The Garden Club of Fairfax

March 22, 2022

As the Garden Club of Fairfax (GCF) approaches its centennial in 2026, this small but mighty club continues to focus on enhancing its community and encouraging the next generation of gardeners.

Community projects are an important feature of the club as it focuses on beautifying the community and on encouraging children to experience nature. The Garden Club of Fairfax contributed funding for an interior courtyard project at the Woodburn Center for Community Mental Health in Fairfax in 1997-98. Two cement garden benches were placed by the pond on the campus of George Mason University in memory of Elizabeth Bradley Stull in 2000. In 2015, with a grant from the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, the club planned and installed a garden at the Embry Rucker (Cornerstones) Community Shelter in Reston.

In honor of the 75th anniversery of the Garden Club of Virginia, GCF planted daffodil bulbs at Green Spring Gardens, and, in support of the GCV Centennial project that provided funding at Virginia State Parks, GCF  joined with Hunting Creek Garden Club and the Garden Club of Alexandria in 2020 to landscape the entrance at Mason Neck State Park’s Visitor Center. Also in recognition of the GCV Centennial, the club planted a copper beech tree in at Historic Blenheim in Fairfax City, former home of GCF member and past president Barbara Scott.

Due to COVID-19, this was the last in-person GCF event until Historic Garden Week in April 2021. The club held online meetings during the pandemic.

The Garden Club of Fairfax has a long-standing relationship with Meadowlark Botanical Gardens (MBG) and continues its ongoing support of the gardens. In September 2005, the club planted a tree in memory of 9/11. Over the years, contributions to MBG have included funding for touch screen computers, bog plants, pitcher plants, the Children’s Garden, a butterfly-pollinator garden and for signage around the gardens. GCF has also provided funds for campers to attend MBG Camp Grow and was a patron of the 2013 Native Plants of the Mid Atlantic, A Book for Artists & Gardeners, which was compiled by MBG garden manager Keith Tomlinson.

In addition to supporting Camp Grow at Meadowlark, the club has contributed scholarships for children at Nature Camp in Vesuvius, and to the Junior Ranger Program at Mason Neck State Park. GCF established a Junior Garden Program at Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax. Organized by member Linda Schlesinger in 2019, this program brings in speakers and programs for the students both during and after school.

Searching for ways to help during the pandemic, the club initiated “Food for Others” in 2020. The club donated funds, not only for garden plots, but also directly for food. Fund recipients included “Food for Others” garden plots at Daniels Run Elementary School and West Springfield High School.

The Garden Club of Fairfax has received generous donations each year since 2009 from the Exxon Mobil Star Grant Program which is available to retired employees and their spouses for volunteerism within a nonprofit organization. This grant money was then used for various community projects.

The annual Holiday Luncheon and Auction continues as a major fund raiser for the club and for community projects. Greens arrangements created by members are auctioned along with other donated items.

The Garden Club of Fairfax was the first GCV club to sign on as a partner to Save River Farm and supported the effort (2020-2022) by writing to legislators and spreading the word.

Horticulture and Artistic Design

GCF held a lily mini show in 2002, a rose mini show in 2007 at the Great Falls home of Nancy deLaski and a daffodil mini show in 2012 with Hunting Creek Garden Club at the Goodwin House in Alexandria.

GCF hosted the GCV Lily Shows in 2011 and 2012, co-chaired by Tricia Kincheloe and Anna Fortune.

2011 Lily Show Photos

2012 Lily Show Photos

The Garden Club of Fairfax won InterClub blue ribbons at the 2002 Daffodil Show for a waterfall artistic design; the 2003 Daffodil Show for it’s daffodil horticulture test collection; the 2007 Daffodil Show for an early Georgian artistic design; and the 2016 Daffodil Show for a naturalistic landscape artistic design.

The club’s InterClub arrangement in 2018 was a stunning reflective design, which was disqualified because it included tiny lights. It received the most attention of all the arrangements in the show because of the disqualification!

Tricia Kincheloe, the club’s resident expert on lilies, received the North American Lily Society’s 2020 Regional Service Medal, presented by GCV President Missy Buckingham (2020-2022) at an open-air District 5 Board of Governors meeting during COVID-19. Not only an accomplished grower, Tricia regularly judges at shows and mentors other lily growers. She received the 2022 GCV Horticulture Award of Merit. Kathy Welch received the Horticulture Award of Merit 2006 for her work with daffodils.

Mary Kincheloe joined GCF in 1965. A true daffodil lover, she bought and planted the yearly collection starting in 1966. The collections were planted chronologically by year and separated by individual variety markers and hardy string. The Kincheloe family chronicled Mary’s collections in a series of notebooks, which identified the collections, particulars and photographs of each variety. Her collections were highly treasured and were “requisitioned” for GCF’s collection entries and other arrangements for years.

Debbie Stevenson swept the awards at the 2018 GCV Symposium with her outstanding roses. She received the Edith Farr Elliott Memorial Triad Award, the Bernice S. Walker Perpetual Trophy, the Jane Marshall Broyhill Memorial Trophy and the Dr. and Mrs. James R. Hundley Cup for the most blue ribbons in the rose division.

Other award recipients at the state level include Susan Malcolm, who won a blue ribbon for her waterfall arrangement at the 2012 GCV Lily Show; and Linda Schlesinger’s Pot-et-Fleur Design won blue and best novice at the 2011 GCV Lily Show.

The Garden Club of Fairfax hosted the eighty-third Annual Meeting of the Garden Club of Virginia on May 12-14, 2003, at the Fair Lakes Hyatt, chaired by Sandy Aman and Nancy Anne Cook.

The Board of Directors gathered on May 12 at the home of Suzi Worsham in Clifton for lunch, followed by the board meeting.

After adjournment of the business meeting on Wednesday, attendees were treated to luncheon at Mount Vernon, followed by a film, lecture and garden tour led by Mount Vernon’s head of horticulture, Dean Norton. The tour included a visit to Washington’s bowling green, one of Rudy Favretti’s final restoration projects before his retirement.

GCF member Marty Whipple received the 2001 Massie Medal for Distinguished Achievement in for her many contributions to the Garden Club of Virginia. She served as the GCV First Vice President 1996-1998, Finance Committee Chairman 1994-95, Parliamentarian 1998-99 and Journal Editor 1998-99. She was president of the Garden Club of Fairfax 1985-87 and editor of the GCF Yearbook for 31 years.

Diane Wilkinson served as GCV Membership Committee Chairman 2018-20. Charlotte Benjamin served on the GCV Restoration Committee and Linda Shlesinger on the Artistic Design Committee.

Historic Garden Week

The Garden Club of Fairfax continues to host HGW in locations all over Northern Virginia, including Arlington, Falls Church, McLean, Great Falls, Reston, Fairfax City, Fairfax Station, and Clifton. The 2016 HGW tour was awarded a Best of Arlington Award. The club’s HGW property, Ballantrae in McLean, was selected as the cover property for the HGW 2021 Guidebook with photos taken by club member Donna Moulton.

The March/April 2018 issue of Horticulture Magazine included a six-page article about GCF’s 2018 HGW property, the 1750 William Gunnell House in Great Falls, once owned by Thomas, sixth Lord Fairfax, illustrated by photographs by Donna Moulton. An article in Virginia Living April 2019 highlighted Old Langley Ordinary, a home on the club’s 2019 HGW McLean Tour, and featured stunning floral arrangements by Margaret Kincheloe and Linda Schlesinger.

Notable speakers for GCF have been Peter Hatch, Former Director of the Gardens and Grounds at Monticello, and Dean Norton, Director of Horticulture at Mt. Vernon. Keith Tomlinson, former Botanical Garden Manager at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, has presented to our club and worked closely with us on donations for Meadowlark. Laura Dowling demonstrated her White House flower arranging skills at a Tri-Club meeting in 2016.

The Garden Club of Fairfax celebrated its 75th Anniversary with a Hat and White Glove Tea at the Country Club of Fairfax in May 2002. Our 90th Anniversary cocktail and dinner party in 2016 was held for members and spouses at James and Jane Mitchell’s home in Arlington. Judy Landolt-Korns wrote a poem that was presented for the occasion. At least eight previous presidents attended.

Ann Farr Lewis was honored for her 60 years of membership in the Garden Club of Fairfax at the annual Holiday Luncheon in 2017. She has now been a member of our club for 65 years.

A logo for GCF was designed by Loretta Stepka in 2017. In addition, business cards and a brochure were created to promote our club’s mission and to attract new members.

GCF Presidents 1995-2021

1995-1997	Carol Williams
1997-1999	Jackie Anderson
1999-2001	Nancy Anne Cook
2001-2003	Jo Ann Benson
2003-2005	Charlotte Benjamin
2005-2007	Louvette Aspiotis
2007-2009	Johanna Rucker
2009-2011	Diane Wilkinson
2011-2012	Jan Grimes
2012-2013	Judith Landolt-Korns
2013-2015	Tricia Goins
2015-2017	Linda Tiani
2017-2019	Linda Schlesinger
2019-2021	Donna Moulton