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JournalVOL LVII, NO. 4, DECEMBER 2012

WWW.GCVIRGINIA.ORG The Garden Club of Virginia

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.

From The EditorLying on the guest room carpet yesterday with an arm stretched under the

bed, I was searching for last year’s Christmas wrappings. What I found was not wrapping paper, but a forgotten sampler I had stitched as a girl for my parents’ Christmas present. The sampler expressed in 1970s pastel colors a sentiment I associated with them, “Flowers leave some of their fragrance in the hand that bestows them.”

In that sense, December’s Journal is fragrant with the hands of generous gardeners. I imagine the powdery scent of 1920s GCV members who gave the striking Tradescant Window to the Oxford Museum in the difficult years following WWI, the honest scent of tireless people at Hilldrup Moving and Storage who pack up, store and deliver our GCV flower show properties three times a year, the scent of the earth on the hands of gardeners of The Little Garden Club, who tend the garden of the oldest house in Winchester, the writer-gardeners who share their talents and knowledge of daffodils, roses, lilies, history, old gardens and new, garden books and more. What a pleasure it is to bring these stories to you.

Write to us at [email protected].

Journal Editorial Board2012-2013

Editor and Chairman: Jeanette McKittrick, Three Chopt Garden Club

ExOfficio MembersGCV First Vice President Jeanette Cadwallender, Immediate Past Journal Editor, The Rappahannock Valley Garden ClubGCV Corresponding Secretary Betsy Worthington, The Lynchburg Garden ClubGCV Photographer Jane Cowles, The Boxwood Garden ClubJournal Advertising Chairman Katya Spicuzza, Albemarle Garden Club, The Garden Club of the Northern Neck

MembersBetty Anne Garrett, The Garden Club of the Middle PeninsulaJulie Grover, The Blue Ridge Garden Club, The James River Garden ClubMary Ann Johnson, The Roanoke Valley Garden ClubSusan Morten, The Martinsville Garden ClubGrace Rhinesmith, The Garden Club of the Middle Peninsula

DECEMBER 2012 WWW.GCVIRGINIA.ORG 1

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 issueApril 15 for the June issueJuly 15 for the September issueOctober 15 for the December issueEmail copy to the Editor and advertising to the Ad Chairman

President of the Garden Club of Virginia:Ann Gordon Evans

Journal Editor:Jeanette McKittrick5111 Cary Street RoadRichmond, VA 23226Phone: (804) 288-2512Email: [email protected]

Journal Advertising Chairman:Katya SpicuzzaP.O. Box 411Irvington, VA 22480Phone: (804) 435-1782Email: [email protected]

Vol. LVII, No. 4Printed on recycled paper byCarter Printing CompanyRichmond, VA

ON THE COVER...

The beautiful botanical watercolor and colored pencil illustration of Ilex cornuta ‘burfordii’ is featured courtesy of artist Esther Carpi of The Hunting Creek Garden Club.

IN THIS ISSUE ...

Common Wealth Award ....................... 3

A Fresh Approach to Historic Garden Week ................. 5

Setting it Right ......................................6

Daffodil Notes .......................................9

Creating a Conservatory Garden ............... 11

74th Annual Rose Show ................12, 13

A Moving Gift ..................................... 15

Lily Notes ............................................ 16

Club Notes .......................................... 18

Ex Libris .............................................. 19

Fellows Breaking New Ground .......... 21

Rose Notes ...........................................22

Contributions ......................................23

OTHER REFERENCES...Kent-Valentine HousePhone: (804) 643-4137 Fax: (804) 644-7778Email: [email protected]

Historic Garden Week OfficePhone: (804) 644-7776 Fax: (804) 644-7778Email: [email protected]

2 WWW.GCVIRGINIA.ORG The Garden Club of Virginia

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FOCUSED ON YOUR INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES

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Katherine Knopf, Common Wealth

Award Committee Chair, with May May Gay, President, The Lynchburg Garden

Club, winner of the 2012 Common

Wealth Award

Common Wealth AwardBy Katherine Knopf, Common Wealth Award Chairman,

Roanoke Valley Garden Club

The Common Wealth Award, established in 1979, provides a grant or grants to support and promote the projects of GCV member clubs in the areas of

conservation, beautification, horticulture, preservation, and/or education.

The 2012 Common Wealth Award was presented at the Board of Governors meeting in October to The Lynchburg Garden Club for its project at the Miller-Claytor House Garden, a historic house and garden located in Riverside Park. The award check in the amount of $11,500 will be used to restore the gardens Charles Gillette designed in 1936 and to install safety railings near the patio.

The deadline for applications for the 2013 Common Wealth Award is March 1, 2013. The application form and information on how to submit a proposal can be found on the GCV website under Awards. The Common Wealth Award Committee looks forward to receiving many applications from the GCV member clubs. ❁

January 28, 2013Richmond Center Stage, Rhythm Hall

600 East Grace Street, RichmondRegistration begins at 8:30 a.m.

Program begins at 9:00 a.m.

Whether you discuss uranium mining, natural resource protection, or other important conservation issues, your legislators need to hear from you. Learn the issues before the 2013 General Assembly

and be informed about the important vote on whether to lift the ban on uranium mining in Virginia. Then visit your legislators to discuss legislation and to promote the GCV’s mission to “conserve Virginia’s natural resources.” Go to www.gcvirginia.org for more information and to register.

Join the GCV Conservation Committee and Virginia Conservation Network

for Legislative Day


A Fresh Approach to Historic Garden WeekBy Anne Geddy Cross,

GCV Historic Garden Week Chairman, The Ashland Garden Club

Last June Historic Garden Week took on another big change. We decided to move the layout of the guidebook in-house for the first time and to view it not just as our most important marketing tool, but also as a big part of both the income and

expenses that contribute to Historic Garden Week.We raised our ad rates for the first time in 20 years and adopted industry-standard

specifications. These changes were designed to increase the ratio of ads to relevant content (house and garden descriptions) from the old rates, which covered the cost of one and a half pages, to the new rates, which pay for four to six pages of tour descriptions. It has worked. As of mid-October we exceeded the budget. We have fewer ads, but the same amount of revenue as last year. The ad artwork is beautiful.

We have continued to improve our website. All of the mini-descriptions of the tours were online by late October. We added a section entitled Plan Your Visit for bus and tour groups and out-of-state visitors. These mini-tours incorporate about half of our tours and a few restoration sites. We were pleased to be selected by the American Bus Association as a Top 100 Event for 2013.

Historic Garden Week celebrates its 80th anniversary in 2013. The 80th Anniversary Committee decided that the best and obvious way to celebrate is to highlight the good work at our restoration sites. In early August we wrote to each property to encourage their participation in the celebration by holding their own events during Historic Garden Week. The response has been outstanding. We have added a Special Activities section to the website which includes these events, and it is being updated constantly. We also have brochures that will be updated repeatedly.

In addition to these changes, we produced a media kit. The first one, distributed in October, was designed for the local media. A later version will be distributed nationally. An article about Historic Garden Week was in the November U.S Airways in-flight magazine. There is another article in the December Flower magazine. Be watching for our new 30-second public service announcement ad, created with video shot last year, compliments of the Virginia Department of Tourism. The music and script were put together by volunteer Thomas Cross with technical production by Karen Miller’s father Hal Cauthen. We are very fortunate to have Karen as our director and editor of the guidebook and London Ray as our administrative and marketing assistant. Both make my job fun. Thank you, Karen and London. ❁ Summer House at Belmont


Setting it RightThe Tradescants, a Stained Glass Window and the GCV

By Heidi JamesThe Lynchburg Garden Club

A stained glass window at Oxford University commemorates John

Tradescant the Younger (1608 – 1662), the “Prince of Gardeners” who followed in the footsteps of his father John Tradescant the Elder (1570s – 1638), the “King of Gardeners.” The window features the Tradescant coat-of-arms wreathed by Virginia spiderwort, named Tradescantia virginiana in the elder Tradescant’s honor. With seeds sent from Virginia, Tradescant the Elder introduced the plant to England in the early 1600s. Beneath the spiderwort wreath is a Latin inscription, which loosely translates, “Whom the orchard pleases, honor this man under the auspices of which our Virginia gardens spring.” Dates on either side signify two voyages Tradescant the Younger was believed to have made to Virginia.

The stained glass window illuminates a spacious stairwell in the world’s oldest surviving purpose-built public museum building. The building, erected in 1683, now Oxford’s Museum of the History of Science, originally housed the Old Ashmolean Museum. The stained glass window was a gift of Garden Club of Virginia members.

In 1925, Robert T. Gunther, then curator of the Old Ashmolean, received a copy of the Garden Club of America publication, The Bulletin. Inside, he found the name of the president of a Virginia chapter, Mrs. Fairfax Harrison (Hetty) of Belvoir. Gunther wrote to Mrs. Harrison on December 3, 1925, to “supplicate for the help of the Presidents of the Virginia Garden Clubs. Do you think they would raise a subscription for such a window to be given to the University of Oxford by them, of course with an appropriate inscription?” He estimated that $250 would be needed. Mrs. Harrison, a GCV member, made the plea, and GCV members from across the state quickly raised $345, which would be worth more than 10 times that amount in today’s dollars. The

© Museum of the History of Science, Oxford.


window was dedicated on November 26, 1926, by the 12th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, who, coincidentally, was related to Mrs. Harrison’s husband Fairfax.

Tradescant the Elder was the gardener for some of England’s most powerful citizens and, eventually, for King Charles I. By the end of his life, Tradescant had become England’s foremost horticulturist and keeper of Great Britain’s first botanic garden, known as the Oxford Physic Garden, now the University of Oxford Botanic Garden.

He also collected oddities. An insatiable curiosity took him to Russia, Asia, Africa and all around Europe (although never to America), traveling by any means possible, even sailing with perilous military expeditions. He acquired a dodo bird (its beak and claw still on display), shells, fish, fossils, shoes, weapons, insects, buttons, hats, coins, taxidermy, books, medals, utensils, bones – anything that seemed unique. Reports of his collection of curiosities included a phoenix feather, dragon’s eggs and a piece of the True Cross. He especially liked to gather plant specimens from other countries, which he would bring back to England to cultivate for his employers. Tradescant displayed the treasures in his house, known as “the Ark,” at South Lambeth near London. He allowed people to view his collection for a fee.

At his death, the elder Tradescant’s treasures went to his son. Young John took over his father’s job as gardener to the king, and he carried on his father’s work collecting rarities. While the exact number of trips Tradescant made to Virginia has been the subject of debate – one, two or three – he did take back to England approximately 200 new plant specimens. These included magnolia, red maple, sycamore, maidenhair fern, columbine, the tulip tree and the bald cypress. Among the rarities, one of his most spectacular acquisitions was a mantle, called a match-coat, which had belonged to Powhatan. It was made of hides of the white-tailed deer, with buttons of shell, and it may be the only surviving example of a match-coat used by the Algonquian Indians of Virginia. It is still on display.

The younger Tradescant, with help, made a catalog of the huge collection he and his father had amassed, Musaeum Tradescantianum. Help creating the catalog came from Elias Ashmole (1617 – 1692), who financed its publication. In a Dickensian twist, Ashmole, by some accounts, got Tradescant drunk and convinced him to deed the collection to himself, with the transfer taking place after Tradescant’s death. When Tradescant died, his widow contested the will, but lost. Ashmole then used the Tradescants’ collection for his own glorification. He donated it, along with a custom-built museum to be named for himself, to Oxford.

The stained glass window made possible by Virginia garden club members helped Oxford honor the Tradescants, perhaps helping square a centuries-old debt owed to that family for the long-ago betrayal. ❁

For more information, read Strange Blooms: The Curious Lives and Adventures of the John Tradescants by Jennifer Potter, and The John Tradescants: Gardeners to the Rose and Lily Queen, by Prudence Leith-Ross. Philippa Gregory’s historical fiction, Earthly Joys, is based on Tradescant the Elder, while Virgin Earth focuses on Tradescant the Younger.


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Daffodil NotesWhat Does That Mean?

By Lucy Rhame, GCV Daffodil ChairmanFauquier and Loudoun Garden Club,

The Hunting Creek Garden Club

For those of us who show daffodils every season, the terminology seems second nature, but I was recently asked something that made me think a review of some of the language in the schedule might prove helpful.

Each daffodil is registered with the Royal Horticultural Society with its own code, a number and string of letters that gives a basic indication of what that daffodil is going to look like. For example, Misty Glen is coded 2w-gww. The number 2 in this code refers to the shape of the daffodil. There are 13 divisions of daffodils based on certain characteristics of the cultivar, including the number of flowers on the bloom, the length of the corona (the daffodil’s cup) relative to the petals, the position of the petals (swept back or not), the position of the flower head (looking downward or not), and whether the stem is reed-like or angular.

Each division exhibits unique characteristics that clearly define the division in which a cultivar belongs. In Division 2, there is only one bloom per stem and the cup length of the flower measures more than 1/3 but less than or equal to the length of the petals. To review the characteristics of the division, go to www.daffodilusa.org, and click on Divisions & Cultivars on the side index. The w-gww indicates the color of the flower. The first set of letter(s) before the hyphen references the color of the petals, in this case ‘w’ for white. The second set of letters after the hyphen indicates the color of the cup, starting from the inner base or eye of the corona to the rim of the cup. In the case of Misty Glen, the flower has a green eye and white cup coming out to the rim. The letter p is for pink, r is for red, y is for yellow, and o is for orange.

Now that you can read the code, what about the size? Daffodils are classified into three sizes: standard, intermediate and miniature. Standard daffodils include those whose diameter is greater than 2” and all the multi-floret divisions, divisions 5, 7 and 8, as well as all divisions 6, 9, 10, 12 that are not classified as miniatures. Division 13, species daffodils, comprise their own unique division as they are not hybridized. Intermediate daffodils are those in Divisions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 11, exhibiting one bloom per stem and whose blooms measure 2” to 3 1/8” in diameter. Miniatures are those flowers whose bloom diameter is less that ½”.

All division and color codes as well as special class information are available in the Show and Grow Handbook which will be available for purchase at the GCV show or on the website www.daffseek.org. It’s a wonderful resource that I encourage you to use. ❁


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Paradise Found:Creating a Conservatory Garden

By Dianne M. PfizenmayerGCV Horticulture Committee

The Augusta Garden Club

A sunroom is generally constructed for family, rather than plant, life. The opposite usually holds true for a greenhouse, an environment meant for the propagation of plant life. A conservatory couples the virtues of a sunroom with those of a

greenhouse to create a verdant living space, where people and plants can co-exist in harmony without regard to season, climate or weather conditions.

A conservatory presents an entirely new perspective on gardening, as I have learned since realizing my dream of creating just such a space. The same elements necessary for outdoor gardens must be provided inside. Light, moisture, temperature, correct soil for specific plantings, insect control and design must be considered, then integrated with furniture, children, pets and all that life brings.

My conservatory’s design includes a water fountain in the room’s center, not just for the beauty of koi and the music of water, but also for a continuous source of humidity, as essential to plants as watering. Proper ventilation, another necessity, can aid in temperature control.

Part of a conservatory’s appeal lies in being able to enjoy tropical plants (with hopes of simulating the feeling of being in paradise during a winter snowstorm). Growing tropical plants requires the correct soil mixture. I built a large planting bed, into which went approximately three parts potting mix, one part sand and one part peat product. Now a happy fig tree (Ficus lyrata) threatens to take over the room and serves as a great conversation piece.

The pleasure of creating a winter paradise in a cold climate is not just in surrounding yourself with lush, green foliage, but also the ever present color riot of the blooms the plants produce. Since I am a flower person, this gives me particular satisfaction. The incredible variety of plants and flowers in my conservatory range from Begonia rex with its scarlet and green leaves and delicate pink sprays which last for months, to Citrus limon ‘Meyer’ with its deliciously scented white flowers and huge fruit, to Passiflora caerulea (passion flower) with its exotic purple and white blooms.

It’s impossible to list all the ferns, orchids, succulents, herbs, vines, palms and other possibilities, but I heartily recommend my favorite resource, from the The Pleasure of Gardening series, Conservatory Gardening: A Complete Practical Guide by Lynn Bryan, for assistance in plant selection. This wonderful book explains the propagation, planting techniques, diseases, temperature tolerance and thousands of plant selections categorized by species. Another standby is The Sunroom Gardener: A Practical Guide to Growing Plants in Sunrooms, Atriums and Conservatories by Anne Swithinbank, which is particularly useful when beginning a conservatory project, as it focuses on construction requirements, technical and design elements to consider. A conservatory is so much fun. Enjoy! ❁

Grateful appreciation extended to Mary Wynn and Charles McDaniel and Hilldrup Moving & Storage for support of the GCV Flower Shows. The complete list of winners and additional photographs can be viewed at www.gcvirginia.org.


NUMBER OF HORTICULTURAL EXHIBITORS: 57 NUMBER OF HORTICULTURAL STEMS: 227

NUMBER OF ARTISTIC ENTRIES: 70“The Quintessential Rose” October 3-4, 2012

Artistic Awards

Sponsored by The Boxwood Garden Club

Inter Club Class 40A Underwater

The Virginia Beach Garden Club - Quad Blue

The Elizabeth Bradley Kincheloe Stull Award

Best Arrangementby a Novice

Traditional Line MassJayne FeminellaThe Petersburg Garden Club

Inter Club Class 40DLate Victorian (Blue)The Charlottesville

Garden Club

The 74th Annual Rose Show 2012

Inter Club Class 40BGreek (Blue)

The Rappahannock Valley Garden Club

Inter Club Class 40C Tussie Mussie (Blue)

The Franklin Garden Club

Best Hybrid Tea or Grandiflora Spray

‘Rio Samba’Karen Wachtmeister

The Warrenton Garden Club

Grateful appreciation extended to Mary Wynn and Charles McDaniel and Hilldrup Moving & Storage for support of the GCV Flower Shows. The complete list of winners and additional photographs can be viewed at www.gcvirginia.org.


NUMBER OF HORTICULTURAL EXHIBITORS: 57 NUMBER OF HORTICULTURAL STEMS: 227

NUMBER OF ARTISTIC ENTRIES: 70“The Quintessential Rose” October 3-4, 2012

Artistic Awards

Sponsored by The Boxwood Garden Club

The Jane Marshall Broyhill Memorial Trophy

Queen of Show ‘Snuffy’Pamela Powers

King of Show ‘Let Freedom Ring’

Pamela Powers

Horticulture Awards

The 74th Annual Rose Show 2012

The Member Clubs CupQueen of the Miniatures

‘Irresistible’Pamela Powers

The Member Clubs CupQueen of the Miniatures

‘Irresistible’Pamela Powers

Best Old Garden Rose‘Long John Silver’Catherine EmeryThe Garden Club

of the Northern Neck

Best Hybrid Tea or Grandiflora Spray

‘Rio Samba’Karen Wachtmeister



Hilldrup Moving and Storage and the McDaniel family are delighted to support the commendable efforts of the Garden Club of Virginia.

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A Moving Gift – Hilldrup Moving and Storage

By Joyce Moorman, The Lynchburg Garden Club and Mary Nelson Thompson, The Franklin Garden Club

and The Petersburg Garden Club

Once upon a time, before the year 2000, the Garden Club of Virginia flower shows’ host clubs

were entirely responsible for transporting, packing, storing and setting up the properties for the three annual flower shows. This was a daunting task; the properties are heavy, cumbersome and easily damaged. A truck was required to transport the properties. Strong backs, adequate space for storage, and a climate-controlled environment were needed as well. In setting up the show, extra hands and time were required, often adding additional days of show rental space, sometimes meaning extra cost to the club. Over the years many clubs had unforeseen maintenance projects to accomplish before the show could be set up. Storms, challenging storage facilities and human error played havoc with the GCV properties.

After a particularly damaging hurricane season resulting in extensive repairs to the flower show properties, the members of the Flower Shows Committee and the Board of Directors realized that other options had to be explored. Mary Wynn McDaniel heard the discussions as The Brunswick Garden Club was preparing for the 2000 Rose Show. She spoke up. “I have wanted to do something special for the Garden Club of Virginia. My family owns Hilldrup Moving and Storage Company. We can store the GCV properties.”

Since then, the GCV has been the recipient of the generosity of the McDaniel family. This gift has saved host clubs thousands of dollars each year, and has relieved them of many stressful responsibilities. Prior to each show, an appointment is made with Hilldrup and the company is advised as to where and what day the properties are to be delivered. The company’s courteous representatives always arrive promptly. Show properties are stored in a shipping-size cube and wrapped and sealed in plastic. The moving company puts the 50 lb. pedestals, boxes of horticulture specimen bottles and show supplies in place under the direction of the responsible club member. When the show is over, the process is reversed.

Mary Wynn and Charlie, an honorary member of the GCV, have given us an extraordinary gift. Their son Charlie and his wife Tricia, president of The Rappahannock Valley Garden Club, are continuing the tradition to the next generation. They are truly our GCV heroes. ❁

Jody Branch of The Boxwood Garden Club with GCV Hero Ron Irby of

Hilldrup Moving and Storage


Lilium ‘Bay Watch,’ grown by Helen Murphy, The

Garden Club of the Northern Neck

Lily NotesWhen Is a Lily Not a Lilium?

By Tricia Kincheloe, GCV Lily CommitteeThe Garden Club of Fairfax

More than 100 different plants have the word lily as part of their common name: lily, daylily, calla lily, spider lily, resurrection lily, lily of the valley, the list goes on. The Liliaceae family is comprised of over 200 genera of plants,

from asparagus to allium. However, the GCV Lily Show schedule specifies that true scale lilies of the genus Lilium (a member of the Liliaceae family) must predominate in all arrangements, and these are the only lilies that can be shown in the horticulture category of a flower show.

So what are the characteristics of a true scale lily of the genus Lilium? To begin with, all of the lilies are grown from a bulb consisting of fleshy scales, similar to a clove of garlic. The bulb has no protective outer coating and never goes dormant. Secondly, leaves grow all the way up the stem. In most varieties, the leaves are long and pointed and arranged alternately along the stem. However, on some lilies they may be arranged in whorls. Third, each lily flower will have six petals and six stamens with anthers at the end of each stamen. The flowers form in clusters at the top of the stem (known as the inflorescence), and though the form of the inflorescence may vary depending on the variety or species, the flowers are always arranged in a circular pattern.

Daylilies are members of the Liliaceae family, but belong to the genus Hemerocallis. Daylilies differ from true scale lilies in that they grow from a crown and not a fleshy bulb, the flowers are all borne on scapes which have no leaves, and the petals attach to a tube at the base of the scape. Calla lilies belong to the genus Zantedeschia, a member of the Arum family, and are basically a tropical flower, although they will occasionally overwinter in our area. Calla lily bulbs are not composed of scales. The leaves of the plant, which are arrow-shaped, emerge from the bulb but are separate from the flower stem. The flower appears at the top of a bare stem, and there is one flower per stem, not an inflorescence. In addition, the flower does not consist of six separate petals, but rather one petal, which wraps around itself and meets at the front of the bloom. Calla lilies do not have six separate anthers.

Enjoy all kinds of “lilies” in your garden, but bring only true scale lilies of the genus Lilium to the Lily Show. ❁

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Club NotesThe Little Garden Club Renovates Memorial Garden

By Martha ParthemosThe Little Garden Club of Winchester

The Little Garden Club of Winchester has begun a project that links the past and the future: the renovation of the Stewart Bell, Jr., Memorial Garden at historic Abram’s Delight, the oldest house (1754) in Winchester. Planted in the past,

lovingly maintained by club members in the present, and displayed in the future as an optional part of the 2014 GCV Daffodil Show, the sunken garden has become a rallying point for LGC members who enjoy garden design and “digging in the dirt.” Club members have begun refreshing and replanting the symmetrically designed garden. It was dedicated as a tribute to the former mayor of Winchester, Stewart Bell, Jr., in 1953. The “woman behind the man” was Rosalie Bell, a local conservationist who was a former president of The Little Garden Club of Winchester, a former vice president of the GCV, and a recipient of the de Lacy Gray Memorial Medal for Conservation.

The sunken garden, planted to the side of the rear lawn of an early valley home, is tucked between a low limestone wall on the west and a boxwood hedge on the east. Thanks to the club’s work, the garden has been returned to its former beauty after a period of decline. The existing old brick sidewalks with center sundial provided the framework for newly planted boxwood varieties ‘Green Mountain,’ ‘Nana,’ and ‘Dee Runk.’ The club added ‘Blue Hill’ salvia, apricot daylilies, lamb’s ear, grape hyacinth, daffodils ‘Fellows Favorite’ and ‘Bravoure,’ candytuft, and ‘Stacy Pink’ chrysanthemums, along with existing white peonies and ‘Hidcote’ lavender.

The club plans to have the memorial garden in tip-top condition in April 2014 and 2015, when The Little Garden Club hosts the GCV Daffodil Show. Viewings of the garden, located at 1340 S. Pleasant Valley Road, will be part of the entertainment offered to the judges and show participants. ❁

Stewart Bell, Jr., Memorial Garden at Abram’s Delight, Winchester


Ex LibrisBy Anne Geddy Cross, Kent-Valentine House Library Committee,

The Ashland Garden Club

The old is new again. This is certainly true with Vegetable Gardening the Colonial Williamsburg Way: 18th Century Methods for Today’s Organic Gardeners, published this year by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Its author

Wesley Greene founded the Colonial Garden and Plant Nursery in 1996. Many who attended the spring annual meeting in Williamsburg had the pleasure of meeting him and his staff and seeing the charming and well-ordered garden he tends using 18th century organic methods. Some of us came away laden with plants from the nursery.

Beautifully illustrated with photographs and organized in an easy-to-use manner, this book will be a treasured resource for today’s organic vegetable gardeners interested in heirloom plants. By the 18th century, an affluent class existed in colonial towns such as Williamsburg. They had the time and money to undertake vegetable gardening. In the introduction, Greene describes their early reliance on English garden works such as The Gardener’s Dictionary by Philip Miller. Prior to 1775 when he moved back to England from Williamsburg, John Randolph, the last royal attorney general of Virginia, wrote the first American garden book, A Treatise on Gardening. It is loosely based on Miller’s earlier work.

This helpful book is divided into chapters by vegetable type. It describes the Old World history of each, its arrival in the New World, and the varieties available in the 18th century. There is a section called “The Williamsburg Gardener’s Assistant” which describes how the seeds are sown and grown in Colonial Williamsburg today. Next is a list of 18th century seed varieties and the heirloom varieties available for modern gardens. The last two chapters are about creating shelter for plants, such as hotbeds, hand glasses and bell glasses, and the art of pollarding trees to grow sticks for use in the garden.

I confess that I am not a real vegetable gardener. I dabble in a small garden which includes flowers and some very limited areas of heirloom vegetables. After reading this book, I may be expanding my garden. Armed with newfound knowledge, I look forward to the arrival of the seed catalogs this winter. I am already checking out the numerous online sources, including Heirloom Seeds, at www.heirloomseeds.com, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, www.rareseed.com, the Monticello website, www.monticello.org, and, of course, the Colonial Williamsburg nursery on Duke of Gloucester Street in Williamsburg.

Wanted: Designing by TypesSeveral people have asked if we have Designing by Types, published by the National Garden Clubs, in our library. We do not have it and would welcome the donation of a copy. ❁

The Editorial Board welcomes submissions and reserves the right to edit them.


For information, please contact: (804) 673-7015 or (804) 673-6280

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presents...

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The Gardener’s Workshop Cut‐Flower Farm

Online Garden Shop

757‐877‐7159 Local 1‐888‐977‐7159 Toll Free [email protected]

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Lisa Mason Ziegler Cut‐Flower Grower and Group Speaker

Cut‐Flower Gardening Day

Join Lisa on March 5, 2013 at Pharsalia, a cut‐ower farm located in Nelson County for a day devoted to cut‐ower gardening. Learn how having a small designated ower bed (3’ x 10’) as a cu�ng garden is the rst step to a season full of gorgeous cut owers! Lisa shares her easy soil prepara�ons, variety selec�ons, seed star�ng �ps, organic methods, and harves�ng prac�ces that will have your garden producing a bounty of long‐las�ng blooms to ll your home.

Visit www.shoptgw.com for details. Limited space.

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Fellows Breaking New GroundBy Kim Nash, Chairman of the GCV Research Fellowship Committee


Our Research Fellowship program, launched by Helen Murphy 17 years ago, has blossomed into

one of our more important undertakings. The Garden Club of Virginia now awards two fellowships each year to graduate students in landscape architecture. The original program was named to honor then GCV Landscape Architect Rudy J. Favretti, and its recipient researches historic gardens held in private hands within the Commonwealth. Since 2005, the William D. Rieley Fellows have been documenting historic Virginia properties that are publicly, or foundation, owned.

Although both of the chosen properties for 2012 are listed in the Virginia Landmarks Register as well as the National Register of Historic Places, this year both of our projects pushed the boundaries of past accomplishments.

Gardner Burg, our 2012 Favretti Fellow, is a graduate student at Virginia Tech and is documenting the Keister House garden in Blacksburg. The 3.25 acre property is located in the heart of Blacksburg, but, surprisingly, it is forested and laced with wetlands and springs. The historic brick house is essentially unaltered since it was built in the 1830s, and its woodland setting has been carefully nurtured by current owners David and Lindsay West. Gardner is documenting the plantings as they relate to the natural systems of the site, including the native reintroductions and management by the Wests over time. Our meeting with Gardner this summer gave us a good introduction to his work, and he will continue to record the pattern of the plants through the seasons until next spring.

Our second fellowship project this year is Shack Mountain in Albemarle County. This gem of a house and garden was designed by Sydney Fiske Kimball, first chairman of the University of Virginia’s School of Art and Architecture and later director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. With the publication of his Thomas Jefferson, Architect, Kimball established Jefferson’s reputation as “America’s first architect,” and Shack Mountain, completed in 1937, is tangible representation of Kimball’s regard for Jeffersonian design. Fellow Kelly Halpin has broken new ground in her research of Fiske and his wife Marie, and the design of both the house and the landscape, as well as the additions and stewardship of previous owners Jane and Bedford Moore.

When the documentation by our 2012 fellows is complete, their work will be added to the existing archives of this important program and may be viewed online at www.gcvfellowship.org. ❁

Shack Mountain, Albemarle County

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.


Rose NotesBy Rachel Hollis, GCV Rose Chairman

The Spotswood Garden Club

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond was the perfect venue to show off some of nature’s

most perfect horticultural specimens. On October 3 and 4, 2012, The Boxwood Garden Club presented The Garden Club of Virginia’s 74th annual Rose Show. One exhibitor said, “Now this is what I call eye candy!” Some long-time exhibitors were not present, but we were delightfully surprised that a young woman named Pamela Powers garnered a lot of cups and trophies. Our own Fran Jones won Princess of the Show with “Sheer Bliss,” and Joyce Moorman, Catherine Emery and Kathy Watson won Perpetual Trophies.

The greatest surprises of the show were the club collections that were entered in Section III, Classes 30a and 30b. Class 30a is comprised of six hybrid teas or grandiflora blooms and Class 30b has three floribunda sprays or shrubs. Between the two categories, 23 collections were exhibited. Many of us who have entered collections in the past could not remember any show that had that kind of support. It seems that the GCV member club rose chairmen took their obligations seriously and encouraged their members to contribute their best efforts.

I would like to issue a challenge to every member of the 47 clubs of the GCV. If your flower preference is daffodils, plant some and enter them in the Daffodil Show in Gloucester next year. If you are a lily person, it’s still not too late to plant for the Spotswood Club’s Lily Show in Harrisonburg next June. Please don’t overlook roses because there are a number of them that require little care. You probably know about the Knock Outs but look also for Earth-Kind roses. Several rose companies carry them, and they’re easy to find on the internet. Type in “Earth-Kind” in your browser and up come the names of 24 roses and the nurseries that carry them.

The Boxwood Garden Club held a training session in September in preparation for the Rose Show. My job was to help to train clerks and runners. When asked if any of the group had ever exhibited a horticultural specimen in any rose show, just one hand was raised. Remember, we’re all in this together in putting on the best flower shows in Virginia. Help us to make this a reality.❁


Donor In Honor ofThe Franklin Garden Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gayle UrquhartThe Mill Mountain Garden Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alison Conte Jane DresslerMeg Clement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rhonda Sutton Whitney MeltonDianne Nea Spence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anne Beals Jeanette Cadwallender Linda Consolvo Anne Geddy CrossCatherine C. Whitham . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GCV StaffDonor In Memory ofMargaret M. Gardner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Nancy St. Clair TalleyBetty Michelson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ann GillDianne Nea Spence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mrs. Warren L. RomansMilly Wassum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ruby Lee Norris

Bessie Bocock Carter Conservation Award FundDonor In Memory ofThe Hon. and Mrs. W. Tayloe Murphy, Jr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mrs James B. Murray

Common Wealth Award FundProvides monies to individual clubs for local civic beautification efforts.

Donor In Honor ofLinda L. Consolvo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Betsy WorthingtonJohanna Rucker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Betsy Worthington

Garden Club of Virginia EndowmentSupports the ongoing preservation of the historic Kent-Valentine House, headquarters of the Garden Club of Virginia and Historic Garden Week.

DonorHillside Garden ClubBarbara L’O .CatlettMargaret HamerDenise Revercomb

The Virginia Beach Garden Club

Judith H. BoydAnne BrockenbroughSally Guy BrownMrs. T. Lee Byrd IIJeanette CadwallenderCandy CardenMary Ann B. ClarkPatsi ComptonBerenice D. CraigieAnne Geddy Cross

Bracken R. ErwinAnn Gordon EvansCaroline FurrLynn GasBrenda GilmanJean E. R. GilpinBettie H. GuthrieElizabeth Broaddus HardyMrs. Sandy HartKaren HedeltMrs. James Tulley HollandHubard Family Trusts

Mrs. William Sherman HullLyn HutchensElizabeth B. JohnsonJudy KiddBeverley G. KingBarbara B. LutonJulie Whitehurst MacKinlayCatherine P. MaddenNina MustardNancy C. Purcell

C O N T R I B U T I O N SReport Period From 7/1/12 Through 9/30/12

Annual FundProvides essential ongoing support necessary to maintain GCV operations.

Donor


Donor In Honor ofThe Blue Ridge Garden Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Katherine HowisonThe Huntington Garden Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ann Gordon EvansThe Little Garden Club of Winchester . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Victoria Alexander Lynn GasMill Mountain Garden Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mill Mountain Garden ClubThe Nansemond River Garden Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kimbrough K. Nash Linda PinkhamThe Petersburg Garden Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joan PollardThe Rappahannock Valley Garden Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marion ZimmermannSally Guy Brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kimbrough K. NashDeedy Bumgardner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Restoration Committee 2010-12 Rieley & AssociatesLinda L. Consolvo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kimbrough K. NashAnn Gordon Evans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kimbrough K. NashMary Bruce Glaize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mary Hart Darden Kimbrough K. NashMary Ann Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jeanette McKittrickCarolyn Holland Kahn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Barbara HollandKatherine Turner Mears . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mrs. James B. MurrayKathryn Q. Wafle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Catherine Madden Mary Lou and Charlie SeilheimerBetsy Worthington . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mina Wood Marty Whipple Margo Eppard Sally Guy Brown Mary Hart Darden Dianne Spence

Donor In Memory ofThe Garden Club of Fairfax. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mary Beth Hodges Eleanor Craighill Perry ReadThe Garden Study Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Polly RandolphThe Lynchburg Garden Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Peggy TeagueThe Garden Club of the Middle Peninsula . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ruby Lee NorrisThe Garden Club of the Northern Neck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kathy FarmarSally Guy Brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nancy St. Clair TalleyCapitol Hill Strategies, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JoAnn Bukaty MuirLisa Caputo & Rick Mims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JoAnn Bukaty MuirHerb and Carolyn Davis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JoAnn Bukaty MuirPeggy Dent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JoAnn Bukaty MuirFontheim International, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JoAnn Bukaty MuirElizabeth C. Galloway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hubert Shands Taylor IIIJohn Michael Gonzalez . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JoAnn Bukaty MuirH. M. & Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JoAnn Bukaty MuirPerry Malouf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JoAnn Bukaty MuirJoy Marlowe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JoAnn Bukaty MuirSteve Norton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JoAnn Bukaty MuirLinda Olson Schlesinger. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. James R. HundleyAnne Overman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Florence AdamsSpace Telescope Science Institute. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JoAnn Bukaty MuirKathryn J. Turner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JoAnn Bukaty MuirFran and Bobby Watson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JoAnn Bukaty MuirJacqueline Whisman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JoAnn Bukaty MuirMina Wood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nancy St. Clair Talley


GCV Conservation FundSupports GCV clubs in local and statewide conservation projects.

DonorThe Blue Ridge Garden ClubDonor In Honor ofThe Martinsville Garden Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Karen JonesThe Garden Club of the Northern Neck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lois SpencerDonor In Memory ofKaren Jones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nancy JiranekMatthew Martin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JoAnn Bukaty Muir

Gifts-in-KindDonorMrs. O. Christian Bredrup, Jr.Hilldrup Moving & Storage Charlie and Mary Wynn McDaniel

RestorationSupports GCV Restoration projects across the Commonwealth.

DonorMary Wynn Richmond McDaniel FundDonor In Honor ofThe Rappahannock Valley Garden Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kathleen GlassMary Dame Broad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cecile Mears TurnerCandace Carter Crosby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mary Ann Johnson Katherine Van Allen Suzanne WrightKVA Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GCV Restoration CommitteeSuzanne Wright . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fleet DavisDonor In Memory ofThe Garden Club of Fairfax. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jan Grimes

Statement of OwnershipThe ownership, management and circulation of the Garden Club of Virginia’s Journal, published

four times a year in Richmond, Virginia, is hereby stated in the first issue published after the first of October, 2012.

The name and address of the publisher is: Garden Club of Virginia, Kent-Valentine House, 12 East Franklin Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219. The name and address of the editor is: Jeanette McKittrick, 5111 Cary Street Road, Richmond, Virginia 23226. The owner is: Garden Club of Virginia, Kent-Valentine House, 12 East Franklin Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219. There are no bond-holders, mortgages, or security holders.

The purpose, function, and non-profit status of this organization and the exempt status for Federal Income Tax purposes have not changed during the preceding 12 months.

The total number of copies published nearest the filing date is 3,400. The average number of copies published in the preceding 12 months is 3,400. There are no sales through dealers, etc. Paid subscriptions average 3,283; the number nearest the filing date is 3,294. Other mailed copies average 0. Free distribution averages 40. The average number of copies not distributed for the preceding year is 77. The average number of copies not distributed nearest the filing date is 66.

The Journal Editor requests permission to mail the Garden Club of Virginia’s Journal at the phased postal rates presently authorized on form 3526 for USPS #574-520 (ISSN 0431-0233). I certify that the statements made here are correct and complete as listed in the Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation.

Jeanette McKittrick, Journal Editor5111 Cary Street RoadRichmond, VA 23226October 15, 2012

WWW.GCVIRGINIA.ORG The Garden Club of Virginia

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