Helping The Garden State Flourish



The New Jersey Committee of the
Garden Club of America



...was established in 1987 using residual funds from a GCA annual meeting hosted by Zone IV clubs.


The Committee's purpose is to award grants to projects that benefit the state of New Jersey. The original grant was awarded to Dr. Orton of Rutgers University to help with his hybridization studies which led to the development of the well-known Rutgers Dogwood.


Since then, the Committee has donated $572,000 to over 94 worthwhile projects within the Garden State. Grant money is raised through garden club members' generous donations to The Growing Fund and each club within Zone IV has received multiple grants. Projects include forest and greenhouse restoration, outdoor classrooms, rain and community gardens and urban farms. .


The Millicent Mercer Johnsen (MMJ) Scholarships, supported by our annual fall Luncheon and Lecture, have supported

over 62 students in a field of study including horticulture,

the environment, landscape architecture, plant and marine sciences.



A Brief History of
The New Jersey Committee of the
Garden Club of America



In May of 1987, the eleven clubs that formed Zone IV of the Garden Club of America hosted the GCA’s Annual Meeting in New Jersey.


It was the first time that this many clubs, all in one state, had this honor. Due to years of dedicated work and to generous financial support from both the corporate and private sectors in New Jersey, a considerable profit was realized. All seed monies forwarded by the clubs for the meeting were returned to the clubs with interest.


It was decided by each club individually that the interest money they received should be pooled into a common fund. To oversee this fund, the New Jersey Committee of the Garden Club of America was formed. At the first meeting, it was unanimously decided that the income from this fund and any further money raised by the Committee should be allocated to projects that would benefit the state of New Jersey. By-Laws were written and Articles of Incorporation prepared.


The first grant was to Dr. Elwin Orton of Rutgers University to support his studies in dogwood hybridization which ultimately resulted in the development of the disease-resistant hybrids known as the ‘Stellar Series’. In subsequent years, other grant recipients included ‘Glenmont’ Thomas Edison Greenhouse, Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Millburn/Short Hills Community Garden, Historic Morristown Green, Washington Crossing State Park, Habitat for Humanity, the Rutgers Rain Garden and Reeves-Reed Arboretum.



Initial fundraising was through an annual plant sale with workshops and various speakers. In 1994, the New Jersey Committee voted to formalize this process by creating the Growing Fund to generate more funds for worthwhile projects throughout the Garden State. Well received, the Growing Fund has continued to this day with strictly voluntary donations.


The New Jersey Committee was fortunate to receive the surplus from the 1999 GCA Annual Meeting, again held in New Jersey. It was decided to use the interest to establish a fund for Summer Intern Scholarships. The student is to be a New Jersey resident and the internship, for credit, will take place at a New Jersey institution such as an arboretum, environmental organization, or college. The fields of study include Horticulture, Plant Sciences, the Environment and Landscape Design. The internship started in 2001 and the amount was $2000.



Over the years, the Growing Fund was well supported and the Annual Luncheon and Lecture continued to be successful. Club sponsored projects were funded and scholarships were awarded to Rutgers students for summer study.


In October 2009, the Luncheon and Lecture featured renown rose expert, Stephen Scanniello, discussing ‘The Secret Life of Roses’ and the sale of several varieties of extremely rare rose bushes. In 2013, the late Millicent Johnsen was honored for her guidance and leadership in the formation of the New Jersey Committee when the scholarship fund was designated as the Millicent Mercer Johnsen Summer Intern Scholarships.


Over the next decade, the NJ Committee continued to raise funds through donations to the Growing Fund. In addition, there was an annual Fall fundraiser, usually a Luncheon and Lecture event, to support the MMJ Scholarships. The pandemic year of 2020 necessitated virtual fundraising for both the Growing Fund and the Luncheon and Lecture Event.


To date the NJC has granted more than $572,000 to 94 projects and supported 62 Scholars.

Revised: June 2024