As I take on the presidency of the GCV, I extend my heartiest gratitude to Missy Buckingham and the 2020-2022 Garden Club of Virginia Board of Directors and Committee Chairman for unwavering leadership. Our mission and direction for the GCV is bright and inspiring!
We offer a special thank you to Three Chopt Garden Club for its gracious hospitality while hosting the Annual Meeting in Richmond last month. It was a most productive and lovely visit to the River City, culminating with the much anticipated presentation by world renowned flower arranger, Paula Pryke.
And the month of May didn’t slow down! I had the honor of being part of GCV’s presentation of the restoration we completed for the Reveley Garden at William & Mary. This modern interpretation of an original design by Charles Gillette was made possible through a special partnership between W&M and the GCV. Thanks to all of you whose work for Historic Garden Week makes restorations like this possible. And, off to Horticulture Field Day in Alexandria touring beautiful private gardens, restored GCV landscapes at Mt. Vernon and Green Spring Gardens, and enjoying history, horticulture and friendships. Thank you Heidi James, The Garden Club of Alexandria and The Hunting Creek Garden Club. May, magnificent May!
I am grateful for the commitment of the GCV leadership and to each and every one of you for your dedication to make a positive and lasting impact in your community and all across the Commonwealth of Virginia. The prospects for the next two years are exciting and together we will accomplish great things!
My best,
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Debbie Lewis
GCV President, 2022-2024
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Lilies in Bloom
June 14, 2022, Fredericksburg Academy
10800 Academy Drive, Fredericksburg
The Rappahannock Valley Garden Club looks forward to seeing many GCV members and other lily enthusiasts at Lilies in Bloom, June 14, 1:30-4 p.m.
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GCV Symposium
Grow Your Knowledge
Mark your calendars for Sept. 20-21 at the Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond for GCV’s Symposium, themed “Grow Your Knowledge.” Registration for the photography division opened May 18. Tickets for featured speakers, including Francoise Weeks, Thomas Woltz, Shawn Spencer-Hester, Robert Llewellyn and Emilie Carter, as well as registration for Artistic Design and Horticulture, will be available in July. Symposium/GCVirginia.org
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Historic Garden Week Boot Camp
This popular two-day training is back in person on June 22-23. The first day will be held at the downtown Woman’s Club (a few blocks from the Kent-Valentine House) and is open to club presidents, incoming tour chairs and their teams as well as GCV members shadowing for next year. An evening reception at KVH from 4 to 5:30 p.m. includes the unveiling of the 2023 HGW poster. The second day is focused exclusively on 2023 tour chairs and co-chairs.
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A big thank you to Three Chopt Garden Club for hosting the amazing 102nd GCV Annual Meeting “Awakening Our Senses” in Richmond on May 11 and 12. The Jefferson Hotel Grand Ballroom was a beautiful location for the 126 attendees. Highlights included a talk by GCV's 2021 Environmental and Conservation Studies Fellow Jordan Martin on the results of her study “Investigating the Pollinator Promoting Potential of Virginia Solar Facilities;” a fun tribute to outgoing GCV President Missy Buckingham and the passing of the gavel to 2022-2024 President Debbie Lewis. Special thanks to Three Chopt Garden Club President Becky Anthony and co-chairs Jakie Bowles and Ashley Wallace (pictured here) for spearheading a job well done!
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After two years of anticipation, Paula Pryke OBE took the stage at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture to a sold-out crowd. Paula and her accomplished assistant, Sybil Sylvester, delighted attendees with multiple designs ranging from hand-held bouquets to grand arrangements in fabulous containers. Paula, known for her innovative colorful floral designs, did not disappoint. Her designs were created from a bounty of in-kind donations of fresh floral material from Pharsalia, Historic Tuckahoe and Floramax/Vogue Flowers. Paula delighted attendees by sharing her floral history including time at the Constance Spry Flower School. Attendees left with big smiles and gave rave reviews. The GCV certainly has two new friends in Paula Pryke and Sybil Sylvester. With the support of Paula Pryke sponsors Meredith Lauter, and Robin and Bill Ingram, the event was a grand success!
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Horticulture Field Day, May 18-19, 2022
This year’s two-day Horticulture Field Day, hosted by The Garden Club of Alexandria and The Hunting Creek Garden Club and supported by the GCV Horticulture Committee, was an event to remember. The weather was perfect and the tours were spectacular. They included visits to the GCV restoration site at the historic Green Springs Garden and to six specially opened private gardens, a fascinating walk through the magnificent gardens of Mount Vernon with GCV Honorary Member and Mount Vernon Foundation horticulturist and garden educator/raconteur, Dean Norton (pictured), and a delightfully entertaining talk by and award-winning artist, garden designer and cookbook author, Ellen Ecker Ogden.
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We offer our sincere gratitude to the GCV members who have contributed to the 2021-2022 Annual Fund. Your gifts provide for many of the resources needed to fulfill our vibrant mission. There is still time to make a gift by check or online by June 30 for this fiscal year. Thank you for supporting the GCV’s exciting path forward.
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Congratulations to the 2022 Massie Medal Award for Distinguished Achievement recipient Victoria Burrell Alexander of The Hunting Creek Garden Club. This award is GCV's most prestigious award and Vicky's medal was inscribed "For generously sharing your knowledge and expertise for the betterment of the Club.” Vicky shared her many skills and talents in flower arranging, finance, communications and development roles within her club as well as in multiple GCV leadership roles. Read more about Vicky's accomplishments. Please join us in congratulating Vicky on this well-deserved award.
Vicky Alexander (center) with her family.
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Carol Carter received the 2022 de Lacy Gray Memorial Medal for Conservation. This award is presented to an individual member or member club of the GCV in recognition of outstanding effort to further the knowledge of our natural resources and to encourage their wise use. It was first awarded in 1965 by the Dolley Madison Garden Club as a memorial to de Lacy Thompson Gray. Carol was nominated for this award by her club, the Albemarle Garden Club. In nominating her, club members noted that Carol embodies the qualities found in effective conservationists - vision, dedication, hard work, love of nature and a belief that ideas and actions can change the world. Read details of Carol's many achievements in this field. Congratulations to Carol!
Pictured are Missy Buckingham, de Lacy Gray recipient Carol Carter, Debbie Lewis and Conservation Awards Chairman (2020-2022) Jane Edwards.
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Congratulations to The Spotswood Garden Club for receiving the 2022 Bessie Bocock Carter Conservation Award for its club project “Growing Citizens with Seeds of Conservation." This award, which carries a $9,000 gift, is given annually to a club to fund implementation of a conservation project that will serve as a catalyst for community action. The Spotswood Garden Club will work with the Lacey Spring Elementary school in support of the school's efforts to educate students on planting, cultivating, harvesting, cooking and eating the foods that they grow, to grow the school's garden club recycling and composting, and to instill a conservation ethic in the student body. Read details on how The Spotswood Garden Club plans to use the award money to further those efforts.
Pictured are Debbie Lewis, Spotswood President Donna Harper and Missy Buckingham.
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GCV’s relationship with Monticello goes back to 1938, the same year our Board of Governors approved a project that became GCV's ninth historic garden restoration. Monticello’s garden was restored and planted according to Mr. Jefferson’s original design. In 2016, GCV returned to Monticello to restore Jefferson’s Kitchen Road, the Kitchen Path and their connection to Mulberry Row, reestablishing the landscape as it would have appeared in Jefferson’s day. Mr. Jefferson was on hand last week to thank the Garden Club of Virginia for all the work accomplished at his home. |
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Horticulture Meets Conservation and Beautification to Kill Weeds
Here’s an environmentally sound way to ward off weeds naturally. Mix one gallon of 5% acidity (or higher) vinegar, one cup salt, and six tablespoons of liquid dish soap. Apply with a paintbrush (or a paintbrush tied to a broom for ease on the back), or a spray can on affected areas. Industrial sprayers may be needed for larger areas. Away go the weeds!
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Look for the late spring Journal, coming to your mail boxes and the GCV website in mid-June. Be sure not to miss the article on "Presidential Perspectives: Q&As with Missy Buckingham and Debbie Lewis.”
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Albemarle Garden Club
Catherine Brown
Julie Dixon
Bryce Harris
Susanna Holt
Camilyn Leone
Dani Renchard
The Augusta Garden Club
Linda Bradford
Amy Feinman
Marie Santiago
The Blue Ridge Garden Club
Priscilla Duda
Ruth Smith
The Charlottesville Garden Club
Mariana Bell
Olivia Herndon
Erin MacIlwaine
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The Garden Club of the Northern Neck
Josephine Carver
Anne Garner
Rivanna Garden Club
Peggy Cornett
Sheila Lodge
Susan McCrickard
Susan Oldfield
Roanoke Valley Garden Club
Michelle McConnell
Debra Woody
The Virginia Beach Garden Club
Karen Frazier
Tina Kotarides
Nicole Legum
Winchester-Clarke Garden Club
Maritza Dyck
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