Greetings!
There is much to appreciate as we welcome springtime in Virginia. The sun shines longer, buds turn into flowers and there is renewed hope and promise in the world around us. There was little idle time spent over the long winter months for our GCV leadership, committees, members and staff.
After months of planning and preparation, Historic Garden Week tours will once again showcase the beauty of our commonwealth and continue our legacy of sustaining and learning about the historical landscapes that we treasure. What an uplifting reminder of how much can be accomplished by facing challenges and working together.
Get ready to “Spring Forward” and appreciate the creative efforts of our GCV flower arrangers, photographers and horticulturists who participated in Daffodil Day 2021 and the committees that creatively collaborated to present this wonderful virtual show for all to enjoy.
Don’t miss the exciting results of this year’s legislative efforts by the Conservation and Beautification committee, club chairmen and active and engaged members. A chance to learn more about gardens and gardening will be offered during the upcoming Horticulture Field Day.
I hope you will be enjoying more time in your own garden, with your family and GCV friends.
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Missy Buckingham
GCV President, 2020-2022
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Spring Forward with Daffodil Day 2021 |
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Thanks to all of the amazing exhibitors, dedicated judges and hardworking volunteers for producing a creative, educational, and truly exceptional virtual Daffodil Day.
In the Artistic Design section, judges devoted many hours to help arrangers and viewers understand and appreciate the fine points of floral design. Thirty three member clubs are represented and an exciting number of novice members exhibited individually or as part of a mentor/novice team. GCV Photography Chairman Edie Hessberg gave a special webinar on photographing exhibits for this virtual flower show. Peyton Wells hosted a hands-on workshop in Botanical Arts. Horticulture Chairman Heidi James consulted in the Pollinator Posies Class. Extraordinary exhibitors devoted precious time, energy and superior talent, and the results are simply over the top.
Congratulations to all who entered the Daffodil Day 2021 Photography Show and a special round of applause to the winners! There was a tremendous level of participation in this show by our novice photographers. The judges' commendation for this show, which reads in part "the number and caliber of novice entries points to a bright future for GCV Photography," is a testament to the growing confidence of our members to frame, focus, shoot and show. Continue with your photographic journey and plan ahead for next year's show by taking lots of daffodil photographs this spring.
Don’t miss the creative PowerPoint presentation by the GCV Daffodil Committee on entering a horticulture daffodil show. This horticulture workshop will be a great resource for GCV members hoping to increase their daffodil IQ.
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Horticulture Field Day - Norfolk
May 19-20, 2021
Enjoy a two-day getaway with special tours of private and public gardens in Norfolk.
The tour begins at the historic Hermitage Museum and Gardens on the Elizabeth River. The 42-room Hermitage House was built in the early 1900s and the lovely grounds include 12 acres of semi-formal gardens as well as a forest, wetlands and creative outdoor art exhibits. That same day there will be visits to three lovely private gardens and an optional visit to a GCV Restoration site, the Moses Myers House, which features a Federal period garden. The next day, plan for a day full of learning and pleasure. In the morning, there will be excellent lectures on the environment, horticulture and pollinators. After lunch, enjoy the beauty of the Norfolk Botanical Garden, Virginia’s largest botanical garden and one of the top 15 public gardens in the USA. With over 175 acres and 65 themed gardens, there are limitless opportunities to be inspired. The Bicentennial Rose Garden features more than 300 varieties of roses that will be beautiful in May. Later that afternoon, visit the Sherwood Forest Garden, owned by Lorraine Schreiber, The Garden Club of Norfolk, who has a noteworthy French Potager garden not to be missed.
Please Note: Due to current Covid-19 guidance, attendance must be limited to the first 100 registrants. It is hoped that the numbers can increase in May. If the event sells out, we will begin a waitlist.
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We’re so close! Historic Garden Week 2021 is just days away. The excitement and the flowers are growing. The Guidebook has been distributed and well-received. Ticket sales are soaring, and several tours have already sold out.
Statewide our HGW tour teams rose to the challenges presented to them by the pandemic, creating new experiences and opportunities for visitors that will long be remembered as creative, innovative, thoughtful, safe and enjoyable. With a focus on gardens and exterior spaces, we will all find inspiration as we work together and visit each other’s tours.
Club tour chairmen and co-chairmen deserve tremendous credit for the work they have done to create 25 tours that meet all of the requirements set by the CDC, the commonwealth and the Garden Club of Virginia. Additionally, you, the members of all 48 member clubs, deserve thanks for supporting these tour teams in so many ways. While interfacing with the public may not, understandably, be in everyone’s comfort zone this year, the work that is being done behind the scenes is important and greatly appreciated. Historic Garden Week is the only statewide event of its kind in the nation and also the only event that all 48 clubs work on together as part of the Garden Club of Virginia. When everyone contributes, great things are possible. As GCV President Missy Buckingham continues to remind us “We’re all in this together.”
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Conservation and Beautification |
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What a mighty voice we were this year. Thanks to the hard work of the well-organized C&B Legislative team and action by club Conservation chairmen and club members, we are celebrating a huge first-time-ever accomplishment. Every bill that the committee identified and the GCV Board approved for advocacy was passed by the Virginia House and the Senate (with one exception; one tabled for further discussion).
Read the recap of the bills and the results. Be sure to read through to the bottom about the budget amendment approved to Save River Farm. You can find more information on the GCV conservation webpage. The addition of hyperlinks will take you to the General Assembly website, displaying the most up-to-date journey and status of each “GCV 2021” bill. Check back to see what bills the Governor amended or signed by the March 31 deadline.
- Many thanks to the C&B legislative team for their hard work in identifying the bills that support GCV environmental positions, communicating them to GCV members and preparing this fabulous recap.
- Many thanks to our club Conservation chairmen and members for being a strong voice for the environment. Don’t forget to thank your legislators for any bills that they supported and taking the time to meet and listen.
As stated on the GCV website Conservation web page, the Board Approved 2021 Legislative Position Statement is as follows:
The Garden Club of Virginia (GCV) is an active association of 48 Clubs, whose members together form a group of more than 3,500 civic leaders from around the Commonwealth. Guided by its mission statement, the Garden Club of Virginia considers the following positions, budget requests and bills currently before the 2021 Session of the Virginia General Assembly commensurate with its mission.
April Plant Challenge
In honor of Earth Day (April 22) and Arbor Day (April 30), the GCV Horticulture and Conservation and Beautification committees challenge you to Plant! Plant! Plant!
Join GCV members across the commonwealth this month as we celebrate with an easy activity that can be done in your garden or in your community. Plant a perennial, bush or tree. Think natives! One tree or bush can cleanse and cool the air, add nutrients to your soil, feed the birds, save your shoreline, provide a home for wildlife, and save our planet. Send a digital photograph of you or your club "making a difference” to Molly Ill at mollyill.vb@gmail.com
Native planting ideas: oak tree, red buckeye, clethra, baptisia and, pictured below: coral honeysuckle and witch hazel.
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Get Ready For Daffodil Day 2022
While daffodils are still in bloom, venture outside to capture as many images as you can. Building and maintaining a portfolio of stock images is good practice and can come in handy when the occasion arises. Taking photos of daffodils now means you may have just the right image for next year's Daffodil Day Photography Show. Although classes aren't announced in advance, there are usually trends in the types of images sought: single or multiple buds; single, double or more open blooms; fields of daffodils that show movement or mass; and macros or close ups. Try to capture daffodils in different light at different times of day and in different types of weather. Don't forget to be critical. Look at your images and really "see" them. Pitch the iffy ones and look to see how cropping and editing can make good ones better.
Frame – Focus – Shoot – Show!
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Horticulture Award of Merit
The GCV Horticulture Committee is pleased to announce the recipients of the GCV 2021 Horticulture Award of Merit:
Sally Harman, a member of The Rappahannock Valley Garden Club, has a master’s degree of Landscape Architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design and has been instrumental in designing storm water strategies, erosion control, buffer zone work and horticultural planning in greater Fredericksburg. She donated her time to research and develop a demonstration garden based on a historic design by Ellen Biddle Shipman at the historic Chatham Manor in Fredericksburg, Va.
Marcia McGrath, a member of The Spotswood Garden Club, energizes everyone in her club and serves as a mentor to new members. She is a landscape designer who has assisted with club projects and has also done extensive work in her community, including with the Virginia Quilt Museum, the city round-about, the Rockingham Historical Society and the Parks and Recreation Department in Harrisonburg.
Betsy Murphy, a member of Harborfront Garden Club, has been recognized for her work with underserved children in the Norfolk community, by teaching them to grow healthy food and for helping to establish a sensory garden at a home for severely disabled children and young adults. She serves on the board of directors of the Norfolk Botanical Garden and has been a mentor for members of her garden club for 20 years.
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Deadline June 1
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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Martinsville is now a Bee City. The Martinsville Garden Club and The Garden Study Club worked with the city to reinforce their commitment to preserving the natural population of bees, which in some cases are threatened by human activity.
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North American Lily Society Virtual Show |
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The North American Lily Show & Symposium is virtual June-August 2021.
This is a great opportunity to learn more about lilies and to view and enter horticulture and artistic design classes with participants around the globe. GCV and NALS have partnered for many years. Helping with this year’s show: Joyce Moorman (The Lynchburg Garden Club) created the artistic design component; Patsy Smith (Winchester-Clarke Garden Club) procured the artistic judges; Mary Zocchi (Dolley Madison Garden Club) organized the online registration; Suzi Worsham (Leesburg Garden Club and Fairfax Garden Club) helping as needed. To register go to NALS 2021. Registration fee is $15.
What a great way to get ready for Lilies in Bloom, hosted by The Rappahannock Valley Garden Club in June 2022.
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Our new aprons are a great way to identify you as part of the GCV team during Historic Garden Week or anytime. $30 each. Purchase online.
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The Garden Club of Alexandria
Paige Nicholson
The Spotswood Garden Club
Gail Collins
Jennifer Sodikoff
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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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April 1 - Daffodil Day (Virtual) Reveal
April 7 - Finance Committee Meeting
April 8 - Historic Garden Week Committee Meeting
April 17-24 Historic Garden Week in Virginia
April 28 - Restoration Committee Meeting
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April 29 - Development Committee Meeting
May 4 - GCV Board of Directors Meeting
May 5 - GCV Annual Meeting
May 12 - Follow the Green Arrow II Committee Meeting
May 19 & 20 - Horticulture Field Day - Norfolk
May 25 - Kent-Valentine House Committee Meeting
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