The Goffstown Edge

Weare Garden Club

The Weare Garden Club invites the public to a special presentation about gardening with native plants on Tuesday, September 6.

The presenter is Ayn Whytmore of Foundwell Farm.  She will speak about some of the native plants that should grow well in Weare and surrounding areas.

After a questions and answer period, refreshments will be served.

All are welcome.

For details, email Christine Marcroft at Lmarc122@earthlink.net

Weare Garden Club

The Weare Garden Club meets Tuesday, May 3 at 7 pm, at the Weare Library.  The public is invited to this monthly meeting, where Ed McGonagle will give a presentation about soil building.  Refreshments will be served and new members are always welcome.

Weare Garden Club

The Weare Garden Club extends an open invitation to its meeting Tuesday, April 5, at 7 p.m. in the Sawyer Room at the Weare Library.  There will be a presentation about organic vegetable gardening give by Kathy van Berkt, followed by refreshments.

TWIG The Way It Grows March Newsletter

The TWIG March Newsletter is now available on line at : TWIG March Newsletter

Very interesting subjects this month, including Late Blooming Perennials Everyone Should Have, Invasive Plants vs. Native Plants, Starting a Vegetable Garden, Book Revies, and TWIG Upcoming Events.  I really love this newsletter and I strongly recommend that everyone take a look.  Paula Kovecses creates charming landscapes, but her monthly newsletter is special for everyone, even non-gardeners like me who just want to look at the pictures and dream!

TWIG January Newsletter

I am noticing a very positive trend lately in business newsletters.  Of the many that I receive each month, more and more often they are written not as advertisements but as micro-magazines, chock full of interesting information and educational tips, making them very enjoyable to receive.  One perfect example is this January newsletter from TWIG-The Way It Grows.  Along with a note from owner Paula Kovecses, you'll find a calendar of events, articles on pruning, what to do about invasive plants, repotting house plants, a book list, and answers to reader questions.  You can view the TWIG January Newsletter on line at the TWIG web site:  TWIG The Way It Grows January Newsletter

Community Garden Clubs: Goffstown, New Boston, Dunbarton, Weare

Garden Clubs have come a long way since the days of rose bush competitions and manicured lawns.  Bow Garden Club member and past President Joyce Kimball sums it up nicely, “This isn’t your grandmother’s garden club, but we thank those grandmothers because without them, we wouldn’t have the clubs we enjoy today!”  Each of our villages hosts it’s own garden club, all busy with volunteer and community development projects, fund raising for scholarships and civic responsibilities.  Dating all the way back to 1933, the NH Federation of Garden Clubs provides education, resources and social opportunities for its members, which number 1,400 in 25 different clubs throughout the state.  Their web site, www.nhfgc.org, is the first stop for anyone interested in finding out more about their local clubs.

There are five garden club districts in NH.  District 2 includes Bow, Goffstown, New Boston, Dunbarton, and Weare.  Each village has it’s own club, and each club is active and productive.

Goffstown

The Goffstown Garden Club was also established in 1933, and enjoys 48 active members.  Regular meetings take place on the first Thursday of the month from March through December, 6:30 p.m. at Mt. View Middle School.  

Each meeting throughout the summer is planned to be informative and enjoyable.  The July 1st meeting will be a field trip to 24 Tenney Road in Goffstown to tour an environmentalist garden.  A series of lectures throughout the summer include Proper Gardening Tools on August 5th, floral design by Patrick Hoffman from PJ’s Flowers & Antiques on September 2nd, and the October 7th meeting will host UNH Extension Educator Margaret Hagen explaining the proper way to put gardens to bed for the winter.  The club members will be making boxwood trees on November 4th, and celebrating the holiday with a party and Yankee Swap on December 2nd.  Already planning the new year, Sandy Brown from Goffstown Ace Hardware will visit on March 3, 2011, to discuss container gardening, and April 7th brings Guy Guinta, “Mr. Lilac” from the NH Lilac and Wildflower Commission.  The Goffstown Club follows the local pattern of contributing to school scholarships, hosting plant sales and other fund raising events throughout the year.  “All the money goes to a graduating senior going into an environmental or forest field,” explains member Susan Tucker.

The Goffstown Garden Club is open for new members and encourages neighbors to call Carol Croasdale at 497-2182, or email cjc091962@comcast.net.

Addendum:  At the NH Federation of Garden Clubs 77th annual meeting in May, the Goffstown Garden Club received the following state awards:  Club Yearbook, third place; Club Scrapbook, first place; and the club was also presented with the Diane McMillen Membership Bowl for having the largest increase in membership since 2009!

Dunbarton

The Dunbarton Garden Club was founded in 1934, and with 49 members is the largest of the village clubs.  Dunbarton is also the only club with a male president.  Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of the month from September through May, and will include speakers from the UNH Master Gardener Program,  an evening of wreath making, and the holiday party in December.  Events to look forward to include Old Home Day in September and the Daffodil Public Planting Day in October.

In honor of the town’s 250th birthday in 2015, the Dunbarton Garden Club has offered a special daffodil sale each summer for the past 6 years.  Their efforts have begun to multiply, and daffodil oceans are now visible each spring along the Stark Scenic Byway and all throughout the village.  The 2010 program will kick off in August, and bulbs may be ordered directly from their web site at www.dunbartongardenclub.com.  Contact Tom Groleau at 774-6636 for daffodil or membership information.

Weare

Although the smallest of the clubs, Weare Garden Club has the distinction of having a certified UNH Master Gardener among its members, making it the go-to club for serious local amateurs.  Past President Alice Morris is happy to talk about their 20-year old club.  “We have people who give talks and we host hands-on events like crafting holly trees and Christmas topiaries.”  The club has also made gourd birdhouses and once even chocolate leaves.  Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of the month from March through December, and dues are $5 per year.  “It’s a fun and educational club,” says member Joan Blackwood.  Always on the lookout for new members, interested gardeners can call 529-1586 for information.

New Boston

Angela Fitzpatrick is very enthusiastic about the New Boston Garden Club.  “We take gardening very seriously, but we know that people have busy lives so we feel it’s better for our club to be more casual.”  The recreational nature of the club creates a comfortable atmosphere for members in their early 20s through their 80s.  The New Boston Garden Club is responsible for the beautiful flowering barrels that surround the Gazebo, and they do all the spring, summer and fall plantings, as well as the Gravity Memorial at the triangle in the center of town.  Their biggest event each year is the Hillsborough County Fair, where they’ve won a blue ribbon every season for the last 5 years.  They also host a Yankee Swap in January, and have just completed a crafting of May Baskets and nosegays that were delivered to elderly neighbors.

Meetings are the second Monday of the month, with the next meeting June 14.  There is a free plant swap scheduled for June 5, 9:00 a.m. to noon, on the Gazebo, a good opportunity to meet some of the members.  The Club is open to new members and encourages New Boston residents to call Angela at 487-2423, or email queenang@comcast.net.