Syracuse-Wawasee Garden Club

08/28/2026

Linda took pictures of our gardens and entered the contest.

The scores are in, and the winners of the 2026 TGCI Red, White, and Blue Planting Photo Contest have been selected. The winners and awards will be announced and presented at the TGCI Fall Seminar, themed “Go Native,” on Wednesday, September 9, 2026. The seminar will take place at Lyles Station Historic School and Museum in Princeton. (Learn more on our event page: gardenclubofindiana.org/event/tgci-fall-seminar-2026/).

The committee enlisted three independent judges to score the entries individually and then collaborate to determine the top three winners. After reviewing the entries, the committee also added a fourth award category: Most Patriotic.

Judges
• Jon Chapman, retired Edward Jones financial advisor, nature photographer, and naturalist. Jon publishes an annual calendar featuring his nature photography.

• Megan Galbreath, editor and reporter for the Pulaski County Journal and Independent, a weekly newspaper. Megan is a graduate of Valparaiso University with a degree in communications and a concentration in journalism.

• Brad Conn, owner of Conncepts Marketing, which provides advertising and marketing services for small businesses.

Judging Criteria

The committee provided judges with a score sheet based on four categories totaling 100 points:
• Impact: Emotional or visual reaction on first view; evokes feeling, wonder, or interest.
• Creativity: Originality, unique perspective, and effective storytelling.
• Composition/Technical: Framing, rule of thirds, balance, leading lines, and lack of distractions.
• Quality: Sharp focus, correct exposure, good lighting, and color balance.

08/20/2026

Tomorrow (Aug. 20) is the day of the "In the Garden" Native Plants Scavenger Hunt! Everyone (children, too) is welcome to join the fun at 1 p.m. We'll meet at the library's pavilion in Community Roots and talk about pollinator corridors before embarking on a walk around Syracuse in search of native plants. What will we find? Come and find out! Along the way, learn how to help our native pollinators.

08/19/2026

TGCI Fall Seminar 2026 September 9 Lyles Station Historic School & Museum 953 County Rd 500 W, Princeton, IN, United States “LET’S GO NATIVE” Wednesday, September 9, 2026 HOSTED BY SOUTHWEST DISTRICT GARDEN CLUBS Registration Form: WORD version PDF version Speaker Bios: PDF   $40.00

08/01/2026

Chapter 41 finds our President, Wanda catching up with Earth Charter Indiana at the Porter County Master Gardeners Walk in Valparaiso. Wanda was impressed that, even though the six homes were all so different, all the homes had a variety of native plants included in their landscape!

06/17/2026

For our Wednesday Win today: Since 1999, over 700 family farms have been recognized for using sustainable farming methods to protect Hoosier waterways. The prestigious River Friendly Farmer Award honors farmers for their exceptional soil and water conservation practices.

Link in comments!

Wednesday Wins is our weekly feature bringing you positive local, national, and global environmental and nature news.

06/10/2026

The wait is over! Join us for a nationwide one-night-only virtual screening of The Gardener on June 24th at 7PM ET / 4PM PT. Watch from home or host a watch party — plus an exclusive Q&A with the Director and cast. Can't make it live? Your ticket includes on-demand access through June 26th at 4PM ...

06/08/2026

It's National Garden Clubs Inc.'s National Garden Week. What are you doing this week to promote gardens and gardening?

05/29/2026

Come to the WACF Native Plant sale June 6 from 9-11 at 11586 SR 13 !

05/06/2026

Our Club President , Linda H attended the National Garden Club convention! Way to be represented😁

05/06/2026

The Syracuse-Wawasee Garden Club met tonight and painted birdhouses! We had a wonderful attendance welcoming 10 guests and 3 new members! What a great evening! We had many great artists in our group. Just look at those cute birdhouses.