Lilac Letter PRESIDENT S MESSAGE. Winter 2017 VOLUME XXIII NO. 3

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1 Lilac Letter Winter 2017 VOLUME XXIII NO. 3 PRESIDENT S MESSAGE Where did summer go? Well, Happy Fall. Speaking of Fall, the 84 th Fall Meeting of the New Hampshire Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc. was held at the Inn on Newfound Lake in Bridgewater on a beautiful September day the 27 th. It was a huge success! We enjoyed a record attendance of 97 (with 102 registered) and were honored to have National Garden Clubs President, Nancy Hargroves of Richmond, VA, as our special guest and presenter. Nancy s PowerPoint program Witches, Turkeys and Reindeer, a container gardening demonstration on how to morph container gardens from Halloween-themed to those appropriate for Thanksgiving and later Christmas by making just a few subtle changes. Nancy s program was very well received. The District 1 clubs of Ashland, Littleton, Mountain and New Hampton, organized by District 1 Director Fern Doucette, outdid themselves in every way, from the fabulous table centerpieces created by New Hampton member and floral designer extraordinaire Sue Cram, through the multitude of sought after Opportunity Drawings (a.k.a. raffles ) and door prizes the clubs generously donated for this event. District 1 club presidents Shared Their Successes in regard to some of their recent and successful club activities they felt other clubs might wish to try in the future and several educational exhibits were on display throughout the meeting. And Woodsy Owl made a surprise visit, much to the delight of attendees. Thank you, District 1 for selecting this great venue for our fall meeting and for contributing your ideas, talents and man-hours towards its success. We are still early into the term but already things are happening that I know will be beneficial to our organization now and into the future. For instance, we will be taking our Executive Committee on the road, holding an Executive Board Meeting in each of our four districts during my term as State President. We will be inviting all the club presidents from within the district to attend and to participate in these meetings as well as any other representatives from their clubs who wish to join us. In addition to the basic board meeting, we will have a mini workshop to better familiarize attendees with opportunities and resources that are available through NHFGC and NGC of which they may not be aware. These district meetings will also include a discussion about the function and purpose of the Executive Board and our Standing Committees and a Question-and-Answer segment. We hope to generate some interest with meeting attendees 1

2 President s Message continued: becoming a little more involved within the organization, once they have a better understanding of how it operates. So please, come check us out when we are in a location near you! We are also in the process of formulating new resource material concerning the problematic Invasive Species present within the State of New Hampshire. You are most likely familiar with the obvious ones, e.g., Bittersweet, Common and Glossy Buckthorn, Burning Bush, etc. However, Japanese Knotweed is becoming a huge problem in some of our communities as it grows rapidly and takes years of persistence to eradicate. This is not a new problem, but it is becoming more serious. The Board is currently responding to a particular member s request to review this issue and we appreciate her bringing it to the Board s attention for the benefit of us all. We are your Board, after all, elected by you to serve the membership and we do not take this responsibility lightly. Please contact us, work with us, join us. And finally, the changing of the seasons brings with it a sense of renewal as we rake (and hopefully mulch and/or compost) the beautiful painted leaves of autumn we are so fortunate to have all around us this time of year, before moving on to the next chapter of our New England seasons. I hope you have all enjoyed your spring and summer gardens and will continue to enjoy your fall plantings in the weeks ahead until it is time to put your gardens to bed once again. Now is the time to get those perennials and spring bulbs in the ground in your communities and in your backyards. So let s go PLANT NEW HAMPSHIRE-- Plant Today for Tomorrow! Help PLANT AMERICA! Thank you and enjoy the changing seasons! NH NEWS AWARDS Jane Goodwin, NHFGC Awards Chairman What a lovely location we had for our 2017 Fall Meeting. Thanks to District 1 for a providing a very special time for all those present. I was honored to be able to present the following Awards at that meeting: NHFGC, INC. GENERAL AWARDS: Award #1a: To the Club with the largest number of members present at the May 24, 2017 Annual Meeting: Derry Garden Club. Award #1b: To the Club with the highest percentage of members present at the May 24, 2017 Annual Meeting: Epping Garden Club (100%!) NHFGC, INC. FLOWER SHOW AWARDS: Award #2A, a Lilac and Blue Rosette, given to the highest scoring Standard Flower Show in the State: New London Garden Club. Award #2B, the Lucy Schram Staging Award, a brass pin in the shape of a lilac leaf, given to the highest scoring Staging Chairman of a Standard Flower Show: Peg Birch, New London Garden Club. Award #2C, the Jolly Gardner Schedule Award, a stained-glass iris, presented to the club member who has written the highest scoring Schedule for a Standard Flower Show: Peg Birch, New London Garden Club. Award #2F, the Joanne L. Krause Award, a sterling silver hat shaped pin, to the Chairperson of the highest scoring Standard Flower Show in recognition of all the hats the Chairperson wears in planning and executing a successful Standard Flower Show: Peg Birch, New London Garden Club. 2

3 AWARDS NEWS continued As we move on toward the holidays, please don t forget to mail your Yearbooks to me for judging. The winner in each size category will be forwarded to New England Garden Clubs, Inc. and those New England winners will go on to National Garden Clubs. It would be very helpful to have two or three copies of your yearbook to make judging go faster. Please send them to Jane Goodwin, 6 Monarch Way, Kingston, NH before December 1, the due date. Judging will take place either the 1 st or 2 nd full week of December. I will the date and place to all club presidents and Executive Board members as soon it has been decided. You are all invited to help judge. Coffee, juice, and goodies will be provided. We didn t have quite enough help last year, so please save the date and plan to come. It s interesting and fun. Last, but not least, since there s quite a bit of time until April 1, 2018, when most of the NHFGC Award Applications are due, take a close look at what different awards your club might like to apply for between now and then. Go to our website, nhfgc.org user: nhfgc, password: peony, then click on Members Only. Click on Forms and Awards. You ll be happily surprised at how many there are. For instance, there are #7, the Grace Lincoln Award, for Middle or High Schoolers who complete a worthwhile project by contributing materially in man power to a civic project, #8, the Joyce A. Kimball Horticulture Award, meant to stimulate interest and better understanding of Horticulture, and #17, the Take Pride in America Award donated by Joanne Krause for Conservation Awareness. National Garden Club Award #44, PUBLICITY PRESS BOOK Joyce Kimball Former NHFGC/NER Publicity Press Book Chairman publication of the NGC AWARDS (page 18) which is now available on the NGC website, (ID User Name: member / Password: Pumpkin) under Awards. The rationale for eliminating this award was many clubs are having great difficulty getting their publicity articles published in their local newspapers, etc. due to the reduction of pages and column space available within today s print media outlets for garden club news, announcements, etc. The award has been replaced with NGC Award #MP-1 GARDEN CLUB MEMBERSHIP - A Certificate of Merit and $ will be awarded to the Overall Winner for the most innovative activity or activities, or most outstanding effort, to increase public visibility; to increase club membership, or to make the public aware of the mission and activities of garden clubs; including membership brochures, leaflets, or any other publication used, as well as any publicity received. (Printed materials, materials for electronic publication and publicity may be attached in their entirety to the application and are not counted as part of the three-page limit). Award #MP-1(A) represents Single member garden clubs in one of the four club size categories (i, ii, iii, iv). NGC wants to make members aware of this award s existence because it is a new publicity award their clubs can now apply for and it includes a monetary award of $100. Personally, I was disappointed to learn that the Publicity Press Book award was being phased out, however it is probably a sign of the times as we continue to become a more paperless society. It should be noted that fewer and fewer Publicity Press Books were submitted for judging over the past several years, supporting NGC s decision to discontinue Award #44. I would encourage clubs that have routinely prepared a Publicity Press Book in the past to continue to do so as press books can be a wonderful year-at-a-glance history book for your club. Please be advised this award has been removed from the listing of available awards for members, clubs and states and regions, effective with the 3

4 NH News continued Thank you for your understanding and I hope you will take advantage of this new opportunity and submit your club s printed and electronic publicity items to National Garden Clubs to apply for NGC Award #MP-1 this year. It s been a great ride! Board hosts Surprise Party for Joyce Kimball Lolly Fleming Three months after her official installation as President of the NHFGC, Inc., Joyce Kimball was given a surprise celebration party by her Dream Board which is what she loves to call her Executive Board. Joyce was presented with a very ornate tiara purchased from one of the best stores, and two overflowing vases of flowers made up of cuttings from each board member s garden. Refreshments included a special cake, bubbly wines and a selection of fruit and cheeses, also provided by the Board. Curious Cat FEATURES It s bulb planting time. Once again, I may have overestimated my ability to dig and plant quantities of bulbs. Nah. Never happen. A mere 125 hyacinths and same number of daffodil bulbs shouldn t be all that hard. Except of course, there is this shortage of actual soil in my yard. And there are all those miniature bulbs I picked up at a bargain. By this time John doesn t even shake his head. He did deter me from buying 300 tulip bulbs by reminding me what happened last year to the 300 I planted. Apparently a horde of rodents infested my front yard. Safely hidden under the ice and snow voles and or mice ate themselves silly. Perhaps I should have taken precautions, but until last winter hadn t lost but a few bulbs to critters. I should have realized it would happen. We had so many suicidal chipmunks on the driveway last fall that they were a road hazard. I admit they are cute, especially when they are living in the woods eating acorns and beechnuts. Once they hit my garden they are rats in a in a nice suit. Judging by the evidence, voles and mice tunneled in under the snow to join the banquet. Good bye tulips. By spring, Nature s pendulum had swung and twice in the early morning I spotted a fisher cat hunting in my gardens. I wished him lots of luck. A pair of large hawks that have nested in the area for years made a point of swinging in down low over the lawn and gardens. Unknown creatures called and yammered at night. And a bear ripped open logs and overturned large stones on the ridge behind the house. I don t know how good a mouser a bear is, but all efforts at rodent control were appreciated. They were also effective as I hardly saw a chipmunk all summer. Now it is bulb planting time again. I can t quite limit myself to daffodils and other unpalatable bulbs, but I am less willing to set up a generous buffet. As a test, the hyacinths will have a little used biodegradable litter from the kitty box. Not fun to plant, but this is war. CLUB NEWS Atkinson Garden Club Jeanne Vickery When autumn darkness falls, what we will remember are the small acts of kindness: a cake, a hug, an invitation to talk, and every single rose. These are all expressions of a nation coming together and caring about its people. Jens Stoltenberg 4

5 Atkinson Garden Club continued And yet, almost as a counterbalance to the imperceptible shortening of the light with each passing day, we still rejoice in the bright explosion of Autumnal colors, the golden crackling of the hearth s fire, the fragrant, unmistakable scent wafting from a bag of freshly picked apples. But mostly we so look forward, as Stoltenberg muses, to the times we can get together, to greet each other with a hug, enjoy a slice of cake and a warm beverage, while either sharing the news of the day or remembrances of days past. In Atkinson, we have been fortunate to have so many opportunities to come together this year, as gardeners, as citizens, as old friends. Our club was happy and honored to join with Atkinson s many organizations and residents to celebrate Atkinson s 250 th Anniversary in great style. Many Garden Club members, new and old, braved the day s rain to take their places on a magnificently decorated float, waving to the crowds along the parade route through town. Ann Reardon with garden clippers and Ellen Witherell enjoying the ride on the AGC float. Our Civic Beautification Committee, led by Sheri Turell and Janet Snowdon, ensured that the Common and all the town s public areas were graced with colorful mums and pots of many other festive blooms. Linda Jette and her assistants were hard at work taking orders for daffodils for the upcoming fall planting, hoping to showcase an even more outstanding display of color about town than that in evidence last Spring! gaining access to our new venue and our Executive Board shared their culinary skills for the occasion, and hors d oeuvres, main courses and desserts were beautifully plated - and the consensus among all was that they were as delicious as they were enticing. Table Centerpieces of Autumn Mums and a great, dramatic banquet arrangement of large Hydrangea and coleus were enjoyed by all in attendance! For our September meeting, we gathered at Maple Hill Farm in Hollis, to explore the many themed gardens and creative exhibits on hand, led by our knowledgeable guide and AGC member, Brenda Weber. We adjourned for a picnic lunch under a delightful, welcoming shade tree at Benson Park in Hudson. But the highlight of our day was a warm, wonderful visit with our longtime dear friend, Catherine Persson, a Garden Club member since 1997, now residing in Windham - hugs, catching -up conversations and many memories to share! Tanya Tsentalovich, Bernice Torosian, Catherine Persson, (center) Hedi Shikes and Brenda Weber enjoy an afternoon visit together. Bert Ford, of Ford s Flowers, Salem, entertained and enlightened us at our October Open Meeting, with his humorous repartee and gorgeous Autumn and Winter Holiday arrangements which were raffled at the end of our program. Kay Galloway, who won Bert Ford s dining room table centerpiece, donated her arrangement to the Kimball Library. A hearty thankyou to all those from near and far who were able to join us. Marnie Finn reminded us of our commitment to Emmaus House, and many needed items were collected at the meeting. Formerly Gentlemen s Night, our Garden Club Social moved to the Bryant Woods clubhouse this year. Kay Galloway was instrumental in 5

6 Atkinson Garden Club continued Marnie Finn, Linda Jette and NHFGC President, Joyce Kimball, choose raffle winners for Bert Ford s designs at our October Meeting. coming. Mary Lea Daily's design "BEE GREEN" won a blue ribbon. Deede Loffler also won awards for her design "BEE MY VALENTINE". Our November Meeting will feature Steven Lewis, AGC and American Chestnut Foundation Member, who will present data on the demise of the American Chestnut tree, its impact on our ecosystem and rural economy, and efforts to restore the chestnut in our area. Nina Gray and her committee have been busy since the summer months, making bows and decorative accessories for wreathes, holly trees, kissing balls and all manner of holiday fare in anticipation of Atkinson s Peddler s Market, town decorating, and AGC s amazing, annual, Holiday Greens Sale to be held Friday, Dec. 1 and Saturday, Dec.2, from 10am - 4pm at the Atkinson Community Center. This year s raffle basket, artfully curated once again by Sheri Turell, will have us looking forward to summer, with its theme of At the Beach. Wishing all a Holiday Season blessed with acts of kindness great and small, heartfelt connections with those around us and an abundance of good cheer! Many thanks to Sylvia Roberts and Susan Davis who chaired this show and did an amazing job. A group picture follows of some of the members who worked at the flower show. At our September meeting, past presidents in attendance were honored and given a rose bouquet. Pictured in order of serving, last to first, are Susan Davis, Blanche Garone, Kaye Nugent, Wanda Desaulniers, Michelle Mensinger, Judy Motta, Pat Mulone and Mary Lea Daily who served twice. Derry Garden Club Barbara Fox Thanks to all the Derry Garden Club members who worked so hard to make our Bee Happy flower show a success. We are fortunate to have so many talented designers in our club and the educational exhibits were wonderful. Many of you visited the show and we thank you for 6 Thank you to all past presidents who have led our club and done such a wonderful job.

7 Derry Garden Club continued The Derry Garden Club annual bake and craft sale was held on Sunday, October 1. It was a beautiful crisp fall day and there were lots of people picking apples and just enjoying the day. We had a very successful bake sale this year and the money raised will help fund our activities. Thanks to all who baked and helped make this a success. The children of the Derry Boys and Girls Club were treated to a buffet of dishes prepared by garden club members. The food included vegetables from the youth garden that the children help maintain at the club. Among things served were: spaghetti squash with pesto, beets, cheesy potatoes, fresh tomato sauce, herbed bread, and, for dessert, chocolate zucchini cake and peach sorbet made with peaches from the trees grown by the youth garden volunteers. It was a delicious feast and the children were encouraged to try new things. Thanks to all who helped and to Jackie Dempsey and Blanche Garone for organizing this wonderful event. We hope you all had a wonderful fall garden club season. Time is passing quickly. Looking forward to hearing about all your activities. 7 Fitzwilliam Garden Club Sue Fletcher In August, the Fitzwilliam Garden Club had a wonderful tour of the gardens at Juniper Hill owned by Joe Valentine in Francestown. More than 11 garden "rooms" featured a pool garden, Japanese garden, stumpery and many more. We also had a very successful plant and bake sale on the Fitzwilliam Common. Group photo at Juniper Hill Many dug plants, patio pots and baked goods were sold. Proceeds go toward scholarships, beautification and programs. Our September pot luck meeting featured Marcy Stanton, who works for the UNH Extension Service, managing the Master Gardener program. Marcy covered tips and best practices for putting your garden to bed in the fall, including vegetable gardens, perennial beds, lawns, fruit trees, ornamental trees and shrubs. She showed that, with a little love and care, big rewards can be seen

8 Fitzwilliam Garden Club continued in the spring. Marcy also highlighted many of the services and programs that are offered by the Extension Service. Our last meeting of the season, our Annual meeting, took place in October at the Woodbound Inn with the installation of our new officers. Goffstown Garden Club Rosalind Spiller For our August Meeting, we met at the Day Lily Farm of Master Gardener, Real Fallu. He spoke about companion planting and we were able to tour his Day Lily Gardens. In September, we had a 10' X 6' display at the Hillsborough County Fair. We were awarded a Blue Ribbon for our Display titles, "Thyme After Thyme." We had a display that highlighted the many uses of Herbs -- Herbs for Cooking, Herbs for Healing, and Herbs for Creating. In September each year, the Goffstown Public Library gives us space to display a small-scale version of our Fair display. They then showcase books that highlight the display. We get very nice feedback from the library each year. Hooksett Garden Club Carolyn Taylor Summer went by quickly for the Hooksett Garden Club. At our August meeting we had member and Master Gardener, Elena Whitfield, do a demonstration on propagating geraniums. Elena has beautiful plants that she has kept propagating from ones that were her Mother s. On 8 September 16 we had a booth at Hooksett Old Home Day with club volunteers there all day to talk about what the club does. Left to Right: Committee Chair, Nancy Berardi, Carolyn Taylor, Nancy Barrett, Doris Sorel, Nan Veilleux, Shirley Girard, and Rachel Sweeney.

9 Hooksett Garden Club continued The booth was decorated in a fall theme with brochures and posters of the club s activities. We celebrated twenty years as a club on September 21 with a luncheon at Roots Cafe in Robies s Country Store. We were served a delicious four-course lunch which included a cake displaying our 20 years logo. A cake with the 20th anniversary logo of the Hooksett Garden Club which was served at the anniversary luncheon. our new officers; we will have a pick-up day two days after Thanksgiving for our Holiday Wreath Sale; early December is the club s annual holiday party and then bell ringing for the Salvation Army on December 14. Littleton Garden Club Elizabeth Fraser The Littleton Garden Club enjoyed an active summer. In June and July, the Club visited Grimes Nursery in Waterford, Vermont and Roots Too Farm in East St Johnsbury, Vermont. In August, club members learned how to make a garden lady. Lissa Boissonneault hosted a party in her yard and showed how to construct a garden manikin. 2x4 boards are used to make the understructure. Lissa s ladies stand in her gardens year-round and she changes their attire according to the season. The woman standing at the fence in the photo below is one of the garden ladies! For the September meeting, Ron Trexler, an HGC member, Master Gardener and speaker with the UNH Co-operative Extension Master Gardener Program, gave a presentation entitled Putting the Garden to Bed, a very timely topic. This was followed the next day by a Library clean-up day. The library is one of our town beautification projects. Our October program was presented by LaValley s in Hooksett These programs are cosponsored with the Hooksett Public Library and are free and open to the public. Although it seems like the year is winding down for the HGC, as meetings are only held from February through October, there will still be lots of activity in November and December. At the end of November an installation ceremony will be held for 9 The September meeting featured a visit to Shin-boku Japanese Nursery and Stroll Garden in Wentworth, NH. The nursery features many specimens of trees that are managed following the 400+ year tradition of Japanese garden tree trimming. The trees, some of which have grafts that are years old, are trimmed and guided to grow in a style consistent with the Japanese legendary art form. The trees are marketed throughout the US. Club members enjoyed learning about the nursery from owner, Palmer Koelb, and also enjoyed spending time in the Stroll Garden. See pictures below.

10 Littleton Garden Club continued Fiona McKenna announced the club received four other awards at NHFGC s annual meeting May 24. Those were the President s District Award; Silver Seal Citation to Bonnie Flahive; Community Improvement Award for Civic Development for our garden work at the Gale Home, a nursing and rehabilitation center; and Membership Growth. While June was our last meeting of the season, the summer was busy with activities especially for the Gale Home garden angels, who Manchester Garden Club Pauline Pinard Bogaert Manchester Garden Club (MGC) completed its 84th year June 21 at Elinor and John Terrell s historic Manchester home. We had two important guests attending, namely Joyce Kimball, president of the New Hampshire Federation of Garden Clubs (NHFGC) and Nicole Robitaille, a recent Central H.S. graduate and our pick for the Claire Stone Memorial/MGC scholarship. Her major will be Conservation Law Enforcement at Maine s Unity College. Also present were Priscilla Malcolm and Maria Remillard, both of whom are now new club members. Two longtime members, Gerda Cote and Donna Beaulieu, were recognized with the NHFGC s Longevity award. Federation District II delegate 10 groom the home s ground throughout the summer. Other activities included a trip to the Newport (R.I.) Flower show June 23 for 25 people. The show was organized by Roz Lockwood and the event was so enjoyed there will be a repeat in McKenna, an avid daylily grower, invited friends and club members to view her north Manchester garden July 17. Her day lilies she has an estimated 175 to 200 come in all colors, types and sizes. She has started hybridizing her plants and each daylily is marked with a small metal name tag. On May 17, 2018, Fiona will give a talk to the membership about her passion. Our first presenter of the year Sept. 21 was Derry Garden Club member and former NHFGC President, Michelle Mensinger, who talked about Fall Flower Arranging. The Boston Flower Show winner and

11 Manchester Garden Club continued judge wowed the 40 people attending with her three over-the-top creations that included many unique plants. Incidentally, Mensinger told the group she will judge in the Botanical Arts Division classes at Newport Flower Show in Mountain Garden Club Betsey Harding In July, members gathered for a ribbon cutting celebration at the recently built North Conway Community Center, honoring people involved in a landscaping project that involved many club and community members last year. By the completion of that project, the MGC, led by member Bob Santoro, had contributed more than $5,000 in materials and coordinated the donations of $12,000 in materials from businesses in the area, and even one as far away as Texas. In our Scholarship program, we again awarded $6,000 in scholarships for the academic year, to two post-secondary students and one secondary school graduate. In addition, we continued our $1,000 grant to help a local environmental professional repay student debt, as part of the Stay NH program. In August, two months after digging in annual plants at Storyland (which we do in exchange for a $2,500 donation to our scholarship fund), Storyland welcomed us back, after hours, to admire the colorful gardens we helped to create. Celebrating a very successful planting at Story Land in an after-hours gathering. This event, where MGC members spend a fun community-activity day (or two!) installing thousands of annuals in that wonderfully fun amusement park, brings a significant annual donation to the MGC's Alice T. Madden Scholarship Fund... a win-win-win event! Also dedicated that day was a garden honoring a long-time employee of NCCC, Roger Grucel, often a helpful advocate for MGC. Celebrating the MGC's significant contributions to the landscaping all around the North Conway Community Center - with one of MGC's landscape designers Bob Santoro, MGC President Wendy McVey, the NCCC fundraising consultant Tim Scott, and its Executive Director Ryan Sommer, and NH Executive Counselor Joe Kenney. Our regular Community Improvement Project maintenance of public gardens received acclaim from area residents; with 14 sites of all sizes throughout the valley, dozens of club members volunteered to water, weed, plant and mulch. We rounded out our creative summer with a truly delightful bus trip to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, savoring the hundreds of acres of formal gardens, wandering pathways, and striking sculptures. Peter Alden, a world-renowned naturalist, author and ecotourism guide, offered a fascinating program entitled Changes in our Flora & Fauna since Thoreau s Time, for our September meeting, held at Tin Mountain Conservation Center in Albany. As has been the pattern for years now, John Bruni and DD Warren created a beautiful and 11

12 Mountain Garden Club continued informative Yearbook, received at that meeting with admiration by members. October 6 was a Lunch and Learn program featuring horticulturalist and radio personality, Paul Parent, presenting answers about putting our gardens to bed! In the next Lilac Letter, we ll give some pointers! New Hampton Garden Club Phyllis Schofield New Hampton Garden Club has been busy as usual with summer and fall happenings. Since the last Lilac Letter, we had our annual basket raffle at the New Hampton Old Home Day in August, which is always an anticipated event in the community. There were six decorated baskets, each filled with articles appropriate to the theme of the basket. The articles were all donated by members, with Anne-Marie McCormack wrapping each one. Also in August we had our progressive brunch, traveling to in turn to four members' homes which you heard about at the semi-annual meeting. This was a very enjoyable event celebrating our 85 th anniversary. We have continued recognizing a garden around town each month, which is sometimes challenging in a small town as it means committee members are riding the back roads as well as the main streets. The last garden to be recognized was the Jean Thompson Friendship Garden which has been revitalized thanks to a small group of hard working gardeners. Recently President Rita Glasheen made a presentation of the book, The Saved Seed, to Librarian Cath Vincevic, of the Gordon Nash Library 12 where we hold our meetings. Educating the youth in area continues to be part of our mission. At the semi-annual meeting our President was also pleased to remember two members who passed away in the past year, Barbara Shaw and Trudy Powers, by placing a rose in memory of each in the memorial vase. New London Garden Club Peg Birch No programs in August but we keep an eye on the civic beauty gardens around town. September starts programs again. We had Allie Howe (staff at Springledge Nursery) speak to us about houseplants as the outdoor gardens begin to wind down. She brought many samples from their greenhouse, which were for sale afterwards with a generous percentage to the Club. A workshop to prepare volunteers for our October Program on Table designs allowed for experimenting with many different components. The results were a program by Lela Moses and Peg Birch with 15 different table settings with a floral unit, and a demonstration of converting to a Flower Show Exhibition Design. Our members love watching each other show their talents. Though October is our last "program" for the year, we will still be busy. Fall Wreath workshop. Table Flowers workshop preceding our November lunch and Annual Meeting. Thanksgiving Centerpiece workshop. Annual Wreath project for greens for our public buildings. And last, a new fund raiser. Last year we had a boxwood tree workshop for ourselves. Friends and neighbors wanted ones just like them, so this year we are making 30 for sale, and another workshop to make ones for ourselves. Busy, busy! We had no big Antique Show this year, so this will help balance our budget. NEXT year we resume the Antique Show. in late July. Watch for it! Happy Holidays to all.

13 Old Homestead Garden Club Mary Ellen Sienkiewicz Ten of our members attended the NHFGC Fall Meeting at the Inn on Newfound Lake, door prizes and raffle prizes were won, an enjoyable time was had by all. A revision of our club by-laws has been completed, a big thank you to Chairperson Marcia Esche and her committee. Our Garden Therapy Program has begun for the year the first session was held at Genesis in Keene where 15 residents with the help of nine members created floral arrangements. The next scheduled session was on October 17, Langdon Place of Keene; and subsequent sessions are November 21, Carpenter Home; and December 19, Castle Center. After December 1 st sessions will be scheduled with other facilities for March, April, May and June. The Civic Beautification cleanup committee for Swanzey Plantings is finalizing its work schedules. After we have had a frost, members gather with clippers, rakes and energy to get the beds ready for winter. For more than 15 years the club has maintained beds in two triangles, as well as along Rt. 32 and the stone wall across from the Town Hall. Members are currently focused on our largest fund raiser of the year, the Annual Greens Sale, to be held December 1 st and 2 nd at the Cheshire Historical Society, 246 Main Street, Keene. We decorate wreaths, make swags, table arrangements, berry bowls, boxwood trees and many other items, the profits go toward our Scholarship Fund and other club projects. Our latest donation to the NGC Penny Pines Project was to honor Sue Wanlass, a member since She has been a dedicated member, serving as Chairperson of the Smokey Bear Woodsy Owl Poster Contest, NGC Youth Sculpture Contest, and Annual Greens Sale Berry Bowls to name some of her contributions. The club has participated in the Penny Pines Project since 2009, loose change is collected at meetings and when the $68.00 goal is met we purchase an acre of trees. To date we have purchased 12 acres honoring 18 members and/or non-members who have contributed their time and talents to the club. The October Meeting will feature Kevin Gardner presenting New England Stone Walls Thru My Garden Gate. He will answer the questions why New England came to acquire its thousands of miles of stone walls, the ways they were built and how styles emerged and changed over time. November will find us having fun creating Table Arrangements to take us through the Holidays and other Celebrations. In December we enjoy our Pot Luck Luncheon before our winter break from Garden Club meetings in January and February. The 2018 NHFGC Annual Meeting will be hosted by District III, May 30, 2018 at the Keene Country Club. District Director, our own Dian Mathews is the Chairperson and she will be keeping us busy with this project. Peterborough Garden Club Susan Gill 13 We ve concluded another lovely season of Coffee and/or Wine in the Garden and are into our Fall Program Series which began with a very well

14 Peterborough Garden Club continued attended talk by John Forti, a nationally recognized lecturer and garden historian. John spoke to us on the creation of edible landscapes as an alternative to lawns and hedges. Coffee in the garden: The next speaker in our fall series was Dan Jaffe of the New England Wildflower Society, based at Garden in the Woods, Framingham, MA. Dan spoke about the essential role native plants play in ecosystems and how to incorporate them in our own landscapes. The series concluded in October with a demonstration by two of our club members, Vonnie and Wendy, on how to create Colonial- Williamsburg-style Christmas wreathes and swags. A raffle of arrangements followed. The public was invited to the meeting at Shieling Forest, Peterborough. As always, we try to have service projects that benefit our community. This fall we are planning to contribute homemade pies to the Monadnock Food Pantry at Thanksgiving. Also, this will be our fifth year supporting the Monadnock Transitional Shelter with overflowing Christmas Baskets for the families housed there. We are an open and welcoming group, please join us at any of our meetings, programs or workshops. You can learn more about us at: Sandown Garden Club Audrey Vargish After summer faded away, Sandown Garden Club members were happy to get back to a monthly meeting schedule. First on the agenda was preparing an entry for the Sandown Old Home Day Parade. A wooden bed was placed on casters, painted a bright forest green and decorated with garlands of fall flowers. Flowerpot people were placed in the bed, which was adorned with a patchwork quilt of fresh garden Mums. Several members guided the float down Main Street as others carried a Club banner and handed out flower pinwheels and bug bracelets to children who lined the parade route. At the end of the parade, the Club s float was awarded second place. The first business meeting of the season was held at the Sweet Baby Vineyard in Hampstead. Vineyard owner, Lewis Eaton, spoke to the group about the history of the winery, the variety of wines it produces and then led a tour of the grapevine fields and the wine processing area. After the tour, everyone gathered in the tasting room to sample the extensive variety of wines that are offered. Naturally, a lively and enjoyable business meeting followed with all members agreeing to return. As part of its community service projects, the Club volunteers both in the spring and fall to clean litter from a 1.7 mile stretch of Main Street (121A). Four teams of members don bright yellow safety vests on a Sunday morning to clear the trash. This continuing activity has earned the Club two signs that mark this stretch of road. These signs 14

15 Sandown Garden Club continued reviewed the health benefits of many herbs and how to incorporate them into teas, tinctures and decoctions in your own kitchen. are provided and installed by the NH Department of Transportation Adopt-A-Highway Program. At the first public meeting, Club members and guests enjoyed a presentation by herbalist Ginny Shannon on Cures from the Kitchen. She Calendar of Events Dec. 1 and 2 Atkinson Garden Club Peddlers Market, 10 AM to 4PM, Atkinson Community Center Dec. 1 and 2 Old Homestead Annual Greens Sale, Cheshire Historical Society, 246 Main St., Keene. Editor s Note: We hope you enjoy this edition of The Lilac Letter. Articles submitted are subject to minor editing but will be published largely in their submitted format with no deletions. The preferred font is Calibri 12 but all other fonts are accepted and will be changed to Calibri 12 for publication. Please use single spacing and use either a Word program or.rtf (rich text format). If you do not have either of these formats, please paste or type your article directly into your . The Spring 2018 edition will be published in April Please submit articles and photos by the deadline, March 7, Photos may be embedded in the text or submitted as individual.jpg, png or.bmp files. Please note that due to technical constraints, pdf files cannot be accepted. Sponsorship materials should be submitted in.jpg format. Photo captions should be included. Most important of all, please ensure Club Name and Lilac Letter appears in the subject line of your to avoid classification as spam which is deleted. 15

16 Official publication of the New Hampshire Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc. ( Joyce Kimball, President National Garden Clubs, Inc., Nancy L. Hargroves, President New England Garden Clubs, Inc. Susan Hinkel, Director The Lilac Letter is published the first week of April, July, September, and November. Deadlines for submission of articles for publication are the 7th of March, June, August, and October. Editor: Sylvia Swartz 4030 SW 9 th Place, Cape Coral, FL Tel tamargal2@aol.com or LLeditor@nhfgc.org Circulation Editor: Eleanor Morrison emorrison2@metrocast.net Sponsorship rates One seasonal issue Full year 4 issues Full page $100 $300 Half page $60 $200 Quarter page $40 $150 16