2023 PROGRAM & ACTIVITY LIST
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03/10 Tips for Growing Great Flowers in NH - Flyer
04/14 Growing Dazzling Dahlias - Flyer
05/27 Civic Gardens Planting Weekend - Writeup & Photos
05/27 Civic Gardens Sponsorships - Writeup & Photos
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07/01 Old Home Day - Writeup & Photos
07/18 Music in the Meadows - Flyer - Writeup & Photos
09/01 Jane's Garden - Writeup & Photos
10/01 Civic Gardens Autumn Mums - Writeup & Photos
11/01 Civic Gardens Winter Decor - Writeup & Photos
11/04 Jolly Farmer Spring Pre-Buy - Flyer
11/12 Christmas at the Fells Wreath - Writeup & Photos
12/02 Breakfast with Santa - Writeup & Photos
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DECEMBER PROGRAM
Creating Holiday Centerpieces for Meals on Wheels
After much planning and preparation, our December community workshop, led by Kristina Cole, came off without a hitch! Fortified with coffee, festive cookies, and Christmas tunes playing in the background, forty club members had fun pitching in to make holiday centerpieces; 120 for Meals on Wheels, a dozen for Grantham Food Pantry, and another 14 for various deserving folks around town, including the club’s five civic gardens sponsors. By all accounts, our 146 lovingly made centerpieces are being enjoyed in homes and businesses in Grantham and the Upper Valley!
The consensus of everyone who made the centerpieces and those who received them is that the club should make this an annual event. Details of the backstory to this project can be enjoyed by reading Terri’s blog, Spreading Holiday Joy. Below is a recipe, shared by Kristina Cole, of one of the many tasty treats enjoyed by all of our hardworking crafters.
The consensus of everyone who made the centerpieces and those who received them is that the club should make this an annual event. Details of the backstory to this project can be enjoyed by reading Terri’s blog, Spreading Holiday Joy. Below is a recipe, shared by Kristina Cole, of one of the many tasty treats enjoyed by all of our hardworking crafters.
Pecan Tassies
Dough
½ cup butter, room temperature
3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup flour
1 dash salt
Dump everything into a bowl. With your hands, work the dough well and knead for a few minutes. Make 2 flat discs then wrap in plastic & refrigerate for 30 minutes (or more). This dough is very versatile—you can make 12 tarts or 24 tassies.
Kristina’s suggested filling options are mini-mince, lemon, custard, or these pecan tassies.
½ cup pecans, coarsely chopped
¾ cup brown sugar
1½ tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 dash salt
Preheat oven to 350F and mix all filling ingredients together well. Using a teaspoon, carefully fill each pastry cup 3/4s full. The amount needed varies because there is no standard size for mini-muffin cups.
Bake for 20-25 minutes. Immediately and carefully, gently nudge out each tassie with the tip of a pointed knife and transfer to a rack for cooling. If they stay too long in the pan, they are more difficult to remove.
Dough
½ cup butter, room temperature
3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup flour
1 dash salt
Dump everything into a bowl. With your hands, work the dough well and knead for a few minutes. Make 2 flat discs then wrap in plastic & refrigerate for 30 minutes (or more). This dough is very versatile—you can make 12 tarts or 24 tassies.
Kristina’s suggested filling options are mini-mince, lemon, custard, or these pecan tassies.
½ cup pecans, coarsely chopped
¾ cup brown sugar
1½ tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 dash salt
Preheat oven to 350F and mix all filling ingredients together well. Using a teaspoon, carefully fill each pastry cup 3/4s full. The amount needed varies because there is no standard size for mini-muffin cups.
Bake for 20-25 minutes. Immediately and carefully, gently nudge out each tassie with the tip of a pointed knife and transfer to a rack for cooling. If they stay too long in the pan, they are more difficult to remove.
DECEMBER ACTIVITY
Breakfast with Santa
On Saturday, December 2nd the Grantham town hall was full of decorations, the sounds of Christmas carols, and the delightful sight of little children excited to meet Santa Claus. Emily eRinde-Thorse heads up Grantham Recreation and runs this festive event with the help of lots of volunteer elves. For the second year, Emily has asked the garden club to recruit five volunteers to cook and/or serve pancakes to the large crowd of families that piled in on Saturday morning, December 2nd. GGC members Bill Weeks, Sue Johnson, and Bob Munson re-upped from last year ably assisted by newcomers Susan Terwilliger and Mike Mulcahy. All agreed that this event put them in the holiday spirit and eager to volunteer again next year.
NOVEMBER ACTIVITY
Sally's Glorious Garden Wreath for Christmas at the Fells Decorator Showhouse
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Sally Findley and Kristina Cole combined their considerable talents to craft the dried flowers, berries, and pinecones they’d picked from Sally's garden into the aptly named "Sally's Glorious Garden Wreath" as our club’s donation to the 2023 “Christmas at the Fells Decorator Showhouse”. Along with many other wreaths donated by individuals and area garden clubs, Sally and Kristina's lovely wreath was displayed in the "Hall of Wreaths" from Saturday, November 4th through Sunday, November 12th and auctioned off through a silent auction. Thank you, Kristina and Sally, your efforts on our behalf brought in $100 for The Fells!
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NOVEMBER PROGRAM
Liz Knox Toured Us Through Her Spectacular Gardens on Both Sides of the Pond
Liz Knox charmed the large crowd at the GGC's November 10th meeting at the Town Hall. Along with her beautiful photos of her gardens in Grantham and in Wales, Liz spoke about the connection of her gardens to the family and friends who have shared and gifted plants that become sweet reminders of them. She talked about the need to be patient and respect flowers' wishes to grow in particular areas. She told the story about not being able to travel to Wales in the summer of 2020 but was so happy to see the flowers, many she planted years before, grow in her New Hampshire garden. No doubt some audience members will plant new flowers in 2024 based on Liz's presentation! To help with that, Ray Miner, Pete LePre, and Diane Cameron helped people order flowers from the Member Only Jolly Farmer Plant sale right after Liz spoke.
NOVEMBER ACTIVITY
Anke and Maria Arranged the Civic Gardens Winter Décor at the Post Office
Anke Clews and Maria Burke designed and set up this lovely seasonal display at the Post Office!
Didn't they do a great job decorating the containers for the winter?
Didn't they do a great job decorating the containers for the winter?
OCTOBER FUNDRAISER
Daffodil Bulb Planting Weekend
The exciting Garden Angel project is now complete and Mother Nature was kind this year, providing perfect weather for the hard work of digging and planting 818 daffodil bulbs over the October 14-15 weekend. The new bulbs are now safely tucked into the ground, joining the 390 daffodil bulbs we planted last autumn.
You’ll recall that last year’s bulbs greeted us in several locations around town this past spring when they bloomed for the first time at the end of April. Fingers crossed that they and the newcomers survive this winter to dazzle us in the spring!
This was the second year the Garden Angel project was part of the club’s Van Engelen bulb fundraiser, and in total we raised just over $500 for our scholarship fund. The Bulb Team—Penny Willoughby, Sharon Parker, Terri Munson, Julie Strong, Carolee Shevlinbegan—began their planning last spring. This autumn the planting was accomplished with the help of 56 additional volunteers. Most were club members while others were recruited or just gladly offered to put on their gardening gloves and get to work digging!
You’ll recall that last year’s bulbs greeted us in several locations around town this past spring when they bloomed for the first time at the end of April. Fingers crossed that they and the newcomers survive this winter to dazzle us in the spring!
This was the second year the Garden Angel project was part of the club’s Van Engelen bulb fundraiser, and in total we raised just over $500 for our scholarship fund. The Bulb Team—Penny Willoughby, Sharon Parker, Terri Munson, Julie Strong, Carolee Shevlinbegan—began their planning last spring. This autumn the planting was accomplished with the help of 56 additional volunteers. Most were club members while others were recruited or just gladly offered to put on their gardening gloves and get to work digging!
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Bruce Altobelli
Jim Berg Sue Berg Pat Brooks Janie Clark Kristina Cole Christine Conroy Maria Dahlman Ada Fan Betsy Fowler Judy Fromanek Marty Gearhart Stephen Handley |
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Lin Hill
Suzie Hough Kathy Houghton Elise Kendall Mark Kendall Nancy Larsen Ben Lavoie Liz Malone Alecia Manning Linda Martin Donna Matson Peg McInnes Paul Mercier |
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Russ Miles
Mike Mulcahy Bob Munson Karen North Jennifer O'Keefe Marjorie Owen Bob Parker Louise Rauh Polly Richard Kathy Rudolph Carolee Shevlin Judy Simmons Mike Simmons |
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Andrea Sodano
Kelly Spiller Linda Strong Joyce Sullivan Samantha Sullivan Martha Sweeney Susan Terwilliger Klaran Warner Kevin Williams Cheryl Wilson Carol Wood Dave Wood |
Thank you to all the Garden Angels who helped make this happen by donating daffodil bulbs!
Be sure to also read Terri’s blog about the effort that went into "Project Post Office" leading up to planting.
Be sure to also read Terri’s blog about the effort that went into "Project Post Office" leading up to planting.
Garden Angels Daffodil Bulbs Planted
- Dunbar Free Library—150 bulbs
- Civic Garden Sponsors’ properties—150 bulbs (CG Shepherd Realty, Coldwell Banker Lifestyles, Bar Harbor Bank, Willis Auto Repair, Lady Grantham Apiary)
- Grantham Village School—140 daffodil bulbs
- Grantham Post Office—130 daffodil bulbs*
- Grantham Town Hall—45 daffodil bulbs
- Triangle Garden—50 daffodil bulbs
- Additional plantings at the fire station, Grantham Settled 1767 sign, and the Recreation Park entrance sign.
OCTOBER PROGRAM
Our Walk Through the Woods at Brookside Park was Fun ad Informative
While our walk turned out to be much more adventurous than any of us had envisioned, we all had a great time! After helping each other through the muddy patches and pointing out particularly challenging spots where fallen leaves covered rocks and tree roots, Terri said the walk was a metaphor for the club--people helping people and having a wonderful time doing it!
As always, Dode Gladders was a delight and went above and beyond for us, checking out the trail loop beforehand—with his broken foot in a walking cast! We all learned so much from him about how to identify the types of trees found in our neck of the woods. The books he recommends are:
Many thanks to Emma Kalaidjian for arranging this autumn outing! The club will send an honorarium to UNH Cooperative Extension-Sullivan County as our thanks to Dode.
As always, Dode Gladders was a delight and went above and beyond for us, checking out the trail loop beforehand—with his broken foot in a walking cast! We all learned so much from him about how to identify the types of trees found in our neck of the woods. The books he recommends are:
- Peterson Field Guides, Eastern Tree by George Petrides
- Bark, A Field Guide to Trees of the Northeast by Michael Mojtech
- Burnt Potato Chip Bark and Other Ingenious Ways to Identify Trees by Dode Gladders (not yet released)
Many thanks to Emma Kalaidjian for arranging this autumn outing! The club will send an honorarium to UNH Cooperative Extension-Sullivan County as our thanks to Dode.
OCTOBER ACTIVITY
Now that our Days are Shorter and Leaves are Falling, Mums the Word!
Many thanks to the local businesses who sponsored the Civic Gardens new signs this season! With the coming of autumn, the flowers in the Civic Gardens planters have been removed and mums have been planted in their place at the post office, library, and fire station. Marty Gearhart, Michele Dominy, and Amelia Lantz took care of the cleanup at the end of the watering season. Carol Ellenbecker, Nancy Farinella, and Susan Johnson planted the mums. Bill Weeks watered them when Mother Nature fell behind. We hope you've been enjoying their bright pops of fall color this October and we want to say thank you to these volunteers who helped with the transition! Watch for winter décor to show up in soon thanks to the efforts of Anke Clews and Maria Burke.
Bar Harbor Bank & Trust and Willis Auto Repair at the Dunbar Free Library
Lady Grantham Apiary at the fire station
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Coldwell Banker Lifestyles and CG Shepard Realty LLC at the post office
Sgt. Cameron helped return the sponsor sign at the fire station
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SEPTEMBER ACTIVITY
Our Member and Sponsor Appreciation Party Marked the End of Summer
Our 2023 GGC Member Appreciation Party at the South Cove Activity Center was a wonderful success and made even better this year because our celebration included honoring our new Civic Garden Sponsors!
We were so fortunate to have Kathy Houghton in charge of food planning and preparation, while Tina Gleich oversaw decorations for our Saturday night event. Their objective was to WOW everyone, which they definitely accomplished, as evidenced by the reaction of our members and guests as they enjoyed the food, ambiance, and one other’s company.
GGC President, Terri Munson, spoke to thank our members for all of their volunteer efforts this year and she especially wanted to thank our five new Civic Garden sponsors. We were so pleased that Ray Miner of Bar Harbor Bank and Erin Zagadailov of Lady Grantham Apiary were able to attend so that Terri could thank them directly.
We were so fortunate to have Kathy Houghton in charge of food planning and preparation, while Tina Gleich oversaw decorations for our Saturday night event. Their objective was to WOW everyone, which they definitely accomplished, as evidenced by the reaction of our members and guests as they enjoyed the food, ambiance, and one other’s company.
GGC President, Terri Munson, spoke to thank our members for all of their volunteer efforts this year and she especially wanted to thank our five new Civic Garden sponsors. We were so pleased that Ray Miner of Bar Harbor Bank and Erin Zagadailov of Lady Grantham Apiary were able to attend so that Terri could thank them directly.
GGC member, Jane Verdrager, presented a check for the amazing sum of $505 for our scholarship fund. Jane explained how she raised the money by dividing her garden plants throughout the summer and offering them to the community for donations. Jane felt her “experiment” worked out so well that she encouraged others to follow her lead whenever they are faced with garden beds full of plants that need to be divided.
GGC member, Erin Zagadailov, surprised Kathy Houghton with a beautiful bouquet of flowers she had grown on her flower farm and also presented a check for the scholarship fund. Erin said she raised $180 by selling hostas from her farm and matching the sales with her own donation, which she announced she plans to continue doing each summer in perpetuity.
GGC member, Erin Zagadailov, surprised Kathy Houghton with a beautiful bouquet of flowers she had grown on her flower farm and also presented a check for the scholarship fund. Erin said she raised $180 by selling hostas from her farm and matching the sales with her own donation, which she announced she plans to continue doing each summer in perpetuity.
Terri thanked everyone who was so willing to lend a hand for this year’s party—all in response to a single email request for volunteers, which she finds is so often the case with this enthusiastic bunch of members!
These are the folks who helped make the magic happen: Carol Currato, Michele Domini, Nancy Farrinelli, Betsy Fowler, Brian Fowler, Glenn Gauzza, Marty Gearhart, Tina Gleich, Doug Houghton, Kathy Houghton, Emma Kalaidjian, Andy Kargacos, Betty Kargacos, Amelia Lantz, Beverly Marshall, Bob Munson, Terri Munson, Louise Rauh, Neil Rauh, Steve Solomon, Penny Willoughby
These are the folks who helped make the magic happen: Carol Currato, Michele Domini, Nancy Farrinelli, Betsy Fowler, Brian Fowler, Glenn Gauzza, Marty Gearhart, Tina Gleich, Doug Houghton, Kathy Houghton, Emma Kalaidjian, Andy Kargacos, Betty Kargacos, Amelia Lantz, Beverly Marshall, Bob Munson, Terri Munson, Louise Rauh, Neil Rauh, Steve Solomon, Penny Willoughby
HOMEGROWN FUNDRAISER
Jane Found a Great Way to Share Her Beautiful Garden This Summer
A Bee enjoying Jane's Beautiful Verbascum
Throughout the summer, GGC member Jane Verdrager spent many hours in her garden dividing gorgeous perennials, which she then left on her driveway for fellow gardeners. Jane asked only for a small donation to our scholarship fund, but found that most people donated far more than she'd expected. By late September when she put away her shovel, Jane had raised a total of $545- and even recruited a new member in the process. WOW! THANK YOU JANE!
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JULY & AUGUST FUNDRAISER
We spent Tuesday Evenings Enjoying Music in the Meadows again this Summer
Once again this summer, we served up homemade cookies and many other sweet treats for Music in the Meadows. Terri Munson took charge of organizing this fundraiser and was happy to announce the club made many new friends and our efforts brought in an amazing $979 in donations for our scholarship fund. While Mother Nature cooperated nicely this year, the August 8th concert was moved to the 29th when she threatened a washout!
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Many thanks go out to our talented and generous volunteer bakers who whipped up fresh batches of goodies each week and to those who served them up to the crowds of hungry and appreciative concertgoers!
Our Bakers: Martha Arnold, George Bachrach, Sue Berg, Diane Bilotta, Pat Brooks, Jane Deane Clark, Kate Cricco, Maryellen DeJong, Carol Ellenbecker, Nancy Farinella, Betsy Fowler, Liz Malone, Alecia Manning, Terri Munson, Sharon Parker, Joan Rachlin, Kathy Rudolph, Judy Simmons, Martha Sweeney
Our Servers: Betsy Fowler, Barb Jones, Michael Mulcahy, Terri Munson, Carolee Shevlin, Martha Sweeney, Susan Terwilliger, Penny Willoughby
Our Bakers: Martha Arnold, George Bachrach, Sue Berg, Diane Bilotta, Pat Brooks, Jane Deane Clark, Kate Cricco, Maryellen DeJong, Carol Ellenbecker, Nancy Farinella, Betsy Fowler, Liz Malone, Alecia Manning, Terri Munson, Sharon Parker, Joan Rachlin, Kathy Rudolph, Judy Simmons, Martha Sweeney
Our Servers: Betsy Fowler, Barb Jones, Michael Mulcahy, Terri Munson, Carolee Shevlin, Martha Sweeney, Susan Terwilliger, Penny Willoughby
JULY ACTIVITY
Renee and Terri attended Grantham's Old Home Day to Represent the GGC
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Emily Rinde-Thorsen, the Recreation Director for the Town of Grantham, asked the garden club to join other nonprofits and local businesses on July 1st as part of Grantham's Old Home Day festivities. After the parade, and stopping at the chicken barbeque and children’s activities, many families visited our table to learn what’s what. Renee Gustafson and Terri Munson greeted lots of old friends and made some new ones. We greatly appreciated this opportunity to share our GGC news about what we've been doing and our upcoming plans.
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JUNE FUNDRAISER
Spending Time with Friends while Sampling Tasty Treats in a Spectacular Garden
It was fingers crossed up until the day of the 2023 GGC Tea Party but the skies cleared, and the sun shone brightly over the Clews’ lovely gardens. Forty Garden Club members and their guests enjoyed hot and iced tea, tasty savories, and sweet goodies. The menu was skillfully designed and prepared by Kathy Houghton who made all the delicious food with the one exception of Kristina Cole's yummy raspberry brownies. Tina Gliech was the hardworking sous chef. Waitresses were Jane Altobelli, Sue Berg, Kristina Cole, Elise Kendall, Sharon Parker, and Penny Willoughby. Heavy lifters were Jim Berg, Don Clews, and Bob Munson. We can't thank all of them and our gracious hosts Anke and Don enough. Definitely a day to remember!
JUNE FUNDRAISER
We Had Plenty of Plants to Sell at the Grantham Town Yard Sale
Early on Saturday, June 10th, we had eight tables loaded with vegetable plants, annuals, succulents, and perennials ready to sell. By the end of the day, our many volunteer hours had paid off beautifully, helping us generate a tidy profit for our scholarship and grant fund. In all, nineteen members participated with setting up the night before or working at the yard sale, and it was wonderful to see several additional members who stopped by to say hello or do a little shopping!
According to Emily Rinde-Thorsen, the Recreation Director for the Town of Grantham, our presence at the Yard Sale was clearly a big traffic generator for all of the other sales! You can see many more pictures and read about the club's transition from the spring plant sale we ran for many years prior to the pandemic to our participation in the community yard sale in Terri Munson's A Not So Mini Plant Sale blog.
After holding our Jolly Farmer and Van Berkum plant sales, the club participated in the Grantham yard sale to sell the additional plants we had ordered. We have Ray Miner and Pete LePre to thank for the vegetable plants they grew from seed for us to sell. Tina Gleich nurtured the beautiful succulents she grew from cuttings from plants she had purchased for her son’s wedding in 2022. Peg McGinnis and Ellis Robinson kindly donated potted plants. Kathy Houghton and her gardening crew dug up irises in the Triangle Garden. What a wonderful addition all of these extra plants made to our success!
In total, the yard sale raised $1,553 for our scholarship fund. Here’s the breakout:
The benefit for all GGC members who worked on this sale was seeing so many happy new plant owners enjoying taking their succulents, flowers, and vegetable plants home to brighten their window sills, flower pots, and garden beds. Just imagine all the people who will be picking thousands of tomatoes, cukes, peppers, squash, and zucchini, and enjoying them with their family and friends this summer!
Thank you to the following members who volunteered to make our participation in the town yard sale such a success: Jim and Sue Berg, Betsy Fowler, Marty Gearhart, Tina Gleich, Marcia Hanke, Kathy Houghton, Elise and Mark Kendall, Lee Ann Kerr, Amelia Lantz, Nancy Menton, Ray Miner and Pete LePre, Michael Mulcahy and Susan Terwilliger, Bob and Terri Munson, Cheryl Wilson.
According to Emily Rinde-Thorsen, the Recreation Director for the Town of Grantham, our presence at the Yard Sale was clearly a big traffic generator for all of the other sales! You can see many more pictures and read about the club's transition from the spring plant sale we ran for many years prior to the pandemic to our participation in the community yard sale in Terri Munson's A Not So Mini Plant Sale blog.
After holding our Jolly Farmer and Van Berkum plant sales, the club participated in the Grantham yard sale to sell the additional plants we had ordered. We have Ray Miner and Pete LePre to thank for the vegetable plants they grew from seed for us to sell. Tina Gleich nurtured the beautiful succulents she grew from cuttings from plants she had purchased for her son’s wedding in 2022. Peg McGinnis and Ellis Robinson kindly donated potted plants. Kathy Houghton and her gardening crew dug up irises in the Triangle Garden. What a wonderful addition all of these extra plants made to our success!
In total, the yard sale raised $1,553 for our scholarship fund. Here’s the breakout:
- $325 Jolly Farmer Annuals
- $115 Van Berkum Perennials
- $649 Vegetable Plants
- $410 Succulents
- $54 Siberian Irises
The benefit for all GGC members who worked on this sale was seeing so many happy new plant owners enjoying taking their succulents, flowers, and vegetable plants home to brighten their window sills, flower pots, and garden beds. Just imagine all the people who will be picking thousands of tomatoes, cukes, peppers, squash, and zucchini, and enjoying them with their family and friends this summer!
Thank you to the following members who volunteered to make our participation in the town yard sale such a success: Jim and Sue Berg, Betsy Fowler, Marty Gearhart, Tina Gleich, Marcia Hanke, Kathy Houghton, Elise and Mark Kendall, Lee Ann Kerr, Amelia Lantz, Nancy Menton, Ray Miner and Pete LePre, Michael Mulcahy and Susan Terwilliger, Bob and Terri Munson, Cheryl Wilson.
JUNE PROGRAM
We're so Hooked on Jim Daigle's Hostas, we Went Back to Visit Again This Year!
Many garden club members who'd heard about our delightful visit to Jim Daigle’s hosta gardens, but couldn't attend last year, asked that we arrange for another visit so that more members could go on Jim’s garden tour. Jim offered a gift to each person on the tour—a bag of three or four different plants—all small and looking for a good home, and we were happy to help Jim by spreading his wonderful hostas all over Grantham!
MAY ACTIVITY
We're Introducing our New Civic Garden Sponsors with Colorful New Signs!
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Many local residents know about the Grantham Garden Club because of the civic gardens the club has maintained around town each summer for over 20 years. This year for the first time, five Grantham businesses provided us with funds to buy plants and have new signs made for the gardens. The sponsorships cover all five locations, so signs for CG Shepherd Realty, Coldwell Banker Lifestyles, Bar Harbor Bank, Lady Grantham Apiary, and Willis Auto Repair are being rotated every three weeks to make sure they are seen by as many people possible. When you see any of these wonderful folks, please thank them for their generous support!
Preparations for civic gardens begin in late autumn when a new design is planned for the following year and plants are ordered. In late May volunteers fill the planters and spruce up the triangle garden at the intersection of routes 10 and 114. From June through September, many volunteer members care for the plants at the post office, fire station, library, and town hall, by watering, deadheading, and fertilizing as needed to ensure they thrive and look their best throughout the summer season. We rely on Mother Nature to water the triangle garden! 
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MAY ACTIVITY
Another Civic Gardens Spring Planting Weekend Ushers in Summer
Many thanks to the GGC members who planted the containers and prepared the triangle garden this spring. They are Jane Altobelli, Sally Findley, Betsy Fowler, Kathy Houghton, Martha Sweeney, Susan Terwilliger, Penny Willoughby, Sela Young-Putnam, and Erin Zagadailov.
The GGC members who have volunteered to water the containers for a week this summer are Jane Altobelli, Christine Bachrach, Sue and Jim Berg, Clare Weed Castleberry, Janie Clark, Andrea Conger, Kate Cricco, Michele Dominy, Elise and Mark Kendall, Martha Gearhart, Marcia Hanke, Sue Johnson, Amelia Lantz, Michael Mulcahy, Terri and Bob Munson, Sharon Parker, Jeanne Raymond, and Susan Terwilliger.
As you can see, it takes a small army to make this happen each year!
The GGC members who have volunteered to water the containers for a week this summer are Jane Altobelli, Christine Bachrach, Sue and Jim Berg, Clare Weed Castleberry, Janie Clark, Andrea Conger, Kate Cricco, Michele Dominy, Elise and Mark Kendall, Martha Gearhart, Marcia Hanke, Sue Johnson, Amelia Lantz, Michael Mulcahy, Terri and Bob Munson, Sharon Parker, Jeanne Raymond, and Susan Terwilliger.
As you can see, it takes a small army to make this happen each year!
MAY FUNDRAISER
Our Beautiful Jolly Farmer Annuals Have Arrived!
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It all started early last autumn when GGC members, Ray Miner and Pete LePre, volunteered to take on the monumental task of collecting orders before Thanksgiving from fellow garden club members for JOLLY FARMER annuals.
Their work continued on May 17th when the JOLLY FARMER truck finally rolled into the Grantham Town Hall parking lot after the long trip from the green houses New Brunswick, Canada. Inside were our beautiful plants, bursting with color and ready for planting! The first thing our crew of volunteers needed to do though, was unload everything, sort the plants into individual orders, and assisted members when they arrived to pickup their orders. With Ray and Pete as our Team Leaders overseeing every aspect of this effort, from countless hours of detailed preparation, until the last of the extra plants they nurtured for several weeks were sold at the town yard sale the club participated in, we have them to thank for such a successful sale! |
MAY PROGRAM
We Spent a Wonderful Morning Visiting Jenny Cooke's Garden
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Twenty-four garden club members attended the field trip we had to Jenny Cooke's wonderful garden in Lyme, NH. We had perfect weather that morning and everything from the carpooling arrangements to the lovely lunch we had at Stella's Restaurant afterwards ran as smooth as silk thanks to all of Emma's tremendous efforts ahead of time. We definitely enjoyed our opportunity to chat with Jenny about her beautiful blooming spring plants and her creative garden design. You will find many more pictures in Terri Munson's blog Pardon My Garden where you'll learn more about Jenny's garden and find out how the name for this blog came about.
Thanks to all the GGC members for coming! |
Jenny chats with Sharon in front of Jenny's stone garden birds
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Julie, Jane A, Deborah, Martha, Marcia, Sue, Maryellen, Janie, Marty, Nancy M, Jane V, Jim, Nancy Mc, Michele, Michael, Susan, Jeanne, Barb, Karen, Jenny Cooke, Sharon, Kathy, Emma, Diane (not pictured is Terri who took this picture)
MAY ACTIVITY
We had Picture Perfect Weather for the Townwide Cleanup Day
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For the first time in its brief 3-year history, the 2023 Clean Up Day had gorgeous weather which made picking up trash that much more pleasant.
A shout out to the 54 wonderful volunteers who collected more than 65 bags of trash this year. The lesson learned from everyone who participated is that there’s tons more trash out there than you'd think at first glance! A great big thank you to Diane Bilotta who presented the cleanup day idea to the club and who has spearheaded it for us every year. |
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APRIL FUNDRAISER
Our Van Berkum Perennial Plant Sale was a Success!
Van Berkum perennials - Astilbe and Chocolate Snake Root
Despite being a brand new garden club member, Cheryl Wilson willingly stepped in to become the new Team Leader for the Van Berkum Perennial Plant Sale that Nancy Crocker ran so successfully for us for many years. The club is so grateful to Cheryl for keeping this club tradition alive when it was hours away from being abandoned! Thanks to Nancy's guidance and Cheryl's efforts, this year's sale raised more than $500.
FEBRUARY PROGRAM
Gardening with Herbs Offers a Wealth of Tasty Possibilities
Bill Weeks, a New Hampshire master gardener and GGC member, gave an informative presentation to GGC members.
JANUARY PROGRAM
We All Can Create a Backyard Pollinator Haven
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The Grantham Garden Club started off the new year on January 13th by hosting its first, in person, general meeting at the Town Hall since March 2020. Forty people traveled to the Town Hall despite the rainy, slushy weather and another 25 joined in on Zoom for our first-ever hybrid meeting. Thanks to all who attended and participated in our first 2023 meeting and to our guest speaker who provided the inspiration to do more to help pollinators. Dr. Erin Zagadailov provided us with many ways to make gardens and yards more pollinator friendly.
Read more about the Lady Grantham Apiary in Terri Munson's blog. 
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