February 2026 Newsletter
Our member garden this month:
Serena Crosina has graciously offered to tell a bit about her magnificent gardens this month. My garden is divided into two primary settings: a more geometrical and orderly vegetable and flower cutting garden that is fenced in, alongside an orchard and a chicken coop. On the outside of the fence are wilder native plant beds. The productive garden is filled with peonies and roses as well as vegetables and berries and is anchored by an reclaimed Italian stone basin that we refurbished into a fountain for the birds. The native beds are a haven for wildlife and have four season interest, including winter when the seed heads are the stars as well as a food source. The native beds provide a nice transition between our home and the woods and wet meadows that surround it.
Letter From Our President:
Dear Members,
After the sub freezing temperatures this past month my mind has started to wander to warmer days and impending gardening catalogs! Spring begins on March 20th – will we still have snow banks at that time?
The new Website Committee is in full swing and has just started working with a boutique firm called Ask the Egghead. If you would like to join this committee or have any ideas please send them to Sally Savelle.
A reminder that our upcoming program, Ask the Experts with Lili Morss, Charity Tremblay and Marty Wallace is at 1:00 PM on Wednesday, February 18th at the Trinitarian Congregational Church, 54 Walden Street.
Please note a change in time for the March Spring Outreach Program – the new start time is 11:00 AM. The Host Committee will be serving a light lunch.
Are you looking to fill a few winter days with some fun gardening ideas? Flora in Winter begins at the Worcester Art Museum on February 26 and runs through March 1.
The Garden Club Federation offers many classes throughout the year – please see the list below for upcoming events, along with horticultural programs from Elm Bank.
I look forward to seeing you at the upcoming meeting!
Best,
Holly
Our January meeting was full of insight and clever ideas:
Anne Lehmann writes:
Ellen Whitney provided a superb presentation focused on flora, trees, shrubbery and how best to arrange them. She shared her thoughts on color wheel combinations and seasonal connections. The one idea I found particularly insightful was using vessels to echo the time of the year. She suggested using clear glass bases to imitate the icy conditions outside and allowing bare branches to join the flowers perhaps even balancing the white, evergreen and brown colors of our season now inside the clear icy vase. I found this to be clever and connective to our current weather conditions!
In addition, she shared a slide noting resources she refers to when looking for inspiration as well as where to source wonderful flowers. Personally I have now begun to ‘follow’ all of her instagram suggestions and my feed is flooded with simply stunning arrangement ideas.
Spring Outreach co-chairs Carol Hryniewicz and Beth Kundert note:
Date: March 18, 2026
Time: Participants arrive 10:45 – 11am, work begins at 11am, lunch will be served at 12:15pm, breakdown at 1pm, followed by deliveries. Just a quick reminder that NBS is a nut-free environment
Where: Barn at Nashoba Brooks School, 200 Strawberry Hill Road (hang left past the school entrance towards the drop off parking lot around the back, the barn is painted dark grey). Beth Kundert and Carol Hryniewicz are the organizers this year. THE SPRING OUTREACH PROJECT BRINGS JOY TO ALL OF OUR RECIPIENTS!
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
While it is early still for the sign up and a sample of the planned arrangement, it is prime time for Club members to send nominations for Spring Outreach recipients, which need to be sent to Sally Savelle before February 26th. We like to focus on reaching out to isolated Concord residents, anyone in town needing a little sunshine. Include with your nominee’s name their street address and phone number, if possible. Send your nominations to Sally here.
- Spring Perennial Plant Symposium: Friday, March 6th, 9:00 – 4:00
Learn about resilient plant systems, ecological relationships & design celebrating nature and place
- Late winter Pruning: Saturday, February 28th, two options: 10:00-11:30 or 12:00-1:30
- Setting Your Garden: Early Season Prep: Saturday, March 14th, 10:00 – 11:30
- Framing Nature: Gardens and Imagination: Opens March 15th,
- Art in Bloom: May 1-3 coinciding with 50th Anniversary of Art in Bloom. Artistic representations of gardens in bloom featuring our very own members Sarah Beguelin and Sarah Paino
Garden Club Survey:
It is not too late to reply to the survey that we sent in January. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts for future programs, including areas of interest that you may be able to share with other members.
-You may also reach out directly to Joan Campbell or Pam Nelson to share speaker suggestions and topics for next year.
News from Other Garden Clubs:
The Thursday Garden Club of Sudbury is sponsoring a “1776 Flower Show” this coming April 16 and 17th.
Please save the date and come visit us. The show is open to the public and admission is free.
Do we have any designers who would like to enter?
Please take a look at the attached schedule. All the design guidelines are in the schedule. If anyone would like to enter. There is a sign-up genius in the schedule to see all available slots. If you have any questions, please reach out to me, Joy DiMaggio, 978-460-0851.
FUNDAMENTALS OF FLORAL DESIGN I and II
FUNdamentals of Floral Design I – Tuesday, March 10, 2026 10:00 to 11:30 am FUNdamentals of Floral Design II – Wednesday, June 3, 2026 10:00 to 11:30 am A series of two classes to learn and review the elements and principles of design, GC rules for Flower Show, and presentation of three designs to be critiqued. Both classes take place at the Topsfield Fairground, Coolidge Hall 207 Boston Street, Topsfield MA FUNdamental Instructors: NGC Judges Pat Fleming and Suzanne McCance
Cost: $25 for one class, $40 for both. Checks made out to GCFM
Registration: Send payment, name, email, phone number, and Garden Club name to: Pat Fleming, 143 Cherry St, Wenham, MA 01984
Participants receive reference handouts. Contact Pat Fleming: fleming.3patricia@gmail.com with questions.
New England Garden Clubs Northern Exposure February 2026 Newsletter; read all about what our sister New England state garden clubs are doing thanks to NEGC Director Polly Brooks, who consolidated the NEGC February newsletter. The link takes you to our GCFM website where you find the Northern Exposure Quarterly Newsletter. NEGC Northern Exposure
Coming soon: Registration information for the NEGC Annual Meeting, Oct 13+14 in Killington, VT.
TIME-SENSITIVE ITEMS:
The PHS Philadelphia Flower Show – February 28, to March 8th, 2026 held at the Philadelphia Convention Center. The PHS Philadelphia Flower Show is the nation’s largest and longest-running horticultural event and fundraiser featuring stunning displays by the world’s premier floral, garden, and landscape designers. The link for more information: PHS Philadelphia Flower Show
The Federated Garden Clubs of CT – present An NGC Standard Flower Show; A Storybook Garden, February 19 – 22, 2026. It is the 44th Annual Connecticut Flower & Garden Show® CT Convention Center, 100 Columbus Boulevard, Hartford, CT 06103 The link for more information: CT Flower Show
RI Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc. present An NGC Design Specialty Flower Show “Dearly Beloved”, April 10 – 12, 2026 at the RI Convention Center, 1 Sabin Street, Providence, RI. President Judy Gray has advised this year is particularly exciting as we’ve included the Botanical Arts Division Section Artist Crafts, offering an opportunity to broaden our reach beyond floral designers and engage more members.
In other colorful news:
Kate Wharton shares:
Please know that the Lyman Estate in Waltham’s famous Camellias will be in bloom soon. Everyone is welcome to go there to see this seasonal treat. The Lyman Estate in Waltham is open 9:30 to 4:00 Tuesday through Saturday, admission is free. Check their website for other details.