2024 PROGRAM & ACTIVITY LIST
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03/08 Lake Mascoma - Flyer (Writeup Photos)
04/12 Container Gardening - Flyer (Writeup Photos)
05/10 Hanover Greenhouse - Flyer (Writeup Photos)
06/07 25th Anniversary Slideshow - Flyer (Writeup Photos)
06/14 Henry Homeyer Garden - (Writeup Photos)
06/29 Old Home Day Parade - Blog (Writeup Photos)
07/12 Shaker Museum Herb Garden - (Writeup Photos)
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07/16 Music in the Meadows - Flyer (Writeup Photo)
09/13 25th Anniversary Party - Flyer (Writeup Photos)
10/11 Bedrock Gardens - Flyer (Writeup Photos)
10/19 Garden Angels - Flyer (Writeup Photos)
10/19 Trunk or Treat - (Writeup Photos)
11/01 Eastman Living Article - (Writeup Photos)
11/06 More November Activites - (Writeup Photos)
11/15 Les Fleurs de Chanel No 5 - Flyer (Writeup Photos)
12/07 Breakfast with Santa - (Writeup Photos)
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DECEMBER PROGRAM
Community Holiday Centerpiece Workshop
Thanks to an army of volunteers, our December Workshop was a rousing success! In under two hours, our decorating frenzy produced 146 centerpieces ranging in design from elegant to whimsical, and all were delightful.
Centerpieces were made for:
Centerpieces were made for:
- 112 for Meals on Wheels
- 12 for Grantham Food Bank (plus we donated lots of perishable food and cleaning products)
- Emily Rinde-Thorsen, the Grantham Recreation Director (who personally decorated the hall so beautifully)
- Merrit Dougherty, (who kindly picked up and delivered the fresh boughs to the Town Hall for us)
- Grantham Town Hall (on display on the main level)
- Grantham Police Department
- Grantham Post Office
- Dunbar Free Library
- Civic Gardens Sponsors
- Bar Harbor Bank
- Carol Shepherd Realty
- Caldwell Banker Lifestyle
- Lady Grantham Apiary
- Willis Auto
- Bar Harbor Bank
- South Cove Activity Center (they donated the fresh boughs that were left over after their wreath making activity)
- Eastman Maintenance (they were responsible for harvesting all the fresh boughs from the Eastman forests)
DECEMBER ACTIVITY
Breakfast with Santa
Once again, the Town of Grantham’s Recreation Director, Emily Rinde-Thorsen, invited members of the club to help serve pancakes and sausages at the annual “Breakfast With Santa” event held this year on Saturday, December 7th.
“This is always one of the easiest gigs to recruit volunteers for,” said GGC president Terri Munson. “The children are so excited, the beaming parents and grandparents are so proud of their kiddos, and Mr. and Mrs. Claus couldn't be sweeter.” This year's club volunteers were Susan Terwilliger, Mike Mulcahy, Terri Munson, Bob Munson, Sue Johnson, Bill Weeks, and of course Santa! |
NOVEMBER PROGRAM
The Town Hall was packed on Friday, November 15th , to hear Beverly Marshall’s wonderful talk about Coco Chanel and the story behind CHANEL #5. She told us how many flowers are needed to make just one ounce of the luxurious perfume. Beverly brought out her own collection of Chanel perfumes which eager folks were thrilled to spritz on.
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NOVEMBER ACTIVITIES
On November 6th, Eastman’s Center Presents featured the three garden clubs located in Grantham: Grantham Garden Club; Eastman Gardens and Grounds; and Eastman Community Gardens. The well attended event was titled “Gardens Galore” and GGC President, Terri Munson, presented on behalf of the Grantham Garden Club. This was an opportunity for people who are always mixing up these three organizations to actually learn about the wonderful things each of them offers.
Again this year, Kristina Cole and Sally Findley created a fantastic wreath that was donated to help decorate the Hall of Wreaths during the Christmas at the Fells holiday open house. All donations were to be auctioned off with the proceeds going to the Fells. Kristina and Sally named this year’s wreath “The Color Purple”.
And our Civic Garden's Team Lead, Bill Weeks, who is the incoming GGC President for 2025, purchased seasonal greenery to help brighten up the Grantham post office, library, and fire station through the winter months.
NOVEMBER ACTIVITY
The EASTMAN LIVING magazine FALL 2024/WINTER 2025 edition
includes a wonderful story by Terri Munson titled
The Grantham Garden Club Celebrates 25 Years
Story by Terri Munson that is in the FALL 2024/WINTER 2025 edition of the EASTMAN LIVING magazine.
Photos included here and in the magazine are courtesy of the Grantham Garden Club.
All it takes is a quick look around the town to understand and appreciate the goals the founding members of the Grantham Garden Club (GGC) envisioned. |
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The 130-member strong GGC is celebrating its 25th anniversary with parties, parades, and presentations. Because of this impressive milestone, members have been delving into to the history of the club and reconnecting with early members.
A reunion was held at Town Hall where a slideshow featuring photos found at the Grantham Historical Society was shown to a receptive audience of people who were members of the club in the past. It was impressive to see what these folks had accomplished, and they were pleased to have been remembered.
I learned from Barbara Holmes that she, Marion Graney, and Ginny Pearce joined the New London Garden Club in 1997, which gave them the idea to start their own club in Grantham. Ginny put a notice in the Eastman Newsletter announcing a meeting in 1999 at Tallulah’s (Eastman’s former restaurant at South Cove) for anyone interested in joining. They were overwhelmed with the response, and soon the club was up and running. Barbara was either president or vice president for six years.
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To promote horticulture and environmental science, the club over the years has awarded more than $40,000 in scholarships and hired speakers to educate members and the public at large. The scholarships, educational programs, and civic gardens were funded by the annual plant sale held in May.
While the Covid-19 pandemic could have been devastating the Steering Committee, under the leadership of the club’s president, Elise Kendall, proved resilient and kept the club going. Zoom presentations were made available to members and the public, and some outdoor, socially-distanced educational programs were run. The public plant sale was stopped for a few years, but other popular fundraisers were held, including garden tours and tea parties.
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Donations were collected at Grantham Recreation’s summer Music in the Meadow series, and generous gifts were made by some club members. A great example is gardener extraordinaire Jane Verdrager, who offered up some of the plants she had dug up from her huge garden to people who in turn would leave donations to the scholarship fund.
The GGC has funded, planted, and maintained civic gardens at the post office, Town Hall, Dunbar Free Library, Triangle Garden, and fire station almost since its inception.
In adapting to the post-pandemic, new normal, the club had to think of other ways to bring in funds, and in 2023 decided to ask local businesses to fund the purchase of flowers for the civic garden barrels and gardens. The club is grateful to sponsors Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, The Garden Angel program, initiated by Elise in 2022, asked GGC members and people in the community to fund the purchase of daffodil bulbs to be planted all around Grantham. In three years, over 2,000 bulbs were donated and planted by enthusiastic volunteers. The most noticeable bunch of daffodils was the 140 that bloomed outside the post office building in 2023.
Learning about the club’s past and all the wonderful folks who made a difference in our community, has energized the club to continue its traditions, adjust to changing times, and support one another in the goal of making our little corner of the world a nicer place.
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OCTOBER ACTIVITY
To continue the club’s year-long celebration of its 25th anniversary this year, Nancy Farinella and Carol Berezin decorated a truck for the club’s entry in the Grantham Recreation Department’s annual Halloween “Trunk or Treat” event. The blustery weather caused a few decorations to blow away, but that did not deter the hundreds of families from showing up to visit the 52 decorated vehicles and being rewarded for their efforts with tons of candy. Nancy and Carol handed out 600 pieces and they declined reimbursement for any of it explaining, “It’s a donation to the club.” So very nice of them!
In addition to Nancy and Carol’s efforts, Penny Willoughby, Terri Munson, and Sue Berg donned GGC aprons and surprised treat or treaters by handing out 100 daffodil bulbs to many of the families that stopped by the truck. These bulbs were part of the Club’s daffodil bulb fundraiser that raised money, through the generosity of “Garden Angels”, to enable the club to purchase 800 bulbs for the specific purpose of planting them in various locations in Grantham to bring more sparkles of color to the community in the spring. Now, the sparkle will continue to be spread by these families. The grownups who accepted one were surprised and pleased with the bulbs, however; the children thought they were onions and were very confused! One of the most interesting visitors to the truck during the event was a pirate who was happy to add a bulb to his treasure chest of potatoes. The entire event was a hoot!
OCTOBER ACTIVITY
THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO SUPPORTED THIS COMMUNITY ACTIVITY
ALL 1,500 DAFFODIL BULBS SOLD OUT FOR 2024 AND
ALL OF THE GARDEN ANGEL BULBS HAVE BEEN PLANTED!
.For our 3rd year of the Garden Angel project, most planting took place on Saturday, October 19th, and in addition to flower beds, many bulbs were planted in grassy areas where they will spread (naturalize). As you can imagine, this has been a huge undertaking and we have the wonderful team of Sharon Parker, Penny Willoughby, Julie Strong, and Terri Munson to thank for handling all the administrative pieces. They started in late August by preparing for the September sale. The day after the bulbs were delivered on October 8th, Nancy Menton, Karin Nichols, Sharon Parker, Jane Sachs, and Penny Willoughby sorted and distributed the orders going to local residents!
Here are our final tallies
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This year's planting required a lot of planning and coordination, to first receive permission to plant in all the chosen locations and then to plan the placement of the bulbs. These photos show Sharon and Penny digging some test holes while surveying the sites to determine how many bulbs should be planted at each. They also placed yellow sticks in the exact spots where the bulbs needed to be placed. Kristina Cole collected those sticks as she planted bulbs beside the Willis Auto building. Steve Handley and Bob Munson planted bulbs in front of the Coldwell Bankers sign. Maryellen DeJong made several calls before she received permission to plant bulbs beside the Grantham Park and Ride shelter.
In all, 19 club volunteers arrived equipped with their own garden gloves, trowels, shovels, and pitchforks, ready to dig holes and plant bulbs on Saturday, October 19th, which turned out to be a beautiful sunny day for planting! Many thanks to Anke Clews, Kristina Cole, Maryellen DeJong, Betsy Fowler, Steve Handley, Marcia Hanke, Suzie Hough, Liz Knox, Ilene Ladd, Bob Munson, Terri Munson, Bob Parker, Sharon Parker, Bridget Rowen, Don Rowen, Bill Weeks, Mike Weiss, Suzie Weiss, and Penny Willoughby for all their efforts!
Here are the locations where the daffodil bulbs were planted this year
- SUGAR RIVER PLAZA: 250 bulbs were planted in the grassy area in front of the new wall.
- OLD CEMETERY WALL: 250 bulbs were planted across from the Grantham Village School.
- GRANTHAM TOWN HALL: 100 bulbs were planted at the front entrance sign beside Route 10 and by the flag pole.
- BAR HARBOR BANK: 30 bulbs were planted along their back fence.
- WILLIS AUTO REPAIR: 30 bulbs were planted beside their building.
- COLDWELL BANKER: 30 bulbs were planted beneath their blue sign.
- GRANTHAM PARK AND RIDE: 10 bulbs were planted beside the shelter.
With about 100 bulbs remaining, the club decided to give them away to grownups at the Grantham Recreation’s Halloween Trunk or Treat event, so on October 26th, Penny Willougby and Sue Berg handed them out to many grateful local residents. We like to imagine that those bulbs will be planted all over town and will bring early spring color in unexpected places!
Many thanks to all who have continued to support this fundraiser each year,
allowing us to greatly expand our community beautification efforts in Grantham!
OCTOBER FIELD TRIP
We had a glorious day for our field trip to Bedrock Gardens!
Thanks to careful planning by Emma Kaladjian who made all the arrangements, our trip to Bedrock Gardens was well worth the 90-minute drive! In addition to seeing unusual trees, shrubs, grasses, and flowers, the garden was peppered with hundreds of sculptures for us to enjoy. Our visit took place on the last day the gardens were open to the public for the 2024 season. This timing provided the added benefit of seeing delightful fairy houses just waiting for the onslaught of zillions of children and their families who would be visiting that weekend for the annual Fairy and Hobbit House Festival. After declaring our tour a big success despite the somewhat chilly weather, most of the group headed to lunch at Popovers, which proved to be another added delight to our adventure! If you didn’t get to join us, those who attended highly recommend adding it to your list of “gardens to visit in 2025”!
SEPTEMBER 25TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY
The 25th Anniversary Party was everything we hoped it would be!
What a wonderful celebration where just over 100 members and guests enjoyed the many tasty offerings prepared by Kathy Houghton and the beautiful fall-inspired decorations created by Tina Gleich and Kathy Rudolph. Bill Weeks and Anke Clews selected the colorful mums that filled the room, and in true GGC fashion, they served a dual purpose with the mums being relocated after the party into the civic gardens planters for all in the community to enjoy!
NH State Representative Brian Sullivan read a citation from Governor Sununu which included "Your dedication is a powerful example of how volunteers can make a profound impact on their community". Representative Sullivan also read a resolution from State Senator Suzanne Prentiss who stated "Your attention to the beautification of Grantham brings a great sense of joy to many, demonstrates how you all care for the earth, the environment, and one another". Peter Garland, Chair of the Board of Selectmen for the Town of Grantham, spoke and thanked the for club for their beautification efforts over the past 25 years.
Many thanks to all of our members who have heeded the call to make this event,
as well as all of our celebratory activities throughout this year, so fabulous!
as well as all of our celebratory activities throughout this year, so fabulous!
SUMMER FUNDRAISER
Grantham Recreations small town summer concert series has been a wonderful opportunity for the GGC to raise money for the scholarship fund. During the rainy, shortened season this summer; the club still managed to raise $346 with the help of volunteers! Many thanks to Jane Altobelli, Christine and George Bachrach, Patti Bookless, Kate Crico, Kristina Cole, Betsy Fowler, Liz Malone, Bob and Terri Munson, Sharon Parker, Bridget Rowan, Kathy Rudolph.
JULY PROGRAM
We had a Glorious Time Visiting the Enfield Shaker Museum and Herb Garden!
We had the most delightful day on July 12 for our visit to the Enfield Shaker Museum and Herb Garden. It was a sunny day and the garden was in its glory, greeting 22 GGC guests.
Susan Quinlan, the Shaker Museum Garden Coordinator and Master Gardener, was our host for a morning talk on Shaker history and a guided tour through the herb gardens. We saw an amazing array of beautifully and lovingly tended herbs that were representative of what the Shakers grew and harvested in the 1800s. The production of these plants and sale of their seeds provided the needed financial support of the community. The gardens are maintained by Susan and her group of volunteers.
Susan walked us through a number of paths that separated the various categories of herbs, from culinary, such as rosemary, sage, tarragon, and parsley, to medicinal, such as echinacea, lemon balm, mint, black cohosh, holy basil and chamomile, to herbs raised for fragrance, such as lemon verbena, hyssop, thyme, lavenders and mints, to herbs used for dyes, such as potentilla, indigo and evening primrose, and everlastings, such as lavenders, yarrows, bee balm and amaranth.
Susan Quinlan, the Shaker Museum Garden Coordinator and Master Gardener, was our host for a morning talk on Shaker history and a guided tour through the herb gardens. We saw an amazing array of beautifully and lovingly tended herbs that were representative of what the Shakers grew and harvested in the 1800s. The production of these plants and sale of their seeds provided the needed financial support of the community. The gardens are maintained by Susan and her group of volunteers.
Susan walked us through a number of paths that separated the various categories of herbs, from culinary, such as rosemary, sage, tarragon, and parsley, to medicinal, such as echinacea, lemon balm, mint, black cohosh, holy basil and chamomile, to herbs raised for fragrance, such as lemon verbena, hyssop, thyme, lavenders and mints, to herbs used for dyes, such as potentilla, indigo and evening primrose, and everlastings, such as lavenders, yarrows, bee balm and amaranth.
Following the tour, we were invited by our luncheon host, Lisa Rinella, Hospitality Coordinator, into the dining room of the Great Stone Dwelling where Shaker women and men entered the room through separate doors and sat separately at long wooden tables. We were treated to an artful and delicious lunch and tea incorporating ingredients from the gardens, prepared by chef Nan Munsey, that included:
- Cream Cheese and Cucumber Tea Sandwiches
- Shaker Lemon Poppy Seed Icebox Cookies
- Spinach and Strawberry Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
- Boursin Stuffed Daylilies
- Homemade Herbal Iced Tea
- Lavender Lemonade Prosecco Cocktail
JUNE PROGRAM
Our Field Trip to Henry Homeyer's Garden Was Nothing Short of Inspiring!
Henry Homeyer, The Garden Guy, is a New Hampshire Master Gardener who has published several books and written articles for the local Valley News. Fortunately for us, he also runs tours of his home gardens in Cornish Flat, and the weather cooperated for all three that we had scheduled with him on June 14th and 15th. Henry had asked that we break into smaller groups to make it possible for everyone who attended to be able to hear him and ask questions their throughout the tour. In total, 37 members joined Henry and his wife, Cindy Heath, to see all that they have lovingly created over the past 54 years in their little piece of paradise on the site of an old creamery.
Halfway through the tour, we were invited to relax on their porch for some refreshments, which allowed us to ask more questions and see the gardens from a tall vantage point. Now that Henry is in his 70’s, he told us he likes to hire teenagers to do some of the heavy lifting, and said he finds student athletes to be some of the best he's hired. When talking about various plants, Henry offered us advice, recommended certain plants for different areas, and warning us about some plants to stay away from. At one point he pointed to a small dead plant to show folks that mistakes happen, even for experienced gardeners, so we shouldn’t let such setbacks stop us. Coincidentally, Cindy is the president of the Hanover Garden Club whom many of us met when we toured their impressive greenhouse in May.
If you’d like to read more about Henry, here's a link to an article about him that was in New Hampshire Magazine three years ago:
Master Gardener Henry Homeyer Explains Why Gardening Is Important - New Hampshire Magazine
Halfway through the tour, we were invited to relax on their porch for some refreshments, which allowed us to ask more questions and see the gardens from a tall vantage point. Now that Henry is in his 70’s, he told us he likes to hire teenagers to do some of the heavy lifting, and said he finds student athletes to be some of the best he's hired. When talking about various plants, Henry offered us advice, recommended certain plants for different areas, and warning us about some plants to stay away from. At one point he pointed to a small dead plant to show folks that mistakes happen, even for experienced gardeners, so we shouldn’t let such setbacks stop us. Coincidentally, Cindy is the president of the Hanover Garden Club whom many of us met when we toured their impressive greenhouse in May.
If you’d like to read more about Henry, here's a link to an article about him that was in New Hampshire Magazine three years ago:
Master Gardener Henry Homeyer Explains Why Gardening Is Important - New Hampshire Magazine
JUNE ACTIVITY
What a Wonderful Morning Looking Back!
Many folks who had been in the club since its early days and many who are still members today, joined together in celebration of the club’s 25th anniversary by Revisiting the Early Days of the Club as captured in photos. The day before the event, volunteers washed our stash of bone china tea cups and saucers, spread linen table cloths, and made sure the equipment for the slideshow was good to go!
Then bright and early Friday morning, volunteers and bakers arrived to see to the finishing touches before our special guests and members arrived. Kristina Cole’s friend Sarah Luhmann, who owns the Adorn Boutique in West Lebanon, donated lovely flowers for the occasion which was a nice token gift for our guests and identified them as part of the early member group.
During the winter, well before the event, Emma Kaladjian and Terri Munson had retrieved photo albums from the Grantham Historical Society and scanned over 300 pictures to put together a slideshow of our early history in preparation for this special morning. Once everyone had arrived and was settled at the tables with cups of tea and platefuls of goodies set out in front of them, the joy of reminiscing began! As we began watching the slides showing past holiday parties, secret garden tours, field trips, plant sales, luncheons, and lobster dinners at Peppermint Pattie's, the recounting of memorable stories and recalling names began in earnest as our guest delighted in seeing the pictures of their younger selves! The photos brought back so many wonderful memories and gave our newer members a better understanding and appreciation of all that the early members did for the club and the town.
The icing on the cake was when one of the 2024 scholarship recipients, Katherine Herring, came to accept her scholarship and to thank the club members in person before beginning her study in environmental science at Mt. Holyoke this autumn. Coincidentally, the club’s 2011 president, Nancy Walters, graduated from Mt. Holyoke and was pleased to get a chance to talk with Katherine after the formal festivities.
Our special guests lavished praise on the club and were so pleased to see that what they had started is still going strong and has the same mission of promoting the love of gardening, offering educational programs, and town beautification.
Then bright and early Friday morning, volunteers and bakers arrived to see to the finishing touches before our special guests and members arrived. Kristina Cole’s friend Sarah Luhmann, who owns the Adorn Boutique in West Lebanon, donated lovely flowers for the occasion which was a nice token gift for our guests and identified them as part of the early member group.
During the winter, well before the event, Emma Kaladjian and Terri Munson had retrieved photo albums from the Grantham Historical Society and scanned over 300 pictures to put together a slideshow of our early history in preparation for this special morning. Once everyone had arrived and was settled at the tables with cups of tea and platefuls of goodies set out in front of them, the joy of reminiscing began! As we began watching the slides showing past holiday parties, secret garden tours, field trips, plant sales, luncheons, and lobster dinners at Peppermint Pattie's, the recounting of memorable stories and recalling names began in earnest as our guest delighted in seeing the pictures of their younger selves! The photos brought back so many wonderful memories and gave our newer members a better understanding and appreciation of all that the early members did for the club and the town.
The icing on the cake was when one of the 2024 scholarship recipients, Katherine Herring, came to accept her scholarship and to thank the club members in person before beginning her study in environmental science at Mt. Holyoke this autumn. Coincidentally, the club’s 2011 president, Nancy Walters, graduated from Mt. Holyoke and was pleased to get a chance to talk with Katherine after the formal festivities.
Our special guests lavished praise on the club and were so pleased to see that what they had started is still going strong and has the same mission of promoting the love of gardening, offering educational programs, and town beautification.
MAY FUNDRAISER
Our Spring Plant Sale Returns!
After spending a huge number of volunteer hours preparing, our May 18th plant sale saw a frenzy of purchases that led to our being sold out in just about 90 minutes! Clearly, our friends and neighbors throughout the community were glad to see this spring plant sale return after a several years hiatus! Thanks to Kristina Cole for leading our enormous team effort, and to Ray Miner and Pete LePre for their generous donation of veggie plants that they had nurtured through the winter. We are pleased to report that this sale brought in over $4,000 for the club’s scholarships and educational programs, so thank you to everyone who made this happen! And to our wonderful customers, we promise to put together an even bigger sale next year, so we hope to see you again next spring!
MAY PROGRAM
A Feast of Flowers!
We were so pleased when the Hanover Garden Club invited us to tour their impressive new greenhouse at a point when it was filled with the beautiful plants they had nurtured through the winter for their upcoming spring sale. Coffee, tea, and delicious homemade treats awaited us, before their former club president, Sandra Johnson, gathered everyone outside to tell us some of their club's history and the remarkable story behind how this greenhouse came to be built where it is on town land. Sandra had spearheaded the entire project from fundraising through to the completion of the building, and there's no doubt that her story left many of us green with envy over all that this remarkable club has accomplished in building their greenhouse!
MAY ACTIVITY
The GGC, under the leadership of Diane Bilotta, is proud to have organized the 4th annual Grantham Cleanup Day, inviting all town residents to join our members in this community effort. A conservative estimate is that at least 50 people participated, picking up 75 bags of trash in 3 hours. Many thanks to Diane and everyone who pitched in, we look forward to seeing all of you again next spring!
APRIL PROGRAM
A Container Gardening Revolution!
We were so pleased to welcome members of the New London Garden Club who co-sponsored our program this month, and despite it being a rainy April morning, our featured speaker, tv and radio host, the well-known gardening writer, Charlie Nardozzi, brightened the day for all of us! We had a great turnout from both clubs and enjoyed meeting each other and mingling during our Coffee and Conversation social time. As always, we have our wonderful Hospitality Team to thank for providing an impressive spread of delicious home baked goodies!
Throughout his slide presentation, Charlie kept us entertained as he educated us about the latest in container gardening. Charlie started with a discussion of the many reasons why the interest in container gardening is growing, such as the lack of space many gardeners face, or a desire to take your garden with you when you move, or even to move plants within your yard throughout the growing season as conditions change. One important tip he shared about moving large, heavy containers—if you’re looking for a caddy to sit the container on, get one with a caster wheel brake! |
Next, Charlie covered all manner of container sizes and shapes, identifying the pros and cons of the various materials—clay, wood, metal, ceramic, fiberglass, coir, hypertufa—that pots, barrels, and grow bags, etc. are made from. He talked about which materials are best suited for the requirements of different types of plants, considering moisture, drainage, and other soil conditions.
We also learned quite a bit about blending various soil types for both vegetables and flowering plants, and the use of fertilizers. Another tip Charlie mentioned is mixing one cup of vinegar with two cups of water as a solution for cleaning your clay pots. |
Later, Charlie pointed out that containers are a great way to add interest and bring color to areas under large trees where nothing—except, as he jokingly pointed out, mulch—seems to grow well when large tree roots are winning the battle for nutrients in the soil! He also encouraged us to enjoy those shady areas of our gardens where moss seems to be the only plant that thrives. Charlie described a way to even expand mossy areas by blending a handful of moss with a cup of buttermilk (or beer), adding just enough water to produce a slurry that can be painted on rocks and logs where your moss already exists. This is just a sampling of all we learned as Charlie treated us to stunning pictures of container arrangements brimming with glorious color, compatible companion plantings, and ingenious plant architecture. Who would have thought that you could stack pots on rebar?! We recommend checking out Charlie’s new book, Month-by-Month Gardening New England. The signed copies he brought sold out quickly! Did you know Charlie hosts webinars and leads international gardening tours? Visit his website Gardening with Charlie to find out where he's going next. |
MARCH PROGRAM
Learning More About Local Efforts!
Our club members were very impressed with Pattie Fried's presentation of the restoration of Lake Mascoma's Lakeside Park. Pattie led this two-year project which took over 40 volunteers, including our own Civic Garden Team Leader Bill Weeks. Pattie fielded all the many questions our audience had for her, as they took advantage of her expertise to help them find their own garden solutions. No doubt many will be paying a visit to this local park during the upcoming spring and summer months to view the completed restoration firsthand!
Joining Pattie is our Recording Secretary, Susan Terwilliger (left), and our Program Team Leader, Emma Kalaidjian (right). Our thanks to Emma for arranging for Pattie to join us this morning. |
FEBRUARY PROGRAM
New Member Orientation & Program "Simple Ways to Support Pollinators"
Our second program of the year featured a New Member Orientation presented by President, Terri Munson for the new members who have joined the Garden Club over the past 4 months. Attendees were wowed by all of the club’s civic and educational activities and volunteer opportunities! Everyone enjoyed meeting the new members and mingling with friends and guests during the social "coffee and conversation" time before the program.
We had a large turnout to hear our guest speaker, Dawn Dextraze, Education and Outreach Specialist for the Sullivan County Natural Resources Department and Conservation District.
Dawn provided several tips to consider when choosing host plants that can be showy, colorful, and diverse while attracting pollinators. We learned about identifying nesting sites and how to help pollinators overwinter by leaving woody stems during our autumn yard cleanups to provide pollinators with shelter and nesting locations. Dawn generously provided a number of her handouts and informational materials, as well as her presentation slides, for posting on our website. |
View Dawn's Presentation with Information about Pollinator Habitats
JANUARY PROGRAM
Kickoff Brunch & Program "Healthy Soil For Optimum Plant Growth"
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The club’s 2024 inaugural meeting was held on Friday, January 9th and attended by approximately 50 people. After a 2-year hiatus due to COVID, the Program Team brought back our popular potluck brunch as the perfect way to kick off the club’s 25th anniversary year. With an amazing amount of delicious savories and sweets filling five tables, no one left the meeting hungry! Louise Rauh, the club’s Membership Team Lead, was kept very busy managing all the membership renewals she received as well as first-time registrations.
Following brunch, Gail McWilliam Jellie, part time UNH Extension Program Assistant in Food & Agriculture, provided a talk on “Healthy Soil for Optimum Plant Growth”, including a lot of specific information for Grantham. She also spoke about the invasive Asian Jumping Worm, explaining its identifying characteristics, the difficulty in managing them if you find them in your garden, as well as preventative measures since there is currently no way to eradicate them. |
View Gail's Presentation with Information about Soil Testing and Asian Jumping Worms