The Garden Post The Garden Post The Garden Post The Garden Post

Fall 2011District I

Member of National Capital Area Garden Clubs, Inc.; Central Atlantic Region; National Garden Clubs, Inc.

Director’s Notes

By David Healy, Director, District I Enjoymentof our gardens, our clubs, and our environment

Our annual August heat wave and drought become more in-tolerable each year. I just hate watering and watering to try tokeep plants alive. Nothing thrives in these conditions, and thereare always losses. This year we allowed the volunteer sunflowersfrom last winter's bird feeding to take over our garden, and ourreward has been a handful of

goldfinches that have becomeresident feeders as the sunflowers mature. This is the first time in11 summers that we have seen a goldfinch. I'm thinking youcould do worse than sowing a bag of bird seed in the backyard ormeadow.

(See Director’s Notes, p. 2)

Hugs, congratulations to District I’s Shirley Nicolai, our new national President

Shirley NicolaiNGC President 2011 – 2013

Photo from www.gardenclub.org

There was dancing in the streets of Washington, DC, in May followingthe installation of District I’s own Shirley Nicolai as the 42

Presidentof National Garden Clubs, Inc., the largest organization of its kind in theworld.Shirley is a member of both District I’s Tanta-Cove Garden Club andFergie’s Gardeners.She announced her themes for her presidency as service to membersand their communities and support of local garden clubs in meetingspecific needs; and, she is introducing initiatives related to plantings forpublic places and protecting aquatic ecosystems.Headquartered in St. Louis, MO, National Garden Clubs includes6,300 local clubs, 50 state clubs, our National Capital Area organization,and hundreds of international affiliates.

(See NGC convention photographs, p. 5)

Notice of District I Fall MeetingProgram: Role of Rain Gardens as a Solution to Stormwater Runoff

by Kit Gage, Co-Director,National Capital Region Watershed Stewards Academy

Plus, more about NCAGC President Vickie Godwin’s five rain garden projectsplanned for the US National Arboretum

10 am,Tuesday, September 13,

2011

Meeting Room in Temporary Headquarters TrailerU.S. National Arboretum

Continental Breakfast

provided by District I

District I's annual fundraiser isTuesday, November 8, at FranklinsRestaurant, Brewery and GeneralStore, 5121 Baltimore Avenue,Hyattsville, MD.When you eat, drink, and/or shop atFranklins that day, mentionDISTRICT I when paying and ourDistrict will receive a percentage of the proceeds.With any luck they'll have theThanksgiving Dinner sandwich onthe lunch menu as well as stockingstuffers for kids of all ages.See the flyer at the end of this news-letter for all the details.

The June Presidents Meeting at KenilworthAquatic Gardens was well attended, and thepresidents had a lively discussion about their clubprojects. Almost everybody stayed for a guided tourof the only national park devoted to aquatic plants.Photographs can be found on District I’s blogspot:

http://ncadistrictI.blogspot.com/2011/06/ annual-presidents-meeting-at-kenilworth.html

NCA Garden Clubs will celebrate its 60

birthdayat 10:30 a.m., on September 27 at the PlymouthHaven Baptist Church, 8600 Plymouth Road

(on FortHunt Road just south of Waynewood Boulevard),

inAlexandria, VA. There is an invitation from ourNCAGC President Vickie Godwin herein to each of you to attend this celebration.Make your reservations now for the District I

OLDE DOMINION HOLIDAY

bus tour, Saturday,December 3, 2011, $85 per person, which includesall but hard spirits at Hanover Tavern.Our bus leaves Cheverly, MD, at noon and stopsfirst at historic Hanover Tavern where we will enjoytheir

FESTIVAL OF

TREES

and a buffetdinner. We’ll add a Fort Washingtonpickup, if reservations merit it.Our second stop will be theLewis Ginter Botanical Garden for anearly bird tour of its

GARDENFEST OF LIGHTS.

The sun will set shortly after our arrival, leavingus plenty of time to enjoy the light displays in thegardens, the holiday displays in the conservatory,and shopping in Ginter's fabulous gift shop.In the early evening, a

TACKY LIGHTS TOUR

guide will board our bus to show us Richmondhomes decorated over-the-top for the season. We'llcome-a-caroling home to Cheverly before midnight.The reservation form can be found on the tourflyer attached to this newsletter.

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Director’s Notes

(from p. 1)

You’re invited

A 60

Birthday Party

for the NCAGC

It is also our NCAGC General Meeting.Business will be kept SHORT!

Yes, there will be cake!Dress: Party

10:30 am, Tuesday, September 27, 2011Plymouth Haven Baptist Church

8600 Plymouth Road, Alexandria, VA 22308

(Corner of Fort Hunt and Plymouth Roads)

Visit ncagardenclubs.org for complete directions.

Vickie Godwin,

President, NCAGC, Inc.

AWARDS

Important information you need to know

Some changes to the awards program were an-nounced at the NGC’s national convention in May.Some guidelines were changed in an effort to makeapplying for awards easier.Application forms and rules are on the NCAGC’swebsite: www.ncagardenclubs.orgThey are also listed in the upcoming issue of the2011-2012 NCAGC Directory.

What to submit to whom by what deadline:

Send to your

District I Awards Chairman

Yearbooks and newsletters byNovember 4, 2011Award No. 18 applications, “Citation forOutstanding Garden Club Achievement”by January 23, 2012

Send to your

NCAGC Awards Chairman

Books of Evidence by November 4, 2011Award of Recognition nominations byDecember 1, 2011

Your District I Awards Chairmen will help youwith any questions you may have regarding awards.Because Evalee Ciucia may be unable to remain inher position as NCAGC Awards Chairman, watchfor an email announcement naming a new NCAGCAwards Chairman.If you have urgent questions, please call or emailVickie Godwin, President, NCAGC.

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Clubs, Board members receive awards at District I’s March meeting

Ten District I clubs received award certificates atthe annual District I Awards Meeting hosted byCheverly Garden Club on March 10.

http://capitolhillgardenclub.blogspot.com/

Goddard Garden Club

President Christine Hambach (far right) presents a $50,000 check on behalf of the dissolving German Orphan Home Foundation to Kaifa Anderson-Hall, FONA’s Program Director at the Washington YouthGarden at the US National Arboretum.Thereafter, the children gave Christine a bouquet of flowers. Christine, a Director on the German Orphan Home Foundation’s Board, worked with Kaifa and FONA’s Executive Director Kathy Horan to get the dona- tion for the Washington Youth Garden as the German Orphan Home Foundation closed its orphanage and gave away the remaining money to qualified children’s organizations.Below: A veggie birthday cake design at a garden fence in the Washington Youth Garden advertises FONA’s preparations to host the garden’s 40

birthday party on September 17 on the grounds of the US National Arboretum. Get the details at: www.fona.org

Club News

(continues on page 4)

Goddard Garden Club

hosted a table reserved by District I topromote membership in National Capital Area Garden Clubswith the theme “Come Grow With Us” during a special event atBehnke’s Nursery and Garden Center in Beltsville, MD, on June4. Behnke’s invited garden clubs and gardening-related organi-zations, plant societies, vendors, and others to exhibit and sell atthis event.The Goddard club set up an eye popping, hot pink and brightgreen exhibit with large rose balloons waving overhead to attractnew members, to show the public photographs representative of our District I clubs’ activities, and to raise funds for the NCAGC,including taking donations for “Save the Azaleas” tote bags torescue the US Arboretum’s azaleas, boxwoods, and othercollections. NCAGC Membership Chairman Babs McClendoncreated new promotional materials for the event, includingbusiness cards, brochures, and decals.District IV Director Bette Lewis, who has several clubs andmembers in her District that patronize Behnke’s in Beltsville,spent the entire day at the table working with the Goddard club.A detectable, energetic vibe at the table attracted visitors andyielded results:- 16 visitors showed interest in joining a garden club andprovided their contact information and others spent time at thetable and took away handout materials;- One NCAGC coupon book and five “Handbook of Design”books were sold for a total of $80;- 17 donations at $5 each were collected for the NCAGC’s“Save the Azaleas” tote bags for a total of $85.

Arleen Ankeney, Chairman

Fergie’s Gardeners

invites you to: 1) Register now for the

Potomac Watershed Trash Summit 2011

set for October 19 atGeorge Mason University in Arlington, VA.

Get the details at:

www.trashsummit.org

2) Mark your calendar now to help clean upthe Potomac River watershed this spring:

Annual Potomac River Watershed CleanupApril 14, 2012

NCAGC members pose for a photo at Behnke’s special event in Beltsville in June during a visit by District I Director David Healy. From left: Goddard members Charmane Truesdell and Arleen Ankeney, District I Director David Healy, District IV Director Bette Lewis, and Goddard Garden Club President Christine Hambach.

Photo by Bill Dean on the ncadistrict1.blogspot.com Photos submitted by Christine