This is a jam-packed edition of the Happenings. We have lots of pictures of last month’s activities and a number of announcements about upcoming events, plus some very useful information. Here goes:

Our Yearbook Editor, Max asks you to please update her on any changes to your personal information for next year’s issue, including the committees to which you belong. She makes every effort to produce an accurate Yearbook and needs everyone’s help to do that. She’ll be starting work on the new issue soon, so please check your Yearbook entry and let her know if she needs to change anything. Max can be reached here.

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On May 4, EAGC was very pleased to award our Ruth B. Dubenitz Scholarship to a very worthy recipient, Patrick Howard of Enfield, NH. Patrick is a returning student to the Thompson School of Applied Science majoring in Horticultural Technology at UNH. The award ceremony took place at Cole Hall at UNH. Four respresentatives from our club attended.

Anne C. had the honor of  presenting the $2000 scholarship to Patrick and also speaking briefly about Ruth and her love of gardening and the environment. Patrick aspires to own his own landscaping company. This year, he was president of the Horticulture Club at the school and has been pursuing certification in as many aspects of landscaping as he’s able. He was very grateful to receive our scholarship, which will certainly help him in acheiving his career goals.

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Spring Japanese Flower Workshop

Twelve Exeter Area Garden Club members discovered the elegance and simplicity of freestyle Ikebana, a contemporary method of Japanese arranging that allows the freedom to create with no hard and fast rules. Participants enjoyed learning more about history of the art and arranging basics from two talented EAGC members. After Japanese tea and refreshments, members set out to create their own masterpieces, experimenting with lines, space and texture using kenzans (spiked flower holder ‘frogs’) for stabilizing their materials.

Ann H., Design Co-chair

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The Beautification Committee had a busy month. The flower boxes for the bandstand were planted at Churchill’s early in the month…

Then the bandstand cleanup and installation of the planter boxes followed on May 23rd…

Nance, Bandstand Beautification’s Fearless Leader

 

  

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EAGC is very pleased to introduce three new members: Barbara (Exeter), Jennifer (Stratham), and Donna (Dover). Welcome to the club!  We look forward to getting to know you soon.

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Mark your calendars now for Thursday morning, July 19. That’s the date of our Summer Meeting. If you’re unfamiliar with our Summer Meetings, they’re informal gatherings where members share their gardening woes & successes and generally enjoy each other’s company. Plans are not yet finalized, but you’ll be notified by email when they are.

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Minutes of the May Board & General Meetings are available on the website. Click here to find them. Also available on the site is the Budget for the 2018-19 season, which was finalized by Susan C. & her Budget Committee and approved by the membership. The Budget page can be found under Members Only. Click here to view it.

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We received this invitation via email. This sounds like a very informative program…

Please join the Piscataqua Garden Club on Thursday, June 21, 2018 at 10:30 am at The Reading Room, 491 York Street, York Harbor, Maine for a floral design presentation.

“Designs for Entertaining (Don’t Worry about the food if the flowers look great!)” promises to be an informative demonstration of memorable flower designs for cocktail and dinner parties and special occasions.

Maureen Christmas, AIFD, CFD, an Accredited Master National Garden Club Flower Show judge who was inducted into the American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD) in July 2016 and is presently completing her European Master Certification, will share her knowledge while completing flower arrangements. She is a top award winner at the New England Spring Flower Show, Boston Flower and Garden Show, Newport and Rhode Island Flower Shows. A recipient of the Cindora Goldberg Award given by the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts and the Deanna Mozzochi Creative Design award given by the New England Region, our demonstration is anticipated to include tips representative of her experience and accomplishments.

Open to the public. Suggested donation $5 at the door.

Lucy Andrews
[email protected]

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Our club also received this invitation.  Flowers and hooked rugs — what a great combination!

2nd Annual Garden Party Stroll and Hooked Rugs in the Garden 
to benefit the Gilmanton food pantry and The GYRL!  

BARR RESIDENCE GARDENS
30 HIGH STREET
GILMANTON, NH
Saturday June 23rd, 2018 4pm-6pm
(Sunday 6/24 rain date)
please RSVP to 603-267-1905 or [email protected]

All proceeds to benefit two Gilmanton organizations.
Come one – come all! $20.00 each or two for $35.00
Wine with cheese and crackers will be served.
PLEASE JOIN US FOR A FUN COMMUNITY GATHERING!

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We hope to see everyone next Wednesday, June 20th, at our fun & festive

June Luncheon & Plant Auction!

See you at 11:00 at the Portsmouth Country Club in Greenland!

Questions about the luncheon? Contact Betsy A. here.

Welcome Spring! It seems we’ve been waiting a long time for your arrival.

While we’re all savoring the daffodils, blooming fruit trees, and the chance to dig in the soil once again, let’s take a few minutes to review the activities of April. Our club was quite busy, despite the tiresome, March-like weather.

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Linda’s afternoon of Bunco, a Promise Tree event, gave new definition to the phrase “a barrell of laughs.” The three tables of participants (who may have gotten a little rowdy) thoroughly enjoyed Linda’s gracious hospitality and several raucous games of bunco.  Here’s the evidence:

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Our April “Member Meeting” was an enormous hit — instructional, entertaining, and very much fun! Attendees, including several guests, learned so much from (and about) our six member presenters.

The meeting began and ended with Lynda’s lovely vocal renditions in honor of spring…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LuAnn explained the care and feeding of compost worms…

Becky showcased some of her favorite historic gardening books…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carole demonstrated how to make a hydrangea wreath…

Pat explained how to get our tools ready for the spring planting season…

Carol’s presentation featured Dill, including delicious samples made from her recipes…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the meeting ended with the raffling off of the products of each demonstration. Meredith was the pleased winner of Carol’s dilly carrots…

 

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Patti Elwell sent us this photo of her April gardening frustration. She said, “Here is a photo of my April garden: growing lush in the basement! These should already be growing outside! Such is the life of a gardener, you can’t change mother nature!”

Fortunately for Patti, and the rest of us, mother nature has chosen to smile upon us in May. Patti’s veggies are surely thriving in her back yard by now.

 

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Our May 17 General Meeting will have a special appeal for the rose lovers among us – our speaker will be Jamie Colen, who helps Fuller Gardens maintain their gorgeous rose displays. Jame will be speaking about “Dispelling the Myths about Growing Roses and Other Garden Plants.” Our members will also be voting on two important club items: the slate of nominees for next year’s board and the 2018-2019 budget. (Click here to see the slate of nominees.)

Don’t miss this important meeting!

 

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Linda noted an article in the April 12 edition of Seacoast Online by Pam Stuppy on the value of fresh, homegrown vegetables to our health and including helpful gardening suggestions for even the patio gardener. If you missed this article, click here to read it in full.

 

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Minutes from the April General Meeting and the May Board Meeting are available on the Minutes page, under “Members Only.” Here’s a quick link to see the Minutes Page.

 

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If you’ve wondered how all those nasty stinkbugs found their way into your home this winter, here’s an extremely interesting (and disgusting) article from the New Yorker about these ugly invaders from Asia. You’ll be amazed at how truly invasive and potentially destructive they really are.

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With strawberry season nearly upon us, here’s a tip to keep your berries fresh for a longer period of time. To extend their fridge life, use 1 part white vinegar to 10 parts water; soak the whole strawberries for 5 minutes; then drain until completely dry. Store in an uncovered bowl in the vegetable drawer of your fridge. The vinegar kills mold spores that cause rotting and doesn’t affect the taste. This tip is from TheFrugalGirls.com.

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And lastly, a reminder that our blowout Annual Spring Luncheon and Plant Auction will be on Wednesday, June 20, from 11 to 3, at the Portsmouth Country Club. Don’t miss this celebration of our members and of another wonderful year of garden clubbing. Invite a friend or two – They’ll love our auction, raffles, a great meal, and most of all – our friendly, welcoming members! Contact Betsy A. to sign up for or to get more information about the luncheon. And click here for info on potting up and maintaining your auction plants.

In this second week of April, we should be looking back on our March activities with a shiver, remembering the chilly, overcast days of  very early spring in New Hampshire. Well, “Surprise, surprise!”,  to quote the illustrious Gomer Pyle. It’s STILL chilly and overcast and feeling like the very early days of spring. Nonetheless, here are the highlights of March.

 

In response to my request for photos of your gardens, Dianna sent this picture of her back yard after Nor’easter #2 (or was it #3?) This wasn’t the spring picture I was hoping for, but it certainly is an accurate record of our March weather.

If you have an inspiring photo of something growing in your garden or house, please send it to me ([email protected]) so I can share it with the club. Hopefully I won’t be getting any more snow pictures!

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The Hampton Garden Club hosted our joint March General Meeting, which featured Dianne Mrak and “Daffodils 101”. We each came away with a much greater understanding of the many varities of  daffodils and several complimentary bundles of  daffs ready to burst into bloom.

To celebrate the season, Dianne Mrak has invited us to an open house at her home at 72 Bay View Road in Dover, NH, on  Mother’s Day from 9-3. Expect to see all kinds of beautiful daffs, if you go.

 

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Linda Sadlock discovered some fascinating information about the “foremothers” of Horticulture – women you may never have heard of who made a lasting impact on horticulture and plant science. Click on this link to read “Crazy Plant Ladies through the Ages: Women Naturalists, Botanists, and Horticulturists Who Made History”. You’ll see some familiar and not-so-familiar names and learn about their contributions to plant knowledge.

 

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Minutes of the April Board meeting are now available on the website. You can find them on the Meeting Minutes page, under  “Members Only”.

 

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Just in time for planting season, The Music Hall Loft in Portsmouth is hosting Native Plants for New England Gardens  – Experts from New England Wild Flower Society on Tuesday, May 1, 2018 at 7 pm.  Tickets are $36; $34 members, and include reserved seat, book (NATIVE PLANTS FOR NEW ENGLAND GARDENS, $21.95 paperback), bar beverage, authors presentation, Q+A, and book signing. For more info, click here.

 

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Among other events to add to your calendar:

*The Seven States Daffodil Show at Tower Hill Botanical Garden in Boylston, MA is on May 5 & 6.

*Summer tours to Celia Thaxter’s Island Garden are now open for reservations. Tours are available for July and August.  For info or to buy tickets go here.

*The Durham Garden Club is hosting a program on “Natural Skin Care” on Tuesday, April 24, from 6:30 – 8:00 pm at the Durham Public Library, 49 Madbury Road, Durham.  Participate in a fun hands-on workshop led by Claire Weinberg, owner of Dulse and Rugosa, a natural skin care line. Learn about and make skin care products using flowers, seaweed, and other natural ingredients. For more info, please contact Van Gsottschneider at 868-2376 or at [email protected].

 

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A few reminders about club activities:

* Our Indoor Yard Sale is less than two weeks away — gather up those un-needed treasures and pack them up for the big day, on April 21. Delivery day is Friday, April 20, from 3 to 6 at the Stratham Municipal Center. Click  here  for more info or contact Dianna or Carole.

*And last, but not least, Connie has put together a very exciting Design Workshop for us. Here are the details…

 

 

February flew by in a hurry, but doesn’t it seem that ALL months fly by? Although most of us are anxiously awaiting warmer weather and the smell of spring air, we do have some memories of February to review.

Patti Elwell, club member and past president, gave a very informative and enthusiastic presentation on harvesting and drying flowers and herbs at our General Meeting.  She brought tables full of  examples, plus all the materials and equiment needed to dry plants for both decorative and edible purposes.  We all came away with lots of ideas on how to dry our own flowers and herbs

 

 

 

Patti’s greeting cards, arrangements, and candles using dried herbs & flowers:

 

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Our Scholarship Committee is excited to be working with the UNH Thompson School of Applied Science to establish a scholarship in honor of member Ruth Dubenitz, who passed away last fall. Ruth showed her love for garden clubs by designating EAGC as the recipient of donations made in her memory. As a result, we received over $1400, which the Board decided to use for a scholarship in honor of Ruth’s lifetime dedication to all things gardening.

The Board voted to contribute funds from the treasury which, along with a generous donation from Ruth’s daughter Jan, will make the scholarship $2,000.  This scholarship will be available to returning students of the Thompson School whose course of study is in Horticulture, Environmental Studies, Sustainable Agriculture, Landscape Design, or Conservation. The scholarship will be awarded on May 4 and you’ll find information about the recipient in the May Happenings.

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Minutes of the February General Meeting can be found here. No Board Meeting was held in March; the next Board Meeting will be April 5.

 

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We gardeners are always interested in seeing what other gardeners are up to.  Email me a photo of something special you’d like to share with the rest of us. Have you started some plants indoors? Are your houseplants looking particularly fetching? What is popping up in your spring garden? Send your photos so we can enjoy vicariously!

Jill has started us off with a few of her pictures:

 These gorgeous blooms help brighten the day.

                             Clivia                                                                                                   Amaryllis

And these tulips were a welcome harbinger of spring, until the snow buried them yesterday:

 

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⇒ ⇒   Don’t forget that this month’s General Meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 14, at 6:30 PM at the First Congregational Church of Hampton. You’ll be receiving an email soon about carpooling arrangements.