Getting excited about preparing your necklace for the competition on April 17? If you attended Florence Leyssene's workshop, refresh your technique by watching Floss O'Sullivan's video of the class. Or check it out even if you did not attend! Members can watch this video as well as many others by clicking here to visit our video page.

As Montclair bursts into bloom, don't forget the Horticultural Exhibition on April 17. See details of the requirements for flowering bulbs on the Horticultural page on the website. There's so much opportunity to display your beautiful flowers and tree branches, most of which, it must be said, came up without too much assistance from their garden owners. Note that there is only one opening left for the Botanical Artistic Crafts necklace. Contact Fran Ackerly immediately. Deadline this Thursday, April 13.

The last program of the year — on April 17, 2023 at 1:30pm at Union Congregational Church — features Sydney LeBlanc, who discusses the world of the gardens hidden behind adobe walls in Santa Fe: an amazing mix of exuberant flowers, austere native plants, hand-painted containers, water features, art, perhaps a touch of spirituality, and scents of sage and piñon in the air. Her book "Secret Gardens of Santa Fe" shows how Santa Fe’s gardeners confront some of nature’s most challenging climatic extremes with a horticultural tradition spanning 400 years. The gardens are an evocative blend of Hispanic, Native American, European and contemporary ideas. Sydney LeBlanc lives in New York City, where she was a long-time member of The City Gardens Club of New York City and co-chair of the Club’s annual house and garden tour on the Upper East Side.

Once again, we had a packed program meeting on Monday, March 20 at Union Congregational Church. Amy South, GCM member and owner of Moss & More — Montclair's premier plant store — led us through the do's and don't's of creating a healthy and happy indoor garden. Her love and care for the plants she sells and cares for in her own home shone through as she explained how to figure out when to water, what kind of soil to use, why plants in the home please and protect you, and how to recognize the beasts and diseases that stalk our babies. She even releases clouds of ladybugs in the store to keep them safe. And thank you, Amy, for the wonderful gifts you donated for the raffle, including a ferocious looking stag fern and the exquisite little terrarium that now lives in this writer's kitchen. Thanks, as always, to the Hospitality Committee of Michelle Quinn and Betty Murphy who spent the entire very long day taking care of judges and members. And also to Christine James who created the beautiful centerpiece shown on this page. Stay tuned for a new post about the winners of the many awards shown at this meeting.

Don't forget! You need to pay your annual dues online or mail your form and check to Cheryl Slutzky by March 31!

First of all, note that this is an evening meeting! Union Congregational Church Monday, March 20, 2023 6:00pm reception and viewing of the exciting exhibits (see Horticulture and Flower Design pages for details); 7:00pm meeting GCM member, Amy South owns the beautiful local shop Moss & More, in Upper Montclair. The store is the result of Amy's 10-year-long dream to design a space inspired by nature, love of home, and creativity while connecting people with common interests — plants and passion for home spaces! She will discuss houseplants — their needs and care — and take us far beyond the reliable philodendron, to confidently try some more interesting and exotic plant species.

Yet another well-attended workshop for members proves again how lucky we are to have such talented instructors in Florence Leyssène and Debbie Moran (shown here creating a Hogarth curve design).. These nationally regarded women are not just extraordinary and engaging teachers, but are unable to put two pieces of floral material together without creating an exquisite and apparently effortless work of art. Just look at the designs on this page that they created during the workshop. Florence took us through the ups and downs of underwater design. Did you know, for example, that distilled water does not create unacceptable bubbles around leaves and flowers in the glass containers, unlike tap water? Or that a container not filled to the very top creates an unwanted and distracting second line that will be sternly marked down in competition? Members can see the handout Florence prepared for the class by clicking here and the full workshop video, taped and edited by Floss O’Sullivan, by clicking here. As well as creating the elegant curves in the perfect crescent and Hogarth curve designs shown here, Debbie explained how to be gentle with your branches, to understand their inner structure so that your design will keep its harmonious shape through a multiple-day exhibition. She showed us how a well-made crescent design leads the eye to create a perfect circle. And what, you ask, is a Boa Bulge? It’s when the central flower section of a crescent or Hogarth curve design doesn’t flow effortlessly into its long curved outside lines, but reminds the judges of the rather startling sight of a well-fed boa constrictor’s middle section instead of its normal sleek beauty. Members can see Debbie's notes by clicking here, and we will soon have a video showing more of the workshop.

Watch the video, and join Barbara Meyer, past President of the Garden Club and long-time rosarian, for the annual Rose Revival Workshop as we kick off the 2023 gardening season at Avis Campbell Gardens (ACG). Barbara will discuss rose cultivars and culture, along with best tools and practices to get roses off to a good start. Wear your garden gear, sturdy gloves, and bring your pruning tools (bypass pruners, please, but if you don’t have them, we’ll have a few extra). All members and provisionals are welcome and encouraged to attend. This Sunday, March 19th, 1pm-3pm, Avis Campbell Gardens at 60 S. Fullerton Ave. Rain Date: March 26th. RSVP to Celia Radek.

Take advantage of winter's last gasp this weekend! The horrible weather forecast for the next few days offers members many options for our new Botanical Arts photo competition with its "Winter Interest" theme. Registration is open now. The Horticulture Committee requests that participants follow the instructions provided here and in this month's Potpourri: Photos must be 8"x10" and must be matted. Photos may be in color or black and white. Photos must be labeled on the back with the exhibitor's name and indicate the top where necessary. And don't forget the regular horticulture classes: narcissi (daffodils/jonquils); muscari (grape hyacinths); hellebores; any other flowering bulbs, corms, or tubers; and flowering branches. See the Horticulture page on this website for details. Contact Karen Whitehaus to pre-register all of your hort entries by Thursday, March 16.

Check out the Garden Club of Montclair instructional videos on this website made by and for our members. (You must be an approved member of the Club to see these videos.) Topics vary from new botanical arts tips and tricks delightfully displayed by NGC judge Florence Leyssène, to various traditional flower design types and horticultural videos where our NGC judge Debbie Moran details how to prepare exhibits or create a terrarium. You can also watch our peaceful "Botanical Journeys," a 21-minute musical reflection on floral beauty created by our own photographers and stitched together by Floss O'Sullivan.

The clock is ticking! Remember that your annual dues for 2023-2024 should be paid by March 31. Active members and provisionals $100. Associate members $125. Pay dues and select at least two committees for 2023-2024 in one of two ways: Either online or by printing out the form and mailing it with a check to Cheryl Slutsky.

Starting as a simple Garden Therapy idea a couple of years ago — create an arrangement for the nurses at Mountainside — this monthly thank-you has turned into a fun event where provisionals and members can get to know one another in the friendly spaces of our homes. And, as you can see in the photo, the number of vases seems to have multiplied.

Join Florence Leyssène at a workshop where you'll learn key points and techniques that contribute to a successful design. Through demonstration and a discussion of mechanics, containers, and plant material selection, Florence will address the Creative and Traditional flower design types featured in upcoming monthly competitions. Open to all levels. Wednesday, March 15, 10am-12:30pm in the Garden Room at 60 South Fullerton Ave.. RSVP to Celia Radek.

On February 22, many of our new provisionals met committee chairs at the Montclair Library to ask questions and and find out what the club is planning for 2023-2024. You provisionals are the heart of the Garden Club. You bring new ideas and new enthusiasm and we are so happy that you have joined us. We want to welcome you, and to share the joy that our club has brought to so many of us.

Constance “Connie” Dey Perdue, a longtime Montclair resident died on Feb. 2, 2023 at Canterbury Care and Rehabilitation Center in Cedar Grove. She was 97. Connie was raised in Fairfield. Her father was president of the Little Falls Bank. She met her husband, Bob, through friends in Ocean Grove, a place special to her where she and Bob vacationed after retiring. She sang in the choir in the Great Auditorium in Ocean Grove and loved to bike on the boardwalk and swim in the ocean, no matter how cold it might be. Being outgoing and loving to sing and dance, she sang in several Junior League follies and participated in children’s theater in Montclair. In addition, she was an accomplished tennis player and won the women’s tennis championship at the Montclair Golf Club. For 30 years, Connie was an active and emeritus member of The Garden Club of Montclair. Having lived next door to Van Vleck House & Gardens since 1953, she proudly became one of its founding members. She was the volunteer coordinator for its Deck the Halls Christmas fundraiser and worked on the annual plant sale. Connie also enjoyed volunteering at Toni’s Closet at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and the Montclair Art Museum. Kind, loving and vivacious and a friend to all, she will be missed. Connie is survived by her daughter, Renny, and her son, Joe. She was predeceased by her husband Bob in 2018. Donations in her honor may be made to the Montclair Foundation/Van Vleck House & Gardens, 21 Van Vleck St., Montclair,

This month's Program, held today at Union Congregational Church, was led by Eileen Hyland, a passionate beekeeper and Montclair resident. With the help of her family, she has built up a thriving business — Stately Hyland Apiaries — selling all kinds of honey products as well as gentle queen bees and hives for starter beekeepers, It was one amazing fact after another. Did you know that: Dark colored clothes freak out the bees. Lemongrass oil in a box on a known swarm route will help lure them in. Don't put your nose in a hive. Bees do not make the classic hexagonal shapes you see in a honeycomb: They create soft round cells that squish down into the hexagonal cells we are used to. The Spotted Lanternfly produces honeydew that allows honey production through the late summer. (Nectar is from plants; honeydew from aphids and other sap-sucking insects.) On a warm winter day, the huddled up. shivering, but very sanitary bees will leave the hive to do their business before returning. Japanese knotweed produces sweet flowers loved by bees. Putting "site:edu" after a Google search will bring up academic entries rather than shopping items. Leftover honey can be mixed with bourbon for a delicious cocktail. See also the winners of the equally amazing exhibits this month, from gorgeous masks in the newly announced Botanical Arts section, to our, as always, incredibly beautiful flower arrangements. Below: Eileen Hyland captures her audience with her tales of the apian world.

Once again, our members showed how happy we all are to be meeting together post-pandemic with the enthusiastic and beautiful entries in our monthly competition — including in our brand-new section: Botanical Arts. Here are photos of the winners, and the full results. Flower Design Division Class 1: An American Traditional Vertical Line Design (Provisionals) Angela Gardner (left); Olga Bequillard right) Class 2: A Creative Design 1st: Barbara Baletti (pictured) 2nd: Fran Ackerly 3rd: Celia Radek HM: Cynthia Corhan-Aitken HM: Carol Callahan HM: Virginia Woo Class 3: A Challenge Design 1st: Floss O'Sullivan (pictured) 2nd: Denise Silverman 3rd: Cheryl Slutzky HM: Sheila Oakes HM: Wendy Stahl HM: Nancy Stroud Botanical Arts Division Class 4: A Mask 1st: Floss O'Sullivan 2nd: Michele Tomasik 3rd: Terri Breen HM: Susan Benner HM: Marie Donnelly HM:Betty Murphy HM:Suzy Straten Provisional Entry (critiqued): Jacoba Coes Provisional Entry (critiqued): Kem Louie Provisional Entry (for display ): Melody Brown Provisional Entry (for display): Pamela Turre Intermediate Entry (for display): Marilyn Zaret

If you recall the great time we had learning to create decorated gift boxes with Florence Leyssene (or you missed the opportunity), you'll want to join Florence as she demonstrates techniques for creating Masks, Hats, and Jewelry with fresh and dried flowers and plant material. Botanical Arts Division competitions, open to all levels in February, March, and April, will feature one of these Artistic Craft types. You won't want to miss this workshop. Please note: This is a demonstration workshop, just bring your interest and enthusiasm! Supplies will be available for purchase following the workshop. Wednesday, February 1, 10:00am at 60 S. Fullerton. RSVP to Celia Radek.

Kicking off the month of February, 32 members, including eight from the provisional class, were inspired by the workshop on Botanical Arts: Artistic Crafts presented by Florence Leyssène. Sharing her wealth of creative experience, dozens of hats, masks, and jewelry examples were on display, including a few in progress to show detailed structure of these accessories. With a demonstration of techniques, discussion of plant material and components, and books of images she assembled, Florence provided a comprehensive, engaging lesson for creating these wearable crafts. Anticipate lots of participation in upcoming monthly competitions!

We have made several interesting changes (from what appears in the Yearbook) in the Flower Design/Botanical Arts Divisions for our February 13 competition that you need to be aware of before brainstorming for your designs. The Vacation Destination for February is New Orleans and our focus and theme will be Mardi Gras. In two of our three Flower Design Classes we are asking you to incorporate the traditional colors of Mardi Gras — Purple, Green, and Gold/Yellow, in your design. The colors signify Justice (purple), Faith (green), and Power (gold). Flower Design Division. Here are the specific changes/requirements: Class1: (Provisionals only) An American Traditional Vertical Line Design. See Handbook for Flower Shows p.71. Design will be staged on a pedestal 42" H with a 14" square top. No height restrictions but an underlay is required. Choice of flowers is yours but feel free to use Mardi Gras colors if you wish (Just a head’s up to all you Provisionals that this is a good opportunity to submit a design and meet that requirement. Remember, it is NOT judged but critiqued. Class 2: A Creative Design using Mardi Gras colors (Purple, Green, and Gold/Yellow) (see Handbook for Flower Shows pp. 71-72.) Design will be staged on a 30” table and your allowable space is 24”W x 18” D. No height restrictions but a staging panel and underlay are required. Some fresh plant material must be included. This class is open to Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, and Advanced + levels Class 3: A Challenge Design. (See Handbook for Flower Shows, p. 78) staged on a 30” high table with allowable space 24”W x 18” deep, no height restrictions. Identical components will be supplied to exhibitors by committee chairs. A minimum of three (3) components MUST be used. Fee for exhibitors is $20. which includes the container that you can keep. This class is open to Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, and Advanced + levels Botanical Arts/Artistic Crafts Division: Artistic Crafts (See Handbook for Flower Shows, pp. 94-95). This class is open to all levels. Class 4: A Mardi Gras Mask.* Provided by exhibitor and embellished using fresh and/or dried plant material and other components, staged on a white styrofoam head 11” high and 20” circumference placed on a table 30” high. Styrofoam head provided by committee. Judged by Artistic Scale of Points, p.131. *Mask creation will be covered in a Workshop given by Florence Leyssène (Accredited Master Flower Show Judge) on February 1 at 10am in the Garden Club Room. Email Celia Radek, cradek8796@aol.com to register. Keep in mind that there is a limit of six (6) entries per class so we encourage you to email Fran Ackerly, fackerly1@gmail.comNO LATER than February 6 if you plan to submit a flower design or a Botanical Arts/Artistic Crafts Mask. The program and competition will again be at Union Congregational Church, 176 Cooper Ave in Upper Montclair. We look forward to a fun and festive competition as we celebrate our talented designers and Mardi Gras. Laissez les bon temps rouler! -Fran Ackerly and Barbara Baletti, FD Chair/Co-Chair