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FFGC COURSES and NGC SCHOOLS

This contains a list of downloadable documents including NGC School Guidelines, Zoom Guidelines, Refresher Guidelines, Directories, and necessary forms. 

FFGC SCHOOL/WORKSHOPS

The Florida Federation of Garden Clubs and the National Garden Clubs, Inc. provide a wide variety of educational opportunities for study: environment, horticulture, landscape design, floral arrangement, and flower show judging to name a few. View and register for upcoming class on the right or view the whole calendar to find more classes.

For a summary of courses, please see below. (For youth programs and scholarships, please see the page)

Federated Garden Club Members are eligible for discounts on some programs and courses. Also, members can apply for Four Star Membership upon completions of the Four NGC Schools sponsored by FFGC. See more at the end of the course description list below.

FFGC FLORAL DESIGN STUDY SERIES

DESCRIPTION:

The Basic 1-6 Floral Design Classes are a wonderful opportunity to learn design skills for home and flower shows.  The instructors teach you basic line designs to more advanced floral designs including table designs and those using accessories and features.  You learn proper skills in handling different plant materials.  You also learn when to cut and how to harden the plant materials so they will retain moisture longer.   This is a hands-on opportunity with skills you learn and then use in a design to take home.  Your instructors are all Flower Show Judges what have been certified to teach these skills.

The Advanced Floral Design Classes 7-9 are a continuation of learning how to use your newfound skills with more advanced design types and techniques. 

Contact: Jan Griffin            Floral Design Unit Descriptions

GO TO THE EVENT TAB (CALENDAR) TO VIEW MORE CLASSES

Upcoming Events

  • No upcoming events

FFGC "FUN WITH FLOWERS"

This hands-on, make-it-and-take-it-program affords your club a wonderful opportunity for attracting new members, raising funds, endless creativity, community involvement, sharing your talents, appealing to young and old, men, women, and kids. Combine crafts with flowers, fellowship, and, most of all, FUN! Contact Emilie Palmieri               

Upcoming Events

  • Please see the EVENTS calendar for a "Fun with Flowers" event in your area.

FFGC HORTICULTURE STUDIES

Digging It! is Florida’s NGC Award winning Horticulture Study Series covering topics such as Nomenclature, Annuals, Perennials, Bulbs, Containers, Arboreal, Fruits and Vegetables, Vines and others. This program has 14 optional topics to trade in and out to suit your area and interests. After the first course, the others can be taken in any order. Individual topic outlines can be used for garden club, junior gardener or horticulture therapy programs. This is a hands-on workshop, informally formatted program with a certificate upon completion of all 10 lessons in two years’ time. A General Guide and a 171 page Instructor’s Manual are available for purchase. Contact your District Horticulture Chairman to find out if and when a “Digging It!” series is being held in your area. 

State Coordinator: Tina Tuttle

Upcoming Events

  • No upcoming events

FFGC SHORT COURSE NORTH

Short Course North is a two-day event held yearly in the Florida Panhandle every August. It is an exclusive FFGC educational opportunity with speakers, horticulture and design, workshops, field trips, food, vendors and door prizes.  A variety of topics related to gardening, landscaping, and the environment are explored. Speakers represent IFAS, area growers, and other knowledgeable plant experts. 

Chairman: Joanne Connor                                    

Upcoming Events

  • No upcoming events

FFGC TROPICAL SHORT COURSE

Tropical Short Course is an annual two-day educational event sponsored by FFGC and District X. This course incorporates speakers on the environment, gardening, landscape and floral design. There also is a Chinese auction and vendors. Those attending the event come away from Tropical Short Course with new information, ideas and most important a desire to reach out to fellow gardeners, and friends about what they learned.

Chairman: Maria Wolfe

Upcoming Events

  • No upcoming events

FFGC/UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA SHORT COURSE

Annual FFGC/UF event held in Gainesville. Leaders in horticulture and design speaking throughout the event.  Qualifies as a Tri-Refresher.

Chairman:  Carol Binello

Upcoming Events

NGC ENVIRONMENTAL SCHOOL

Mission Statement:

“To teach environmental literacy to cherish, protect, and conserve the living earth.”

NGC Environmental School (ES) was developed to teach the science behind many of today’s environmental issues, most of which are quite complex. How people can make a significant effect in their homes and communities is stressed.

The school consists of a series of four two-day sessions, focusing on the living earth, land, air and water issues.  Particular emphasis is placed on regional issues as they relate to the land, air, water, plants, and animals.  This is particularly important in Florida with its unique environment and geology.  The curriculum is constantly reviewed and periodically updated to reflect new concerns and changing situations.   The required field trip in each course is an opportunity to directly explore the special interests and issues for that region.

Instructors are professionals in their fields or have the requisite higher education to make the classes interesting, relevant, and meaningful.

FFGC State School Chairman:  Lydia Barbour      

Download the NGC Ecology Workbook

Upcoming Environmental School Courses

  • No upcoming events


NGC FLOWER SHOW SCHOOL

Come learn about flower shows and flower show judging. The horticulture will be something we can grow and show. The designs will be exciting and fun.  Those attending will learn the basics of a Flower Show Schedule and all about the new shows we can hold in our clubs.  It is always more fun to bring a pal and learn together.  

But that isn’t all, if your district is interested in growing, look at holding a flower show school.   Becoming a Flower Show Judge is exciting, rewarding and educational.  Contact the Flower Show Schools Chairman for all the information you will need to hold a Flower Show School.

FFGC State Chairman: Susan.Hillson@gmail.com

Upcoming Flower Show School Classes

NGC GARDENING SCHOOL

The NGC Gardening School courses are designed to provide information on topics of interest to those especially interested in gardening, horticulture and related topics. The program consists of a series of four courses, held about six months apart, scheduled usually for two days of instruction, followed by a general examination on the morning of the third day. Courses cover all aspects of growing from understanding soil structure to pruning techniques, plant identification, etc. Topics include basic botany, soils, growing annuals, perennials, trees and shrubs, fruits and vegetables, lawns, pests and diseases of plants, plant classification, pruning and selected topics of local interest.

Although the courses are intended primarily for garden club members, they are “open to the general public”, requiring only the payment of a nominal fee.  Garden club members completing the series of four courses are awarded the designation of Gardening Consultant. Attendees from the general public may attain Consultant status by joining a garden club during the course series or shortly after completion. 

FFGC State School Chairman: Sally Flanagan 

Upcoming Gardening School Courses

  • No upcoming events


NGC LANDSCAPE DESIGN SCHOOL

National Garden Clubs, Inc. offers members and non-members an educational program that will develop a greater sense of appreciation and knowledge about our private and public gardens. The diversity of the course curriculum from the history of landscape design to that of contemporary landscape architecture appeals to a broad range of interests. The Landscape Design School includes a series of four courses. Those who complete the series and pass each examination with grades 70 or above will receive the Consultants Certification Card, an NGC credential.
Besides gaining a greater enjoyment in their gardens through this knowledge, members have found the program inspirational, leading to the development of important civic and private projects. 

Objectives of the Landscape Design 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 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 promotion better landscape design.

FFGC State School Chairman: Susie MacPherson

Upcoming Landscape Design School Courses

  • No upcoming events


NGC REFRESHERS

A refresher event is an event that meets NGC eligibility requirements to be an accredited Refresher, providing refresher credit to eligible consultants in one or more of the NGC schools. A tri-refresher meets all of the requirements for a refresh event for Gardening, Environmental and Landscape Design Schools combined into one event.  

Upcoming Refresher Events

  • No upcoming events

NGC SYMPOSIUMS

Symposiums are courses in advanced study of horticulture, design and allied subjects and are open to ALL garden club members. NGC Judges are required to attend periodically, in order to maintain good standing.

Upcoming Symposiums

NGC FOUR AND FIVE STAR MEMBERSHIP

Garden Club Members are eligible to apply for Four Star Membership upon completions of  all four (4) National Garden Club Schools sponsored by FFGC:

Environmental School
Flower Show Judges School
Gardening School
Landscape Design School

Being certified in these four schools is quite an achievement! NGC honors members who completed these schools and are currently certified. Four Star Members may apply for a Five Star Membership when the level of Master is obtained in all four schools. New Four and Five Star Members are recognized each year at the State Convention and their names appear in The Florida Gardener magazine.

Chairman: Joanne Mulinare




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