December Happenings

Jan8

What a busy Holiday month! We had so many opportunities to come together and celebrate, including a cookie exchange hosted by Lee, our Holiday Luncheon, arranged by Lynda and her Herb Committee, Betsy’s famous (or is it infamous?) Swap Shop Yankee Swap, and Susan’s festive and bounteous Holiday Brunch. We hope every member had the chance to participate in at least one of these fun activities.

Thanks to Ann H, we have lots of great photos from those December events — shown here to remind us of what fun we had (and, as always, what wonderful food we enjoyed!)

First, the Luncheon:

**The Portsmouth Country Club is always a favorite venue.**

**A table full of gifts for the exchange.**

**So many interesting gifts and happy recipients.**

There was no lack of laughter or food at Betsy’s Yankee Swap. And Betsy showed her usual impeccable taste in gift selection:

Max swapped for this treasure (and happily took it home!)

So which of these lovely gifts remained unloved at the Swap’s end?

**Amazing, but true. Dianna swapped it for something else.**

Members actually did more than party in December. Early in the month, members of Civic Beautification, led by chair Donna W., gathered at the Exeter Historical Society to decorate the building for the holidays. Wreaths and topiaries were assembled, including a wreath for the front door of the Folsom Tavern.

Linda V. has put together an unusual and interesting Horticulture Tip for January. To be sure you don’t miss it, click here.

Backyard Birds” will be the topic of our speaker, Dr. Stephen Hale, at the January 16 general meeting. His presentation will feature common and likely resident and migrant visitors to any backyard in New England. This presentation offers ID tips on some challenging birds that live among us like … for example, Hairy vs. Downy Woodpecker and Purple vs. House Finch. Tips on feeding birds to attract the most diversity will also be provided.

Remember to bring a specimen (or more) from your winter garden for display at the general meeting. We’ve had intriguing and surprisingly beautiful fall & winter stems at the past few meetings — it will be interesting to see what January produces.

Lee has shared with us a photo of her self-pollinating winterberry. A perfectly bright and cheerful image of winter in New England.

And as a postscript, do you ever wonder who looks at this website and learns a little about our club? Maybe not — but as Web Manager, I do. This is what I learned about the past month:

414 people clicked on our website. 21% were return visitors, 79% were new to the website.
279 of them were from the U.S.
India, Canada, and the UK accounted for 17, 16, and 13 clicks, respectively.
Folks from countries as diverse as Bangladesh, Finland and Nigeria also accessed our website.
The most clicked on post on our website was The Language of Roses, from February, 2012.
The most clicked on page on our website was our Home Page.
The next most popular page was Horticulture Tips.

April Happenings

May9

After a couple of days of sunshine & warmer temperatures, blooms are popping up all over! It’s safe to say Spring is finally making its appearance. Cool weather notwithstanding, April was a big month for EAGC news.
We’ll start with an important announcement from Meredith, our Membership Chairperson.

May is Membership Month
All members must complete the Membership Registration form and pay $25 dues in order to be included in the EAGC Yearbook. You can download and print the form here or pick one up at the May general meeting. When filling out the form, please circle any new information.

Photos of new members will be taken at the May general meeting and the June Luncheon.
Do not delay sending in your registration! The deadline for inclusion in the Yearbook is June 1st. Call Meredith Stevens with questions. 603-580-5954.

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Betsy V. helped us start out the month in festive fashion with her much-anticipated April Fool’s Party and Gift Swap. As her regular Christmas Party participants know, the “gifts” that were swapped were all compliments of the Candia Swap Shop. Good food and lots of laughs ensued.

A bunny-eating Yeti set the tone for refreshments.

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Paula, Jan, and Carol C. hosted a lovely Mushroom Luncheon at Paula’s home in April. The lucky attendees were served gourmet-quality mushroom dishes, ranging from appetizers to desserts, in an elegant setting.

Ann H. offered her review: The luncheon was 1st class… we were handed a mimosa as soon as we stepped in the door, and on the table a mushroom extravaganza of hot and cold hors d’oeuvres greeted us. We laughed through a difficult but fun mushroom quiz with nice prizes for several winners. After being seated in the dining room, we were served lovely vinaigrette salads garnished with freshly sautéed mushrooms, followed by a mushroom quiche main course, and warm mushroom biscuits with mushroom butter… all delicious. Our deserts were colorfully decorated mushroom cookies and a mushroom decorated cake (without mushroom ingredients). Wine and champagne flowed throughout the day but I decided not to include those photos. (Our loss!)

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Our April General Meeting is a Members’ Meeting, when the talents of our member volunteers are displayed for all. This year, our presenters were Susan, Lee, Dianna, and Donna. They each demonstrated the creation of varying arrangements, while describing the process and offering many helpful tips. Here are the presenters and their beautiful results:

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Announcements

As a followup to last year’s Environment & Conservation theme about the importance of pollinators, Linda V. has suggested checking out the related activities offered by the New Hampshire Audubon society. You can view their schedule of events at http://www.nhaudubon.org/.

The Hampton Falls Library is hosting two programs of particular interest to gardeners. On May 16 at 6:30, Invasive Plants of NH will be presented by the NH conservation commission. On June 6 at 6:30, Stephen Hale, owner of Open World Explorers, discusses Backyard Birds. The Hampton Falls Library is at 7 Drinkwater Rd., in Hampton Falls.

The Rye Driftwood Garden Club is holding their 2019 Plant Sale on Friday May 17- 9 am-2 pm and Saturday, May 18 – 9 am – 12 pm. It will be held at 481 Central Road in Rye. For info, click here.

Our own Spring Luncheon & Plant Auction is just around the corner — Tuesday, June 18. If you haven’t already signed up and send your check for $25, please do so soon. Checks may be sent to Jill, who is our Hospitality Chairperson. Or sign up at the May general meeting next Thursday. Expect a special day — plant drop-off starts at 10:30, followed by the auction at 11. Our delicious luncheon will be served at about 12:30.

If you don’t have plants to dig up and contribute, consider bringing a patio planter, houseplant, or a garden-related item to be auctioned off. And remember, an auction purchase isn’t required to join in on the fun. Consider bringing a friend, too. They’ll enjoy a great meal and make some new friends.

March Happenings

Apr1

Several happy members took home cash winnings from Linda S.’s Bunco Party on the 15th. Even the biggest loser went home with a few dollars! Twelve members enjoyed refreshments, laughs, and a little competition while raising money for the Promise Tree.

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Members and guests at the March General Meeting were treated to a thorough education on the care and maintenance of European honeybees, presented by Jess Waters, owner of Half Acre Beekeeping. She and her husband, Andy DeMeo, maintain thousands of bees and place their hives on local farms. Jess answered lots of questions from the audience and raffled off a jar of her Half Acre Honey as an added bonus.

*Half Acre Honey – different colors and flavors depending on the location of the hives*

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Our biggest fundraiser of the year, the Annual Indoor Yard Sale is fast approaching. The big date is Saturday, May 4. Tables are still available so if you or anyone you know would like to rent one for $25, please contact Dianna T. or Carole C. Or go to ExeterAreaGardenClub.com and click on the link for an application form. Continue saving your treasures for the sale – we’ll be setting up on Friday, May 3. More information will be coming soon.

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The Promise Tree tour of the Woodman Museum in Dover has been re-scheduled to Wednesday, June 5, with carpools leaving from the Stratham Municipal Center at 9:30. The cost is a $20 donation to the Promise Tree and includes admission to the museum. For more info, check with Lee C, Johann S. or Edie W. Sign-up will be available at the next General Meeting.

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What fun we had at our Spring Design Workshop learning all about the Sogetsu school of Ikebana design with Martha Hamilton of Cornith, ME. Martha demonstrated several horizontal and vertical designs while enlightening us on the Japanese style of arranging. Following her presentation, she reflected on each of our arrangements in respect to the Sogetsu style of ikebana.

Ann H., EAGC Design Co-Chair

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Here are some local events you may be interested in:

Rita Wollmering of the Herb Farmacy will be teaching basic organic growing principles and companion planting at the Hampton Falls Library on Thursday, April 18 at 6:30 pm. The program is free. No sign-up is required. The library is at 7 Drinkwater Rd. in Hampton Falls.

The Bedford Garden Club is holding its Annual Plant Sale to benefit community gardens & educational programs on Saturday, May 18th, from 9 to 11 a.m. It will be held at the Bedford Old Town Hall, 70 Bedford Center Road in Bedford.

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