The Plainfield Garden Club

Member of The Garden Club of America

Presents

The Written Word

A GCA Flower Show

Union County College

1033 Springfield Avenue

Cranford, NJ 07016

(908) 709-7000

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AT NO CHARGE

Saturday, May 16, 2009 10:00 am – 3:00 pm

The purpose of a flower show is threefold: to set standards of artistic and horticultural excellence;

to broaden knowledge of horticulture, flower arrangement, conservation, and other related areas;

and to share the beauty of a show with fellow club members and with the public.

The Garden Club of America Flower Show and Judging Guide, 2000 revised edition

The purpose of The Garden Club of America

is to stimulate the knowledge and love of gardening; to share

the advantage of association by means of educational meetings,

conferences, correspondence and publications; and to restore, improve and protect the quality of

the environment through educational programs and action in the fields of conservation and civic

improvement.

The purpose of The Plainfield Garden Club is to promote the knowledge and appreciation of

horticulture and the conservation of our natural resources; to stimulate an interest in public

plantings in the Plainfield area and to help maintain them; to keep its members and the public

informed on governmental matters which concern our natural resources; to sponsor and to

participate in public shows and displays which encourage the appreciation of good horticultural

practices and procedures; and to support the purpose of The Garden Club of America.

The Garden Club of America

President, GCA

Maryjo Garre

Garden Club of Barrington, Zone XI

First Vice President, GCA

Joan George

Halten Garden Club, Zone VI

Director, Zone IV

Katie Heins

Stony Brook Garden Club, Zone IV

Chairman, Zone IV

Elizabeth F. Silvernail

Garden Club of Trenton

Flower Show National Chairman

Debbie Oliver

Cincinnati Town & Country Garden Club, Zone X

Judging National Chairman

Sandy Patterson

Woodside-Atherton Garden Club, Zone XII

President, Plainfield Garden Club

Phyllis Alexander

Plainfield Garden Club

GCA Flower Show Committee

Darlene Kasten & Mandy Zachariades, Co-Chairs

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A brief history of the Plainfield Garden Club:

The Plainfield Garden Club was founded in the spring of 1915 and was accepted into the Garden

Club of America in 1944. The major interests of our club are guided by the Conservation,

Horticulture, Flower Arranging, Photography, and Garden History and Design Committees.

Today, our garden club continues to work to preserve the Shakespeare Garden located in a corner

of Cedar Brook Park in Plainfield. The Shakespeare Garden was a joint endeavor initiated by the

Plainfield Shakespeare Society in 1927 and planted by our garden club. The garden was designed

by the Olmstead Brothers, landscape architects in Boston. Through the continuing work of our

garden club, we hope to assist in providing educational information about climate change,

pollution, waste, and the importance of conserving our natural resources. If you would like to

learn more about the Shakespeare Garden and our club, our website address is

www.plainfieldgardenclub.org.

And a word about Union County College:

Founded in 1933, Union County College (UCC) is the oldest 2-year college in the State of New

Jersey and operates four major campuses. It enrolls approximately 12,000 full- or part-time credit

students at its campuses in Cranford, Elizabeth, Plainfield, and Scotch Plains and also provides an

extensive menu of non-credit, continuing education, and career-training programs. The College is

accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges

and Schools. Offering 80 credit programs, Union County College is focused on ensuring that its

programs and facilities are equipped to prepare students for the intellectual and technological

demands of the 21st

century. For more information about Union County College call

(908) 709-7518 or visit UCC on the worldwide web at www.ucc.edu.

Phyllis Alexander

Kathy Andrews

Sally Booth

Judy Buehler

Janet Burchett

Lorraine Ciemniecki

Ginny Dughi

Patti Dunstan

Marty Dyke

Ramona Ferguson

Karla Flaherty

Susan Fraser

Bev Gorman

Carroll Keating

Mary Kent

Susan Lorentzen

Diana Madsen

Bernadette Neill

Nancy Plumeri

Lauren Shepard

Anne Shepherd

Laurie Skorge

Gail Sloan

Tucker Trimble

Jeanne Turner

Nancy Webb

Nina Weil

Elaine Welch

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Gardening and literature have much in common. For both, the “plot” is where it all

begins. “Plot” can be defined as both “the main story of a literary or dramatic work, as a

play or novel” and as “a small piece or area of ground, as in a garden plot.”

How many of us have lost ourselves in the splendor of a beautiful garden as well as in the

dramatic renderings of a well-written book? We are touched by the loveliness of a flower

in the same way as a child is charmed by the lyricism of a nursery rhyme. A picture is

worth a thousand words of a well-written novel, and proper conservation methods in our

own garden plot can open the book to wildlife in a backyard habitat.

Thank you for coming to our GCA Flower Show, The Written Word. We hope you find

both inspiration and pleasure here.

This GCA Flower Show is dedicated to

William Shakespeare,

whose written words inspired the plantings for the Shakespeare Garden

in Plainfield’s Cedar Brook Park maintained by the Plainfield Garden Club

DIVISION I

Flower Arrangement Classes

Class 1 Nursery Rhyme

A design displayed in a lighted off-white small niche.

Class 2 Mystery

A design displayed in a lighted off-white medium niche.

Class 3 Dr. Seuss

A design displayed on a pedestal.

Class 4 From the Desk of…

A design, appropriate for a desk, displayed on a dark brown wood platform.

The following principles and elements of design

guide artists in creating and judges in analyzing

the floral arrangements.

.

Elements of Design: Light, Space, Line, Form, Color, Texture, Pattern, Size

Principles of Design: Balance, Dominance, Contrast, Rhythm, Proportion, Scale

Division II

Horticulture Classes

CUT SPECIMENS (Classes 1-6)

Classes 1-3 Once is Not Enough by Jacqueline Susann

One blooming stem.

1. Perennial

2. Bulb, Tuber, Corm or Rhizome

3. Vine

Classes 4-5 The Street of a Thousand Blossoms by Gail Tsukiyama

One blooming branch.

4. Shrub

5. Tree

Class 6 The Darling Buds of May by H. E. Bates

A May flowering collection of no fewer than 5 different species or

cultivars grown by the exhibitor, which may include shrubs, perennials,

bulbs, tubers, corms or rhizomes shown in a container of the exhibitor’s

choice.

Scale of points: cultural perfection 40%, scale, balance and design 35%,

suitability and compatibility of plant material 15%, suitable labeling 10%.

CONTAINER GROWN PLANTS (Classes 7-11)

Class 7 Heidi by Johanna Spyri

A trough planted with a minimum of 3 different species or cultivars of

alpine plants (plants appropriate to rock gardens and alpine houses.)

Scale of points: quality and condition 30%, suitability of plant material

30%, design and arrangement of plants 20%, grooming 15%, suitable

labeling 5%.

Class 8 The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

A rooted plant grown for its colorful or variegated foliage.

Classes 9-10 Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen

A single, rooted Gesneriad exhibited in a clay pot.

9. Saintpaulia African Violet

10. Other

SPECIAL CLASS (Class 11)

Class 11 The Geranium Farm by Barbara Cawthorne Crafton

Challenge Class. A single plant of Pelargonium x hortorum, ‘Elite Hybrid

Pink’ grown from seed by the exhibitor shown in a clay pot.

PAR CLASS (Class 12)

Class 12 The Best of Everything by Rona Jaffe

An exhibit of exceptional horticultural merit not qualifying for entry

elsewhere in the Horticulture Division.

DIVISION III

Photography Classes

Class 1 The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

Class 3 The Color of Water by James McBride

Class 5 The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

Class 7 A Room With a View by E. M. Forster

The recommended scale of points by which the classes are judged:

Creativity 30

Composition 25

Technical Merit 20

Distinction 15

Interpretation of Theme 10

TOTAL 100

DIVISION IV

Conservation/Education Exhibit

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

An exhibit designed to show how conservation efforts

in home gardening support backyard wildlife habitats.

GCA FLOWER SHOW AWARD DESCRIPTIONS

The Harriet DeWaele Puckett Creativity Award may be awarded to members of GCA

clubs or non-members in recognition of a uniquely skillful and creative response to an

imaginative schedule. It will be given for an innovative and interpretive entry, which,

although it abides by the principles of good design, goes beyond traditional period

arrangement to whatever art form the arranger(s) chooses. The arrangement must have

placed first, second, or third in the Flower Arrangement Division of a GCA Flower

Show. Challenge classes are not eligible. The award is not a substitute for Best in Show

and will be given at the discretion of the Judges.

The Dorothy Vietor Munger Award may be awarded to members of Garden Club of

America clubs only in competitive flower arrangement classes at a GCA Flower Show. It

is offered in recognition of creative work of outstanding beauty using predominantly

fresh plant material. The arrangement must have placed first, second, or third. Challenge

Classes are not eligible. The award is not a substitute for Best in Show and will be given

at the discretion of the Judges.

The Sandra Baylor Novice Award may be given at a GCA and a GCA Major Flower

Show to an exhibitor who is a member of a GCA club and who has never won first place

in the Flower Arrangement Division of a GCA or a GCA Major Flower Show. It shall be

awarded to an individual novice exhibitor for a unique and skillful response to the

schedule. Novice entries placing first, second, or third in any competitive class,

including challenge classes, are eligible for this award.

The Catherine Beattie Medal is to be awarded for a horticulture entry distinguished by

its vibrancy, prime condition and perfection of grooming. It must have been grown by

the exhibitor for at least six months. The medal may be awarded for a single plant,

collection of plants, container garden or cut specimen, but only if there is an exhibit

worthy of the honor. It may be awarded to members of GCA clubs only; individual,

joint, and club entries are eligible. The award should not be considered as a substitute for

Best in Show. The medal may not be awarded to the same exhibit more than once.

The Clarissa Willemsen Horticulture Propagation Award is to be awarded for a

horticulture entry distinguished by its prime condition, flawless grooming and difficulty

of propagation. The horticulture entry must have been propagated and grown by the

exhibitor for at least six months. The Horticulture Propagation Award may be given for a

single rooted plant or a collection of rooted plants. The method of propagation must be

indicated on the entry card. The entry must have placed first, second or third at a GCA

Flower Show. The award may not be given to an exhibit more than once. If merited, it

will be awarded at the discretion of the judges.

The Rosie Jones Horticulture Award may be awarded to a horticulture entry of

exceptional visual appeal that reflects the spirit of growing with joy and enthusiasm and

inspires others to propagate, grow, show and share horticulture. An exhibit that has been

propagated by the exhibitor will be given special consideration but propagation is not a

requirement. Perfection, while always desirable, is not a primary criterion. This award

celebrates the ineffable joy inherent in the beauty and pursuit of horticulture. It could be

the entry that would win the popular vote but not necessarily the Beattie or the blue

ribbon. Its primary virtue shall be its exceptional and exuberant inspiration. It may be

awarded at a GCA Flower Show and is to be judged by GCA Judges.

The GCA Novice Award may be given at a GCA and a GCA Major Flower Show in the

Horticulture, Photography and Special Divisions to an exhibitor who is a member of a

GCA club and who has never won first place in the division entered of a GCA or a GCA

Major Flower Show. It shall be awarded to an individual novice exhibitor for an

outstanding exhibit. Novice entries placing first, second, or third are eligible for this

award.

The Photography Committee Award is given to a member of a GCA club in

recognition of creative and technical excellence in response to the theme of the schedule.

The entry must have placed first, second or third.

The Ann Lyon Crammond Award may be presented to an outstanding educational

exhibit which best educates the public about gardens at a GCA Major or GCA Flower

Show. Any educational exhibit, which increases the appreciation of any aspect of plants,

gardens, or landscape design, may be considered for this award. The award may be given

to a Garden Club of America member, member clubs, non-members or other

organizations.

The Marion Thompson Fuller Brown Conservation Award may be presented for an

outstanding conservation exhibit at a GCA Flower Show. The award recognizes an

exhibit of exceptional educational and visual merit, which increases the public's

knowledge and awareness of our environment. The exhibit should emphasize

environmental concerns and may demonstrate conservation practices. Live plant material

may be used. When appropriate, the plant material must be clearly identified. Protected

material may be included if such materials are identified as protected and not collected in

the wild. The award may be given to Garden Club of America clubs or club members,

non-members or other organizations. Exhibits may be judged as a par class or in

competition with other entries.

A Best in Show, selected from among the first place winners, may be awarded in each

division.

A Judges’ Commendation may be given to an entry, class, section, special exhibit or

other aspect of the show that is of exceptional merit.

Plainfield Garden Club

would like to thank our Benefactors for their generous support:

Nobel Prize for Literature

Darlene D. Kasten Tucker Trimble Dr. and Mrs. E.A. Turner

Pulitzer Prize

Judy Buehler Mary and Ron Kent Nancy Walton Plumeri

Barbara Sandford Lauren Neal Shepard Mr. and Mrs. William Weil

Booker Prize

Susan M. Lorentzen Bernadette Neill Barbara Peek

Caldecott Medal

Phyllis Alexander Kathy Andrews Janet Burchett Lorraine Ciemniecki Patti Dunstan

Ginny Dughi Bev Gorman Diana Madsen Martie Samek Laurie Skorge Elaine Welch

We would like to thank the Board of Trustees of Union County College for their generosity

and graciousness in allowing us to hold our GCA Flower Show at the college. We especially

would like to thank UCC President Dr. Thomas H. Brown and UCC Trustees Joan K.

Corbett and Mary Zimmerman. We would also like to thank the college staff for being so

accommodating. In particular, we would like to thank Nicole Torella, Georgia Hartnett,

Bob Curtiss, Peter Nalven, Michael Yosifon, Nick Basso, William Alder, and Jenny

Wagner.

For their encouragement, guidance and assistance, we would like to Katie Downes and the

Englewood Garden Club, Kathy Powell and the Garden Club of Trenton, Marty Van Allen and

the Summit Garden Club, Sara Mauritz of the Portland Garden Club, Lockie Proctor, Pam

Harding, Cindy Villacreses, Ann Butler, Martha McClellan, Carrie Waterman, Pat Lazor, Lula

Potter, Sarah Hood Salomon, Susie Swayne, Sandra Patterson, and Sophie Glovier.

We are grateful for the expertise and support of Vince Kasten, Scott Webb, Ted Turner, and

David Rice, the patience of Telly Zachariades, and the contributions of the horticulture staff at

Reeves-Reed Arboretum in Summit, Dave Williams of Williams Nursery, Westfield, and Peter

Ure of Barry’s Frame Shop, Scotch Plains.

Thank you to the participating GCA judges, passers, clerks and exhibitors, and thank you to

participating professional photographer Lynn Wilkins.

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