I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends! In November, we had a tour of the gardens at the Hillwood Estate in Washington, DC, led by ODCS member and Hillwood docent Kaki Power. Before taking us through the gardens, Kaki arranged for Hillwood’s greenhouse grower Jarrett Currin to show us the estate’s mum greenhouse, which was full of blooms waiting to be used by Hillwood’s floral design staff. Along the way, Jarrett gave us tips on growing, including the use of different potting soils from Organic Mechanics in Kennett Square, PA (organicmechanicsoil.com). More on that when we order supplies early next year.

Notwithstanding that our plans for an annual member lunch in November didn’t work out, in my view 2025 was a good year for ODCS. Following our annual plant and supply-ordering process early in the year, we had two profitable plant sales, a good crowd at our summer party, a successful show that drew an attendance approaching 300, plus our visit to Hillwood. We kept up our monthly meetings and newsletters, and we’ll finish the year with a number of new members and with our finances in the black (though just barely). All of this was achieved through your efforts and your participation. Many thanks to you all!

ODCS visit to Hillwood Gardens, Nov 11. Pictured: Y.C. Hor-Nash, Camilla Ng, Andy Sherman, Hillwood greenhouse grower Jarrett Currin, Robert Fisher, Warren and Marianne Pfeiffer, Kaki Power, and Marilyn Fisher. Not pictured: Robert and Gail Ewing.

President,
Andrew Sherman

The Old Dominion Chrysanthemum Society’s 50^th annual Chrysanthemum Show was a success, with upwards of 300 people attending. Kudos go to our Show Chair Camilla Ng, Show Treasurer Galen Goss, and all the ODCS members, family, and friends who took part.

The highlights of our Show included the Horticultural Division, the Design Division sponsored by the National Capital Area Garden Clubs with 4 designs, and an Ikebana exhibit sponsored by Ikebana International Chapter 1 with 7 Ikebana arrangements.

A special thanks to Cindy Avila (Neighborhood and Community Services) of James Lee Community Center (JLCC) who helped with our planning, and staff member Mr. Quincy Springs, who took good care of us throughout our Show. This was the fourth year we have held this event at JLCC.

We were honored to have with us a speaker for the Show, Jessica Hall, from Harmony Harvest Farms in the Shenandoah Valley, VA, who gave an informative talk on Sunday about growing mums for cut flowers. The presentation added an educational interest for our visitors.  We hope to see more of Jessica in the future..

We had nine judges in total to fill 3 judges teams.  Seven of the judges traveled great distance to come to our show.  Without them, we would not have had an NCS-Judged Show to uphold the standard of excellence for our growers.

Several ODCS members carried out important tasks during the Show. Dorothy Pines worked in Classification. Tim Moore and Andy Sherman were there for Tabulation. The clerks, hostesses, and runners were Rosemary Smith, Kaki Powers, Shanele Lu, Nathaniel Gjeluci, and Warren and Marianne Pfeiffer. Andy Sherman and Jody Goulden managed hospitality for the breakfast and lunch for the judges and staff on Saturday and lunch on Sunday. Thanks also to Camilla Ng, Andy Sherman, and Doris Shen for contributing plants to the Show’s plant sale.

Last but not least, thanks to those members and friends who helped with preparing for, setting up, and taking down the show. Jacquie Smith handled publicity. Rick Fuller and Andy Sherman were there with their trucks. Former member Farhad Nourbakhsh helped with set up. Andy Rylyk, Shanele Lu, and Nathaniel Gjeluci and his dad Nesti helped with taking down the show. Kirk Johnson helped with publicity, too, and photographed the blooms and exhibits in the Show.

President,
Andrew Sherman

Greetings, everyone!

By now you have had the opportunity to vote on the changes proposed by the Board of the National Chrysanthemum Society (NCS) to its bylaws and annual dues (covering the publication and distribution of The Chrysanthemum). Thank you for taking the time to participate in this important process. Pending the outcome of the vote, the next step for us will be to consider whether additional changes to our annual dues – which like the NCS dues have not changed since 1999 – are needed. Any dues change proposal by the ODCS Board will be publicized to the members in advance of our annual meeting.

We are in the final stage of cultivation of the mums. According to our feeding schedule, we switch back to 20-20-20 in October for maturation. However, if the buds on your plants are still tiny, it is recommended that you continue to give them another round of 10-30-20. Fertilizing is not one size fits all – it depends on your  plants’ bud development. For plants with buds that are starting to show color, you can discontinue fertilizing. 

At our next Zoom meeting – October 13 at 7 pm – we will go over how to prep your blooms for our upcoming Annual Show, provide information on how to fill out on the entry cards, and have an open Q&A.

President,
Andrew Sherman

Greetings, everyone!  I hope you all are doing well, staying cool in the midst of this heat dome and taking care of your mums. For those of you following the ODCS fertilization schedule, the coming weeks will be a busy time of the year.

Tim and Ruthie Moore have once again offered to host our annual Summer Potluck Social. We had a great time two years ago at their lovely backyard and deck. The event will be on Saturday, July 12, at Fairfax, VA, from 3 to 5:30 pm. It will be a good time to share information and tips on growing mums and discuss any problems or concerns with your fellow members.

You are welcome to bring your mum plants for demo or questions. If you have propagated more plants than you’d like to grow, you can gift or swap them with fellow members. Please mark your calendars with this date and RSVP by July 9^th to Camilla Ng (tsuyya@yahoo.com). Bring your favorite potluck: savory and sweet foods of any cuisine are welcome! As always, if you have a friend or family member who is interested in mums, consider providing them a copy of the ODCS Membership Form, which is attached to the email of this newsletter. Have them mail the completed form and dues to the address provided:  Galen Goss, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055.

President,
Andrew Sherman

We’ve finished potting the plants our members ordered for the 2025 growing season in addition to the plants we will offer for sale to the public. By now, all pickups should have been made from Tim Moore’s house.

Many thanks for all the help at this year’s potting activities go to Camilla Ng, Van Avondolio, Dorothy Pines, Tim Moore, Warren and Marianne Pfeiffer, Carol Gaulding, Rosemary Smith, Jody Goulden, Alice Buch, Shanele Lu, and my sister, Lisa Sherman!  Thankfully, the  plant delivery schedule occurred in time to ensure the pickup date on May 3 was met. In the meantime, we’ve had inquiries from local people interested in buying mums from us, which goes to show there continues to be a need for the efforts we make in support of mum growers in the greater DMV area.

Our group supply order was delivered successfully in late April and the orders were prepared for delivery to the members by Van Avondolio and Camilla Ng.  Many thanks for their work on this. For those of you who ordered Marathon and B-NINE, there is specific information below about the use of these products.

The next events are our public sales of mums, starting this coming Saturday, May 10,at the Ayr Hill Garden Club Plant Sale (8 am – 1 PM, on the grounds of the Freeman Store and Museum, 131 Church Street, N.E., Vienna, VA 22180). The following Saturday,  May 17, we’ll be at the Green Spring Gardens Plant Sale (9 am – 3 pm, 4603 Green Spring Rd, Alexandria, VA 22312).  Tell others you know who are interested in mums about these important events!

Many thanks again to Warren Pfeiffer for his presentation on propagating mums from cuttings, delivered at the Zoom meeting on April 14.  For May, there will be no Zoom meeting.

President,
Andrew Sherman

Our participation in the May 10 Ayr Hill Garden Club Plant Sale in Vienna, VA, and in the May 17 Green Spring Gardens Plant Sale in Alexandria, VA, has been approved! Please check the Signup Genius sites listed below to volunteer your help at one or both of these important  events.  Also, don’t miss the opportunity to stop by the American Horticultural Society’s Spring Garden Market April 11 and 12 at River Farm in Alexandria.  Details are in this newsletter.

We were sorry to report that Ed Mascali, a 16-year member of ODCS and a friend to many in our group, passed away last month. Several of us attended his funeral on March 15, which was packed with friends and family. Ed’s obituary has been sent to the National Chrysanthe-mum Society for publication in The Chrysanthemum. As always, if you have a friend or family member who is interested in mums, tell them they can purchase mums from us at our two upcoming plant sales events. Also, consider providing them with a copy of the ODCS Membership Form, which is attached to the email of this newsletter. Have them mail the completed form and dues to the address provided to Galen Goss.

President,
Andrew Sherman