Nov 7, 2024 – Fresh Holiday Floral Arrangements

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Nov 7, 2024

Fresh Holiday Floral Arrangements

Presented by Mary Beth Hayes

It’s never too early for a little bit of holiday spirit and some jolly good holiday cheer! Join the Amherst Garden Club for one of our most popular programs of the year, Fresh Holiday Floral Arrangements.

Floral designer Mary Beth Hayes will inspire you as she demonstrates a variety of seasonal and holiday arrangements. You will learn how to make four unique floral arrangements using the best materials that the fall season has to offer.

Mary Beth will discuss design principles and tips, as well as different foam-free mechanics for your holiday arrangements, and will also provide helpful sourcing information for supplies and flowers.

Finally, to ensure that you are filled with the holiday spirit and the excitement of the holidays to come, we will be raffling the four floral arrangements off as raffle prizes at the end of the meeting!! Raffle tickets will be on sale throughout the morning.

About Mary Beth Hayes — Mary Beth is an avid gardener and floral designer who began studying floral design to bring the beauty of the garden into her home. She has studied with the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and the Cass School of Floral Design in Watertown, MA, and with leading designers Francoise Weeks, Holly Chapple, and Hitomi Gilliam.

Mary Beth loves to share the techniques she’s learned so we can all “play with flowers” and create beautiful, natural flower arrangements and more. She has a home-based studio business, Semper Virens Flowers, providing weddings, events and workshops. Mary Beth lives in Chelmsford with her husband Dennis.

© Mary Beth Hayes

Oct 3, 2024 – Wild Mushrooms of Fall

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Oct 3, 2024

Wild Mushrooms of Fall

Presented by Stephanie Doyle

Do you love all things mushroom? Have you ever dreamed of foraging in a forest; living off wild mushrooms and the land? If yes, or even if you are just curious about mushrooms, then this presentation is for you!

Join us as Stephanie Doyle shares her love of mushrooms and discusses the rules of mycophagy.

Stephanie will show us how to develop the skills needed and learn the correct tools to identify mushrooms. She will teach which mushrooms are edible, or poisonous, and common to New England.

Stephanie is a New Hampshire native who went to school for Environmental Studies. While attending her undergraduate studies at the University of West Florida, Stephanie founded the UWF Mycology Club and hosted club meetings and walks. 

She moved back to New Hampshire after college and worked for the NH Mushroom Company in Tamworth growing mushrooms and coordinating events. She now works for a Maine mushroom company, Elevate Mushrooms, which specializes in Mushroom coffees, chai teas and tinctures.

Stephanie is also the founder and co-organizer of the Fantastic Forage Mushroom Festival that takes place in Laconia during the last weekend in September every year. Join them in 2025 for the 10th Annual Fantastic Forage Mushroom Festival.

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

Sep 5, 2024 — Ayn Whytemare

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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

May 2, 2024 — Missy Biagiotti

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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

Mar 7, 2024 — Susan Kierstead

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Mar 7, 2024

Early Spring Treasures & Ephemerals

Presented by Susan Kierstead

Susan Kierstead, longtime AGC Member and former owner of a perennial nursery, simply radiates her love of gardening to those around her.

Her passion for early blooming perennials, especially spring ephemerals, is sure to excite and inspire you to get some for your own garden. After the snow melts away, these hardy perennials break through the ground letting us know that Spring is here.

Susan’s presentation is sure to be a breath of fresh air amidst the long days of winter and will include wonderful photos of these plants in her own garden.

Gardening is my joy... That’s how I live my summer. I spend all my energy in the garden. I started out with a ‘plant it where it might fit’ viewpoint and I grew into a more progressive planner. My idea of a good garden is to see no ground and to plant close. I call this age proofing. And I’d say I’ve learned it all with dirty knees, dirty pants and I’ve killed more plants than most people plant in a lifetime. My fingernails don’t really clean up until October, but I love my life in the garden.”

— Susan

Susan ran a small business called ‘Perennials From Susan’ for 40 years. She found it to be such fun trying to match the gardener with the right plant. She still misses the interchange with other garden fanatics. As Susan happily states, “She who has the most plants wins. And I win! And I hope to transfer that spring excitement to you!”

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

Guests are warmly welcomed

Feb 1, 2024 — Meredith Borgioli

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Feb 1, 2024

Garden Maintenance Tips from a Pro

Presented by Meredith Borgioli

Gain all kinds of useful and practical knowledge to use on your own garden as Meredith Borgioli discusses which maintenance tasks provide the most benefits, essential tools for various gardening jobs, and design elements that you can use to enhance your garden.

Meredith Borgioli will share her pro tips to help your garden reach its full potential. She will also offer suggestions to reduce overall maintenance so you have more time to enjoy your outdoor space — something that’s important to all of us!

Meredith has been a professional gardener for 14 years in southern NH. She is a NH Master Gardener and a Certified Landscape Professional with NH Landscape Association. Meredith received a Landscape Design Degree from NHTI and is now on the faculty teaching the Vectorworks Landmark course in the use of landscape design software.

As the owner of Trillium Gardening Services, her team focuses on garden design and maintenance in the Hollis/Amherst NH area.

Meredith started her education with a BFA in Theater at Syracuse University. Her background in the visual arts helps as a garden designer to identify the different elements that combine to make a composition ‘work’, similar to a stage set. This training is mixed with a curiosity for the science behind what makes a garden successful and how that can be applied to different gardening styles and sites.

Guests are warmly welcomed.

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

Jan 4, 2024 — Marie Nickerson

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Jan 4, 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… and Bonus! … some of Marie’s violets will be door prizes!

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. She has also been active in the UNH Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners Program. For many years she spent her summers on Appledore Island as a Steward of Celia Thaxter’s Garden. Marie is an Advanced Master Gardener, Natural Resource Steward, as well as a Marine Docent.

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.

Guests are warmly welcomed.

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

Nov 3, 2023 — Fortin Gage Florist

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Nov 2, 2023

Fortin Gage Holiday Arrangements

Presented by Fortin Gage Florists

It’s getting to be that time of year, when you need to spread a little holiday cheer.

Flowers have a special way of setting the mood, along with family, decorations and, of course, the food.

So come get a jump on your holiday décor, with floral arrangements for your table and more!

by Becky Fitzgerald

Come and kick off your holiday season with the Amherst Garden Club at the much-anticipated Holiday Floral Arrangement program.

Join the festivities as Jody Gage and Courtney Jensen of Fortin Gage Flower and Gift Shop demonstrate how to arrange an artistic and beautiful arrangement for your holiday needs.

Jody and Courtney will demonstrate four arrangements explaining the procedure to make them.

The arrangements will be raffled at the end of the program to those attending. Raffle tickets will be sold during the morning. 

This is always a popular program, and guests are welcome!

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

Oct 5, 2023 — Kevin Martin

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Oct 5, 2023

Big Trees of New Hampshire

Presented by Kevin Martin

Are you a lover of trees, hiking, and all things nature? Then this presentation is for you!

Hikers and tree enthusiasts alike will enjoy Kevin’s presentation as he details local hikes that are designed to highlight Big Trees in the area. He will enlighten us about how trees provide for wildlife and the environment and will also discuss interesting facts from the history of the land that the trees are on. You will discover hikes that include old growth pine and hemlock forests as well as a city tour with a horse chestnut in Portsmouth, NH that was planted by a signer of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

The presenter, author, and outdoorsman Kevin Martin, has been a wooden boat builder for over forty years and has served on the Epping Conservation Commission and as a State Coordinator for the NH Big Tree Program, where he worked with AGC member Anne Krantz.

He lives on the banks of the Lamprey River with his wife and often takes hikes into the woods with family and friends to visit Big Trees.

Kevin will be selling his book, Big Trees of Northern New England.

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

Sep 7, 2023 — Kevin Bragg

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Sep 7, 2023

Of Pods, Packets & Promise

Presented by Kevin Bragg

Kevin will enlighten us on the history of seed and plant commerce in America and the people who sought to satisfy the “plant bug” within us.

With names like Bartram, Burbank, Burpee and Ball, learn of the people behind the evolution of America’s plant industry. Hear tales of how people, ranging from presidents to ambassadors to commodore, have influenced our gardening history in unique ways.

The evolution of seed packaging and catalogs, the import/export of plants to “the new world,” scientific advancements and cultural shifts have all led up to today’s modern breeding, marketing and selling of plants.

Using contemporary accounts, drawings, lithographs and photos, Kevin’s illustrated story follows the development of American horticultural history, from subsistence farming to ornamental gardening.

Kevin Bragg has over thirty years of experience in the horticulture field, including time as Coordinator of Historic Gardens at Canterbury Shaker Village. Owner of Canterbury Plantation. Kevin enjoys combining his passions for plants and history and exploring the relationships among them.

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