A beloved garden club member’s lifelong devotion to joyfully mentoring young people in horticulture and floral design inspired Hortulus of Greenwich to create The Emmy Ogden Mentoring Award in honor of Emmy Ogden, a 49-year member of the club.
Emmy was known as a generous community volunteer who dedicated her time to teaching floral design and horticulture workshops for individuals, garden clubs, the Greenwich Christ Church altar guild, the Garden Education Center of Greenwich, and guiding Boys and Girls Club kids in creating Mother’s Day Bouquets for their moms.
The Emmy will annually honor members of the Greenwich community who demonstrate outstanding mentorship by inspiring love for nature, fostering creativity, and displaying generosity of spirit. Past Hortulus president Bridget Bucknall said, “We want to give the award to individuals who are touching people in the community through mentorship in the same spirit as Emmy.” Emmy’s daughter, Catherine Murphy, approached Hortulus with the idea to create a tribute to her mother. The award was funded with bequests from Emmy’s family and friends, and with a cash gift, it will be presented to multiple recipients each year for the next decade.
When Bridget was a “newbie” member of Hortulus, she was mentored by Emmy when they partnered on a floral design entry for a flower show. “I was a novice, but she encouraged me. She said let’s go with your idea. She gave me confidence and the joy and love and the fun of entering. We didn’t do very well, but we laughed hysterically. Emmy showed that it was more about camaraderie and friendship than winning.”
Emmy, however, would win numerous flower shows as a Hortulus member. “Almost too many to count.” According to Bridget, Emmy won first in her class for floral design in most of the shows she entered every year for 49 years and won every major Garden Club of America award including the Munger Award. Her son David Murphy explained, “She could do it all. She was a talented painter and sculptor but after she joined Hortulus she focused her talents on floral design. She was the Michael Jordan of flower arranging. I can’t remember an event where Mom didn’t win.” When asked to describe their mother, her children uniformly say she was a kind, generous, loving, deeply spiritual, and creative person. Her daughter Emily D’Andrea summed it up, “She opened her heart and love of flowers to everyone.”
The 2023 winners of The Emmy are Bob Conlan, a Greenwich High School science teacher of more than two decades who teaches AP biology, AP environmental science, marine biology and biology; Audrey Esmond, a Greenwich Academy Preschool teacher who has creatively inspired a love of nature in students for 30 years and; Jen Donnalley, a Greenwich Country Day School math teacher and Director of the Center for Public Good who has tirelessly inspired volunteerism in students for nearly three decades. For more information on the nomination process, please contact Hortulus at theemmyawardhortulus@gmail.com
