November has arrived and with it the beautiful colors of fall, cooler temperatures and busy times for the Garden Club of Virginia!
GCV members and other attendees were delighted to be back in person for the 65th Annual Conservation Forum, EcoLandscaping: Restoring Nature’s Balance. Many thanks to the Conservation Committee for engaging fantastic speakers and hosting a terrific event.
It was wonderful to see many of you last month at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture for History Blooms. I am grateful to our members and GCV and VMHC staff for their extraordinary efforts to make this new initiative a tremendous success. The floral designs by 27 of our member clubs were truly remarkable. Scroll down to enjoy photographs of these awe-inspiring creations.
A very special thank you to The Garden Club of the Eastern Shore, hosts for the 104th Board of Governors meeting. Attendees gathered to learn and enjoy the camaraderie of fellow members while experiencing lovely hospitality on Virginia’s beautiful Land Between Two Waters.
Congratulations to the 2023 Common Wealth Award Recipients for their project, partnering to create a public green space at the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond.
As we approach Thanksgiving, I send my warmest wishes to you for a wonderful holiday with your family.
My best,
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Debbie Lewis
GCV President, 2022-2024
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Thank you to all who participated in the second session of Cultivating Conversations! If you missed the session, click here to view the recording and hear tips for flower conditioning and mechanics from professional arranger and Hunting Creek Garden Club member, Laura Francis.
Register here for our next session, Pollinator Support in the Home Garden, on Monday, Nov. 13, at 5 p.m. In this session, pollinator expert and Bee City advocate Heidi James of The Lynchburg Garden Club will join GCV Communications Director and hobby beekeeper Sarah Blackburn to discuss ways to support pollinators in your home garden. Please join us!
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Enjoy the beauty our member clubs shared during the recent History Blooms weekend at the Virginia of Museum of History & Culture. View photos here.
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November’s native plant of the month is the common witch hazel, Hamamelis virginiana. One of the last native woody plants to flower in the year, witch hazel is known for its crimped yellow flower petals and its enticing fragrance. This low-branched vase-shaped tree grows 15 to 25 feet high and wide and thrives both in shaded areas and full sun in fertile moist soil. Its standout yellow color will attract some of the last thirsty pollinators of the year including the owlet moth. Be sure to leave the leaves to enhance soil fertility and protect overwintering pupae that have dropped into them.
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Historic Garden Week 2025 Guidebook Cover Due Jan. 16, 2024
Historic Garden Week 2024 Marketing Meeting
The HGW Marketing Meeting will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 14 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Woman’s Club, 211 E. Franklin St., Richmond. Invitations were emailed to the chairmen of tours, social media, publicity/PR and club presidents. Please contact HGW Marketing Coordinator Terri Lowman at Terri@VAGardenWeek.org if you have not received an invitation and would like to attend. RSVP to Terri by Nov. 7.
The marketing meeting will help clubs boost their plans for the 91th anniversary of HGW and will cover resources for producing local promotional materials as well as GCV-produced materials, social media in support of club tours and an overview of HGW’s economic impact. And, as an added bonus, attendees will be treated to the first reveal of the 2024 Guidebook cover!
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Photography Workshops Offered Again!
Beginning in January 2024, photographers of all levels will have the opportunity to take part in basic to intermediate to advanced workshops - all free and all via Zoom. Please watch for dates in the December Membership News for the following:
- Basic Composition - an entry level course on how to make compelling photographs for cell phone and camera users alike.
- Basic Editing - an entry level course on how to use an iPhone or iPad to make simple edits for improvement and correction. Other cell phone, as well as camera, users will benefit from this introduction to basic editing terms and applications.
- Lightroom for Beginners - this is an intermediate level editing course for Lightroom Classic, a computer based editing program. This course will consist of three consecutive workshops for those who have never used Lightroom.
- Advanced Lightroom - this is an advanced course for those who have taken Lightroom Classic workshops before or who have a good working knowledge of it. This course will consist of two consecutive workshops.
Stay tuned for dates and registrations for the above in the December Membership News.
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December 1, 2023, Award Nominations Deadline
The Massie Medal is the oldest and most prestigious award given by the Garden Club of Virginia. It was inaugurated in 1928 by Susanne Williams Massie during her presidency and was given by her until her death in 1952. Since that time it has been given by the GCV in her memory.
Nominations should be sent to: Massie Medal Committee Chairman Candy Crosby, PO Box 7212, Charlottesville, Va. 22906, 434-981-9331, clover8084@gmail.com. The recipient will be announced at the 2024 Annual Meeting in May.
March 1, 2024, Award Nominations Deadlines
The Common Wealth Award, established in 1979, provides funds to support community projects of conservation, beautification, horticulture, preservation and/or education. The two-word name Common Wealth describes the "wealth" that is "common" to all Virginians. Nominations may be submitted by GCV members or member clubs. Learn more.
The Horticulture Award of Merit was established in 1960 to recognize individual members of the Garden Club of Virginia who have achieved significant accomplishments in horticulture, both personally and in their communities. Please consider nominating your club’s dedicated and hard-working horticulturalists. Learn more.
The de Lacy Gray Conservation Medal was established by the Dolley Madison Garden Club as a memorial to de Lacy Thompson Gray. The award recognizes outstanding effort by 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 for member clubs. Learn more.
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Congratulations to the recipients of the 2023 Common Wealth Award - The Boxwood Garden Club, The James River Garden Club, Three Chopt Garden Club, and The Tuckahoe Garden Club of Westhampton - for their project, partnering to create a public green space at the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond.
The Common Wealth Award was established in 1979 to provide an annual grant to promote projects in the interest of conservation, beautification, horticulture, preservation and education. The two word name Common Wealth was chosen to describe the "wealth" that is "common" to all Virginians.
Congratulations to the recipients of the Garden Club of Virginia 2023 Conservation Educator Awards. Established in 2016, the Conservation Educator Award recognizes individuals and organizations whose work embodies GCV’s ideals. The recipients’ work must create a learning situation which benefits the community.
Karla Smith is an educator in the Chesapeake Public Schools where for over 30 years she blended history, geography and environmental science to engage her students in experiential outdoor learning. Her passion for educating the next generation led her to co-found the Nansemond River Preservation Alliance in 2010, headquartered in Suffolk. Through this alliance, Smith was able to initiate educational programs for students to further their understanding of wetlands and water quality and to foster environmental stewardship among students. She played a pivotal role in the inclusion of the Nansemond River in the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail which led to the installation of kiosks and maps highlighting the river’s history, ecology, wildlife and river access points. Smith was nominated by The Nansemond River Garden Club.
Dr. Woodward “Woody” Bousquet, fondly known as Woody, was recognized for his 37-year career as a professor including 36 years at Shenandoah University where his hands-on teaching philosophy has inspired and guided undergraduate students to be the next generation of environmental leaders. Beginning in 1993, Dr. Bousquet led his students in wetland studies, water quality investigations, ecological inventories of natural areas and environmental education projects in the Shenandoah Valley. He played an essential role in the establishment of the Abrams Creek Wetlands Preserve, the recipient of the Garden Club of Virginia’s Bessie Bocock Carter Conservation Award in 2019. Dr. Bousquet was nominated by the Winchester-Clarke Garden Club.
Congratulations to the recipient of the 2023 Elizabeth Cabell Dugdale Award for Conservation. The Dugdale Award for Conservation is given annually to a non-GCV organization, industry or individual who has rendered outstanding service in conservation and wise development of natural resources for the Commonwealth of Virginia.
The 2023 recipient, the City of Lynchburg, with its rich history dating back to 1757 has long demonstrated a strong commitment to environmental preservation and sustainable practices. Both the creation of an 18-acre public space in 1862 and the 1981 launch of Operation Plant-A-Tree exemplify the city’s innovative approach to promoting green initiatives and in 1983, Lynchburg was designated as one of Virginia’s earliest Tree Cities. The decision to become a Bee City in 2019 demonstrated its dedication to pollinator protection and ecosystem health. Most recently, the initiative taken in 2023 to plant 3,000 native trees by Lynchburg’s Urban Forester showcases a commitment to restoring wildlife habitats and managing noise pollution. Lynchburg was nominated by Hillside Garden Club and The Lynchburg Garden Club.
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2024 GCV Conservation and Environmental Studies Fellowship
Applications Due Feb. 1, 2024
New f0r 2024, two fellowships will be granted - one to a graduate student and one to an undergraduate student.
This Fellowship was established in 2014 to support scholars conducting research in areas relating to the conservation of natural resources and/or environmental studies concerning flora, fauna or cultural practices within communities that directly impact the Commonwealth of Virginia. The application process begins in November with the Conservation and Environmental Studies Fellowship announcements distributed to colleges and universities. A Guidelines and Application form will be posted soon on the GCV website.
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Leave the Leaves to Save Pollinators and Help the Soil!
The best thing we can do for our pollinators and other friendly insects, animals, and plants is to leave the leaves! Leaf litter has been home to these important critters for millennia and is necessary for survival and reproduction for so many butterflies, bees, beetles, moths, and more. Leaf litter also restores nutrients to your soil. Please consider not mowing or raking your yards and gardens to help nature do its work. Learn More.
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Connections and partnerships are key to most organizations’ ability to sustain and grow. They are perhaps most important in the Garden Club of Virginia where partnerships abound, such as the one we recently created with the Virginia Museum of History & Culture for a weekend of fun, education and beauty for members and public alike through History Blooms.
Our relationships with the American Daffodil Society is an important part of Daffodil Day, as is our new relationship with Virginia Wesleyan University, the site of Daffodil Day 2023 and 2024. In this article from the September 2023 edition of the Daffodil Journal, GCV Horticulture Field Day 2023 is highlighted. Author and a presenter for HFD, Vivian Herbert writes about the Anderson-Kale Daffodil Tribute Garden at William & Mary in Williamsburg. In it she also mentions GCV’s work in restoration of the Reveley Garden in Williamsburg and Daffodil Day 2023 in connection to the tour of the tribute garden in June 2023.
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Welcome GCV’s New Office and Events Coordinator Emily Yates |
After many wonderful years, Quan McGough has moved on from her role at GCV. Quan will be deeply missed here at KVH, but we are happy to share that beginning in early October, Emily Yates joined the team as GCV’s new Office and Events Coordinator. Emily brings nearly a decade of experience in the nonprofit sector, and recently graduated cum laude with her master’s degree in public history. She comes to us from The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, where she commanded cannons, taught in the Powder Magazine, and worked to better the Foundation’s understanding of minorities in the 18th century.
She is best known for her love of women’s history, dogs, and Halloween. In her spare time, she volunteers with a WWII living history group and raises money for the Alzheimer’s Association. Welcome, Emily!
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The Blue Ridge Garden Club
Cary Edgar
Margaret Hutton
Scottie Pavlick
The Garden Club of Danville
Libby Jones
Michelle West
The Garden Study Club
Karen Hite
The Garden Club of Gloucester and Mathews
Paula Mooradian
The Hampton Roads Garden Club
Julianne Keidenger
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Harborfront Garden Club
Carol Moore
Kathleen Mozzi
The Hunting Creek Garden Club
Stacy Carter
Kathy Penkiunas
Bridget Weaver
The Huntington Garden Club
Julie Summs
Cathy Ward
The Rappahannock Valley Garden Club
Catharine Farley
Shelby Gleason
Susan Ware
Roanoke Valley Garden Club
Whitney Aldridge
Amanda Beck
Amanda Copeland
Connie Eggleston
Brady Woolwine
Three Rivers Garden Club
Judy Schwartz
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Our Shop features fun and useful GCV and Member Club items. Shop Now.
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New Item: Restoration Notecards. Each card details GCV's work at a featured property. The cards are a great way to spread the word about our projects across the commonwealth. Every note sent is a chance to educate about our mission.
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