Grantham Garden Club
  • Homepage
    • Flowers & Folklore Blog
  • JOIN US
    • President's Message
    • Membership
    • Organization
    • Volunteer Opportunities
  • PROGRAM & ACTIVITY
    • 2023 Program & Activity
    • 2022 Program & Activity
  • SCHOLARSHIP & GRANT
    • Scholarship
    • Grant
    • Meet our Recipients
  • MEMBERS ONLY
    • Club Calendar
    • Club Documents
    • Leadership Teams >
      • 2023 Leadership Teams
      • Leadership History
    • Meeting Minutes & Treasurer Reports

If you build it, they will come by Terri Munson

7/30/2021

1 Comment

 
Picture
Dahlia
Emily Cleaveland (better known as The Dahlia Lady) has graciously agreed to allow the Grantham Garden Club to host an open house on her property as a fund raiser for the club. Emily's dahlia gardens are not usually open to the public so we appreciate this rare treat to see her amazing Dahlia gardens. For Springfield's 250th celebration, Emily ran an open house which included a path through her native plant area. This time around, GGC volunteers cleared the path. In May when our band of GGC volunteers first visited Emily's place and walked through the flat land where native plants would grow, we thought “piece of cake.” Then the rains came, and came, and came, and turned the landscape into a lush jungle. The good news was that there would be lots of healthy native plants and ferns for people to see. The bad news was that we had to keep clearing the path which kept getting overrun.
 
Grantham Garden Club volunteers are a sturdy bunch so, undeterred, they attacked that path. They brought weed-whackers, rakes, clippers, wheelbarrows, and shovels. Emily provided lots of guidance, tools, and elbow grease. 
 
Moments after a hemlock tree in Maureen Connelly’s yard was chopped down, it was chipped into little bits and driven to the native plant trail where we spread it over the path.
 
Meanwhile, Emily was planting, fertilizing, and applying her usual tender loving care to her dahlia gardens. Wait until you see her spectacular dahlias! Emily will explain to visitors how she does her magic, while GGC’er Leslie Keeling will lead folks on tours through the native plant trail.
 
People who come to the August 14th Open House can opt to take a handout that explains what each of the 39 numbered trees, shrubs, and wildflowers are, or they can take the plunge and participate in a “Name the Native Plant” game. The correct responses spell out a mysterious message that only Emily knows. By writing their name and contact info on the back or the decoded message, people can enter a drawing with the winner receiving a fresh bouquet of dahlias compliments of Emily.
 
Like the very popular Mystery Garden Tour, we are suggesting a donation of $15 from each visitor. We’ll also be selling flower note cards, goat milk soap, yummy baked goods (thanks to other GGC volunteers), and plants. We hope to raise lots of money to fund scholarships, grants, educational programs, and civic gardens.
 
Plan to join us on Saturday, August 14th, between 1:00 and 4:00 for a delightful afternoon. The address is 256 Hogg Hill Road in Springfield (but Google Maps insists it is Grantham - so enter that if you use Google maps).

 
You won’t be disappointed.
Picture
Emily Cleaveland--The Dahlia Lady
Picture
In May, Kathy Houghton in the foreground and Leslie Keeling in back
Picture
Penny Willoughby holding Willow taken in May with bare dahlia garden in the background
Picture
Helene Perirer and Martha Sweeny in among the ferns on the native plant trail in July
Picture
Leslie Keeling, Kathy Houghton, and Emily Cleaveland identifying the plants
Picture
Hemlock tree
Picture
Hemlock wood chips
Picture
Kathy Houghton, Penny Willoughby, Martha Sweeney, and Leslie Keeling hard at work
1 Comment
Sharon Parker
8/6/2021 08:12:27 am

great to see my Pball friends working at the Dahlia Garden. Next up...to see the garden for myself!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Grantham Garden Club, P.O. Box 1232, Grantham, NH 03753
granthamgardenclub.org

© 2023, Grantham Garden Club.  All rights reserved.