District IV News Items 

• The October Membership Newsletter is available to our membership.  It is housed in this website in the District IV Membership Publications section under our Resources menu.  It's a great overview of our clubs and members and their place in the affiliates comprising the state, the deep south, and the national/international garden clubs. AND if you are interested in applying for the Nell Coe Award next year, the Membership Handbook referenced in this publication will give you a great start with 101 ways!

• Spring-Summer 2023 Newsletter has been mailed to District club presidents.  It contains the list of our events, information on Wekiva and SEEK's anniversaries,  the FFGC Centennial Convention, and Awards.  Be sure to ask your president to email your copy, or read it at the site's Resources...Publications archive.

• Fall 2023 District meeting is October 24.  The host garden club is Ribault Garden Club of Jacksonville Beach.   More details will be announced at a later date.

• The Fall issue of The Florida Gardener 2023 has been published.  The Deep South Garden Clubs has resumed its newsletter.  You can catch up on both these publications as well as blogs, NGC's Video Cafe, Landscape Design newsletter, and other publications by visiting the Publications page at this site. Your District has a newsletter and a membership newsletter.  These can also be  found at our Publications page.

• District IV is holding the 4th course in the Landscape Design School (Series 38) from October 25-26 at University of North Florida, 11820 Central Parkway, Bldg 64, Jacksonville 32224.  Free Parking, lunch included each day, two garden tours and design evaluations.  See the Event Brochure to register.  For a complete description of all National Garden Club Schools, and FFGC Symposia and Short Courses, see the Schools Calendar page.

• District IV GardenFest will be at University of Florida IFAS Extension at Duval County .  The date is November 3.  Master Gardeners are invited to attend and may be eligible to earn CEUs; confirm this with your Extension Agent in advance.  Use the registration form to sign up. 

• GardenFest Planning.  All garden clubs are asked to participate in the effort to make GardenFest a success.  The initial planning meeting is September 22   from 10-12 held at the auditorium of the Duval County Extension facility (1010 N McDuff Ave, Jacksonville).  RSVP to Steven Davies by Aug 22.  See the Calendar page for more details.

• Florida's Back to School Tax Holiday runs from July 24 through August 6.  See the Florida Department of Revenue page for details.

• FFGC's Short Course North runs from August 10-11 in District 1.  Classroom site is Cantonment.  Registration deadline (and last day for refunds) is August 1.  See the course description and registration form at the FFGC Education, Short Course North section.  Non-members are invited.  Master Gardeners may receive 6 hours of CEU credit upon approval of your horticultural agent.

• Florida Department of Internal Revenue - Freedom Summer Sales Tax Holiday 5/29 through 9/4.  Many items associated with outdoor activites are tax free during the summer.  See the FAQ for the list and the rules.

• The National Garden Clubs Summer 2023 issue has been delivered to your inbox.  Read about the upcoming schools (including an article on important landscape design principles), flower arranging and judging, a review of the varieties of Oasis foam for your floral arrangements, and an introduction the NGC Officers and Executive Committee.  If you did not get a copy of the publication, visit the Publications page on this website.  Also, contact the District Social Media Chairman, Dianne Battle battled@gmail.com, for advice.  

• Please update your club's yearbooks.  Use the link to the 2023 -2025 Club Yearbook Information and the Logos for 2023 FFGC and other organizations.

• District IV's website has been updated for 2023. Pages that have been changed show the date updated in the upper left section of the page (above the page title).

• FFGC sadly announces that Tina Tuttle's husband has passed away after a long illness.  If you would like to send a card, please send it to FFGC Headquarters, www.ffgc.org. 

• Lunch and Learn Workshop for New Leaders, June 21.  Registration is open for new club officers and District IV Chairmen.  The deadline is  June 16.  Take this opportunity to get to know your fellow officers and get a leg up on your responsibilities. Your clubs and District appreciate your volunteerism, so find out how to be the most effective asset with a minimum of stress.  Direct questions to the Registrar, Steve Davies.  Read the call letter.

• The Summer Edition of The Florida Gardener is in your email Inbox.  It is also archived on the Publications page of this website.  Meet our new District Officers and Directors.  Celebrate our Award Winners, and read about what's happening in our FFGC Clubs.

• June 15, 2023, 9:30-11AM. Dedication of a New Building at the F.F.G.C. Wekiva Youth Camp. Please join us, along with the Todd family, for the dedication of this building at an onsite ceremony. A reception and tour of the building will follow the ceremony. Lunch is available at noon. The Wekiva Youth Camp is located at 1800 Wekiwa Circle, Apopka, FL 32712. Kindly R.S.V.P. to:  Tina Tuttle,  TTuttle1954@gmail.com

• National Garden Week 6/4-6/10.  The National Garden Week posting features promotional materials and ideas to involve your community in celebrating horticulture, nature, or flower arranging.  You might even pick up a new member or two!   FFGC offers an award (#66 National Garden Week) for the clubs with the best programs; see the FFGC awards descriptions.

• Florida Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday is 8/26-9/8.  See the Florida Disaster Preparedness website for information on what is tax exempt and for a free disaster preparedness kit.  You should also check your county's emergency management/preparedness website for the location of shelters, the frequency of NOAA weather broadcasts, evacuation routes, and supplies for the occasion.

• The Spring 2023 District IV Meeting is May 16.  The Garden Club of Middleburg will be hosting the meeting at 2030 Wells Road in Orange Park.  The cost of registration (including a plated lunch) is $30 and must be received by April 29.  The cost for registrations received after 4/29 is $35.  Click here for more information from the Call Letter.

• National Garden Club's Last Membership Monday is 4/17 at 2 pm Eastern Time for an overview of NGC's Environmental School. including the curriculum and course content - presented by NGC Chairwoman Pat Rupiper.  As a bonus, we will also discuss Tri-Refreshers and how they can help students keep up with their credentials.  Register at the NGC Membership Mondays Resources web page.

• National Garden Clubs Environmental School turns 30! To celebrate, our District has created a separate Calendar Schools page to help you sign up for all the educational opportunities that are yours as a member of a federated garden club. 

• The Spring issue of the National Garden Clubs' National Gardener is available.  You can subscribe to have the newsletter emailed to you - no paper copies anymore.  

• The Latest Edition of the District IV Runner, Winter 2023 is available.  See the Publications page under the Resources menu.

• Registration deadline for the 96th FFGC Convention 2023 is March 27!  Tentative program agenda and hotel reservations are at the FFGC 96th Convention 2023 notice. 

• IMPORTANT UPDATE  The due date for the Nell Coe Award #61 applications has been postponed to 3/20/2023.  Please complete the award application with your membership number as of Sept 2021 and your membership number as of March 2023. Then send in any pictures you have of new members enjoying your events.  You might win $200 for your club.

• Amazon Smile options will be ending February 20.  Thanks for your support!

• The Spring 2023 Issue of The Florida Gardener is available!

• FLOWER SHOW SCHOOL - Have you ever thought about going to Flower Show School? Hosting a school in your area?  Membership Monday February 13th at 2:00pm EST features an NGC Flower Show School primer.  This is a workshop ABOUT flower show school so you can decide if it's right for you and your garden club friends.  Register in Advance!

• Conventions are just around the corner.  Click here and scroll to the bottom of the calendar page.

• Do you love birds, wildflowers, trash (???!??!).  February has all of these attractions, including finding treasure in items that SOME people would call "trash".  See our Facebook page for all our clubs have to offer.

• Life is for Learning.  Take a National Garden Clubs School.  To learn more about what these schools have to offer, click on the National Garden Clubs  Schools menu, and scroll down to the School Videos section.  There you will find three 2-minute videos about each school:  Environmental, Gardening,  and Landscape Design.  If you are interested in a particular school, scroll down the same page to  the Find a Course section, click the school of interest, then browse the schedule of classes. 

• Congratulations to the Garden Clubs of Green Cove Springs, Orange Park, and Switzerland for being awarded grants from Plant America.  See the National Garden Clubs Plant America Grants Page for all the winners. 

• FFGC matching grants submissions are due by January 15. If you qualify, FFGC will award a matching grant of up to $500. See the grant description and awards form.

• Deep South Garden Clubs has changed its website address.  The new address is:  deepsouthgardenclubs.com (https://www.deepsouthgardenclubs.com).

• Wekiva Youth Camp is accepting applications in January.   This camp is a sellout every summer.  Now is the time to review the Wekiva Youth Camp website and find out what the procedures are for enrolling a child in a session; see the links in the right-hand column.  And YOU can go to camp too!  Volunteers are always needed and most of them return each year .  See our District IV Fall 2022 Issue of The Runner;  Steve Davies can tell you how a first-time volunteer turns into a returning volunteer!  

• NGC is holding the last Membership Monday webinar online on December 12 from 2-3PM.  The topic:  exploring the various NGC awards that clubs can apply for through their state and hear from winners about their projects.   Registration required; go to the Membership Mondays link at the Member Resources page and select the webinar registration link.  Also, click the Subscribe to our mailing list for future meeting invitations!

• District IV GardenFest was at Ravine Gardens  on November 18.   Master Gardeners are eligible to earn CEUs; confirm this with your Extension Agent in advance.    Click the GardenFest image in the right-hand column, or see the slideshow of the GardenFest 2022 at the Photo Gallery page.

• Blue Star Memorial Rededication 11/11 at 2PM.  Bad weather from Hurricane Nicole did not keep the Hibiscus Circle of the Garden Club of St. Augustine from rededicating a blue star memorial honoring all our service personnel. See the article in the Fall 2022 District Runner.  The Spring 2022 District Runner discussed the history and purpose of the Blue and Gold Star memorials  Click on the image of the blue star memorial to the right.

• Our District IV Fall 2022 newsletter is available. The Florida Gardener Winter edition is also in circulation; it has detailed organizational information and upcoming events and oppotunities  A MUST read!  See our Publications page for links to the newsletters.

• FFGC will turn 100 on April 24, 2024.  Plans are being made today.  District IV is supporting those plans with a $1,000 donation for the big event.  A very special project is underway.  One that needs every clubs' participation.  First Vice President, Tina Tuttle, has agreed to make a  Centennial Quilt, composed of squares from each club belonging to FFGC.  If your club has not volunteered to make a quilt, contact Tina.  Be a part of  FFGC history.

• The Garden Club of Jacksonville is offering a FFGC Floral Design Study Series starting on January 9.  See the six-part study series  You can sign up for classes individually or take the entire series at the registration page.   See the study series description at FFGC Floral Design Study.

• The Garden Club of Switzerland has rejoined District IV.  Read about the Club at the Meet a Club Section in the website, and click on the link, Switzerland Garden Club.  

• District IV Fall Meeting  2022 was held Tuesday, October  25.  The meeting was hosted by the Garden Club of St. Augustine.  Many thanks to their members for their efforts.  FFGC President, Marge Hendon, was our special guest of honor.   FFGC had prepared a slideshow of FFGC initiatives and information (see the Resources/Meeting Archives page for the slideshow).   Our speaker was Terra Freeman, Horticultural Agent. The slideshow of our District IV Fall 2022 meeting is posted in the Photo Gallery.

• Keep  sending in those photos of you Planting America and Playing Outdoors!  See the slide show to the right.

• It's beginning to look a lot like the holidays!  Mark your calendars for two traditional holiday events the first week in December.  Plan ahead and send in your registration fees now for:

  • Garden Club of St. Augustine Holiday Tour of Homes:  Sunday, December 4, noon-5PM  $40  see Registration info. 

  • Ribault Garden Club Home for the Holidays:  Thursday, December 1.  9AM-noon.  $20. See flyer

• Course 3 of the NGC Landscape Design School, is slated for January 31- Feb 1.  See the FFGC Education Listing. For more information, contact the Registrar, Linda Broadrick 404-281-8991.

• The Garden Club of Jacksonville has had to postpone the Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow Flower Show.  Look for the event in 2023.

• Mark your calendars for the 2023 Florida Federation of Garden Clubs Convention and Installation in April in Kissimmee!  NOW is your chance to enter for the Opportunity Drawing Prizes to be held April 20.  The theme is Worlds of Wonder (WOW) Recycled. 

• The Garden Club of Jacksonville's Open House for their 100th Anniversary was held on 10/6.  Let's all celebrate the event by enjoying the photos.

• Register for the NGC Membership Monday presentations- 2nd Monday in the month via zoom.  See the Member Resources page then click on the Membership Monday section.

• Help us keep this website up-to-date!  Please check your own club's information at this site by clicking on the Clubs menu and opening the embedded District IV Clubs list. If anything needs to be changed, please contact the webmaster!  This site should be a good informational source for you, and with your help, we can keep it this way!

• Are you interested in learning about the environment?  Are you an environmental consultant in need of refreshing?  See the District IV facebook posting announcing new ESS courses in Florida.

• The Fall issue of The Florida Gardener has been distributed.   You should have received a copy in your email or your mailbox.  If you haven't, contact FFGC.  In the meantime you can read the magazine (and archived articles) at our Publications page, under the Resources menu.

• The Garden Clubs of Orange Park and Ribault have new, simpler website names.  Save yourself some typing by using them: www.gardencluboforangepark.org and www.ribaultgc.org   And please check your own club's information at this site by clicking on the Clubs menu and opening the embedded District IV Clubs list. If anything needs to be changed, please contact the webmaster!

• Attention District IV Clubs.  If you have not already done so, please mail your $1 per member District IV dues to our new Treasurer, Sadako Long.  See the updated Leadership information.  Thoughts and prayers to former-treasurer, Linda Topp, for a successful recovery.

• Congratulations to FFGC Garden Clubs.  These clubs and individuals won some very prestigious NGC awards.  Top Honors:  Deep South Regional Award of Honor - Mary Whistler, Flower Show Achievements (District VIII and Sarasota Garden Club) , and for the Largest Per Capita Increase in Life Membership (FFGC). NGC Members of Honor:  Mary Whistler, Deep South.

• National Garden Club Virtual Workshops.  Last year's workshops are archived at the NGC Resources page.  Click on the Membership Mondays and Video Cafe sections :

  • Membership Mondays resume in August (second Monday of the month from 2-3PM Eastern time)   Topics include how to attract and retain members, applying for NGC awards and grants, overviews of NGC schools, etc.   Registration required; use the Membership Mondays link at the Member Resources page.  

  • Workshop Wednesdays (third Wednesday of the month) provides help with all hat new technology you wish you knew more about such as image editing with Canva, using Zoom for virtual meetings, and using your Smartphone.