Betsy Szymczak also represented our FGC (and Natick GC), and  we congratulate her for eight Horticulture entries at MassHort that earned four blues, two reds, two yellow, with Begonia grandis for propagation. Shannon also entered the horticulture competition, earning four blues, five reds, one yellow and two honorable mentions.

Minal Akkad and Ruth Evans participated in the show as Design judges, while Betsy also judged Horticulture.

Here’s a look at our award-winning achievements:

GCFM (State) Awards

• Patricia C. Michaud Award – Outstanding Design Program
  For “The Character of Color” Team Challenge designed and executed by Ruth Evans
  Bonus: This award included a $100 prize!

• William J. Thompson Award
  For our Earth Day Celebration 2024 put together by Terrie Pirozzi, Irene Gazda and Marie Giorgetti

• Publications Award for the FGC club brochure designed by Shannon Fitzpatrick

• Special Achievement Service Award
  For our stunning Tablescapes program conceived and implemented by Marilyn Hanley and Pat Towle

• Media Production Award
  For statewide educational outreach on the Garden Therapy Model Program, another elite program designed by Marilyn Hanley and Pat Towle

• Media Production Award
  For the Moments of Joy Video created by Shannon Fitzpatrick and submitted on behalf of 3 districts
• Youth Poetry  (Sponsored by FGC – Congratulations to these talented young writers!)

• • Kindergarten – “Vegetable Sharing” (King School)

  • 3rd Grade – “Vegetables are Blue & Green” (Barbieri School)

  • 4th Grade – “My Garden” (Barbieri School)

  • 5th Grade – “Sprout to Smile” (Barbieri School)

New England Regional Award 

• Youth Poetry – My Garden (4th Grade, Barbieri School) – 1st Place

National Garden Club (NCG) Awards

• Environmental & Conservation Award –For Earth Day Festival 2024
• Floral Design Award – For Ruth Evan’s The Character of Color Design Challenge
• Membership Advancement Award – For our Club Brochure
• Publications Award – For the Garden Therapy Model Zoom Presentation
• Digital Media Award – For the Moments of Joy musical slideshow

Special Recognition

• Helen DeOrsay Freidberg Tribute Scholarship
  Awarded to Eileen Fialkow to attend Flower Show School on behalf of the Western/Central South District

We are so proud of the creativity, passion, and commitment that our members—and our community partners—continue to bring to every project. These awards are a true reflection of that spirit. Well done, everyone!

Four members of the Framingham Garden Club entered a total of five designs, and one member entered several winning horticultural specimens.

Photos of last year’s national winning sculptures

See the 2022 Sculpture Contest winners here

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Contest Rules

• Children in 4th through 8th grade will be eligible to enter the contest
• Sculptures must consist of recyclable, reused and reduced materials
• Width of the sculpture can be no more than 8 1/2 x 11 inches
• Height should be in proportion to width
• Entries should include as many photographs as can be printed on the back of the entry form but two 4×6 photographs are recommended
• Club entries must be emailed to State Chairman Nancy Martin by Janauary 10, 2024 at  nancymartinmailed@gmail.com

Scale of Points

• Creative use of materials and self expression: 60%
• Description of sculpture and materials used: 30%
• Craftsmanship and technique: 10%

https://gardenclub.org/sites/default/files/2023-05/ngc-youth-sculpture-contest-entry-form-2023.pdf

Nancy Martin took top awards in Horticulture, winning the Grower’s Choice Award and Horticultural Excellence Award, in addition to a blue (first place) for her potted sedum collection.

Ruth Evans won blue, the Designer’s Choice Award and the Design Excellence Award in the Design Division for her stunningly innovative low profile design.

Additionally, Minal Akkad won blue for her Creative Design.

The Tower Hill Botanic Garden show runs through Sunday, October 14, 2018 at these times: 

Friday, October 12, 10AM–5PM
Saturday, October 13, 10AM–5PM
Sunday, October 14, 10AM–4PM

For more information go to: https://www.towerhillbg.org/shows/

My Garden By Stella Cote

This little garden

I saw last night

See it grow

With all it’s might

Tomorrow it will bloom

A surprise delights!

Spring Returns
By Maureen O’Connell

I dug my feet into the soft soil
It was cool beneath my feet on this hot day
I smelled the breeze and wished I could eat it
I sat down by the flowers
I leaned against the great oak behind me
It felt good
I felt good
I liked it.

I looked up
The clouds covered half of the sun
I stared up at the clouds
They looked like marshmallows
The huge trees looked down at me
I felt small
But small isn’t always a bad thing.

I looked back down at my flowers
Pansies, Roses, Bluebells, and marigolds looked back
Hydrangeas seeped with blue and pink
While Buttercups reached for the sun
Iris’s produced their best colors for me
And Sweet alyssum faced down
They didn’t need sun

Moonflower so big, white and beautiful
I guess that’s why it’s called a moonflower
I wish I could bring it with me wherever I went
The poppies shone bright red in the afternoon sun
The flowers all them smelled so good
Like chocolate chip cookies right out of the oven,
Freshly mowed lawn,
And butter browning all at the same time

I loved my garden and everything in it
Those spring and summer days were better with my garden there
But then the wind came
The bitter cold snow made everything white
And it killed my flowers
The garden
I raised from seeds
Was gone
Only brown scraps were left
All that work
All that time
All those beautiful flowers
Wasted

Then spring comes around again those flowers that died
They left something behind
Seeds

And new plants sprout

Maureen O’Connell’s poem Spring Returns was selected as the winner the New England Regional Poetry Competition in her age group. Her poem was one of 50 youth poets to be published in the National Garden Club’s annual publication  Down the Garden Path. Maureen will be honored in May for her accomplishments.
 

Creativity and innovation define Minal’s floral designs. From the three outstanding designs submitted for consideration, federation judges chose the design that was featured at the Museum of Fine Art’s “Art in Bloom” this year. For 40 years, Art in Bloom has paired art from the MFA’s collection with floral interpretations created by New England area garden club. Minal was assisted by Ruth Evans, also an FGC member. Minal’s design evoked the colors, lines and expression of a local Fante militia flag from Ghana.

Framingham Garden Club’s own Ruth Evans entered her arrangement to the horticultural competition and received a score of over 90!

Here is Ruth Evans’ elegant design from the Marshfield Fair competition. Congratulations to Ruth!

Ruth Evans also received the Violet F. MacLaren Show Schedule Award, from Betty Sanders president of the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts.