Oct 10, 2024 – John Harris

Posted on by admin in Side Shoots (Upcoming)

Oct 10, 2024

Returning North with the Spring: Retracing the Journey of Naturalist Edwin Way Teale

Presented by John Harris

In 1947, Edwin Way Teale  and his wife Nellie followed the progress of over four months journeying from the Everglades to the summit of Mount Washington. His best selling book, North with the Spring tells the story of this journey. 

This month’s speaker, John Harris, set out to retrace Teale’s route stopping at wild places along the way on the same calendar date Teale had visited.

Harris examined and compared changes in the flora, fauna, and lives of the folks along the route using Teale’s journals and photos. He documents the losses, details the transformations, and celebrates the fact that a remarkable number of East Coast refuges have grown wilder since Teale’s trip.

Harris is a recently retired faculty member In Environmental Science at Franklin Pierce University and holds a Ph.D in British and American Literature. He has organized and helped edit two regional anthologies: Where the Mountain Stands Alone and Beyond the Notches: Stories of North Country New Hampshire.

Starts at 7:00 pm
Amherst Town Library
14 Main Street
Amherst, NH

The public is welcome. All must register through the library

Sep 5, 2024 — Ayn Whytemare

Posted on by admin in Programs (Passed)

Sep 5, 2024

Climate Change - What’s all the fuss?

Presented by Ayn Whytemare

We’ll be kicking off another garden club season with a very enthusiastic speaker, Ayn Whytemare, owner of Found Well Farm in Pembroke, NH.

Her presentation will be “Climate Change! What is all the fuss?” If you don’t know what climate change is or how it’s caused, Ayn will explain in understandable language what is truth and what is fiction, based on the latest science.

Our world is changing before our eyes and much quicker than expected. This will be a good opportunity to ask questions.

Ayn previously owned and operated Ecological Landscape Gardening, which emphasized using native plants, organic fertilizers, and person-based, rather than machine-based, maintenance. Additional experiences in the plant trades (florist, nursery, and garden centers), and as a forest pollution consultant, led to a desire to find more native plants for use in wild and home landscapes for restoration and enhancement.

She invites us to her Native Tree & Shrub Sale at Found Well Farm (439 Pembroke Street, Pembroke, NH) held September 14–15. Check the website for plant availability.

Ayn is very active in her town of Pembroke serving on the Conservation Commission as well as the Historical Society. She is an adjunct instructor of Plant Biology and Sustainable Agriculture at NH Technical Institute. She received her B.A. from Barnard College of Columbia University with a major in Environmental Science and an M.S. from the University of Washington in Forest Ecology.

Starts at 10:30 am
Messiah Lutheran Church
303 Route 101
Amherst, NH

Guests are warmly welcomed

Sep 12, 2024 – Marie Nickerson

Posted on by admin in Side Shoots (Passed)

Sep 12, 2024

Roses are Red, Violets are pink, purple, yellow

Presented by Marie Nickerson

Growing violets is a passion for Marie. Greenery, light, and masses of cheery flowers in every color do much to raise the spirits. When winter arrives and her gardens have been put to bed, Marie turns inside to her collection of over 100 varieties of African Violets and continues to keep her hands in the dirt!

While she considers herself an amateur in this arena, come and discover just how much knowledge she has to share in her photo-filled presentation. Her presentation will help you understand how this houseplant has become a perennial favorite, over many years.

Marie Nickerson has been an active member of the Amherst Garden Club throughout the years. She has served as Vice President, has presented various programs, and has worked on the plant sale and civic gardens. Marie is a UNH Cooperative Master Gardener, a Natural Resource Steward, as well as a UNH Marine Docent. She also spent several summers on Appledore Island, employed by the Shoals Marine Lab, as Steward of Celia Thaxter’s Garden.

Marie is a native of New Hampshire and her earliest gardening memories are of her grandmother’s huge geranium planters. She loves how gardening connects her with nature and finds that gardening is good for the body and especially good for the soul.

Starts at 7:00 pm
Amherst Town Library
14 Main Street
Amherst, NH

The public is welcome. All must register through the library

Horticulture Hints

Posted on by admin in More

Horticulture Hints

Our monthly meetings generally include a speaker and a brief “Horticulture Hint” presentation, many with great handouts, which are available by clicking on the topic in the list below.

Horticulture Hint Handouts and Videos

Program Handouts, Recordings, etc.

Garden Center Discounts

Posted on by admin in More

Garden Center Discounts

As a benefit of membership, you can receive a discount at certain area garden centers. Keep in mind that this list may be updated at times.

  • Amherst Garden Center, 305 Route 101, Amherst
    15% off plants only
    Just mention that you are a member of the Amherst Garden Club.
  • Bedford Fields, 331 Route 101, Bedford
    10% off plants and selected other items
    Mention that you are a member of the Amherst Garden Club. We provide them with a list of our members.

Garden centers that are currently unable to extend discounts include:

  • House by the Side of the Road
  • Sunny Valley Farms
  • FrizzHome Gardens

50th Anniversary

Posted on by admin in More

50th Anniversary

Doug Tallamy Presentation

Douglas W. Tallamy, professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware where he has authored 104 research publications and has taught insect-related courses for 40 years, will be speaking on Nature’s Best Hope at Souhegan High School on October 23, 2021 at 7:00 PM.  The public is invited to this talk hosted by The Amherst Garden Club.

Chief among Professor Tallamy’s research goals has been to better understand the many ways insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities that are so necessary for the health of our planet. As the natural habitat of insects, plants, and animals has decreased dramatically over the years, these plant and animal communities are threatened with extinction. Using the knowledge he has gained from his research, Doug shows the ways people can contribute to the health of these communities by how they landscape and maintain their yards. He envisions how homeowners, by developing landscapes that enhance local ecosystems rather than degrade them, can create a 20-million-acre network of viable habitats that will provide vital corridors connecting the few natural areas that remain.

Doug’s book Bringing Nature Home was published by Timber Press in 2007 and was awarded the 2008 Silver Medal by the Garden Writers’ Association.  The Living Landscape, co-authored with Rick Darke, was published in 2014. Nature’s Best Hope, a New York Times Best Seller, was released in February 2020, and his latest book, The Nature of Oaks, was released by Timber press in March 2021.

Among his awards are the Garden Club of America Margaret Douglas Medal for Conservation and the Tom Dodd, Jr. Award of Excellence, the 2018 AHS B.Y. Morrison Communication Award and the 2019 Cynthia Westcott Scientific Writing Award.

Legacy Gift to the Town

The Amherst Garden Club is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the club’s founding in 1971. One of the ways we have commemorated the occasion is with a legacy gift to the Town of Amherst.

Our gift to the town is an inscribed natural granite bench and a pink dogwood (Cornus florida) tree at the intersection of Mack Hill, Dodge, and Jones Roads. This small historical park, the site of the Town’s first Meeting House, is along a popular walking route in the historic district, not far from the Town Green.

It is hoped by the club that the tree and the bench will be welcoming for pedestrians and will draw attention to the historically significant site.

Past and Present Presidents Reunion

In celebration of the clubs 50th anniversary, a gathering of past and present club presidents, along with some longtime members, was organized by Marti Warren and recorded on Zoom by M.J. Bachman and Joan O’Brien. Those who attended had a wonderful time laughing, re-connecting, and sharing memories from earlier years of the club. 

Click below to watch the one-minute highlights video.

AGC Straw Hat

AGC Google Group

Posted on by admin in More

AGC Google Group

The Amherst Garden Club has a Members Only Google Group for members to communicate directly with one another on any topic.

You are welcome to post garden-related information and questions to the group, but you can also start a discussion about something unrelated to gardening.

All garden club members are automatically added to the Google Group.

To participate in the group, you will need a Google account, which you may already have. If you need to create one, note that you do not need a Gmail account; you can associate whatever email address you want with your Google account.

Take me to the AGC Members Only Google Group

You can click Membership and email settings to set your email preferences, as illustrated below.

If you choose to receive email notifications, the Subject line of these messages will begin “[agcmembers]”

Tips

Although you can interact with the group by logging in to Google Groups and selecting AGCMembers, you can also fully engage with the group entirely through email if you desire.

If you wish to post a new message, it is not necessary to go to the Google Group. Just send a regular email to agcmembers@googlegroups.com.

Unsubscribe from the group at any time by sending an email to agcmembers+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.

May 2, 2024 — Missy Biagiotti

Posted on by admin in Programs (Passed)

May 2, 2024

Field of Dreams: How to Start & Grow Lavender in New Hampshire

Presented by Missy Biagiotti

Come learn the art of growing lavender, as Missy Biagiotti shares her knowledge and experiences with us. Missy owns Lavender Fields at Pumpkin Blossom Farm in Warner, New Hampshire.

If you have struggled with keeping your lavender plants alive, or if you simply want tips to help your lavender plants to flourish, then you will not want to miss this program. Come sample lavender flavored goodies and beverages. Also there will be a selection of lavender products available for purchase after the presentation. 

Missy’s farm, dating back to 1790, once served as a boarding house during the Civil War and now welcomes guests for weddings and other events. Lavender Fields is 14 acres situated on a sunny sloping hillside and is home to more than 7,000 lavender plants. Among the showcased varieties are Phenomenal, Sensational and Big Time Blue. Visitors to the farm are invited to relax and enjoy their time in the lovely-scented fields.  Visitors also can harvest their own bundle of lavender to bring home and sample treats.

We will have lavender flavored goodies and beverages to enjoy during the presentation and there will be a selection of lavender products available for purchase after the presentation.

Starts at 10:30 am
Messiah Lutheran Church
303 Route 101
Amherst, NH

Guests are warmly welcomed

Side Shoots May 2024

Posted on by admin in Side Shoots (Passed)

May 14, 2024

Container Gardening

Presented by Laura Kozel

Join us as we talk container gardening with Master Gardener Laura Kozel.

Laura will teach us how to create and maintain beautiful container plantings. This talk includes a slew of lessons learned from her years of roof deck gardening in Boston and, more recently, her home in Hollis.

Laura typically brings tools to show, as well as plant list and reference handouts.

Starts at 7:00 pm
Amherst Town Library
14 Main Street
Amherst, NH

The public is welcome. All must register through the library

Side Shoots Apr 2024

Posted on by admin in Side Shoots (Passed)

Apr 11, 2024

Fantastical Folktales of Flowers!

Presented by Diane Edgecomb & Margot Chamberlain

The dramatic myths that surround favorite garden flowers come alive in this delightful weave of story, Celtic music, and song.

In this two-person performance, we will follow stories of the Rose, Narcissus, Dandelion and the “Language of Flowers” celebrated during Victorian times.

Starts at 7:00 pm
Amherst Town Library
14 Main Street
Amherst, NH

The public is welcome. All must register through the library