The big news for this month is our September general meeting – the kickoff event for our 2026-27 garden club season. The meeting will be centered around the Awards committee presentation of 2026’s Outstanding Garden Awards. Ginelle H. and her committee will award gardens from three categories: Residential, Condo/Apartment/Pocket Garden, and Commercial. She has reported that there were many exceptional nominations to choose from this year. So come for the slideshow presentation, the refreshments, the Club Connections table, and especially, to catch up with all your gardening friends. We’ll meet at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 17, at the Mogera Room in the Stratham Fire Department.
This year, the general meeting timing has been altered slightly. Starting with the September meeting, our general meetings will begin with social time from 9 to 9:45 a.m., followed by the business meeting until 10:10, and then our program until 11:15. So be sure to arrive promptly at 9 to allow plenty of time to chat and to look over exhibits and Club Connections offerings.
Members of the Environment & Conservation committee visited the Stratham Community Garden recently to view the native plant border our committee chose to support with a $1000 grant last year. We were delighted to see such a wonderful variety of native plants, all well maintained, thriving, and looking beautiful.
Article & Photos by Ann H.
Garden club members gathered at Lee’s to make the most of what our late-summer gardens had to offer. Armed with foraged garden treasures, floral frogs, and a variety of containers, we created an assortment of small arrangements and experimented with different techniques. It was an afternoon of creativity, sharing ideas, and building skills in preparation for the Yuletide Fair on November 21.
Article & Photos by Ann H.
Kathryn J., chair of our Hort Committee and experienced floral designer, won an Honorable Mention at the 2026 Art In Bloom competition sponsored by the Portsmouth Historical Society. Her lovely arrangement included gorgeous Dahlias supplied by Patti E. Photos can be found here.
Upcoming Club Events
EAGC will again be holding an Election Day Bake Sale at the polls in Exeter on the morning of November 3, with baked goods drop off on Nov. 2. More details to follow.
Preparations for the Nov. 21st Yuletide Fair are underway, with a Spray Party scheduled for October 29th at 9 a.m. at Lee C.’s home. Dried plants will be sprayed in preparation for floral arrangement assembly.
Help Wanted
The Communications Committee is looking for members who would like to help with the Happenings:
Reporters Members who are able to do a brief report on the club events they attend. All that’s needed are a few sentences to describe the goings-on, and if possible, a couple of photos.
Editor for the monthly Happenings.This mostly consists of assembling info from committees into newsletter form and posting it on the website. This is a once a month task that doesn’t require a lot of technical expertise. Training is happily provided.
Communications and Ways & Means are looking for any members who can suggest ways we can advertise our fundraisers and activities. Our publicity person, Dianne A., does an excellent job spreading the word but it’s a difficult job since the print media has mostly disappeared in the past few years. If you have experience in this area or have suggestions for us, please contact LuAnn F. or Maureen P. with your ideas.
Other Local Events
September 21, 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm – Rain Gardens – A Beautiful Way to Capture the Rain. Outdoors at the Massabesic Center. $10 for NH Audubon members and UNH Ext. Master Gardeners, $15 for non-members. Register here.
October 3, 10am to 2pm, Design Your Native Plant Garden Workshop.
This is a workshop, not just a talk! Bring your plans, ideas, and problems! Let the experts help you. We look forward to seeing you there! Exeter Town Hall, 10 Front Street, Exeter, NH 03833.
October 17, 10:00-11:30AM. Seed Saving of Native Plants. Discover the best practices for wild seed saving of native plants. Saving and cultivating your own seeds is easy to do, but knowing what kinds of seeds to save, what they look like, when to harvest them, how to process and prepare them for storage is crucial to ensure successful germination. Massabesic Center (26 Audubon Way, Auburn, NH). More info here.
Edited by LuAnn F.
