Our March meeting was all about verticality, tarragon, and St. Patrick’s Day. Andi Ross, who is a landscape designer, garden coach, horticulturalist, oil painter, and founder of “It’s Nature’s Way” gave an informative talk about going vertical in our gardens. She accompanied her talk with inspiring photos of vertical garden elements which lead the eye upwards and save space.
Carol C treated us to another one of her wonderful Herb presentations – this time featuring tarragon. We learned so much about the herb, it’s history and uses, while learning how Carol incorporates tarragon into her cooking. If you missed the meeting or didn’t get a chance to read Carol’s tarragon information in the March Hort Tips, you can find it here.
Our Hospitality Committe came through again with a very St. Patty’s-themed table and refreshments – always a highlight of our meetings! In addition, Johann updatated us on our upcoming Yard Sale (more about that later) and our Promise Tree table was busy.
As of April 15, all ten of the vendor table spaces at our Yard Sale have been rented. We’re down to the wire now – set-up for the sale at the Stratham Municipal Center is this Friday, the 21st from 2 to 5, and the sale will open the next day at 8 a.m. Be sure to have your donations of plants, baked goods, and garden items delivered to the municipal center on Friday between 2 and 5 or before 8 a.m on Saturday. Lee C. hosted a “potting party” at her home on Friday the 14th, where a small team dug and potted up some of her happy & healthy plants for the sale.
Kelly Orzell, one of our favorite speakers, will be discussing Container Gardening at the April 20 meeting. here’s what she has in store for us: “Hit me with your best pot! Whether you have a patio garden or acres of land, container gardens are flexible while adding a bit of intimacy to your outside space. You can grow fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers in pots and yes, even small trees! New and old container ideas will be showcased. Then I’ll talk about which plants are best suited for this type of life, as well as introduce you to unique plant varieties, topiaries, and planting recipes to try. And I’ll tell you my grooming and other maintenance tips to keep your container garden blooming all season long.”
Upcoming
If you’d like to learn more about Ikebana, the Rye Driftwood Garden Club is hosting Elaina Hatsis on Tuesday, April 18. She will be discussing “Japanese Flowering Arranging.” More details can be found here.
EAGC’s Design Committee has scheduled a members’ Design Workshop for Thursday, May 25, 2-4 pm, at the Stratham Municipal Center. We will be building arrangements incorporating wood as a natural and organic element to our designs. Details and sign-up will be available at our April 20 meeting.
The Ogunquit Museum of American Art is presenting their Art in Bloom on Friday, June 23, through Sunday, June 25. Interested in tickets? Or maybe in competing? Go to ogunquitmuseum.org.
Our club has been focusing this year on planting more native plants for the benefit of our pollinators. The American Horticultural Society published an article recently about native groundcovers and the invasives we should avoid, entitled Go Native with Groundcovers. Check it out here.
