Greetings!
I am inspired, as I hope you will be, by how our member clubs across the state are finding ways to safely be together and extend their outreach to their local communities in ways that soothe the soul and do what we do best ... care for each other, our environment and those around us. At a time where we are apart more than together, how rewarding it is to look outside of ourselves and still accomplish so much.
Good things are coming your way from the Garden Club of Virginia. Watch your mailboxes for the fresh and newly redesigned Journal. Read it from cover to cover and you will be filled with pride, as I am, with all that we have accomplished and all that we can do in the future.
Don’t miss in this newsletter, the launch of the Centennial booklet The Tulips are Frozen! The Tulips are Frozen! designed to make you laugh out loud at reminiscences from members from long ago and just yesterday. We are getting better and better with virtual events. The proof will be with our upcoming virtual Conservation Forum on October 27. How wonderful that so much great information will be available for all to enjoy, not just for a day, but as an ongoing resource.
Read, enjoy and mark your calendars. We may not be seeing each other in person as often as we would like, but we haven’t been slowed down. We are simply doing things in different ways that suit these times. Make reading this newsletter one way you can remain part of the bigger whole, because, as you must remember, we are all in this together.
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Missy Buckingham
GCV President, 2020-2022
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GCV Executive Director to Retire |
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The Board of Directors is grateful to Lynn McCashin for 10 years of dedicated service to the Garden Club of Virginia. Join us in wishing her well in her upcoming retirement.
As recommended by the Board, a search process is underway to ensure a smooth organizational transition.
Photo by Jay Paul
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Exciting work continues at the Reveley Garden at William & Mary. The majority of the hardscape has been completed and planting will begin soon.
This aerial photograph was taken in July by Charles Funk, the talented contractor responsible for the brickwork at this project designed by GCV Landscape Architect William D. Rieley.
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101st Board of Governors Meeting Reinvented |
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The GCV Board of Governors meeting that was scheduled to be hosted by the Garden Club of Warren County this October has necessarily been reinvented due to ongoing concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are so grateful for that club’s early preparation and planning however, the GCV Board of Directors will now host a series of small meetings in our six districts around the state to provide for social distancing in outdoor venues. The former presidents, club presidents, standing and special committee chairmen and Board members will attend the meeting and leadership luncheon in their district. President Missy Buckingham will direct the GCV business, reports, discussion and exchange of ideas. The 2020-2022 GCV Organizational Directory and Handbook will be distributed to the attendees at their district meetings.
2020 Board of Governors Meeting Schedule
October 16, District 2
Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest, Lynchburg
October 21, District 3
Brent & Becky’s Bulbs, Gloucester
October 22, District 1
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Richmond
October 26, District 4
Hamlet Vineyards, Bassett
November 2, District 6
The Hermitage Museum & Gardens, Norfolk
November 5, District 5
Riverside on the Potomac, Leesburg
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The Tulips are Frozen! The Tulips are Frozen! |
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Ready for a good laugh? 100 years of hard work has not been without its lighter moments. This delightful Centennial publication is filled with members’ recollections of humorous incidents which occurred over the years at club meetings, flower shows and other GCV events.
Order your copy today for $10 plus shipping & handling on the GCV website shop page or purchase copies at the Kent-Valentine House.
There is a bulk discount of $2 per copy when purchasing 10 or more.
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Due to limited opportunities to purchase Centennial merchandise at GCV events, shipping and handling charges are now reduced to $3 for all Centennial items purchased on the website. This includes scarves, ties, the Waterford keepsake ornament, the exhibition catalog and the newly released The Tulips are Frozen! The Tulips are Frozen!. Tervis Tumblers are still available for purchase at the Kent-Valentine House. These items make great holiday gifts!
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Former GCV Presidents Visit the Exhibition |
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A special viewing of A Landscape Saved, The Garden Club of Virginia at 100 was offered to our former Presidents. Dr. Bill Rasmussen, Lora M. Robins Sr. Curator of Museum Collections, was on hand for a special guided tour and explained how the exhibition came to life. After their tour, this group of dedicated and distinguished women headed to the Kent-Valentine House for lunch. President Missy Buckingham, 1st Vice President Debbie Lewis and 2nd Vice President Kris Carbone were delighted to accompany them. The Tuckahoe Garden Club of Westhampton provided beautiful floral arrangements for the occasion. Anne Cross, KVH Chairman, and Lynn McCashin, GCV Executive Director, served as gracious hostesses during lunch.
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Plan a Club Visit to the GCV Exhibition |
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The exhibition remains open at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture until November 1. It is not too late to plan a club visit to see the exhibition and perhaps lunch at the Kent-Valentine House, just a short drive away. Safety and health guidelines will be observed. Please contact Kris Carbone at kcarbone@gamewood.net for details.
For individual visits, advanced purchase of individual timed-entry tickets is required and must be obtained on the VMHC website at virginiahistory.org.
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Virginia Museum of History & Culture Banner Lecture |
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Treat yourself to a fascinating lecture about the impact of GCV restorations at two of America’s most significant gardens, Stratford Hall and Poplar Forest. This recorded Banner Lecture provided by the Virginia Museum of History & Culture can be viewed at any time on YouTube.
Stratford Hall Photo Courtesy of Roger Foley
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2019 Common Wealth Award Update |
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In the heart of the East End of Richmond, in the midst of Richmond’s four public housing communities, lies Peter Paul Development Center. This community center acts as a bastion of hope for the youth of one of the most underserved populations in the in the area.
In 2018, Boxwood Garden Club’s (BGC) membership voted unanimously to partner with Peter Paul Development Center to create a garden space in the playground adjacent to the center. Boxwood’s mission was to transform the playground into a garden and green space for the community’s children. Over 70% of BGC’s membership donated to this project. The plan was to plant trees for shade with native plants along the property border and throughout the green space and playground. The installation of synthetic turf inside the playground, along with native plants and trees, aids in conservation goals by reducing water and chemicals. The mission was to provide a cherished spot where children and families can interact with a simple and beautiful green space and to become an educational resource to the students attending the center.
Receiving the Common Wealth Award ensured the completion of this much needed improvement to the community, while supporting GCV’s mission of supporting natural and native green space in Virginia.
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Awards - Upcoming Deadline |
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Bessie Bocock Carter Conservation Award - Deadline November 1, 2020
If your club is working on a conservation project that will serve as a catalyst for community action, consider applying for the Bessie Bocock Carter Conservation Award.
The Bessie Bocock Carter Conservation Award is a monetary award for natural resource conservation or environmental protection within the Commonwealth. The recipient will be announced at the GCV Annual Meeting in May.
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Centennial Edition of the New Journal |
October brings with it the debut of the completely redesigned GCV Journal. A new team, guided by Madeline Mayhood, Editor, has launched a brand new look for this time-honored publication and, appropriately, the fall issue commemorates the GCV’s Centennial. What better way to celebrate our past and look forward to our future than with this newly redesigned, fresh and informative Centennial edition of the Journal. In addition to compelling content, dynamic design, and a new format, the magazine has moved to a seasonal publication schedule—fall, winter, spring, summer. So watch your mailboxes. You are in for a real treat!
Shown is a 1929 Garden Gossip, the precursor to the Journal, from the GCV archives.
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Tips
Fall is a great time to capture stunning, simply defined landscapes filled with the rich, vibrant colors of the season. Scenes abound here in Virginia in our mountains, oceans, lakes, rural and farming areas. Do manmade structures like barns or windmills still make for a good landscape image? Yes. But unwanted distractions such as roads, telephone poles, trash cans and lights do not. Advanced editing skills can remove some unwanted objects, but why include them in the first place? Choose subjects where such distractions don’t exist. Walk across the road instead of capturing it in the image. Choose a different angle or move yourself around objects to exclude them from the scene.
To add depth and emotion, try to take your photos in the best light possible - in the morning, evening, on cloudy days or in turbulent weather.
Capitalize on color or convert less vibrant photos to black and white for drama. Go alone or take a friend, but most importantly, have fun and just get out and do it!
Workshops
Didn’t get into the Basic Composition or Basic Editing Workshops scheduled for October and November of this year? Still interested? Please email Quan McGough at QuanM@gcvirginia.org and let her know which one or both you would like to take. If there is sufficient interest we will try to run additional workshops in early 2021.
Resources
Have a specific question about photography or want to see something in particular addressed in this newsletter? Please send in questions or topics of interest to photos.gcv@gmail.com (Subject: Info, please!) and we will do our best to answer them.
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To Mulch Or Not To Mulch?
This used to be the time of year when we couldn’t wait to get out in the garden to clear away plant debris and leaves and put down a thick layer of mulch, as we used to think that this would help control pests and diseases and keep the yard looking nice all winter. But now we know that this practice does a big disservice to our many species of native bees, ladybugs, butterflies, other beneficial insects, and birds, who overwinter in our gardens. They need the seed heads, dead plant stems and leaf piles for shelter and food. Skipping garden clean-up is hard to do at first, but you may come to like the new look and find beauty in faded and decaying plant material. Do your best to leave clean up until the spring when temperatures are in the 50s for at least 7 consecutive days. You will be rewarded with a vibrant, healthy and life-sustaining garden with year-round appeal.
Fall Gardening Tips
It’s fine to cut back perennials that turn to mush after a frost, but the plants with woody stems should stay put. If you can’t stand the messy look, try cutting the woody stems and placing them gently onto a compost pile rather than hauling them away to the landfill.
Add bare root plants to your garden. Choose native plants specific to your region, which can be found by zip code on the National Wildlife Federation’s Plant Finder. Examples include broadleaf evergreens, conifers and trees that have red berries, such as Flowering Dogwood, Cornus florida and shrubs like Witch Hazel, Hamamelis virginiana and Winterberry, Ilex verticillata. And, don’t forget about fall blooming bulbs and hellebores that pop up just when you need a lift.
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As we prepare to leave 2020 behind, join us as we “Spring Forward” to a new GCV Daffodil Day on March 29-31 at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond. "Spring Forward” will provide many opportunities for creative arrangements, show-stopping horticulture, and unforgettable photography. Lewis Ginter also will offer participants free visits through the gardens and shopping to satisfy every gardener’s fancy. Save the Date!
The American Daffodil Society's 2020 Virtual Fall Forum - Now through November 8
The American Daffodil Society is hosting a series of fun and educational sessions - all accessible for one low registration fee. Note especially the session on October 24 about historic daffodils such as those most of us have in our Virginia gardens.
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Franklin
Becky Scarboro
Three Rivers
Marisa Padin
Dorene Billingsley
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Leesburg Garden Club (above, upper and lower left) delivered 30 vases full of colorful flowers to present to community supporters in Leesburg. They delivered flowers to police and fire stations, post offices, senior communities, the hospital, Town Hall, urgent care facilities and the two newspapers in town. The Augusta Garden Club (right) created arrangements for the atrium at Augusta Health in Fishersville, Va. |
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Albemarle Garden Club (above) created arrangements in appreciation for workers (and new parents!) at Martha Jefferson Hospital. Click Here for Video.
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The Chatham Garden Club was formed in 1921 and the following year was invited to join the Garden Club of Virginia as the first club after the original eight founding clubs. The club’s mission is to beautify Chatham, as they have for the past 100 years. Centennial Committee Chairman Mary Jac Meadows said, “We’re stronger the longer we exist. We have so much talent, devotion and love.” To celebrate the start of their Centennial year, the Chatham Garden Club held a groundbreaking ceremony for the planting of a redbud, the club flower.
Dolley Madison Garden Club hosted a Virtual Lily Show with a post Lily Show Party and Workshop.
Mill Mountain Garden Club is connecting and inspiring their members through a video they produced featuring South Roanoke vegetable gardens.
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As a Centennial Beautification Project, The Garden Study Club donated a bench and landscaping at the Historic Little Post Office in Martinsville in honor of Sallie Mason Clarke. Clarke was a past member of the GSC, and the recipient of the deLacy Gray Memorial Medal for Conservation. Pictured are club members Lauren Prince and GCV 1st Vice President Debbie Lewis.
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We want to hear from you! What is going on in your clubs and communities? What fun and creative ways are you finding to stay connected during this time of social distancing? Please share with us by contacting Molly Ill at mollyill.vb@gmail.com.
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Mark Your Calendar (All dates are subject to change.)
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Now through November 1, 2020
A Landscape Saved: The Garden Club of Virginia at 100, Virginia Museum of History & Culture
October 1 Restoration News Committee, Kent-Valentine House
October 5 Development Committee,
Teleconference
October 6 Finance Committee Meeting,
Teleconference
October 7 Common Wealth Award Committee Meeting, Teleconference
October 13 Board of Directors Meeting, Teleconference
October 15 Deadline for ordering Lily Collection
October 16 District 2 Board of Governors and Leadership Luncheon, Lynchburg
October 19 Daffodil Committee, Online
Artistic Design Committee Meetings, Kent-Valentine House
October 21 District 3 Board of Governors Meeting and Leadership Luncheon, Gloucester
October 22 District 1 Board of Governors Meeting and Leadership Luncheon, Richmond
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October 22 Basic Photo Editing Workshop, Kent-Valentine House, Sold Out
October 26 District 4 Board of Governors Meeting and Leadership Luncheon, Bassett
October 27 Conservation Forum, Online
October 28 Basic Composition with a Focus on Cellphone Photography, Kent-Valentine House
November 1 Nomination Deadline for Bessie Bocock Carter Conservation Award
November 2 District 6 Board of Governors Meeting and Leadership Luncheon, Norfolk
November 5 District 5 Board of Governors Meeting and Leadership Luncheon, Leesburg
November 5 Basic Composition with a Focus on Cellphone Photography, Kent-Valentine House, Sold Out
November 9 Horticulture Committee Meeting, Teleconference
November 12 Basic Photo Editing Workshop, Kent-Valentine House, Sold Out
November 12 Historic Garden Week Marketing Meeting
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