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November Happenings

Nov18

Our club’s October meeting was a busy and informative one. Linda V. and Betsy V. presented a slide display of this year’s Pollinator Mini-Grant recipients, including a progress report on their committee’s effort to create a pollinator corridor in Exeter and Stratham. This was followed by slides of our club’s Civic Beautification projects, presented by chair, Linda S.

Environment and Conservation introduced this season’s topic – edible berries found in this area’s fields and forests, kicked off by one of Jill C.’s famous quizes. This was followed by three guests, representatives of the New Hampshire Federation of Garden Clubs, who explained their organization and described the benefits of membership enjoyed by member clubs.

And finally, Patti E. organized a huge Seed Swap and presentation, with seeds galore and detailed information on seed saving.

Pollinator Corridor
Winnie Schuman, NHFGC
Sue Minor, NHFGC
Fiona McKenna, NHFGC
Patti’s Seed Swap

The Horticulture Table was overflowing with blooms and interesting plants brought by members…

And of course, there were refreshments…

Photos by Ann H.

Fall cleanup at the American Independance Museum in Exeter was completed by Linda S.’s team on a mild, sunny Friday, in little more than hour. Linda reports that it couldn’t have been accomplished without Rose’s truck and Ellen’s leaf vacuum/ mulcher. The museum thanked this year’s Civic Beautification volunteers with a coffee mug

The hard-working team, minus Jill F.
And here’s Jill!

Photos by Ann H.

Mel M. and her Civic Beautification volunteers undertook the fall cleanup of the Stratham Veterans Garden, making sure that it was a pristine setting for the Nov. 11th Veterans Day ceremony.

Photos by Lee C. and Ellen J.

Club News

Don’t miss the first speaker of our 2024 -2025 season. Rita Wollmeringer will be presenting “The Many Gifts of Herb Gardening,” on Thursday, Nov. 21. Arrive at 9 a.m for refreshments & lots of socializing!

Our Election Day Bake Sale was a success, after missing the sale in 2022 due to Covid …. This year: rainy cold weather, limited to one table, and very confusing voter queuing pattern!!
A big thanks to all the bakers for the wonderful assortment of goodies … an extra special thanks for labeling and pricing your items. Thanks to our “drop-team”, Jill and Ginelle.
Our fearless Ways and Means Chair, Johann, sends a very special thanks to the folks who staffed the table and “peddled” our goodies to the patient voters in the very long line. Nearly every crumb was sold and our final sales number was $826!
P.S. A little call out for Lang – he was there to help run interference with the voting moderators.
– Pat N

Photos by Pat N.

Our next fundraiser is on the near horizon – the Nov. 23rd Yuletide Fair at the Cooperative Middle School in Stratham. Many members have already been busy creating sales items, for example:

Photos by Ann H., Vicki B.

On Friday, November 22, all members are invited to participate in our final workshop where we’ll be assembling arrangements and organizing for the Fair. We’re meeting from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Stratham Municipal Center. Contact Johann S. with any questions. This fun workshop is our final big push to make this another profitable fundraiser.

Members’ very last chance to sign up for the Holiday Luncheon at Wentworth Country Club on Dec. 5th is at the next meeting on Nov. 21st. Don’t miss out – contact Paige C. for details.

Lee C. will be offering a Greens Workshop/Design Lesson on Tuesday, Dec. 12, from 9 to 11 a.m. Sign-up will be available at the November meeting or contact Lee.

Everyone is encouraged to take a look at our Facebook page. Patti E. does a spectacular job of updating the page with interesting gardening info. You don’t have to join Facebook to look at our page, just click here to check it out. And while you’re there, be sure to click on the “Like” button.

Stay up to date with all the club plans and activities. The minutes of our board and general meetings are always available on the website under Members Only in the main menu.

Other Events

The 6th Annual Seed Swap Giveaway will be held on November 16, from 9 am to 3 pm There will be over 30 species of FREE pollinator-friendly plant seeds. Kingston Recreation Building, 24 Main Street, Kingston, NH.

On November 19, Rye Driftwood Garden Club will be hosting Jean Stefanik and “Orchids All Around Us.” Info at www.ryenhgardenclub.org.

October Happenings

Oct6

We know Fall has arrived when our Awards committee presents EAGC’s annual awards for Outstanding Gardens. This year, our Awards ceremony was moved up a month to September, allowing members more time to look over the gardens of our recipients before a fall frost arrives. A slideshow of the spectacular winning gardens was presented by Carmen G. & new Awards chair, Ginelle H., reflecting three very different gardens – all beautiful in their own way. The winning gardeners or a representative were present at the meeting to receive their awards and answer member questions about their gardening techniques and experiences.

Lisa & Greg Wenger, Exeter
Martha & Ken Kiper, Newfields (award accepted by daughter Brittany Drew)
Barry Brewster, Exeter

For photos of these three Outstanding Gardens, click here.

This September kickoff meeting was well-attended, with members exchanging summer garden information and learning about what the club has in store for this 2024-25 season. New Yearbooks were distributed (if you missed the meeting, pick yours up at the October meeting) and there were plenty of sign-up sheets for Yuletide Fair workshops. The sales table had a good selection of donations and members were encouraged to hang a leaf on the Promise Tree – some fun activity that will bring us together, an opportunity to get better acquainted. And of course, the refreshment table – always mouth-watering.

Bird’s eye view of refreshments

Thanks to Carmen G. Ann H. and Nickky J. for the photos. (And to the drone that took a photo of the refreshment table!)

Club News

  • The October 17th meeting will be a busy one. Environment & Conservation will be presenting a slideshow of the Beautification Mini-Grant recipients for 2024. Civic Beautification will show us some slides of the gardens our club maintains. The NH Federation of Garden Clubs will introduce their organization and take questions.
  • This will all be followed by Patti E. who has arranged a Seed Swap. Please bring baggies or small envelopes for the seeds you would like to try – and a marker. If you are providing seeds, be sure to label them so that members can copy when they take SOME of your seeds.
  • Following all this, there is time for committees to meet and brainstorm about their year, as we have the room till 1pm.
  • Please bring your checkbook to the October meeting, as we will be doing sign-ups for the December 5th Holiday Luncheon, at the Wentworth Country Club, Rye, from 11:30 to 2. Our headcount and food choices must be submitted to the country club before our November meeting, so sign up now. If you’re unable to come to the October meeting, contact Paige C. to sign up and choose your entree.
  • Mark your calendars for our Election Day Bake Sale – on Nov. 5, from 7 a.m. to noon at the Exeter polls. We are coordinating drop-off locations on Monday, Nov. 4th for your baked goods. A sign-up sheet will be available at the October meeting for help at the sales table on the 5th. Johann S. will be providing more details.
  • Reminder: Lee C. and Ellen J. are holding a Holiday Gnome Workshop on Thursday, October 10 from 10-12 at the Wiggin Memorial Library in Stratham.
  • The Design Committee is planning an Instructional Greens Workshop for Thursday, Dec. 12. More info will be available at the October and November meetings.
  • Mark your calendars: we will be holding our annual Yuletide Fair Workshop on Nov. 22, in preparation for the Fair on Nov. 23rd.

Lynda B.’s Fall Photos

Hollyhocks at community garden at Wagon Hill, Durham
Award winner proudly displaying his sign
Pumpkins in Portsmouth
Portulaca and pumpkin on my balcony
Roses in Exeter

September Happenings

Oct9

EAGC has kicked off its new club season with the exciting results of a new Environment & Conservation project – the beginnings of a Pollinator Pathway through Exeter and Stratham, courtesy of a new approach to our Mini-Grant program. The 2023 mini-grants were awarded specifically to encourage the creation of pollinator gardens, and the recipients’ results were on display at our September general meeting.

Eight grants were awarded to gardeners who were either expanding their pollinator gardens or starting one from scratch. E&C committee members who toured the resulting gardens were encouraged by the pollinator plants established this summer, knowing that these plants will multiply in future years – providing sustenance and habitat for our local pollinators.

At our meeting, E&C chairs Linda V. and Betsy V. assembled a detailed display of the gardens – along with descriptions of each gardener’s plans – so members could better appreciate how the mini-grant funds were used.

VP Vickki B. addressed the members
Posters outlined Pollinator Garden results
Refreshments were fall-themed (and delicious!)

More detailed information about the Mini-Grant gardens can be found on the website, on the Community Service Page.

Many of our members have been gearing up for our second annual participation in the GFWC Yuletide Fair on November 18, at the Cooperative Middle School in Stratham. Workshops are underway for making our sales items and volunteers are being recruited for all phases of the fundraiser. Johann S. and Lee C. are the organizers and they will be signing up helpers at our October 19 meeting. Last fall many of our members enjoyed gathering to work on projects or to design arrangements – these workshops were perfect opportunities to get to know one another better and to be creative. This year’s biggest workshop will be on November 17, the day before the sale, when the fresh arrangements will be assembled and preparations will be finalized.

Our Awards Committee will be presenting the 2023 Awards for Outstanding Gardens at the Oct. 19 meeting. In addition to residential and commercial awards, a third new award category will be announced. Those attending the meeting will have an opportunity to meet the recipients and learn about their gardening efforts. In addition, our meeting will include the usual Hort Moment and a short E&C presentation, as well as a discussion about a new direction for our Spring Auction and Luncheon.

Linda S. took this photo of our club’s display at the entrance to the Stratham Municipal Center offices. The Civic Beautification committee maintains a display here year-round.

Briefly…

Keep up with the EAGC Board Meetings – the minutes are always posted on the website under Members Only, on the Minutes page.

The Rye Driftwood Garden Club will be hosting Jana Millbocker on Tuesday, Oct. 17 at 9:30 at the Rye Congregational Church. Jana will be presenting “Deck the Halls.” More info can be found here.

Have you ever used an app on your phone to identify a plant? Some results can be questionable. Here’s a review of the apps, according to Michigan State Extension. The top performing app in their 2021 evaluation was PictureThis, with 67% of the suggested identifications being correct. Following this, there was a cluster of three apps with about 50% accuracy: PlantNet, Plant Story and LeafSnap. iNaturalist, came in fifth place with about 30% accuracy.

Fall has traditionally been garden clean-up time. But did you know that about 30% of New England’s native bees build nests above ground? The Tufts Pollinator Initiative says a great way to support these above-ground nesting bees is to leave dead plant stems standing in gardens for at least two years. Read the full article, “The right way to leave stems for native bees” here.

November Happenings

Dec11

November may not be the best month to be a turkey, but it turned out to be a very good month to be a member of EAGC. Our participation in the Yuletide Fair, on Nov. 19, was a great success, not only for our bank balance but also for the fun and companionship enjoyed by all the members who participated in workshops and the fair itself. With a profit of around $1,100, we’re in great shape to fund another year of mini-grants, scholarships and speakers. And as evidenced by these pictures, a good time was had by all!

The floral arrangement workshop on the 18th was very well attended – so many arrangers and so much enthusiasm!

Several pinecone wreath workshops resulted in lots of very professional looking wreaths and candle rings.

And at the Fair, we had so much to display – live & dry arrangements, wreaths, tree ornaments, bulbs potted up and ready to sprout – all artfully arranged and attracting lots of interest.

Extra stock remained outside until it was needed to replenish our sales tables.

After Thanksgiving, Jan C. organized her Civic Beautification committee to decorate the Exeter Historical Society for the holidays, as well as make a wreath for the door of Exeter’s Folsom Tavern. This year, Jan decided to go all natural with greens, red twigs, winterberry, orange slices and cranberries. The results were a festive change of pace.

Amidst all the holiday fair preparations, was our November general meeting featuring Jana Milbocker, who presented an inspiring slide show on “Artist Gardens in New England.” Everyone attending was impressed with the number of spectacular gardens within a day’s drive of the Seacoast. Our sales table was very popular at the meeting, as were Promise Tree activity sign-ups. In addition, Environment & Conservation addressed the theme of water by asking us to consider what our personal water usage is in a day’s time. Where in our household do we use the most water? (Hint – it’s not the kitchen or the laundry.)

At our next general meeting, on January 19, 2023(!), Herbalist Wendy Snow Fogg will talk to us about “Herbs to Support a Healthy Immune System.”

In the meantime, I wish all my garden club friends a very happy holiday season!
LuAnn

October Happenings

Nov10

As we busily gear up for our debut appearance at the Yuletide Fair on November 19, let’s take a look at what’s been going on for the past month. The Awards Committee, under Mary Jo C.’s expert leadership, provided an impressive program for the October general meeting. We were fortunate that a number of award recipients were present to accept their awards and discuss their gardens.

The award for Outstanding Civic Garden was presented to Eric Chinburg, President and CEO of Chinburg Properties, Chestnut Street Apartments in Exeter (Accepting the award on his behalf was Lexi Jackson, property manager of Chestnut St. Apts.) Also receiving the award were Barbara H. Beardsley, designer and lead gardener of the sustainable meadow at the Chestnut St. Apts. and Ann Smith, the assistant gardener. The Outstanding Residential Garden Award was presented jointly to Sherri and Kim Brown, 12 Brown Rd. in Hampton Falls.

Ann Smith (L) and Lexi Jackson (R) with Awards Committee members Lynda B & Jann B
Sherri & Kim Brown, Ann Smith & Lexi Jackson
Back: Committe members Lynda B., Patti S., Dianna T., Mary Jo C., Anne C., Jann B. Front: Sherri & Kim Brown, Ann Smith, Lexi Jackson

Photos of the Brown’s lovely gardens:

The “Meadow of Hope” at the Chestnut St. Apartments:

The Hort Table at the October meeting held a surprisingly colorful selection of garden cuttings for this time of year. Committee chair, Ann H. would like to thank the members who shared horticulture from their gardens at the meeting. With variable weather becoming our new normal, it was good to see what fall plants were flourishing in spite of the dry conditions in our New Hampshire Seacoast.

Paige C.’s Monkshood didn’t make it to the Hort table

Other highlights from the October meeting:

EAGC’s newest member?
Promise Tree offerings

Our November General Meeting, on Nov. 17th, will feature speakers whose previous presentation was cancelled due to Covid precautions. Jana Milbocker & Joan Butler from Enchanted Gardens in Massachusetts will speak on “Artists’ Gardens in New England.” Some of our most beloved painters, sculptors and authors were inspired by the gardens they created. Visit the private havens of Edith Wharton, Julian Alden Weir, Childe Hassam, Daniel Chester French, Emily Dickinson, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Celia Thaxter and others. Learn about the gardens’ histories, design and horticultural highlights in this richly illustrated presentation.

Making for a busy week, our general meeting will be followed the very next day by our Yuletide Fair workshop, at the Stratham Municipal Center, from 1 to 5 PM. Expect amazing creativity to happen as we assemble floral arrangements for the fair. This will be a fun and productive event. If you haven’t signed up yet, check with Ann H. or Lee C. to get the details. And then bright and early the following day, Nov. 19, members will be transporting our creations to the Cooperative Middle School in Stratham for the fair, which starts at 9 AM. Volunteers have been recruited for our sales table, set-up, and clean-up. A large crowd typically shops at this fair, so we’re anticipating a successful (and probably exhausting) day.