1,700 in profit). We sold flower show notecards and bags. Special thanks to all our Members who contributed art for sale, which generated $702 in pure profit, along with our gorgeous photo flower dress, which generated over $142 in donations. Vendors generated over $800 from sales at our Holiday Tea and Awards Luncheon. Special thanks to all those Members and local businesses that donated items and bought tickets for our raffle at the luncheon, which contributed over $500 to the Club. Special thanks to the Boutique team and we welcome new Members to join us. Contact Susan Benner for needed items. 2021-2022 — Susan Benner, Chair Once again, our need for a flexible meeting place has challenged the revenue generation of the Garden Boutique. The cancellation of our in-person meetings, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, limited opportunities to sell boutique items and vendor contributions. We did not meet our budget of $1,000 but contributed a profit of $492. The Garden Boutique page on the Club's website was set up last year, but few new items were purchased. The boutique focused on selling our current inventory with a focus on demand items: Oasis, AgraWool, gloves, and garden utensils. "Basket" sales were the primary means of selling. For 2022-2023 our strategy will focus on sales during the 2022 ARTS & FLOWERS, A Design Specialty Flower Show, and providing items for sale as a service to our Members. We continue to use the "at cost" pricing strategy as a service to our Club Members by keeping the costs of tools for design and garden below general retail price. Look for exciting unique Garden Boutique items for sale at September's flower show! Vendor participation was inhibited during the past year, and we hope for more involvement in the upcoming year. Special thanks to the Garden Boutique team who helped with set up and sales. All items are stored at the home of Susan Benner. Just contact Susan Benner if you need anything. The boutique will need help at the 2022 flower show and to "reset" the boutique in the Club room after the remodeling. Please join the team. The mission of the Garden Boutique is to support your gardening and design needs. If an item is needed, JUST ASK. 2020-2021 — Susan Benner, Chair The Garden Club Boutique contributed $570 to the Club this year, less than the budgeted amount of $1,000. The cancellation of our in-person meetings due to the COVID-19 pandemic limited opportunities for Boutique item sales and vendor contributions. The Boutique set up a page on the Club’s website. Few new items were purchased as the Boutique focused on selling current inventory. “Basket” sales were the primary selling mechanism. The 2021-2022 marketing strategy will focus on vendor contributions and sales at the 2022 Flower Show while providing items for sale as a service to our members. We continue to use the “at cost” model as a service to our Club members by keeping the prices of tools for design and gardening below general retail levels. Special thanks to the Boutique team who helped pack up Boutique items in anticipation of the United Way Building remodeling project. All items are now stored at the home of Susan Benner. Contact Susan if you need anything. The Boutique will need help next year for the 2022 Flower Show and then to "reset" the Boutique in the Club Room after remodeling is complete. Please join the team. The mission of the Garden Club Boutique is to support your gardening and design needs. If an item is needed that we don't stock, JUST ASK. 2019-2020 — Susan Benner, Chair The Garden Club Boutique exceeded its projected income of $500 and contributed $1,257 to the Club this year, despite the cancellation of our in-person meetings starting in March due to the Covid-19 emergency. We continue to use the "at cost" pricing strategy as a service to our Club members by keeping the cost of tools for Flower Design and gardening below general retail price. Our profit was achieved by selling unique items such as insulated gardening gloves, Therapy Dough, and Jellyfish air plants, as well as our holiday plants. The biggest revenue comes from the donations from vendors who sell products during our Holiday Tea and Annual Awards Luncheon. The new Make Earth Green Again caps were a success. We donated the profits from the sale of these MEGA caps to A Lot to Grow and NorthEast Earth Coalition — both nonprofit organizations support sustainability and the protection of the environment in Montclair ($108 each). We will order more caps next year for sale during the 2021 Specialty Flower Show. Many of our talented members are once again painting pictures inspired by the flowers in the wonderful Avis Campbell Gardens. The Boutique will sell them next year during the 2021 Flower Show. Special thanks to the Boutique team who helped pack up the Boutique items in anticipation of the remodeling of the United Way Building. All items are now stored at the home of Susan Benner. Contact Susan if you need anything. The Boutique will need help next year for the 2021 Flower Show and then to "reset" the Boutique in the Club room after the remodeling. Please join the team. The mission of the Garden Club Boutique is to support your gardening and design needs. If an item is needed, don't hesitate to ask.

Program Committee Reports Committees 2025-2026 — Cynthia Corhan-Aitken, Chair; Karen Fricke, Vice Chair The Program Committee scheduled five educational programs for the year, although we only ended up holding four due to a snowstorm in February. Sam Hoadley will be scheduled for next year. Here is a list of our programs and speakers: October 20, 2025 , Ethan Dropkin: Urban Landscape Inspirations from Native Plant Communities November 17, 2025 , Linsey Vandevier: Foam-Free Flower Design January 26, 2026 , Dani Scanella: Planning Your Kitchen Garden February 23, 2026 , Sam Hoadley: Wild Hydrangeas for the Mid-Atlantic Region CANCELLED March 23, 2026 , Duncan Himmelman: Gardening for Hummingbirds Our programs were well attended and our raffles brought in extra money that we put to good use for our April program. Rather than an educational lecture, our final program of the year was an evening event, held at the Montclair Art Museum, to mark our 100th Anniversary Celebration. In lieu of our April monthly competition, the Flower Design Committee presented arrangements inspired by each decade of the club’s history. The hallmark of the evening was a legacy film produced by the Program Committee titled “A Century in Bloom.” The film documents the history of our club and is a testament to its impact on the membership and the community. Our thanks and appreciation to our 2024-2025 committee members. Comittee Members, 2025-2026: Barbara Baletti, Charlene Connolly, Sydney Milliken, Amy Poster, Sarah Stransky. 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.

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

Annual Dues 2026-2027 Select ONE of the TWO options in the green boxes below to pay dues, select committees, and update your contact information. PAY DUES ONLINE Update Member info, choose committees, pay dues online . MAIL CHECK AND FORM Fill out PDF , print it out and mail it with check to the address on the form. Any questions? Contact our Membership Chair, Tova Narrett .

Working With Our Youth This committee is unique — offering the opportunity to spark the same enthusiasm that brought us to join the Garden Club in a new generation. Through activities that introduce young people to the basic principles of gardening, design, ecology, and conservation we hope to encourage participants to develop a life-long love of gardens, a direct appreciation of horticulture's therapeutic effects and an understanding of the importance of plants to our planet.

2017 Flower Show

Civic Beautification Watch a slideshow of dozens of efforts by Montclair business owners to win a coveted Garden Club award in 2019 for their efforts to beautify the streets of our town. We hope to bring back this project in 2022.