Education

Texas Garden Clubs, Inc. offers a wide variety of in depth studies.  No matter what your interest is in horticulture — growing superb flowers, knowing what is a superb flower, designing a landscape that is environmental-friendly or using that plant material in an exquisite floral design, we have it!  Come join us.

FLOWER SHOW SCHOOLS

Chair:   Karen Murrell

Why not join us in our fun and informative hobby of being NGC, Inc. Flower Show Judges?  You will love being a judge and will meet interesting and informative people.   Any member of a member garden club may be National Garden Clubs Flower Show Judge.   As well as belonging to a garden club, it requires taking four Flower Show School Classes over two years.  There is homework but the rewards are many.  You gain knowledge about horticulture and floral design through your studies.  In judging Flower Shows, discover new and interesting plant material and unusual designs.  During the schools, judging and studying, the people who come into your life will share their knowledge, their interest and their love of horticulture.

The Registration Form is available on the Forms page under “Registration Forms”

CREDENTIAL CHAIR

Chair:  Rachel Clark

Chair keeps record of status and good standing expiration dates for all Accredited Flower Show Judges, creates files for each newly Accredited Judge, and advises judges whose expiration date is approaching.  In addition, the Chair notifies the Judge and Symposium Registrar of approval to attend for credit, sending approved applications for advanced judging status to NGC Symposium Chair.  With the Symposium Registrar, the Chair checks attendance of all symposium sessions and on completion of course, creates two copies of the Good Standing form for all Accredited Master Judges, presenting one completed copy to Judge and keeping one copy for files. Once Symposium is accredited, Credentials Chair updates records of all judges who attended and passed the point scoring test. 

SYMPOSIUMS

Chair:  Patti Brown

After you pass your Handbook Exam you are an accredited judge.  In order to continue your quest for knowledge there are symposiums.  These advanced studies are needed to continue to be a well-informed judge.  There is much to be learned about the field of horticulture from other judges.  This will be a constant and growing knowledge to be enjoyed all your life.  Emeritus Judges are retired and revered by their friends as very knowledgeable but they may no longer judge.

LANDSCAPE DESIGN SCHOOLS

Please mail your LDS Registration Form to
Chair:  Michele Wehrheim
1218 Haines Dr.
College Station, TX  77840

The National Garden Clubs and Texas Garden Clubs, Inc. welcome all students, both members and non-members, to its educational program in Landscape Design.  The NGC Board of Directors adopted the regulations to govern this educational program, a series of four courses on Landscape Design training, on October 7, 1958.  It was established in order to develop in its membership a greater appreciation of the environment, both natural and man-made, in keeping with its Bylaw Article II, Number 5, “to advance the fine art of gardening, landscape design, and the study of horticulture.”

The diversity of the course curriculum, from history of landscape design to that of contemporary landscape architecture, appeals to a broad range of interests.  Its well-regarded instructional staff, setting high standards for students, has helped to maintain the superior status of this continuing education program.  Members who complete the series, passing the examinations with grades of 70 or above, are eligible to receive the Consultants Certification Card, a NGC credential.  This certification does not qualify the graduate to go into professional practice, but is recognized as a sign of special achievement among NGC members.

Objectives of the Landscape Design Study Program:

  • Develop a greater sense of appreciation, pride, and knowledge about our private and public gardens.
  • Become better educated to make changes in our surroundings so that they will be more beautiful, useful, convenient, ecologically sound, and easily maintained.
  • Stimulate interest in all phases of landscape design, including community planning, that will affect all of our lives.
  • Develop a contingent of qualified Landscape Design Consultants to serve in such decision-making areas of public life as providing leadership, educational programs, scholarships, awards, and promoting better landscape design.

Visit the Southern Garden section of the Aggie Horticulture web site for information on dates and registration forms when available.

The Registration Form is available on the Forms page under “Registration Forms”.

GARDENING STUDY SCHOOLS

Chair:  

All gardeners can become accomplished horticulturists.  The Gardening Study School courses offered by TGC, Inc. and NGC, Inc. can assist members in achieving this goal!  They are designed to stimulate interest in growing plant materials to their peak of perfection.  Subjects covered are soils, weather conditions, pest and disease control agents, growth regulators, plant propagation, plant identification, growing techniques for garden plants, vegetables, fruits, houseplants, trees and shrubs, and specialized styles of gardening.  One can learn more about gardening than they thought possible. Anybody interested in gardening will enjoy attending these courses and becoming a “Gardening Consultant”.

Registration Form can be found on the Forms page under “Registration”.

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY SCHOOLS

Chair:  Sarah McReynolds

The Environmental Studies Schools are designed to help the general public become aware of, and concerned about, the total environment and its associated problems.  It will give the knowledge, attitude, motivation, skill and commitment to work individually and collectively toward solutions of current problems and the prevention of new ones.

The Registration Form can be found on the Forms page under “Registration Forms”

AWARDS

TGC VP AWARDS:     Sherrie Clarkson

Attention: Awards forms are to be mailed to:
Sherrie Clarkson
P.O. Box 395
Mason, TX 76856
325-347-5762

This committee is one of the most active in the Texas Garden Clubs, Inc.   These awards help give clubs focus and a sense of pride in accomplishments for the year.   Awards may involve special educational programs suited for a club’s interest, creation of a butterfly garden within the neighborhood, partnership with a scout troop on a project, or maybe a community beautification projects.  During the year, clubs around the state are busy pursuing their goals and filling out forms detailing these accomplishments.   At the Spring State Convention, the Awards Banquet is much anticipated.  Clubs are recognized by their peers for their accomplishments.  After individual club accomplishment awards are given out, the Banquet ends with Clubs of the Year being recognized.

AWARD FORMS can be found on the ” FORMS” page

District Awards Chair Information

Welcome and thanks to each of you who have taken on the important duties of receiving and judging award entries for the 2019- 2021 administration.   I look forward to working with and for you.  Let’s make this a most successful awards program and encourage as many clubs as possible to participate.

Review any materials passed on to you by the previous Chairman.  If you do not have a procedure notebook, prepare one. Be sure to include:

1. Awards Brochure (Newly Revised 2019).  This new brochure is found on the TGC Website under the FORMS section and contains information for not only TGC Awards, but also NGC and SCR awards.  You may print your personal copy of this brochure or simply refer to it online.  A copy can be purchased from Headquarters if you wish.  Call to order your copy at 817-332-6602.  

2. The revised National Garden Club Awards link can also be found on the website under the FORMS.  It is also included as Section II in the New Awards Brochure.  Any changes, updates and/or corrections to these awards will be posted in The National Gardener magazine.

3. Changes, updates and/or corrections to the TGC Awards, Section I, of the New Awards Brochure will be posted in The Lone Star Gardener magazine.

4. Other information regarding your chairmanship.

As a State Chairman you are responsible for guidance of your corresponding District Awards Chairmen. A list of these chairmen is provided for you.  Please urge them to have a procedure notebook containing the above materials.  A list of suggestions is enclosed which you may amend if you wish before sending on to your District Chairmen.  A report form for the District Chairmen to send back to you and form(s) for you to send your report(s) to me are enclosed also.  Photocopy these suggestions and forms as needed to provide necessary documents for you and your District Chairmen.   Any of these forms may be downloaded and used.

Deadlines

November 1 –   Award Entries to District Chairman
December 1 –   Award Entries from District Chairmen to State Chairman
December 15 – Award Entries from State Chairmen to State Awards Chairman (TGC VP-Awards)

Guidelines For Judging

1. It is VERY IMPORTANT that points NOT be deducted for anything not SPECIFICALLY in the Scale of Points for that award.

2. When points are deducted, tell why they were deducted. It is frustrating to clubs to have points deducted but no reason given.  Clubs need to know how to improve their entries next time.

3. Be sure the deduction is warranted. If points are deducted for an omitted item, make certain that the item was not inadvertently overlooked.

4. All who serve as judges should be informed, competent and fair.  They do not have to be Flower Show Judges, but they should be familiar with awards and using a Scale of Points.  They should take time to adequately evaluate each entry and give clubs the benefit of the doubt. They should not be too strict or technical.  It is better to err in favor of the club.  A club that is “cut down” severely will probably not enter again.  Let’s do what we can to fairly encourage our clubs to join in the Awards Program!

Forms

Please note: National Garden Clubs Rules and Awards are published in the September/October issue of The National Gardener in odd-numbered years; changes and/or corrections are published in the even-numbered years.  Changes in rules and award requirements published in The National Gardener will take precedence over the TGC Awards Brochure.

The NGC Website as well as the link on the TGC Website and the New Awards Brochure are all available for the new rules from National Garden Clubs.

Tips For Filling Out Forms 

We are aware of all the frustrations you have filling out the forms.  Pages 1-9 of the New Awards Brochure are full of very valuable information and need to be read and re-read…they will answer most of your questions.

The Awards Procedure has a new Cover Sheet to be filled out and attached to your awards’ submissions.  This form is available in WORD format in the New Awards Brochure on page 5.  So, here is a tip.  You can save the form to your computer and fill it out as you need to.  The 3-page award itself can be typed on your computer and saved in WORD also.  The Cover Sheet is not included in the 3-page limit.  So, you have gained a whole 1/2  page to brag on yourselves.

Also, when forms are submitted by the Chairmen to the web master, they are uploaded “as is” to the site.   If anyone sees a problem with the formatting of the form, please email Headquarters and they will notify the Chairman that submitted the form for corrections to be made.