Current Happenings
THE CLUB'S MOST SUCCESSFUL PLANT SALE TO DATE
Our shoreline community came together on Saturday May 17th, 2025, for the Club’s most successful plant sale to date. A great big THANK YOU to local businesses, community individuals, and Club members for supporting our annual Plant Sale. Proceeds go to maintaining the numerous civic gardens we tend in Madison. Check out photos from this year’s Plant Sale to the right. And, yes, people really do line up before the Plant Sale opens.
VISIT TO SLEEPY CAT
The Garden Club of Madison visited Sleepy Cat Farm on May 20th, 2025, for a lovely garden tour. Sleepy Cat Farm is a 13 acre garden in Greenwich, Connecticut. See photos of several GCM members touring the farm.
GARDEN GARB FASHION SHOW
At the General Meeting on May 13th, 2025, GCM members were treated to a fabulous “Garden Garb” fashion show in which the models were our very own Club members! The event was chaired by Roberta Velez and Donna Lenkeit, while Tracy Brent of Collections in Guilford, CT, provided the “Garden Garb”. The show opened with a visit from “Poison Ivy” and the the toxic weed killer…two things we do NOT want to see in our gardens! The show quickly turned to what we do want to see: “Garden Garb” for a casual garden get-together, garden cocktail party, or even a garden wedding. Tracy’s collection did not disappoint. Many thanks to Roberta and Donna, as well as to all who helped put this fun show together.
Click here to watch a video of the fashion show.
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNERS
The Garden Club of Madison shines at the FGCCT “Signs of Spring” Flower Show, that took place at the Connecticut Flower and Garden Show,at the Hartford Convention Center February 20th through 23rd, 2025. This year, all GCM members who submitted entries brought home ribbons. Winning entries included:
- Design Club Competition, Vignette, Nightcap in a Moon Garden, Awarded to Club Presidents
- Club Team of Dotty Budnick, Valerie Mason, Lois Nichols & Nan Sutherland
- Design, Petite Design, Multi-rhythmic: Lois Nichols
- Design, Traditional Line Mass: Nan Sutherland
- Horticulture, Club Competition, Awarded to Club Presidents, many members provided beautiful Pinus, cut arboreal specimens
- Horticulture, Miniature Foliage Plant, Nan Sutherland & Succulent Container Grown, Nan Sutherland
- Botanical Arts, Woodland Faerie Crowning Glory, Lois Nichols
- Botanical Arts Photography, Dianne Roberts
GCM WON 1ST PLACE IN VIGNETTE DESIGN
The Garden Club of Madison won 1st place at the FGCCT’s “Signs of Spring” Flower Show in the Club Competition of a Vignette Design. Entitled “Nightcap in the Moon Garden” and competing against Guilford, Glastonbury, and Newtown, their exquisite design was hands down a Flower Show favorite. The Design Team included Dotty Budnick, Valerie Mason, Lois Nichols, and Nancy Sutherland. Congratulations to our winners.
SIGNS OF SPRING, AN NGC STANDARD FLOWER SHOW
The 43rd Connecticut Flower & Garden Show starts Thursday, February 20th through Sunday, February 23rd, 2025, at the Connecticut Convention Center. Click on the press release and poster for details.
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
Three years ago the Youth Education & Outreach Committee began working with Madison students to make cards for Meals on Wheels recipients. This year, in conjunction with Madison Kindness Week, we are working with 100 second graders at Jeffrey Elementary School to make valentine cards for Meals on Wheels recipients and residents of Harbor Chase Care Center in Madison. Many thanks to Brenda Wiley who printed out cute stickers for our cards. We thought it would be fun to share a valentine wish with you.
MEALS ON WHEELS - FEBRUARY PETALS TO PLATES
On February 12th, weathering the snow and ice, a lively group of members arranged delightful pink carnations at the Senior Center and eight members delivered the bouquets. Pink carnations symbolize the concept of never forgetting someone, meaningful for approximately 60 Madison families receiving Meals on Wheels. Stop and Shop donated over 240 pink carnations and greens for our Valentine’s Day bouquets. Over 20 members worked on our Petals to Plates program this month, supporting our community and Madison Kindness Week. This program is organized by the Healing, Therapy & Senior Gardening committee of the Club.
100TH ANNIVERSARY EXHIBIT OPENS LATE FEBRUARY AT SMILOW
The Garden Club of Madison was founded in 1924. On October 17, 2024, the Club hosted an Opening Reception at Scranton Library in celebration of our 100th Anniversary. On display was a Historical Exhibit featuring 100 years of the Club’s history – ranging from the very first handwritten minutes, to archival photography, and fascinating members such as cartographer Alva Marsh Curtis who exhibited at the Smithsonian and the National Gallery.
The Historical Exhibit will now be on display at the Healing Arts Gallery at Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven from February 2025 until this summer. Come take a look! There will be approximately 18 panels (half of the original exhibit) on display.
About Us
GET TO KNOW THE GARDEN CLUB OF MADISON
Founded in 1924, the Club is a non-profit organization dedicated to sharing the art, science and pleasure of gardening, horticulture, artistic design and environmental conservation. Club members attend educational and entertaining meetings, and take part in workshops and civic beautification projects that preserve natural resources and enhance our town.
CO-PRESIDENTS' MESSAGE
As we embark on a journey from 2024 to 2025, we are filled with optimism and excitement for the future of the Garden Club of Madison. With the Club’s successful Centennial Celebration throughout 2024, we continue to dedicate ourselves to beautifying and supporting our community while nurturing the natural world around us.
Looking ahead, our focus remains steadfast in fostering a deeper connection with nature through our collective passion for gardening. Our Club will continue to promote sustainable practices and innovative gardening techniques to benefit our environment. We plan to deepen our understanding of floral design techniques and explore the creativity that flowers bring to our lives with hands-on workshops, guest speaker lectures and collaborative design projects. We will continue to complement Meals on Wheel with “Petals with Plates” and provide educational programs to our community’s students.
In the coming year, we encourage each of you to actively participate in the Club’s activities through our regular meetings, workshops, garden tours, civic gardens or community outreach programs. Your ideas, enthusiasm and expertise are invaluable in shaping the future direction of our Club. Let’s also celebrate our achievements and acknowledge the hard work and dedication of our members. Together we can create beautiful gardens, educate others about the joys of gardening and make a positive impact on our environment.
We are honored to serve as your Co-Presidents and look forward to working alongside each of you to make the 2024–25 term memorable and successful.
Warm regards,
Sue Kelley, Co-President and Marleen Pacelli, Co-President