Nationa& Garden C&ubs, Inc. New Eng&aniRegion
Connecticut - Maine - Massachusetts - New Hampshire - Rhode Is&ani- Vermont
* * NER N E W S L E T T E R * *
www.gardencentral.org/ner
“Future Choices” * * * * March, 2009 * * * *
“Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants”
Two major themes in New England become evident as the activities within the region are reviewed. One is the recurring emphasis on identifying invasive species and replacing them with natives. The other is the interaction of garden clubs with other organizations to become a major force.
Rhode Island is completing a comprehensive project to publish a CD on replacing invasives with natives, the CD to be available to all clubs. Connecticut held an Invasive Plant Symposium at the University of Connecticut. The heightened awareness of the invasive issue is not without challenges, however. One of the questions is how to address this issue in flower shows. The list of invasives grows every year and varies from state to state. I have requested that our national organization address this with at least minimal guidelines for flower show judges.
The second theme echoing across the region is the various methods used by garden clubs to increase impact and effectiveness. Connecticut is partnering with the Science Center in Hartford to implement a fabulous rooftop garden to provide rain absorption, reversal of urban heat, improved air quality, and a refuge for birds and people. Is there a question that native plants will be used? Not in CT! In Rhode Island, four clubs are working together to restore a colonial garden at the Norman Bird Sanctuary. In Maine, an entire district is sponsoring a sustainable garden project in Central America. New Hampshire’s youth chairmen collaborated with the state’s Pajama Program to pair 200 sets of warm pajamas with a book on nature to be distributed to kids living under difficult circumstances – foster children, homeless or needy. Now, doesn’t that just warm your heart?
Finally, another source of pride is that within our small region, the NGC schools are flourishing and expanding to meet the needs of its members. We have good cooperation and networking across state borders to alternate locations for some schools and increase attendance.
Bonni Dinneen reports that the New England Region has double the number of any other region for the President’s School Garden Project. Congratulations to us!
This director is proud to report such evidence of inclusiveness, friendship and foresight. What an honor to represent New England!
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New England Region Director Sonia Cianchette
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National Garden Clubs, Inc. NEW ENGLAND REGION NEWSLETTER is published in March and September.
The DEADLINE for the September, 2009 issue is August 1, 2009.
Sonia S. Cianchette, NER Director, 105 Barrows Point Road, Newport, ME 04953. Email: caddy@gwi.net
Patricia D. Snyder, NER Calendar Coordinator, P. O. Box 530, Stockton Springs, ME 04981. Email: dorine38@aol.com
*PLEASE NOTIFY dorine38@aol.com IF YOU WANT TO RECEIVE YOUR NER NEWSLETTER VIA E-MAIL.*
2009 NER Flower Show Symposium, August 11-13
from Ginny GrandPre’, NER 2009 Symposium Chairman
The New Hampshire Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc. will host the 42nd Annual New England Region Symposium on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, August 11-13, 2009 at the Radis son Hotel, 11 Tara Boulevard, in Nashua, NH. All judges, garden club members and guess are invited to attend upon payment of the registration fee.
TUESDAY, Aug. 11: Noon – Registration opens 4 PM – Hydroponic Gardening
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 12: 8 AM – Monobotanical and Spatial Thrust Designs with Barbara Baker from Fort Worth, Texas Lunch
Evening – Reception and dinner.
“Meet the Family” program about plant families by Dorothy Yard of Waterford, Pennsylvania THURSDAY, Aug. 13: “Vintage Vines and Classic Chrysanthemums” horticulture program by Dorothy Yard.
Lunch
SYMPOSIUM COST: $110 for full time with exam, 1 dinner, 2 lunches HOTEL RESERVATIONS
$105 for full time without exam, 1 dinner, 2 lunches $97 per night +tax=$ 104.76 for single/double
$55 for one day ticket This rate available Monday through Friday
nights.
REGISTRATION FORMS are available from your state Flower Show or Symposium Chairman, from the NER website, or from vgrandpre@hotmail.com (phone 603-446-7866).
Remember: If your full time registration is postmarked by July 14, 2009 you will be entered into a special prize drawing.
New England Region 75th Annual Meeting hosted by
Monday and Tuesday, September 2 1-22, 2009 The Federated
at The Clarion, East Windsor, Connecticut Garden Clubs
For additional info, contact Liz Stanley at LStanGardn@aol.com or 860-668-5304 of Connecticut, Inc.
Carbon Footprint Calculator: What’s My Carbon Footprint?
By Bonni Dinneen
Each of us contributes to the greenhouse gas emissions that are causing climate change. Yet, there are many things each of us as individuals can do to educe our carbon emissions. The choices we make in our homes, our travel, the food we eat, what we buy and throw away all influence our carbon footprint that leaves its mark on the global climate for future generations.
Use The Nature Conservancy’s carbon footprint calculator to measure your personal and your family’s impact on our climate. The calculator estimates how many tons of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases your choices create each year. It will also help you find areas of change in your habits and life style to lower your carbon footprint. Try googling nature conservancy carbon footprint calculator to get started.
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES NOTE: If you have taken 2 NGC Environmental Studies Courses, you are now an Environmental Consultant Intern. If you have completed your ESS courses, you are an Environmental Consultant. You are now eligible as an Environmental Intern and Consultant to become a member of the Environmental Consultants Council. If interested, send a check for $10 payable to ECC to: Bonni L. Dinneen, ECC Treasurer, 139 Methuen St., Lowell, MA 01850. Upon receipt of paid membership, your ECC membership packet will be forwarded to you. Join us and you too can make an environmental difference!
SHARE YOUR GARDEN CLUB EXPERIENCES: National Garden Clubs is working with Finkel & Binder
Communications LLC to generate local, regional and national publicity on the many philanthropic efforts that garden clubs perform in their communities. You are invited to share your stories about NGC programs such as Penny Pines, Habitat for Humanity Landscaping, Garden Therapy, Blue Star Memorials, etc. Contact: Debra Finkel at debfinkel@finkelco.com (314-979-1213); Patricia Binder at pbbinder@finkelco.com (636-441-0022); or Dorothy Downs at ddowns@finkelco.com (314-878-1213); fax 314-878-2465.
Principal & NGC “Let’s Go Native” Project Grants
From Dee Mozzochi, NER Chairman for NGC Project “Let’s Go Native”
The Principal Financial Group 2007-2009 Civic Development Grant Program Winners – New England Region
$1700 awarded to Connecticut projects:
Duck River Garden Club for Restoration at Old Lyme Post Office
Green Farms Garden Club for The Atrium Native Plant Garden at Earthplace Shippan Point Garden Club for West Beach Habitat Restoration Project $2100 awarded to Massachusetts projects:
Belmont Garden Club for Restoration of Railroad Bridge Embankment Chicatabot Garden Club for Plant Rural Traffic Island
Stow Garden Club for Stow Town Building Gardens Restoration Phase II Tewksbury Garden Club for Town Hall Annex Revitalization $2000 awarded to Maine projects:
Central Maine Garden Club for Museum Native Flower Garden
Ellsworth Garden Club for Plantings for Hummingbirds & Butterfly Garden Old York Garden Club for Rebuilding an Historic Garden Seacoast Garden Club for Native Plant Garden & River Overlook $1000 awarded to New Hampshire projects:
Mountain Garden Club for Restoration of Children’s Memorial Park $1350 awarded to Rhode Island projects:
Barrington Garden Club for Plant Barrington Town Hall Entrance South Court Garden Club for Tri-Pond Nature Center Planting
National Garden Clubs, Inc. Publicity Press Book Awards
Small Clubs
1st Hamcho Garden Club, Rhode Island 2nd Hooksett Garden Club, New Hampshire
Medium Clubs
1st Atkinson Garden Club, New Hampshire 2nd Sognate Garden Club, Rhode Island
3rd Cheshire Garden Club, Connecticut 3rd Kennebec Valley Garden Club, Maine
Honorable Mention Attleboro Garden Club, Massachusetts
Large Clubs
1st Barrington Garden Club, Rhode Island 2nd Mountain Garden Club, New Hampshire
2nd Andover Garden Club, Massachusetts 2nd Camden Garden Club, Maine
New England Region 2008 Awards
Sears Civic Beautification Bowl to Belmont GC, Mass. restoration of historic Homer building landscaping. Laura Wetmore Conservation Bowl to Wilton GC, Conn. community conservation tree project.
Evelyn R. Cole National Gardener Tray to The Garden Club Federation of Maine, greatest increase in paid subscriptions.
Marie E. Lewis Conservation of Natural Resources Tray to Walnut Hill GC and Hanover GC, Mass. rain garden in town center. Cornelia Williamson Watson Bowl for Historic Preservation to Bethel GC, Conn. Shakespeare Garden at library. Helen Hussey Camplin Bowl to The Garden Club Federation of Maine, increase of 95 members.
Mildred Black Petit Award to The New Hampshire Federation of Garden Clubs, largest percentage of membership increase+4%. Mary Stone Garden Therapy Award to Springfield GC, VT work with Senior Housing Authority and hospital adult day care. Mary Louise Marks Smith Flower Show Schedule to Atkingson GC, NH “MayDaze” flower show.
Virginia F. Thurston Landscape Design Award to Holliston GC, Mass. educational garden - native, drought tolerant, deer resistant. Sue Saul Award to Enfield GC, Conn., Curb Appeal project recognizing community gardens.
Virginia Kenney/Maureen Colton Award to Hamilton-Wenham GC, Mass. for “Hands Across America” flower show. Nancy H. Atwell Trophy to The Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts for Gardens on Tour 2008 publicity. Nancy H. Atwell Certificate of Appreciation to Atkinson GC, NH for Garden of the Month program and publicity.
Jeanne Marie Parkes Award to Atkinson Garden Club, NH, for educational display of native plant and invasive species at “May Daze” flower show.
Virginia GrandPre’ Wildlife Gardening Award to GC of Old Greenwich, Conn. for restoration of butterfly garden at Greenwich Point Park..
Lina F. Wagner Perennial Garden Award to Anne Hilliard of St. Mary’s GC, Falmouth, Maine.
Deanna J. Mozzochi Creative Design Award to William McMurray, The Boothbay Regional GC, Maine, for his design in “The Sea Around Us” flower show.
Maureen M. Colton Award to The Boothbay Regional Garden Club, Maine for “The Sea Around Us” flower show.
National and Regional Events
May 13-18 NGC Convention at Wyndham Greenspoint Hotel Houston, TX
August 11-12 NER Flower Show Symposium at Radisson Hotel Nashua, NH
Contact: Ginny Grandpre’ at vgrandpre@hotmail.com (603-446-7866).
September 2 1-22 NER Annual Meeting at Clarion Hotel East Windsor, CT
Conventions, State Meetings
April 6 Vermont Spring Meeting
April 15 Connecticut Auunal Meeting at Aqua Turf Plantsville, CT
April 23 Rhode Island Annual Meeting Awards and Installation Newport, RI
May 27 New Hampshire 76th Annual Meeting Atkinson, NH
Contact: Susan Miner at fmotion@aol.com (603-362-5762).
June 1 Vermont Annual Meeting
June 3-4 Massachusetts Annual Meeting at Westford Regency www.gcfm.org Westford, MA
June 16-18 Maine 78th Annual Meeting “Through the Garden Gate” at the Black Bear Inn Orono, ME
Judges Council presents “Through the Garden Gate” Standard Flower Show Contact: Susan Xirinachs at msx80@roadrunner.com or 207-989-5100
October 27 Maine Fall Conference at Augusta Civic Center Augusta, ME
Flower Shows, Fairs, and Garden Tours
March 6-8 Vermont “Child’s Play” Standard Flower Show by FGCV Essex Junction, VT
in conjunction with “Green Works” exhibition by the Vermont Nursery and Landscape Association at the Champlain Valley Exposition
March 13-15 Massachusetts “Celebrating Mass Hort’s Greenway Gardens” Standard Flower Show
50 floral designs & artistic crafts, plus horticulture, at One International Place Boston, MA
For info, contact Thelma Shoneman, tshoneman@verizon.net
April 16-18 New Hampshire “Petal 2 Paint” an Art & Bloom event Manchester, NH
Featuring artists and NHFGC floral designers from throughout NH
Contact: joyceakimball@comcast.net (603-229-1990).
May 29-31 Massachusetts Elm Bank Flower Show in Manor House, with Mass. Hort. Society Wellesley, MA
Contacts: donnacmorrissey@aol.com or Linda Ladd at llladd@comcast.net .
June 19-21 Maine Garden Fair at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Barters Island Road Boothbay, ME
Vendors, flower show, speakers, display gardens. Contact: MaineGardens.org
June 25-July 4 Maine Irish Castles and Gardens Tour: Galway, Killarney, Kildare, and Dublin Ireland
For info, contact Michaeleen Ward, m michaeleen@yahoo.com , 207-669-8241
June 26-28 Rhode Island The Newport Flower Show “Glorious Green: the Natural Path” Newport, RI
Friday, 10:30-5 Opening Night Cocktail Party 6-9PM. At Rosecliff Mansion.
Sat. and Sun., 9-5 Butterfly House gazebo on front lawn as the official entrance.
Photography contest. For tickets, directions and info, go to
www.newportmansions.org, click on Events Calendar and The Newport Flower Show.
September 12 New Hampshire “A Tribute to Robert Frost” Standard Flower Show Derry, NH 1:30
– 4PM Contact: Corinne Safron at casafron@hotmail.com (603-434-0047).
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October 17 World Association of Flower Arrangers Flower Show Washington, D.C.
10AM-4PM at the L’Enfant Plaza Hotel in the Monet Ballroom – 2nd Floor
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Environmental Study School
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May 5-7
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Connecticut
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Course II at Jones Auditorium, 123 Huntington St simpsondon(2comcast.net
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New Haven, CT
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Flower Show School
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April 7-9
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Connecticut
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Course III at Jones Auditorium, 123 Huntington Street
barbandchris2(2comcast.net
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New Haven, CT
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April 28-30
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Maine
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Course I at the Village by the Sea US Route 1
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Wells, ME
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Registration deadline March 21. Contact: Cyndy Bush at bushcyndy(2aol.com or 207-725-2660. Or visit the Garden Club Federation of Maine website at www.mainegardenclubs.org
Gardening Study School
April 2-4 Massachusetts at Tower Hill
April 23-24 Maine Course I University of Maine Orono, ME
Contact lisacolburn(2yahoo.com or 207-866-3861.
October 1-2 Maine Course I University of Maine Orono, ME
Contact lisacolburn(2yahoo.com or 207-866-3861.
October 6-8 Connecticut Course IV Jones Auditorium, 123 Huntington Street New Haven, CT
rodneyfhayes(2yahoo.com
Landscape Design Study School
March 24-26 Connecticut Course III at Jones Auditorium, 123 Huntington Street New Haven, CT
Special Programs
March 27-28 New Hampshire “Petals & Palettes” Atkinson Garden Club Atkinson, NH
Contact: Diane McMillen at dianemcmillen(2hughes.net (603-362-5956).
April 15 Massachusetts Premier launch of NGC 2009 Gardening Study School virtual program
8AM through lunch at the Annual Meeting of GCFMA-Northern District Tewksbury, MA
at the Tewksbury Country Club on Route 38.
Other morning program is “A Rose By Any Other Name” slide presentation by Irwin Ehrenreich, and luncheon program is “Jagged Paths” by David O. Stillings. Contact: bonni.dinneen(2gmail.com Deadline for tickets is March 20. Limited seating.
May 9 Maine Native Plants Symposium Boothbay, ME
at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Barters Island Road; contact: www.MaineGardens.org
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NOTE that a proper calendar listing should include location (address), date, time, and contact information for anyone wanting directions or reservations. ***************************************************************************
10th World Flower Show “This Glorious Earth”
The Olympics of flower arranging and a first for the United States
June 15-19, 2011, at the Seaport World Trade Center, Boston
A joint venture between National Garden Clubs’ and The Garden Club of America’s flower study groups
along with the World Association of Flower Arrangers
NGC AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE from NGC Chairman Linda Nelson
Each year, state garden clubs may submit their state project or a non-member to be honored for activities that advance the goals and purposes of National Garden Club.
#23 Award of Excellence is for a non-member of NGC, which may be an individual, an organization, or an institution.
#24 Award of Excellence is for a state project. Four awards can be given each year, according to state membership numbers. Applications for the awards may be obtained from Linda Nelson, lindanelson4439@msn.com, 503-393-4439.
Application deadline is November 1st.
From New England State Presidents:
Maria Nahom, Connecticut: “It’s Easy Being Green” www.ctgardenclubs.org
Our Federation is so excited over our plans for the rof-top garden at the new Connecticut Science Center. A children’s garden, which is in the planning stage, was chosen to give children and adults an enjoyable learning experience. A Federation-wide fundraising effort was announced at our Annual Awards Luncheon. We have had overwhelming response so far and are confident that we will achieve our goal of $20,000 to finance the garden. Landscape Design garden club members are working on a design. The Science Center will do the labor and maintenance. This project is so timely and valuable for our environment. The roof-top garden will provide absorption of rain, reversal of urban hear, improved air quality, and a refuge for bird and people.
In February we held our 2009 CT Flower and Garden Show, Of Thee I Sing, celebrating our great country. Some of the featured classes were “Rockets’ Red Glare,” “Westward Ho,” and “Purple Mountains’ Majesty.”
We hope you can all join us for the 75th Annual Meeting of the New England Region, September 21 and 22, in East Windsor, CT.
Shirlene H. Gosline, Maine: “Plant the Seeds of Gardening” www.mainegardenclubs.org
After a successful Fall Conference in October, members of the Garden Club Federation of Maine have been busy planning and preparing for several spring events.
Following a hiatus of fifteen years, we are proud once again to hold a Flower Show School. Course I will be offered in April at the Village Inn in Wells, Maine. (See the Calendar listings on Page 3.) Also in April is Course III of the Gardening Study School at the University of Maine, Orono.
Garden club members are encouraged to participate in the Standard Flower Show “Through the Garden Gate” being sponsored by the Judges Council at our Annual Meeting and Convention, being held June 16-18 at the Black Bear Inn, Orono. Chairman Susan Xirinachs and her committee have engaged excellent speakers and arranged several educational tours. Our Awards Luncheon and installation of new officers are held on the 18th at the convention.
Plant the Seeds of Gardening, my president’s project, was to encourage club members to work with a youth group on a community project. It has been a most successful program. Several clubs plan to continue working with their groups. We hope they continue to Plant the Seeds of Gardening,” for our youth are our next caretakers of the land.
Congratulations to the six clubs who submitted entries for Barbara May’s National School Garden Project. They were very well done.
I am very proud of Maine’s accomplishments during my term. Our new GCFM President Rebecca Linney will continue to guide us in this manner.
The camaraderie with the other New England Region presidents has been special to me. So many good memories! It is sad to report the December death of Joyce Dock, mother of GCFM Past President Allison Beards. I look forward to seeing some of you in Texas in May.
Celeste Wilson, Massachusetts: “Work Together, Grow Together” www.gcfm.org
The two years of my presidency have flown by. And what an honor and exciting experience this has been for me. Visiting the clubs and seeing all the wonderful projects and work that the clubs do for their communities has been such a sight to behold. We congratulate all the clubs that have won awards for Massachusetts on state, regional, and national levels.
Please join us for a Standard Flower Show “Celebrating Mass Hort’s Greenway Gardens,” presented by the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts, Friday, March 13 through Sunday, March 15, at One International Place, a short walk from South Station or the Institute of Contemporary Art. Our venue is a beautiful marble hall overlooking the Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s Greenway Gardens, Boston’s newest landmark! There will be 50 magnificent exhibits of floral designs and artistic crafs, plus horticulture! Chairman is Thelma Shoneman, tshoneman@verizon.net .
A second exciting Standard Flower Show sponsored by the Garden Club Federation of MA in conjunction with the Massachusetts Horticultural Society will be held May 29-31 in the Manor House at Elm Bank, in Wellesley, MA. If you would like to enter the show or would like information, please contact co-chairmen Donna Morrissey donnacmorrissey@aol.com or Linda Ladd llladd@comcast.net .
At our Annual Meeting in June, I will pass the baton on to our very capable First Vice President Linda Jean Smith.
Please visit our website www.gcfm.org for more information about the two standard flower shows and our annual meeting.
Joyce A. Kimball, New Hampshire: “Observe, Conserve and Preserve the Beauty All Around You” www.nhfgc.org
NHFGC has completed its “Plant Natives for Birds & Butterflies Project” and will be making it available in CD format for our member garden clubs and to donate to local libraries and schools for educational purposes in the very near future.
Also, NHFGC members throughout the state answered the call of our Youth Activities Chairman by personally donating 175 sets of cuddly and warm pajamas and nature-related books for “The Pajama Program,” an international not-for-profit organization that provides pajamas and books to children in need, many waiting for a permanent home. We stipulated that our donations were to be distributed to shelters and group homes located in New Hampshire. We plan to continue this effort in the future.
As my term winds down, I would like you all to know how very much I have enjoyed networking with all of you over the past three years representing my state as NHFGC president. I look forward to interacting with you in the years to come.
Lynne Merrill, Rhode Island: “Renew, Refresh, and Recycle” www.rigardenclubs.org
Aquidneck Island, Rhode Island, has five garden clubs. Four of them are working to restore a colonial garden located in the 100-acre Norman Bird Sanctuary in Middletown, RI. The Sanctuary features nature trails, educational programs for children, and an annual harvest fair.
During the summer of 2007, Robert Buchanan, a summer resident of Newport offered to do a landscape design plan to renovate Paradise Garden, located between Third Beach Road and the 1700’s Paradise Farmhouse in the Norman Bird Sanctuary. This neglected garden, surrounded by historic stone walls encasing ancient hornbeam, arborvitae and fruit trees, became a community project when RI garden club members from Newport, Middletown, Seaside, and Overlook garden clubs joined the restoration effort. Mr. Buchanan’s plan called for clearing overgrown vines, dead and diseased trees; installing paths, benches, and a long 100-foot perennial border with many shrubs. Plant material was to be native, bird friendly, deer resistant, drought tolerant, and low maintenance.
Summer of 2008 saw the perennial bed tilled and soil amended with peat moss. In the fall, gravel paths were laid, and old gnarly arborvitae that formed a canopy were circled with dwarf boxwoods. Donated perennials from local nurseries were heeled in for the winter and will be planted this spring. Hopefully, by the fall of 2009 we should be wrapping up the finishing touches. Ultimately, the Paradise Garden (which overlooks a spectacular view of the Atlantic Ocean) will be open to guests of the adjacent restored farmhouse, as well as visitors to the sanctuary and the many summer campers.
Sue Robinson, Vermont: “Up With Natives, Down with Invasives” http://gardencentral.org/fgcv/
As the seed catalogues crowd a nearby basket, Vermont gardeners are anticipating warmer days with new buds and popping out and perennials popping up.
The first weekend in March, the FGCV is putting on a Standard Flower Show, “Child’s Play,” in conjunction with Green Works, the Vermont Nursery and Landscape Association’s event at the Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex Junction, just south of Burlington. Many events in the show are open to Junior Gardeners. It’s a three-day event with many activities planned for youngsters as hands-on learning experiences about the environment around them.
In April, we’re looking forward to Gordon Hayward speaking to us at our Spring Meeting about his new book, “Art and the Gardener.”
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In Search of Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants
From Carol J. Smith, Maine Chairman for the NER Project
My five years of weekly data collection as a Master Gardener at the Eastern Maine Native Plant Arboretum in Bangor, Maine has led to my appreciation of the beauty and durability of our native plants. But what did I know about invasive plants? Even the State of Maine has no legislation for invasive terrestrial plants. The challenge of NER Director Sonia Cianchette’s project was certainly a subject I could sink my trowel into.
Invasive plants reproduce quickly and disrupt native habitats that normally provide a range of valuable ecological functions for our quality of life. Educating garden club members, growers and landscapers about the harmful invasives and suggesting native alternatives has been a challenging learning experience. A short list of potentially invasive plants for Maine have been agreed upon and several alternatives suggested. The information, along with a list of Maine native plants is now on Maine’s website: www.mainegardenclubs.org .
Useful sources of information have been The New England Wildflower Society’s website www.newfs.org , the State of Maine www.maine.gov , the University of Maine Cooperative Extension www.umext.maine.edu , and several books: Alternatives for Invasive Ornamental Plant Species published by the State of Connecticut in 2004; and Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants and Invasive Plants, Weeds of the Global Garden.
Greetings from the 2009-2011 New England Region Director-Elect: The Future Starts Today
Kathleen M. Thomas, from Holliston, Massachusetts
I am thrilled to have the opportunity to serve as regional director with Marion Ryan as my alternate.
For the past ten years I have served NER in a variety of positions: Petals Chairman, where I revamped the application process resulting in 90% of all applicants receiving funding; NER treasurer; and currently co-chair for regional awards with Nancy Donaldson. Together we have introduced a universal application form.
As a trustee for the New England Wild Flower Society (NEWFS), I hope to work with the New England states with a goal of replacing invasive species with native alternatives. We welcome garden clubs to come visit Nasami Farms and tour NEWFS’s facility for propagating and cloning native plants.
I would like to bring new life to the regional meetings with educational programs and workshops.
I have been a trustee for the Massachusetts Horticulture Society for five years; a member of the Elm Bank Committee; and chairman of the Preview Party for the New England Spring Flower Show.
I am an Accredited Flower Show Judge, a Gardening Study Consultant, and I have one more class for my Landscape Design certification. I have served as a club president, district director, GCFM president, and have held many board positions. As second vice president, I established the umbrella for 501(C)(3). As first vice president, I volunteered to have Massachusetts be the first test site for Garden Central’s free website.
I am currently on the NGC board and received a presidential citation for work to develop the current website. I am in the process of becoming a Flower Show School instructor.
I hold a degree in art from Kent State University, and I continue to paint and sell my work. I served as the first auction chair for Governor Academy, making a profit of a quarter million dollars. I have also been the chair of the Holliston Arts Council when we began the Concert Series in the Park.
I look forward to working with the state presidents to make New England a shining star for National Garden Clubs.
NGC. Inc New England Region Newsletter P. O. Box 530
Stockton Springs, ME 04981
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