Projects

An annual scholarship grant of $3500 is available to college students.

National Garden Club is proud of its scholarship program, which offers financial aid to students and promotes study in the Agriculture Education, Horticulture (including Fruit Science/Environmental/Communications), Floriculture, Landscape Design, Botany, Biology, Plant Pathology/Science, Forestry, Agronomy, Environmental Concerns (Management: Envoronmental, Horticulture Resource/Environmental Behavior, etc.), Economics, Environmental Conservation (including Engineering, Law, etc.), City (Rural & Urban) planning, Wildlife Science, Habitat or Forest/Systems Ecology, Land Management and/or other related or allied subjects.

Besides the required majors to qualify, the student must be pursuing a career related to gardening, landscape design, environmental issues, floral design or horticulture.

Applicants must have sophomore or higher standing and be a legal resident of Montana even if attending an out of state school. General information is available from Luana Maxwell, 160 Banjo Hill Lane, Great Falls, MT 59404-6121 (406) 452-8227. An application form may be downloaded from the National Garden Clubs' website. See the application form for all requirements. Applications must be received by Mrs. Maxwell before March 1each year. Recipients 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 MFGC State Scholarship Chair, Luana Maxwell, 160 Banjo Hill Lane, Great Falls, MT 59404-6121 (406) 452-8227 for further information and requirements. Applications must be received by Mrs. Maxwell 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 Susan with questions or sign up to start the course work.

Montana Federation of Garden Clubs is excited to announce the start of a new Flower Show School series in 2010. The first class will be held in Dillon, Montana. Start making your plans now.

Flower Show School Course 1
Dillon, Montana
October 8, 9, 10
Montana National Guard Readiness Center

For more information contact Susan Billmayer, (406) 379-2545 or Mike Riley (406) 683-5515. Complete requirements and course description are available on the Course 1 Registration Form due by September 24.

The best judged creative design exhibited after April 1 at a flower show is eligible. A Book of Evidence application is to include the title of the design, flower show location and date, list of all plant material and other components, and a photo of the design. Send the Book of Evidence to Vicki Barbieri, 504 Howie Road, Big Timber, MT 59011-7835 by May 1st. The photograph will be point scored by a group of accredited judges using the NGC Scale of Points for all designs. The winning entry will receive a certificate and $25, funded by the Judges' Council, at the MFGC State Convention each year.

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.

The Landscape Design School Program is a series of 4 courses presented for students to study the history, development, planning, and implementation of landscape design. Those who attend and complete the Landscape Design School make positive contributions to their communities in which they live when they put into practice the knowledge they gain in the courses. Courses instructed by Trudie Southwick.

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

The Montana Federation of Garden Clubs held their first courses in the 1960’s. The school was started again in 1998 and followed with courses in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008. After these courses were finished five MFGC members were presented with consultants certificates.

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.

There is fund raising today to add to the funds and help cover postage and banquet expenses. Money is usually made by raffles, silent auctions and tax-deductible donations are always accepted.

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!

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Blue Star Memorial Program

Linda Sadler, Chair

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. NGC Member Services provides a guideline for ordering a memorial marker and suggestions for installation.

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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Penny Pines

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.

Penny Pines Donation Form

WHY THE PENNY PINES DONATION IS $68.00

At the start of the program in 1941, seedlings could be produced for about one cent each. Approximately 680 seedlings were used to plant a typical acre. For $68.00, seedlings for ten acres could be purchased. Site preparation and planting costs were met through regular Forest Service appropriations. The Penny Pines program was so successful that money contributed to purchase seedlings soon far exceeded appropriated funds available for site preparation and for the actual planting job. In 1964, the original cooperative agreement was rewritten to provide that funds contributed under the Penny Pines program be used for reforestation, rather than solely for purchasing seedlings.

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Sherry Corneliusen, Chairman

207 W Bell, Glendive, MT 59330
(406) 486-5787 home

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.

Read how the Stevensville Garden Club received a $3,000 grant through the Bitterroot National Forest to establish a beautiful, native plant, educational garden. Local schools will conduct field trips to the garden and learn about the importance of native plants to the Native Salish Indian tribe and the role pollinators play in maintaining the natural plant ecosystems. Full article on the project available by clicking here.