CONCORD GARDEN CLUB
IT'S BEAUTIFUL LEAF SEASON!
OCTOBER'S PROGRAM -- an Autumn nature walk
Thursday, October 12, 1pm (byo picnic at 12:30)
Audubon Society, 84 Silk Farm Rd, Concord
RSVP here by October 9th
Join us for a beautiful 1-hour walk and guided tour of the Audubon trail.
Bring your lunch and we can picnic together beforehand. Don't forget your water bottle. Guests are welcome.
Questions? Please contact Linda Gilbert at 603-219-3429.
At the bottom of this newsletter you will find the entire line-up of interesting and varied activities your program committee has planned for the coming year --
please take the time to review them and sign up to attend
As a reminder, when you click the link to RSVP to a CGC event, you will be taken to our website's Members Only login page. Once logged in, navigate down the page to Upcoming Events, where you will find RSVP information and links for each program. If you need help logging in to the Members Only page, contact Gena Cohen Moses for help (bgjam@comcast.net).
FALL SOCIAL
It was wonderful to catch up with so many Club members at our Fall Social on September 14th, graciously hosted by Sylvia Larsen. A great kick-off to the new CGC season! Thank you, Sylvia, for sharing your beautiful home and gardens with us.
CGC NOTECARDS
We have a limited number of Concord Garden Club notecards for sale -- they are charming, and at $5 for 10 notes make great stocking stuffers or an addition to your gift drawer stash -- or get some just for you, as an old fashioned way of keeping in touch! If you would like to support the Club by purchasing some, contact Johane Telgener (jtelgener020@gmail.com)
Attention Dahlia Growers:
We are planning a dahlia dividing party in the spring where we can all figure out how to identify those pesky eyes that mean your dahlias tubers will sprout. If you grow dahlias and are planning to lift them and overwinter them consider marking the variety, or just the color and size, on the tuber so we can trade with each other. Here’s the link to UNH Cooperative Extension information on how to lift and store dahlias.
ART and BLOOM
Now is the time to plan to be a designer for Art and Bloom! The exhibit will go from Thursday January 25th through Saturday January 27th at the Kimball Jenkins Estate.
Whether you want to go solo or join as a pair or larger team we would love to have you. If you have never done something like this before or are hesitant, we can also pair you up with a more experienced designer, so don’t let that stop you!
Just contact Lucy Gentilhomme at lgentilho@gmail.com or Teresa Rosenberger at Teresa.rosenberger@gmail.com to let us know of your interest. We will put you on the list and answer any questions you might have.
Our change of venue means the Art and Bloom team is seeking pedestals for the show. If you have participated in the show previously, you know how important these are. If you have a pedestal (plant stand or similar) to loan or donate, please contact Millie LaFontaine at lafontainefamily@comcast.net.
community service
The Community Service gardeners wrapped up their season last week with a fall clean-up and bulb planting at White Park's Peace Pole Garden. The group had fun removing several invasive species, pulled the season's last weeds, and planted over 100 spring blooming bulbs!
Additionally, members of the Community Service Committee gathered at the Friendly Kitchen to decorate the dining tables for fall, a glorious time of year in New Hampshire. The new arrangements are lovely and we enjoyed lots of laughs along with our creative work.
We are seeking donations of non-breakable Christmas/winter items that can be placed into small containers for the tables at the FK, and also for guests to take with them to decorate their own homes. Please contact Debbie Carley if you have materials to pass along. (deborah.carley@comcast.net)
100 years and growing!
The Concord Garden Club is one of the oldest continuously operating garden clubs in the U.S. and officially turns 100 in 2024. We are planning a year of celebration, with a champagne toast to kick things off at our 2024 Art & Bloom exhibition, and other events throughout the year. Keep an eye on upcoming newsletters and other communications and mark your calendars for the 2024 Art & Bloom opening reception to be held Thursday, January 25, 2024 5 - 7 pm at the Kimball Jenkins Estate.
Please contact Lauren Savage (lauren.savage1971@gmail.com) to be a part of the planning, particularly if you are interested in helping with marketing and promotion - many hands make light work! The committee meets next at Lauren's house October 17th at 10am.
NOVEMBER PROGRAM:
In preparation for the Holiday Arrangement workshop they'll lead for us in November, Barbara Jobin and Robyn Cotton request that all members take the time to collect items from your backyards or the woods that can be used in your arrangements. Anything can work - twigs, branches, seed pods, dried flowers - the aim being arrangements that might not be typical, but are environmentally thoughtful, sustainable, unique and beautiful!
Please note, we will raffle off Barbara & Robyn's creations to those interested, so don't forget to bring cash or your checkbook!
October educational tips
Fall Cleanup Information from Tufts University's Pollinator Initiative (an excellent resource worth checking out) -- About 30% of New England’s native bees build nests above ground. Besides bee hotels (many of which have their own issues), a great way to support these above-ground nesting bees is to leave dead plant stems standing in gardens. Bees will lay and provision offspring in these hollow or pithy stems. TPI members are often asked by gardeners, “when is the best time to cut down stems?” The answer is at least two years (ideally never), which is longer than you might think. Let’s review bee and plant biology to understand why.
Year 1: Plant stems are growing. Native plants like joe-pye weed, elderberry, wild bergamot, mountain mint, and swamp milkweed produce hollow or pithy (e.g. soft, spongy tissue) stems suitable for nesting bees. Bees won’t nest in these actively growing stems. At the end of the growing season (December through March), cut the stems back to between 6-18” tall. Use sharp tools to ensure a clean cut. By cutting back the stems, you have created homes for next year’s bees.
Year 2: Bees active during this year will nest in the stems you left standing. They will lay eggs in the stem and provision each egg with a nutritious ball of pollen and nectar. Inside the stem, bees will develop from eggs into larvae and adults that hibernate through winter. Bees won’t emerge from stems until next growing season. Remember to cut back the new, green stems produced this year for next year’s bees.
Year 3: In spring of year 3, stems produced in year 1 still contain bees; stems produced in year 2 do not contain bees. Leave both generations of stems standing throughout the year. Spring-active bees will emerge from year 1 stems by June, whereas fall-active species might not emerge from year 1 stems until August or early September. During this time, new bees will nest in year 2 stems, so leave them standing!
While this may seem like an awfully long time to leave stubble in a garden, it is the only way to ensure that native bees find safe, undisturbed places to nest. Posting signage in your garden to inform visitors about how gardens can be managed to balance aesthetic and ecological goals can be helpful.
Cut the tops of your tomato plants so the fruit will ripen.
Seed saving…..make sure the flower or vegetable is fully ripe or past ripe. For tomatoes, it can’t be a hybrid. Cucumbers need to be open pollinated. Scrape out the seeds and wash well. Soak seeds for 10 to 15 minutes in a solution of ¾ teaspoon apple cider vinegar to 1 cup water…rinse well. Dry on wax paper. Make sure the seeds are thoroughly dry before storing in jar, baggies, or envelopes. Don’t forget to label container.
Flower seed saving, Just dry the flower head with seeds….when dry, pull out seeds or just save the whole thing. Make sure it is thoroughly dry or it could mildew.
Start basil seeds and parsley seeds now to enjoy this winter. Start in a sunny window.
Pelargoniums….when evening temperature regularly drops below 55 degrees, it is time to cut back to 6 to 8 inches and store for winter. Keep plant in pot in unheated basement or garage that does not freeze. Keep soil dry and only water to just keep alive.
UPCOMING PROGRAMS FOR 2023-2024
Your Program Committee has an exciting and varied set of activities for the coming year -- VERY IMPORTANT: please click through to our website's Member's Only page to learn full details, and to RSVP.
AND -- once you've RSVP'd, don't forget to put them in your calendar!
Holiday Arrangements - Wednesday, November 15th, 4pm
Get Inspired for new ideas this holiday season! Barbara and Robyn as they create beautiful holiday decorations for the season. We will raffle off their creations to those interested.
Holiday Luncheon - Friday, December 1, 12pm
Start the season with your garden club friends!
Our Holiday Luncheon begins at noon followed by a Yankee Swap $15.00 gift that is garden themed. Cost $25. Please register by Nov 26th.
21st Annual Art & Bloom -Thursday, January 25 - Sat. Jan 27th
Join us for the Concord Garden Club's signature winter event!
The event spans three days and is free and open to the public.
SCHEDULE: Thurs, Jan 25th 1-5:30pm | Fri, Jan 26th 10-4pm | Sat, Jan 27th 10-4pm.
BE SURE TO mark your calendars for our Centennial Year kick-off champagne toast at the Art & Bloom opening reception on Thursday, January 25, 2024 5 - 7 pm at the Kimball Jenkins Estate.
Presenter - John Harris of the NH Humanities Council - Thursday, March 14th 1pm
Returning North with the Spring: Retracing the Journey of Naturalist Edwin Way Teale
In 1947, Edwin Teale, followed the progress of spring over four months from the Everglades to the summit of Mount Washington. His best selling book, North with the Spring, recounts the epic journey he and his wife, Nellie undertook. John Harris set out to retrace Teale’s route, stopping at unfamiliar wild places on the same calendar date on which Teale visited. Using Teale’s journal notes and photographs, Harris examined and compared changes in the flora, fauna, and lives of the people along the way. His account documents the losses, details the transformation, and celebrates the victories, for a remarkable number of east coast refuges have grown wilder during the intervening years.
Presenter - Dr. Doug Tallamy - evening of Thursday, April 18th
Save the date, more information to follow
Douglas Tallamy is a passionate entomologist, ecologist and conservationist, and a terrific speaker. He is a professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware and has written and co-authored several books, including, most recently, Nature's Best Hope. Tallamy is one of the founders of the Homegrown National Park initiative, and he advocates for home gardens and landscaping that bridge the gaps between parks and preserves in providing habitat for native species.
Sanborn Mills Farm tour - Thursday, May 16th 10am
Sanborn Mills Farm's mission is to teach traditional crafts and farming methods while sustainably using its field and forest resources for its workshops and events.
The Farm is a center for the renewal of the human spirit, a place to cultivate creativity and joy, and an anchor for our individual, collective, and shared experiences. SMF expands its traditional farming practices, including draft animal power, growing fruits, vegetables, animals, grains, trees, ornamental gardens, fiber, and other materials for use in making things. Remaining rooted in regenerative practices, our products are used in our community. SMF teaches traditional crafts, farming with draft animals, animal husbandry and the skills needed to repair, maintain and run water-powered mills. The Farm's ethos is guided by a desire to achieve perfection through what can be accomplished by working with one’s hands.
This tour will be rescheduled if inclement weather on the 16th.
Members only, No guests.
Annual Meeting and Comedy Show - Thursday, June 6 11:30am - 2pm
Join us to end the year with a short meeting, lunch, and a wonderful comedy show.
Members Only. No Guests.
Comments