Jpeg 0791- NH Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc. President Virginia Urdi (L) poses with Katy McGrath (R), Corporate Events Director for the American Heart Association, prior to the “6th Annual New Hampshire Go Red for Women Luncheon” held at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester on November 1st.
All others:
The theme of the day was definitely “GO RED” as the floral designs created
by the NH Federation of Garden Clubs members portrayed.
CHELMSFORD, MA “ Member clubs of The New Hampshire Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc. (NHFGC), a member of National Garden Clubs, Inc., New England Region, received the following regional awards at the 77th New England Region Annual Meeting held in Chelmsford, MA on October 17-18, 2011:
Opechee Garden Club - (Gilford/Laconia Area) The Sears Civic Beautification Bowl was awarded to the Opechee Garden Club for their wonderful project to provide gardens of benefit to the public. These gardens, placed along a trail, connect two urban centers allowing an alternate route to schools, the library and views of Lake Opechee.
Atkinson Garden Club The Mary Louise Marks Smith Flower Show Schedule Award was awarded to the Atkinson Garden Club for their skillfully crafted Over the Rainbow Flower Show Schedule.
Atkinson Garden Club The Kenney/Colton Horticulture Award was presented to the Atkinson Garden Club for the impressive horticulture displayed at their “Over the Rainbow” Flower Show.
Atkinson Garden Club The Jeanne-Marie Parks Award was presented to the Atkinson Garden Club for their educational exhibit on raising awareness of how to preserve and conserve our water resources.
Standing: Bow Garden Club Past Presidents Gretchen Wood and Joyce Kimball.
Seated: Current BGC President Cathy Ahrens
BOW
– Thirty-plus people, Bow Garden Club members and guests alike, attended the
Bow Garden Club’s October 3rd meeting to take in the evening’s
educational program, “All About Bats—Friends or Foe”. D.
Scott Reynolds, Ph.D. , a science faculty member at St. Paul’s School in
Concord, enthralled the group with his Power Point
Program and commentary based on his years of studying the population and
conservation biology of bats in the Northeast. Dr. Reynolds was raised in
Concord and Bow and received his undergraduate degree from McGill University
in Montreal, Canada and his Masters and Doctorate degrees from Boston
University. He and his young family reside on campus at St. Paul’s School .
Caption: D. Scott Reynolds, Ph.D
CONCORD – The “Garden of Hope” was replanted recently with the eighty beautiful pink-hued chrysanthemums donated by Pleasant View Gardens in Loudon. Several members of the Bow Garden Club, assisted by volunteers from the “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Committee” conducted the planting project just in time for the “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk” that originated from Memorial Field on Sunday, October 16th. “The Garden of Hope” was designed and built in 2004 by “Making Strides” volunteers with the support of the Greater Concord Community and is located next to the lower athletic fields at Memorial Field . The cancer ribbon-shaped garden site is dedicated to all those touched by breast cancer and includes granite pavers engraved with the names of corporate sponsors and a meditation bench. The original donations of materials were made by Swenson Granite Works, Brochu Nursery & Landscaping, Pleasant View Gardens and Outdoor World & Stonescapes. The “Garden of Hope” is planted with dozens of pink cascading petunias each June and is then re-planted in October with pink-hued chrysanthemums, all generously donated by Pleasant View Gardens of Loudon. The garden is weeded, watered and maintained weekly throughout the summer months by the volunteers with the cooperation of the city workers that maintain the grounds at Memorial Field
l-r, Bow Garden Club volunteers Joyce Kimball, Janis Kuch and Gretchen Wood and Kuch’s granddaughter Taylor upon planting the “Garden of Hope” at Memorial Field on October 7th
The “Garden of Hope” in its full glory
BOW - “Invasive Plants” or simply “Overachievers”? This just one of the many questions presenters Hannah Proctor of Francestown and Lyn Lombard of New Boston answered for Bow Garden Club members and their guests recently . Proctor and Lombard have been working with invasive plant species, beginning with purple loosestrife since 1998 and work closely with the UNH Cooperative Extension implementing programs to educate the public and town highway departments about the negative effects of non-native invasive plant species and how to best manage the problems they bring to our state. Oftentimes, these plants escape from our home gardens and public plantings and outcompete native species, and can cause profound environmental and economic damage as well as posing a threat to our native habitats. The program they presented to the garden club on August 8th was entitled “Invasive Plants in Our Landscapes” and contained information for the average homeowner on how to not only identify these “overachievers” but how to prevent or at least minimize their spread. Each state has different problematic plants. Some of New Hampshire’s are Burning Bush, Oriental Bittersweet, Autumn Olive, Japanese Honeysuckle, European Barberry and Glossy Buckthorn just to name a few of the some 40 plant species that are now regulated by the Department of Environmental Services. For a current listing of our state’s “Invasive Plants Species”, search “New Hampshire Guide to Upland Invasive Species”. This 31 page booklet contains virtually everything you would ever want to know about the State of NH’s Invasive Plants, complete with color photos, descriptions, habitats and control methods. The actual listing of NH’s regulated plant species is located on Page 4 of the booklet. The Garden Club will meet again on Monday, September 12th for a field trip to Apple Hill Farm in East Concord, which has been recognized as a “Farm of Distinction” by the NH Agriculture, Markets and Foods. Members and guests will be given a tour and the historical background of the farm by Owners Chuck and Diane Souther . Meet at the Bow Community Building at 5:30 PM to carpool. Guests are welcome at all Bow Garden Club meetings and new members are encouraged. Pleas visit www.bowgardenclub.org
Hooksett Garden Club Receives Silver Bowl Membership Award
The Hooksett Garden Club members were among 126 gardening enthusiasts who attended the New Hampshire Federation of Garden Clubs’ annual meeting at the Granite Rose in Hampstead on May 25 where 18 state federated clubs were represented.
NHFGC’s outgoing president Diane McMillen, of the Atkinson Garden Club, presented the Hooksett Garden Club with the ‘Diane J. McMillen’ Silver Bowl for increasing their membership 32 percent. This was the most significant membership increase throughout the state. The club also received first place certificates, in the small club category, for their Year Book edited by Mary Kate Donais and for their Publicity Press Book assembled by Jean D’Espinosa.
Unique floral designs were demonstrated by Bert Ford, of Ford Flowers in Salem, who donated several of them as a fund raiser for the Federation.
Anyone interested in gardening is welcome to attend the Hooksett Garden Club's summer meetings on June 29,"The Art of Pressing Flowers" with Joan Szoke, July 27 "Designing a Compost System" with Elena Whitfield, and August 24 "Putting Your Garden to Bed" by a UNH Master Gardener." For information and location, call program chairman Tina Paquette at 485-2318.
Hooksett Garden Club members at the NHFGC's Annual Meeting are from left; Tina Paquette second vice president, Elena Whitfield first vice president, Nan Veilleux board advisor/awards chairman and Nancy Barrett treasurer. They accepted for their small club the first place state awards for Year Book and Publicity Press Book. They also received the Diane J. McMillen Silver Bowl for the highest percent of increased membership in the federation.
During the NHFGC's Annual Meeting in May, The Diane J. McMillen Silver Bowl, was presented to Elena Whitfield on the left, Hooksett Garden Club's first vice president. The presentation was made by Diane McMillen, on the right, NHFGC's outgoing president. The bowl was designed two years ago to honor the club with the highest percent of membership increase.
BOW – The Bow Garden Club recently presented the Bow Police Department with several youth-sized “Comfort Quilts they had been given by the “Bedford Friendship Quilt Guild” for distribution to children in need. A packaged quilt will be kept in each of the Bow police cruisers and Bow PD Officers will use them to comfort children in crisis when the need presents itself due to a car accident, house fire, domestic abuse, etc. The quilts were part of a large donation the Garden Club received from the Guild last month that were then donated to the “Pajama Program’s” New Hampshire chapter along with several dozen pairs of new pajamas and nature books collected by the garden club during their annual Pajama Program Drive.
PHOTO CAPTION: Bow Garden Club member Joyce Kimball presents a group of youth-sized quilts, donated by the “Bedford Friendship Quilt Guild”, to Bow Police Chief Erin Commerford for use in the Bow police cruisers.
BOW – Kevin Gardner, writer, teacher, tradesman and a lifelong resident of Hopkinton, presented his program “Discovering New England Stone Walls” to a very appreciative group of Bow Garden Club members and other area residents this week at Bow High School. Speaking from his popular book “The Granite Kiss: Traditions and Techniques of Building New England Stone Walls” (Countryman Press), Gardner firmly held his audience’s attention throughout his talk--not only with his words but with his actions—by “building” a typical New England dry stone wall right in front of their eyes--in miniature. Gardner had brought along two pails of small stones and proceeded to spread them out on a table in front of him at the beginning of his presentation. As he spoke of the fascinating history of the ubiquitous New England stone wall--the theories, the myths, the practicality of it all, he simultaneously “built” a facsimile of a New England stone wall to the delight and fascination of his audience. Upon the conclusion of his presentation, Gardner responded to the many questions posed to him by his enthusiastic audience, followed by a book signing of his book, “The Granite Kiss”. Gardner’s presentation was the 3rd in a series of the Bow Garden Club’s “November Nites” presentations made available as a community service for the general public’s education and enjoyment.
Kevin Gardner upon completing his miniature New England stone wall.
BEDFORD - The Bow Garden Club, along with other member clubs of the New Hampshire Federation of Garden Clubs, is holding their 3rd Annual Pajama/Book Drive to benefit “The Pajama Program”, a national non-profit organization that provides new pajamas and story books to children in need, many who are waiting to be adopted and/or are living in group homes and shelters; All donations collected in New Hampshire are distributed to New Hampshire group homes and shelters. The “Pajama Program” depends on the generous support of volunteers, supporters, event hosts, pajama drive sponsors and of course, donations of cozy new pajamas and new children’s books to fulfill their mission of contributing to a warmer, more loving environment for these children when they are at their most vulnerable. Last year the Bow Garden Club alone collected 65 pairs of warm and cuddly pajamas and over 30 books plus $205 in cash to purchase even more pajamas for the children. Unfortunately there is now more of a need than ever to donate to this cause. As a result of the publicity the garden club received from their 2009 campaign, the Bedford Friendship Quilt Guild contacted them and offered to donate between 30 and 50 hand sewn quilts to the NH Chapter of the Pajama Program this year. The Guild recently presented 40 beautiful quilts, crafted in a myriad of colors and patterns in sizes suitable for infants to teens to the Bow Garden Club who will in turn arrange for their delivery to the NH Pajama Program distribution chairman. The “comfort quilts” will indeed comfort a number of needy children and youth this winter. ’ The garden club has placed collection boxes at the Baker Free Library, 509 South Street, the Merrimack County Savings Bank, also on South Street and the Bow Community Center, 3 Bow Center Road where donations of pajamas and/or books can be deposited for pick up. The final collection date will be November 15th.
Please visit www.pajamaprogram.org and www.bowgardenclub.org
For more information, please contact BGC President Ginny Urdi at 774-4476 or vurdi76@comcast.net
View slide shows for NHFGC Flower Show displays
The meeting was hosted by the District III clubs of Claremont, Fitzwilliam, New London, Old Homestead (Keene Area) and Peterborough and included the organization's semi-annual business meeting, the presentation of flower show awards for the year and a buffet luncheon and social hour, culminating with a rather “wild” educational program entitled “Coyote Nation” presented by Christine L. Schadler, a Wild Canid Ecologist.
Ms. Schadler kept attendees mesmerized with her beautiful photos of wolves and coyotes in the wild while relaying her knowledge and experiences from studying their behavior and management over the past thirty years. Schadler’s soon-to-be completed book entitled “Coyote Nation” will focus on her experiences studying these wonderful animals.
The Derry Garden Club was presented with several awards for their September 2009 flower show “A Tribute to Robert Frost” and New England Region Director Kathleen Thomas and Federated Garden Clubs of Massachusetts State President Linda-Jean Smith were the organization’s honored guests. NHFGC, a proud member of National Garden Clubs, Inc., New England Region, is a not-for-profit organization composed of individual member garden clubs located throughout the state, providing education, resources and statewide networking opportunities for its members to promote the love of gardening, floral design, civic beautification and both civic and environmental responsibility. Visit www.nhfgc.org
PHOTO:
Christine L. Schadler, Wild Canid Ecologist. Schadler lives in Strafford, NH