Our Purpose The Garden Club of Montclair educates Members and the public in their knowledge and practice of conservation, horticulture, and the artistic use of plant material. We work to beautify the Township of Montclair and the State of New Jersey. The Club sponsors and supports projects of an educational character, specifically allied to these purposes, and fosters fellowship through its work and its social activities. Club Member Benefits Programs : Members and their friends enjoy renowned speakers, authors, and experts on notable gardens, original flower design techniques, pollinator cultivation, and community outreach through gardening. ​ Workshops : Members and Provisionals have the opportunity to gain knowledge and experience in Horticulture, Floral Design, and Botanical Arts by attending these workshops. Members and Provisionals only, unless indicated otherwise. Materials fees may apply. ​ Avis Campbell Gardens and Grounds : Located at 60 S. Fullerton Avenue in Montclair, Avis Campbell Gardens is maintained by Club Members and is a beautiful space open to the public. Learn from our masterful gardeners and get hands-on experience. ​ Community Outreach via Garden Therapy, Triangle Gardens, and Youth Organizations : Opportunities abound to beautify our town by planting at Church Street and sharing flower design/gardening techniques with charitable organizations. Help harvest at Avis Campbell Gardens to create Thanksgiving arrangements for Toni's Kitchen and other food pantry clients. Members partner with Scouts and schoolchildren in garden related activities. ​ Open Gardens : Serving as a connection among our Membership, Open Gardens provides an opportunity to share knowledge and creativity. With friends included, these periodic social gatherings continue to expand in popularity and serve as outreach to our community. ​ Garden Boutique : The Garden Boutique offers unique flower arranging, gardening, and related items for sale. ​ Holiday Tea, Annual Awards Celebration, Clip, Dip & Sip in ACG : Enjoy social gatherings that build camaraderie among Members, share successes and experiences with one another, and appreciate floral displays and our beautiful gardens. 2023 -2024 Fees and Annual Dues Active Member : $100 Associate Member: $125 Non-Resident Member: $ 50 Provisional: $100 Emeritus: $0 Guest Fee: Donations welcome

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. Garden Boutique Committee Reports Committees 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.

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. Program Committee Reports Committees 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.

Membership Committee Reports Committees 2022 -2023 — Cheryl Slutzky, Chair Without Members, we would not have our wonderful Garden Club of Montclair. We saw an influx of nineteen new Provisionals throughout this past year. Several had to withdraw for personal reasons, but we left the door open for their return. From this class, we welcome three new active Members ready to share their talents: Kathy Bachmann, Jacoba Coes, and Karen Fricke. ​ It is vital to the Club's growth to have a rolling admissions policy. If someone is interested in becoming a Member in November or January, we want to welcome them so they can start fulfilling Provisional requirements. While Horticulture might be on hold during winter, there are plenty of workshops, events like Crane House decorating, and clerking for judges. Garden Therapy opportunities were very popular with Provisionals, building camaraderie and helping the Club to do community outreach. ​ Thanks to Sue Young for making the Membership database available and simplifying sending out correspondence, renewing memberships, keeping the database current, and staying on track. ​ I so appreciate all the Committee Chairs, especially Flower Design, Horticulture and Avis Campbell Gardens. You worked with me to keep our Provisionals current and on schedule. Your input and team effort helps us do our best to get to know new people while strengthening relationships with current Members, making everyone feel at home in The Garden Club of Montclair. 2021 -2022 — Deborah Hirsch, Chair Despite our continued health crisis, our Membership continued to grow, with an outstanding group of new Provisionals and a wonderful new leader of Membership, Cheryl Slutzky, for the coming two years. This year we did enjoy some time together, and it was without doubt a welcome time. The kindness of our Committee Chairs provided two workshops on two weekends for Provisionals in the fall at Avis Campbell Gardens, in Flower Design and Horticulture. I learn something from every workshop and going back to basics is always informative. Our incredible team of leaders have brought us new Members, maintained a steady calendar of Programs, Workshops, Flower Design, and Horticulture shows, Garden Therapy events, opportunities to work in our gardens, and exceptional communication through our emails and first-rate website. We are working to make evenings and weekends a regular part of our offerings, as we have many Members working full-time who will stick with us if we do! I look forward to working on many committees and under the leadership of our new President, Sarah Stransky, even as we bid adieu to our dear Florence. Take a moment to review the list of new and ongoing Provisionals, as this year we will have an opportunity to get to know them in person, as they will get to know all our Active Members and Committee Chairs. 2020 -2021 — Deborah Hirsch, Chair Would you like to know how it feels to be a member of the Garden Club of Montclair during the Pandemic? Remember when the Titanic was sinking and the band continue to play? Well, we are that band. ​ Our members have been impacted in a myriad ways but the coming together for our in-person Awards meeting this May reminded us all of the importance of our relationships to one another, to our beautiful Avis Campbell and Triangle Gardens, to the educational yearning we seek, to the community we serve, and to the amazing resilience of our members, young and old. ​ Welcome to the new Provisional class: Tracey Alampi, Betty Murphy, Virginia Woo, and Lauren Zodel. Inquiries continue to roll in and last year's Provisional class has for the most part stuck with us, lending a helping hand where they could during this shutdown in our lives. ​ We will meet again in May of 2022 to celebrate our new members properly. Until then, thank you to the Membership committee who willingly reached out to our membership to check in throughout the year. 2019 -2020 — Deborah Hirsch, Chair Our Membership has proven robust and flexible during this challenging year. Twenty-two Provisionals participated with enthusiasm from the beginning of the year. The Executive Committee unanimously agreed that they all be invited to become Active members for the coming year, since they were unable to complete their requirements because of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown. The response was a rousing thank you! Please welcome our new Active members: Susan Brady, Elizabeth Burgess, Christina Cattell, Robert Chapman, Ellen Colton, Jessica Fleming, Sharon Karlson, Dorothy Meissner, Maureen Michaud, Sarah H. Olson, Jacqueline Rondeau, Barbara Schiavone, Florence Sinofsky, Wendy Stahl, and Sue Young. Thank you to their sponsors, and I hope you will continue to support them in their first year Active status. Please welcome our new Provisional class for 2020-2021 who have already taken advantage of opportunities to work outdoors in the Avis Campbell Gardens and Triangle Gardens: Joan Byrne, Nancy L. Herron, Eleni LaSenna, Laela Perkins, and Maryellen Stadtlander. Remember, we encourage Membership applications year round, so if you know of someone who would enjoy our Club, send them my way. I hope all our members will embrace the new year in its virtual form for the time being, as our Committee Chairs work hard to spin their magic in Design, Horticulture, Programs, Workshops, Education, and Garden Therapy for us to enjoy. Thank you to my Membership Committee for their support this year: Carol Callahan, Sarah Olson, Brigitte Padberg, Gretchen Prater, Denise Silverman, Kathy Sorkin, Judy Voccola. And to Fran Wong, Database Wizard, for keeping our information up-to-date, thank you!

Flower Design October 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 November 2020 October 2020 ​ Horticulture October 2021 February 2021 January 2021 November 2020 October 2020 Online Flower Design and Horticultural Exhibitions During those shut-in days of COVID, we coped by creating an inventive form of exhibiting online. See the entries, below, for our locked-in designs, photographed and uploaded at home by our members and critiqued by our own NGC judges.

Community Connections Avis Campbell Gardens & Grounds : Maintain at 60 S. Fullerton Ave. Montclair: Maintain Triangle Gardens at Church Street. Montclair History Center : Decorate for the holidays at the Crane House and Historic YWCA . Van Vleck House & Gardens : Support plant sale, "Roses to Rock Gardens," and "Deck the Halls." Rutgers Master Gardeners of Essex County : Support plant sale. Montclair Art Museum : Design/support biennial "Art in Bloom." Toni's Kitchen : Provide floral arrangements to food pantry clients. Oasis - A Haven for Women and Children : Offer flower and gardening activities. Mountainside Hospital : Deliver flower arrangements to nurses. Montclair Public Schools : Plant tulip bulbs in town. Montclair High School : Award annual scholarship. Watchung School : Advise Connected Courtyard project. Girl Scouts : Offer flower/gardening activities and tours of ACG. The Garden Club of New Jersey, Inc. Central Atlantic Region - State Garden Clubs, Inc. National Garden Clubs, Inc. ​ Other Interesting and Useful Websites Francoise Weeks' 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 ​ 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.

2022-2023 — Terri Breen, Editor The eight issues of Potpourri published this year documented and celebrated our Membership's successes and achievements, our community service contributions, and our educational events. ​ Potpourri also serves as our Club's historical archive by documenting Flower Design, Horticulture, and Botanical Arts results and awards. The majority of our Members receive a full-color newsletter via email, while approximately twenty members receive a mailed hardcopy in black and white. Via links in our emailed version, Members can connect directly to information on our website and other informative websites. ​ I consider myself fortunate to have the assistance of some very special women. Thank you to Marilyn Zaret for picking up, labeling, and mailing Potpourri to our hardcopy list every month. Thank you to Barbara Baletti for her creative editorial contributions. This year, Barbara created a new fun and upbeat "column" called Grapevine that we hope to expand next year. Finally, special thanks to Fran Wong who not only oversees the monthly email blasts of Potpourri, but has patiently helped me through some thorny technical issues. Potpourri Committee Reports Committees 2021-2022 — Terri Breen, Editor; Claire Stepleton, Karen Whitehaus, Co-Editors Potpourri provides the Club's membership with information on upcoming events including outings, workshops, programs, community service activities, and celebrations. It serves as the Club's historical archive by documenting flower design and horticulture results, awards, and events. We make the newsletter colorful and interesting with photos that illustrate the talent, hard work, and successes of our membership. To keep Potpourri fresh and informative, Members are encouraged to provide feedback, suggestions, and always-photos! With pandemic restrictions this year, Potpourri was an important way to communicate meeting and location changes to our membership. Eight issues of Potpourri were published this year with December-January and May-June combined into one issue. Most Members receive the newsletter via email. Currently, 28 Members receive hardcopy. Special thanks to Marilyn Zaret for picking up, labeling, and mailing Potpourri to our hardcopy list. The newsletter is also available in the protected section of our website at: gardenclubofmontclair.com/potpourri . Please email Sue Young to obtain access. Terri Breen will resume her position as Potpourri Editor next year. Good luck, Terri! 2020-2021 — Terri Breen, Editor For 2020-2021, seven issues of Potpourri were published. The majority of issues were sent to our Membership via email and 28 copies were sent snail mail. This was a decrease from prior years resulting in a savings in our printing and postage costs. As a Committee, we decided to change the deadline for articles due from the 1st of the month to the 15th of the month. Committee chairs will see this change in the new Yearbook calendar. I would like to thank Committee members Marilyn Zaret, who has been responsible for our monthly mailing, and Karen Whitehaus for meticulously proofreading and correcting my initial drafts. It has been a pleasure working with these women. 2019-2020 — Debbie Moran, Chair Potpourri provides the Garden Club of Montclair Membership with information about upcoming events including outings, Workshops, Programs, community service activities, and celebrations. It also serves as the Club's historical archive by documenting Flower Design and Horticulture Competition results, awards, and event recaps. We try to make the newsletter colorful and interesting with photos that illustrate the talent, hard work, and successes of our Membership. We constantly strive to enhance Potpourri so members are invited to provide feedback and suggestions to keep it new and informative. ​ Seven issues of Potpourri were published during the Program year with December-February combined into one issue and May-June into one issue. The Newsletter was an especially valuable communication tool this year during the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic which resulted in the cancellation of most Club activities after mid-March. ​ Most members receive the Newsletter via email. Currently, 29 members receive hardcopy via US mail. Special thanks go to Karen Whitehaus for proofreading every issue and to Marilyn Zaret for picking up, labeling, and mailing Potpourri to our hardcopy list. The Newsletter is also available for viewing and download on this website . ​ It's been a great honor to be the editor of Potpourri the last two years. We are so fortunate to have Terri Breen taking the helm; I know she will enjoy the "job" as much as I did! Welcome, Terri!

Projects Click on any of the many varied projects, below, to find out more of what we do year-round in our town. 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. Triangle 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).

Flower Design Committee Reports Committees 2022-2023 — Fran Ackerly, Chair; Barbara Baletti, Vice Chair It was an exciting year for Flower Design. Inspired by the success of our award-winning flower show, Arts & Flowers : A Design Specialty Flower Show, the committee made some changes to the design schedule for monthly competitions. The format was altered to follow the schedule of an actual flower show, allowing Members more freedom in choosing a design class and type. New workshops were offered, interesting challenges in Flower Design were introduced, and Botanical Arts made its debut. Members enjoyed the new opportunities, and Club competitions were replete with decorated hats and boxes, dazzling masks, and necklaces. These new additions were enthusiastically embraced by designers. We exhibited fifty-two Flower Designs and twenty-five Botanical Arts designs in five competitions this year. To educate new Members and increase participation in Flower Design, we are going "back to basics," returning to our original flower design format. Botanical Arts will become a separate division and have its own committee. 2021-2022 — Fran Ackerly, Chair; Barbara Baletti, Vice Chair Concerns about COVID-19 had an impact on Flower Design events again this year. Virtual Design Exhibitions were held in October, November, January, and February. Designers took a photo of their flower design, attached the photo to the online entry form, and sent their entry to The Garden Club of Montclair 's website. The judges were able to view the design photos and add their comments. I want to thank our own judges, Florence Leyssène and Debbie Moran, for the countless hours they spent critiquing the designs each month, and Sue Young for putting each Exhibition on the website for Members to enjoy viewing. To everyone's delight, in March and April there was a return to inperson Design Competitions. March brought us lovely Petite Designs ranging in size from 3 inches to 12 inches. In April, designers rose to the challenge of a Multi-Rhythmic Design. I want to thank all designers for participating and for sharing their creativity and talent. This year, 28 designers entered a total of 72 flower designs. ​ A thank you also must go to Barbara Baletti, Vice Chair of Flower Design, whose ideas, suggestions, and support were invaluable. Working together this year was great and Flower Design survived and thrived. 2020-2021 — Fran Ackerly, Chair; Barbara Baletti, Vice Chair Many things were different this year due to the pandemic and Flower Design was no exception. The monthly Flower Design Competitions became Virtual Design Exhibitions. Each month, designers took photos of their designs and submitted them electronically to the Club’s website. Once submitted, they were critiqued by our own member Judges and each designer was awarded one point for participation. No Flower Design awards were given this year. The aim was to keep members connected and involved during the difficult time of COVID-19. In all, 23 designers submitted a total of 95 designs. This success would not have been possible without the support of Vice-Chair Barbara Baletti, Flower Design Committee members, Workshops Chair Floss O'Sullivan, and the Communications Chair Amy South. Thank you to all. 2019-2020 — Cynthia Corhan-Aitken, Fran Ackerly, Vice Chair This will serve as my last report as Chair of Flower Design as I pass the baton to Fran Ackerly and her Vice Chair Barbara Baletti. I have loved every minute of serving as Chair of this committee mainly due to the fact that I have always had an enthusiastic group of volunteers with whom to work. My sincerest thanks go to Fran Ackerly who served as my Vice Chair during my second term and took a huge weight off my shoulders by always being willing to help and advise. Much gratitude and many thanks go to Florence Leyssène and Debbie Moran for always being there to support me, answer my many questions and, in general, encourage me every step of the way. To my Flower Design Committee members: Barbara Baletti, Brenda Bingham. Joan Crowther, Firth Fabend, Sharla Blanz, Carol Callahan, Tova Narrett, Floss O'Sullivan, Michele Quinn, Sarah Stransky, and Marylin Zaret; you have all always been willing to help and have taken on the many tasks that go along with this Committee with willingness and grace. Most importantly, thank you to all the designers who have participated in our monthly Flower Design Competitions. Your creativity has never failed to impress and amaze me. Without you all there would be a lot less beauty in the world! This has been a difficult spring for everyone. Who could have predicted that the world would go into lockdown in March and that life as we know it would change so extremely? Sadly, we missed two competitions for Design and Botanical Arts in March and April and, of course, there was the cancellation of our Design Specialty Flower Show scheduled for September. I look forward to the day, hopefully in the not too distant future, when we will all be back together again doing the things we love and sharing it with all of our Garden Club friends.

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Explanation of Provisional Requirements back to main Provisional page ​ Program Meetings are held monthly from September to April for Garden Club Members and guests. Speakers come with an extensive knowledge of subjects germane to gardening, Flower Design, Horticulture, and Botanical Arts. Meetings coincide with monthly Flower Design, Horticulture, and Botanical Arts competitions. A tea and social follow Program Meetings. Workshops are offered throughout the year to help Provisionals learn about Flower Design, cultivating and exhibiting Horticulture, as well as other topics related to gardening. Workshops are entertaining, hands-on, and fun. Avis Campbell Gardens & Grounds are the pride of the Garden Club. The Gardens are located at 60 South Fullerton Avenue and maintained by the Membership, both Active and Provisional. Volunteering time at Avis Campbell is an enjoyable experience. It is an opportunity to meet and work with other Provisionals and learn about gardening from our experts. Triangle Mall Gardens are the raised planting beds along Church Street in downtown Montclair. They are maintained in the fall and spring by Club Members with the help of Provisionals. The Business Improvement District (BID) partners with the Garden Club in supplying funds and maintenance assistance during the growing season. Garden Therapy is an opportunity to aid the physical, mental, and emotional health of persons in the community who are facing personal challenges such as physical disability, homelessness, or violence. We lead flower arranging workshops and other garden-related activities that inspire creativity and personal achievement for the individuals we serve. Flower Design is an integral component of the Garden Club. There are opportunities to create traditional designs, as well as those which express more "freedom of style", and exhibit in monthly competitions. You will learn through Workshop participation and the help of our expert designers. Provisional designs are not judged, but receive constructive comments. Horticulture involves the cultivation of fruits, flowering plants, vegetables, and ornamental plants with opportunities for Members to exhibit specimens from their gardens or potted plants from their homes. Our workshops will teach you to experiment and improve your own gardens. Clerking Flower Design, Horticulture, and Botanical Arts competitions include shadowing judges as they view all entries in the monthly in-house competition, recording their comments, criticism, points, and placing awards. The purpose of these requirements is to provide exposure to the important activities of the Club. We encourage you to attend Membership meetings whenever possible, to try your hand at additional Flower Design, Horticulture, and Botanical Arts competitions, and to partake in as many Workshops as you can. In addition, you might like to join in the seasonal decoration of Montclair History Center's Crane House & Historic YWCA or the biennial "Art in Bloom" exhibition at the Montclair Art Museum — two important civic events that are both meaningful and fun. The more activities you become involved in, the sooner you become acquainted with other Members and begin to feel that you are a part of a wonderful organization. ​ ​

< Back Long-term benefits of clean energy sources Kim Jennings Mar 20, 2023 This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. Want to view and manage all your collections? Click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. Here, you can make changes to your content, add new fields, create dynamic pages and more. Your collection is already set up for you with fields and content. Add your own content or import it from a CSV file. Add fields for any type of content you want to display, such as rich text, images, and videos. Be sure to click Sync after making changes in a collection, so visitors can see your newest content on your live site. Previous Next