Greetings!
I am delighted to share that after multiple starts and stops, the 101st Annual Meeting of the Garden Club of Virginia, hosted by The Ashland Garden Club, was held at Meadow Event Park, the home of Secretariat, in Doswell, Va., on May 5, 2021. The Board of Directors, former GCV Presidents, club presidents and committee chairmen gathered in this open air venue for updates on GCV business, announcements and special awards presentations. This was the first in-person Annual Meeting held since 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Fabulous floral displays were created with the theme of “Off to the Races” and our member clubs provided horticulture-adorned hats suitable to be worn at the Kentucky Derby. Read Highlights from the Annual Meeting.
Don’t miss the exciting announcements that follow about our newest Honorary Member, and find out who received the de Lacy Gray Memorial Medal and the Bessie Bocock Carter Award. Look for a special Fall event to be held at Oak Spring in Upperville, Va., and exciting news about the rescheduling of the Paula Pryke Centennial floral demonstration.
It was wonderful to finally be able to meet together again to share the camaraderie and celebrate the good works of our clubs and organization during this challenging year. There is renewed energy to take the path forward together into our 2nd century of service to the Commonwealth of Virginia.
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Missy Buckingham
GCV President, 2020-2022
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William D. Rieley Named GCV Honorary Member
On behalf of the GCV Board of Directors, President Missy Buckingham presented William D. Rieley with an honorary membership in the Garden Club of Virginia at the 101st Annual Meeting. Will has faithfully served as GCV Landscape Architect since 1998, working closely with the Restoration Committee to oversee the care and updating of more than 40 restorations including most recently Stratford Hall, the Reveley Garden at William & Mary and Poplar Forest. Under Will’s supervision, the GCV Research Fellowship program, offering fellowships for two graduate students in landscape architecture, has flourished. In 2005, the GCV honored Will by changing the name of the Garden Club of Virginia Fellowship to the William D. Rieley Fellowship.
Will has represented the GCV well at our restoration projects and the high standards of the restored landscapes have set a bar for others to emulate. He is well respected by his peers and colleagues. Will has served the Garden Club of Virginia with diplomacy, unparalleled creativity, warmth and good nature. His presentations at Annual Meetings, Restoration Committee meetings and Fellowship Committee meetings are always “a fine education.”
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de Lacy Gray Memorial Medal for Conservation
The 2021 recipient of the de Lacy Gray Memorial Medal for Conservation is Betty Davenport of Chatham Garden Club. The nomination submitted by her club stressed Betty's promotion of knowledge of our natural resources and their wise use with the transformation of 1,300 acres of her farm land into a nature preserve. The goal at Banister Bend Farm has been to construct, restore and preserve wildlife habitat with a mix of streams, riparian areas, wetlands and adjacent uplands. A recent addition is a wildflower garden bordered by pollinator gardens. A designated nature trail on the preserve is open to school groups and clubs. Betty and her husband, Ben, have long been active in the revitalization of Chatham through the planting of gardens included in a master plan developed with Virginia Tech. A member of her club for over 50 years, Betty has rendered outstanding service in the cause of conservation in the commonwealth.
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Bessie Bocock Carter Conservation Award
The 2021 Bessie Bocock Carter Conservation Award recipients are The Lynchburg Garden Club and Hillside Garden Club for their project "Roadside Biodiversity Native Perennial Beds.” The project is Phase II of a plan to plant native perennial beds on roadways to provide habitat and educate the public as to the importance of natives in restoring our ecosystems. Partners in the project include the City of Lynchburg, Lynchburg Expressway Appearance Fund, Crowther Landscape Architecture and Irvington Springs Farm. The clubs will install a demonstration bed along a section of highway traveled by 40,000 drivers daily. The grant of $8,000 will allow the completion of these continuous bloom beds of non-GMO/non-Neonicotinoid native perennials, shrubs and trees on a section of Route 501 North, the Lynchburg Expressway. The application states: "With this project, we hope to serve as a leadership model in the state, working with local and state officials in reducing alien planting, planting native plants, and providing pollinator habitat across the state.”
Pictured above are Hillside Garden Club President Sarah Hellewell, GCV President Missy Buckingham and The Lynchburg Garden Club President Jenny Tugman.
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After months of preparation, Historic Garden Week 2021 was a huge success thanks to the efforts and creativity of members, tour chairs, state and club committees and HGW staff. This pandemic year required special and even stronger commitment in order to host GCV’s signature event. As was demonstrated, when all worked together, it all came together. Our communities appreciated the business generated through guest visits. Our visitors remarked on the joy of being safely among others in beautiful spaces. And, most importantly, the preparation and implementation of new plans and ideas allowed club members to reconnect after a long year of being apart.
Publicity for Historic Garden Week put Virginia on the map again this spring promoting this revered event and GCV’s mission to hundreds of thousands of people through national and local magazine and newspaper articles to television shows. Our social media ‘reach’ on Facebook and Instagram was nearly 25,000 during the week.
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Rave Reviews From HGW Fans to GCV Members:
"You are to be commended on the beautiful wonder of the very time-consuming job you do. I love Historic Garden Week and have enjoyed coming from Ohio many years. Glad to see Covid isn't stopping you. I have trampled all over the back roads of Virginia in Sun, and Rain and muddy fields to get to some beautiful plantations and homes. Great job ladies.” —Instagram
“I thank you, the club, and the homeowners for letting visitors escape from pandemics and politics for a day of beauty.” --email received
“Lovely weather and really happy guests. I think it is really remarkable that you drew visitors from all over the country and were able to share a little Virginia hospitality during these really trying times. Your work is important, and I am very grateful for all you do!” Cyane Crump, Executive Director of Historic Richmond
“Hope to do this every year now! Thank y’all for not missing another year to celebrate Spring in the Commonwealth.” – Facebook fan
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Celebrating 25 Years of Landscape Architecture Research Fellowships
Proceeds from Historic Garden Week not only support the restoration of historic gardens state-wide, but for the past 25 years have provided for landscape architect research fellowships. This program was created to build a comprehensive record of Virginia’s historic gardens and landscapes by offering two fellowships each summer to qualified graduate students. After a rigorous application process, the students spend three months researching, documenting and acquiring hands-on-experience working under the direction of GCV Landscape Architect William D. Rieley, along with guidance and advice from an enthusiastic committee of experts in the fields of horticulture, architecture, archeology and history. The final reports are published and archived on the gcvfellowship.org website. Please go to the website to read more about the GCV William D. Rieley Fellowship program, archived reports and testimonials. The documentation and reports of the 27 researched properties presented there have growing importance and influence in the field of landscape architecture both nationally and internationally.
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Conservation and Beautification |
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Protecting the Environment
Did you know that floral foam can take years to decompose or breakdown?
Try these mechanics instead: Balled-up chicken wire or intertwined stems. Insert a sturdy wire squirrel cage, normally used to overlay a tubular-shaped bird feeder, into your container.
REUSEABLE and handy. Make sure to wedge the bottom of the cage to the container with a broken bricks or wood scrap wedges. If large, toss in a few bricks and fill in extra space with chicken wire. After placing it in its location, fill the container with water, almost to the brim. Voila! The wire will hold the stems in place and will hold many more flowers than using foam.
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Conservation and Environmental Studies Fellowship 2021
Jordan Martin, a master’s degree candidate in the Biology Department at William & Mary, has received the 2021 Fellowship award for her project “Investigating the Pollinator Promoting Potential of Virginia Solar Facilities.” This subject is timely as more and more acreage in Virginia and across the country is being rapidly converted to industrial-scale solar fields.
By studying the effects of a Pollinator-Smart landscape compared to a regular turfgrass landscape in solar facilities, Jordan will obtain a clearer estimate of the magnitude of positive impact this landscape change would have on pollinator populations, thus improving biodiversity. It will also tell her how much of a cooling effect Virginia native pollinator-friendly plants create, allowing her to estimate the magnitude of improvements in solar energy generation the Pollinator-Smart system would provide. This information from real field data could help “move the needle” in the solar industry to demonstrate to developers and owners/operators of the benefits of a pollinator-friendly landscape. This project will also include educational outreach to the community. Jordan will speak to children of Cople Elementary, Hague, Westmoreland County, about pollination and the importance of native plants and possibly even show and teach them about the flowering native plants in the solar field which powers their school. This research project will answer many practical questions about the ecological benefits of pollinator friendly solar fields and thus help the energy sector better protect the environment. Read more about Jordan.
Legislation
The GCV Legislative Subcommittee hand-matched legislative policies from the GCV Board of Directors-approved 2021 Legislative Statement and bills from the Virginia General Assembly Website. All were passed by the House and the Senate, except one to be continued next year. The latest: all GCV bills and budget amendments were also signed into law by the Governor.
James River Transmission Towers Update
At the request of the Alliance to Save the James partners, the GCV spoke live by Zoom to the Army Corps of Engineers. The group asked for protection of the James River viewshed. GCV requested that the power lines and 17 Statue of Liberty-sized transmission towers be removed and an alternative placement be considered. This issue represents GCV’s six-year commitment to protect the lower James River from unnecessary development.
Conservation Partners
GCV’s partnership with Virginia Conservation Network continues with educational and networking opportunities. Some benefits this year included the online version of its annual (Legislative) General Assembly day, weekly and monthly conference calls, updates provided to those interested in Land Use, Transportation, Clean Water and other conservation arenas. During the Legislative Session, VCN provides its statewide partners with discussion and recommendation for support of bill and budget amendments and provides its current Common Agenda, and online educational booklet prepared jointly by its partners.
VirginiaForever, a recent partnership for GCV focuses its efforts on an increase in funding from the General Assembly for conservation needs based on a five-year plan approved by its board.
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“A society grows great when people plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit.” Greek Proverb
Those trees we need to be planting are oaks! According to Doug Tallamy in his new book “The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees,” the species Quercus is the most powerful plant there is! Besides sequestering carbon from the atmosphere and sending that carbon into the soil, oak trees help manage our watersheds with their big canopies and huge root systems. However, their biggest contribution to the environment seems to be that oak trees pass on the food they make from the sun’s energy to insects, birds, and other animals better than any other plant in North America. They are a host plant for over 897 types of caterpillars that are vital to the food web. These large, long-lived trees support so much biodiversity that no garden should be without at least one. Read more.
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Celebrating Ten Years with the Garden Club of Virginia
Ann Heller
Communications Coordinator Ann Heller marked 10 years with GCV in December 2020. Many of our members know Ann as the key point of contact for news, photos, event registrations, webinars, presentations, branding, the website and more.
"In just a few months of working with Ann, I would describe her as an 'editor's editor'," said Executive Director Andrea Butler of Ann's work editing most of the publications and announcements distributed by GCV. "She has a penchant for accuracy and details, and her institutional knowledge is invaluable in helping to tell GCV's story."
Ann fields requests for support from members on a daily basis. "She's pretty unflappable when she's pulled in many directions, and makes every member feel as if they are the only one requesting her time, even when she's juggling many projects and requests," added Butler. "I'm so grateful to have such a talented, service-oriented professional on the team."
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On April 20, Karen Cauthen Ellsworth, GCV's Director of Historic Garden Week, marked her 10-year anniversary leading this signature event that provides funding for GCV's restoration program. During this time, revenue from this event has grown from$380,000 to $612,000 (net in 2019), the HGW Guidebook has become a more attractive and valuable asset, and training for member clubs has expanded to include Boot Camp and the Insider's Guide to HGW, among many other positive enhancements.
"Karen brings a unique skillset to orchestrate a major event that has many moving parts, and she focuses on raising funds to support the mission," said GCV Executive Director Andrea Butler. "She uses her marketing and public relations savvy to create awareness and loyalty for special events and programs, and she also adapts to changes in committee leadership at the state and Club level to build strong working relationships, which helps to ensure ongoing success," added Butler. "We are grateful to have her talents and dedication."
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Deadline for Nominations June 1, 2021
The Conservation Educator Award was established in 2016 to recognize an individual or organization that promotes ideals of conservation through education. The work of the nominee must support GCV’s mission. Read more.
The Elizabeth Cabell Dugdale Award for Conservation was established in 1974 for meritorious achievement in conservation. In 1989 the award was named for Elizabeth Cabell Dugdale, originator of the GCV Conservation Forum. The award is presented to an organization, industry or individual, not a GCV member or GCV member club.
The awards are presented at the GCV Conservation Forum in late fall. These awards are awards of recognition with a certificate to the winners; no money is given.
Questions regarding nominations should be addressed to Conservation Awards Chairman Jane Edwards at je-lgn@earthlink.net.
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Upcoming Special Events Announced |
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Oak Spring Special Fall Event
Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021
Plan to spend a special day at Oak Spring, the former home and grounds of Paul and “Bunny” Mellon on Saturday,
Oct. 2. Additional sites will be open that were not included in the 2021 HGW tour. Don’t miss this unique opportunity. Details and ticket information will be forthcoming.
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Paula Pryke Floral Demonstration
Thursday, May 12, 2022
The Centennial Steering committee is pleased to announce plans to welcome one of the most celebrated British floral designers in the world, Paula Pryke. An accomplished author of 18 floral design books, and sought after speaker, Paula will provide a floral demonstration at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, Richmond, Va. A luncheon will follow. Save the Date and plan to bring your friends.
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Horticulture Field Day
Alexandria, May 18-19, 2022
Horticulture Field Day 2022 will be held in Alexandria, Virginia on May 18-19, 2022.
We will see beautiful private gardens and spend a day with Dean Norton at Mt. Vernon. We will also have guest speaker, Ellen Ecker Ogden, who will talk about kitchen gardens and organic gardening. This is not to be missed.
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Rejuvenated Wildflower and Pollinator Gardens
As the world celebrated Earth Day, Mill Mountain Garden Club held a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the recent restoration of the Mill Mountain Wildflower Garden. Mill Mountain Garden Club and the City of Roanoke have created and maintained this beautiful natural space for the past 50 years. Thanks to recent renovations, garden visitors enjoy an enhanced experience of a three-tiered cascading pond, reimagined and inviting paths (the main trail is now ADA approved), new children’s gardens, an expanded pollinator garden and mountaintop vistas, all in a garden setting that has been infused with over 750 new native plants, shrubs and trees. The improvements offer a delightful year-round garden experience as well as conservation information to visitors for many years to come.
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FLOWER FLASHES
Albemarle Garden Club at the Booker T. Washington Park in Charlottesville.
Conceived and organized by Merry Thomasson, a longtime AGC member, they used flowers from members’ gardens and were helped by many enthusiastic AGC volunteers.
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The talented members of The Ashland Garden Club repurposed the flowers from the Annual Meeting and created this beautiful outdoor installation on the LOVE sign in front of the new Town Hall in Ashland.
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April Plant Challenge
In honor of Earth Day and Arbor Day, Liz Carter, Dolley Madison Garden Club, planted a shade garden bed featuring Oconee Bell, one of "South Carolina's most unique and earliest wildflowers." Liz’s came from her aunt’s home in Cashiers, NC.
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Albemarle Garden Club
Amy Rentz
The Garden Club of the Eastern Shore
Sarah Nock
Barbara Parker
The Petersburg Garden Club
Andrea Huntjens
Winchester-Clarke Garden Club
Leigh Avant
Courtenay Nantz
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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 Membership News Chairman Molly Ill at mollyill.vb@gmail.com.
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Mark Your Calendar (All dates are subject to change.)
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May 11 - Symposium Committee Meeting
May 12 - Follow the Green Arrow III Committee Meeting
May 19 & 20 - Horticulture Field Day - Norfolk
May 24 - Historic Garden Week State Committee Meeting and Luncheon
May 25 - Kent-Valentine House Committee Meeting
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June 3 - Strategic Planning Committee Meeting
June 7 - Artistic Design Committee Meeting
June 8 - Photography Committee Meeting
June 16-17 - Restoration Committee Meeting
June 22-23 - HGW Virtual Bootcamp
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