The Garden Club of Alabama

Florida Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc. FFGC

Florida’s theme for this administration is “Focus On Florida”.  The primary targets of our “Focus” were Membership, Water Conservation and Community Gardens. We are pleased to report that although final figures are not in as yet, our districts are reporting a total increase of more than 650 members. 

 Water Conservation programs have been reported by over 75% of clubs in our twelve districts.  Clubs have sponsored educational programs for their communities as well as for their clubs.  Rain barrels continue to be a popular club project as well as an excellent fund raiser.

 Community Gardens are just beginning to come into their own as a club project.  Almost every district reports that such gardens have been started or are in the planning stages. 

Youth Gardeners report mini community gardens in wheelbarrows and barrel halves.  Theme gardens are popular with the youth – especially pizza gardens.  We think that we will begin to see more of these projects flourish in the near future as once again FFGC plays a leadership role in showing their communities how to “GO Green”.  We reinforced our message by distributing decals with our message “GO GREEN -JOIN A GARDEN CLUB”

 FFGC sponsors several Short Courses during the year.  Tropical Short Course is held in Boca Raton and features the plants which grow in that area.  University of Florida Short Course is held in the Gainesville/Ocala area and a third course is scheduled for the western panhandle in August.   These last two courses are held in cooperation with UF’s Florida Yards and Neighborhoods program.  They serve as refreshers for Master gardeners as well as Tri-freshers for Landscape Design, Gardening Studies and Environmental Studies.  This year the Gainesville Course was held at Silver Springs.  The highlight of the course for this president was a visit to the Marion County Prison Farm.  This facility grows all the vegetables served at the prison.  The farm is worked by prisoners serving time for minor offenses.  They are learning a trade as well as producing food for the prison system at a cost of .37 cents a plate.  We had lunch there and the broccoli had just been picked that morning.  It was delicious!  We need to grow our own vegetables or buy local.  What a difference!

 Native plants and plantings have been featured in programs throughout Florida.  Many of our community landscaping projects have featured natives.  Natives have been heralded as a primary way to conserve water – a vital concern in our state.  Florida has had an active “Paths of Sunshine” program for many years.  FFGC works with the Florida  Department of Transportation to encourage wildflower planting along Florida’s highways.  We promote sales of the Florida wildflower license tag which raises funds for wildflower research.  Sales of this tag have provided almost 2 million dollars for wildflower research.

 Finally we come to our Scholarship programs and our efforts to support the Deep South Regional Project, “Dollars For Scholars” during the first year of this administration, Florida raised $3,404. for this program.  One of the highlights featured money trees on each table at our 2008 Convention.  This effort raised over $800 for $$ for Scholars”. Our total for the 2 years of this program was $4,406.08.  In preparing for this report, I asked our District Directors to tabulate the total scholarship monies given by their districts.  I found it to be a stunning amount when the twelve districts were totals.  Believe it or not – the total was $136, 725.  Add to this the scholarships awarded by FFGC and the total is $162, 725.  We can and do make a difference!

The Garden Club 0f Georgia, Inc.

March 27-29, 2009

The theme for the 2007-2009 Garden Club of Georgia is “Pick Up and Grow”.
The key to the success of all our projects lies with a growing and active membership.
“Teams” were set up to spearhead the drives to eradicate litter and to increase membership.

 
The Garden Club of Georgia, Inc. Scholarships

The GCG awarded $100,200.00 in scholarships for the 2007-2009.  Our goal was $100,000 and we made it!!!   Our scholarships are funded by the sale of the calendars, named scholarship fund, a patron of scholarship, and the general scholarship funds.

Membership Team: “Come Grow With Us”

With the declining membership throughout all garden clubs in the Nation, we feel that this should be the number one priority. Membership drive is a constant effort.  The membership team has been successful in letting clubs know how to increase membership. They distributed over 4,000 membership brochures in 11 Georgia Information Centers. Posters were printed showing how to join a garden club. The brochures were distributed in libraries, garden centers, special events, welcome centers, and flower shows.  Brochures were placed in malls; a booth was set up at the Southeastern Flower Show; and, booths were set up at fairs.  The membership team has spoken to many organizations explaining how people can join a club or start a club in their neighborhoods.  In the first year, the team started out with the 80^th celebration theme. The team had a contest between the 7 districts…the winning district with 80+ members received $50.00.  All seven Districts won the $50.00!  In the second year, the membership team promoted the NGC contest between the states by writing articles in the District newsletters and the Garden Gateways about the Canna cultivar that we could have named for Georgia if our membership increases.  A garden club ran an eye catching newspaper ad that said, “Calling All Gardeners!” They were very successful with this ad and they have 15 new members.

 Litter Team:  “Pick Up for Georgia” “Keep It Green and Clean”

A major emphasis was getting rid of the big green dumpsters (containers) on our State and Federal Highways that are used by people who live in the rural areas.  The dumpsters are visible to the tourists who travel our State and Federal Highways.  Many letters were written to county officials and state officials about removing the dumpsters.  Several garden club members were successful in getting the dumpsters off the State highways.  The school children are being educated through the youth clubs about litter.  Recycling information was giving out at all meetings about how and what to recycle.  This team had a litter contest between the 7 districts to recognize the club for outstanding efforts in litter reduction, litter learning or litter eradication.  The litter contest brought a lot of enthusiasm and fun in the clubs. Winning clubs received litter pick-up sticks. Bumper stickers with the GCG logo and “don’t litter” were given out at all District meetings and convention. For the past two years this team has worked very hard to encourage garden club members to be more involved in keeping “Georgia Green and Clean.”

 Youth Team:

GCG has 36 youth garden clubs…..
In July 2008, the youth team held a three day camp, “Wild and Wonderful”, for 5^th and 6^th grade youth.  Many activities were held: a scavenger hunt, walk in the woods after dark, hiking, fishing, endangered species program, butterfly program, and a fun program on litter and recycling. The youth built blue bird houses and visited with a bald eagle. Five youth clubs participated in a Standard Flower Show this year and several youth clubs participated in the State Advanced Flower Show.   The youth team promoted the Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl contest, the poetry and essay contest. Activities are being held throughout the State every month with our youth.  GCG continues to encourage garden clubs to sponsor youth clubs.

Two conservation workshops were held in November 2007 and November 2008.Programs were:  Native plants, water issues, watersheds, litter, vegetable gardens, farm fuel, environmental issues, and the effect of the forest fires on the animal habitat.  The workshops were held for two days and many non garden club members came to the workshops. GCG held its 8^th Advanced State Flower Show, “Southern Charm Among the Pines”, in Thomasville, GA.  The flower show was held at Pebble Hill Plantation in Thomasville, GA.  Over 2,000 attended this show.  The show was held under two huge tents.  There were 51 NGC Flower Show Judges invited to judge this show.Eighteen Blue Star and By-Way Markers have been erected and landscaped since April 2007. GCG has had beautiful ceremonies at all of the dedications.  A Historic Marker was erected in the Oakland Cemetery in August 2008. 

GCG continues supporting our Garden Therapy program through the “fig leaf project”. Club members continue to make Christmas stockings and Easter eggs and place $1.00 in each to give to residents in the seven Regional Hospitals.  In one State facility, there are 20 garden clubs and they hold a flower show and art show yearly. GCG members participate and judge the show. GCG helps the facilities with money that is donated by clubs for purchasing gardening tools, seeds, bulbs, potting soil, pots, and refreshments for the club members. Club members volunteer at these facilities on a monthly basis.

Basic Design Course I & II, “At Home with Flowers”, has been very successful with members.78 classes were taught during the 2007-2009 term with 978 attending the classes. The Basic Design II, two classes were taught with 80 in attendance.  GCG has 26 instructors for the Basic Design Courses.

 GCG continues to support the Natural Disaster Fund. Donations for 2007-2009 (and still collecting) are $2,580.00. A tornado hit the Atlanta area and destroyed over 100 trees and monuments in the historic Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta.  The Dogwood District was awarded grant money from the Natural Disaster Fund for replanting trees and repairing monuments.

 Georgia received $2,000.00 from the Principal Financial Group for their civic development projects for 2007-2008.   

 One of GCG’s most successful projects is the “Community on My Mind”. This project was started in 2005 by former President Jaydee Ager.  A $200.00 grant is available to garden clubs or councils for civic improvement projects. A matching grant and proof thereof is required. GCG has had 35 grant requests for the past two years with a total of $7,000.00 given to clubs.

 The Garden Club of Georgia participated in the “Dollar$ for Scholar$”. The jug was passed at all State meetings and Districts meetings.  18 Deep South Life Memberships have been given and as of this date the report is not final.  GCG will be participating in the Walk-A- Thon.  At the 2008 convention, GCG donations were $2,600.00 for the Walk-A-Thon.  The H4H Landscape Project in 2008 spent $1,435.49 on landscaping houses.  The 2009 report has not been finalized.

 “Plant Natives-Plant Organically”--- GCG has participated and support the NGC projects through our conservation workshops. Programs were given on the drought and the use of native plants in landscaping. GCG had four native plant and wildflower symposia. GCG had five clubs in 2008 who won the NGC Certificate of Participation and $250.00 for the President’s School Garden Project. In 2009, we have had six clubs to apply for the President’s School Garden Project. Clubs had Educational Exhibits at local Standard Flower Shows.  At the State Flower Show an exhibit was on display on “Plant Natives-Plant Organically”.

 Conclusion:  

The Garden Club of Georgia, Inc. is a working organization that sponsors and support many schools, workshops, flower shows, youth garden clubs, civic improvements, horticulture programs, legislative involvement and roadside beautification.  We encourage and support Wildflower tags for Georgia, tabs for Ronald McDonald Houses, historic preservation, Habitat for Humanity, garden therapy, botanical gardens… and the list goes on.  GCG will continue to support the Deep South’s Projects and the National Garden Clubs, Inc. projects.

 It has been an honor and pleasure to work with our Deep South Region Director, Mary Summerville and the Deep South State Presidents during 2007-2009.

 The 43^rd President for the Garden Club of Georgia, Inc, will be Betty Grimes from Hiawassee, GA. 

 The Garden Club of Georgia’s mission is beautification, conservation, education…

___________________________

President
Sara Lanier 

The Louisiana Garden Club Federation, Inc.
Louisiana Garden Club Federation - President, Sybil Colicchio
 
2008 was an exciting year for Louisiana.  In April, we held our annual Convention and in August we held our Summer Council Meeting.  We had great attendance at both meetings, got a lot accomplished and had great fellowship with other members.  Our State membership is small, 105 Clubs with a total of 2,996 members.  After the storms that hit Louisiana  since fall of 2005, we have lost many members, and in some cases entire clubs.
 
I am proud to report that our Quarterly Published Newsletter is now open to the entire Federation on-line and in color.
 
We are now entering our 51st year celebrating the "Clean city  Contest" throughout the State.  It is slowly but surely growing in membership again after the storms ravaged so many areas in the state.
 
The Terrebonne Garden Club in Houma, La. received a $500 Civic Development Grant for a restoration project in their hometown.  This same club with Mary Jane  Peters as president received $4,000 from the "Greening of the Gulf" project presented by Barbara May.  Our ways and means Deep South Project, "Flower Hour" was able to send $1,000 to the Deep South Region.  We made a profit which will go towards our 75th Jubilee.  The Dollars for Scholars project was very successful also.  In total, Louisiana contributed a total of $14,250.00 in Scholarships.
 
All of our eight Districts hosted a standard flower show the past two years.  Every club participated in Arbor Day Plantings.
 
We are very excited about our "own" Harriet Osborne, publishing a beautiful book called "Designing by Types".  Thank you Harriet, and for those of you wishing to see it, go to the
National Gardener" to order.
 
Next year we will be celebrating our 75th Golden Jubilee.  This event will be held along with our State Convention in New Orleans in the French Quarter area.  You should make plans to attend.  We promise a great time!
 
In January, 2009, we were honored by a visit from our National President, Barbara May.
She attend our Winter Council Meeting in Baton Rouge, and we were thrilled to have her.
 
Our membership is small in numbers, but large in activity, talent and heart.  We continue to offer workshops and our Gardening consultants and Landscape Design Consultants are
planning new projects now.
 
We are proud that Louisiana has 52 dedicated Highway Markers, 15 by-way markers and
2 memorial markers.
 
This State Membership gives of themselves constantly and will always make me proud to have been their President.
 

The Garden Clubs of Mississippi, Inc.
 

From Pensacola 2008 to Huntsville 2009

The Garden Clubs of Mississippi, Inc. is a very active and productive organization.  Our state is divided into six districts and each spring each district hosts workshops for our members and each fall we present awards in each district of the state.  Our attendance at all of these meetings was outstanding and we enjoyed the fellowship and sharing of ideas. Our state membership is at 4,445

Our 79th state convention was held in Canton, Mississippi, April 8-10^th with the theme of “Canton Celebrates”.  Mississippi also enjoyed having the National Convention so close to home in Memphis, and we were well represented at the Peabody Hotel along with the ducks and Elvis.

The GCM, Inc. puts a great deal of interest on our youth.  We sponsor the Lanoux Youth Nature Camp each summer and individual clubs and councils sponsor youth garden clubs thru out the state.  Poetry and poster contests are also popular with our state youth We also fund and sponsor three very generous scholarships in forestry, horticulture, and landscape design at Mississippi State University each year.  We also promote attendance of high school students to Mississippi State University for the Horticulture Summer Seminar program each summer.

Our organization is an active presence at Whitfield –our state mental hospital with hands on gardening for the residents and beautification projects for the grounds of the facility including an area for visitors and children.

The GCM, Inc. also maintains a state headquarters for our organization.  We are proud to have this lovely historic house in Greenwood, Mississippi.  Our clubs thru out the state are welcome to meet and tour this landmark house.

Blue Star Memorial markers are becoming a very visible sight in Mississippi.  During this administration we have dedicated or will have dedicated at least 5+.

A big thank you to the Principal Financial Group---Mississippi was delighted with the monies that our state received for our projects.  Also due to the “Dollars for Scholars” program Mississippi will also have at least 22 new Deep South Life Memberships.

In September the GCM, Inc. sponsored a state flower show in Oxford, Mississippi.  It was an honor to have our Deep South District Director Mary Summerville and her charming husband in Oxford for the state Flower Show.  Also during the flower show a Flower Hour workshop was held .We were also delighted that we were able to celebrate Walter Summerville’s birthday during the  couple’s  Oxford visit. We had a large attendance to sing “Happy Birthday” and enjoy a reception the evening prior to the State Flower Show.

          In October the GCM, Inc. was delighted to have as our very special guest---the president of the National Garden Clubs, Inc. Barbara May. She was able to attend our fall board meeting and also attend the 53^rd annual Landscape Design Symposium on the campus of Mississippi State University.  This is the longest running symposium of its kind in the country. What an honor to have our national president visit us last fall.

          We all are looking forward to our state convention in McComb, Mississippi April 21-23, 2009.  This will be the 80^th Convention of the Garden Clubs of Mississippi, Inc.  At this convention Gay Austin will be installed as the president of the Garden Clubs of Mississippi, Inc.  We look forward to this event. 

          It has been a privilege, an honor, and a wonderful experience to have served as president of the Garden Clubs of Mississippi, Inc.  I will always treasure my memories of these past two years.

How does one compile a report to summarize two years of travel, reports, calls, letter writing and the many duties of a President?  The past two years have not been about what I have done but what the 3758 members have contributed to “Open the Garden Gates of Their Hearts to Share the Legacy”.  Projects statewide have been focused on both National and Deep South special emphasis, as well as wearing the hinges of the garden gates. 

 “Nurture the Earth-Plant Natives” has been taught in classes, influenced the choices that gardeners made for planting projects and created a new awareness of better adaptation in our home gardens.  The two years of research on plants statewide have been compiled into list suitable for the four districts of our state.  These include shrubs, trees and wildflowers. This information is now being compiled into a book, Native Plants, Tennessee Listings.  To complete this project each of the four districts has chosen plants for planting at our state headquarters, Ivan Racheff House and Gardens in Knoxville. Our thanks to National President, Barbara May for choosing this most worthy project that our state will continue to benefit from.

Today’s Youth Tomorrow’s Future has placed the importance of recognizing the tremendous cost of education.  All districts across the state have passed that jug to raise money for scholarships. At the 2008 State Convention in Clarksville, Tennessee a walk-a-thon was held in the early morning hours, along the beautiful Cumberland to raise funds for this project.  The next step lies in our own cities and clubs to make known that there are funds available and encourage them to pursue them.  Thanks to the Flower Hour, Ways and Means, the Deep South and the state of Tennessee have increased financially.  We were honored to have Mary Summerville attend our State Convention in 2008. I will not tell you if she walked in the fog along the river that morning.

There have been 2 Blue Star Markers installed and there are 3 others in the planning stages.

Thanks to the efforts of the State Membership Chairman and her committee we now have a new color membership brochure.  These are available for all the Districts to use in recruiting new members.

Flower Show Schools have been held in all 4 Districts with Symposiums in 2 Districts. Statewide there are approximately 100 active Flower Show Judges.  Flower Shows are holding there own with many clubs combining and holding one large show.

What are those projects and programs that go on year after year with clubs that never apply for Awards or perhaps never want to do that paperwork? I look thru page after page of reports seeing that gardeners are still there, planting trees.  One club in Middle Tennessee planted 2,000!

Garden Therapy is one of the main focuses during National Garden Week. 

Litter/Recycling is collecting cell phones and ink cartilages state wide with the monies collected going into our scholarship fund.  $3,600 in scholarships will be awarded at our state convention in April.

It was indeed an honor and lots of work, but Tennessee was the host state for the 2008 National Convention. 

One of the events in Tennessee that has teaching, relaxing, eating and no business meetings, is Conservation Camp.  These are held in one of our beautiful state parks and if you have not heard Tennessee received the National Parks Award for the finest in the Nation this past year.  Barbara May, National President, attended the 2008 camp at Montgomery Bell State Park.  Workshops and speakers on all the related subjects along with educational exhibits are just too good for words.

Working with youth was accomplished thru many different projects.  Tennessee had the National Smokey Bear winner.  There are at least l0 children’s gardens.  One is located at our state headquarters where this past fall a local Boy Scout Troop helped to plant 600 bulbs in the garden there. The” Grandmother and Me” special emphasis project has allowed members to plan a project with a child to share a gardening experience. These are being printed in our state publication.

Habit for Humanity continues to be supported with both contributions and the installation of landscaping for the home owners.

What is it that we want hear from these reports.  It is my belief the success of the small garden club, which continues to stay together, work on their communities, beautifying their corner of the world will never be a statistic.  Numbers are great but it is an impossibility to place the beauty on a form. A project in Harriman, TN is located in Triangle Park. Established in 1892, is in a largely African-American residential area. This park is now being revitalized, with plans in place for a new building, walking paths, and lights. Harriman Garden Club realized the need to beautify this area, so working with other gardening organizations have installed three new flower beds in the park for their Historic Preservation Project. This same club works with disabled youth and the Junior Master Gardeners assisting with the planting vegetable and flower gardens in the school at Oliver Springs High School.

I have seen the clubs across the state of Tennessee open up books, sharing with those around them, to “Open the garden gate of their hearts and share the legacy”.