This month our Perennials+ special interest group had another great meeting at the Black Forest Café to discuss getting seeds ready and planning your garden. The useful planting chart pictured can be found at www.fruitionseeds.com, along with essentail seed starting tips.

The Perennials+ group meets the 3rd Thursday of each month (September through May). A fun and informative program is presented each month, based on the group’s interest. Open to all club members.

Earlier today, about 24 garden club members met at the clubhouse at The Fells of Amherst for the annual Perennials+ Holiday Social.  The highlight of the event was the Yankee Plant Swap, but an informal cookie exchange and a delectable assortment of refreshments, along with the casual and fun atmosphere, made the morning a welcome addition to the holiday calendar all around. Thank you to Meg Clemens for hosting, Barbara Beck for coordinating the Yankee Swap, and all who participated.

On November 17, the AGC Perennials+ special interest group hosted a workshop for club members interested in creating garden art from secondhand glassware. Creations ranged from stacked “totems” to “flowers” to birdbaths and glass “mushrooms”. Participants enjoyed working side-by-side and were inspired by one another’s creations and shared suggestions. Can’t wait to see the gardens around Amherst come Spring!

Club members who are interested in making glass garden art at the Perennials+ “Glass Garden Art Workshop” on November 17 may wish to check out the Amherst Junior Women’s Club’s Rummage Sale tomorrow, October 22 from 9 am – 1 pm at the Mason’s Lodge in Milford (30 Mont Vernon Street).  Rumor has it there is a lot of glassware available.

Watch for more details about the upcoming workshop in the next AGC newsletter, and examples of finished pieces at the general membership meeting on November 3. You can also take a look at this Pinterest board to get ideas.  The workshop is open to AGC members only.

Today, the Perennials+ interest group hosted a visit by about 24 garden club members to the dome greenhouse of Clint and Britt Ellsworth of Amherst, NH.  The Ellsworths were wonderful, gracious hosts, explaining the vision behind the project (to support their philosophy of living and raising their family) close to the environment) as well as the mechanics of construction and operation. It was fascinating to hear about the aquaculture approach embodied in the closed system that irrigates the plants with water cleansed by the ~500(!) goldfish that feed off of the plant waste.  Also to see the tomatoes, squash, pumpkins, lettuce, and many other crops that are still thriving as fall winds down. The weather was wonderful, and everyone was quite inspired by the Ellsworth’s example.

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Here is a link to a video of “steamup” for Richard Kadrmas’ garden railroad, which the AGC Perennial Group recently visited, courtesy of Richard and videographer Eric Schade : https://youtu.be/Q7-RnE1086o . The railroad, the setting, and the video are all impressive.

About 30 AGC members participated in Christmas at The Fells on November 12.  The trip, hosted by the Perennial Group, was a great way to spend a rainy fall day.  The staff and volunteers were  quite gracious, serving a very nice luncheon including a floral design program by HollyHock Flowers in Henniker, and almost everyone left with a cute little owl or hedgehog Christmas ornament from the holiday boutique.

The AGC Perennial Group visited Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge MA earlier this month to view the fall splendor of this magnificent site.  The weather was beautiful, as was the foliage.  The pictures don’t do it justice, but here are a few nevertheless.  Thanks to all 20 or so members who spent the day with us!

The AGC Perennial Group met at Baboosic Lake on Thursday, September 17, to discuss plans for the upcoming year. It was a great meeting, with a lot of great ideas put forth by the group.  Sounds like it will be another great year. Watch the monthly newsletter for announcements about upcoming meetings for this group, which is open to AGC members only.

The program for the  April 2015 Perennial Group meeting was a great demonstration of how to make a hypertufa planter, by our own Judy Smith assisted by Edie Gambee.  The Hypertufa Planter Instructions are available here; pictures follow.  These planters will be great for all the succulents we bought last fall for the pumpkin succulent planter workshop!