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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.

November Happenings

Nov14

The holidays are approaching (very quickly, it seems) and the club calendar is filling up with special activities. Some email information has already gone out – decorating the Historical Society, Holiday Luncheon, and Design Workshop – and more plans are in the works.

But let’s backtrack for a moment. Last month’s speaker, Jeanne Davidson, may win a gold medal for most enthusiastic presentation and best props. She also provided us with loads of advice on how to protect our backs as we garden. Jeanne’s demonstrations were spot on (see photos) and she got members up off their seats to practice her techniques.

The meeting room at the Mogera Library was appropriately fall-like, thanks to the Hospitality Committee’s efforts. The creatively decorated centerpiece pumpkin, provided by Pat Navin, was auctioned off at meeting’s end.

A highlight of the meeting was the return of the Hort Table. Many members scoured their fall gardens for anything beautiful and/or interesting and the result was a surprisingly large, colorful, and varied assortment.

Our November meeting promises to be just as colorful, as we’ll be hearing Jillian Arquette-Gallagher speak on “The Importance of Local Flowers.” Jillian is owner of Fruition Flowers in Newmarket, NH. She has been drawn to flowers from a young age and creates memorable arrangements for a range of events. Her education in color and design lends a unique approach to floral arrangements. Like the bees, she gathers inspiration from the seasonal charm of New England. She uses as many foraged and locally cultivated materials as possible.

The meeting will be this Thursday, the 18th, at the Morgera Room at the Stratham Fire Department; doors open at 9, snacks at 9:30, meeting at 10. Don’t forget to bring your own beverage!

Promise Tree News: There will be a signup sheet at the Nov.18 meeting for a Cookie Swap which is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 20, from 2 to 4pm, at Susan C.’s home. The swap will be limited to 15 members. Participants are asked to bring 60 cookies and an extra container for their take-home cookies. All members of the Ways and Means committee will meet briefly after the Nov, meeting to finalize plans for the Cookie Swap.

Also, club members are asked to “make a promise”. We welcome new leaves on our Promise Tree with “gifts” of your choosing.

The Website Committee is planning an update of the site, with the hopes of making it more streamlined and user-friendly for members. One change you may have already noticed – the “Garden Talk” blog is now named “Happenings”. Everything else about the blog remains the same. In the future, some pages on the site may be eliminated, but advance notice will always be given.

We would love to have more input about how the website should look. If you have suggestions or would like to be involved in this re-vamp, contact LuAnn.

If you are planning to attend the Holiday Luncheon and have not signed up yet, please bring a check for $35 to the Nov. 18th meeting. Jill C. will be collecting them there.

A note from Abbie-Jane about the October meeting:

Enjoyed the program on Thursday. I’ve been practicing on my straight back gardening.
A big thank you to the member who brought in the pineapple vase. It graces my mantle.


June – July Happenings

Jul20

There are lots of pictures to share in this Happenings, which means we’ve been getting together again as a club. All the big smiles prove that we’re happy to be making up for lost time. Let’s start with the June Luncheon and Auction. The day was beautiful, the Portsmouth Country Club patio was a perfect venue, the auction was a success – a good time was had by all! Many thanks go to Jill C. and her efficient Hospitality committee.

  • Lovely Centerpiece
  • Another Centerpiece

After several rain cancellations, the Promise Tree Garden Tour finally took place on July 12th. Members endured heat, humidity, and the occasional raindrop to take in the beautiful gardens of Pat S., Pat N., and Linda S. Those small inconveniences were well worth it to enjoy and learn from these three very different but well thought-out gardens. Here are some of the floral highlights.

  • johann

The American Gardener magazine is a wonderful resource for all kinds of gardening know-how. Here are a two articles that I thought were particularly interesting. “Why Wasps Deserve More Praise” discusses how these often hated insects offer many ecosystem and garden benefits. And while on the subject of insects, the article “Get to Know Your Insect Friends and Foes” offers some helpful identification information to help us sort the good guys from the bad when caring for our plants. Click on the underlined link to read the articles.

Pat N.’s 11-year-old grandson has a “play it forward” activity. He makes “Kindness Stars”, small paper Moravian stars with an attached saying. Over the past two years he has managed to make a few thousand and get them to all 50 states and many foreign countries. This boy has networked with family, friends, friends of friends, Scouts and classrooms of kids. Someone posted this on his Facebook page. Pat thought it might be worth passing along…

And finally, the Exeter Bandstand stands ready for Independence Day.

Photo by Ann H

November Happenings

Dec9

I think most would agree that the highlight of our month was the General Meeting held jointly with the Hampton Garden Club. It was very well-attended by members of both clubs, the speaker was engaging, and we were able to enjoy a number of presentations set up by both clubs.

Speaker Jana Milbocker spoke about inspiring slides from her book “The Garden Tourist.”

  • Refreshments, provided by both clubs, were plentiful and delicious.
  • Members again brought interesting clippings from their gardens for the Hort Table.
  • The Hampton club showed off the results of their charity collection.
  • E&C did an extensive display on The Mighty Oak, including this informative wreath made by Ann H.
  • Recycling information supplied by the Hampton club.

From Ann H. and Connie, co-chairs of the Design Committee:

With Thanksgiving around the corner, our arrangers at the November Design Workshop created seasonal fall arrangements using fresh and artificial flora and locally sourced dried and fresh materials from plants and tree foliage.  Participants mixed and matched flowers in a variety of colors and styles using our provided baskets as containers or their own personal containers. All these lovely arrangement were displayed the following morning at our November general meeting.

Arrangers hard at work.

Here are the beautiful results:

What would the holiday season be without holly? Learn all about this seasonal favorite in this month’s Horticulture Tips, provided by Pat N. of the Horticultural Committee. Click here.

Coming up at our January General Meeting …

Thursday, January 16, “Backyard Birds” will be the topic of speaker, Dr. Stephen Hale.

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.
  • Everyone was obviously thrilled with their swap shop goodies!


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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!)

  • Hostess Carol C. preparing an entree.
  • Mushroom on, but not in, this gorgeous cake.


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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:

  • Lee worked her Ikebana magic.
  • Donna created two candlestick arrangements.
  • Dianna’s arrangement was edible!
  • Susan’s basket of flowers looked perfect on the Easter table.
  • Members examined the beautiful arrangements up close.
  • The spring-like refreshment table centerpiece and all the wonderful food were compliments of Abbie-Jane and her committee.


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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.