February 2009 Newsletter
Club Dates
Mark your calendar for these great
programs!
Hospitality Guidelines: Please
note when you are scheduled to bring refreshments to a meeting. If you cannot
attend, please arrange your own replacement. If possible, plan with your
hospitality partners to coordinate your offerings and to bring decorations. Plan to arrive at the Center about 6:45 p.m. to help set up and
make coffee (if you want to offer coffee), and to stay after the end of the meeting
to clean up. Check the room-use etiquette memo on the refrigerator for
specifics. Designate one of you to take home the trash.
Thursday, February
19, 7 p.m. – The Magic and Medicine of Herbs
Herbalist Nancy Gerry of Athol will delight with folklore and facts about herbs from black and white witch gardens and from the Medieval and Pilgrim eras. She’ll also serve cookies made with magical herbs!
Hospitality: Lourie Wark and Mary Ellen
Kennedy, nibblies; Sherri
Thursday, March 19, 7
p.m. – Organic Lawn Care
Bernadette Gilbin, a member of the
Northeast Organic Farming Association and the owner of Safeground Landcare in
Hospitality: Tracey & David Weed and Raenette Kramer, nibblies; Irene Brown, cold drinks
Thursday, April 16, 7
p.m. – Visit to McManus Greenhouse
Meet at the greenhouse on Rte. 2A in Athol, across from the high school, to get a preview of this year’s annuals and learn a little bit about the greenhouse/nursery business.
Tuesday, April 14, 7
p.m. – Book Group: Bringing Nature Home:
How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens
Buy or borrow a copy of this book by Douglas Tallamy (Timber Press, 2007) and join the Book Group for a lively discussion at the Center. NY Times garden columnist Anne Raver describes the book as “a fascinating study of the trees, shrubs and vines that feed the insects, birds and other animals in the suburban garden.”
NQGC – February 2009 – Page 2
Saturday, May 16, 8
a.m.-1 p.m. – 4th Annual Plant
In the next couple months we’ll start to get organized for the plant sale. Remember: this event is our main fundraiser, and we need help to make it a success. Look over your garden notes to see what you can dig up, divide and donate to the sale.
Thursday, May 21, 7 p.m. – Ice Storms: Ecological Effects, Tree Health and Decision-Making for Landowners
This year we experienced the effects of ice storms – but did
you know that they are a common landscape disturbance and play an important role
in diversifying our forests? And while initially the damage may seem
shocking, many trees can rebound with little effect on their long-term
health. Jennifer Fish, Outreach and Stewardship Service Forester, and
Charlie Burnham, Program Supervisor for Forest Health, both of the Department
of Conservation and Recreation, will help us learn more about how these factors
affect our yards and woodlands. Co-sponsored with the Athol Bird & Nature Club.
Hospitality: Polly Muglia, Angie Mahoney and Jude Geike, nibblies; Gladys Devaneau, cold drinks
Other Club Notes
Membership List & Cards & Yearbook
If you didn’t do so at the December meeting, you can pick up your membership card at any upcoming meeting. This card will entitle you to discounts at a number of local nurseries; we’ll send out a list in the spring.
Also remember that we amended our bylaws so that our club year is now July 1 through June 20. You’ll be renewing your membership in the spring, and our next yearbook, for 2009-2010, will be published in the summer. For these transition months, use the attached membership list, which includes everyone who has joined since the 2008 yearbook was published.
Recruitment Call: We Want You for the Planning Board!
Some of our current Planning Board members are stepping down, and we need replacements, people willing to do a little extra to make our club a success. How about joining us? We meet on the first Thursday evening of most months (we too take months off!), and we have a lot of fun. We review what the various committees are doing, we develop ideas for club programs and outings, we talk about cabbages and kings! Call Chris at 249-0246 or e-mail her at christyblue@juno.com if you’re interested.
Recruitment Call: Plant
Our plant sale is of course our major fundraiser – without it, we could not offer the range of programs we do or engage in our civic projects. Cindy Hartwell is chairing the 2009 plant sale, but we are looking for one or two people to co-chair with Cindy on this sale and then continue as chair for a year or two. How about you? If you are interested, call Cindy at 544-5783 or e-mail her at cindyhartwell56@gmail.com – as soon as possible.
NQGC – February 2009 – Page 3
Recruitment Call: School Liaison
The Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts offers a school children’s writing contest and poster contest each year, and awards scholarships to students pursuing their education in a field related to gardening. We need someone to be the school liaison. This person would develop contacts within our member schools (probably the principal or guidance counselor) and then get the information about the contests to them. Could you be that person? Call Chris at 249-0246 or e-mail her at christyblue@juno.com if you’re interested.
Civic Beauty Project:
Some members have expressed interest in creating a garden club committee to help with the garden at the Athol Public Library. If you want to join them, call Jude Geikie at 249-2522. If we get enough people, the club will sponsor this group.
Cooks in the Garden
Carol
DeCoste is putting together a NQGC cookbook, but she has received too few
recipes to pursue it so far. Send her your favorite recipes, especially ones
that use the bounty of the garden, at cay1948@aol.com or
Other
Notes of Interest
Saturday, March 14, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. – Winter Botany & Brunch.
Gather at garden club member Christine Beckert Long’s house, 69 Butterworth Rd., Royalston, and join botanist Matt Hickler and naturalists Lula Field and Chris in an exploration of New England’s evergreens (from the giant to the tiny), winter buds and twigs, remnants of last year’s wildflowers – and who knows? maybe even some signs of spring! Warm up afterwards with a quiche brunch. Fee: $10. Pre-registration required; contact Chris at 978-249-0246 or christyblue@juno.com. (Note: Program goes on sun or rain or snow – if the world is too soggy, we’ll do indoor botany.) Sponsored by the Athol Bird & Nature Club.
A group organized by Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust is working on creating one or more community gardens in Athol. Watch the newspaper for announcements, or contact Sarah Mildren at 248-2043 x24 or mildren@mountgrace.org to go on their mailing list.
Saturday, February
28, 12-4 p.m. – Veggie & Flower Seed Swap
All Hill Farm of West Brookfield is hosting a veggie and
flower seed swap at “The Listening,”
NQGC – February 2009 – Page 4
Native Tree &
Shrub Seedlings
The New Hampshire State Forest Nursery is taking orders for
native trees and shrubs; order deadline is March 31. Call 603-271-2214, for a
brochure, or visit www.nhnursery.com. (Chris Long will be placing an order and
can pick up yours; give her a call if interested.)
Tower Hill Events
The spectacularly beautiful botanical
garden of the Worcester County Horticultural Society, located in Boylston; 508-869-6111; www.towerhillbg.org.
Open year-round Tuesday through Sunday and holiday Mondays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
(till 8 p.m. on Wednesdays). Admission free for
members & children under 6; $10 for nonmembers; $7 for seniors over 65; $5
for youth 6-18. Twigs Café open 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. (Direx: From Rte. 2E take Rte. 70S. Proceed through
January through April – Fee-based programs on a range of topics. Check the website for details.
New England Wild Flower Society Native Plant Seed
Over 275 species of native plant seeds and spores go on sale January 6 for members of the Society and January 17 for the general public. All orders must be received by March 15. All sales are “while supplies last” since a finite number of seeds are collected each year. The catalog is available online at http://www.newenglandwild.org/grow/seeds/catalog. Individuals desiring a printed copy of the catalog for a fee of $2 payable by check or credit card, can write New England Wild Flower Society, Garden Shop, 180 Hemenway Road, Framingham, MA, or call 508-877-7630, ext 3601.