Once again, on Thursday, January 18, the dramatic duo of Florence Leyssène and Debbie Moran, our own NGC judges, led a packed workshop in the fine art of judging flower and botanic arts design. They were ably assisted with comments from Brenda Bingham, another Club NGC judge, plus plenty of pithy remarks from the audience. Five intrepid Club members ― Cynthia Corhan-Aitken, Karen Fricke, Cheryl Slutzky, Floss O'Sullivan, and Sarah Stransky ― bravely agreed to allow their designs (see their beautiful efforts below, all of which in the opinion of the attendees were worthy of blue ribbons) to be critiqued by Florence and Debbie, who explained exactly how the judges would assign marks according to the strict rules of the NGC. These are laid out in detail in Chapter 11 of the Handbook (click here to see on our site). Enormous thanks to our talented and courageous exhibitors and to our judges for their thoughtful ― and very funny ― explanations of the esoteric ins and outs of point scoring.

Snow will make it impossible to see any garbage, so we are POSTPONING the Upper Montclair cleaning day, originally scheduled for this Saturday, until Saturday, MARCH 2, at 1 PM. Rain or shine -- but not snow. See you all in Upper Montclair Plaza in March.

Too many of our hard-working Hospitality Committee members are out of town! If you can contribute something delicious for the program meeting on Monday, please contact Michelle Quinn at michelecoreyquinn@gmail.com.

Don’t be discouraged by the gloomy weather; the Garden Club will be meeting this month even if there are no competitions!  Come to B’nai Keshet on Monday, January 22, as early as 12:30 for a vibrant presentation by Kelley Forsyth on Color, Color Perception, and Colorful Plants for the Garden. Our brief general meeting will begin at 1PM, followed by Kelley’s lecture on color, which will offer a deeper understanding of color perception and enhance the gardener’s ability to create vibrant outdoors spaces through the seasons. The presentation will include a visual tour of Kelley’s favorite colorful shrubs and perennials. Kelley Forsyth studied landscape design at the New York Botanical Garden. In January of 2021 she earned her master’s degree in landscape architecture from Rutgers University. She wrote her thesis on the importance of flowers and color in public spaces, entitled “Where have all the flowers gone?” She has gardened professionally for more than 20 years, designing, and installing hundreds of gardens. After running her own business, Kelley Garden Design, she welcomed the opportunity to work with a broader canvas at Newark’s historic Branch Brook Park, where she currently serves as the horticulturist for the park. There will be raffles, so please bring cash to purchase your tickets.

Our Environment Committee is inviting ALL CLUB MEMBERS to meet at Moss & More (42 Upper Montclair Plaza for those of you who have never visited member Amy South's wonderful store), where there will be hot chocolate and hot cider at 10 am on Saturday, January 20, rain or shine. Armed with clear bags, we will set about cleaning up the streets and parking lots in the Upper Montclair business district, photographing for township record the amount of trash we collect. Additionally, a couple of us can undertake photographing and recording any vegetative condition that needs attention, including trees. Wendy Lacey of The Corner Store has been petitioning to remove an unhealthy tree which we can look at. A walk through this part of town is all you need to realize how much the township neglects this area. From talking with Amy, the retailers need a boost of attention. Obviously this is not going to solve the ongoing maintenance issues, but in winter, the blown trash, unattended bins and areas dangerous for pedestrians in parking lots is more evident than ever. Come with warm clothes, disposable gloves, grabber claws, and your big hearts. We will supply the clear bags. Amy’s store will be our home base, a business that exemplifies beauty and environmental best practices.

Thursday, January 18th, 9:30-11:30am Garden View Room at 60 S. Fullerton What do judges look for when they critique a design or horticultural entry?  Ever wonder what was meant by a judge's comment?  Join Florence Leyssène and Debbie Moran and learn about the process, criteria, and scale of points that guide award decisions as they critique and score designs created especially for this workshop.   Come and sharpen your skills!   RSVP to celiaradek@gmail.com

What goes up, must come down. What to do with half-dried orange slices? Who owns the forlorn ribbon in the kitchen? Who's storing the pinecones? Where's the dustpan? Intrepid members gathered at Crane House under Celia Radek's watchful eye this morning to take down the last of the festivities and to wish one another a happy new year. (Click here to see us putting up the decorations.) Next December: new provisionals, new ideas, fresh greens, and old friends.

The National Garden Club's quarterly magazine "The National Gardener" is out today. More than 40 pages are jammed with useful information ranging from: Grants for tools for local community projects Ideas for providing curb appeal for the front of your house The latest article on garden planning by our recent speaker Bruce Crawford How contribuing to Natural Disaster USA Fund helps restore the land The success of planting for pollinators national project ... and much much more. See the previous 12 issues The National Gardener on our state and national page, (located under "Business,") or visit the NGC's own website.

2023 is nearly over, and here are many, many photos from our last event of the year ― our annual holiday tea held this year at Imke Oster's beautiful home on December 13. If you or your gorgeous flower or food arrangement does not appear on this page, forgive the webmaster! Photographer Susan Yu and others captured everything they could of that happy afternoon ― our members, the arrangements, and the delicious repast. Four slideshows ,below, show, first, photos of attendees, then flowers, then more of the party, and finally Marilyn Zaret's fantastical fabrication exhibiting our happy and rather silly friends in silk, tulle, and satin on Imke's doorstep. Click on any photo to see the displays as slideshows. If you have photos you would like to include of that splendid day, send them to Sue Young and she will add them to the display. The party ... The floral arrangements ... More of the party ... and Marilyn's fantasy ...

Another fun holiday outing at Morris County Farms and Tabor Road Tavern! Twelve Club members purchased fresh greens, flowering plants and decorations — all at a generous discount courtesy of the Farm. We even had snow flurries, hot beverages and pastries to make the day even more festive. Then on to the Tavern for a delicious lunch and time to chat with old friends and new ones.

There are probably way too many photos on this page, but it's hard to cut out any of the joy and fellowship felt by our members on November 29 as they worked together to decorate Montclair's historical Crane House -- as the Club has done for decades. As the photos show, the results are probably more spectacular this year than they have ever been. Click on any one of the photos below to see a full-size image and to scroll through them all. Thanks to our photographers, Susan Yu, Barbara Baletti, Celia Radek and Sue Young.

Thanks to everyone who performed their magic on Thursday! The Montclair History Center's Crane House, dressed up for the holidays, will wow visitors beginning this weekend with the Essex County Holiday House Tours on Saturday and Sunday. Open House and tours continue through mid-December. Click here for the full schedule. And stay tuned for a full array of splendid photos. ― Celia Radek

The Greens Workshop and Crane House Decorating take place this Wednesday, November 29 from 10am - 2pm at the Montclair History Center, 108 Orange Road. Even if you only have an hour, come and join in the holiday spirit. And click here to vote in the 2023 USA Today's Best Historic Holiday Home Tour. You need to vote BEFORE Wednesday at noon. The rules allow you to vote once a day.

On two sunny, crisp days during the first week of November, the Youth committee teamed with students and staff from Deron school to plant tulips at Mountainside Hospital and with students and staff from Montclair High's Community Based Instruction Program to plant tulips at the Park Street YMCA. Both sessions were great fun for the students and their GCM instructors Sue Straten, Nancy Foster, Allyn Young, Donna Karanja, and Celia Radek. The Youth committee is  grateful to Deron School teachers Patricia Schmidt and Jennifer Dugdale , MHS teacher Leslie Wallace, Mountainside, YMCA's volunteer manager Jen Grisafi,  and Mountainside's volunteer coordinator Grettl Muscato for helping  plan these sessions and to May in Montclair Tulip Project Chair Celia Radek for toting bins of tulips to each site and guiding us in the dos and don'ts of bulb planting. We're eager to see the results next bloom season!

Fruit, flowers, and best of all...fun!  Thanks to our District II Director, Julie Morgan, members of our Club had the opportunity to attend a workshop on creating a Williamsburg centerpiece just in time for Thanksgiving. The workshop took place at Freylinghuysen Arboretum on a gorgeous Fall day. Carpooling up and back gave members Imke Oster, Sarah J. Olson, Suzy Straten, Anna Lee, a friend of Anna's, Fran Ackerly, Nancy Stroud, Carol Callahan, and Floss O'Sullivan time to catch up socially before the holidays whisk us all in different directions. Similar to our Club's Challenge Designs, we were all given the same materials. Using greens from the surrounding property, fruits like lemons, limes, clementines, and apples, we added various fresh and/or dried plant material (similar to our Toni's Kitchen arrangements in the past). The finished centerpieces were not just beautiful, but showcased each person's creativity. When I delivered mine to my neighbors (who will be hosting Thanksgiving), she and her husband were over the moon, saying they "loved the fruits and variety of life in it."  Happy Thanksgiving everyone! ― Floss O'Sullivan

Flower Design Novice 1st - Karen Fricke 2nd - Olga Bequillard 3rd - Jacoba Coes HM – Kathy Bachmann Intermediate 1st Cheryl Slutzky Advanced 1st - Michele Tomasik 2nd with 90+ - Susan Benner 3rd with 90+ Floss O’Sullivan HM - Carol Callahan and Suzy Straten Advanced Plus 1st - Sarah Stransky 2nd - Cynthia Corhan-Aitken 3rd - Fran Ackerly Provisional Greta Schiedl Click on each image below for full view of winners. Botanical Arts Dried Hydrangea 1st - Cynthia Corhan-Aitken 2nd - Heidi Muschik 3rd - Denise Silverman HM - Sheila Oakes HM - Susan Benner HM - Barbara Baletti HM - Maria Matesantz HM - Kathy Bachmann Collage  1st - Barbara Baletti 2nd +90 - Floss O'Sullivan 3rd +90 - Karen Fricke HM - Cynthia Corhan-Aitken HM - Terri Breen HM - Karen DeLuca The two firsts Horticulture 1st in total points - 52 for Denise Silverman 2nd in total points - 33 for Cynthia Corhan-Aitken 3rd in total points - 26 for Heidi Muschick 5 people had 90+ points scored on their samples Some of the winners in the horticulture division.

Once again, the Garden Therapy committee lovingly prepared their annual bouquets to decorate the Thanksgiving feast offered by Montclair's wonderful Toni's Kitchen. See more pictures, below.

Once again, our monthly meeting, held at Bnai Keshet on Monday, November 13, exceeded expectations, as Dan Benarcik, horticulturalist and raconteur, introduced us to the endless possibilities of pots, His joy in the opportunities provided by containers of all sizes ranged from rich profusions of banana plants and riotious colors to heavily disguised chimney pots with new lives. He also showed the oddly effective image of a completely empty pot in the middle of a leafy landscape. Dan's long history at the 50-acre Chanticleer Gardens in Wayne, PA where he learned, experimented, made mistakes, and created a glorious and imaginative world, enabled him to share his experience with us all. "Never, ever become complacent in your designs, your dreams or your garden," he said. And it was clear that many of us will be visiting Chanticleer next spring. Below is a list of some of the plants he showed in his presentation. Chanticleer Courtyard, Canna ‘Orange punch’, Artemesia ‘Powis Castle’ Chanticleer Courtyard, Aechmea ‘Burgundy, Melianthus major Cycas revoluta, Coleus ‘Rustic Orange’, Sanchesia speciosa, Hackonechloa cv. Beta ‘Bulls Blood’, Thymus, Kale ‘Cosmic’ Ranunculus cv., Thymus, Petroselinum crispum, Woven Salix basket Canna ‘Orange Punch’, Curcuma longa  ‘Snowdrift’ Ensete ventricosum ‘Maurelii’, Coleus ‘Atlas’, Salvia elegans ‘Aurea’ Artemesia ‘Powis Castle’, Canna ‘Orange Punch’, Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’ Ravenna rivularis, Euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’,Blackbird, Coleus ‘Dark Star’ Osteospermum cv. Thymus and Viola, with Coarse red Mustard behind. Papaver ’Champagne Bubbles’ and Salix twigs Salix alba ‘Britzensis’ branches Salix ‘Britzensis’ again with Muscari Violas and Carex ‘Everillo’ Hanging basket of Cilantro, Parsley, Red Lettuce, Mustard and Chives Beta and Fragraria Peony flowered Tulipa ‘Cretaceous’ and Muscari Muscari armeniacus Phormium tenax ‘Purpurea’ Strelitzia reginea var. Junciformis, Cuphea ‘Samba’ Alcantera imperialis ‘Rubra’ with Artemesia’Powis Castle’ Ravenna rivularis, Coleus ‘Rustic Orange’, Nephrolepsis ‘Macho’, Jasminum ‘Fiona Sunrise’ Ravenna rivularis, Euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’, Hedychium cv., Nephrolepsis ‘Macho’ Ensete, Agave, Graphtopetalum and Hibiscus cvs. Ensete ventricosum ‘Maurelii’, Coleus ‘Atlas’, Abutlon cv., Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’ Canna ‘Jivago’, Ensete ventricosum ‘Maurelii’, coleus ‘Atlas’ Melianthus major, restraint… Abutilon cv, Codieaum cv. Irsene ‘Grenadine’, Hibiscus cv. Bromeliad pots, Billbergia cv. And Aechmea blanchettiana X Fulgens Aechmea ‘Dean’ Jasminum ‘Fiona Sunrise’, Nephrolepsis cv., Begonia luxurians , Abutilon cv. Fuschia cv Philodendron ‘Autumn’, Caladium ‘Postman Joyner’, Fuschia ‘Gartemeister’ Cordyline fruiticosa cv. Canna ‘Tropicanna’ Amicia zygomeris Alcantera imperialis ‘Rubra’ Bromeliads, Annas comosas ‘Variegata’ and Guzmania cv. Aechmea blanchetiana X Fulgens Melianthus major Ensete ventricosum ‘Muarelii’ Cyperus papyrus With Colocasia ‘Jet Black’, Nephrolepsis ‘macho’ Phormium tenax ‘Maori Sunset’ Manihot grahamanii Caladium, ‘Thai Beauty’

Marie Donnelly is bringing supplies of freshly harvested fennel seeds to the meeting on Monday!

Frances Keller (Fritzi) Mills passed away peacefully with family at her side on Friday, October 20th in her Montclair home at the age of 94. Frances was determined to have a great final summer in Vermont which she accomplished by spending time with her daughters, close friends, neighbors, grandchildren and great grandchildren before her passing. She considered herself very lucky from the start. She was born on August 6, 1929 in Frederick, Maryland to Frances and Otho James Keller III. She loved growing up in idyllic Frederick with the freedom it allowed despite the war years. Fourteen years as a camper and later as a counselor starting at age 6 at Camp Strawderman in Edinburg, Virginia impacted her life immensely. She developed skills, values and confidence that would carry her through a long and interesting life. After graduating from Frederick High School in 1946, Frances planned to experience the wider world. She was one of two students to take the SATs in her class, researched colleges and decided to head to the Northeast. No Greek life for her! She changed her name to Fritzi. Upon graduation from Connecticut College in 1950 with a BA in Art History, Frances made her way to New York City where she worked briefly for McCall's Magazine and a design studio. She liked to recall her summer trips, first to help with the war recovery effort in England, and also in 1950 as a student tour leader in Europe. Thus began her lifelong passion for traveling coast to coast and all over the world! Travel excited and energized her. James T. Mills, a Princeton and Yale-educated lawyer, proposed marriage one last time to Frances in Manhattan, and their wedding followed soon afterwards on June 16, 1951. She knew he was too good to pass up! The couple moved to Montclair where she lived until her death. The birth of their four daughters followed in quick succession starting in 1953. The couple had many happy years together and were able to celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary before Jim passed away in July of 2016. Frances contributed to many different organizations in Montclair and tried her hand at entrepreneurship as well. She performed with the Junior League of Montclair and the famous Montclair Operetta Club. She worked with women from the Montclair Historical Society who became lifelong friends to restore the Israel Crane House to its authentic Colonial American glory. She wrote with others two different historical cookbooks: Fanny Pierson Crane - Her Receipts, published in 1974; and The Thirteen Colonies Cookbook, published in 1976 to coincide with our country’s bicentennial. She also worked as the buyer for the Crane House general store by sourcing unusual products from toy fairs. She and her close friend Elizabeth Shull ran an import company called Franelli. Frances enjoyed taking marketing courses at Columbia University’s School of Business. Frances was a member of the Montclair Garden Club for many years and also shared her talents as a devoted volunteer for the Montclair Art Museum. Frances took much pride in her role planning and running Conference Board meetings that were held around the world when her husband was president from 1981 to 1988. She dropped the nickname Fritzi and became Frances again. A big part of Frances’ life was her time spent in Vermont. In Londonderry with Barbara and Larry Keller, their families enjoyed the Keller-Mills house that her husband Jim built with the Kellers. Later, once her daughters got married and had families of their own, Frances and Jim moved to a beautiful property in Landgrove. She lived and breathed flowers, colors and design in her Vermont gardens, pastures and ponds. For most of her life she loved to get her hands in the rich soil on summer mornings. As a member of the Green Mountain Gardeners since 1991, Frances hosted garden tours at her property, supported events and meetings, and loved sharing her encyclopedic knowledge of plants with fellow gardeners. She was a member of the Colonial Dames and served as the Vermont Lady of the Dumbarton House Board for ten years (2004-2014). Through luck, pluck and her daughters’ dedication, Frances was able to spend her last summer in Vermont to catch up with family and so many good friends and to relish the stunning surroundings. She remained very curious about many subjects and people, especially her family, investments, and the state of the world. She was always ready for an amusing anecdote and a good time. Many of those good times she planned herself. She certainly knew how to entertain! In 2019, she managed her own 90th birthday party with close attention to details including what craft beer to serve and the traffic flow of guests. Frances could have been morose dealing with very challenging medical obstacles, but she showed us courage and grace. She had a knack for engaging and connecting with people. We will all miss her kindness and generosity. Frances was predeceased by her husband, James T. Mills in 2016, and her brother Otho James Keller IV in 2017. Frances is survived by her sister, Catherine (Kitty) Crum and husband Clyde; her four daughters, Libby Durkee (Scott), Hilary Lambert (Brian), Frances Wonnell (Jon) and Peggy Kaplan (Andrew); 10 grandchildren; and 4 great grandchildren, with 2 more on the way.