THE GARDEN CLUB OF VIRGINIA

Journal
VOL LXI, NO. 2, JUNE 2016

The Garden Club of Virginia exists to

celebrate the beauty of the land, to conserve
the gifts of nature and to challenge future
generations to build on this heritage.

F T E
I recently read a quote by an author who, after extensive travel, stated that
he needed to let his soul catch up with his body. I chuckled, thinking that the same
can be said for Garden Club of Virginia members after a spring filled with working
in our gardens and volunteering for Historic Garden Week. We are fast approaching summer mode, a time to downshift and relax. Why not find a quiet corner in
the garden in which youve worked so hard and settle-in with a good book? Peruse
Flower Arranging, A Complete Guide for Beginners, the book reviewed in this
issue; arrange some flowers and reap the benefits of your labors!
Thank you for reading the Journal. We welcome your articles.
Write to us at journal@gcvirginia.org.
Submission guidelines may be found on the GCV website.

Journal Editorial Board

2016-2018
Editor and Chairman: Karla MacKimmie, The Warrenton Garden Club
Ex Officio Members
GCV President, Nina Mustard, The Williamsburg Garden Club
GCV Corresponding Secretary, Sue Rosser, The Martinsville Garden Club
Journal Cover Editor, Jeanette McKittrick, Three Chopt Garden Club
GCV Photographer, Sandy Geiger, The Garden Club of Gloucester
GCV Communications Coordinator, Ann Heller
Journal Advertising Chairman, Penny Dart, The Warrenton Garden Club
Members
Anne Beals, The Rappahannock Valley Garden Club
Lyn Hutchens, The Huntington Garden Club
Nancy Kaylor, The Garden Club of Danville
Aileen Laing, The Warrenton Garden Club
Susan Morten, The Martinsville Garden Club
WWW.GCVIRGINIA.ORG

T G C V

The Garden Club of Virginia

Journal
The Garden Club of Virginia Journal
(USPS 574-520, ISSN 0431-0233) is
published four times a year for members
by the GCV, 12 East Franklin St.,
Richmond, VA 23219. Periodical postage
paid in Richmond, VA. Single issue price,
$5.00.
Copy and ad deadlines are:
January 15 for the March issue
April 15 for the June issue
July 15 for the September issue
October 15 for the December issue
Email copy to the Editor and advertising
to the Ad Chairman
President of the Garden Club of Virginia:
Nina Mustard
Journal Editor:
Karla MacKimmie
8505 Lees Ridge Road
Warrenton, VA 20186
Phone: (540) 341-3432
Email: journal@gcvirginia.org
Journal Advertising Chairman:
Penny Dart
9174 Harts Mill Road
Warrenton, VA 20186
Phone: (540) 347-5138
Email: journalads@gcvirginia.org
Vol. LXI, No. 2
Printed on recycled paper by
Carter Printing Company
Richmond, VA

ON THE COVER...
This exquisite dahlia was rendered in
watercolor by Marcia Long of The
Williamsburg Garden Club. Learn how to
grow them in this months article on these
beautiful Mexican natives.
IN THIS ISSUE ...
Massie Medal Award ........................... 2
deLacy Gray Award .............................. 3
Why I Give to GCV ............................. 3
Dahlias ................................................ 4
2016 Horticulture Award of Merit ....... 6
Ex Libris ...............................................7
Common Wealth Award ............................ 8
Lily Show ........................................... 10
Capital Trees ...................................... 11
82nd Annual Daffodil Show .............. 12
The Oasis Dilemma ............................. 14
Board of Directors .............................. 17
Reflections on India ............................ 18
Seriously Seeking Judges ....................... 19
Save the Date ...................................... 19
Dedication of the Kitchen Road Project ... 20
Lily Notes .......................................... 21
Cedar Hill Cemetery Project .............. 22
Contributions ..................................... 23

OTHER REFERENCES...

Kent-Valentine House
Phone: (804) 643-4137 Fax: (804) 644-7778
Email: director@gcvirginia.org
Historic Garden Week Office
Phone: (804) 644-7776 Fax: (804) 644-7778
Email: historicgardenweek@verizon.net
www.VAGardenWeek.org
Postmaster, please send address changes to:
Garden Club of Virginia
12 East Franklin Street
Richmond, VA 23219

JUNE 2016

WWW.GCVIRGINIA.ORG

Massie Medal Awarded to Bebe Luck

by Katherine Knopf, Awards Chairman
Roanoke Valley Garden Club

he Massie Medal Award for Distinguished Achievement was presented to Bebe

Luck at the Annual Meeting in Alexandria on May 10, 2016. A member of the
Ashland Garden Club, Bebe Luck exhibits all the qualities of a Massie Medal
recipient. The engraving on the medal states:
Georgia Bebe Hardy Luck
For Dedicated Service
and Gracious Hospitality

Bebe has served the Garden Club of Virginia in many roles. Most notably, she
oversaw the restoration of the Kent-Valentine House kitchen. She also served as
the Kent-Valentine House Manager and Chairman of the GCV Human Resources
Committee. In the Ashland Garden Club, Bebe has held many offices: President, First
Vice-President, Second Vice President, Nominating Chairman, Historic Garden Week
Co-Chairman, Board of Governors Meeting Chairman and many more. Bebe has
served both the Ashland Garden Club and the Garden Club of Virginia with energy
and commitment, and exhibits unusual dedication in her work.
As her friends in member clubs stated well, we had the privilege to work with
Bebe. While her work is quiet and behind the scenes, she sets a standard of excellence
and graciousness that is the essence of GCV. We are proud of her and she is a most
deserving recipient of the 2016 Massie Medal Award for Distinguished Achievement.

Jeanette Cadwallender, Bebe Luck, Georgia Luck

Mitchell, Anne Luck Reynolds and Lin Luck Rohr

WWW.GCVIRGINIA.ORG

T G C V

deLacy Gray Award for Conservation

by Katherine Knopf, GCV Awards Chairman
Roanoke Valley Garden Club

ollis Scott Stauber received the 2016 deLacy Gray Award for Conservation
at the Annual Meeting in Alexandria, May 10, 2016. As a conservation
leader, Hollis helped organize a citywide pilot recycling project in Danville
and developed a brochure detailing ecofriendly insecticides and cleaning products. She
chaired her club's Conservation Forum on the Health of the Dan River, After the Spill:
Our Future. Hollis chaired the state level Conservation Workshop, Conservation in
Virginia: What is Working?
Hollis is the Conservation Chairman for the Garden Club of Danville and served
on the Garden Club of Virginia Conservation Committee. We congratulate Hollis
for the good work she has done to educate our commonwealth on conservation issues.
We are proud to award Hollis the 2016 deLacy Gray Medal for Conservation.

Hollis Stauber and Jeanette Cadwallender

Why I Give to the Garden Club of Virginia

by Mina Wood, Past GCV President
The Lynchburg Garden Club

I have loved everything about the Garden Club of Virginia, even the travel.I have
been crossing the state with great regularity for the past 20 years.
Horticulture, landscape design and historic garden restoration are right up my alley.
Where else could I pursue these interests with wonderful, smart, attractive people, all
working toward a common goal?
I give annually to GCV so it can continue to put on fabulous programs, workshops,
and symposia. And I give of my time and talent because the rewards I receive are the
wonderful friends made during my many years of involvement with GCV.

JUNE 2016

WWW.GCVIRGINIA.ORG

The Care and Feeding of Dahlias,

Darlings of Flower Fanatics
by Kaye Moomaw
Hillside Garden Club

heir pictures are everywhere. Perhaps

the popularity of dahlias, which originated from a Mexican wildflower, has
something to do with the more than 55,000
cultivars, with more new sizes and color patterns being bred. Nothing rewards the home
gardener with more blooms than a properly
tended dahlia.
Proper tending goes beyond planting
instructions that come home with dahlias from
a garden center. Dahlias may be planted from
mid-April, once soil temperature reaches 60 degrees, to mid-June. Plant in a spot that receives
eight hours of sunlight a day. Wind protection
helps, as dahlia blooms get heavy. Soil should
be well drained, with a neutral pH (6.5 to 7).
Determine pH by submitting a soil sample to
your extension office or by buying a soil kit at a garden supply store. Compost may be
added to the planting hole. That said, dont use commercially prepared compost, fertilizer, potting soil mix, or anything containing weed killer/inhibitor or Miracle-Gro.
Sensitive dahlias can burn easily and die at this stage.
Water when planting only if your soil is extremely dry. Do not water again until
sprouts appear; dahlias are susceptible to rot at this stage. Dont mulch yet, as the soil
might not warm properly and the tuber might not sprout.
Once your dahlia has three sets of leaves, its time to disbud. Pinch off the segment growing above the third set of leaves. This encourages more lush blooms, while
helping prevent the plant from becoming leggy and weak.
Once disbudded, this fast-grower will need support. Tomato cages offer an easy
alternative to staking and tying. Foliage will obscure cages, making them virtually
invisible. Very light mulch may now be applied around the plant, taking care to avoid
the tender new shoots.
Water a growing dahlia thoroughly each week. (If you cut into a dahlia stalk, a
stream of water often rushes out.) Watering with a hand-held hose can take 20 minutes to soak the plant. To check, water, then stop and see how quickly the water soaks
into the soil. Keep watering until water pools on the surface for 10 seconds before
disappearing. A sprinkler may take 40 minutes.
Fertilize regularly using a low-nitrogen product. Too much nitrogen makes for a
fast-growing but weak plant with few blooms. Use a 5-10-10 (nitrogenphosphorus
potassium) or a fertilizer with a ratio in which nitrogen is half the other elements.
Stop fertilizing at Labor Day.

WWW.GCVIRGINIA.ORG

T G C V

Youve now managed to grow a

vigorous dahlia loaded with blossoms.
To enjoy the fruits of your labor, harvest
flowers in the morning. Cut just before
the flower opens fully, when the last
two or three petals have not yet pulled
away from the center. A newly opened
dahlia bloom lasts longer than one that
has been open even a day or two. While
cutting blossoms, deadhead and disbud
to encourage showier blooms. Dahlias
have three buds per bloom, as do peonies.
Leave the center bloom; cut or pinch off
the other two.
Plunge the cut flowers stalks into
2 to 3 inches of very hot water (160
degrees); prevent cooking the bloom by
keeping it 3 inches above the containers
lip. Allow stems to remain in hot water
for an hour. Arrange as you wish afterward, using floral preservative. Changing
water daily helps extend vase life.
Once frost arrives, dahlia foliage
dies. If you live in a temperate area or
decide to mulch dahlias heavily, you may
lift your dahlias in the spring once
sprouts appear again. Divide the tubers
into sections so each has an active eye
from which the new plant will grow.
While not as easy as locating a potatos
eye, examination should reveal the spot.
Do divide; having a larger tuber confers
no advantage. After dividing, leave tubers
out of the ground for a day or two until
cuts dry and appear closed, preventing
entry of soil microorganisms. Take care
not to keep your babies out of the ground
too long, though, as it will dehydrate
them.
Its not too late to plant a few dahlias
this gardening season and reap the
rewards.
Sources:
http://www.dahlias.com/howtogrowdahlias.aspx
http://www.americanmeadows.com/growing-dahlias

JUNE 2016

THE
BIZARRE
BAZAAR
Mark Your Calendars!

The 23rd
Spring
Market
Friday, April 1st, 10-7
Saturday, April 2nd, 10-7
Sunday, April 3rd, 10-5

&

The 41st
CHRISTMAS
COLLECTION

Over Forty Years of

Fabulous!

Thursday,
Friday,
Saturday,
Sunday,

December 1st,
December 2nd
December 3rd
December 4th,

10-7
10-7
10-7
10-5

RICHMOND RACEWAY COMPLEX

600 E. Laburnum Ave. - Richmond, VA 23222

For information, please contact:

(804) 673-7015 or (804) 673-6280

www.thebizarrebazaar.com
WWW.GCVIRGINIA.ORG

2016 Garden Club of Virginia

Horticulture Award of Merit
by Beth DeBergh, Chairman GCV Horticulture Committee
The Garden Club of Warren County

ight recipients of the Horticulture Award of Merit were announced in May at the
Garden Club of Virginia Annual Meeting in Alexandria. Established in 1960,
the award recognizes individual members of GCV who have achieved significant
accomplishments in horticulture, both personally and in the community at large.
Nancy Dickerson, The Princess Anne Garden Club
An accomplished rosarian and native plant enthusiast, Nancy has worked
extensively with the coastal Virginia native plant landscape at the First Landing State
Park Trail Center. She has created a PowerPoint on the native plant garden for the Trail
Center that she shares with garden clubs, local civic organizations and at workshops for
native plant lovers.
Tamara Gibson, The Spotswood Garden Club
Tamara has shared her knowledge of horticulture and landscape design with her
club and community through many projects including creating the landscape design
and installation of a new city roundabout, presenting programs to community groups,
and organizing the clean-up and restoration of a historic pre-Civil War cemetery.
Janet Hickman, Hillside Garden Club
Janet, a passionate gardener, grower and propagator of daffodils, is the GCV
Daffodil Chairman. Through her PowerPoint programs she shares her knowledge
of daffodils with other GCV clubs and her community. Janet organized club and
community volunteers in the care and maintenance of the Anne Spencer Garden,
a Virginia Historic Landmark, in which her research allowed period daffodils to be
replanted and labeled.
Missy Janes, Fauquier and Loudoun Garden Club
Carrying on the horticultural knowledge and tradition of her mother, Polly
Rowley, Missy shares her talents with her club and as a leader in her community. In
addition to tending to her extensive gardens, she has participated in organizing and
planning public seminars on native habitats and landscaping.
Helen Junkin, The Princess Anne Garden Club
Helen has shared with her garden club and community her expertise and
knowledge of how our horticultural environment relates to other species with which
we share the planet. Her Pearl Home uses sustainable gardening practices to protect the
Lynnhaven River waterways.
Linda Patton, The Elizabeth River Garden Club
Linda has a special interest in daylilies; her garden will be featured in the 2017
National Tour for the American Hemerocallis Society. She has taught classes on the
propagation and care of daylilies, and conducted workshops on plant selection for the
perennial garden. To the delight of the residents, Linda created and maintained a raised
vegetable garden and a butterfly garden at a nursing home in Suffolk.

WWW.GCVIRGINIA.ORG

The Garden Club of Virginia

Ann Reamy, The Rappahannock Valley Garden Club

Ann is skilled in bonsai and orchid growing. Her garden is among the most
beautiful in Fredericksburg. As a Master Gardener, she volunteers in the historic gardens
of Kenmore and Chatham, in Fredericksburgs LOVE garden, and at the Central
Rappahannock Regional Librarys planting areas.
Casey Rice, Harborfront Garden Club
Casey has a wealth of knowledge in landscape design and gardening. As a member
of the Norfolk Botanical Garden Board of Trustees and Chairman of its Landscape
Committee, she has promoted and supported the garden there and encouraged garden
club involvement. As a member of two other garden clubs, she has spearheaded
beautification efforts and served on the New York Horticulture Committee.

Ex Libris

by Joan Pollard and Virginia Cherry, GCV Library Committee

The Petersburg Garden Club

udith Blacklocks Flower Arranging, A Complete Guide

for Beginners, (The Flower Press Ltd, 2012, 280 pp.) is a
step-by-step flower arranging book written for anyone with a love of flowerswhether they wish to display
a simple bunch of daffodils or to learn the very latest
contemporary techniques. These hands-on lessons, beautiful pictures and line drawings will help the reader create
unique and striking designs with ease.
Chapters include information on seasons when
various flowers are available at the best price, along with
information on which foliage is best purchased from a
florist or grown in the garden. There are explanations
concerning the use of mechanics and accessories for
keeping flowers and foliage in place in arrangements.
Design elements and principles are discussed. Another chapter covers a
variety of inexpensive vases which are easy to use with flower arrangements and with
Blacklocks techniques for creating handtied bouquets. Classic and contemporary designs are depicted in the book, and there is a chapter showcasing a variety of forms and
flowers which may be used for wedding ceremonies, receptions and the bridal party.
Blacklock is a respected leader in the world of flowers as lecturer, demonstrator,
and teacher. She co-founded Flowers at Chicheley Hall, the biggest cut-flower event
in the UK. She is the editor of the magazine, The Flower Arranger, and appears regularly
on television.

JUNE 2016

WWW.GCVIRGINIA.ORG

Common Wealth Award Nomination

by Katherine Knopf, Awards Chairman
The Roanoke Valley Garden Club

he Common Wealth Award Committee is excited to announce a finalist for the

2016 Common Wealth Award: The Academy of Arts Tree Garden, proposed by
Hillside Garden Club. There will be a first place award of $8,000 given this year.
The recipient will be announced at the Board of Governors meeting this October.
This project is a collaboration between Hillside Garden Club and The Academy
Center of the Arts in Lynchburg, Virginia. The Academy Center of the Arts has
undertaken a large restoration and reconstruction project to make the Arts building
more accessible, attractive and available: they want it to be the place to hold events in
downtown Lynchburg.
The proposal is an excellent example of a garden club collaborating with a local
organization and it meets all the criteria for the Common Wealth Award: conservation,
beautification, horticulture, preservation and education are all touched upon in this
plan. This project will enrich the Commonwealth of Virginia by preserving a landmark
building for future generations to enjoy. Please discuss this proposal in your clubs and
vote on it at your September meetings.

The Academy Center of the Arts Tree Garden

Built in 1905, the historic theater at the Academy Center of the Arts in
Lynchburg, Virginia, is one of the few surviving theaters of the turn-of-the-century
period in Virginia. Leaders of the Lynchburg community, including members of
Hillside Garden Club, saved the theater from destruction. The theater was placed on
the National Register of Historic Places in 1969. Since that time, while the adjacent
Academy Center served as a performance and art class space, the historic theater itself
sat quiet. But now, this jewel of Lynchburg is undergoing a transformation! Upon
completion, the historic theater will reopen and once again welcome performances from
local, regional and national programs.
Inspired by the historic tree clumps discovered at nearby Poplar Forest, Hillside
Garden Club hopes to partner with the Academy to plant a cluster of native trees and
plants at the site of a plaza. This urban tree garden will serve as an entrance to the
theater and an outdoor performance space as well as public green space. In addition,
using permeable pavers, a cistern and solar panel powered watering systems, it will reuse
and recycle run off waters. The project will help preserve this historic site, provide
beautification to a gateway to the city and conserve water and natural resources in the
spirit of Thomas Jefferson.

WWW.GCVIRGINIA.ORG

The Garden Club of Virginia

JUNE 2016

WWW.GCVIRGINIA.ORG

Presents
THE SEVENTY-FOURTH ANNUAL

Lily Show
Lions and tigers
and bears
oh my
Foxcroft School
22407 Foxhound Lane
Middleburg, VA 20117
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
2:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Thursday, June 16, 2016
9:45 am to 1:00 pm
Hosted by
Fauquier and Loudoun
Garden Club
Affiliated with

The North American Lily Society

Open to the Public

10

WWW.GCVIRGINIA.ORG

Donations Accepted

T G C V

Capital Trees Projects Named Virginia Treasures

by Governor McAuliffe
by Jeanette McKittrick
Three Chopt Garden Club

apital Trees, a Richmond non-profit organization that took root with the Garden
Club of Virginias first Bessie Bocock
Carter Conservation Award in 2010, was praised
by Governor Terry McAuliffe in his Earth Day
speech at the Capitol in April. The speech, originally to be presented on location at Capital Trees
Low Line project but displaced by rain, cited the
organization for its work in urban greening, environmental restoration and storm water mitigation.
At a separate event attended by Capital
Trees patrons and state and city leaders, including
Secretary of Natural Resources Molly Ward, First
Lady of the Commonwealth Dorothy McAuliffe Jeanette McKittrick/Dorothy McAuliffe
presented the organization with Virginia Treasure designation for three of its projects,
the 14th Street Initiative, Great Shiplock Park and the Low Line. In turn, Capital Trees
presented Secretary Ward and Mrs. McAuliffe with botanical art by James River Garden
Club member Anne Blackwell Thompson.
The Capital Trees team has created something truly beautiful, said Mrs. McAuliffe. Not only have they enhanced the scenic landscapes of Richmond and the historic
banks of the James River, but they have also restored ecological balance through their
storm water management and land erosion efforts for future generations. This group has
built partnerships across our community to ensure that our neighbors and visitors can
enjoy the natural beauty of Richmond as they live, work and play.
Capital Trees began with Three Chopt Garden Clubs renovation of an unsightly
but highly-visible median in Richmonds West End. Inspired by a presentation at the
2009 GCV Conservation Forum by Richmonds then-Director of Community Planning Rachel Flynn, garden club members raised their sights and the 14th Street Initiative began, with a coalition among the four Richmond GCV clubs. Combining their
resources, the clubs worked together as a committee for several years until the organization incorporated and was granted independent non-profit organization status last year.
The Virginia Treasures program highlights Virginias natural, cultural and recreational assets while conserving land and water resources across the commonwealth.
Capital Trees project at Great Shiplock Park, environmentally-sensitive landscaping of
the park at the trailhead of the Virginia Capital Trail and adjacent to historic Chapel
Island, was a finalist for the GCVs 2014 Common Wealth Award.
The 14th Street Initiative removed tons of impervious material from a concretechoked artery sloping toward the James, replacing it with swamp white oaks and ginkgoes in bio-filtration cells, continuous planting beds and rain gardens.
The Low Line is the on-going reclamation and restoration of 5.5 derelict acres on
the historic James River and Kanawha Canal, running along the Virginia Capital Trail
and a CSX railroad trestle in Shockoe Bottom, a neighborhood that dates to the 1700s
and the site of Richmonds industrial origins, slave-trading history, and the landing of
Lincoln in 1865.
For more information, visit www.capitaltrees.org.

JUNE 2016

WWW.GCVIRGINIA.ORG

11

From the Sea to the Stars

March 30, 2016

The 82nd Annual

NUMBER OF HORTICULTURAL EXHIBITORS: 121

NUMBER OF HORTICULTURAL STEMS: 1803
NUMBER OF INTERCLUB ARTISTIC ARRANGEMENTS: 47
NUMBER INDIVIDUAL ARTISTIC ARRANGEMENTS: 18

Sponsored by the Hun

Artistic Awards

InterClub Class 247A

Creative Botanic Design: Blue
The Garden Club of Fairfax

InterClub Class 247C

Phoenix Design: Blue
The Garden Study Club

Photos by Lea Shuba

InterClub Class 247B

Late Colonial Design: Blue
Rivanna Garden Club

Individual Class 248

Mille Fleur Design: Blue
Emily Barbee, The Garden
Club of Gloucester

Individual Class 249

Framed Spatial: Blue
InterClub Class 247D
The Sandra Sadler Baylor Award
Parallel Design: Blue/Quad Blue
Most Creative Individual
The Hunting Creek Garden Club
Arrangement in Show
Lois Spencer, The Garden Club
of the Northern Neck

For more photos and a complete list of winners,

Grateful appreciation extended to Mary Wynn and Charles McDaniel

12

WWW.GCVIRGINIA.ORG

T G C V

Daffodil Show, 2016

ntington Garden Club

Individual Class 251

Traditional Line Mass: Blue
Lizz Stanley,
The Garden Study Club

Individual Class 250

Assemblage Design: Blue
Tri-Color Ribbon
Hunter Hankins Savage Award
Best Arrangement by a Novice
Section A, Class 3
The Decca Gilmer Frackelton Award Best
Best InterClub
Individual Arrangement in Show
Collection: Blue
Molly Trapani,
The Spotswood Garden Club
The Garden Club of Norfolk

Horticulture Awards

The Helen Louise

Broyhill Trophy
Best GCV Member
3 stem standard
exhibit
Suzanne Bresee,
Dolley Madison
Garden Club

Mary McDermott Beirne ADS Purple Ribbon

Best collection of five
Challenge Bowl
different standard
Section A Class 2 Blue
Daffodils
Miriam L. Green,
Ceci Brown, The
The Ashland Garden Club
Garden Club
of Gloucester

Ceci Brown,
The Garden Club
of Gloucester
Winner of the Elizabeth
Clopton Brown Member
Sweepstakes Trophy,
The Anne Duvall Miller
Massie Perpetual Trophy,
GCV Open Sweepstakes
and the ADS Silver
Ribbon, with Jeanette
Cadwallender, President.

go to www.gcvirginia.org and see Flower Shows

and Hilldrup Transfer and Storage for support of the GCV Flower Shows

JUNE 2016

WWW.GCVIRGINIA.ORG

13

The Oasis Dilemma

by Katherine Campbell
The Princess Anne Garden Club

ormaldehyde was on my mind as I planned my arrangements for the 2015

Historic Garden Week tour. I was assigned the lunchroom at the Brock
Environmental Center, regional office of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. It
would be a wonderful opportunity to arrange with native plants, although thats like
showing up at the ball in a gingham gown when compared to arrangements featuring
showy hydrangeas, lilies, roses and delphinium. I had recently learned that Oasis
contains the toxic ingredients formaldehyde and carbon black. Both are carcinogens.
Formaldehyde is dangerous when we dip our hands in the water or inhale the dust.
It evaporates from an arrangement into the room. I could not justify introducing
formaldehyde into one of the most energy efficient, environmentally smart buildings in
the world.
Introduced in 1954, Oasis has become ubiquitous in floral arranging. With it,
we contrive our blooms to do whatever we dream of. But as we know from replicating
period styles, arrangers have been creating glorious arrangements since the 15th century
without it. We can too. Chicken wire is great for holding heavy branches. Inserting
flexible curly willow stems into a container provides a stable framework, as do frogs,
cages and pebbles. A grid of tape across the top provides control, or inserting foliage
first, which will buttress additional materials.
I chose chicken wire scrunched into Costco peanut cans inserted into wooden
boxes made from reclaimed fence rails. My materials were native and seasonal. I didnt
want native rudbeckia or liatris flown in; plants had to be growing locally. Our gorgeous
native ferns werent even at fiddlehead stage, so I settled on dogwood, yucca, trumpet
honeysuckle vine, Spanish moss, and cattailsall native to Virginias Coastal Plain. And
plain it was, but also stately and stable. Although the materials shifted when the staff
moved arrangements overnight (horrors!), they were easily readjusted and arranging in
water keeps everything fresh.
Like farm-to-table cuisine, arranging with
seasonal natives, formaldehyde-free, should
become popular. As I write this in March
2016, I am on the wait list for a new product
coming to market. Made of recycled coconut
fiber, Floral SoilTM is biodegradable and can be
reused to grow cuttings or seeds. It is blackbrown and holds ten times its weight in water.
I visualize this handsome earth tone material
with ferns, Solomons seal and wild orchids,
blurring the lines between an arrangement
and a horticultural display. Attendees to the
October 2016 Board of Governors luncheon
at the Brock Center will dine among such local
native plant arrangements, hopefully utilizing
Floral SoilTM, gingham optional.

Editors Note: For more information visit http://www.floralsoilsolutions.com

14

WWW.GCVIRGINIA.ORG

T G C V

When you use

the original,

it shows.
Plant Foods Potting Mixes Controls

As a pioneer of Organic Gardening Solutions,

Espoma Organic has stayed true to their
roots develop high quality, effective, natural
gardening products. Espoma products work
in harmony with nature to grow beautiful
lawns and gardens. Simple to use and safe
for kids and pets, its no wonder Espoma has
been #1 in organics for over 86 years!

A natural in the garden since 1929.

For more information contact:
Bonnie Satterthwaite,
Territory Sales Manager
757.636.0844 | bsatterthwaite@espoma.com
Ask about our New Easy Dose Liquids!

www.espoma.com

JUNE 2016

WWW.GCVIRGINIA.ORG

15

THE

LAURIE HOLLADAY
Thank you for another fabulous
Historic Garden Week
25,769 people visited
30 tours in 2016

SHOP

A Family Business Continues For Over 70 Years

Lampshades
Of Every
Description
Lamp Repair
Restoration
Custom Design
Fine Furniture
and Gifts

123 South Main Street Gordonsville, Va

Phone: 540.832.0552
Monday thru Friday, 10-5:30
Saturday, 10-5 Sunday, 11-3

The Gardeners Workshop

Online Garden Shop
Cut Flower Farm
Group Programs
Event Pop up Shops

shoptgw.com

ForAllThingsCutFlowersVisitshoptgw.com!
Cut-flower Seeds
Seed Starting
Equipment
Harvesting Tools
Conditioning &
Arranging Supplies
Flower Frogs
Books and DVDs
Gardening Tools
See you at the
Bizarre Bazaar
Christmas and Spring!

16

WWW.GCVIRGINIA.ORG

T G C V

Board of Directors

The Garden Club of Virginia 2016-2018

Officers:
PresidentNina Mustard, The Williamsburg Garden Club
1st Vice PresidentJean Gilpin, The Winchester-Clarke Garden Club
2nd Vice PresidentSusan Robertson, The James River Garden Club
TreasurerBetsy Worthington, The Lynchburg Garden Club
Recording SecretaryTricia Garner, The Rappahannock Valley Garden Club
Corresponding SecretarySue Rosser, The Martinsville Garden Club
Directors at Large:
District 1 (2016-18) Janet Rosser, The Ashland Garden Club
District 2 (2015-17) Emily Reed, The Augusta Garden Club
District 3 (2016-18) Sidney Jordan, The Hampton Roads Garden Club
District 4 (2016-18) Kris Carbone, The Garden Club of Danville
District 5 (2015-17) Kate Williams, Leesburg Garden Club
District 6 (2015-17) Pam Combs, The Garden Club of Norfolk
Conservation and BeautificationWendy Vaughn, The Princess Anne Garden Club
DevelopmentDebbie Lewis, The Garden Study Club
FinanceVicky Alexander, The Hunting Creek Garden Club
Flower ShowsSusan Wight, The Princess Anne Garden Club
Historic Garden WeekMeg Clement (2016), Three Chopt Garden Club;
Betsy Casteen (2017 & 2018), The Charlottesville Garden Club
HorticultureCatherine Madden, The Lynchburg Garden Club
ParliamentarianAnn Gordon Evans, The Huntington Garden Club
RestorationDianne Spence, The Williamsburg Garden Club, The Garden Club of
Gloucester
Immediate Past PresidentJeanette Cadwallender, The Rappahannock Valley
Garden Club

JUNE 2016

WWW.GCVIRGINIA.ORG

17

Reflections on the GCV India Trip

by Catriona Tudor Erler, GCV Travel Committee Chairman
Albemarle Garden Club
We each came for different reasons, but our guide Karni said that no matter why we
thought we were there, it was really because Mother India had called us.
~ Lea Shuba, The Hunting Creek Garden Club

other India called, and 29 Garden Club of Virginia members, family and friends
answered. Under the leadership of our local guide, Karni Singh, we began to
understand the many layers and facets of this fascinating, complex country.
We came to see gardens and we did! We visited gardens on palace grounds,
encircling mausoleums, at hotels, in forts, on islands and, a highlight, at the Presidents
House in New Delhi, which are open to the public only in February and March.
We rode elephants, rickshaws and tuk-tuks (motorized rickshaws). We dined at
the world-renowned Spice Route Restaurant in New Delhi and in a private home in
Jaipur. We took boat rides on Udaipurs beautiful Lake Pichola, and toured palaces,
forts, mosques and temples. We drank local chai in the rural town of Barr where a freeroaming cow ate our paper cups. We met local people, and as our guide Karni said,
Local experiences and interaction with people will keep India in your heart. Youll
forget most of the monument stories, but youll remember the people.
On our last day when we were saying farewell, Karni taught us the Hindi word
alvadar, which means until we meet again. India is in our hearts.

GCV President Jeanette Cadwallender

and husband Nick wearing welcome-to-India
marigold garlands.

Catriona Tudor Erler in the garden

at Rashtrapati Bhavan, the presidents
house in New Delhi.

18

WWW.GCVIRGINIA.ORG

Friskey Hickey, the Garden Club

of Alexandria. It was the trip of
a lifetime. I still wake up thinking
about that fascinating country
and its wonderful people.

The Garden Club of Virginia

Seriously Seeking Judges

by Gladys Lewis, GCV Flower Show Judges Chairman
Fauquier and Loudoun Garden Club and Leesburg Garden Club

he Garden Club of Virginia is always seeking members to become artistic

judges for the GCV Daffodil, Lily and Rose Shows. If you love flowers and
enjoy expressing your creative instincts by arranging them, consider becoming
a GCV artistic judge.
As a judge, you will be an integral part of a great GCV tradition. As you walk
around the show, you cannot help but be moved by the beauty of each entry and by the
effort that has gone into creating them.
Artistic judges help make the shows possible. They consider the entries and choose
the best. One new student judge commented that she had a glorious time and learned
so much.
Becoming a judge is fun and not as difficult as you may think. While there are
exams, they are open book using our online handbook and reference materials. You
will be expected to continue doing what we hope you already love: arranging for shows,
attending workshops and learning on the job as a student judge. Judging is also a great
responsibility. Competent judging and comment cards teach our members and the
public how to improve their skills as arrangers.
As an arranger and flower shows artistic judge, I love the stunning arrangements,
the opportunity to learn more about creating them and, especially, the joy in working
with members from all over the commonwealth. As a bonus, this Connecticut Yankee
enjoys seeing all parts of our gorgeous Virginia while I travel.

At the Flower Arranging School, a short discussion

and hands-on session will discuss
Whats Artistic Judging All About?
Look for time and place with the
Flower Arranging School announcements.

Save the Date!

GCV Flower Arranging School
September 27, 2016

UR Jepson Alumni Center, Richmond

JUNE 2016

WWW.GCVIRGINIA.ORG

19

Dedication of the Kitchen Road Project at Monticello

by Katya Spicuzza, GCV Restoration Committee
Albemarle Garden Club

n April 8, a ceremony was held

at Thomas Jeffersons Monticello to commemorate completion
of the Kitchen Road Project funded by
the Garden Club of Virginia. The event
was attended by former GCV presidents,
current and past members of the GCV
Restoration Committee, the GCV Board
and members of the Albemarle, Charlottesville and Rivanna garden clubs.
Using many years of research by
William L. Beiswagner, the former Robert
H. Smith Director of Restoration at Monticello, William D. Rieley, GCV Landscape Architect, developed the landscape
drawings for the project. Field work was
subsequently performed to determine the
exact location of roads and paths. As a
result, Mulberry Row is now correctly
aligned from its eastern end stable to its
west end; steps have been installed, and
plants planted. The kitchen road and
path now connect to Mulberry Row and
resemble the landscape of Mr. Jeffersons
time.
The completed GCV Kitchen Road
Project invites a trip to Monticello. For
more information see Candy Crosbys
article in the December 2014 GCV
Journal, available online.

Leslie Greene Bowman,

president of the Thomas Jefferson
Foundation at Monticello
with Landscape Architect William Rieley
and Garden Club of Virginia President
Jeanette Cadwallender.
Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello

The Garden Club of Virginia

appreciates responsible advertising
and reserves the right to accept or reject
submitted advertisements. Inclusion in
the Journal is not to be construed as an
endorsement by the Garden Club
of the advertised goods or services.

20

WWW.GCVIRGINIA.ORG

T G C V

Lily Notes
Show Time

by Carrie Darracott, GCV Lily Committee Chairman

The Augusta Garden Club

he fragrance and sight of lilies beautifully

displayed awaits the novice as well as the
blue ribbon winner, not to mention the
general public, at the Garden Club of Virginias
74th Lily Show. Growing Green entries will be
welcomed for the second year. The show will
take place June 15-16 at The Foxcroft School in
Middleburg, hosted by Fauquier and Loudoun
Photos Provided by: Penny Dart
Garden Club.
Entries of arrangements, lily horticulture and general horticulture will be accepted
on June 14 from 1:30 to 6 p.m., and on June 15 from 7:45 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. The Lily
Show schedule is posted on the GCV website (www.gcvirginia.org) and on the Fauquier
and Loudoun Garden Club website, (www.flgardenclub.org). The show opens to the
public on June 15 at 2 p.m., with the awards ceremony at 2:15 p.m.
The GCV Lily Committee has made arrangements for novice entrants to receive
special assistance. Visit the Novice Table in the workroom on June 14, anytime
from 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. GCV Lily Committee members will be on hand to
answer questions about the exhibiting process. As always, there will be classification
information and assistance available in the workroom.
Whether a newcomer or an old hand, there are several things you can do to make
the entry process easier. The GCV website has archived the lily collections. Print them
to create a personal reference for identification and class entry information about each
lily you plan to bring.
To get a lily ready, label its stem with a tag. Using a waterproof pen, write cultivar
name, class in which the stem will be entered, and collection year if for the Inter Club
Collection or if you have doubt about identification. Another resource worth reviewing
is Entering a Flower Show. It, too, can be found on the GCV website.
This years lily show is not just pink, orange and yellow. Growing Green, part
of the shows general horticulture section, offers the opportunity to enter a hosta, a
container of edible herbs, succulents or blooming native perennials among other classes.
The Growing Green schedule can be found on either the GCV website or the Fauquier
and Loudoun Garden Club website, in addition to the lily show schedule. Growing
Green classifiers will be on hand to help; all entries will be accepted.

If you have a business that needs to be seen, or if you know of one, the Journal is always
looking for appropriate advertisers to brighten our pages.
Please contact Anne Beals at oakleyfrm@gmail.com with your ideas.

JUNE 2016

WWW.GCVIRGINIA.ORG

21

Cedar Hill Cemetery Project

by Mary Alice Dorschel
The Nansemond River Garden Club

edar Hill Cemetery is the only green

space in downtown Suffolk. The
Nansemond River Garden Club adopted an area suitable for a public-accessible
garden within the cemetery as a civic project
in early 2001. Cedar Hill was an old settlers
homestead dating back to 1802. The site
also has an old chapel, unmarked graves,
beautiful grand cedar trees, and a historic
livestock watering fountain restored by the
club. When researching the project, the
clubs CHC project committee found that Cedar Hill was an early NRGC civic project.
The modern-day plan began with the hiring of Davyd Foard Hood, an architectural
historian. Hood found many unmarked graves at an open space in the vicinity of what
may be the original site of the old Community Chapel. In 2005 and 2006, the club
began the planning of our Heritage Garden which won the Common Wealth Award in
2006. The club was instrumental in having the cemetery placed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Virginia Landmarks Register, and having our work
named as a Legacy Project for Jamestown
2007. After winning the CWA, the
garden was planted with scented plants,
sturdy natives and annuals. Walkways,
benches and an armillary completed the
garden plan. The area today is a beautiful
mediation garden maintained by our
club.
In conjunction with the City of
Suffolk, the club hired John Milner
Associates of Charlottesville to work
on the Preservation Plan for Cedar Hill
20-time Customer Choice Award Winner
Cemetery. In 2015, the John Milner
group won a prestigious award from the
Virginia Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects for this plan.
The garden is now mature and
Hilldrup and the McDaniel
the final hardscape project has been
completed. A bronze map, in Braille
family proudly support
and print, made by the Andrews Lefevre
the mission of the
Corp. of New York, gives detailed information indicating 10 important points
Garden Club of Virginia.
of interest and providing orientation for
sections within the cemetery. This stately
(800) 476-6683
bronze map has become a starting point
www.hilldrup.com
for tours of this lovely Common Wealth
Award garden.

22

WWW.GCVIRGINIA.ORG

T G C V

CONTRIBUTIONS

Report Period From 01/06/2016 Through 03/31/2016

Annual Fund

Provides essential ongoing support necessary to maintain GCV operations.

Donor
Alice Squires Martin
The Blue Ridge Garden Club Nancy and Peter Brooks
Mary Louise Brown
Garden Club of Fairfax
Lynn McCashin
Sharon Byrd
The Garden Club of the
Martha W. Medley
Gwen B. Carter
Northern Neck
Poohdie Miller
The Princess Anne Garden Lee Stuart Cochran
Terri Nicholaou
Club
Jane Eggleston
Mrs. John J. OKeefe III
The Tuckahoe Garden Club Miriam Green
Sarah H. Pierson
of Westhampton
Sara Scott Hargrove
Lizz Stanley
The Williamsburg Garden Donna S. Herbert
Elaine Stephenson
Club
Susan Hodges
Kathleen D. Sweet
Hilldrup Moving and Storage Mac Houfek
Sherry Twining
Marsha Amory
Lyn Hutchens
Kathryn Lee Quarles Wafle
Judy Kidd
Anne Avery
Mrs. Mitchell Mead Wells
Beverley King
Mr. and Mrs. Robert F.
Baldwin, Jr.
Anne Vipperman Madonia Margaret Wood
Donor
In Honor of
The Garden Club of Alexandria ................................................................Anne Baldwin
Sally Guy Brown
Jennifer Kelley
Tuckie Westfall
Chatham Garden Club .....................................................................Mary Bruce Glaize
Susan Timmons
The Garden Club of Danville ...............................................................Susan Timmons
Fauquier and Loudon Garden Club............................................................Peyton Wells
The Garden Study Club .........................................................................Stuart Webster
The Mill Mountain Garden Club ......................................................Matilda Bradshaw
The Garden Club of Norfolk .............................................Jeanette Rowe Cadwallender
The Princess Anne Garden Club ........................................Jeanette Rowe Cadwallender
The Virginia Beach Garden Club .......................................Jeanette Rowe Cadwallender
Jeanette Rowe Cadwallender ......................................................................Gillian Cady
Robin Ingram
Virginia Cherry ............................................................................................ Tori Brock
Petie Ern ................................................................................................... Betty Strider
Madeline Mayhood ................................................................... Sue and Tad Thompson
Merrimac Garden Club ....................................................................Ann Gordon Evans
Susan Thompson .................................................................................Margaret Bemiss
Donor
In Memory of
The Charlottesville Garden Club ........................................................... Mattice Brandt
The Rappahannock Valley Garden Club .................................................Kathleen Glass
Rivanna Garden Club ...................................................................... Magueritte Bryant

JUNE 2016

WWW.GCVIRGINIA.ORG

23

Winchester-Clarke Garden Club .............................................................. Sarah Burton

Susan Armfield .............................................................................Mary Lucille Hankins
Sheila E. Baker .......................................................................................Kathleen Glass
Kathryn P. Beale ..........................................................................Patricia Ann Simmons
Gail Braxton ...........................................................................................Kathleen Glass
Jeanette Rowe Cadwallender ...................................................................Kathleen Glass
Joanna D. Catron ...................................................................................Kathleen Glass
Ruth and Royden Daniels ...........................................................Mary Lucille Hankins
Barbara Forbush .....................................................................................Kathleen Glass
Marion Foster...............................................................................Mary Lucille Hankins
Mary Carter Frackelton ..........................................................................Kathleen Glass
Mrs. Muscoe R. H. Garnett, Jr. ...............................................................Kathleen Glass
Mary Lou Glass ......................................................................................Kathleen Glass
Glenna M. Graves ..................................................................................Kathleen Glass
Jo Anne H. Kinnamon ...........................................................................Kathleen Glass
Rennie McDaniel ....................................................................................Kathleen Glass
Tricia and Charles McDaniel ...................................................................Kathleen Glass
Mary S. Peake...............................................................................Mary Lucille Hankins
Rita Potter ...................................................................................Mary Lucille Hankins
Elizabeth M. Quarles ..............................................................................Kathleen Glass
Maureen Sallade ..........................................................................Mary Lucille Hankins
Jeanette Payne
Sarah Southworth....................................................................................Kathleen Glass

Garden Club of Virginia Endowment

Supports the ongoing preservation of the historic Kent-Valentine House,

headquarters of the Garden Club of Virginia and Historic Garden Week.
Donor
The Ashland Garden Club
The Princess Anne Garden Club
The Tuckahoe Garden Club of Westhampton
Donor
In Honor of
Gabriella Garden Club .........................................................................Susan Timmons
Mary T. Kincheloe....................................................................................... Pam Powers
Donor
In Memory of
Beverley King ......................................................................................... Virginia Guild

GCV Conservation Fund

Supports GCV clubs in local and statewide conservation projects.

Donor
The Blue Ridge Garden Club
Donor
In Honor of
The Garden Club of Fairfax ............................................................... Diane Wilkinson
Sarah Chiffriller ................................................................. Jeanette Rowe Cadwallender

24

WWW.GCVIRGINIA.ORG

The Garden Club of Virginia

Restoration

Supports GCV Restoration projects across the Commonwealth.

Donor
In Honor of
The James River Garden Club .............................................................Margaret Bemiss
Anne G. Baldwin..................................................................................Margaret Bemiss
William Rieley
Kitty Lee Wafle
Jean E.R. Gilpin ...................................................................................Margaret Bemiss
Mary Ann Johnson
Kitty Lee Wafle
Donor
In Memory of
Anne G. Baldwin .................................................................................... Virginia Guild
Anne Smith Paul
Barbara LO. Catlett ................................................................................ Virginia Guild
Amy M. Vega .......................................................................................... Virginia Guild
Martha Whipple...................................................................................... Virginia Guild

Sponsorship

Supports Events, Education, and Development.

Donor
In Memory of
George Stuckey ...............................................................Ann Miller Anderson Stuckey

Amendment to March Journal

Annual Fund
Donor
In Honor of
Anne Beals ....................................................................... Jeanette Rowe Cadwallender

Martha Ware Bryan

JUNE 2016

Common Wealth Award Fund

WWW.GCVIRGINIA.ORG

25

WWW.GCVIRGINIA.ORG

T G C V

74th GCV Lily Show

Fauquier and Loudoun Garden Club,
Middleburg

Deadline for September Journal Article

Submissions

June 15-16

July 15

Dates and events as posted on the GCV website

at http://gcvirginia.org. See website for further additions.

Dugdale Award Nominations Due

June 1

THE GARDEN CLUB OF VIRGINIA

C ALENDAR 2016

($67)5$1./,1675((75,&+021'9$

Periodicals
Postage Paid
574-520
At Richmond, Virginia
And Additional Offices
Forwarding Service
Requested