'A Way We Grow'
Martha's Vineyard Garden Club
October 2022
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From our President...
As the year winds down, I’m very grateful that the Garden Club is having a terrific year, thanks
to the energy of the excellent Board and a growing group of volunteers. We’ve expanded the
range of activities beyond presentations to include workshops, walkabouts and swaps of plants
and books. Membership has grown to 184, with 30 new members just since Memorial Day!
We’ve emerged from Covid, are no longer in the red financially and will again have a holiday
party at the Ag Hall. We hope to have a wreath-making workshop but need a volunteer to make
it happen.
Looking toward next year, Donna Arold, Angela Egerton, and Fawn Hurwitz have formulated an innovative roster of presentations, programs, and workshops. We’ll schedule more walkabouts. We’re rebuilding the Greenhouse Committee and hope to have a plant sale. We have some volunteers to work in the greenhouse, but the more volunteers we have, the easier the workload. So please sign up for as much or as little time as you want.
If you have an idea for a workshop you’d like to run, a garden you’d like to share, a committee
you’d like to join, or just to learn more about how you can participate with our fabulous
And remember, the holiday season begins with Halloween!
- Susan Hobart, President
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Halloween is celebrated each year on and Halloween 2022 will occur on Monday, October 31. The tradition originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honor all saints. Soon, All Saints Day incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as All Hallows Eve, and later Halloween. Over time, Halloween evolved into a day of activities like trick-or-treating, carving jack-o-lanterns, festive gatherings, donning costumes and eating treats.
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A sincere and fond farewell to Judy Bryant!
Judy is moving to Pennsylvania next month! While we’re happy for her, we will miss her, and her presence in the Club. Judy has been an extraordinary leader of the Garden Club for decades, as a past president, leader of the greenhouse committee, Blooming Art floral designer, and a willing advisor on gardening and floral design. With her sister, Nancy Cabot, Judy ran the wreath-making workshop every year, which many of us enjoyed. Here's to you, Judy! Thanks for all the knowledge you so freely shared with us over the years!
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A Contribution from Joan Eville, our Windemere Representative: The residents at Windemere Nursing facility enjoyed a floral activity on Oct 19th led by Joan Eville and Gay Smith. The beautiful flowers were donated by Donaroma's Nursery. The sight and smell of the flowers lifted the participants’ spirits. Everyone had a great time working together arranging the flowers. Each resident made an arrangement to take back to her room. We also made larger displays for the nurses’ stations and the entrance hall.
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Buy bulbs, plants, perennials, gardening books and tools and support the MVGC at the same time! Your order via Brent and Becky's will earn the MV Garden Club 25% of your purchase! Visit www.bloominbucks.com, and select our Club's registered name (which is Martha's Vineyard Garden Club, Inc.) and begin your shopping. The items you choose will be sent directly to you and our Club will receive 25% of your total purchase. Its really that easy! |
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The Fall MVGC Plant Swap was hosted by Nancy Weaver on Tuesday, September 27 at 1:00 pm in the Old Mill parking lot!
Garden Club members brought their knowledge and plants to share with other attendees and there were
ten members who participated.
Below are a few pics from the Plant Swap!
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We received this heads up via email from Bethany Hammond, the assistant director of the Up-Island Council on Aging in West Tisbury."
"I want to share a program we are hosting here at the COA in October. We are partnering with a company who puts on live (on zoom) tours around the world. In October, we are "going" on a guided tour of Ecuador's Botanical Garden in Quito where we will see their vast collection of orchids along with other flora & fauna of Ecuador. Participation is free to community members and open to people of all ages!
There are two different viewing options- people can join via ZOOM from their own homes or they can come join us in person at the Howes House (Up Island COA in West Tisbury) where we will have the tour playing on our large projector screen."
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A BIG Thank You to
Wendy and Charlotte
for their Fantastic Fall Floral Quilt
Show & Tell!
What a lovely presentation Charlotte Cole and Wendy Nierenberg did for us at for our October meeting! They did a Show & Tell program that featured the many beautiful floral quilts they create! Members were inspired to attempt quilting during Winter and other members took part in choosing a book from the selection of gardening books donated by some of our members. Last but not least, veteran MVGC member and past President Judy Bryant, was honored by the Club with a lovely framed watercolor of The Old Mill (created by Angela Egerton), a gift certificate at White Flower Farm and a lifetime membership for the MV Garden Club. A cake for Judy and some social time with a lovely display of nibbles provided by the Oak Bluffs members followed. All in all, it was a wonderful get together that was well attended by our club members and some folks that are interested in joining! Thanks again to Wendy and Charlotte for their generosity and for sharing their beautiful handiwork!
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Wendy tells about this breathtaking appliqué quilt she created! |
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A truly beautiful pieced quilt made by Wendy! |
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A fun story about this luscious quilt Wendy created! |
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Charlotte shows us a colorful table runner...and a fabulous floral wall hanging she created especially with the Garden Club in mind! Also check out this up close look at her handiwork on a pretty pink and green floral appliqued piece! |
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President, Susan Hobart presented Judy with gifts of appreciation from the the Club and Judy had a few words to say. |
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A lovely assortment of refreshments provided by the OB members! |
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Lots of books on gardens to choose from in the Book Swap! |
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All in all, it was a jam-packed meeting filled with great information, creative inspiration, sincere appreciation and a feeling that our Club is on track again after the negative impact that Covid had on general morale and membership. So great to be back to being us again! |
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This sums it up, Judy Bryant...and in case you didn't know...to many of us you are irreplaceable! |
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The Presentation Calendar for 2023 is all set! We have a bevy of notable speakers on the roster for next year...and along with that, there are hands-on workshops planned beginning in January! Stay tuned to the website and your email box for more information as the end of the year approaches. Club members that are interested in taking on 'Programs' for 2024, please reach out via donna.arold@gmail.com
For a description of the Program Committee responsibilities, visit this link. Being a part of the Program Committee is an opportunity to introduce members to topics you find interesting and in turn explore many resources that may be of interest to the Club!
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Our Holly-Day Party will be held on Tuesday December 13, 2022 from 5pm - 8pm at the Ag Hall. The finite details are still being worked on by the Committee, but do SAVE THE DATE if you'll be On-Island then! More details will follow via the MVGC website and in the November Newsletter as they become available.
If you are interested in joining the Holly-Day planning committee, do email Kathy Werber @ ksw430@gmail.com
(As a side-bar, the previous weekend is 'Christmas in Edgartown' so we are hoping that the date chosen will help to increase party attendance!
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BE CAREFUL!!! So this little Lepidoptera (order), a Pale Tiger Moth was noticed on our patio table! He looked like he was doing sit ups with all his wiggling, but don’t be fooled by his playful scurrying…lots of caterpillars are poisonous and can cause severe allergic reactions, so look but do not touch!
The pale Tiger Moth (Halysidota tessellaris) drinks the liquid of decaying plants in order to take on their capabilities. By retaining chemicals from the plants they drink and by retaining chemicals, their predators do not have the desire to eat the Pale Tiger Moth.
Many of this order have special defensive behaviors that can trigger an allergic reaction, so when doing your fall cleanup, be diligent and be careful!
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Thanks to Joan Cavazuti for organizing a fabulous Garden Book Swap at our October Meeting!
In addition to organizing the Book Swap, at the October 'Quilt' presentation, Joan was kind enough to bring the quilt she made some years. It is a hand pieced and appliquéd quilt. What I really loved seeing was the little blurb she sewed into the backside of the quilt. Below are a few pics of her sweet creation.
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Joan showing her quilt... |
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Her little note on the quilt! |
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A Tip You May Want if You're interested in Quilting:
For those who may want to try their hand at quilting over the Winter, here are two of the tools that Wendy & Charlotte suggested for appliqué work!
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...To keep up with these fabulous quilt ladies, Charlotte will often show her work at the Featherstone Gift Shows and Exhibits... and Wendy will have her quilts on display at the WT Library at their quilt show in November! Do follow and support them! They are a true gift to our artistic Island Community!
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Our next Program will be held on
Tuesday, November 15, 2022 - 1:00pm @ The Wakeman Center with Robyn Athearn of Morning Glory Farm - The Evolution of Morning Glory Flowers.
Here's a description of Robyn's presentation:
How Morning Glory Farm went from growing and selling their flowers in late July and August at their farmstand, to having something to grow/ sell most of the year all over the island.
Robyn will take us through what crops they grow and why they grow them, what their biggest cash crops are, some tricks of the trade and what their plans are for the future of Morning Glory Flowers.
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Book Lovers Corner - Ty's Book Review for October
Gardening for a Lifetime: How to Garden Wiser as You Grow Older by Sydney Eddison
I spent an enjoyable afternoon in the West Tisbury Library perusing the gardening section to find this month's selection. With several candidates at hand I settled on this one by Sydney Eddison. She wrote this remarkable book when she was in her 80's, after a lifetime gardening on her Connecticut acreage. This is a collection of essays that describe her decisions to simplify an elaborate perennial garden and make it possible for her to remain at her home and still maintain a semblance of order. As I read the book I realized that gardeners of ANY age could gain a lot from her stories of downsizing. The writing is wise and wonderful, and even if I don't choose to do what she did, I enjoyed her knowledgeable descriptions and her sweet reminiscences.
One of her first moves was to “Rethink the Perennial Borders” which were modeled after the opulent borders of her mother's English home. One quote from her second chapter: “When you begin to look for ways to simplify your gardening life, look first at your sunny perennial borders. In my garden, the square footage devoted to flowering perennials demands more time and energy than the rest of the acre and a half under cultivation. The greater the variety of perennials you grow, the more work your border will entail.”
She goes on in the rest of the book to talk with great authority and experience about substituting shrubs for perennials, (“Shrubs afford more value for less work.”) and appreciating the shady border, where she says shade-tolerant plants are easier to maintain than sun lovers. Eddison goes on to describe the joys of the natural woodland garden, filled with stepping stones, clumps of primroses and native ferns.
At the end of each essay is a section called “Gleanings,” which is a summary of its salient points and also reiteration of the recommended plants' names. This was very helpful!
She has several colorful examples and stories about her own experiences and some of her friends, who also decided to downsize a large garden. I especially enjoyed her chapter on container gardening which can be arranged with perennials, tender-perennials, or annuals, and which can be refreshed easily. “All the pleasure for a fraction of the work,” she says. I hope you can take time to look up this book, and that you can gain some small inspiration from it, as I did. Happy reading! - Ty
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COME TO THE FINAL Four O'Clock FRIDAY for 2023... It's on October 28!
Meet new members and/or rekindle friendships with existing members at our O'Clock Friday at the Old Mill!
The only rules are Carry In / Carry out, (just like when you go to the beach), whatever snack and drink you want to enjoy and/or share with others, bring it along! Time is 4:00 - 5:30 and the vibe is extremely casual! We hope to see our members there!
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Join The MV Garden Club!
If you enjoy this newsletter and are interested in being a part of the Martha's Vineyard Garden Club, click on this link to join! We host informative garden related programs each month along with interactive workshops, Garden Club Member hosted 'Tours and Walkabouts' from Spring through Summer, and social events all year long! |
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Ecological Landscape Alliance’s Seasons End Summit!
Are We Getting it Right? Observations on the Ecological Landscape
Thursday, October 27th...attend either in person at
New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill or virtually!
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