Hot chocolate and cookies kept all 17 of us warm during today's workshop, Honoring History at the Crane House.   After a slide presentation on the history of Christmas decorating trends and traditions   ( you can watch it here !),   the museum staff took us on a comprehensive tour of the house, explaining how the information from the slide show applies to each room or area.   New purchases have been made by the museum to help us get the historic aspects correct: an authentic goose feather Christmas tree for the formal dining room; period foil decorations and textiles for the YWCA boarders' dining room; even an aluminum tree for the club room.    Please sign up soon to help with decorating:   Greens Preparation Wednesday, December 3, 2025 1 to 3:00PM We will be assembling the greens into garlands, wreaths, and swags for use tomorrow.   https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4EA5A72EABF9C70-57896048-workshop .   Decorating the Crane House and Historic YWCA Thursday, December 4, 2025 10AM to 3:00PM Decorate with Garden Club friends   https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4EA5A72EABF9C70-57896451-decorating

Botanical Arts 1st  - Clare Kuch 2nd 90+ - Michele Tomasik 3rd - Debbie Moran HM Floss O'Sullivan Flower Design Provisional Alexandra. Kildiff Guitar Behbin Novice 2nd - Clare Kuch Intermediate 1st - Kathy Bachmann 2nd 90+ - Pam Turre Advanced Group 1 1st - Cheryl Slutzky 2nd - Susan Benner 3rd - Sarah Olson HM - Susan Brady Advanced Group 2 1st - Michele Tomasik 2nd - Olga Bequillard 3rd - Fricke HM - Floss O'Sullivan Advanced Plus 1st - Barbara Baletti 2nd - Cynthia Corhan-Aitken 3rd - Sarah Stransky Horticulture Many of our talented horticulturalists displayed multiple entries in many categories. Denise Silverman won the most firsts, closely followed by Michele Trevenen, Kathy Bachman, Cynthia Corhan-Aitken, and Sarah Olson. See some of their entries in the slideshow below.

What would Montclair be without its Spring carpets of tulips and daffodils? Get ready, Montclair!  Over the past few weeks the Garden Club planted over 1,000 bulbs all over town. Daffodils and tulips will greet us this Spring along Church Street, outside the YMCA, Sawtelle Learning Center, Mountainside Hospital and, of course, Avis.  Thank you to our rejuvenated Youth Committee, our loyal Church Street and Avis Committees, and all our youth volunteers.

Smiling in front of their lovely designs are, (l-r), Deb Hirsch, Olga Bequillard, Marie Donnelly, Barbara Baletti, Florence Leyss è ne, Brenda Bingham, Celia Radek, and Sarah Olson. Not shown because the photographer couldn't get them in the frame are Claire Kuch, Tova Narrett, and a very shy but excellent Member. Sue Young provided coffee and compliments. Last Wednesday our talented flower designers gathered en masse in the Garden Room to create the centerpieces for the local organization IMANI's fundraiser held on Thursday. For 25 years, IMANI, under the inspired leadership of JoAnn McCullough, has worked with over 5,500 Montclair kids of color to tackle the educational achievement gap with study groups and elementary student reading groups, SAT classes, and one-on-one assistance with college essays and applications. As well as our Board supporting the group with an ad in the event Journal, Barbara Baletti organized our experienced designers to create the beautiful centerpieces for the event you can see here. Unfortunately one of IMANI's logo colors is blue, so these experts had to ignore their training and the blue dye on their fingers to incorporate the only blue flowers in cold New Jersey into their sweet designs. The slideshow below shows most of them hard at work, and slideshow at the bottom of the page shows their creations in situ. And here are the hugely admired creations at the event, transferred from the garden room with no accidents.

The brick purchased by the Club. Visit the gardens to view the many messages, ranging from formal to tender, scattered throughout the new paths. All week long Avis has been filled with contractors ― under the hawk eye of Cynthia Corhan-Aitken ― translating the vision of a brand new Avis into reality. The new paths with their clean edgings have been under construction since the middle of October, and, on Thursday, Nov. 6, the workers placed the named bricks with their wonderful messages throughout the gardens. Congratulations to all involved in this amazingly successful project, spearheaded by Susan Benner and Michele Trevenen . It not only raised funds to upgrade the gardens, but it enabled Members, friends, and Montclair citizens alike to write their messages of affection for our beautiful Avis Campbell Gardens. Thank you so much, Cynthia , Susan , Michele , Ana , the members of the Avis Campbell Gardens Committee , and all the people who bought the bricks decorating these elegant new paths. The photos below are from Tuesday, when the plain paths were pretty much completed, and Thursday when the named bricks were inserted. Some of the photos are of our gardeners and the fountain, just because they and the fall colors were so glorious. And notice the new Pollinator Pathway sign!

We are so proud that our own Deborah Hirsch is co-honoree with Toni's Kitchen at the Montclair Foundation's "Deck the Hall"s annual fundraiser . We all know her as an indefatigable Member and ex-President creating giant projects in the town or quietly supporting everything we do for so many years, but you may not be aware of her other achievements with the Montclair Foundation and the Montclair Art Museum, among other projects. Many of us will be attending the event at the Museum on Saturday, November 22, 2025, 6:30 – 10 PM, but tickets are still on sale at https://montclairfoundation.org/event/deck-the-halls-2025/

Ethan Dropkin Our first very well-attended meeting of the year on October 20 featured Ethan Dropkin, landscape designer and lover of native plants. He gave a fascinating talk on the similarity of challenging urban situations to equally challenging natural situations. For example, city tree pits share the same horrible conditions as forests in a flood plain. He also suggested some really interesting and unusual trees that work well in specifically terrible conditions and adapt to our changing climate. For example, the Blackhaw, a native viburnum that, unlike many cultivars, resists the dreaded virburnum leaf beetle, is very tolerant of sun or shade, ignores droughts and scoffs at high pH with its showy flowers, fruits and dramatic fall color. There were many more. Results of this month's competitions: Botanical Arts 1st - Floss O'Sullivan 2nd - Karen Fricke 3rd - Michele Tomasik HM - Marilyn Zaret Provisional - Tracy White Flower Design Provisional Ali Kilduff Novice 2st- Clare Kuch 3rd - Tray Reilly Intermediate 1st - Kathy Bachmann 2nd - Marie Donnelly Advanced 1st - Karen Fricke 2nd (90+) - Olga Bequillard 3rd - Susan Brady Advanced Plus 1st - Fran Ackerly 2nd -Cynthia Corhan-Aitken 3rd - Barbara Baletti Coming soon: horticulture results and glorious photos of all of this month's competitions.

Recently, Montclair Garden Club members were pleased to meet with leaders of the Montclair Township to discuss potential opportunities and projects focusing on the environment and beautification of our community. The meeting was a brainstorming continuation of the collaboration started this year with the Environment Committee's wildly successful greening of the Church Street Circle. This is just the beginning of exciting new joint projects, like the current planting at the Y. Working with our township officials can only benefit our beautiful Montclair, and is another step on our ongoing goal to reach out to the community. Below, In attendance (l-r): Deborah Hirsch, Dr. Lisa Johnson (Montclair Township Sustainability Office), Fran Ackerly, Sarah Stransky, Susan Shin Andersen (Montclair Township Deputy Mayor), Sarah Olson, Austin Ashely (Montclair Township Department of Community Services), Stephen Marks (Montclair Township   Manager), and Karen Whitehaus (not pictured).

A screenshot from the beginning of a reel (tiny movie) on our Instagram page where Amy (left) and Tracy introduce themselves. Click on the button at left to go to our I nstagram page. In a crowded and very animated classroom at the Library on Friday, our marketing experts Tracy Reilly and Amy South brought many of us into the world our kids take for granted ― namely the advantages social media can bring to our Club. As you can see from the attached presentation , the enthusiastic and professional posts on Instagram (posted also to Facebook) Tracy and Amy have been creating over the summer have already brought us 1,600 followers. Many of these people had never heard of the Club before they watched these cute, funny, informative, buzzy posts and reels. The Avis crew are already noticing so many more people visiting the “secret garden” as the word gets out. This wonderful workshop showed both our experienced and inexperienced social users how social media works, and ― most important ― how we can help our dynamic duo by creating our own little videos and forwarding them in an email to both Tracy and Amy. (See the presentation for suggestions about how to do that.) They will then add music and captions and let the world know about the joy the Garden Club of Montclair brings to us all. Takeways Always click the heart to "like" a post Try to make a comment Share on your own social media Take tiny videos (15-20 seconds) on your phone and forward (email) them to Tracy and Amy Sharing authentic moments from workshops, garden projects, or celebrations helps attract new interest and fosters a sense of belonging among existing members. Remember, every small effort on social media can make a big difference in building our club’s online presence and welcoming new faces. Any questions, feel free to ask Amy or Tracy at any time. They are well aware that this is new to many of us, and want to share their enthusiasm and to encourage us all to contribute. Cell phones make it easy!

Eleven Active Members gathered together on September 25 to welcome four Provisionals, plus two guests interested in the club, who enjoyed themselves so much, they joined the same night!  Cheryl Slutzky welcomed us to her beautiful home with beverages and snacks. Barbara Baletti and Fran Ackerly gave a masterful introduction to American Traditional Flower Design, demonstrating both triangular mass and vertical line-mass designs. Celia Radek followed with an explanation of what Horticulture competitions are all about, with sample specimens.  Karen Fricke shared three “cheat sheets” she created, things she learned (or wish she had learned!) as a Provisional. We hope that this introduction to the club helped Provisionals and newer members become more familiar with our monthly competitions, and we look forward to seeing their entries in October!

The Garden Club of Montclair has joined the Pollinator Pathway , an international program that works to connect green spaces, both public and private, to create safe passageways for resident and migrating pollinators.   Check out our three gardens on the Pollinator Pathway website!   Avis Campbell Gardens Church Street Gardens Church Street Circle Garden   And consider adding your garden (or single garden bed or window box or planter!) to the Pollinator Pathway. There is no charge, unless you wish to purchase a yard sign to proudly announce your participation in helping save our pollinators, and really, when you think about it, the whole darn world.   Find out what this grassroots movement is all about.

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

On this sad day of remembrance for our town and the whole country, the following photos show how the Avis Campbell Committee has been working this year to upgrade the 9/11 Memorial in the gardens. The new replacement granite bench was installed, and several new perennials were planted, including hellebores, brunneras, pulmonarias, hydrangeas, Lily Turfs, and Angel Wings.   The stone was originally funded by Member Ann Johnson and her husband Tom in memory of their son Scott who was killed in the attack. To this day, Tom wears a safety pin with the American flag.

Last year's Church Street plantings (with a few added annuals) flourish on Church Street to the delight of Montclair passers-by and diners. The Triangle Committee continues its contribution to the beauty of Montclair. Cynthia Corhan=Aitken writes: "Thank you to Kathy Bachman, Maggie Rothman and the Triangle Committee for keeping everything looking happy and healthy. I was there on Thurday, June 10 and did the “Chelsea Chop” on the Asters.  The Chelsea Chop is a pruning technique used for certain perennials. It got the name because it is typically done around the time of the Chelsea Flower Show in London which is late May to early June.  (Clearly, I am rather late!). You basically gather up the plant like a pony tail and give it a chop. You can go back in afterward and tidy it up but that’s about it. It is done to control the plant size, delay flowering and encourage less leggy more bushy growth. It also prevents taller plants from flopping over. Some perennials that benefit from the chop: Achillea (Yarrow) Asters Campanula Coreopsis Eupatorium (Joe Pye Weed) Geranium Helenium Solidago"

On Van Vleck's Family Day on June 21, our Club's Youth Committee helped little ones make colorful, fun, easy flowers. It was enjoyed by various ages! Thanks to Donna Karanja and Suzy Straten for establishing this partnership. We look forward to upcoming opportunities and events that will allow the Youth Committee to spark the same enthusiasm that brought us to join the Garden Club in a new generation. Come join us and foster future "gardenophiles."

See more photos at the end of this article For years, everyone visiting the Board of Education or circling the century-old roundabout at the junction of Valley, Church, and Hillside fumed about the muddy mess in this 40-foot-wide circle. Back in 1976, the Garden Club donated a fountain and created and maintained an oasis in the middle of the road for 30 years until that responsibility was taken away from us and the area languished. Careless construction vehicles driving to a nearby apartment project further degraded the area. In December 2024, Deb Hirsch and Sarah Olson met with the planning and development office of the town to offer our help in the rebirth of the circle as part of the Club’s mission to combine civic beauty with environmental best practices. Marie Donnelly, Wendy Stahl, Celia Radek and Sarah Olson met at the circle to discuss ideas, and, with the help of Deb and Wendy, Celia came up with a beautiful plan using only native perennials and grasses. Months of careful planning followed, involving calculations of soil needs, plant quantities, mulch, and logistics. Cynthia Corhan-Aitken handled the purchases. A pivotal moment came when a local resident’s letter  expressing frustration with the muddy circle appeared in the  Montclair Local . The Club quickly responded , announcing their upcoming efforts and highlighting their commitment to beautifying Montclair. A Community Effort Takes Root On Friday, June 13, a pile of eight cubic yards of soil was dumped on the circle, a packed and weedy, stony mess. The weather was a summer combination of rain storms and humidity. Some hardy souls started hacking away at the mats of grass and weeds with rakes and hands, until Deb realized that this is what rototillers are designed for. Over the next four days, whenever the rain let up, Deb’s husband Peter pushed the jumping machine back and forth while Members painstakingly filled 10 paper leaf bags with chopped up weeds and spread three inches of dirt ― now mud ― over the area. We left a boundary of four feet for the town to fill with stones or Belgian block to allow for clumsy drivers. During those back-breaking days, passing cars honked their approval, and some local people even joined in the work. Wednesday was the fun day. The truck arrived with the plants and Club Members scampered between the cars, carrying 236 plants (see full list at the end of this article) onto the circle. There Celia directed our volunteers where to place them and Members and friends dug down to the very vocal good wishes of passers-by. It was a remarkable shared experience, driven by the need to get the plants in before the forecasted heat wave, but also a reminder of our renewed commitment to our town and the environment. The Future Happily, there is a water pipe in the circle that was put in a few years ago when the township was considering replacing the old fountain. The attempt was abandoned when the town realized how difficult and expensive maintaining fountains are in the north-east, but the pipe remains. The town has agreed to attach a spigot to this pipe and we will then connect drip hoses to save the plants during the ferocious heat of the summer. Hopefully this will be done soon because we are still in danger of losing our plants to the heat of summer, in spite of some efforts from the water trucks of the BID and the township. Currently the town has ordered and plans to install the needed parts within the next two weeks. Supposedly the township will be coming up with a more elaborate solution to the problem of vehicles driving over the area and we will be working closely with any plans they develop. Until then, we will be maintaining our beautiful new garden in the middle of the road. Truly, this has been a triumph of will, camaraderie, and cooperation. Here is a list of all the people who helped. Many thanks to: Kathy Bachmann, Barbara Baletti, Susan Benner,  Olga Bequillard, Cynthia Corhan-Aitken, Mike DeCastro, Marie Donnelly, Larry Engelstein, Peter Hirsch, Deborah Hirsch, Donna Karanja, Mateo Karanja (Donna’s grandson), Betty Murphy, Sarah Olson, Amy Poster, Celia Radek, Peter Reilly, Tracy Reilly, Matt Schifrin, Amy South, Maureen Sprong, Wendy Stahl, Susan Yu, Sue Young, Dio from the Quest Emporium, and the Circle Guardian. Full List of Plants in the Circle Agastache 'Blue Fortune' Blue Fortune Anise Hyssop Amsonia hubrichtii Hubricht's Bluestar Conoclinium coelestinum Blue Mistflower, Hardy Ageratum Coreopsis verticillata 'Zagreb' Zagreb Whorled Tickseed Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus' Coneflower Liatris spicata Blazing Star Penstemon digitalis Foxglove Beardtongue Pycnanthemum muticum Short-Toothed Mountain Mint Rudbeckia fulgida ' Little Goldstar' Little Goldstar Black-eyed Susan Schizachyrium scoparium ‘Standing Ovation’ Little Bluestem 'Standing Ovation' Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks' Fireworks Goldenrod Vernonia noveboracensis New York Ironweed

The latest update of the schedule for "Great Escapes," the small flower show planned for this September, has been posted. Please review, and let the Chairs for the various sections know that you want to exhibit. Do this as soon as possible to reserve your place. Botanical Arts: Florence Leyssène Flower Design: Barbara Baletti Horticulture: Maureen Sprong Each schedule page on the website will always have a link to the latest version of the schedule.

... but that didn’t stop 19 Club members from thoroughly enjoying Wildfair, the "Mansion in May" show house and gardens in Chester County fundraiser for Morristown Hospital. Although touring the gardens in a downpour was next to impossible, we did manage to see the entire home and finish with a stroll through the boutique. Then it was off to the Black Horse Tavern in Mendham for a delicious lunch and conversation with old friends and new ones. The sun came out just in time for our ride home! Looking forward to the 2027 showhouse. Thank you to Cynthia for putting this trip together! --Karen Kadus

Open Garden of Kazys Varnelis & Jennifer Bell THIS Wednesday, May 28, 2025 Address 3:30 to 6:30 There is so much to love at this one.  The garden is designed and maintained by Kazys Varnelis who is a historian of architecture, an artist who has exhibited at MoMA, and the President of the Native Plant Society of New Jersey.  Not being able to fit into our 2024 schedule, Kazys has waited a year to invite us to his May garden where his mid-century modern home beautifully blends into the forest garden that he transformed during the last eight years. Kazys's blog documents the evolution of this Northeastern native plant collection and their history in culture. Kazys and Jennifer are also hosts to this weekend’s Roses to Rock Gardens tour, so you will find easier parking and time to chat with them this Wednesday.  Rain or shine, this Open Garden is on! Marilyn Zaret ( marzaret@comcast.net )

June 10-12, 2025   The Garden Club of New Jersey is exc i te d to be offer i ng F l ower Show S choo l Ill i n J une o f t his year a t Holly House , 1 2 6 L og Ca bi n R oad , Eas t Br u nswick, N J . T h ese classes can b e ta ken in a n y o rder; t a k en for credit wit h t h e ob j ective of becom i ng a j udge or audited to le a r n m ore about F l ower Shows, ju dg in g, designs , and h orti cu l tu re . We hope you will conside r re gis te r i ng . Regis t ration info rmation i s o n the GCNJ website .   On Tuesday, Jun e 10,  our own He id i Mu s ch ic k w i ll ins t r uct i n horticu l tu r e, sp ec i ficall y j udg i ng roses and c o m bi na tion pla ntings a n d pr o cedures. T he GCN J members will p rov id e numerous p l ant mater i a l a nd p l antings for yo u r l earn i ng ex p erien c e . The morn i ng is s p en t learning all about these su bject s, then we break for l unch, a nd then c on cent ra te fo r t wo h ours on poi nt scor i ng wh ic h is th e bas i s for all judg i ng . T hose takin g it for cred i t w i ll do poi n t scor i ng for c red i t from 3-5 p.m.   Wedn es day, June 11 , L ynn F ronk fr om Georgia w ill i ns t ruct u s o n C r e ative Design an d st aging a nd p r ocedures. Ag a i n, our members and the i n st ructor w i ll have des i gns i n front o f you t hat w i ll be expla i ne d an d p oin t-s co r e d fo r your l earn in g e xp e r ience .   Fo r t hose t ak i ng the exam on l y , we w i ll mee t a t 9 a.m . unti l noon for a wr itt en exam on both su b j ects, o n T hursday, June 12.   Att en d i ng th ese courses is a wond e rful jo u rney and l ea rn i ng e xp erience . W e hop e you w i ll joi n us, for one day o r b o t h days. P l ease ch eck o ut our r eg is t r ation fo r the club spec i a l rate. Gail Bas so l i no is our r eg i st r a r an d may be r eached at cbassolino@aol.com for any re g i stration questions . T edd i e F a l cone i s the Fl ower Show Ch a ir a nd may be reached at tlfalcone@gmail.com for questions. P l ease CLICK HERE  for full reg i st r a tion information.   Flower Show School IV will be coming up in the spring of 2026. Stay tuned!