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December Happenings

The first few weeks of the new year offer a chance to reflect on the festivities of December and to look forward to what’s in store for the coming months. A highlight of December was Susan’s  Promise Tree Luncheon  — wonderful food and great company!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Betsy V hosted her annual Swap Shop Yankee Swap party.  Anyone who’s ever attended knows it’s an afternoon of belly laughs and, ahem, interesting gifts. (See below.)

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The Holiday Luncheon at the Wentworth Country Club, sponsored by the Herb Committee, was an especially festive event.  Members enjoyed a delicious lunch followed by a gift exchange. This event is always a special way to wrap up another garden club year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The gift exchange was a hit:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Environment & Conservation Committee is dedicating the entire year to an exploration of Pollinators and the plants they call home, to encourage members to plant with the native plants that will attract pollinators.  Here is an overview, from Chair Linda V, of what we can expect from E&C’s research:

We hope that by May you will want to join our effort to register gardens as part of the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge sponsored by www.MillionPollinatorGardens.org.
At our general meetings we will feature pollinators and the native plants that will encourage them. (Did you know that most pollinators pollinate specific plants?)

Each month we will have our usual posters, but we will also have handouts for you to take home. Be sure to look for them.

In April we will have a sign-up sheet for those who would like a booklet of the information presented during the year. You may use these booklets to educate your grandchildren about the importance of pollination and pollinators.

So – Bee sure to look for our table at each general meeting. We will be presenting the following:
November: Bees and Wasps
January: Butterflies and Moths
February: Other Pollinators in Our Landscape
April: Native Plants that Attract Pollinators
May: Wrap-Up the Year
June Luncheon: Raffle of pollinator items – so remember to bring your coffee cups to monthly meetings to be punched.

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Fresh off the Press — Horticulture Tips!

Be sure to click here to see the January Hort Tips, presented this month by Linda V. You won’t want to miss this timely information. The birds will thank you!

 

 

 

June Happenings

It’s hard to believe June is behind us. But we have so many fun pictures to share…

Of course the highlight of the month was our Annual Plant Auction and Luncheon, held on June 14 at the Portsmouth Country Club. (As you may be able to tell, garden hats were part of the theme.)

Tables overflowed with plants donated by members, including some beautiful house plants. Max did a stellar job of auctioning off everything by lunchtime.

Garden Hats were everywhere. Some made a fashion statement.  Some made a  different kind of statement (about the size of this year’s mosquitos, perhaps?)

 

 

               

How about these stylish gardeners?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were even honored by the presence of two “Czarinas”.

 

More auction action…

 

 

 

 

 

 

These lovely table centerpieces were raffled off to some lucky members. They were created by Betsy A & Donna.

 

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On June 20th, some members enjoyed a Promise Tree tour of Max’s  beautiful & very interesting gardens in Newburyport. Everyone found a least one plant that she wasn’t able to identify in Max’s mix of unusual and old-standby flowers.

 

 

 

 

 

As you can tell, it was a gorgeous day in a gorgeous garden.

 

 

 

                                  

December Happenings

To brighten our homes for the holiday, EAGC members gathered  to make wreaths and create arrangements sharing a variety of evergreens, cones, and berries gathered from our yards.  Tables were piled high with fresh boughs of pine, fir, holly, juniper, arborvitae, dried orange slices, and pine cones…and what a very good year this was for winterberry!   Under the tutelage of Connie Gilmore and Ann Hohenberger, many beautiful showpieces were created:

Connie & Ann wish to thank to all who participated and contributed flora from their gardens. 

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We gathered in December at the Wentworth Country Club in Newcastle, where we enjoyed a delicious luncheon of Maple Glazed Salmon or Beef Tenderloin.  We heard our fearless leaders, Betsy & Jill, recite their version of “Twas the Night Before Christmas”  which cleverly included all our members and depicted Santa Claus as a “Hunk”!

 

We always seem to have great fun when we gather and take a look at some of the wonderful gifts exchanged:

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Last, but never least, came Betsy’s Holiday Swap, and it did not disappoint-great food and drink, great friends and great gifts?!?!  Here we go:

 

 

An M & M Machine, of course!

 

                                      

                 

                                         

A noisy chair pad!

 

Jill needs an extra large beer stein to make it through our meetings!

 

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An Electric Outhouse- just what I needed!

And here come the specialized dishes:

 

A Crab dish, how special!

 

Flower Pot Lunch Plates

 

Covered Baked Potato Dish-what everyone needs!

 

A nice fish dish needs a fish face, right!?

 

Packed in for this annual “must attend” event:

 

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Fini!

 

October Happenings

Exeter Area Garden Club members welcomed fall at an October Design Workshop where they were challenged with the task of creating an arrangement in an unusual container. Members supplied a variety of containers that had interesting stories behind them. We had a luminary fish, an antique metal teapot dug from a backyard, a bathroom plunger topiary, a box turtle shell, an antique leather lace up shoe, teapots, pitchers and more, all requiring a variety of arranging styles.

 

Ann and Connie thank all who attended and created fabulous floral arrangements, some of which are pictured below.

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Our General Meeting for October was a feast for garden lovers, starting with our annual Commercial and Residential Award recipients presented by Anne Campbell and Sue Bowman.

We were fortunate enough to have two residential winners, Judy & David Walter of Stratham and Carol & Jack Fermery of Hampton Falls:

 For full description and pictures of gardens, click here

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Judy & David Walter

 

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Carol & Jack Fermery

Our Commercial Award went to the Provident Bank, 95 Portsmouth Ave., Exeter, NH for it’s beautifully landscaped parking area,  perimeter and window boxes.

 For full description and pictures of gardens, click here

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Josephine Yeo, Assistant VP, Business Development Officer and Will Waltrip,  Senior Relationship Manager


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Barbara Dupre and Chad Pimentel of GreensKeepers received certificate for accentuating the bank with glorious window boxes and containers

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Joe Brunet, owner of WJ Brunet Landscaping accepted his certificate for transforming the bank’s parking lot

 

All Winners accepting their Awards

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Next on our meeting agenda was Terri Donsker with a”Hort Moment”.

Terri’s topic was Callicarpa Dichotoma, Purple Beautyberry  Shrub.  She passed around a branch from her garden, loaded with purple berry clusters.  This deciduous shrub attracts bees, birds and butterflies and grows 3 to 4 feet in Zones 5a to 8b.  It grows in full sun to partial shade.

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The speaker for our October meeting was Shirley Wigglesworth whose topic was “All About Bulbs”.  At the end of her presentation, Shirley gave out bags of bulbs.

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The last event for October was a fun-filled promise tree Trick or Treat party held at Max’s in Newburyport on October 27th:

 

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 It was a busy month!