March Happenings

Apr11

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 Happenings

Mar9

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.

 

 

January Happenings

Feb12

January is typically a quiet time for gardeners and EAGC gardeners are no exception. Our December Happenings post was awash with photos of members enjoying holiday festivities.  This month, in lieu of member photos, you’ll find some creative Valentine’s Day arrangements. It goes without saying, of course, that these photos can’t hold a candle to the lovely faces of our members!

 

Have you ever wondered what goes on in your garden when you aren’t watching? Click on this wonderful video to see the pollination process up close. You’ll be surprised by some of the pollinators in action. Vicki from Environment &Conservation found this for us.

    Some of the finest photography…click on HD for sharper view

    http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/xHkq1edcbk4?rel=0

 

 

February’s Horticulture Tip is available on the website.  Since this is the season for indoor gardening, LuAnn has some suggestion for keeping our houseplants happy. Click here to check it out.

 

 

 

 

Minutes of the past two meetings can be found on the Website. Click here to go to the Meeting Minutes page.

 

 

Carole Chanasyk recently attended the New Hampshire Orchid Society Annual Show and is sharing a few of her photos with us. These gorgeous blooms are guaranteed to brighten any winter day.

           

          

 

It’s Mini-Grant time!

Linda & Edie, from E&C, are kicking off the Mini-Grant application process for 2018. We received fewer applications than usual last year and E&C would like to attract more interest this year. If you know of anyone who maintains a public garden, or who would like to beautify a public spot in our area, please encourage them to apply for a mini-grant. This year the grants will increase to $100 to $400, well worth the time required to submit an application. Click here to go to the Mini-Grant page of our website for much more info on this great program.

 

In keeping with this year’s theme of pollinators, E&C has found an interesting program called “To Bee or Not to Bee” , which will address landscaping to attract pollinators and other beneficial insects. The program is presented by Andi Ross and will be on Saturday, Feb. 24, from 11 to 12:30 at the Newburyport Library. More info can be found here.

 

 

 

 

 

December Happenings

Jan9

The first few weeks of the new year offer a chance to reflect on the festivities of December and to look forward to what’s in store for the coming months. A highlight of December was Susan’s  Promise Tree Luncheon  — wonderful food and great company!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Betsy V hosted her annual Swap Shop Yankee Swap party.  Anyone who’s ever attended knows it’s an afternoon of belly laughs and, ahem, interesting gifts. (See below.)

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The Holiday Luncheon at the Wentworth Country Club, sponsored by the Herb Committee, was an especially festive event.  Members enjoyed a delicious lunch followed by a gift exchange. This event is always a special way to wrap up another garden club year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The gift exchange was a hit:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Environment & Conservation Committee is dedicating the entire year to an exploration of Pollinators and the plants they call home, to encourage members to plant with the native plants that will attract pollinators.  Here is an overview, from Chair Linda V, of what we can expect from E&C’s research:

We hope that by May you will want to join our effort to register gardens as part of the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge sponsored by www.MillionPollinatorGardens.org.
At our general meetings we will feature pollinators and the native plants that will encourage them. (Did you know that most pollinators pollinate specific plants?)

Each month we will have our usual posters, but we will also have handouts for you to take home. Be sure to look for them.

In April we will have a sign-up sheet for those who would like a booklet of the information presented during the year. You may use these booklets to educate your grandchildren about the importance of pollination and pollinators.

So – Bee sure to look for our table at each general meeting. We will be presenting the following:
November: Bees and Wasps
January: Butterflies and Moths
February: Other Pollinators in Our Landscape
April: Native Plants that Attract Pollinators
May: Wrap-Up the Year
June Luncheon: Raffle of pollinator items – so remember to bring your coffee cups to monthly meetings to be punched.

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Fresh off the Press — Horticulture Tips!

Be sure to click here to see the January Hort Tips, presented this month by Linda V. You won’t want to miss this timely information. The birds will thank you!

 

 

 

November Happenings

Dec9

November was the month for EAGC to acknowledge the gardening successes of the past summer and to begin preparations for the upcoming Holidays. Here are some highlights of the November General meeting….

 

Anne C, Sue B, and Mary Jo presented our annual Beautification Awards:

Winners of the Residential Award — Sherm and Cathy Pridham of 23 High St., Stratham

 

Representatives from St. Vincent de Paul, 53 Lincoln St., Exeter, who received the

Commercial Award

 

David Donsker accepted an Honorary Award on behalf of his wife, Terri, for the outstanding garden she loved to share with her fellow club members.

 

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The Design Committee arranged a showing of  the beautiful Holiday centerpieces made by members at their November design class. It’s evident that we have some talented floral arrangements amongst us:

 

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The Beautification Committee met late in the month to decorate the Exeter Historical Society for the Holidays. As always, the results are colorful and festive:

 

Lynda models the Folsom Tavern door wreath…

 

Lots of volunteers make for quick work….

    

 

  

 

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Are you wondering what to buy your gardening friends for the Holidays?  Just in time for last minute shopping, E&C Chair Linda has put together a list of Pollinator-oriented books for gifting….

Books to Put on Your Christmas List

Attracting Native Pollinators – The Xerces Society    An informative and easily read book about pollinators, pollination, and how to incorporate them into your landscape…no matter what size.

Bringing Nature Home – Douglas W. Tallamy    Wonderful discussion of native plants and how to plant so you encourage the pollinators you want. Not all pollinators pollinate everything.

The Wildlife-Friendly Vegetable Gardener – Tammi Hartung    How to attract and encourage pollinators and other insects that are beneficial to your vegetables.

A Book of Bees – Sue Hubbell     All you want to know about bees and their lives.

 

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If you missed the November General Meeting, see what you missed in the Minutes, which can be found on the Website, under “Members Only.”