February Newsletter
Hamamelis vernalis ‘Purpurea’, taken February 12, 2023
Is it Spring yet?
As bittersweet this mild winter has been for many of us, I am very much looking forward to true spring as relief from the greyness of the woods where there is neither snow nor green shoots to promise the new growth of the coming season.
So what lies ahead?
Rock Gardening: Reimagining a Classic Style for Today’s Garden
Our February program this Wednesday the 15th at 1pm will be on Zoom only. Our speaker, Joseph Tychonievich, comes to us virtually from Chicago to share a fresh perspective on the world of rock gardening. Joseph will cover the advantages of creating a rock garden (small spaces, difficult site, cool plants), describe the varying styles, and layout the basics of how and where to begin. His presentation will end with a dive into outstanding plants. A Zoom link will be sent out on Tuesday to all members. I will admit everyone starting at 12:55, provided we have no technical issues. Please be sure to stay muted during the program. You can buy a copy of his book on the subject from Workman Publishing, here.
March Spring Workshop, Community Outreach
Our Spring Workshop March 22nd will be held once again at Andrea Meyers’ barn. Thanks again to Andrea for her generosity, this was such a lovely spot last year and we had such a terrific day for it. Let’s hope for a repeat! Chairing the event this year is Charity Tremblay and Beth Kundert. I know we are all looking forward to what these talented members have in store for our creative morning together. The Communications team has already collected nominations from our usual church and community groups and will include Honorary members again this year in our deliveries. Chair of that committee, Sally Savelle, requests that if you wish to add someone not already on one of those lists, to please let her know before February 20th so that we can order the appropriate amount of flower materials ahead of time. Signup will be sent out soon, and we may finally be able to return to our tradition of having a light lunch after the workshop. Keep your fingers crossed.
Plant Sale: Diggers Unite!
And soon it will be time for Plant Sale! Sarah Beguelin and Sarah MacEachern have already had their first committee meeting but it’s not too late to join in. Meanwhile, it’s important for me to share with you that last year, as lovely a sale as we had, there are improvements we want to make for this year. First and most important is that there were a lot of members who provided zero plants last year, and as a member of the garden club, it’s understood that all of us should work towards providing something like a dozen or more plants for us to sell. Remember, this is how we raise grant money for the community! This has never been a strict rule, but friends, c’mon. I know not everyone has an abundant garden, and not everyone *can” dig, but the Plant Sale Committee proposes a fix for that.
First of all, instead of purchasing plants from nurseries – which is a very inefficient way of gathering sale items and our sale attendees are really looking to buy something the grew in Concord soil – we would like to have a few digging parties leading up to the sale. And where will we dig plants from, you ask?
Gardens, of course!
If you don’t have a garden but can be a digger, please volunteer!
If you have a garden with a lot of material to divide this spring and want help doing it, let the committee know! Let’s have a digging party!
If you have a friend, family member, or neighbor with a garden who is willing to have one or more GCC diggers show up, let the committee know!
If you can’t be a digger yourself but you can recruit a non-member garden, check your plant sale obligation box. You’re good!
If you don’t have a garden, do you have houseplants that can divided? We are aiming for plants worth at least $5 each, so keep that in mind.
Failing all of this, there’s always other work leading up to the and on the day of the plant sale itself, but everyone needs to pitch in. More opportunities will be revealed soon, but plants come first. Go team!
Wright Woods Walk . . .
Joan Campbell will be hosting a walk through the mysterious Wright Woods in the near future, keep an eye out for that.
MFA Art in Bloom
April 28th to April 30th. Our arranging team this year is Erika Rodriguez and Jeanne Hamilton.
Tickets go on sale at the MFA Boston website, mfa.org on March 7, 2023 so mark your calendars.
Some other Fun Links
How to treat your Amaryllis post-bloom
Speaking of Spring . . . It’s Flower Show season!
Sadly, there is still no sign of the return of our own Boston Flower Show, if we are to take anything from a pretty much silent Facebook page and a website that seems to have fallen into disrepair.
So how about some fantasy travel to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show? It’s in May, so you can still plan to actually go!
Or maybe make your way to the Philadephia Garden Show between March 4 to 12th? This year’s theme is The Garden Electric. Now who do we know in Philly . . . ?
or more realistically, Orchids are in bloom and on display RIGHT NOW at Tower Hill, now known as New England Botanic Garden through to the end of February. And upcoming there is the New England Camellia Society show, February 25th and 26.
Enjoy!