OPEN GARDEN of Brigitte Padberg Sunday, May 5, 2024.  3:00 - 7:00 See address High on the hill that rises above the Iris Garden is a secret place that unfolded to our gardeners three years ago.  Do NOT miss this one: an interactive experience so perfect for the brave and athletic among you. When a humble Brigitte mentioned that she had built terraces on the rocky hill behind her home and was awaiting the spring bloom of her azaleas, nothing could have been more of an understatement. This Rocky Mountain High rises several stories to join the cliff edge of Mills Reservation and Brigitte alone spent 10 years reassembling those rocks to form a series of winding terraces complete with resting and lookout stops. A clear view of the Manhattan skyline caps this breathtaking experience. With a salute to native gardening, Brigitte treasures her perennials and shrubs that accent her vivid yellow house and welcomes the families of wildlife who also enjoy terrace hopping. Come to climb or just to gasp and wear sturdy shoes. Friends are welcome. If poor weather makes it necessary to postpone,  an email will be sent the day before the Open Garden event. Coordinator: Marilyn Zaret ( marzaret@comcast.net)

On Friday, April 26, the Youth committee ― specifically Donna Karanja, Allyn Young, Sarah Olson and Sue Young ― led delighted fourth graders at the Kelly School in West Orange through a workshop in planting succulents and decorating their achievements. Many thanks to teacher Alicia Lampley who encouraged our green invasion of her class. The students had such a good time that she is setting up the same workshop for the rest of the fourth graders in the school so that they won't be jealous of her students' creations. Our club received a virtual hug from the happy kids. And for the benefit of Club members who are not too familiar with succulent husbandry, see a very short and illuminating introduction to the topic, below.

We should have known, but many of us were awed to learn the full extent of the astonishing careers of three of our members in the fashion industry, (l-r, below) Tova Narrett, Cynthia Corhan-Aitken, and Lauren Zodel. On April 15, in the last program of the year, each told us her story and described her core values, and displayed a floral interpretation of her professional creations. Below are photos of the event and Karen Fricke's introductions (in the order they spoke) to each of these wonderful and powerful women. Tova Narrett began making and selling her clothing designs when she was 14. She earned a BFA in Fashion from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Tova worked as a fashion designer in Manhattan for 36 years, for many very upscale, contemporary design firms. Her specialty was highly adventurous and unconventional knitwear. Seven years ago, Tova made her very first flower design, for the Garden Club provisional requirement. She was totally amazed ― this was exactly like fashion design! So she just fell in love. Lauren Zodel studied Fashion Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology, specializing in Childrenswear.  During her time at FIT, she interned at Oilily in Amsterdam, a Dutch company founded in 1963, and known for its original use of colors and innovative designs. Her time there greatly influenced her design aesthetic.  After graduation, she worked for DKNY Kids, Baby Gap, Calvin Klein Kids, Eddie and Stine, by Eddie Bauer and Tommy Hilfiger Kids.  She opened her own business, Blueprint Studios, in Maplewood, a creative place for kids and teens focusing on Fashion Design and Photography.  In 2011, she began teaching at FIT, and in 2018 she received full tenure. Lauren joined the garden club in 2021, and this past January she expanded her artistic reach to include creating floral designs for a restaurant in Montclair. Cynthia Corhan-Aitken graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. She went on to have a successful career in the garment industry, first designing women’s jackets and coats for an outer wear company, and then for a private label collection, before ultimately opening Cynthia C & Company, a Couture Bridal house. In addition to creating custom designs out of her Soho Design Studio, Cynthia also designed and produced two collections a year which were carried in 25 stores across the country and Canada under the label Cynthia C. & Company. After moving to Montclair, she began studying landscape design at the New York Botanical Garden before opening Twig & Vine Design, a residential Garden and Landscape Design firm. She continues to run her business from her home studio, often volunteering her time to create landscape designs for Montclair’s public spaces and non-profit organizations.

Join us to Celebrate You! Thursday, May 30th, 10:30 am at The Glen Ridge Country Club, 555 Ridgewood Avenue, Glen Ridge. All levels of Garden Club membership and their guests are welcome! Luncheon Country Club attire is requested (no jeans or sneakers). Tickets: Peony: $70 (base price) Dahlia $90 (+$20 donation) Rose $120 (+$50 donation) Click here to pay online (under "Business") and click here for the invitation explaining where to send a check if you prefer to pay that way.

Before even looking at the competition results, see a view of the crowded kitchen at Bnai Keshet at 8 in the morning as members prepare their specimens before the judges arrive. And now to the results. Flower Design The last Flower Design competition of 2023-24 proved to be a showcase of the talent in our Club. Designers from Provisional to Advanced Plus entered designs of differing styles and types. Horizontal Mass, Petite, Illuminary, and Abstract Designs were exhibited. The judges awarded the following: Provisional – Allyn Young (critique only) Novice – 1st Karen Fricke, 2nd Olga Bequillard Intermediate – 1st Susan Brady Advanced – 1st Floss O’Sullivan (see photo), 2nd Barbara Baletti, 3rd Suzy Straten Advanced Plus – 1st Fran Ackerly, 2nd Cynthia Corhan-Aitken Botanical Arts Section A: Cuff Bracelet 1st:       Karen Fricke (see photo) 2nd:     Debbie Moran 3rd:      Michele Tomasick HM:      Floss O’Sullivan Section B: This Section was divided into 2 classes. B1: Early morning Landscape 1st:      Debbie Moran 2nd:     Olga Bequillard 3rd:      Denise Silverman HM:      Barbara Baletti B2: Trees/Branches under early lighting 1st:      Michele Tomasik 2nd:     Floss O'Sullivan 3rd:      Celia Radek HM:      Sheila Oakes Horticulture Jacoba Coes was in first place with 48 points Celia Radek was in second place with 44 points Sue Straten was in third place with 42 points. Eighteen participants in the competition with one provisional included. Congrats to Allyn Young for completing her Provisional  Horticulture requirement. Our members displayed 96 specimens in 7 Classes. Of the specimens exhibited, 32 Blue Ribbons were awarded! Pretty impressive numbers all around. Jacoba Coes was in first place with 48 points Celia Radek was in second place with 44 points Sue Straten was in third place with 42 points. Eighteen participants in the competition with one provisional included. Congrats to Allyn Young for completing her Provisional  Horticulture requirement. Our members displayed 96 specimens in 7 Classes. Of the specimens exhibited, 32 Blue Ribbons were awarded! Pretty impressive numbers all around.

For a number of years now, members of the Garden Therapy committee have been visiting Oasis, the extraordinary nonprofit organization in Paterson that supports 1,000 women and children a day with all kinds of services from hot meals, emergency food, clothing, and social support to educational programs. On February 28, The Club held an aroma therapy workshop at the center, created, curated, and presented by Jacoba Coes. Club volunteers supported 25 Oasis clients as together they created aromatic jars of therapeutic scent using lavender, calendula, rosebuds and sunflower petals. This workshop was a brand new success for the Garden Therapy committee!

Suzanne Scott Price, also known as Mom, Susie, Gram, and G.G., passed away peacefully after a brief illness on Friday, March 29, 2024 at Crane's Mill of West Caldwell, at the age of 93. She was born on July 12, 1930 in her childhood home in Glen Ridge and was graduated from Glen Ridge High School in 1948. She attended Wellesley College and then Bradford Jr. College, where she was graduated in 1951. She went on to graduate from the Katherine Gibbs Secretarial School in 1953. Susie worked for the Japan Society Inc. in NYC for the next three years, getting to know the Rockefeller family. During this time she married Douglas Price in 1955 and moved to Montclair, living in three different homes over the next 43 years. It was in 1998 that she and Doug would sell their home of 29 years to move into the newly-constructed cottage at Crane's Mill. While raising two children, Susie was extremely active in their lives and activities while immersing herself into community endeavors and volunteer work. She was proud of the organizations she participated in such as The Junior League of Montclair-Newark (1952-present Sustainer Emeritus); the Humdingers of the Junior League '75-'89; Girl Scout Leader; a docent for The Van Vleck House and Presby Iris Gardens; several committees on the Crane's Mill Residents Association; three terms on the Board of Directors of the CMRA; and the Crane's Mill Chorus. But she was probably most proud of her years spent with the Garden Club of Montclair where she won numerous awards in floral design and horticulture including The Kay Moelane Van Deusen Rose Award, The Presidential Award for Horticulture, The Bauer Horticulture Award and the Louise Mann Award. Susie had a huge enthusiasm for life that included but was not limited to her family, music, gardening, and traveling. She had a beautiful voice, was an accomplished tennis player, and knew every botanical name when asked. Her bags were always packed by the front door, ready for the next adventure. She was determined to keep herself healthy in body and spirit and lived with so much optimism that it was contagious. Generous, patient, loving, and giving were just some of the qualities that friends and family benefited from. But her family was her greatest joy and pride. Her life was truly well-lived and our lives have been made richer by her presence. Suzanne was predeceased by her husband Douglas Fleet Price (2009), a daughter-in-law Karyn Price, and a brother Harry B. Scott (Beatrice). She is survived by a daughter, Lyn Price Buck (Frank); a son, Scott Price; three grandchildren, Georgie Buck Penny (Forest), Amanda Price, and Ryan Price; two great grandchildren, Colton and Baylyn Penny; and six nephews, David, James, Thomas, Kevin, Robert, and Christopher with their spouses. A memorial service will be held in Hinman Hall of Crane's Mill 459 Passaic Ave. West Caldwell, NJ on Monday, May 20 at 11:00 a.m., followed by a luncheon there. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association at act.alz.org, or the Garden Club of Montclair at www.gardenclubofmontclair.com/donate.

Meeting outside in the cool weather of early spring, Laura Roberts, the Van Vleck Gardens Director of Horticulture, led a very informative workshop to jump start the season that's beginning to unfold. First up, composting.  Learning about the ratios of browns to greens and what should and shouldn't be added to the pile, Laura made a good case for cold, not hot, composting as the way to go. While learning the how to and why of this regenerative, soil building gardening practice, an earthquake hit the area which passed unnoticed until cell phones started pinging! Then on to the Edible Garden where all that good compost is put to use.  Showcasing cool season crops to plant in the fall and in early spring, Laura pulled up carrots and radish that grew under row covers through the relatively mild winter and then planted peas for an early summer harvest.  The bounty is shared with Toni's Kitchen.  We're fortunate to have Laura Roberts share her expertise with us.  Now it's time to get growing!  Members are welcome to the workshop handout and notes here.

"Clothes aren't going to change the world. The women who wear them are." – Anne Klein We have amongst our members, a surprising number of women who have found their way to the glories of gardening after (or during!) careers in the garment industry. Is there a correlation between fashion and flora? On Monday, April 15, as early as 5:30pm, we will gather at Bnai Keshet for an evening program to hear from four of them: Cynthia Corhan-Aitken, Sidney Milliken, Tova Narrett, and Lauren Zodel. Each designer will display a garment that represents her niche in the industry, as well as a floral design, inspired by her garment. She will share reflections on her career in the world of fashion, and ruminate on how she transferred that same creativity to the world of gardening and floral design. Join us for a festive evening as these four members share their fascinating journeys from hemlines to hellebores.

Our March program speaker was Horatio Joyce who introduced us to the story of The Garden Conservancy and the evolution of its mission to restore, rescue, and rehabilitate public gardens as well as to open private gardens to the public. Frank Cabot, a financier and passionate gardener and horticulturalist founded the Conservancy in 1989 after noting that two-thirds of America's great gardens had been destroyed by development. The Conservancy began with "four acres of giant cactuses, succulents and native species" in Walnut Creek, California, the life's work of gardener Ruth Bancroft. The Conservancy is now a nationwide organization, active in the preservation of 17 important private gardens for posterity, including the rehabilitation of the gardens at Alcatraz. Its Open Days program has introduced more than 300 private gardens to the public throughout the United States ― including the garden of our own Cynthia Corhan-Aitken whose garden will be open on Saturday, June 1 from 10am-4 pm. Click here to book a ticket and find out more about this special event!

Rutgers is hosting a series of seminars this spring as part of the university's "Earth Day Every Day" program. The webinars look interesting, very science-based.  The soil lecture should be great ― always lots more to learn there. Click here to see the descriptions of each topic along with the registration link.. And click here to view their monthly newsletter "Earth Day is Every Day."

The exhibits this March showed why this Club is going from strength to strength. Whether it was the superb quality of the flower designs, the wild imagination of the botanical arts creations or the sheer abundance of spring's lush horticutural specimens, everything simply sang. At right, Sarah Olson's sweet tea table decoration, and below, the winners in each category as well as Brenda Bingham's astonishing two-sided design. Flower Design Novice 1st: Karen Fricke 2nd: Olga Bequillard 3rd: Kathy Bachmann Intermediate 1st: Deb Hirsch, 2nd: Marie Donnelly Advanced 1st: Floss O'Sullivan 2nd: Barbara Baletti 3rd: Carol Callahan Advanced Plus 1st: Cynthia Corhan-Aitken 2nd: Sarah Stransky Trial Run Karen Fricke (critiqued only) Botanical Arts Topiary 1st: Michele Tomasik 2nd: Karen Fricke 3rd: Cynthia Corhan-Aitken HM: Fran Ackerly The Shoe class (all entries with the two firsts at top shown below) was divided by the judges into a ‘dress’ shoe group and a more ‘casual/informal’ shoe group, as there were nine entries total: The other winners in no particular order .... ‘Dress’ Shoe group 1st:  Floss O’Sullivan 2nd: Michele Tomasik 3rd:  Fran Ackerly HM: Cynthia Corhan-Aitken HM: Jacoba Coes “Casual/Informal” Shoe group 1st:  Karen Fricke 2nd: Cheryl Slutzky 3rd:  Marilyn Zaret HM: Barbara Baletti Horticulture First Place—TIE: Cynthia Corhan-Aitken/Kathy Bachmann Second Place: Celia Radek Third PlaceL Maureen Sprong Invitational Brenda Bingham created this dramatic two-sided design.

The last competitions of 2023-2024 (Theme: Dawn) will be held on Monday, April 15. Do not fear: September is not that far away and there is, of course, Art in Bloom to come in May! Remember that this is an evening program meeting. As always, your entries should be dropped off between 8:15 and 9:15 am and must be picked up immediately after the meeting. If you are not attending the evening meeting you must pick up your design between 12:00 and 12:30 pm after the judging. Register no later than Thursday, April 11, For Flower Design, Fran Ackerly at  fackerly1@gmail.com.. See the schedule HERE or in the Yearbook on page 42. For Botanical Arts, Florence Leyssene at florenceleyssene@gmail.com. See the schedule HERE or in your Yearbook on page 43. For Horticulture, Karen Whitehaus at parlonny@comcast.net. See the schedule HERE or in your Yearbook on page 43.

Once again Jacoba Coes has been scouring the internet for timely and important conversations about what is happening to the world around us. This month she is focusing on the world of insects, and everything affected by them. She ran across a beautifully illustrated article on the Reuters website, entitled "The collapse of insects," published on Dec. 2, 2022. “Insects are the food that make all the birds and make all the fish,” said entomologist David Wagner, quoted in the article. “They’re the fabric tethering together every freshwater and terrestrial ecosystem across the planet.” She also points us to a great follow up to the stark information delivered by the Reuters article, a TED talk by Rebecca McMackin called "Let your garden grow wild." Don't miss what this ecologically obsessed horticulturist has to say about public and private gardens. You will be inspired.

With 100% chance of rain forecase for Wednesday, the spring gardening workshop at Van Vleck will now take place on Friday, April 5, beginning at 10 am. The workshop will take place outdoors. Meet at the Van Vleck Garden Visitors Center. If you plan on attending, please RSVP to celiaradek@gmail.com.

Date: Wednesday, April 3 Time: 10:00 - 11.30 am Place: Van Vleck Gardens ___________________________ The roses are pruned, magnolias are blooming, and it’s time to get growing!! Laura Roberts, director of Horticulture at Van Vleck Gardens will lead this early spring session on gardening.  Wed., April 3 from 10:00 am to 11:30 am at Van Vleck. A thriving garden starts from the roots on up. First, we’ll dig into the source of success ― compost.  Learn how to turn garden debris into nourishing treasure. Then we’ll head to the edible garden to learn about sustainable practices for the home garden and cool season crops you can start now. The workshop will start promptly at 10:00 am.  On street parking is plentiful on Van Vleck St. and on Mountain Ave. We need a headcount so please RSVP to celiaradek@gmail.com (Rain date: Friday April 5th, 10am)

Rosemary reminds you that the deadline for your annual renewal is March 31. CLICK HERE to fill out your form and pay online, or to get full information about downloading the form, filling it out, and mailing it with your check to Cheryl. Many thanks to those who have already chosen their committees, and sent their dues.

There’s a yellow haze on the forsythia, which signals — says our rose guru, Barbara Meyer — that it’s time to prune the roses despite the weather sending a very different message. Once again Barbara gave her annual workshop at Avis Campbell Gardens on rose horticulture to provisionals and members alike. (Member can see some of her written handouts). Today her focus was on the importance of courageous but careful pruning to ensure the rich and glorious summer display at Avis Campbell and in our own gardens. She covered the different fertilizers that are required at different times of the year, and explained how to counter the attacks our beauties face from hordes of horrific animal, insect, bacterial and viral enemies, visible and invisible. Thank you again, Barbara, for your knowledge and your help. See below for rapt attendees listening and learning, and then bravely clipping dead and wayward suckers in the Avis beds. Summer will show the results. Learning ... ... and action!

Once again this spring, Barbara Meyer shared her vast knowledge of roses with members old and new ― their beauty, their culture, their care, and their myriad attackers, animal, fungal and climatic. See us in the garden, below, with our clippers and Elmer's Glue. Barbara held her audience in awe as she took us through her weekly calendar, starting NOW as the forsythia blooms and ending in the late fall. Members are welcome to the handouts (this page is only available to members) she provided.. Said member Deborah Hirsch, "I did exactly what she said last year, and my roses were beautiful." We even gained a new member who joined the Club specifically for this annual workshop.

Patricia (Pat) Anne Fitzgerald Green, 88 of Blairstown, NJ, former long time resident of Montclair, NJ, passed peacefully at home, surrounded by family on December 16, 2023. Pat’s passions in life included spending quality time with family, traveling the world with her husband and friends, summering in Savannah while staying in her beautiful home on Tybee Island, studying philosophy and the French language, and attending countless Broadway shows with her sister. Pat was active in a host of local organizations such as The Garden Club of Montclair, in which she served as President from 1999-2001. She also held the offices of 2nd Vice President-Program Chair, 1st Vice President-Membership Chair. During her 30 year membership, Pat’s  talent in Flower Design and Horticulture led her to achieve The Elsie Bristol Novice Flower Design Award, The President’s Trophy for Flower Arrangers and The Estelle Leibrecht Horticulture Award. Pat was known for her acts of kindness and generosity to those in need. Pat delighted in being alive. Her exuberance and zest for life attracted throngs of people to her. The world is now dimmer without her light and a bit colder without her warmth and zeal. Pat is preceded in death by her handsome husband Peter P. Green III. She is survived by her sister Jerry Buckley, daughter Marianne, sons Peter and John, grandchildren Katie, Meghan, Dylan, John John, Jessica, Mia and Ryder. A funeral mass was held for Pat on December 23, 2023 at St. John The Apostle Church in Linden, NJ.   An Interment followed in Colonia, NJ.