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.

Jess Waters
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.

February Happenings

Mar10

Doesn’t this gorgeous bloom put you in the mood for Spring and exploring all the wonderful plants available for our New Hampshire gardens? To find out more about this shrub, check out Connie’s March Horticulture Tip here.

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Our February General Meeting featured Patti Elwell, who spoke about and demonstrated “Seed Starting.” Her enthusiasm for her topic was contagious and inspiring, as were the seed packets she offered for sale to benefit the Promise Tree.

Also at the February meeting, the Environment & Conservation Committee, led by Linda V. gave a comprehensive report on the effects of global warming on the world’s oceans. Members of the committee each addressed a specific aspect of the effects, along with providing handouts and posters.

Ann H. addressed members as Linda V. looked on.
The E&C committee provided lots of detailed info about how the ocean is being affected by climate change.

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Here are two local events to kick off the upcoming gardening season:

The Great Island Garden Club of New Castle is hosting a lecture at The Music Hall Loft on April 2nd at 10 AM. Marta McDowell will speak on her book, “All the Presidents’ Gardens”. Marta writes and lectures on gardening topics and teaches landscape history and horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at The Music Hall box office or at www.musichall.org.

The NH Master Gardener Alumni Association annual Spring Symposium will be held on Saturday, March 23, from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm at the Southern New Hampshire University Dining Hall & Banquet Facility, 2500 N River Rd., Hooksett, NH. The event will feature speakers and an opportunity to socialize with other gardeners. It is open to the public. For details, go to https://extension.unh.edu/2019springsymposium.

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BEE sure to come to our next General Meeting on Thursday, March 21. Our featured speaker’s topic will be “All About Bees.”

January Happenings

Feb9

Kevin Gardner, our speaker at the January joint meeting with the Rye Driftwood Garden Club, filled the room at the Congregational Church in Rye. His talk on “Discovering New England Walls” was well-received and he was swamped afterward by listeners with questions and comments about this very popular topic.

Kevin Gardner


As he spoke, Kevin used his wall-building skills to construct a miniature dry wall on a table before our eyes.
There was a crowd of interested members and guests seeking answers after the presentation.

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Welcome to new member Dianne A. from Exeter who joins us this month. Dianne has joined the Design Committee.


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UNH Cooperative Extension is holding its annual Greenhouse Open House at the Thompson School at UNH on April 5th and 6th. This year’s event will also feature the final Thompson School Flower Show and Plant Sale. The general public is invited to engage with UNH faculty, staff, and students in UNH horticulture and agriculture research facilities. This event is an opportunity to connect with the expertise of Extension educators, specialists, and Master Gardener volunteers.

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Be sure to watch the Promise Tree for some fun new additions, including a Bunco Party, gardening books, field trips, and other surprises. If members are not able to attend the next meeting, you can check out the Promise Tree offerings on this website under “Members Only.”

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Don’t miss this month’s General Meeting – our speaker will be our own Patti Elwell, who always wows us with her knowledge and enthusiasm. This month she’ll be talking about “Seed Starting.”

December Happenings

Jan13

December was truly a month of photo opportunities for members of EAGC. So many fun events gave us all time to put the stress of the holidays aside for a few hours to enjoy each others’ company.

Connie and Ann H. put together an outstanding Design Class in December, where members assembled holiday arrangements to last throughout the season. The resulting floral arrangements were stunning. Thirteen EAGC members and one guest gathered for the Holiday Flower Design Workshop using evergreens and blooms of roses, lilies, carnations and amaryllis in shades of red, white and a lovely shade of mauve. The theme for the workshop was taken from the Christmas carol, The Holly and the Rose, a beautiful carol that was sung by one of the club members before the workshop began.

Here are some of the lovely results.











This arrangement looks perfect in this member’s home.


Abbie-Jane’s arrangement became the centerpiece of her table.


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Susan C. hosted a festive Holiday Open House in December. Members were treated to a beautiful selection of appetizers and an opportunity to take in Sue’s spectacular Christmas decorations. What a relaxing break from the holiday rush!

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Our annual Holiday Luncheon, hosted by the Herb Committee, was better than ever — delicious food, lots of laughs, and an opportunity to wish all our special gardening friends happy holidays. Lynda B. outdid herself in organizing a wonderful afternoon for us.

The gift swap table was loaded with surprises.

Party Favors for each member.

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Our November General Meeting, in conjunction with the Hampton Garden Club, featured Andi Ross, who did a presentation on Hip-Hip Hydrangeas , Part 1. Andi shared a lot of helpful information about the identification and care of hydrangeas. Pat N. has provided a link to Andi’s handouts from that meeting. If you’d like a copy, click here.

Fall Happenings

Dec11

Your fall update of garden club activities is long overdue.  Here is a quick pictorial run-down of the happenings.

October and November were busy months when it comes to Promise Tree events. Members were offered interesting field trips, potted berry bushes, flowering plants, and even handmade fabric pumpkins donated by a Hampton Garden Club member. Here are some pictures to document the field trips:

Paula F reports that the November tour of the Mushroom Company in Tamworth was fascinating. Attendees learned that growing these strange looking fungi is a complicated process.




The October Promise Tree tour of the Woodman Museum in Dover surprised attendees – they agreed that the museum collections are so varied and eclectic that another day of touring would be needed to appreciate all it has to offer.




Nance J’s Civic Beautification volunteers spent a sunny but chilly morning taking care of fall clean-up at the bandstand in Exeter in late October. The bandstand was the beautiful, blooming centerpiece of the downtown again this summer, thanks to Nance and her crew.




While we’re talking about Civic Beautification, here are pictures of the team decorating the Exeter Historical Society a few weeks ago. Their efforts certainly help brighten the downtown for the holidays. According to Ann H, “The weather was wet and miserable but this hardy crew did a fabulous job. The Historical Society building looks quite festive for their holiday gathering.
Nance and Donna made a beautiful swag for the signpost out front and Bill C volunteered the manpower to climb a ladder in the rain and tie it up. Lee provided a generous amount of greens for the pots outdoors, our boxwood came from Jill F’s landscape, and red twig dogwood from Linda V’s gardens.” 



And now for the big reveal…




EAGC’s Awards Committee searched far and wide all summer to choose the winners of our annual Beautification Awards. These were presented at the October general meeting by co-chairs Anne C. and Mary-Jo. In addition to our traditional residential and commercial awards, a special Community Award was presented to Judy Sheldon for her lovely bed at the Exeter Library. Judy just happens to have been president of our club from 1992-93.  

The Residential Award was presented to Joe Fischer by Ann C.
The Commercial Award went to Graham Tire & Auto and Deshenes Landscape Service. Matt & Dan Deshenes gave small talk on the project.
Judy Sheldon explains her work at the Exeter Library site.




Just a reminder — minutes of the board and general meetings are compiled by our Recording Secretary Vicky and are available for viewing here or can be found under “Members Only”.