Announcements

Teaching Missouri's Children to Plant American Grant Program 

Federated Garden Clubs of Missouri, Inc., has been blessed with a gift for a project and have chosen Grants for Children's Garden Clubs in Missouri.

1. The amount of the grant will depend on the number of youth participants and the project outlined in the application.  Award amount up to $300.

2. Available to new and existing children's clubs sponsored by garden clubs of Federated Garden Clubs of Missouri, Inc.

3. Consideration given to a one-time event sponsored and carried out by a carden club in the Federation where there is no children's garden Club.

4. Grants available until fund is exhausted.

5. Report results in 6 months.

So, apply for the Children’s Grant Program titled “Teaching Missouri’s Children to Plant America”, to help fund your program. Our members generously voted at convention to match the monies we had been given that started the grant. So, we have money to spend to support your new Children’s Programs! But you must apply!

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FGCM'S Betty Jones Memorial Gazebo -

The Betty Jones Memorial Gazebo on the Missouri State Fairgrounds in Sedalia was built in 1993 for $5,400.00 from the donations from the 243 Missouri Federated Garden Clubs and its members. President June Kummer spear-headed this project with the assistance from many other dedicated garden club members. The octagon-shaped gazebo was dedicated in memory of longtime garden club member Betty Jones for her love and support of gardening and flower shows in the West Central District and her kindness to others. Visitors to the state fair enjoy the gazebo as a place of rest and occasionally, musical entertainment during the two-week fair.

Over the years, garden clubs have made Club Contributions on the Club President’s Report to maintain this beautiful structure. Club contributions have dropped from 172 garden clubs in 2002 to 70 clubs in 2021, which explains a decrease in funds available.

This fund pays for cleaning the wood, staining, resealing and repairs. Every 3 0r 4 years the gazebo requires power cleaning and re-staining. This cost varies from $1200.00 to $1500.00 as a private company is hired to do this job.

The money also pays for maintaining the landscape around the gazebo: Removal of dead and overgrown plants, purchasing plants and replacing flowers, shrubs and trees, the needed weeding and mulching, water hoses for watering, and bright flower baskets to be hung in the gazebo before the first week of the state fair. Volunteers from Sedville Petal Pushers Garden Club have assumed some of these duties, however, some landscaping must be contracted.

The Board of Directors voted to use the convention overage in 2005, 2016 and 2017 to offset the larger expenditures. In 2016, the BOD voted to use up to $1,000.00 annually, if needed, from the convention overage to cover the costs of ongoing gazebo maintenance.

Have you visited our Betty Jones Memorial Gazebo and sat on the benches viewing the other fair-goers while taking a rest? Have you seen the Blue Star Byway Marker in front of the gazebo? Have you visited FGCM’s State Fair Flower Show? Does your garden club contribute to gazebo maintenance annually through Club Contributions? Maybe your garden club would like to take a day trip on the first Wednesday during the Missouri State Fair to visit the Federation Day Flower Show held in the adjacent Floriculture Building? You can have lunch on the fairgrounds with friends and visit the many booths and exhibits, sit and visit awhile in our Betty Jones Memorial Gazebo. Enjoy yourself!

Native Plant Database Info: -

For a native plant database, Top Ten native plant lists, a resource guide to suppliers of native plant products and services, and many other native plant resources, visit www.grownative.org

Missouri Wildflower Resolutions -

FEDERATED GARDEN CLUBS OF MISSOURI, INC

MISSOURI WILDFLOWER RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, an objective of the Federated Garden Clubs of Missouri, Inc., is to aid in the protection and conservation of our natural resources, and to cooperate with other agencies furthering the interests of Horticulture and Conservation, be it RESOLVED:

1. That any plant listed as Critically Imperiled or Imperiled Status as identified by the Department of Conservation under Constitutional authority rule 3CSR10-4.111 of the Wildlife Code of Missouri be protected: Never to be picked, dug, seeds removed, or shown in flower shows at any time.

2. Critically Imperiled or Imperiled plant species should never be picked, dug, seed removed or shown in flower shows at any time, even though they are not rare or endangered, recognizing that these plants will not survive transplanting.

CRITICALLY IMPERILED (S1) INDICATES IMPERILED IN THE NATION OR STATE BECAUSE OF EXTREME RARITY OR BECAUSE OF SOME FACTOR/S MAKING IT ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE TO EXTIRPATION FROM THE STATE (5 PER 1,000).

IMPERILED (S2) BECAUSE OF ITS RARITY OR SOME FACTOR/S MAKING IT VERY VULNERABLE TO EXTIRPATION FROM THE STATE (6 PER 1,000).

3. That any plant not listed may be shown in flower shows, cut dug or seeds collected with utmost care and concern, in accordance with #4 below; and only if locally abundant, such that the taking of the plants does not visually or ecologically impair the population.

4. That NONE of the flora on public property be dug, cut, plucked, pulled or taken or possessed in any manner; and that no plant on private property be dug, cut or seeds collected without the consent of the property owner.

5. Collecting or possessing wild plants or seeds must be authorized by a Letter of Authorization for Plant Collecting Permit by the Missouri Department of Conservation.

6. That no wild-collected native plants be purchased from nurseries for display or planting so that unethical collecting for commercial purposes will be discouraged.

7. That each district shall, with the advice of the Federation’s Conservation Chairman, take whatever action it deems feasible to protect in specific areas, rare flora of limited range, including cooperation with the Missouri Native Plant Society and The Nature Conservancy, and in otherwise protecting its flora in its native habitat.

Adopted by the Federated Garden Clubs of Missouri, Inc. (FGCM) in 2010.

Where to Find the Updated List for Missouri Wildflowers:

Federated Garden Clubs of Missouri, Inc. fgcmo.org

Missouri Conservation Department mdc.mo.gov

Missouri Plants of Conservation Concern

This site shows photos and line drawings of plants as well as listed scientific and common names.

United States Wildflowers uswildflowers.com

US Fish and Wildlife Service

usfws: Endangered Species in Missouri/State and County Lists

wildflower.org

Lady Bird Johnson’s Wildflower Center – A great source for finding the scientific and common names and pictures of wildflowers.

Missourians For Monarchs -

https://monarchjointventure.org/ 

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Walmart Community Giving Program -

This money can be applied for various things, and for the clubs that would like monetary help to keep their Blue Star Memorials upgraded with flowers, shrubs, mulch, etc...

Not all Walmart Locations may participate in this program.  The best method would be to approach the location, and speak to the store manager.  Some clubs have had much success with this program!

Grow Native! Program Takes Root with the Missouri Prairie Foundation -

News Release: July 11, 2012 

Contact: Carol Davit, Missouri Prairie Foundation, 888-843-6739, grownative@moprairie.com

" Bringing Nature Home" author Doug Tallamy....a program from 4 years ago but many things remain the same.

 Grow Native! Program Takes Root with the Missouri Prairie Foundation

A special ceremony “transplanting” Grow Native! to its new home will be on August 30 in Jefferson City, following a presentation by Doug Tallamy, acclaimed author of Bringing Nature Home.

Ten years ago, purple coneflowers, prairie grasses, and other beautiful and resilient native plants were less common in landscaping than they are today. A decade of work by the Grow Native! program, however, has increased the use of natives in the state dramatically. This summer, the successful native plant awareness program reaches another milestone: beginning July 1, it has a new home with the Missouri Prairie Foundation.

In 2002, the Missouri Department of Conservation began Grow Native! to promote the use of native Missouri plants in landscapes, with the Missouri Department of Agriculture later joining in as a partner. Being part of governmental agencies placed constraints on the program, so the Missouri Department of Conservation assembled a team of Grow Native! members to look at options for moving the program to another home. After looking at a variety of options, the team decided MPF would be an ideal fit for the program.

“We are extremely pleased the Missouri Prairie Foundation is the new home of this wonderful program,” said Mike Huffman, Outreach and Education Division Administrator for Missouri Department of Conservation. “The Missouri Prairie Foundation has, for nearly 50 years, been conserving native landscapes and promoting native plants. It’s a great fit.”

While Grow Native! will no longer be part of the Missouri Department of Conservation, the agency is committed to continual promotion of the use of native plants through educational programs, work with private landowners, and on its public properties.

The missions of the Grow Native! program and the Missouri Prairie Foundation are similar. Both are dedicated to educating the public about native plants and the benefits of using them in small and large landscapes and preserving existing native landscapes. The Missouri Prairie Foundation was formed in 1966 by a group of citizens concerned with the loss of native prairie. Since then, the 501(c)(3) organization has protected more than 3,000 acres of prairie, has a membership of more than 1,400, supports prairie research, and has an active outreach program, including the publication of the Missouri Prairie Journal, workshops, prairie and glade tours, and grassland wildlife advocacy activities.

“The Missouri Prairie Foundation leadership is pleased to take Grow Native! under its wing,” said Foundation president Stan Parrish. “We are a hands-on organization with numerous volunteers who are enthusiastic about protecting original landscapes and about native plant gardening. We’re eager to get started.”

Many features of the Grow Native! program will remain the same: the website (www.grownative.org) is being redesigned with a fresh look, but retains its popular, native plant database, buyer’s guide, and native landscaping guides. As in the past, Landscaping with Missouri in Mind workshops will be held in various parts of the state, the annual Grow Native! Professional Membership meeting will continue to inform green industry professionals about the latest trends in native landscaping, and many other membership benefits will continue to be offered to Grow Native! Professional members.

Some new initiatives are planned as well: the Missouri Prairie Foundation intends to engage in more outreach with various entities, including counties and municipalities, to organize Grow Native! plant sales, and to support more native landscaping projects.

A brief Grow Native! ceremony to “transplant” the program to its new home is planned for August 30 at the Native Plant Laboratory on the Lincoln University campus in Jefferson City. The ceremony and will follow the ticketed “Bringing Nature Home” lecture by author Doug Tallamy, organized by Lincoln University Cooperative Extension. 

For more information about the August 30 event, about Grow Native!, the Missouri Prairie Foundation, or how to become a member of the Missouri Prairie Foundation or a Grow Native! Professional member, visit www.grownative.org, call 888-843-6739, or send a message to grownative@moprairie.com.