February Newsletter
February Program with John Forti:
“Heirloom Gardening with Traditional Plants and Skills”
TriCon, 11 am. Please note earlier than usual meeting time!
John Forti is a nationally recognized lecturer, garden historian, ethnobotanist and garden writer. He is the Executive Director of Bedrock Gardens in Lee, NH. Before taking on this new position, he was the Director of Horticulture for the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, the oldest horticultural society in the nation. He previously served as the Curator/Director of Historic Landscapes at Strawbery Banke Museum, and as the Director of Horticulture at Plimoth Plantation Museum where the gardens and seed program he created brought international attention to the preservation of Pilgrim and Wampanoag heirloom crops.
John co-founded and served as the board chair for Slow Food Seacoast. He serves on the bio-diversity committee for Slow Food USA and is the governor for Slow Food chapters throughout the state of Massachusetts. He also serves as chair of the board for the Herb Society of America’s New England Unit, and won the 2014 Award for Excellence in Horticulture from the national office. He was also recently granted the award for “Civic Improvement through Gardens” from the Garden Club of America.
2024 GCC Grants
Orchard House– Planting of a specimen apple tree to replace the one damaged by blight – $1000.00
Concord Land Trust-Themed plantings in two land trust properties to support the conservation of pollinator at-risk systems – $640.00
Friends of Sleepy Hollow– two flowering bushes beside the bench overlooking the Gold Star cemetery that will soften the bare landscape – $300.00
Gaining Ground- Gaining Ground is increasing their farming footprint and have asked that we support their efforts for more seeds. They provide well over 700 families with fresh produce every year – $1000.00
Concord Museum- To provide native plantings along the side of the wall bordering Lexington Road. This garden will serve as an established teaching garden for visitors and students and be the beginning of the planning for the 2025 celebration – $2500.00
Minuteman ARC– plantings that will beautify the paths of their new fitness walks that are so important for the well being of their clients – $1250.00
The Fowler Library– 60 Pollinator Plant kits to be distributed on Earth Day – $900.00
Welcome new member, Jeannie Jenkinson
As a lifelong learner, I am looking forward to being a member of the Garden Club of Concord! Serving on many boards and committees throughout my life in Concord has been of great importance, as I enjoy connecting, collaborating and creating better experiences for others. Following a career as a special educator and transition specialist at Minuteman Regional and Lexington High Schools, I am currently working as an education consultant with Brookline Public Schools. My children are in Hoboken and San Francisco with their growing families of budding gardeners!
Welcome new member, Bridget Kelley
A graduate of Delaware Valley University with a BS in environmental design/ornamental horticulture, I started my design business 35 years ago creating unique hand drawn plans for small cottages and large estates as well as seasonal planter displays. I raised two children, now in their 20’s in the Bucks County PA area and moved to Concord in 2021. I feel so grateful to be living in this charming town, with it’s countless natural spaces, historic architecture and absolutely lovely people!
And speaking of the Plant Sale . . .
Interested in joining the Plant Sale planning committee? Next meeting March 12th at 2pm in the William Raveis office, 85 Main Street.
Spotted Lanternfly
Now is the time to be proactive against spotted lanternfly! Scraping and destroying egg masses this winter will help decrease the number of spotted lanternfly that hatch next spring. Spotted lanternfly lay egg masses on trees and other smooth surfaces outside, including campers, grills, boats, and sheds. An egg mass will be tan or brown and have the consistency of mud. If you find an egg mass, scrape it off with a credit card, place it in a Ziploc bag, and add rubbing alcohol to the bag to destroy the eggs. Each egg mass can contain up to 60 eggs, so egg mass scraping can effectively manage spotted lanternfly on your property!
Of Interest:
[from The Dodecatheon, newsletter of the Delaware Valley Chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society, courtesy of Ellen Matheson]
The Franklin Park Zoo (Owned and operated by Zoo New England) is nestled in Franklin Park and is the largest property in Franklin Law Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace park system for the City of Boston. The Zoo was designed by Arthur Schurcliff in 1910, and by 1930 a large rock garden encompassing nearly three quarters of an acre on a prominent hilltop was installed.
Major features included an elaborate water concourse and waterfall, period plantings, and an abundance of Roxbury Puddingstone (local stone) supporting the garden along with a folly. After going through a long period of benign neglect, in 2019 the Zoo embarked on a restoration project for the Franklin Park Rock Garden, thought to be the largest rock garden in New England. Partnering with the Boston Committee of the Garden Club of America as well as NARGS New England, ZNE is employing a series of preservation techniques to restore the Rock Garden as a horticultural attraction.
Recent activities include the creation of topographical surveys, intensive vegetation management projects, the creation of concept designs and drawings for ADA accessibility, as well as the restoration of the site water features after decades of non-use. We plan to reopen parts of the garden to the public by fall 2024 as a rock garden that celebrates New England culture as well as our living flora and fauna collections. This project will also be a catalyst for realizing our organizational goal of adding a botanic garden to the property. This year the project was awarded $5,000 from the Singer Endowment to support our efforts in installing interpretive signage as well as plant labels for the new Rock Garden. This task is especially important in addressing ZNE’s mission-centric goals centered on conservation and education.
Fun Links
Forcing witch hazel: https://www.avantgardensne.com/gardenforeplay
A beautiful article about one floral artist’s “Art in Bloom” practice in 1stDibs Introspective Magazine.