September Club Meeting
September 2026
Monday, September 14, at 7:30 PM
Subject: Native (and Not So Native) Plants in Municipal Environments
Speaker: Elizabeth Payne
“Plant native plants, please!” is a frequent refrain from residents wanting input into plant installations around our municipalities. Sounds easy. The reality and practicality are very different. Oftentimes, what a homeowner can do versus what a municipality can do are vastly different. Elizabeth Payne is in her 7th season working for the South Orange DPW, balancing the many needs and wants of the community in making the town beautiful.
Biography
Elizabeth has been a lifelong gardener, learning classic garden design from her rosarian grandfather and vegetable gardening from her mother. In 2017, she received her Master Gardener certificate from Rutgers. Her professional experience includes working for a horticultural brokerage, selling plant starts to independent garden centers and greenhouses while staying on top of the latest breeding techniques and trends. She is a member of America in Bloom, a national organization of towns sharing information on beautification; AmericanHort, a trade association of horticulturalists; the Essex County Chapter of the Native Plant Society of NJ; and the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers.
Design Exhibit
Theme: Musical Inspiration of the 20th Century – Roaring 20s Swing Music
Each month we will express our interpretation of different musical genres of the 20th century through floral design. Let the rhythm and emotion of music through the decades influence your creativity when designing your arrangement.
Challenge: Creative Transparency Design, see Handbook, pp.72,77.
Intermediate: Creative Line-Mass Design, see Handbook, pp.72,74.
Novice: American Traditional Mass – Asymmetrical L-Shaped Triangle Design, see Handbook, pp.70-71.
Open: Designer’s choice (one entry per member).
Artistic Design Exhibits – Please read “Artistic Design Rules” beginning on page 13 of the MGC Yearbook as well as Chapter 7 of the 2017 revised edition of the Handbook for Flower Shows.
Horticultural Exhibits – Please read “Horticulture Division Rules” beginning on page 14 of the MGC Yearbook as well as Chapter 6 of the 2017 revised edition of the Handbook for Flower Shows.
1. Tomato (maximum 3 varieties per member); if Cherry Tomatoes, must have minimum of 5 of each variety on separate plates
2. One small bouquet of herbs of a single variety, must be fresh herbs and tied together
3. Zinnia, 1 cut stem in a clear glass vase/container
4. Open (maximum 2 entries per member)