'A Way We Grow'
Martha's Vineyard Garden Club
September 2022
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From our President...
The Garden Club is facing a significant change. For many years the Greenhouse Committee has grown beautiful flowers and plants that are sold over Memorial Day weekend. Judy Bryant, long-time member and former president of the Club has been the backbone of this committee, and she’s moving to Pennsylvania later this year. The other leaders of the committee, Jackie Hokanson and Shelley and Wesley Brown are also stepping back.
Volunteers are needed immediately for a new greenhouse committee, both with knowledge to
begin and manage the complicated growing process, as well as to help with seeding, transplanting, and watering. Please contact Ty Johnston (vp@marthasvineyardgardenclub.org) if you want to volunteer in some capacity.
Without a functioning Greenhouse Committee, we will have to address how to proceed with Wakeman, as well as alternative uses of the greenhouse. The Club is a tenant of Wakeman, with sole use of the greenhouse, and the proceeds of the sale cover about 80% of the annual rent. - Susan Hobart, President
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On September 21 the Garden Club was finally allowed to resume our flower arranging activity with the residents at Windemere Nursing facility. Due to Covid restrictions we were not able to be there for almost two years. The residents have really missed it and were thrilled to see, smell, and arrange the beautiful flowers generously supplied by Donaroma’s Nursery. They spent over two hours busily working on their arrangements to take back to their individual rooms. They also created centerpieces for the lobby and the nurses’ station. The smiles on their faces looking at their creations said it all! We will be doing this project every month. - Joan Eville, Chairperson for Garden Club activities at Windemere
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Regarding Her Majesty, The Queen's passing...
I received this via email from Garden Club Member Jane Bradbury and thought some of you would appreciate the sentiment...
I certainly did!
1. Handwritten note
Nestled among the flowers of the Queen’s funeral wreath was a handwritten card by her son King Charles III, which read: “In loving and devoted memory, Charles R.”
2. Flowers
At King Charles’s request, the wreath on top of the Queen’s coffin contains flowers and foliage from the royal properties of Buckingham Palace and Clarence House, in London, and Highgrove House in Gloucestershire. Also at the King’s request, the wreath was sustainable, and affixed in a nest of English moss and oak branches.
The wreath contains myrtle, the ancient symbol of a happy marriage, cut from a plant that was grown from a sprig of myrtle in the Queen’s wedding bouquet in 1947. It also contains rosemary as a symbol of remembrance and English oak, a national symbol of strength, in a nod to the Queen’s constancy and steadfast duty. Other foliage includes pelargoniums, garden roses, autumnal hydrangea, sedum, dahlias, and scabious.
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Fall MVGC Plant Swap!
Tuesday, September 27, 1:00
The Old Mill parking lot.
Nancy Weaver has offered to host a fall plant swap for the Garden Club! The one she hosted last year was very popular, so if your garden is over-full of plants, or if you're interested in filling in and expanding while enhancing your garden, do sign up!
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Please bring plants or seeds you’d like to share.
Limited to the first 15 people who email Nancy at:
Phone / text Nancy at: 774-521-6043
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Martha's Vineyard Farm Map!
The MV Ag Society has presented the Island's first up to date Farm map since 2018. According to the Ag Society, this map is the result of months of diligent research by MVAS staffer Kara O'Sullivan, the talent and vision of Island artist (and 2019 Fair poster designer) Elissa Turnbull, and generous funding from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources. It represents their love for Island farmers, and their mission to connect community members with local agriculture. Thanks to Tisbury Printer, hard copies have been printed are can be found all over the island: from the Steamship Authority to libraries, real estate offices, farm stands, and the West Tisbury Farmers Market. To take a peek, the Farm Map is HERE and click HERE to check out the key map. You can also access the Ag Society Farm map via their website by clicking HERE.
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Our Presentation Calendar for 2023 is pretty much set! The current Programs Committee consists of Donna Arold (Programs Chair), Angela Egerton and Fawn Hurwitz...but as of 2024 there will need to be a new Chairperson of the Committee as Donna (me) has fulfilled her 2 year term. Any interested GC members, please reach out via donna.arold@gmail.com
and that way you can join us prior to stepping in
to get a feel for what we do!
For a description of the committee responsibilities, please visit our website and
this link. Being on the Program Committee is an opportunity to introduce members to topics you find interesting and in turn explore all the resources for diverse and unique topics for our Club!
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The MV Garden Club has a newly formed Conservation Committee! The role of the Committee is to to inform Club membership on best practices for gardening and our households, liaise with other organizations, identify events and speakers. It is an opportunity for a group of conservation activists to impact our Club and the Island in a positive way, while respecting the foundation of conservation the MVGC was built on 98 years ago. Do consider joining the Committee if this is a specific interest of yours! Visit 'Resources' on our website and the new Conservation Information page there.
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Trudy Williams, VP of Edgartown speaks for the Club in saying 'THANK YOU' to our dedicated Club members who so generously prepare and provide the nibbles and refreshments for our monthly member meetings! We may not always say it, but we certainly appreciate your participation.
To our new members (in case you're wondering about the process,) we go alphabetical based on town and each month a different 'town' is responsible to provide sweet and savory snacks and refreshments for monthly meetings. Example...last month, August was Aquinnah/Chilmark's turn...this month/September it was Edgartown...next month will be Oak Bluffs' turn...and so it goes! In any case, thanks to those who provide and organize this. We all benefit from your generosity, kindness and kitchen skills! - With Appreciation, The MVGC Board and Members
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On the Topic of Committees:
The Old Mill Committee needs more participation!
The Old Mill Committee is looking for more members to help manage it, so can you help?
The Old Mill Committee includes the chairperson and as many members as are deemed necessary. The Committee seasonally opens and closes the Old Mill and is responsible for seeing that the Mill is ready for Club meetings and other events the Club hosts there. Additionally, the Committee cares for the grounds by overseeing maintenance that is done around the Mill. Any parking arrangements for special events held at the Mill are managed by this Committee.
For those who are committed to and love this old building, please step up and help out! Our Garden Club is unique in that many members are seasonal, so that leaves probably about only 1/3 of our Club to manage all Committees and the Board, year round.
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REFRESH YOUR GARDENING LIBRARY JUST IN TIME FOR WINTER PLANNING!
An array of gardening books have already been donated so there are lots of different kinds to choose from. We have scheduled the October meeting for our GARDEN BOOK SWAP so do bring your books along (if you haven't already).
We've kept track of who has donated as they will get priority in choosing a new book. The SWAP will take place at the end of the October meeting.
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A Warm Welcome to our
New and Returning Members!
Kathleen Skinner - WT
Nancy Wolf - E
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Our
October Meeting...
The Beauty of Floral Quilts!
Tuesday, October 18, 2022 - 1:00pm @ The Wakeman Center with Charlotte Cole and Wendy Nierenberg...
'The Beauty of Handmade Floral Quilts' AND a Gardening Book Swap.
Flowers and quilts have gone hand in hand for a long time! Explore the many floral patterns with quilt artists Wendy Nirerenberg and Charlotte Cole in this show-and-tell presentation.
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SAVE THE DATE!
The Agricultural Society's Annual Harvest Festival will be held on Saturday, October 22, from 10am - 3pm. There will be farm animals, music, fiber arts, classes, and so much more fall fun! More info to come,
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The Garden Conservancy and Virtual Programs...
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Giving Back to the Community!
On Thursday, September 8, Angela Luckey of Natural Neighbors (through BioDiversityWorks) and three MVGC volunteers (Carol Goldstein, Caroline Taylor and Donna Arold) met with a few of the ladies who manage the Community Garden at Woodside to offer suggestions for replanting a large central garden amidst the raised flower beds in the Community Garden. Through our visit, we discussed possibilities and Angela offered suggestions for using Polly Hill as a resource for plants and plugs, (see the link above!) along with some suggestions for guidance regarding native seed propagation. Here's the seed prop link that Angela suggested to Woodside... https://wildseedproject.net/how-to-grow-natives-from-seed/
We may be heading back to Woodside this Fall to help put gardens to bed and help the residents prep the garden for Winter. If you are interested in helping out, please email donna.arold@gmail.com .
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Thank you to Teri Culletto for her awesome September program,
'Flowers and Focaccia'
Our September Meeting was super yummy thanks to the mad bread skills and artistry of our speaker, local celebrity, Teri Culletto aka @vineyardbaker. The meeting was held at the Wakeman Center on September 20 and was nicely attended by 23 MVGC members and 24 non-Club members. Our Edgartown Club members provided sweet and savory snacks along with lovely refreshments, and those who stayed until the end of Teri's program were able to have a taste of the beautiful focaccia breads she created for our program.
We got a wonderful lesson on making focaccia and how to apply the flowers/veggies along with lots of little tips on achieving a successful bake! Teri was extremely generous with sharing her recipes, tips and information...so if you are one of those people who wants to try this at home, visit Teri's website for tutorials and recipes to download and print out.
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We learned about 'shaggy dough' and how to not mix yeast directly with salt...as Teri says, 'they don't play together well in the sandbox'! |
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This is the focaccia Teri made for us on Tuesday! |
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These two breads were the ones the attendees got to taste! The combination of flavors, the texture of the focaccia and and the beauty of the presentation was an absolute treat!
Thanks so much for an inspiring program, Teri! I've already received requests for an encore program next Summer when more members are on Island!
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Teri brought her veggie bin from home and showed us how to trim and prep the veggies for the focaccia! |
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Below is a note I received from Teri on 9/21. She asked that I add it to the September newsletter along with the recap of her presentation for
the Garden Club folks and Program Attendees.
'As I was reviewing my notes at home I realized that I had reversed some protein content information on flours. The King Arthur company has silly names for their flours The Sir Galahad is also their regular All purpose flour with 11.7 % protein content good for cookies and such. The KA special patent has a protein content of 12.7% which is also their bread flour brand called bread flour in a white and blue bag on the shelf. ( I had reversed the two during the talk) Its in a confusing and there are many many more flours that King Arthur makes in fact they just got into making the double 00 for pizza a very pure finely milled protein flour 12 % this is all the science of flours and its nice that we can just go pick up what we need and KA has done all the research and work. I will not mention lady Guinevere , well I guess I will , this is a low protein flour made especially for cakes. At 9% protein. With a little knowledge comes great baked goods. . sorry hope this helps. I can mention these two go to website that do tend to have really good and reliable information as well: thefreshloaf.com and breadtopia.com . These are very useful for first time bread bakers as well as experienced.'
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Book Lovers Corner - Ty's Book Review for September
The Well-Tended Perennial Garden (2006) Tracy DiSabato-Aust
I hope some of you took the time to explore last month's book. Sometimes just sitting down with a printed page helps to put things in perspective and also to inspire us to further endeavors in our gardens!
This month's book choice is a wonderful, practical how-to book. Because of a lot of interest in the club from members about how to begin a garden, I've chosen to introduce The Well-Tended Perennial Garden. This is a very well-known menu of what to do, when, with a plot of land and a vision of what it could be! As I was re-reading this book to review it, even I, with an established garden, got many tips and of course, inspiration, from the text. And truth be told, I use parts of this book constantly as I maintain my own garden. The encyclopedia section is priceless as it describes the minute details of how to maintain a
mixed perennial garden. There are three main sections of the book. The first is the “How-to” section, entitled Basic Perennial Garden Planting and Maintenance, along with Pruning Perennials. This section gives lots of hints about planning and preparing your site, establishing plants, pests and diseases, staking, division, and renovation of an established garden. There are also five chapters about pruning, deadheading, cutting back and thinning. All of these chapters are accompanied with graphic illustrations and photographs that help make the author's points. The second section is the Encyclopedia of Perennials. In alphabetical order the author describes about 175 different perennials, most of them pretty well-known. For instance, Polygonatum odoratum 'Variegatum' is the entry for variegated Solomon's seal. It lists the zone, the description, the size, the exposure (sun or shade), and when it flowers. Then in goes into the details of its pruning needs during the growing season and what to do with it as winter approaches. An attractive photo is included with each entry. My own copy of this book has many notes among the entries: the Echinacea pupurea entry has notes about leaving seedheads standing in the winter for the finches and juncos and the Echinops ritro suggests that I cut it back by about one-third early in the season to control growth. The third section of the book contains several appendices about grasses, maintenance schedules, and requirements. I hope you get a chance to pick up a copy of this book and if you like it perhaps adding it to your gardening library. Happy reading! - Ty
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Harvest House Tour!
Here's something fun if you need a trip to America!
A great opportunity to support the
Falmouth Garden Club and Tour
some beautiful houses in that pretty town.
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COME TO Four O'Clock FRIDAY...
our next one is September 30!
Let's meet new members and/or rekindle friendships with existing members! Come to
Four 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! Four O'Clock Friday will be held the last Friday of each month and will continue through the warm months, hopefully until October!
We hope to see our new members there!
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We asked for your Pollinator pics...and here's what we got! |
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You asked for pollinators in the newsletter, and I just happened to have taken several of these two Luna moths, mating, on our side fence!
I have never seen them before, but apparently they are/were fairly common. I looked out the kitchen window while doing the dishes and saw this green creature on the fence. I went out to look at it, discovered it was actually two green creatures and took some pix with my phone. Then Googled “Green Moth” and got this: The Large Green “Luna” Moth | Facts About Butterflies Apparently, their caterpillars like birch leaves, and we have a few on our property. They are endangered because they are also attacked by the non-native wasps which were introduced to control the gypsy moth! Nice idea with unintended consequences. The adult moth has only a one week lifespan to mate and lay her eggs, because she has no mouth to eat anything. Then egg, caterpillar, cocoon, adult moth, deja vue all over again!
- Cheers! Dave Hobart, MVGC Member
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If you have enjoyed this newsletter and are interested in being part of the Martha's Vineyard Garden Club, do click on this link to join! We host informative garden related programs each month along with interactive workshops and Garden Club Member hosted 'Garden Tours and Walkabouts' from Spring through Summer! Do join us!
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