Suburban Garden Club of Cheshire
Founded 1957
Awards and Recognition
National and State Awards
SGC Receives Award of Honor
The Suburban Garden Club received the Award of Honor at the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut's October 2020 awards luncheon. The award recognized the club for maintaining a record of exceptional achievement in upholding the aims and purposed of the FGCCT.
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Club member Ginni Donovan was honored with an award from the National Garden Clubs, the Helen S, Hull Designer of the Year Award.
SGC Members Win 41 Awards at Federated Flower Show
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Members of the Suburban Garden Club of Cheshire won 41 awards, including 5 top state/national awards, at the Federated Garden Club of Connecticut's February 2020 Flower Show 'Spring into Connecticut'. Click here for highlights.
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Club members were also involved in the production of the show. Ginni Donovan was the General Chair, responsible for managing all aspect of the show. Club members Jessica Fischer and Susan Dillman served on the Flower Show Committe, and Susan designed the logo.
SGC Receives Awards for Newsletter and Garden Therapy Programs
The Suburban Garden Club was honored with 2 awards at the FGCCT Awards Luncheon in October 0f 2019.
The club received a first-place award for it's monthly newsletter, published by club member Nancy Sewitch.
The club also received the Garden Therapy Award of Excellence (a silver tray). In addition to the continuing monthly program with Hospice, the club also worked with residents at the Cheshire Rehabilitation Center and the Marbridge Retirement Center to combine various are media with flowers to produce wall art.
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SGC Members Receive Numerous Awards at 2019 Flower Show
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The Suburban Garden Club of Cheshire was very well-represented at the Federated Garden Club of Connecticut's February 2019 Flower Show 'April in Paris'. SGC members garnered 31 awards! Click here to see photos of member entries.
SGC Receives multiple awards at FGCCT October 2018 Awards Luncheon
The Suburban Garden Club received three awards associated with "Stars of the 1950s"a flower show held in June of 2017: a certificate of Achievement for Standard Flower Show, an Award of Excellence in Horticulture (a Silver Tray) and a Citation for Design.
The Club also received a Garden Therapy Award of Excellence (a Silver Tray) for the work members do at Connecticut Hospice, Cheshire Regional Rehabilitation Center, Marbridge Retirement Center and Elim Park.
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Additional awards were given to two SGC members. Ginni Donovan received the Maria J. Nahom Table Design Award for her table design at the 2018 FGCCT Flower Show, and Karen Schnitzer received a Certificate of Individual Achievement for her monthly articles on Birds and Conservation.
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SGC Members Awarded at February 2016 FGCCT Flower Show
The Suburban Garden Club was "In the Spotlight" at the Federated Garden Club of Connecticut's 2016 Flower Show, with SGC members winning 3 top awards, 13 first place awards, 1 second place 90+ award, 4 second place awards, 1 third place 90+ award, 2 third place awards and 3 honorable mentions. Click on the links below for highlights in each category:
Design Photography Artistic Crafts Horticulture
SGC Receives 3 Awards from the Federated Garden Club of Connecticut
The Suburban Garden Club of Cheshire received three awards from the Federated Garden Club of Connecticut in 2015: one for the container gardens at the front entrance to the Cheshire Public Library, one for our monthly newsletter, and one for having the most members' yards certified as wildlife habitats by the National Wildlife Foundation.
SGC recipient of 6 Federated Garden Club of Connecticut Awards
The Suburban Garden Club of Cheshire received six awards at Awards Luncheon held by the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut in October of 2014. The following awards were given to the Club:
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Civic Development Certificate of Achievement - Recognizing the SGC for expanding its plantings a the Cheshire Senior Center, the Public Library and the Hitchcock-Phillips House. The award also recognizes the Club for providing holiday decorations at the Hitchcock-Phillips House and maintaininga small garden area at the Town’s Youth Services Department’s Yellow House, for which it received the “Adopt-a-Spot award from the Town Beautification Committee.
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Garden Therapy Award of Excellence: The Suburban Garden Club of Cheshire was recognized for two Garden Therapy programs: creating individual floral bedside arrangements for all of the patients at Connecticut Hospice in Branford, using recycled containers with a handmade personalized gift tag, and conducting several hands-on projects for The Highlands Health Care Center and Marbridge Retirement Center residents.
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Horticulture Certificate of Achievement: Was presented to the Suburban Garden Club of Cheshire for the photo book Susan Dillman created to show the club’s gratitude to the owners of GroWell, a local greenhouse, for supporting the Club in numerous ways and making space available for Club members to grow plants for the club’s annual plant sale in May.
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Special Certificate: Was presented to recognize the ‘miniature gardens’ designed and planted by club members in three large planters in front of the Cheshire Public Library using an assortment of dwarf trees, perennials and annuals.
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Garden Therapy Certificates of Individual Achievement: Club members Susan Dillman and Tony Poitras were recognized for working tirelessly at Connecticut Hospice in Branford on a monthly basis creating individual arrangements for up to 54 patients and also for conducing quarterly workshops to allow other members to create arrangements for Hospice patients.
SGC and CGC win National Award for joint flower show
At the October 2012 Awards Luncheon Meeting held by The Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut, Inc., the two garden clubs in Cheshire received National recognition for their collaborative effort of co-sponsoring a Standard Flower Show in June 2011 on the grounds of the Hitchcock-Phillips House. The Cheshire Garden Club joined with the Suburban Garden Club to produce “Cheshire: Past, Present and Fuchsia”, a day-long flower show held both inside the 1976 house, home of the Cheshire Historical Society, as well as in tents set up on the surrounding grounds, reflecting the town’s history and the clubs’ commitment to green, sustainable gardening practices.
The show included seven classes in Floral Design, 60 classes in Horticulture, Collections and Displays and three classes in Artistic Crafts. It also featured three educational exhibits: Composting, Birds and Cheshire History as well as an exhibit displaying photographs taken by club members featuring gardening-related subjects. For a closer look at the show, including photographs of award winning entries, click here.
From left: Suburban Garden Club past president and overall flower show chairman Jessica
Fischer holding National Certificate presented to both clubs, Cheshire Garden Club past
president and flower show chairman Inge Venus holding National Rosette presented to
both clubs; Ronnie Schoelzel, President of The Federated Garden Clubs of CT, Inc
Library Pots at dusk.
Cheshire Historical Society entrance decorated with swags and Biedermeier tree.
Suburban Garden Club Adopt-a-Spot wins 2012 Blue Ribbon
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The Suburban Garden Club was awarded awarded the blue ribbon from the Town Beautification Committee for 2012 for the best Adopt-A-Spot. Club members designed, planted and maintained the garden pictured above, located at the 'Yellow House' on South Main Street. Special thanks and recognition to Pauline Cacace, Heather Husain, Anupa Simpatico and Alberta Valerio for creating this lovely garden and keeping it looking beautiful throughout the summer!
Suburban Garden Club effort recognized with 'Beauty Spot' award
The beautiful new plantings at the Cheshire Senior Center--which were designed and are maintained by Suburban Garden Club members--resulted in the Senior Center being named 'Beauty Spot of The Month" for August 2012 by the Cheshire Garden Club. Pat Archibald, President of the Suburban Garden Club, said "It's great to see our members' efforts, lead by Lucinda Perry, recognized with this award. Special thanks goes to Club Member Linda Buckley for her dedication in keeping the plantings watered and the gardens weeded".
Pat Archibald and Lucinda Perry accepting Beauty Spot of the Month Award beside the garden at the front sign, which was recently redesigned to focus more on drought tolerant plants.
Local Awards & Recognition
Library Planters win Beauty Spot Award
The beautiful plantings in the three planters on the front steps of the Cheshire Public Library was named 'Beauty Spot of The Month" for September 2014 by the Cheshire Garden Club. The planters were designed and planted by Club members Tony Poitras and Anupa Simpatico. Plantings include a Dwarf River Birch 'Little King', a Japanese Maple 'Ever Red' and Holly 'Sky Pencil along with a complimentary assortment of perennials and annuals. Pictured are Tony Poitras and Deputy Library Director Deborah Rutter.
Holiday decorations by SGC Members Win Contest
Holiday decorations by Suburban Garden Club members captured first place as well as the two runner-up spots in the 'Public Award" category of the Cheshire Garden Club's holiday door contest.
The first place award recognized the beautiful decorating done by members for the Cheshire Historical Society's Annual Open House. In addition to period appropriate decorations inside the building, members decorated the entrance using evergreen swags and a Biedermeier tree made of live greens and adorned with pine cones and apples.
Runners-up in the Public Award category were the Cheshire Senior Center which members decorated with a handmade wreath, kissing balls, and live greens; and the Public Library, where members used greens, natural branches and decorative lights to add a festive touch to the large beautiful pots the club maintains at the main entrance.
Windowboxes at the Cheshire Senior Center designed and maintained by Club members.