Explanation of Provisional Requirements back to main Provisional page Program Meetings are held monthly from September to April for Garden Club Members and guests. Speakers come with an extensive knowledge of subjects germane to gardening, Flower Design, Horticulture, and Botanical Arts. Meetings coincide with monthly Flower Design, Horticulture, and Botanical Arts competitions. A tea and social follow Program Meetings. Workshops are offered throughout the year to help Provisionals learn about Flower Design, cultivating and exhibiting Horticulture, as well as other topics related to gardening. Workshops are entertaining, hands-on, and fun. Avis Campbell Gardens & Grounds are the pride of the Garden Club. The Gardens are located at 60 South Fullerton Avenue and maintained by the Membership, both Active and Provisional. Volunteering time at Avis Campbell is an enjoyable experience. It is an opportunity to meet and work with other Provisionals and learn about gardening from our experts. Triangle Mall Gardens are the raised planting beds along Church Street in downtown Montclair. They are maintained in the fall and spring by Club Members with the help of Provisionals. The Business Improvement District (BID) partners with the Garden Club in supplying funds and maintenance assistance during the growing season. Garden Therapy is an opportunity to aid the physical, mental, and emotional health of persons in the community who are facing personal challenges such as physical disability, homelessness, or violence. We lead flower arranging workshops and other garden-related activities that inspire creativity and personal achievement for the individuals we serve. Flower Design is an integral component of the Garden Club. There are opportunities to create traditional designs, as well as those which express more "freedom of style", and exhibit in monthly competitions. You will learn through Workshop participation and the help of our expert designers. Provisional designs are not judged, but receive constructive comments. Horticulture involves the cultivation of fruits, flowering plants, vegetables, and ornamental plants with opportunities for Members to exhibit specimens from their gardens or potted plants from their homes. Our workshops will teach you to experiment and improve your own gardens. Clerking Flower Design, Horticulture, and Botanical Arts competitions include shadowing judges as they view all entries in the monthly in-house competition, recording their comments, criticism, points, and placing awards. The purpose of these requirements is to provide exposure to the important activities of the Club. We encourage you to attend Membership meetings whenever possible, to try your hand at additional Flower Design, Horticulture, and Botanical Arts competitions, and to partake in as many Workshops as you can. In addition, you might like to join in the seasonal decoration of Montclair History Center's Crane House & Historic YWCA or the biennial "Art in Bloom" exhibition at the Montclair Art Museum — two important civic events that are both meaningful and fun. The more activities you become involved in, the sooner you become acquainted with other Members and begin to feel that you are a part of a wonderful organization.

Environment We see this page as a developing newsletter, where we document our Club's commitment to the increasingly urgent need to view everything we do individually and as a group through the lens of sustainability. Below you will find upcoming events, featured articles, this committee's mission, News Not exactly news, but read Jacoba's fascinating article on trees on this page, below . She wrote it for the Brookdale Park Conservancy . Events Nov. 13, 6:00 - 8:00pm. Groundbreaking for the Newark portion of the Greenway project is expected in 2025! Join the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and NJ Transit for an open house-style event to learn about project updates, see artistic images of the Greenway, share your thoughts and enjoy light refreshments. See details . Oct. 24, 30 and November 4, 12. at 6:30PM. Rutgers webinar series on environmental impacts from climate change. See flyer for details and click here to register. This Week's Featured Post Want to fix up your lawn the environmentally safe way? Click here . Other Interesting Articles National Wildlife Protection article: " Five Simple Ways to Create Habitat This Fall . " Article in The New York Times real estate section: " A Viable Alternative to Convention al Lawn? Cornell May Have Found One . " Washington Post: " A couple was sick of mowing. Now their wildflowers are a local attraction. " Op-Ed in The New York Times: "Turn the National Mall Into a Wildflower Meadow " Article in Environmental Journal: . "Anxiety and mood linked to bird diversity ." Article in The Cornell Lab : "After The Fire: How A Sustainable Ranch Survived A Natural Wildfire " Mission This committee's mission c enters on creating an Act of Restorative Kindness to our earth within our community. Members work to restore, improve and protect the quality of our environment with like minded community partners. This involves embracing new knowledge and science in the field of conservation and restoration as well as challenging current stan dards of beauty and landscape-care habits. Resources The Greenway Brookdale Park Conservancy Homegrown National Park ,Native Plan t S ociety of NJ Jersey-Friendly Yards Rebecca McMackin newsletter Montclair Bird Club Northeast Earth Coalition EPA: Comp o sting and Recycling Rutgers: New Jersey Climate Change Resource Center Committee Members Chair: Deborah Hirsch Committee: Kathy Bachmann, Andie Bertsche, Jacoba Coes, Karen DeLuca, Marie Donnelly, Susan Dumont, Karen Kadus, Anna Lee, Sydney Milliken, Sheila Curry Oakes, Imke Oster, Brigitte Padberg, Helene Peck, Maryellen Stadtlander, Wendy Stahl, Sonyia Woloshyn, Jane Wallace, Allyn Young, Sue Young ex officio Sarah J. Olson. by Jacoba Coes During the dog days of this sweltering summer, I escaped to Brookdale Park to walk my dog and discovered that it was significantly cooler walking in the park than around town. I figured the park climate had to do with the number of trees we are so lucky to have. A little research taught me that trees have cool powers. We’ve all taken cover under a tree for the shade but trees do even more to affect temperatures. Trees “transpire”. They absorb rainwater through their roots and then release it as vapor via the pores on their leaves, cooling the air. Areas with trees can be up to 10 degrees cooler than city streets. WHAT ELSE DID I DISCOVER IN MY RESEARCH? Trees remove fossil fuel emissions from our atmosphere - a third of worldwide emissions every year, in fact. This is known as carbon sequestration. A roadside tree can reduce indoor pollution by 50 per cent . Particulates land on the leaves and are absorbed by the tree along with the air they take in during the process of photosynthesis. Trees can reduce home heating/cooling energy use by up to 25% according to the US Energy Department . In our region, strategically planting trees based upon the prevailing wind and the sun’s path can maximize the sun’s warming power in winter, provide cooling power in summer by shading, and help influence the impact of the wind. And one of the coolest things about trees - studies show that the mere presence of trees in an urban environment appears to have a correlation to reducing aggression and violence . For more tree awesomeness check out this comprehensive list from the Arbor Day Foundation Newly inspired by how cool trees really are, I want to share a few ways we can help trees thrive. Help get more trees planted. Brookdale Park Conservancy plants trees every year to replace those we lost to storms and to create new areas of beauty. This year we will plant 50 trees - your donations directly fund this program. Advocate for more shade trees in your community. Zero in on the heat map to pinpoint opportunities. Take care of newly planted trees - review how to care for your baby tree . A key take away - watering slowly and longer will let the goodness sink into the ground. If there is a newly planted shade tree near you, help to water it. Support a healthy root system. This starts with exposing the root flare at the base of the trunk. It is part of the tree’s “lungs” and needs direct contact with the air to absorb oxygen. Burying the flare in soil or mulch suffocates the tree. Proper mulching is beneficial, but improper mulching is a tree killer . This video of Roger Cook at This Old House teaches you all about mulching correctly. While you adjust your mulch, consider being a sustainable gardener and mulch with fallen leaves. I hope these ideas take root and that you are inspired to help trees! FAMILY ACTIVITIES Volunteer at Brookdale Park. Learn about planting and caring for native plants, trees and our park. We have fun and are happy to work with volunteers of all ages, including for community service credit. Email info@brookdalepark.org to learn more. Back to main Environment section .

Membership Committee Reports Committees 2023-2024 — Cheryl Slutzky, Chair Membership in the Garden Club of Montclair is stable. Sadly, several beloved members have passed away, a few have resigned for personal reasons, and a few provisional members have had second thoughts due to work schedules. That being said, we continue to attract many interested individuals by way of recommendations from friends and through discovering our truly amazing website. Our website shows off our Club’s accomplishments and describes all we do as a vibrant organization that is constantly evolving. We began the year with 19 provisional members and it is exciting to be moving 10 of these members into active status. They have all worked hard to get there, each in their own individual way. We need every one of them to take an active role especially as we near the celebration of the Club’s 100th anniversary! The Membership Committee is a small group. It does not share the popularity of Garden Therapy, Avis Campbell Gardens, Hospitality, etc. For that reason, I will be welcoming a Vice Chair this year, Fran Ackerly. Fran, who is known for being the Chair of Flower Design and also a floral designer par excellence, will be joining the Membership Committee. She and I will be doing our best to reach every single member and to engage every member on this Committee to fully participate. If you decide to be on the Membership Committee you will advocate for new members. I am hoping to have participation at each and every monthly program as well. To my surprise, I’ve signed up for a second term. I guess I like my job. A big thank you to all the Committee Chairs, especially Flower Design, Horticulture, Avis Campbell, and Garden Therapy. Once again, you all helped to keep our provisional members current and on schedule. Your watchful eyes and encouraging words are appreciated! And once again, kudos to Communications Chair Sue Young for making the membership database available to me. Thank you to Floss O’Sullivan for diligently keeping all Committee Chairs and Officers up to date with her detailed meeting minutes. And a big Thank You to our President Sarah J. Olson for her patience and back-up. All I need now is the ability to deposit checks remotely, and I’m set. 2022-2023 — Cheryl Slutzky, Chair Without Members, we would not have our wonderful Garden Club of Montclair. We saw an influx of nineteen new Provisionals throughout this past year. Several had to withdraw for personal reasons, but we left the door open for their return. From this class, we welcome three new active Members ready to share their talents: Kathy Bachmann, Jacoba Coes, and Karen Fricke. It is vital to the Club's growth to have a rolling admissions policy. If someone is interested in becoming a Member in November or January, we want to welcome them so they can start fulfilling Provisional requirements. While Horticulture might be on hold during winter, there are plenty of workshops, events like Crane House decorating, and clerking for judges. Garden Therapy opportunities were very popular with Provisionals, building camaraderie and helping the Club to do community outreach. Thanks to Sue Young for making the Membership database available and simplifying sending out correspondence, renewing memberships, keeping the database current, and staying on track. I so appreciate all the Committee Chairs, especially Flower Design, Horticulture and Avis Campbell Gardens. You worked with me to keep our Provisionals current and on schedule. Your input and team effort helps us do our best to get to know new people while strengthening relationships with current Members, making everyone feel at home in The Garden Club of Montclair. 2021-2022 — Deborah Hirsch, Chair Despite our continued health crisis, our Membership continued to grow, with an outstanding group of new Provisionals and a wonderful new leader of Membership, Cheryl Slutzky, for the coming two years. This year we did enjoy some time together, and it was without doubt a welcome time. The kindness of our Committee Chairs provided two workshops on two weekends for Provisionals in the fall at Avis Campbell Gardens, in Flower Design and Horticulture. I learn something from every workshop and going back to basics is always informative. Our incredible team of leaders have brought us new Members, maintained a steady calendar of Programs, Workshops, Flower Design, and Horticulture shows, Garden Therapy events, opportunities to work in our gardens, and exceptional communication through our emails and first-rate website. We are working to make evenings and weekends a regular part of our offerings, as we have many Members working full-time who will stick with us if we do! I look forward to working on many committees and under the leadership of our new President, Sarah Stransky, even as we bid adieu to our dear Florence. Take a moment to review the list of new and ongoing Provisionals, as this year we will have an opportunity to get to know them in person, as they will get to know all our Active Members and Committee Chairs. 2020-2021 — Deborah Hirsch, Chair Would you like to know how it feels to be a member of the Garden Club of Montclair during the Pandemic? Remember when the Titanic was sinking and the band continue to play? Well, we are that band. Our members have been impacted in a myriad ways but the coming together for our in-person Awards meeting this May reminded us all of the importance of our relationships to one another, to our beautiful Avis Campbell and Triangle Gardens, to the educational yearning we seek, to the community we serve, and to the amazing resilience of our members, young and old. Welcome to the new Provisional class: Tracey Alampi, Betty Murphy, Virginia Woo, and Lauren Zodel. Inquiries continue to roll in and last year's Provisional class has for the most part stuck with us, lending a helping hand where they could during this shutdown in our lives. We will meet again in May of 2022 to celebrate our new members properly. Until then, thank you to the Membership committee who willingly reached out to our membership to check in throughout the year. 2019-2020 — Deborah Hirsch, Chair Our Membership has proven robust and flexible during this challenging year. Twenty-two Provisionals participated with enthusiasm from the beginning of the year. The Executive Committee unanimously agreed that they all be invited to become Active members for the coming year, since they were unable to complete their requirements because of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown. The response was a rousing thank you! Please welcome our new Active members: Susan Brady, Elizabeth Burgess, Christina Cattell, Robert Chapman, Ellen Colton, Jessica Fleming, Sharon Karlson, Dorothy Meissner, Maureen Michaud, Sarah H. Olson, Jacqueline Rondeau, Barbara Schiavone, Florence Sinofsky, Wendy Stahl, and Sue Young. Thank you to their sponsors, and I hope you will continue to support them in their first year Active status. Please welcome our new Provisional class for 2020-2021 who have already taken advantage of opportunities to work outdoors in the Avis Campbell Gardens and Triangle Gardens: Joan Byrne, Nancy L. Herron, Eleni LaSenna, Laela Perkins, and Maryellen Stadtlander. Remember, we encourage Membership applications year round, so if you know of someone who would enjoy our Club, send them my way. I hope all our members will embrace the new year in its virtual form for the time being, as our Committee Chairs work hard to spin their magic in Design, Horticulture, Programs, Workshops, Education, and Garden Therapy for us to enjoy. Thank you to my Membership Committee for their support this year: Carol Callahan, Sarah Olson, Brigitte Padberg, Gretchen Prater, Denise Silverman, Kathy Sorkin, Judy Voccola. To Fran Wong, database wizard, for keeping our information up-to-date, thank you!

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Our Mission The Garden Club of Montclair educates Members and the public in their knowledge and practice of conservation, horticulture, and the artistic use of plant material. We work to beautify the Township of Montclair and the State of New Jersey. The Club sponsors and supports projects of an educational character, specifically allied to these purposes, and fosters fellowship through its work and its social activities. Club Member Benefits Programs : Members and their friends enjoy renowned speakers, authors, and experts on notable gardens, original flower design techniques, pollinator cultivation, and community outreach through gardening. Workshops : Members and Provisionals have the opportunity to gain knowledge and experience in Horticulture, Floral Design, and Botanical Arts by attending these workshops. Members and Provisionals only, unless indicated otherwise. Materials fees may apply. Avis Campbell Gardens and Grounds : Located at 60 S. Fullerton Avenue in Montclair, Avis Campbell Gardens is maintained by Club Members and is a beautiful space open to the public. Learn from our masterful gardeners and get hands-on experience. Community Outreach via Garden Therapy, Triangle Gardens, and Youth Organizations : Opportunities abound to beautify our town by planting at Church Street and sharing flower design/gardening techniques with charitable organizations. Help harvest at Avis Campbell Gardens to create Thanksgiving arrangements for Toni's Kitchen and other food pantry clients. Members partner with Scouts and schoolchildren in garden related activities. Open Gardens : Serving as a connection among our Membership, Open Gardens provides an opportunity to share knowledge and creativity. With friends included, these periodic social gatherings continue to expand in popularity and serve as outreach to our community. Garden Boutique : The Garden Boutique offers unique flower arranging, gardening, and related items for sale. Holiday Tea, Annual Awards Celebration, Clip, Dip & Sip in ACG : Enjoy social gatherings that build camaraderie among Members, share successes and experiences with one another, and appreciate floral displays and our beautiful gardens. 2024 -2025 Fees and Annual Dues Active Member : $100 Associate Member: $125 Non-Resident Member: $ 50 Provisional: $100 Emeritus: $0 Guest Fee: Donations welcome

Botanical Arts Schedule Open to all levels. All tables are 30" high and covered with ivory linen. See monthly schedule, below. As dates pass, they move to the bottom of this page. Check all rules for Botanical Arts - Horticulture, Design, Artistic Crafts, Photography. See also NGC Handbook for Flower Shows . No September, December, or January competitions. Need a refresher prior to GCM's monthly competitions? We have online videos to help, featuring Florence Leyssène and Debbie Moran, NGC accredited Master Flower Show Judges. Shouts/Whispers January 13, 2025 Register with Florence Leyssène by Thursday, January 9 Botanical Arts Horticulture Dried and Preserved Flowers. 3 to 4 different dried, preserved or pressed plant material specimens staged on 11” x 14” card stock provided by exhibitor, correctly named by binomial or currently accepted scientific designation. Staged on a table using an easel provided by exhibitor. No dyes, glitter, spray paint, or manipulation permitted. Photography A Black and White Photograph of a Winter Landscape. Must be 8” x 10”, matted in white, with a maximum size of 11” x 14” including the mat provided by exhibitor. Staged on a table using an easel provided by exhibitor. Friends/Lovers February 10, 2025 Register with Florence Leyssène by Thursday, February 6 Design (4 entries max) A Mobile. Freely moving and suspended in a black frame 36" x 24" provided by committee, using fresh and/or dried plant material and other components. No plant material or components allowed outside the frame. Staged on table. Artistic Crafts (6 entries max) A Heart-Shaped Brooch. No larger than 4” x 3” staged on a 5” off-white cube placed on a table. Designer’s choice of plant material and components to create the brooch. Brooch must be wearable with a clasp included. Harmony/Asymmetry March 10, 2025 Register with Florence Leyssène by Thursday, March 6 . Design A Plaque. A design organized in a natural manner using dried plant material and other optional components attached to a 11” x 14” background serving as the frame of reference, provided by exhibitor. Staged on a table either vertically or horizontally in upright position on an easel provided by exhibitor. Artistic Crafts A Bird House. To be provided by exhibitor no larger than 12” in height, width and depth, and embellished with fresh and/or dried plant material (no other components allowed) staged on table. Allotted space 18” x 18”. Structural/Fluid April 21, 2025 Register with Florence Leyssène by Thursday, April 17 . Artistic Crafts A Wrist Prom Corsage. Using fresh and/or dried plant material and a structure created by exhibitor (non-plant material may be used for structure). Corsage displayed on underlay provided by exhibitor and placed on a table. Allowed space 12” x 12”. Mechanics must not be visible. (Photo: Francoise Weeks .) Design Pot-et-Fleur. A design with an emphasis on a combination of 2 or more flowering and/or foliage plants with roots growing in soil or other medium. Fresh cut flowers must be included. Other fresh and/or dried plant material and/or components may be added for embellishment: fruits, vegetables, nuts, branches, and decorative wood may be used for a dominant line in keeping with requirements. Must NOT be a landscape or combination planting. Staged on a table. Underlay permitted. Allotted space 18” x 18”. Minimal/Maximal October 21, 2024 Register with Florence Leyssène by Wednesday, October 16 Botanical Arts Artistic Crafts (6 entries max) A Ghostly Mask. A mask provided by exhibitor and embellished using fresh and/or dried plant materials and other components. Staged on a styrofoam head 11” high and 20” in circumference covered with black hose, provided by committee and placed on a table. Botanical Arts Photography A Color Photograph of Fall Foliage. Must be 8” x 10", matted in white, with a maximum size of 11” x 14” including the mat provided by exhibitor. Staged on a table using an easel provided by exhibitor. Dark/Light November 18, 2024 Register with Florence Leyssène by Thursday, November 14 Botanical Arts Artistic Crafts (8 entries max) A Napkin Ring for the Holidays . Fresh and/or dried plant material required. Designer must create the ring using components and/or plant material. Non-plant material components must not be visible. Displayed around a napkin placed on a placemat no larger than 15” x 20”. Napkin and placemat provided by exhibitor. Design An Exploration Design - Freedom of Style. Freedom to explore the world of creativity with plant material and design. Some plant material must be used but there is no restriction on what can be done to the plant. Note that this is the only class permitting treatment of fresh plant material such as painting, flocking or dyeing. Staged on a dark green pedestal 36” high with 14” square top with a maximum of 24” allotted width for the design. Underlay permitted.