Projects

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An annual scholarship grant of $3500 is available to college students majoring in some branch of Horticulture. Applicants must have sophomore or higher standing and be a legal resident of Montana even if attending an out of state school. Application blanks, financial aid forms and general information are available from Margaret S. Yaw, 2603 Spring Creek Drive, Bozeman, MT 59715-3621 (406) 587-3621 [application form may also be downloaded from the National Garden Clubs' website]. Applications must be received by Mrs. Yaw before February 28 each year. Recipients (one from each state) are announced in May.

The Montana Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc. awards an annual $1,000 scholarship to a student who is a Montana resident and citizen of the United States of America majoring in Conservation, Horticulture, Parks or Forestry, Floriculture, Greenhouse Management, Land Management or related subjects. Students from all schools of the Montana University system, who offer such courses, have the opportunity to compete. Application requirements may be viewed here; the deadline is May 1 of each year. For further information on the scholarship, please contact Joyce Backa, 513 Skyline Dr. NE, Great Falls, MT 59404-1134; phone 406-866-0145.

An annual scholarship is available to qualifying college students in an horticulture-related major. Please contact the MTFGC State Scholarship Chair, Margaret Yaw, 2603 Spring Creek Drive, Bozeman, MT 59715-3621 (406) 587-3621 for further information and requirements. Applications must be received by Mrs. Yaw before May 1 each year. Application requirements may be viewed here

If you are interested in becoming a Flower Show Judge or would like to learn more about floral design and horticulture, Flower Show School educational courses will introduce the elementary concepts. All garden club members are welcome and encouraged to attend. You need not have attended a prior course to attend the next course in the series. Please e-mail Diana with questions or if you would like to start the course work.

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Pictured above is an example of a Tapestry Design. This design appeared at the Ellerslie International Flower Show in Auckland, New Zealand held November 14-18, 2007. To see more Tapestry Design entries in the class entitled "Explosions in Space", please click here.
Photos provided courtesy of Susan Andrews, Gallatin Empire Garden Club member.

The first in a series of four courses studying horticulture scheduled for September 19 and 20, 2008 HAS BEEN CANCELLED. Click here to download the first course information.

A listing of noteworthy public gardens in Montana has been compiled. Often when my husband Dick and I are traveling, we enjoy knowing about gardens in the communities that we are driving through. Sometimes, they might be the destination, sometimes just a wonderful spot to stop and have lunch on our way to somewhere else. The tour information below will be published so that visitors to Montana can enjoy these gardens as well.

I am also developing a list of noteworthy private gardens that are not open to the public. Please let me know if you know of any. If your community is not listed, please do not hesitate to send your information with pictures to me by clicking on my name above or call me at (406) 933-8789. Many thanks to those that have contributed information.

Course II, Series 2 of the Landscape Design School was held in Townsend, Montana, March 14-16, 2008. . New students are welcome to start the series at any time. E-mail the Chair, above, if you would like to indicate interest in taking classes in the Landscape School. She will give you information regarding the next class. You need not have taken previous courses, and you may audit the course and not take the test.

Mary McLane, Kerin McCarver, Carol Cain, Denise Fink and Carol Virtanen have completed all course work and received their certificates as Montana Landscape Consultants.

What is a Life Member of the Montana Federation of Garden Clubs? A Life Member is a club member interested in helping a worthy Montana student further their college education. All the membership fees are placed in trust to endow an annual $1000 scholarship to a student majoring in conservation, horticulture, parks or forestry, floriculture, greenhouse management, land management or related subjects.

In addition, a Life Member of the Federation enjoys a subscription to our state publication Montana Gardens. An annual banquet for Life Members is held at state convention where the scholarship recipient is awarded their prize. Some garden clubs in the state also have periodic meetings for Life Members. The banquet and meetings are a great way to socialize and learn from one another.

To join this worthwhile and fun group of over 300 garden clubbers, please send a one-time, tax-deductible $25 donation to Joyce Backa, 513 Skyline Dr. NE, Great Falls, MT 59404-1134. You'll be making a large contribution to Montana youth!

The National Garden Clubs, Inc. have had a program in place to honor service men and women since 1945. It's the Blue Star Memorial Program. In 1944, the ladies of the New Jersey Council of Garden Clubs persuaded the New Jersey Legislature to dedicate a six mile stretch of Highway 22 as a memorial drive to our Armed Forces. Through subscriptions of $1.00/tree, they lined the highway with 6,000 dogwoods. The following year the National Council of State Garden Clubs, as it was called at the time, adopted the program and began a Blue Star Highway system, which covers thousands of miles across every state, including Alaska and Hawaii. A large metal Blue Star Memorial Highway Marker was placed at appropriate locations along the way. The program was expanded to include all men and women who had served, were serving or would serve in the armed services of the United States.

There are now three types of markers: the Memorial Highway Marker, found alongside roadways and at rest stops; the Blue Star Memorial Markers found at veterans' hospitals, national cemeteries, etc.; and Blue Star By-Way Markers which can be placed in any appropriate garden setting.

Click on this link to read a story about the Mission View Garden Club Blue Star Marker dedication in Charlo, Montana.

Click on this link to read about the Townsend Garden Club Blue Star Marker dedication in the town's Veterans' Park.

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Carol Works, Member Services Chair
15920 Kenilworth Rd., Big Sandy MT 59520 (phone 378-3163)

This is a program for planting trees to restore forest ecosystems and to work cooperatively in the conservation, protection, and development of the natural resources on National Forest System lands. National Garden Clubs partners with the Forest Service by providing funds to plant trees in areas where natural or human-caused catatrophes have created the need for reforestation. By collecting pennies, each $68 covers the planting of approximately one half acre of National Forest System lands with trees native or best suited for the selected area. Trees are not necessarily pine trees. Trees selected for planting are indigenous to the geographical locations in both species and elevation. This program is intended to be on going for five years.

We propose, that if clubs choose, that at each meeting "the hat" is passed around for members to clean the pennies and other coins out of their purses for the Penny Pines program. Each club treasurer can keep track of what is contributed and once a year send it to the state treasurer who will send in on the the National Garden Club project chairman.

So please remember to bring your extra change to your garden club meetings to help fund the Penny Pines project. If you have any questions, please contact me.

When planting your gardens, lawn or doing landscaping, take some time to consider using native Montana plants. What is a native plant? It’s a tree, shrub, grass or flower that was growing in this state before Europeans settled here.

Why use native plants?? These plants evolved here over thousands of years and are well suited to our environment and climate. They have proven resistant to pests and disease and require little or minimum maintenance and watering once established. Most species are perennial or self seeding annual or biennial plants. By using native plants we provide food and habitat for our native wildlife. Native plants may also attract insects that prey upon pests, decreasing the need for harmful pesticides. The use of native plants helps to increase biodiversity and restore imperiled habitats.

When using native plants, it is best to use those that are from your local area. We have so many different growing zones in Montana that not all plants will thrive in all areas. One way to learn the plants native to your area is to visit a natural area nearby. We are fortunate that there are many unspoiled areas in our state where we can find native plants flourishing. Additionally you may want to seek guidance from a well established local nursery in your area.

I would like to compile a list of nurseries in the state as a resource for our members. If you know of a nursery in your area that supplies native Montana plants, please let me know- e-mail by clicking on my name above. I will put these on our web site.

References sources are available at the Federal Highway Administration which lists native plants, and the MT Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Service which explains how to grow native plants successfully.

CENTRAL ROCKY MOUNTAIN WILDFLOWERS, H. Wayne Phillips - A Falcon Guide
PLANTS OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS, Linda Kershaw, Andy MacKinnon, Jim Pojar -Lone Pine Field Guide
ALPINE WILDFLOWERS Dr. Dee Strickler
PRARIE WILDFLOWERS Dr. Dee Strickler
WILDFLOWERS OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS Carl Schreier Lone Pine Field Guide
ROCKY MOUNTAIN WILDFLOWERS, John J. Craighead, Frank C. Craighead Jr., Ray J. Davis - Peterson Field Guides
FIELD GUIDE TO NORTH AMERICAN WILDFLOWERS, WESTERN REGION National Audobon Society
ALPINE WILDFLOWERS OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS, oseph H. Duff & Robert K. Moseley
NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN WILDFLOWERS, Wayne Phillips – A Falcon Guide
THE HISTORY AND FOLKLORE OF NORTH AMERICAN WILDFLOWERS Timothy Coffey
WILD WILDFLOWERS OF THE WEST Edith S Kinucan and Penney R. Brons
WEEDS OF THE WEST Tom D. Whitson, Editor

Prairie Smoke is also called Old Man's Whiskers or Purple Avens. It is a member of the Rose Family (Rosaceae).

This perennial herb grows in dry to moist sites, often in gravelly soil from the plains to sub-alpine regions. It blooms from May to July. The stems of this plant are reddish and softly hairy. The purplish to dusty pink urn shaped flowers grow in nodding clusters (usually 3 blooms) at the end of the stems. The basal leaves are fern like with heavily serrated edges. The seed heads are long and feathery -- similar to whiskers. A field of these flowers gone to seed looks like a fog or smoke.

The Indians boiled the roots to make a tea that tastes a bit like sassafras tea..

Lewis and Clark collected specimens of this plant on June 12, 1806 at the Quamash Flats in Idaho.