'A Way We Grow'
Martha's Vineyard Garden Club
November 2022
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From our President...
Dear Garden Club Members,
With Thanksgiving preparations underway, I’m reflecting on how fortunate we are. Covid has
become manageable, we’ve been able to resume activities and can meet as a group with
confidence… on our beautiful island!
My first year as President is winding down, and I am very grateful for the talented, committed,
and resourceful Board, each of whom I like and respect. Many of us are relatively new to the
Garden Club, so we’ve learned together, guided by the more seasoned present and past Board
members.
The Club’s members, who have been encouraging and supportive throughout the year, have gamely participated in both new and traditional Garden Club events. The Club is fortunate to be attracting such interesting people with diverse skills and backgrounds, willing to jump in when we call for help.
I’m very proud to be a member of the Martha’s Vineyard Garden Club, to be able to help forge the Club’s future, and to have made wonderful friends.
Wishing you all a happy and joyous holiday season. - Susan Hobart, President
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THE 2023 PROGRAMS and Workshops are now LIVE on the MVGC website!
REMEMBER TO RENEW YOUR MV Garden Club MEMBERSHIP FOR 2023!
2023 is shaping up to be an exciting year, and we hope you’ll join us! Individual membership dues remain a bargain at $60, and household memberships (2 people max) are $100. You can join and pay on-line with our new and improved checkout system (strongly encouraged!) If you prefer, you can also print out a membership form and mail it in with a check.
January 1 through December 31, 2023.
To see our EXCITING PROGRAMS, WORKSHOPS and EVENTS for 2023, click here. We've created a lineup we think you will LOVE!
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Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday in the United States, and Thanksgiving 2022 occurs on Thursday, November 24. In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn’t until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.
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News from the Greenhouse! |
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The new Greenhouse committee is off and running! There are several volunteers and a few “old faithfuls” that are meeting a few times per week so far this fall. Anne Kushwawa has stepped up to be an organizer and is doing a phenomenal job with getting the committee off the ground. Wesley and Shelley Brown and Jackie Hokanson are experienced, loyal members of the Greenhouse and are offering a wealth of knowledge to all of the newbies! Also helping are Brynna Ross, Deb Brennan, Caroline Taylor, Carol Goldstein, Susan Hobart, Pat Cooney, Al Smith, Gay Smith, Debra Barrett, Vito Palermo, and Ty Johnston. Members are on a list for helping with the watering in the future, along with planting and seeding.
At a recent Monday morning session these members could be seen snipping stems from donated plants, carefully scraping the cuttings, brushing the cuttings with root hormones, and planting them in small trays. Each plant must be drenched in insecticidal soap before it enters the greenhouse. Watering, caring for the heating mats, and composting unused plants are other jobs. All the plants need to be “started,” and removed from the picnic table outside the greenhouse before the first frost, so these first weeks are crucial. The sessions are wonderfully fun, and a whole lot of learning is going on! - Ty Johnston
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A HUGE Thank You to
Robyn Athearn for her wonderful presentation on Morning Glory Farm's Flowers!
What an inspirational and informative presentation Robyn Athearn did for us at the November Garden Club meeting! Her power point presentation with farm, flower and family photos was wonderful, and paired with her sunny personality and sweet sense of humor, it made her presentation even more enjoyable! Robyn began the program with an inspirational and touching audio reading, related to the beauty of nature, by Irish Poet and Philosopher, John O'Donohue. (Robyn shared the photo to the right...it reflects how to source the audio reading) She shared a bit of farm and family history and generously offered some info on her floral faves, growing tips and resources she taps into. (Click on the underlined words and the info is on our website) There were lots of questions from the audience afterwards and is safe to say that we all left encouraged to try some new flowers in our gardens come spring, 2023! The program room at Wakeman was packed with 40 club members and 5 guests attending. Susan began the meeting with a reminder for members to respond to the Old Mill survey, general info on the Holly-Day Party was given, and Ty updated the group on the Greenhouse goings-on. There was a lovely display of hot cider nibbles that was provided by Gay Smith and the Vineyard Haven members and social time had the room humming! All in all, it was a great meeting that was uplifting and well attended by our club members and some folks that are interested in joining! Thanks again to Robyn for such a wonderful program!
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We hope you can attend our
MV Garden Club Holly-Day Party!
December 13th ~ 5:00-8:00 pm
Agriculture Hall, West Tisbury
Visit the GC website for Holly-Day Party information...Its planned as a simple potluck this year, so be sure to check the website for cost and contribution info! Additionally, an email was sent on 11/17 to all Garden Club members listing all the details. If you have any questions or would like to help with any aspect of the party, please contact Kathy Werber at kathleenwerber@gmail.com
or 508-693-9770.
After almost 3 years of Covid, we’re again able to celebrate the season together! We hope to see you there!
(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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Hey Garden Club Members! Its time to take stock and identify your hydrangea types!
Come January and February, we will be offering two separate hydrangea pruning classes/workshops. All 'eyes on' (but not hands on) and outside in the garden as 'Hydrangea Guru', Kathie Skinner takes us through the types of hydrangea, and how and when to prune and properly care for the different varieties. Classes/workshops will be held at her Island home with one class addressing the care of the panicullata and arborescence varieties,... the other class will address the method of caring for the macrophylla type.
Dates will be posted on the website and will be based on the Winter weather and Kathy's availability. We are hoping to keep the classes at 10-15 people max, and if you are interested, please send me an email and I will add you to a list for updates. Please specify what type hydrangea you have/class you are interested in. The classes/workshop is FREE for MVGC 'active and up to date' members and this is offered on a first come-first served basis. 15 people is maximum for this event. Details are here!
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What a sweet email to receive from world travelers and MVGC Members Jane & Jim!
Hello to our MV Garden Club friends!
Jim and I so enjoy the newsletters with all the great events, photos and articles. Makes me long to return to dig in the dirt! We are enjoying our fall trip to Greece and thought you might enjoy a few photos of vegetation here.
A sunny sight on a cloudy day on the Greek island of Samos where we stayed with my cousin whose wife inherited her family home, olive grove and family church! Will send some other photos but picked these for the Garden Club!
Have a fabulous fall! - Janet/Tiger and Jim Jones
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My cousin by the church built into the hillside by his wife’s grandfather! |
Persimmon tree with a
bounty of fruit!
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Many olives in the trees in their olive grove...and olives getting ripe, will be harvested in early December
for olive oil!
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Local grapes should have been harvested for the
local wine!
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:-)
Thanks to Jane & Jim for thinking of us and sending these pics and descriptions! We will see you after all your exciting world travels!
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From Joan Eville,
our Windemere Liasion:
The residents at Windemere Nursing Home are thrilled to have the MV Garden Club flower arranging project reactivated after a long break due to Covid. The next gathering will be on Nov 30th, followed in December by a holiday flower project. Joan Eville and Gay Smith are organizing and facilitating these activities. Donaroma Nursery provides the flowers each month. If you are interested in participating in future projects at Windemere, please contact Joan or Gay.
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Happy Holidays!
Why Not Give an MV Garden Club Membership to the nature-lover on your list!
Are you out of creative ideas for Holiday gifts for your on-Island (or part-time on-Island) loved ones? Why not give a Garden Club membership! It's one-size fits all for nature and garden lovers alike!
We have a jam-packed schedule of informative and educational programs for 2023, along with workshops and garden walkabouts hosted by Club members that promise to be fun for all in attendance! CLICK HERE to sign on and sign-up your loved ones for the gift that will keep on giving through all of 2023! |
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Book Lovers Corner - Ty's Book Review for November
Unearthed: Love, Acceptance, and Other Lessons from an Abandoned Garden by
Alexandra Risen
When I was a child one of my favorite books was The Secret Garden by Frances H. Burnett. I loved the idea of finding a hidden entrance of something so beautiful but neglected, and then imagined myself being part of the careful rebuilding! This month's selection brought memories back to me of those feelings. It is an interesting memoir about a woman's struggle with her mysterious family's past juxtaposed with the painstaking work of restoring an enormous, hidden, and utterly abandoned garden in the middle of a city, probably Toronto, in Canada.
Of course this memoir is written for adults, and it is entirely pragmatic as it talks about the myriad financial and logistical problems of reassembling stairs, refashioning a gazebo, removing dead trees, and other pressing issues. In an initial exploration of the land she and her husband bought, she says, “I follow the cracking of branches as he pushes forward. It truly is a secret path, about three feet wide, made of dirt held by old railroad ties so that the ascent is a series of tiered steps. It rises steeply upward in a switchback curve and turns sharply east, where it flattens and is lined by the towering trees. The railroad ties are rotting and the path is overgrown, but cleaned up it will be phenomenal – every turn provides a different perspective of the garden. Large boulders line the path here and there; someone created this enchanting trail, and I vow to restore it someday.” Very cool.
After each chapter there is a recipe for edible, drinkable, or useable things using what is found in the garden. Examples: Sour Cherry Liqueur, Japanese Knotweed Crumble, Lily of the Valley Potpourri, Periwinkle Skin Ointment, and Primrose Meringues. Enjoy the reading!
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A FEW SHARES VIA THE WEB WE THOUGHT YOU MIGHT ENJOY!
Here's a website that Joan Cavazuti shared with us...lots of helpful and interesting gardening info! CLICK HERE to see it!
Some Gift Suggestions for the
Reader in your Life! ...
I love books and found this YouTube video by Miranda Mills of Miranda's Bookcase . (She's from the UK) The garden/nature book suggestions begin at 25.33, but if you are a book freak like me, you may want to watch the whole thing! Her YouTube video can be found here.
Enjoy! :-)
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Ecological Landscape Alliance’s Ecological Plant Conference, Thursday, December 2nd!
The theme for this year’s conference is Seed to Plant. We hope to use the conference as an opportunity to do a deep dive into native plants. We have great speakers from the nursery industry, landscape architects, and other professionals. Claudia West of Phyto Studios will be speaking about science-based planting management, Elliot Duemler of Taylor Creek Restoration Nurseries will be giving us insight on sedges and many more.
This year’s event will be virtual on Thursday, December 2nd, 2022 from 8:30 am-4:00 pm EST. There will be breaks, facilitated breakout sessions, and plant-focused presentations throughout the day – hopefully, many opportunities to learn from and with your co-participants. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!
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Visit the MVGC website via:
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From the Garden Club Board...
We send
you a harvest of blessings and wishes that your Thanksgiving will be bountiful with lots of reasons to be grateful. :-)
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