Greetings!
As we approach the end of our Centennial year, we can look back with pride that while we were unable to do all that we had hoped to do to celebrate our founding, much already has been accomplished to move the Garden Club of Virginia forward into our second century. GCV leadership, committees and clubs have made plans, changed plans and looked for solutions with sensitivity, creativity and patience. As a result, members are connecting with each other in new ways; virtual experiences are becoming commonplace and together we can look ahead to the new year with optimism and hope. Don’t miss the link in this newsletter to the 2019-20 Year in Review. How grateful we are for the continued and increasing support of our GCV members and friends.
Since so many were unable to see the Centennial exhibition in person, I am delighted to be able to share with you a video of the exhibition, A Landscape Saved - The Garden Club of Virginia at 100. Thanks to the Virginia Museum of History & Culture for providing us with this special guided tour and to our exhibition sponsors, The Roller-Bottimore and Richard S. Reynolds Foundation. Our organization continues to grow and build upon the legacy of our past.
Enjoy catching up on GCV committee and club news as you get ready for what I hope will be a safe and healthy holiday season for all.
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Missy Buckingham
GCV President, 2020-2022
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It is my pleasure to present the 2019-2020 Year in Review. This document embodies the essence of the Garden Club of Virginia - who we are, what we do, and you, our friends and members, who make our work possible.
As we take time during the holiday season to give thanks for all of our blessings, know that GCV is grateful to each of you for your unwavering support. Together, we continue to make a difference across the commonwealth.
Jean Gilpin, Immediate Past President
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Video Tour of GCV Exhibition -
A Centennial gift to you
Thanks to the generosity of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture and the collaboration of co-curators Bill Rasmussen, Joanna Catron, and former GCV President, Jeannette Cadwallender, we are pleased to offer you a special guided tour of our Centennial exhibition A Landscape Saved: The Garden Club of Virginia at 100.
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Restoration Site Visit Contest
Who in your club visited the most Restoration sites during our Centennial year to win this commemorative tea towel?
Club Presidents, please email Anne Baldwin anne.g.baldwin@gmail.com with the name of your club’s “winner” and the number of sites visited. Tracey Smith (at right), a longtime member of Gabriella Garden Club, really took this contest seriously. She toured 20 GCV restoration sites and is now inspired to visit more. Why not join her?
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Holiday Shopping at GCV
Aprons, Books, Scarves, Neckties and Ornaments
Shop our full line of items on the GCV website Shop page. Please order by Dec. 10 for a holiday delivery.
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Holiday Price Reduction
Celebrate the upcoming holidays with the charming Waterford Centennial Ornament. Beautifully engraved with a decorative hanger and presented in an appealing Waterford gift box.
This keepsake is available for half off the original price at $25 plus shipping on the GCV website Shop page.
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The Tulips are Frozen!
The Tulips are Frozen!
It’s time for a belly laugh and a good giggle! This delightfully humorous booklet makes a wonderful gift for friends and fellow club members.
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 off per copy when purchasing 10 or more.
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101st Board of Governors Meetings |
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In a break from tradition, with health and safety precautions in place, GCV leadership met in their individual districts in six separate Board of Governors meetings October 16th to November 5th. Each district meeting was planned in an open-air venue with no more than 25 former presidents, club presidents, Board members and committee chairmen. Club horticulture exhibits were featured. Reports were given at all of the meetings from GCV officers, committee chairmen or their alternates. View Photos from the Meetings. Read the Meeting Highlights.
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Left to Right: Socially distanced meeting in District 5 and horticulture in District 6 |
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In response to the unavoidable cancellation of last year’s tours, Historic Garden Week - The Magazine was created to provide increased visibility and recognition of our 2020 Guidebook advertisers and Honor Roll sponsors. It also serves to underscore our appreciation for their ongoing support. This 100-page publication is filled with useful and relevant content, allowing us to re-engage our tour patrons and friends while sharing important information about safety precautions and plans for Historic Garden Week 2021.
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Conservation and Beautification |
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In January, the Virginia General Assembly Legislative Session will be conducting a short 30-day session. The GCV Legislative subcommittee has been hard at work preparing Legislative Policies and Concerns, researching environmental bills and attending workshops and webinars by the Virginia Conservation Network, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and VIRGINIAforever. In January a special Zoom program will be offered to club Conservation chairmen on “How to Talk to Your Legislator.”
Don't miss it! The ongoing virtual Conservation Forum has already been viewed (at least once) by nearly 2,000 people! If you haven’t already, watch parts, or all, of it. Maybe you will see your project featured or you will be inspired to plan a new project, even one in your backyard.
With New Year’s resolutions right around the corner, maybe top on the list will be: Don’t be afraid to try something new. Following environmental bills and making a difference in your community is a wonderful way to celebrate the New Year.
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What to Watch This Winter
Too cold to garden? Stay cozy inside and enjoy these films suggested by Heidi James, GCV Horticulture Chairman. Click here for list.
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GCV Member Receives North American Lily Society Award
At the District 5 Board of Governors meeting in Leesburg, GCV President Missy Buckingham was pleased to include the presentation of the North American Lily Society’s Regional Service medal. This award was given to Tricia Kincheloe of The Garden Club of Fairfax by Mary Q. Zocchi, a member of Dolley Madison Garden Club and past president of the NALS. The award is given to a member of the regional society who has shown and shared the love of Lilium to others through work in and beyond the regional society.
Tricia is known in the Lilium world as someone with a great sense of humor who makes the art of growing and showing lilies fun! She has been a member of the GCV Lily committee since 2000, involved in GCV and NALS Lily Shows and is currently the secretary of the Potomac Lily Society and a regional member and former NALS Board member. An accredited NALS lily judge, Tricia generously shares her enthusiasm and expertise with all levels of lily "growers and showers” and offers delightful presentations and workshops.
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From left: GCV President Missy Buckingham, Tricia Kincheloe, Mary Q. Zocchi
and Suzi Worsham
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Virtual Exhibition: Celebrating Winter Trees
While color abounds in three of our seasons, winter seems to be painted in pure monotones – shades of brown, grays and whites with texture and form harder to distinguish than in spring, summer and fall. But have you ever studied bare winter trees? The character, the strength, the true personality of each really comes to light without its leafy mantle.
The GCV Photography Committee is sponsoring a virtual “Winter Tree” Exhibition beginning December 1, 2020, and running through mid-February 2021. No judging, no comments, just photos of a single tree, a copse of trees or a part of a tree that has lost its leaves. If you are game, give your tree a name that describes it best. Examples: character traits such as strength, fortitude, resilience; quirky traits such as “morning hair” or “gnarly dude” or a simple phrase/sentence that comes to mind such as “So, what’s wrong with being pear shaped?” Our only caveats are that trees must be bare or nearly bare and that images do not contain animals or people.
Send your photos Actual Size to photos.gcv@gmail.com, Subject: Winter Trees – your name and your club’s name. Put the name you have given your image (optional) in the body of the email.
We will post results sometime in March. So, let’s have some fun this winter and explore this aspect of nature not normally celebrated!
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The Augusta Garden Club
Members of the Augusta Garden Club are keeping busy by getting together in small groups to create arrangements for front line workers in their community.
Here Jane Fuller (left) and Cordelia Gary (right) present a fall arrangement to the Staunton Police Department.
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Gabriella Garden Club
The Gabriella Garden Club has adopted the mantra, "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade!" While not meeting in person, they have become creative trying to think outside the box to create ways to still connect as a club. A "curbside business meeting” was held with members stopping by to pick up their yearbooks, vote and enjoy a surprise lemon-themed goody bag. A virtual flower show showcased fall arrangements that were photographed and compiled to make a slideshow video that was emailed to club members. A similar flower show is being planned this month with the theme being Christmas decorations.
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The Martinsville Garden Club and The Garden Study Club
The Martinsville Garden Club and The Garden Study Club created activity books to go along with the pollinator garden at the Paw Path in the Smith River Sports Complex. Click here to read the article in Dogwood and here to watch the video of the presentation. The two sister clubs and their community are forever thankful for being a recipient of the Bessie Bocock Carter Conservation Award.
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Mill Mountain Garden Club
While Mill Mountain Garden Club has opted for virtual only meetings for the time being they are finding creative and fun ways to stay connected. They miss meeting in person with friends, but have found that virtual meetings have surprisingly given them greater flexibility and more opportunities to share information.
They plan to replace their traditional Christmas meeting brunch with a virtual cocktail time celebration. They are asking members to pair up with Senior Associate members who do not have virtual experience and encourage them join in the fun. One of their members and her adorable ten year old grandson will be demonstrating how to make bird seed ornaments and there will be a musical component as well. A member poet will begin the meeting with a toast to remember what they have endured this year and celebrate by giving hope and encouragement for the future.
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The Virginia Beach Garden Club
Members of the Virginia Beach Garden Club recently visited the Brock Environmental Center to receive an update on progress on the Living Green Wall project that received the first place 2020 Common Wealth Award. Although currently closed to the public, the Brock Center hopes to have the classroom annex with the living green wall completed in time for students to come back in January 2021. Thanks to the support of the GCV, the green wall will have a ripple effect not only on the students but the whole community encouraging everyone to implement their own green practices and continue in the Brock Center tradition of environmental stewardship.
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The Williamsburg Garden Club
While the WGC has had study groups for years, this year they tried a new format that turned out to be fun and very popular. Before the workshop, club members Linda Montgomery and Nina Mustard gathered grapevine items (containers) and created practice arrangements to determine what might be needed for the workshop. Just before Study Group, mechanics were attached to containers and set on picnic tables with a selection of flowers, berries, gourds, greenery etc., based on the practice arrangements. Thirty members divided into groups and the finished arrangements were wonderful!
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March 1, 2021, Award Deadlines
The de Lacy Gray Conservation Medal was established in 1965 by the Dolley Madison Garden Club as a memorial to de Lacy Thompson Gray. The award recognizes outstanding effort of a GCV member or a GCV member club in furthering the knowledge of our natural resources as well as encouraging their wise use. Nominations may be submitted by GCV members or member clubs only. The deadline is March 1. Learn more. For questions, contact Jane Edwards, Conservation Awards chairman at je-lgn@earthlink.net
The Common Wealth Award, established at the Annual Meeting in 1979, provides funds to support community projects of conservation, beautification, horticulture, preservation and/or education. The two word name Common Wealth was chosen to describe the "wealth" that is "common" to all Virginians. Nominations may be submitted by GCV members or member clubs. The deadline is March 1. The nominations form and more information may be found online. For questions, contact Carol Carter, Common Wealth Award chairman at rcarter112@aol.com.
The Horticulture Award of Merit, established in 1960, acknowledges individual members of the Garden Club of Virginia who have achieved significant accomplishments in horticulture, both personally and in the community at large. Please look within your clubs and find that special horticulturist who deserves this recognition. The deadline for applications is March 1. Learn more. For questions, contact Heidi James, Horticulture chairman at heidifjames@gmail.com.
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The Boxwood Garden Club
Bobbie Flatin
Suzy Heberle
Marguerite Mankins
The Huntington Garden Club
Susan Nixon
Lucy Taylor
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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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December 4 Photography Committee Meeting
December 7 Strategic Planning Committee Meeting
December 8-9 Nominations Committee Meeting
December 14 Artistic Design Judges Workshop
January 6 Conservation and Beautification Committee Meeting
January 7 Finance Committee Meeting
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January 7 HGW State Committee Meeting
January 11 Development Committee Meeting
January 14 GCV Board of Directors Meeting
January 18 Artistic Design Committee Meeting
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