Tag Archive | holiday

December Happenings – Part Two

With the holidays behind us, most of us are probably enjoying the quiet time of January – reading a book, browsing seed catalogs, or just appreciating homes newly cleared of holiday decorations. (Apologies to Anne C., who is in the midst of moving to a new home and would no doubt love to be quietly reading a book.) Before we dive into the new garden club year, let’s wrap up 2022 with photos of our final holiday celebrations.

An especially large group of members celebrated the season, and each other, at our annual Holiday Luncheon at the Wentworth by the Sea Country Club. A social hour kicked off the fun, followed by a delicious meal and our customary gift exchange. Thanks go to Nancy D. for organizing the event, assisted by her talented Hospitality committee.

Susan C. prepared a holiday feast for members on December 16 – a Promise Tree event that Susan has been hosting for several years. Anyone who is familiar with Susan’s cooking skills knows that attendees were treated to a bounty of delicious food. And her holiday decorations alone are well worth the visit.

The speaker for our next general meeting, Wendy Snow Fogg, is from Misty Meadows Herb Garden in Lee, NH. She will present “Herbs to Support A Healthy Immune System.” As she explains, “In this time of mutating viruses, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and oh so much angst, our immune systems have taken a mighty wallop! But Mother Earth provides plants to help us regain our strength and, yes, even our confidence and hope.” We’ll be meeting as usual at 9:30 on Thursday, Jan. 19 in the Mogera Room of the Stratham Fire Department.

If you’d like to learn more about heirloom gardening, the Rye Driftwood Garden Club will be sponsoring John Fortis, Heirloom Gardener, who will be speaking about “Traditional Plants & Skills” on Tuesday, Jan. 17 at the Rye Congregational Church. More info can be found at https://www.ryenhgardenclub.org/.

Gardening, or communing with nature in general, is certainly limited during these cold months. Watching our local birds compete for a turn at the birdfeeder is an entertaining diversion, for sure, but how about hand feeding-birds for a much more fulfilling adventure? Some of you may have cultivated such close relationships with your neighborhood birds that they’ll come to your hand for lunch, but most of us haven’t had that experience. It takes time, lots of patience, and an impressive tolerance for the cold to train birds to trust our good intentions, as we stand – stock still – in our freezing backyards hopefully offering a handful of birdseed.

Luckily, there’s another way. According to the Boston Globe, the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary in Topsfield, MA, is home to flocks of chickadees, titmice, and nuthatches tame enough to perch on any hand that offers a seed snack. The Innermost Trail, a short walk from the parking lot, is said to be the best place for successful hand-feeding. If you’re interested in experiencing some “hands-on” winter adventure, you can find more info about the sanctuary at https://www.massaudubon.org/get-outdoors/wildlife-sanctuaries/ipswich-river.

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December Happenings – Part One

We’ve only reached the midpoint of December, but there are so many events and pictures to share that I’ve decided to do two December Happenings, lest readers become exhausted by the fun photos of all of the holiday festivities of the month. It turns out that, although we’re all exceptional gardeners, we also specialize in enjoying each other’s company.

EAGC kicked off the month by serving as Grand Marshal of the famed Exeter Holiday Parade, held on December 3. Although the day was rainy and gloomy, Mother Nature smiled on us and the rain stopped just as we lined up for the parade. We donned our Dollar Store finery and led off a long parade to a surprisingly large crowd of very merry parade viewers. It turns out that un-Christmas-like weather doesn’t deter holiday fans.

Betsy’s annual Holiday Swap Shop Party was memorable as always. In fact, attendees agreed that this year Betsy outdid herself with her finely curated selection of swap shop “gifts.” If this year’s party were to have had a theme, it may well have been toilet-related. (In fact, that seemed to be the theme of her 2021 party as well.) Enjoy the treasures:

In addition to supplying all these stunning gifts, Betsy also had a spectacular spread of goodies, including lots and lots of her meticulously decorated cookies. A fun morning for all who attended – much laughter and many calories!

There’s much more to come. Watch for December Happenings – Part Two, available in your inbox in early January.

Thank you to my inveterate photographers, Ann H. and Patti Smith!

December Happenings

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

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.”