Autumn has officially arrived, and with it comes a Garden Club of Virginia calendar filled with exciting events!
History Blooms is just days away and this unique new initiative, in partnership with the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, promises something for everyone – whether you are a history buff, a gardening enthusiast, a floral designer or simply someone who appreciates our state’s remarkable heritage. Register today and join us for this wonderful opportunity to celebrate history and horticulture together with our families and GCV friends.
Our inaugural virtual evening series, Cultivating Conversations, was a huge success! My sincere thanks go to the incredible team that organized, facilitated, and presented a most professional program. I hope you will Zoom in with us for “Behind the Curtain: Arranging Mechanics and Conditioning, scheduled for Oct. 23.
And I can’t wait to take advantage of the beautiful change of seasons through the lens of my camera. I’m very excited about the Fall Photo Challenge and I look forward to seeing your wonderful images.
I hope you, too, will enjoy the magic of this season with all that the Garden Club of Virginia has to offer!
Warm regards,
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Debbie Lewis
GCV President, 2022-2024
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History Blooms
Oct. 6-8
At the Virginia Museum of History & Culture
It’s almost here! Get your fall flower fix with History Blooms at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, Oct. 6-8 in Richmond. Enjoy a fun-filled, free First Fridays event geared toward families with children and grandchildren; a rich array of speakers and presenters on Friday and Saturday; floral designs by 26 GCV member clubs that help tell the stories of Virginia; and stunning floral installations. One workshop and the luncheon are sold out, so get your tickets soon! The discount code for GCV members is GCVBLOOMS.
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Behind the Curtain: Arranging Mechanics and Conditioning
Monday, Oct. 23 at 5 p.m., via Zoom
Please mark your calendars and be sure to join us for our second session, “Behind the Curtain: Arranging Mechanics and Conditioning,” when fellow GCV members will share tips and tricks for making the best of those beautiful blooms and creating stunning, long-lasting arrangements for competition, loved ones, or your own home. The session will be held Monday, Oct. 23 at 5 p.m., via Zoom. Register Here!
Many thanks to GCV members Michaela Robinson, Molly Trapani, and Meg Turner, for sharing their expertise during GCV’s first Cultivating Conversations session, "Designing Your Garden for Seasonal Arranging." If you weren’t able to join us for the session, you can view the presentations in this recording, which is available on the GCV website.
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65th Annual Conservation Forum
EcoLandscaping: Restoring Nature’s Balance
Nov. 2, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
The CODE Building, Charlottesville
In-Person and Live-streamed
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn how to bring your garden to life at the 65th Annual Conservation Forum, happening Thursday, Nov. 2 at the Irving Theater at The CODE Building in Charlottesville.
This year’s forum will feature three incredible speakers on topics that can be easily applied to help your home gardens (and the wildlife that depends upon them) thrive. Join us for sessions exploring innovative and ecologically functional concepts at home, growing heirloom and nearly extinct fruit and nut cultivars, and developing a natural landscape design for your garden, whether you have meadows, water, or woodlands.
Participants will have the chance to engage in hands-on activities and to take home treasures from our on-site vendors including Bartlett Tree Experts, Rivermont Refillery and Blue Ridge Conservation.
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Conservation and Beautification |
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October’s Native Plant of the month is the showy goldenrod, Solidago speciosa. This native plant grows in large clusters, with a root system that spreads underground and creates a colony of plants. It is a favorite of pollinators and is especially important for migrating monarch butterflies, which utilize its flowers for late-season feeding to complete their journeys. Since it thrives in poor soil and the driest conditions, it is a great choice as drought conditions become more prevalent. It grows in Zones 4-8 and can reach a height of 5 feet, though smaller cultivars are available. There are several beautiful varieties of solidago native to Virginia, including late goldenrod Solidago gigantea, downy goldenrod Solidago puberola, and the earlier blooming gray goldenrod Solidago nemoralis. They all make a splash in the fall border paired with purple asters, Echinacea purpurea and sneezeweed Helenium autumnale.
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If you are a HGW tour chairman, co-chairman, club president, publicity chairman or social media chairman, mark your calendars for the upcoming Historic Garden Week Marketing meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 14, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Woman’s Club in Richmond. Club chairmen will receive a registration email in mid-October. Please contact Terri Lowman, HGW marketing coordinator, at Terri@VAGardenWeek.org after Oct. 31 if you plan to attend and have not yet registered.
Please join the HGW committee for a Procurement 101 Zoom on Oct. 25, 2023, at 10 a.m. to hear best practices and tips on putting together a procurement team for your club. All club presidents, tour chairmen for 2025 and 2026, procurement chairmen and any other members involved with HGW procurement are encouraged to attend. Register Now!
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Photography
Fall Photography Challenge
Sept. 1-Oct. 25
Calling all photographers! Grab your cameras or cellphones, engage your imagination and accept the Fall Photo Challenge. Photos will be judged by district and comments and photos will be available to view in the December Membership News. Have fun!
Class 1: Autumn Twilight - Find the last gold, pink, and orange streaks of the day surrounded by fall. Suggestions include a mountain with fall colors on fire, a small bare-branched tree with the colors of the sunset pouring through its limbs, or fallen leaves in a stream heading toward the sinking sun. Capture the beauty of fall in all its glory. Color image.
Class 2: The Bounty of Autumn - Compose a still life composition evoking the splendors of autumn. Colorful leaves, harvests of vegetables or fruits, and nuts and berries could be included. Showcase the colorful beauty of the fall season. Color still life.
You may submit one photo per category. Please send your photos no later than Oct. 25 to Georgiana Watt. Photos must be between 1-5 mb and renamed: Class 1 or 2, First Initial, Last Name, GCV District (example: Cl 1, S Jones, D2). To be passed, all photos must have complete information and be the required size. Late submissions will not be accepted.
Tip - Be careful not to crop cellphone photos too much, or they will likely become too small to accept.
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Awards
Nominations for Bessie Bocock Carter Conservation Award due Nov. 1, 2023.
The Bessie Bocock Carter Conservation Award is given annually in memory of Bessie Bocock Carter, GCV President, 1998-2000. The award was established to fund implementation of a conservation project that will serve as a catalyst for community action for natural resource conservation or environmental protection within the Commonwealth of Virginia. Grants are awarded to a GCV member club or to the member club in association with another conservation group.
Nomination applications should be sent to the attention of Ann Heller, GCV Communications Coordinator, 12 East Franklin Street, Richmond, Va., 23219 or communications@gcvirginia.org.
Additional questions may be addressed to Conservation Awards Chairman Marie Thomas mariebthomas1961@gmail.com.
Nominations for the Massie Medal for Distinguished Achievement due Dec. 1, 2023.
The Massie Medal is the oldest and most prestigious award given by the Garden Club of Virginia. It was inaugurated in 1928 by Susanne Williams Massie during her presidency and was given by her until her death in 1952. Since that time it has been given by the GCV in her memory. Nomination Form.
Nominations should be sent to: Massie Medal Committee Chairman Candy Crosby, PO Box 7212, Charlottesville, Va. 22906, 434-981-933, clover8084@gmail.com. The recipient will be announced at the 2024 Annual Meeting in May.
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Blandy Experimental Farm at the State Arboretum of Virginia has one of the largest ginkgo groves in America (300 trees). Late-October and early November are the best times to visit. While there, be sure to see the quarter-mile stacked stone walls along “Dogwood Lane” which GCV restored in 2004.
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Albemarle Garden Club is proud to present a two-day design forum with nationally acclaimed designer and tastemaker Mark D. Sikes on Oct. 11 and 12, 2023, at the Paramount Theater in Charlottesville. Details are provided below. |
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In conjunction with The Design Forum, Albemarle Garden Club invites all to participate in “The Beautiful Flower Show,” Oct. 11-12, 2023, at The Paramount Theater, 215 East Main Street, Charlottesville, Virginia. View the Schedule.
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The Nansemond River Garden Club |
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Presents: Fall Fantasy 2023, “Perennials: Find the Perfect Match”
Oct. 18, 2023, 10 a.m.
Hanover Tavern, 13181 Hanover Courthouse Road
Hanover, VA
Special Guest Speaker: Sandy McDougle of Sandy’s Plants
Tickets are $40 and available from any Ashland Garden Club member, or you may call Linda Macdonald at 804-564-1613 to reserve your seat.
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The Garden Club of Alexandria
Lillian Nash
The Brunswick Garden Club
Antoinette Bishop
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Gabriella Garden Club
Paige Johnson
Kimberly Monroe
Donna Rodden
The Garden Club of the Northern Neck
Beverly Horner
Mary Anne Hopkins
Rhonda Beale
Lesa Knight
The Princess Anne Garden Club
Susan Oldfield
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Our Shop features fun and useful GCV and Member Club items. Shop Now.
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New Item: Restoration Notecards. Each card details GCV's work at a featured property. The cards are a great way to spread the word about our projects across the commonwealth. Every note sent is a chance to educate about our mission.
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