Member of
Central Region & National Garden Clubs, Inc
NEWS & FUN
2009 NGC School Gardens
President, Barbara May, has created an NGC School Garden Project. There is grant money available and no book of evidence is required. The due date is Dec. 31, 2008.
Click on the links below for more information
Project Information (MS Word doc) - click here
Application (MS Word doc) - click here
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FLOOD ASSISTANCE
As many of you know, the floods along the Mississippi River that has just ended wrecked havoc on many small communities. As members of the Missouri Federated Garden Clubs, Inc., we have a limited disaster fund that can be used to assist in a small way replant public areas in these communities.
I am asking all Garden Clubs in Missouri to think about these communities and how they have been affected by these floods. I remember well the flood of 1993 and how it ruined several parks in Jefferson City. The Garden Clubs of Missouri at that time came to our assistance and provided some funds for us to replant Washington Park here in Jefferson City. When I drive in the park today, I see trees and shrubs that were planted after that flood.
I would like to ask all Garden Clubs in Missouri to make a special donation to the Disaster Fund this year to help those communities along the Mississippi River. I am also asking Garden Clubs in the areas affected to let me know how best to help these areas.
You can send donations to our State Treasurer, Linda Lebeck, 206 West Patrick, California, MO 65018 or to me, Jeanne Schwaller, State World Gardening/Disaster Fund Chairman, 1926 Hayselton Drive, Jefferson City, MO 65109. Please indicate these funds are for the Disaster Fund – Flood of 2008.
I know all of our Garden Club friends statewide will help to restore areas devastated by the water.
Jeanne Schwaller, Chairman – World Gardening/Disaster Fund
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Central Region Meeting
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
October 26 – 28, 2008
“Autumn Spectacular
The Federated Garden Clubs of Iowa invite you to attend the 76th Central Region meeting, October 26-28, 2008 held at the Marriott Hotel, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The breathtaking fall colors of the Midwest should make a beautiful setting for Iowa’s “Autumn Spectacular”.
A diverse array of events is planned for you. Tony Todesco will lead off scheduled events with a design workshop for 28 pre-registered designers (four from each of the Central Region states who have the privilege of creating a design of their choice and having it critiqued by Tony. Following the workshop, the designs will be placed for viewing during the Central Region meeting. For those not attending Tony’s workshop, come and enjoy a creative demonstration presented by Becka of Blooming Acres entitled “Winter Containers”. They are fun to create and last all winter.
Following dinner Sunday, we will celebrate Iowa’s heritage through the music of the prestigious Luren Singing Society from Decorah, Iowa. This year they celebrate their 140th birthday. It is the oldest Norwegian-American male chorus in continuous existence in the U.S. We are proud to have our own FGCI member Roger Buhr as a member of this group.
Monday, Jim Durbin of Cedar Rapids will present “Gone Wild Photo”, exploring the world of insects. Fun and educational workshops and seminars include: Paint an Apple Gourd, Create your own mini container and Parliamentary/Protocol seminar. You pick two of the three.
Following the evening banquet, we will be entertained by designer, lecturer and Master Flower Show Judge Tony Todesco. Tony serves on the National Flower Show School Committee as New Design Development Chairman. We look forward to his creative use of plant material and his interpretation of current design trends. Let’s give Tony a warm Midwest welcome!
Tuesday morning the Preucil School of Music Children’s Orchestra of Iowa City will delight us with their outstanding musical talents. What a perfect way to start our day.
Registration Form (MS Word doc) - click here
Consignment information (MS Word doc) - click here
Designers information (MS Word doc) - click here
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June 12, 2008
National Garden Clubs Inc. Cultivates Membership Drive With Unique Contest Prize: A New Canna Cultivar To Be Named In Honor Of The Winning State.
ST. LOUIS--As thousands of current National Garden Clubs Inc. members can attest, the rewards of belonging to a garden club go beyond the pure pleasures of growing things and being part of a network of fellow gardeners.
NGC’s 209,000 international members, 6,300 local clubs, 50 state clubs and a National Capital Area club, make NGC the largest volunteer organization of its type in the world. This status means that garden club members have a powerful voice that can be heard coast-to-coast to achieve NGC’s rewarding and relevant mission: to promote the love of gardening, floral design, and civic and environmental responsibility.
To help local and state garden clubs cultivate new members, NGC recently rolled out a friendly competition with a unique prize:The state with the greatest percentage increase in membership between June 1, 2008 and May 31, 2009 will be honored by having a new canna cultivar named after it. The cultivar, which can be grown in all states, reaches 3˝ feet in height and has red/red-orange flowers and purple/black foliage. The grower will make the cultivar available nationwide.
“In our efforts to grow our membership, we want to get across the message that today’s garden clubs creatively and effectively address current issues, such as climate change, highway beautification and a wide range of environmental concerns,” says Barbara D. May, president, National Garden Clubs Inc. “Local and state projects and national partnerships with such organizations as the U.S. Forest Service and Habitat for Humanity International give garden club members everywhere an opportunity to make a difference while engaging in activities they love.”
National Garden Clubs Inc. is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1929. It offers extensive educational programs and resources to promote gardening and environmental responsibility. NGC is headquartered in St. Louis, adjacent to the world-famous Missouri Botanical Garden. For more information on NGC programs and membership, visit www.gardenclub.org
Canna History and Facts (PDF) - click here
(Link opens in new window)
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Grow Native! Container Garden Contest Deadline Oct. 15, 2008
Click here for more information (PDF)
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"Beyond the Garden Gate"
President's Message - Fall 2008
Greetings to all Garden Club members -
I do hope your summer has been good and you are now refreshed, enlightened, and invigorated. In my mind, the new year actually begins in September not January! Perhaps that is due to the many years I spent in schools either as a student or as a teacher. Fall is a great time to assess your club's projects and activities and decide which of the many awards you can qualify to win. Please consider an NGC award that you may not be familiar with - the NGC School Project Award. This would be a great time to contact your local elementary school and help them start a native garden, large or small, and teach the children about native plant gardening. Forms and information are available on the website or by contacting Jeanette Helland who is listed in the back of this issue under NGC Youth.
There will be some changes in the FGCM Awards due to our Awards Chairman, Joan Hood, checking with everyone giving an award. I will bring copies of the award changes to each District meeting this Fall and they can be given to each club President. They will also be posted on the website.
Did you go to Federation Day at the State Fair this year? It was possibly the best display that has ever been presented - it just gets better every year! What a gorgeous selection of live and dried arrangements, horticulture and agriculture specimens, table settings and educational exhibits. Congratulations to all who participated whether you won a ribbon or not!
Many thanks to Betty Alloway, Earlene Heck and all the volunteers who work so hard to make it successful. June Kummers's sign was impressive and I hope Elaine Fix, Membership Chairman, collected lots of prospective new member names.
Thanks also to Cynthia Broderson for transporting and setting up the District educational exhibits. I was happy to see that almost every district created a beautiful, informative exhibit on Invasive Species and their alternatives. Next year these exhibits will once again be viewed at State convention in April before going to the State Fair. The Gazebo looked fantastic and we can all be very proud of it thanks to Mark Albright and his students from State Fair Community College.
Many of your District Membership Chairmen receive names of prospective garden club members and I hope these have been contacted and invited to come to a garden club meeting and join a club. It is especially important this year because NGC has a contest that began June 1, 2008 and ends May 31, 2009. The state that has the largest percentage increase in membership during this year will have the honor of naming a new canna cultivar. Invite your friends and neighbors to join your club! I have heard garden club described as the place where you: Learn a lot - Laugh a lot - Talk a lot - and Eat a lot. Sounds good to me!
Enjoy the lovely warm days and cool nights of Autumn as you prepare for the coming holidays.
Maisie Keeser
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75th WCD Anniversary Quilt
West Central District 75th Anniversary Quilt comes with a booklet about the native Missouri wildflowers shown on the quilt and a bag with a basket of flowers on the front. Quilt is queen-sized. Drawing for the quilt will be held on September 20, 2008 at the WCD Annual Meeting at Clinton.
Opportunities are $1 each or 6 for $5. Click here for the tickets. Click here to view the quilt in the May 2008 Album.
Make checks payable to West Central District and send them to:
75th Anniversary Quilt Chairman
229 South County Line Road
Windsor, MO 65360
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Fleur de Lis Garden Club - MCD, is off offering your garden club sets of (14) tabs for your chapters in the Garden Club Manual for $ 3.00 each plus postage, if mailed. One set is $ 4.17, two sets are $7.68 per envelope. Send your check, payable to this garden club, to Deb Field, 2015 Hawkeye, St. Peters, Mo. 63376. These would make nice gifts to your other garden club friends! Get organized!
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Register Your Gardens - Register your Hummingbird and Butterfly gardens with the FGCM Chairman. The deadline is Oct. 10, 2008. The forms can be found under FORMS above. Send this to your District Bird Chairman.
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The 2008 Calendar for the Fox 2 Children’s Garden Club is listed here. The club is free to all and attracts children and parents (and grandparents) from a wide geographic area around St. Louis. Doug Wolter, Horticulturist with the St. Louis County Parks Department, leads a committed group of Garden Centers in this 12-month program. Meetings are generally at 9 am on the first Saturday of the month.
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College students who are majoring in Horticulture, Agriculture, Landscape Design or any related subject are invited to apply for a scholarship from Federated Garden Clubs of Missouri. The deadline is March 1, 2009. National and regional scholarships may be available to state winners. Click here for the application process. (Link opens in a new window)
Website - contact Elaine Fix.
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Hurricane Katrina, Rita and on and on! Our members want to help too. 
