April 2020 Newsletter

Prunus cerasifera ‘Krauter Vesuvius’

From the President

Thankfully, by the time you all see this, the snow will be gone and spring will re-emerge.

I chose this photo of the plum tree in my yard as a horticultural symbol of resilience in these difficult times. This tree has had many setbacks, including being blown over in the Halloween wind storm of 2017 (it withstood this October’s storm thanks to being staked), as well as being hit by an errant lawn mower. 

This plum tree is not only a metaphor of hope but also represents one of the best fruit trees to have in the landscape as it provides nectar and pollen for honeybees.It sometimes sets small fruits in late summer that are quickly eaten by birds.

Plum, apple and cherry trees are among the best fruit trees for providing forage for bees in spring and early summer. Prunus ranks 3rd in the number(456) of Lepidoptera it supports.

Looking at this tree and appreciating its beauty as well as its importance to pollinators, birds, and butterflies gives me reassurance that life will eventually return to, if not “normal,” as we knew it, at least a new normal with better days ahead, including resuming the wonderful camaraderie of GCC!

Warm regards and best wishes for continuing good health,

Sandra Conrad

Welcome to New Members!

This has been a busy year for Lauren Huyett and her committee. We have welcomed many new members and hope that circumstances will allow us to greet them all at a new member tea in the fall.

Until that time, please welcome the following four new members (our Active membership is now full at 80 members):

Jane is a life-long gardener who is a retired software engineer. She pursued a 3rd career with studies at the Landscape Institute of Radcliffe Seminars and is a NOFA Accredited Organic Land Care Professional. Jane has also been a past board member of the Community Chest and a co-trustee of Old Pickard Farms Trust. She has useful knowledge and experience with town governance. Jane attended our movie in February and thought “I would like to be part of this group!”
Interested in:Website Committee, Community Gardens, Horticulture

Nan moved to Concord in 2006 with her husband and two small children, who are now 18 and 20 years old. She was a civil engineer and then  a stay-at-home mom who volunteered many years at school and as a coach. Together with her husband (and with GCC member Jane Rupley to guide them) Nan created non-obtrusive gardens from “a forest” and loves maintaining them, as well as watching the increase in varieties of butterflies, bees, birds and other wildlife that visit. Nan grew up in a family of gardeners.
Interested in: Community Gardens, Ways and Means

 

Bean Nardi, who became a new member in December, recommended her new neighbor, Jeanne Hamilton, who recently moved to Concord. Lauren Huyett graciously agreed to be her sponsor.

Jeanne has previously lived in Wisconsin, Minnesota and London. While in London, Jeanne attended the Covent Garden Academy of Flowers for training and soon afterward started a floral design business with a friend. Together they worked on weddings and private as well as corporate events. Jeanne now does some freelance floral design as well as interior design.
Interested in: Art In Bloom, workshops

Sarah has lived in Concord for over 20 years. She loves to garden and looks forward to meeting others who share this passion.Sarah is also very interested in environmental conservation and loves that Concord, as a town, shares this interest. She has been on the Concord Museum Garden Tour, has been co-president of the Concord Ed Fund and sits on the Board of the Aspect Foundation, a global non-profit organization that provides study-abroad opportunities to high school students.
Interested in: Programs, Community Gardens, Membership

Ways and Means Committee

Like so many other garden clubs, we had to cancel our largest fundraiser, the annual plant sale, that is customarily held on Mother’s Day weekend. This is a significant loss of revenue that supports all of our community outreach efforts.

Jen Lannan, Chair of Ways and Means, and her committee are looking for ways to raise funds that provide for our annual grants to community organizations as well as for an annual scholarship.

Please email any ideas for fundraising, including doing so online, to Jen at mailto:JenLannan@comcast.net

Notecards

Please also email Jen if you are interested in purchasing sets of notecards ($12 ea./8cards with envelopes). For those new members who have not seen them, these are beautiful cards with photos by our talented GCC member, Cris Van Dyke.

Could there be a better time than now to mail a note to someone you cannot see in person?

Let Jen know how many sets you would like and she will leave them for you on her front porch (she will provide the address).

Mail a check made out to GCC, with a note on the memo line for “notecards” to Garden Club of Concord, P.O. Box 1296, Concord 01742.

Virtual Tours and Education

Here are some wonderful virtual tours to take from home. They are no substitute for the real thing, but do provide a welcome respite from the ongoing health crisis.

Cris Van Dykes’ garden 

Take a tour of the flora and fauna in Cris’s garden. Half the fun is identifying each of the amazing photos!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZkkwJ4x8g7FskEkH7

Tour Tower Hill Daffodils

Another annual event that can only be done “virtually,” but still brings such pleasure.

https://youtu.be/Z5v_C8h9HHw

Gardner Museum Greenhouse, Hingham

We were unable to see the hanging nasturtiums in person this year, but here (thanks to Jane Rupley) is a video tour of the greenhouse which supplies the Gardner with all of its beautiful plants. Sadly, according to Saturday’s Boston Globe, all of the nasturtiums, along with 4,000 bulbs, had to be composted.

https://youtu.be/EtSqEROD5pY

Native Plant Design Webinar

For those of you unable to view Amanda Sloan’s webinar this past Thursday, here is the link to it:

https://youtu.be/LChCBh30SJM

Several members let me know how much they enjoyed this, so if you are looking for inspiration and a way to incorporate native plants into a garden design, please view this. Amanda also includes lists of resources for native plants.

Thanks are due to the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts for making this presentation free and available to the public.

Looking forward to seeing you all soon! Until then, here’s to gardening for its many rewards, both spiritual and sensory.