From our President...

The glorious fall weather is making me rather spoiled! My garden has perked up again.... many plants have reopened buds and I actually have some blooms. In the background, however the golds, oranges and browns of dying foliage give the garden spectacular seasonal color. I always forget how much I love my garden in autumn. As Percy Shelley said, “There is harmony in autumn, and luster in its sky!”

And there is harmony in the Garden Club, too! The activities of the spring and summer have settled down. Many committees are working quietly and peacefully, keeping up with tasks and having fun doing them. You should see the Greenhouse Committee! They are busy, busy, busy planting cuttings, watering, and getting plants ready for next years' plant sale. The membership committee is beginning to get ready for our new year, and all the renewing memberships! Keep your eyes open for a notice about this! And the Communications committee – made up of three new members – is working hard to learn all the ins and outs of our website, social media, and newsletter!

There is another committee, one that formed out of a call-to-action by the West Tisbury Library. Each year the library has a Halloween Celebration for kids and parents. This year they invited the Garden Club to open the Old Mill as part of the town-wide celebration. Susan Hobart, Carol Goldstein, Norah

Van Riper, Joan Eville, Laurissa Rich, and Ty Johnston worked on a very casual and friendly Open Mill for Thursday, October 31st, from 3 to 5 p.m. We shared some history of the mill with the public, and a little sweet cider and friendliness. The weather was great and the Mill looked glorious with the

golden leaves reflected in the Mill Pond. Be on the lookout for some pictures of the event on the website!

Our next members' meeting will be Tuesday, November 19th at the Wakeman Center. Martha Fanelli, Horticulturist, will speak to us and the title of the lecture will be “A Floral and Vegetable Holiday Home Decoration Demonstration.” How fun and very necessary at this time of year! I'm hoping to learn how to bring a table decoration to travel off-island with us for Thanksgiving! Please join us. Aquinnah-Chilmark is charge of refreshments.

- Ty Johnston, President

A Contribution from Joan Cavazuti, our Special Projects Representative:

With the plant swap and book swap behind us I want to remind members that there is a bookcase at Wakeman with all kinds of gardening books. Some are a little dated but really the information doesn't change that much over the years, so check out the shelves at the next meeting or when you are working at the greenhouse and take a book or two home. You are welcome to hang on to what you take for as long as you like. If you have gardening books that you no longer want please add them to the shelf.

Did you know there's still time to plant your spring blooming bulbs. If you order them from Brent and Becky's  https://brentandbeckysbulbs.com/bloomin-bucks/  and use the drop down menu and select the Martha's Vineyard Garden Club. The club will receive 10% of the purchase price.  There is a huge selection of bulbs to choose from including narcissus, tulips, camassia, and alliums. Also amaryllis make great holiday gifts for friends and family.  One of my favorites is called Aphrodite and it was still available as I'm writing this.

...About the October meeting in case you missed it! Thanks to Program Coordinator Lead, Kathie Skinner for the recap!

Certified Master Gardener Carol Rego spoke at the October 15 Garden Club meeting on “Gardening Water Wisdom: Save Water, the Environment, and Money!” Carol has 40 years of professional experience in water treatment and management. Her knowledge and enthusiasm for her subject was palpable. Some “aha” moments included such facts as: there is a finite

amount of water on the Earth and it has been the same for millennia. She indicated that the glass of water we drink today may contain water that the dinosaurs drank!

However, after briefly explain the Earth’s and human water cycles, she focused much of her talk on water conservation and water-smart gardening. Virtually all of water we use on our gardens has been treated – on-island this is through septic systems and wastewater treatment in the down-island towns. The exceptions being rainwater and snow.

Some conservation and water-smart gardening tips that she recommended include:

 Using a rain gauge (which can be purchased for under $25) to measure the amount of moisture in the soil. This information can then be used to guide a water regimen.

 Combining plants with the same water requirements together. Often in gardens, all plants are water at the same rate at the same time, when some may need a lot of water and others just a little.

 Watering gardens only at the roots to develop strong root systems.

 Watering in early morning to allow water to seep in during the day and to prevent disease and pathogens that may occur if the plant goes into the evening with wet roots or leaves.

 Using an emitter hose – versus a soaker hose – to better guide the water to the plants that need it and away from those that don’t.

 Collecting rainwater in rain barrels beneath gutter pipes and directing the water into the garden.

 Rethinking a grass-dominant lawn or lawn replacement in favor of other plants that are green but are less water dependent.

Additionally, there were 34 Club Members in attendance and 2 guests. Thanks to West Tisbury members for the treats and refreshments!

From Jayne Isford...

Our Annual Holiday Wreath Decorating Workshops are back!

Your Floral Design Committee is pleased to offer once again this year our popular Holiday Wreath Decorating Workshops. Last year, our workshop had a lengthy waitlist, so we have decided to offer 2 workshops for you this year!

1. Workshop #1 will take place on Saturday, December 7th at Wakeman

from 1 to 3 pm. This workshop will offer premade wreaths from Mahoney's

plus decorations and supplies.

2. Workshop #2 will take place on Sunday, December 8th at Wakeman

from 1 to 3 pm. This workshop will focus on creating a wreath from scratch

with greens with a supply of greens and decorations. Nancy Cabot will

provide instruction.

Cost TBD for both workshops, but will be in the $30 to $35 range.

You can register for either workshop starting on November 1st . Check

your email and sign up quickly as workshops will be filled on a first come,

first served. Members receive priority!

Contact Jayne Isford or Nancy Cabot with questions.

Jayne: floraldesign@marthasvineyardgardenclub.org

Nancy: dancabot@comcast.net

Our November Member Meeting...

Garden Club Member and Floral Designer Martha Fanelli lectures on “Tablescaping for the Holidays” at

the November 19 club meeting at the Wakeman Center.

Tablescaping refers to the process of decorating using fresh-cut flower arrangements, candles, and/or other items. While elaborate tablescapes are common at events like weddings, they may also be set more casually. Garden-themed tablescapes are especially popular throughout the summer months and into the fall. Martha will demonstrate some tablescaping ideas more appropriate for the Thanksgiving and winter holiday season. 

Martha has enjoyed an active creative life from early age and throughout her adult life. She holds a BS BS in Environmental Horticulture from UConn and attended the Harvard University Landscape Architecture Immersion Program. As the owner of The Gilded Garden she provided fresh, dried and artificial floral designs, landscape design and consultation, and interior design for over 30 years. As a member of CT Valley Garden Club, Martha worked to establish and participate in “Set to Celebrate” - a tablescaping event.

Meeting date is Tuesday, November 19. Social time will begin at 12:30 with light refreshments. The lecture will begin shortly after 1:00.

Aquinnah/Chilmark members and VP to provide snacks & refreshments. ​

FREE to MVGC Members / Open to non-members @ $10.00 pp

Welcome to new member Dede Frank of Chilmark!

From The MV Conservation Committee...

Dear Constance,

I’m wondering in your wisdom if you know of any program for recycling plant and shrub pots? Don't want them all to end up in the garbage/landfill.

Paula S.

Dear wondering Paula,

Your question is unfortunately one most gardeners share ~ What do we do with the byproducts of spring planting? 

This global problem must really be addressed at the source – the nursery industry. Specialty sources offer

biodegradable pots but mostly it's plastic, plastic, plastic! Sadly, NO nursery pots are recyclable here on our Island. 

The good news? Our Garden Club greenhouse volunteers welcome back containers sold at our May plant sale. Vineyard Gardens, Gayle Gardens and Donaroma’s all grow on-island and accept their own hard plastic pots for reuse. Please ask your nursery to do the same so these pots can serve another season.

Wondering how to up-cycle your own plastic pots? Watch this fun video for oh-so-clever ideas The Clever Reason Smart Gardeners Hoard Plastic Pots then get creative!

Happy Planting,

Constance Conservation

PS I reuse mine as drawer and tote and basket dividers! How about you? Share your ideas and any & greening your questions to conservation@marthasvineyardgardenclub.org

-Our character “Constance” will be answering readers’ questions! Conservation Committee Co-Chairs Laurisa Rich and Kim McCarthy

A great e-mail that was sent to news@mvgardenclub on 10/20/24:

Hi!

My daughter, is involved in Girl Scouts and she is working on earning her Gardener badge. Since the topic piqued her interest, her leader encouraged her to do some research at home.



Luckily we came across the Martha's Vineyard Garden Club site! She is really enjoying looking through all of the different info and checking out the Gardening Resources and really seems to be loving everything about gardening so far… she actually plans to buy some new seeds and plants this week with her grandmother. She's really looking forward to it and even thinks she wants to start a garden club at school and was hoping you could check out this additional resource. https://www.aaastateofplay.com/landscaping-on-the-playground-gardening-for-kids/ It's the perfect beginner's guide for gardening… she thinks other kids will love it! She would be so excited if you were able to add it to the Gardening Resources page. & I know her troop leader would be extremely proud of her for going above and beyond. Is this some thing you would consider adding? 

So after reading this, I could not say no to such a heartfelt email and a mom's support for her daughter's interest! The link that was sent is great for kids or beginner gardeners. As a result, the link resides on our Resources 1 page...do check it out if there is a young or beginner gardener in your life! Click here to get to our Resources page if you want a peek!

(Note: The above email was edited slightly re: names that were included but the overall message was not skewed in any way.) -Submitted by Donna Arold, Communications Chair

From Irene Ziebarth, Chilmark VP

Conservation: Don't forget we are collecting used inkjet cartridges for the League of Women Voters of MV. They sell them to a recycler, keeping them out of landfills where it would take 1,000 years for the plastic to deteriorate. There is a red collection box in the window above the stairs at Wakeman. Or just give them to Irene. There are also collection boxes at the libraries in Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Vineyard Haven, and West Tisbury, the YMCA, and the town halls in Chilmark and Aquinnah.

Thank you to the woman who brought us the dahlia bulbs last year. I planted one in a pot and it bloomed early this summer and got really active late summer. It's still blooming like crazy!

Floral Design—A lot has happened in a year thanks to our Talented Membership! -Submitted by Jayne Isford

It is just over a year ago that Donna Arold put a notice in the newsletter asking for volunteers to set up a Floral Design Committee for our club. I volunteered to help, and was not sure what to expect, but as they say it takes a village, and in this case, it takes a Garden Club!

Here is a summary of what we have accomplished this past year, and a few thank yous! I want to express my sincere gratitude for everyone’s support and encouragement, time and talents.

Thanks to Donna Arold for all of her support and encouragement this past year, including posting information about floral design activities in all of her marketing and social media posts.

Particular thanks to the great Nancy Cabot who agreed to Co-Chair this committee with me. We would not have achieved much of our success this year without Nancy and her incredible talents.

Thank you to the 20 plus members who joined our committee and have stepped up so many times to do floral designs throughout this past year.

I also want to extend my sincere thanks to the trio of talented members that I call my Floral Design Trifecta—Wiet Bacheller, Fawn Hurwitz and Irene Ziebarth. Amazing and talented ladies who always take my calls and always lend a helping hand and words of encouragement.

Thank you to our amazing team of 36 Floral Designers for Blooming Art under the expert direction of Debbie Barrett and Fern Vaughan. Your designs were spectacular, and it was an honor for us to interpret the artwork of our island artists!

Thanks to all of you who participated in Nancy’s Challenges, or simply came to a membership meeting and enjoyed seeing the creations of your fellow members!

Thanks to my fellow Committee chairs and Board members who asked us to provide some floral design creations or assistance for some of their events as noted below.

Thanks to our Town VP’s for always providing lovely flowers at each of the membership meetings to be on display, and to Norah Van Riper and Irene Ziebarth for their incredible arrangements for a couple of special meetings!

What did we do over the past year?

1. We brought back the Annual Holiday Wreath workshop in December 2023 with wreaths from Mahoney’s with 21 enthusiastic participants and a lengthy waitlist, and bows created by Nancy Cabot!

2. We then created Nancy’s Challenge to provide an opportunity for members to have fun practicing a floral design. Nancy offered 3 different challenges this year, and thanks to so many of you who participated! Your designs were all beautiful, and we appreciate both the on island and off island members who submitted a design!

3. We offered a Valentine’s Day workshop in February with incredible flowers from Morrice Florists and instruction provided by Wiet and Nancy. Sixteen members created gorgeous arrangements. A great way to brighten our day in February!

4. In early May, Nancy Cabot led members on our first Foraging Field Trip in

Manuel F. Correllus State Forest, something that was enjoyed by a very large

group of members and guests and will become an annual event.

5. For our amazing and dedicated Blooming Art floral designers, we offered for the first time an interactive workshop with outstanding instruction from club member Martha Fanelli, and flowers from Donaroma’s. Wiet Bacheller and Nancy Cabot also provided two additional incredible workshops for our designers to help them prepare for Blooming Art.

6. Garden Stroll Co-chairs Anne Kushwaha and Deb Daley asked us to prepare 10 teacups with dried floral arrangements to be on display at the Carnegie in Edgartown to celebrate our centennial. We also prepared 7 teapots with fresh flowers that were on display at the garden entrances.

Special thanks to the team of members that worked on these for all to enjoy!

7. We assisted Wiet Bacheller and Susie Wallo with the floral arrangements for the Hospice Soiree on August 5th . A group of 12 members worked for a few hours to create 42 arrangements for this wonderful and worthwhile cause.

8. Eight of our members also provided individual and incredible floral designs for the Centennial Party at the Old Mill that were displayed in the shadow boxes. All were quite stunning! Thanks Wiet for organizing this for us!

9. Our club’s excellent Program Chair, Kathie Skinner, asked for a floral design committee member to help her with the November membership meeting—and has enlisted the talent of Martha Fanelli, designer extraordinaire. Make sure to attend their November 19 th membership meeting entitled: “ A Floral and Vegetable Home Decorating Demonstration”!

So, my sincere gratitude to all of you for your support. It was an honor to get this off the ground for the club over the past year, and I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to work with and get to know so many of you. And there is always room for you on our Floral Design Committee—contact Jayne Isford or Nancy Cabot if you would like to join this creative group!

CLICK HERE to be taken to the Floral Design page so you can see images of their past events and activities!

In Closing:

Happy Thanksgiving, 2024! May the soft glow of autumn

warm your heart and surround you with gratefulness

as you celebrate the holiday with those you love. xo