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 News from the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut
THE FGCCT CHILDREN'S ROOFTOP GARDEN at the
CONNECTICUT SCIENCE CENTER
So many clubs have been supportive of our Science Center Children’s Garden by sending in donations. We welcome other clubs to join in.
This endeavor will be so rewarding to families visiting the center. For a complete list of clubs that have donated, check our website www.ctgarden.org/sciencecenter.html.
A special thank you goes to Chair Dee Mozzocchi, and to Kathrine Neville and her committee for working on the exciting garden plans.
Click here for more photos from the Groundbreaking in September ...
and see it NOW!
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Front, left to right: Kathy Thomas, Kathrine Neville, Donna Nowak, Maria Nahom, Dee Mozzochi, Renee Blaschke, National Garden Clubs President.
Back, left to right: CT Science Center: Aaron Wartner, Director of Marketing and Communications and Matt Fleury, President and CEO
Proud members of the National, Regional and Connecticut contingents visited the Connecticut Science Center on September 20 for an interactive tour followed by the groundbreaking of the FGCC Rooftop Childrens' Garden.
The Connecticut Science Center is dedicated to inspiring lifelong learning through interactive and innovative experiences that explore our changing world through science. To that end, Dee Mozzochi, FGCC Connecticut Science Center Childrens' Garden Chair, has worked with Maria Nahom, FGCC Past President, Donna Nowak, FGCC President, and Kathrine Neville, FGCC Horticulture Chair to realize the dream of constructing a rooftop terrace garden for all visitors to enjoy. Over 50 member clubs, three private donors, and the FGCC Board have provided funding for the project.
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"Keeping in Touch" (Aug-Oct 2010)
A Quarterly Publication of the National Garden Clubs
with news and information from the NGC
Aid for Haiti
Caring Members Can Reach Out to Aid Haiti
The devastating earthquake in Haiti has left many NGC members wondering how they can help. Donations are now being collected for Haiti through NGC.
A project currently being considered by NGC is in conjunction with Global Partners Running Waters. The focus of this project will be to provide biological filtration to several sites serving Haitian children. This includes the Port au Prince Orphanage and seven schools in the mountainous Amazones area. These simple filters remove harmful bacteria and will bring clean, life-giving water to some of the people who need it most desperately. The Board of Directors will be voting on participation for this project. at the upcoming Atlanta Abloom Convention Business Meeting. When approved, all funds earmarked properly will be able to get to the Global Partners Running Waters organization quickly.
To participate, please send your donations to Headquarters.
Make checks payable to NGC. Please indicate World Gardening - Haiti.
Send to:
NGC Headquarters
4401 Magnolia Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63110
Please note that this is a special fund, separate from the water projects we are supporting in Guatemala, and so it is important to clearly indicate World Gardening - Haiti with your payment. For questions, contact Barbara Wesley, International Disaster/
World Gardening Chairman
FGCCT Officers for 2009-2010
Incoming officers of the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut
are welcomed at the April Luncheon at Aqua Turf. Left to right: Rebecca Simpson, Corresponding Secretary; Theresa Waltz, Recording Secretary; Donna Nowak, President; Ronnie Schoelzel, 1st VP; Anne Harrigan, 2nd VP; Rebecca Paul, Publicity Chair
The FGCCT Judges Council
The Federation Judges Council is committed to promoting the study of the Handbook for Flower Shows and the fair and proper judging of Standard Flower Shows throughout the state. The Council also promotes flower show schools and symposiums within the state.
We have seventy Student, Accredited, Life and Master judges. We meet five times a year to clarify changes in the Handbook, discuss judging concerns and practice judging horticulture and design.
Sophie Kelly, Chair
The FGCCT Gardening Consultants Council
Click here for images from the Gardening Consultants Council's most recent activities!
Established in October 2000. To increase knowledge and stimulate interest in horticulture; to keep informed of advanced gardening techniques; to share this knowledge and promote interest in gardening by giving special programs; and to promote Gardening Study courses and special events.
Members attend educational programs and seminars at places of interest; Arboretums, CT Agricultural Station, Lockwood Farm, Vineyards, Tobacco Barns and Wickham Park.
Visits to nurseries and garden centers as well as tours of private gardens take place during the year.
Two special projects were established in 2006 to honor Penny Jarvis, a lady who loved to garden and who gave an endowment to the Consultants Council. The Love-ly Garden award was given for the first time this year to Lisa Cocco of the Suburban Garden Club of Cheshire and a scholarship award to Gardening Study School to Pattie Pitts of the Long Hill Garden Club.
Members are invited to join the council as provisionals upon completion of two courses of Gardening Study school. Upon completion and test passed of four years of Gardening Study school, members may join as Active Members. Currently there are 45 members of the Council and one Master Gardening Consultant.(Completion of eight Gardening Study Courses.)
Nancy Lenoce, Chair
The Gardening Consultants Council presents the "Love-ly Garden Award" each year. This award is open to all garden club members who have created and maintained her or his own garden. Deadline for submitting the nomination form is June 15.
Click here for award form in PDF format.
The FGCCT Landscape Design Council
2009 Landscape Design Council Award Winning Garden |
Theme: A Summer landscape incorporating a water feature (pond, river, fountain, seaside). The garden was judged in July.
Winning Garden: Gary and Carol Dornbush 's award winning landscape in Simsbury. Landscape Architect Regina Neal was the designer.
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| Below: Landscape Design Council Members Judging Gardens at the Stanton House Museum, Clinton, CT. Submitted by the Arbor Garden Club of Clinton. Gardens there include The Sally Stanton Fragrant Herb Garden, the Kitchen Garden, the Heritage Perennial Garden and the Heirloom Vegetable Garden. |
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Excellence in Design Award
The overall theme is Seasonal Landscape Design with judging taking place in different months of the year. By announcing the themes several years ahead of time, we are hoping that we will have more participants who would have additional time to prepare their landscapes for the various themes.
| 2009 |
Summer Landscape incorporating a water feature(pond, river, fountain,seaside) to be judged in July (Applications due June 15th) |
| 2010 |
Fall Landscape featuring fall color to be judged in October |
2011 |
Winter Landscape to be judged in February |
2012 |
Spring Landscape featuring bulbs and flowering trees/shrubs to be judged in May |
| 2013 |
Summer Landscape incorporating a moon garden to be judged in late June |
| 2014 |
Fall Public or Corporate Landscape to be judged toward the end of September |
Brief summary of 2008 activities:
| Feb |
landscape judging at the Connecticut State Flower Show |
| May |
council meeting and speaker Kristin Schwab on Sustainability in the Landscape |
June |
garden visits to Partricia Porter's historic home and garden and Skyflower Ingram hilltop garden |
July |
judging for the Excellence in Design Award |
| Sept |
garden visits to Steve Silk's garden in Farmington and the J.Kemler Appell Waterfowl Sanctuary |
| Oct |
council meeting and speaker Marie Stella on Being Green |
| Nov |
garden visit to Judy and Michael Steinhardt's garden in Mount Kisco |
The Federated Garden Clubs of CT Landscape Design Council is made up of Landscape Design Consultants who have successfully completed all four Landscape Design Study Programs as well as Provisional members who have completed two courses. The official purpose of the Landscape Design Study Program and the Council is to educate citizens and Consultants alike in good landscape design principles in order to promote landscape design in their own communities, especially as it relates to public design.
The unofficial purpose is to learn as much about landscape design as possible, to get to know and learn from other people interested in landscape design, to learn how to improve our own gardens, and in some cases, learn more about designing gardens for others.
We also host a yearly Excellence In Design Competition with different categories each year. Once again, we will encourage Consultants and Provisionals to judge the gardens. We get to see wonderful gardens all over the state, meet with and learn from experienced and new members, and usually go out to lunch or have a picnic. The winner receives our now legendary BIG SILVER REVERE BOWL at the Fall Awards Luncheon.
During the summer we go on field trips or view Garden Conservancy Open Gardens, and then retire somewhere for refreshments to discuss what we have seen. This is such a fantastic way to learn since everyone, new and experienced members alike, sees different aspects of the gardens.
Barbara Deysson, LDC Chair
BLUE STAR MARKER
Maria Nahom NGC Chairman
(condensed from the February-April, 2007, "Keeping In Touch" Quarterly Publication of National Garden Clubs)
2006 - BLUE STAR MARKER PROGRAM'S MOST INCREDIBLE YEAR
242 new orders were received this year. The unprecedented growth began with very welcome grants from Principal Financial Group, and continued to escalate when the manufacturer announced a price increase for all markers. Clubs hurried to place orders before the change - the last increase was in 1996.
Ultimately the final credit for this exciting growth goes to our members across the country who support our Armed Forces, and I predict that the program will continue to grow.
Congratulations to all clubs who helped to make this a banner year for Blue Star Memorial Markers.
Durham Blue Star Memorial, given by Durham Garden Club
 This Blue Star Marker in Durham, CT, given by the Durham Garden Club, was dedicated on November 9, 2006
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 From left to right: Susan Parr, Historic/Memorial/Public Gardens Chairman, FGCCT; Maria Nahom, 1st VP, FGCCT and National Garden Clubs Blue Star Memorial Chairman; Flo Flynn, Blue Star Marker Chair, Durham Garden Club; Mary Gray, National Projects/Patriotic Trees Chairman, FGCCT; Maria Nilson, President, Durham Garden Club
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 Mary Gray, National Projects/Patriotic Trees Chairman for FGCCT, dedicates a tree at the site of the Durham Blue Star memorial. |
ALL HABITAT FOR HUMANITY LANDSCAPING GRANTS DISTRIBUTED
Seven Habitat for Humanity homes were beautifully landscaped this past year. Four FGCCT garden clubs took advantage of grants that were funded by of the NGC Walk-A-Thon, which raised more than $800 for CT. The garden clubs who landscaped Habitat for Humanity homes were:
- Ledyard Garden Club, four Habitat for Humanity homes in New London - club members planted more than 350 bulbs around the homes to delight the homeowners last spring.
- Country Gardeners of Glastonbury and Glastonbury Garden Clubs each landscaped a home in Hartford’s Habit for Humanity neighborhood Swift Village.
- North Haven Garden Club provided landscaping for a Habitat for Humanity home in New Haven.
In addition to designing, purchasing and installing landscaping, members of these garden clubs are providing education for the new HfH homeowners so that the newly landscaped yards will thrive.
For all clubs that participated in the 2005-2007 HfH project, report forms must be submitted to the NGC Chairman by March 1, 2007 for the club to receive a special certificate. These may be downloaded from the NGC Website at www.gardenclub.org.
This year the company Periwinkle and Bloom will be repeating their generous offer of "container garden in a box" for Habitat 2007 BLitz Build homeowners. This new collection will be available this spring so watch for details on the web. For more information, please contact:
Alice W. Luster, FGCCT HfH Liaison
860 633-9098
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
Tips from Jo Williams NGC Chairman
(condensed from the February-April, 2007, "Keeping In Touch" Quarterly Publication of National Garden Clubs)
If your Club, District or Council would like to join in the fun of becoming involved in landscaping Habitat homes, please follow these easy as 1, 2, 3, 4 steps.
- Telephone your local Habitat Affiliate. You'll find the number in the white pages of the telephone directory
- Learn from the Habitat Affiliate what the particular landscaping needs are in your community.
- After taking this information back to your club, decide with your members how you would like to help.
- Make the commitment and dig in! Help needed in landscaping Habitat homes varies from one community to the next. Many times, the need may be monetary. On the other hand, it might be physical. In some cases, the need might be for gardening tools or equipment of that nature. The theme of the HFH Landscape Project is 'OPEN YOUR HEART AND HANDS' and the philosophy has always been: "No contribution - physical or monetary - is too small," and all donations are gratefully received.
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