September 7 — Plant Communication: Let’s Listen In!
Location: Macomber Room Time: Refreshments — 9AM General Meeting — 9:30AM Program — 10AM Note to members: Due to Labor Day, the program has been moved to Wednesday. Member’s guests are welcome to attend. Masks are recommended since the space does not accommodate social distancing. Check the website for updates and whether or not a zoom hybrid will be available. Presenter Margery Winters is the Assistant Director and instructor at Roaring Brook Nature Center in Canton CT where she is delighted to be able to share her passion for earth science and nature with students of all ages. Scientists are learning more about how plants communicate with each other. Margery will explain how they get their messages to each other and what they are saying. Fascinating new scientific findings on the battle tactics and alliances between plants, insects and fungi. (Including the discovery of the Wood Wide Web) should make us rethink some of our gardening practices. We hope you can join us! |
October 11 — Go Native! Incorporating Native Plants into Your Landscape
Location: New Castle Congregational Church Parish Hall Time: Refreshments – 6:30PM Program – 7PM Note to members: The New Castle community is invited to this evening program. Masks are recommended since the space does not accommodate social distancing. Check the website for updates and whether or not a zoom hybrid will be available. There will be no general meeting. Presenter Sheila Steele is a retired science educator and a UNH Extension Master Gardener with a passion for native plants. She’ll discuss what native plants are, why they are important to add to existing and new landscapes and where to purchase them. Sheila will show beautiful examples of native plants incorporated into gardens - and even containers. She hopes her presentation will inspire attendees to make small changes in their gardens with native plants. As an added bonus, a lucky participant will receive Sheila’s favorite gardening book as a door prize. We hope you can join us! |
November 1 – Art in Bloom Road Show with a live floral design demonstration
Location: Macomber Room Time: Refreshments — 9AM General Meeting — 9:30AM Program — 10AM Note to members: Guests are welcome to attend. Masks are encouraged since the space does not accommodate social distancing. Check the website for updates and whether or not a zoom hybrid will be available. A colorful PowerPoint presentation depicting behind-the-scenes preparations for Art in Bloom with stunning examples of floral interpretations of MFA art objects is followed by a live floral interpretation of a museum masterpiece by an MFA Senior Associate floral designer. The demonstration will include expert arranging tips. The floral arrangement which will be raffled off to a lucky participant. |
April 4
Growing a Pollinator Garden Presenters: Pam Appleton and Doris Buco Location: TBD Time: Refreshments — 9AM General Meeting — 9:30AM Program — 10AM Insects such as bees and butterflies are helpful, and in some cases, essential, in pollinating many of our food crops such as apples, berries and vegetables. In recent years, there has been a significant decline in the populations of these wild pollinators. Planting patches of flowers, wildflowers, grasses, shrubs and flowering trees with an emphasis on the use of native plants can encourage and support natural pollinators as well as enhance backyard landscapes. Recommendations will be presented on creating a pollinator habitat in your yard. |
Pam Appleton became a Master Gardener in 2021. She loves working in gardens and sharing her enjoyment of all pollinators. Previously, Pam volunteered with the New Hampshire Beekeepers Association as their newsletter editor, often highlighting longtime beekeepers and NH bee-related businesses. In her own garden, Pam loves planting a diversity of pollinator-friendly plants in the hopes of strengthening the native bee populations. Pam looks forward to inspiring all gardeners to incorporate pollinator plants in their landscapes. Doris Buco became a Master Gardener in 2021 after working as an educator for thirty-nine years. She developed a love of gardening from her parents who had extensive flower, herb, and vegetable gardens. Doris has been a member of the Herb Society of America for the past twenty years and is now actively involved in several Master Gardener projects. She continues to expand her gardening knowledge through participation in a variety of Master Gardener learning opportunities and is particularly interested in how to attract pollinators to one’s garden by growing native plants. |
May 2nd No May meeting
Volunteer Training for the Garden Tour will be held Monday May 8th. Details to follow. |
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October 5, 2021 9:30am – Tovah Martin – Maximizing Space in the Garden
This will be a zoom meeting. You’ll receive your email invite before the program. Participants will be muted during the presentation and can either type questions into the chat window or verbally ask questions afterwards. A GIGC business meeting will begin directly after the Q&A. Tovah’s presentation will begin at 9:30. The General Meeting will start after the Q&A. This will be a zoom meeting. You’ll receive your email invite before the program. Participants will be muted during the presentation and can either type questions into the chat window or verbally ask questions afterwards. Tovah is a horticulturist, author and lecturer. She’s accredited with NOFA as an Organic Land Care Profession, has published over 4 books and her articles have appeared in publications such as Country Home, Flower Magazine and Yankee. She appears frequently on television and radio – she was a guest on the CBS Sunday Early show, the Martha Stewart Show and the PBS television gardening series “Cultivating Life.” No matter if you’re gardening in a close-knit neighborhood or a sprawling estate, you want to garden efficiently, prolifically, sustainably, and beautifully. Using her own garden as an example, Tovah will describe how to create layers in varied habitats including the perennial, berry, and vegetable gardens. The result is visually fulfilling, low maintenance, and mulch-eliminating when plants go wall-to-wall. This lecture shares how that shakes down to serve our needs as well as the needs of pollinators and other creatures. You can expect to hear many innovative ideas beyond the usual solutions. |
Special Note: Our thoughts and well wishes go out to Bill Graham who had to cancel his presentation due to illness.
November 2, 2021 9:30AM - Jana Milbocker "The Garden Tourist's Northeast" Attention: This is a zoom meeting. Jana’s presentation will begin at 9:30. The General Meeting will start after the Q&A. Jana is the principal of Enchanted Gardens Designs, a lecturer and author. She combines horticulture, design, and travel tips to educate, inspire and delight both new and seasoned gardeners. Jana loves to visit gardens and historic sites in the U.S. and abroad, and share her trips through her books, photos and blog. She published The Garden Tourist’s New England in 2020. Do you enjoy touring beautiful gardens? Jana will show you the best public gardens, nursery display gardens, and private gardens open to the public in the Northeast to visit for inspiration! Learn about each garden's highlights, ideal times to visit, and enjoy a visual tour of each amazing destination. |
April 5 – 9AM - John Forti, “The Heirloom Garden: Traditional Plants and Skills for the Modern World”
Location: Macomber Room Attention: As of now, this is scheduled as a hybrid meeting. Social time will be held in the Macomber Room from 9-9:30. The General Meeting (9:30) and John’s presentation (10) be held both live and via zoom. John Forti www.jforti.com is a garden historian and ethnobotanist who has directed gardens for Plimoth Plantation Museum, Strawbery Banke Museum, Massachusetts Horticultural Society, and Bedrock Gardens. His preservation work has helped to restore countless native and heirloom plants and has brought traditional artisanal practices to modern thinking. John’s program shares inspiration from our long history of heirloom preservation, garden craft and homestead lifeways. Artisanal lifestyles that are helping us to rebuild vibrant local agricultural economies and celebrate sustainable cottage industries that are contributing to our new, homegrown American arts & crafts movement and backyard environmentalism. At a time when we could all use a little good news, we hope you will join us for a refreshing look at how you can make a difference in your own backyard and community. The Heirloom Gardener: Traditional Plants and Skills for the Modern World: Forti, John: 9781604699937: Amazon.com: Books |