President’s Message - June 2020
As the days get longer and the good weather tends to beckon us outside, my spirits are uplifted. I so enjoy walking in my small but tightly-packed cottage garden and seeing each plant grow and bloom. The hummingbirds are very active at my feeders and the bird songs in the morning are so comforting during this surreal time in our country. Even the bunny who decided that my tall phlox were the perfect breakfast buffet brings me joy – although I think he has moved on. I hope you are enjoying time in your gardens and observing the nature around you. Our gardens should be extra spectacular this year with all the additional time we have now had to pamper our plants. Enjoy them!
This is the perfect time to participate in the NEGC Regional project – “Planting the New England Victory Garden” proposed by our Regional Director, Suzanne Bushnell. Victory Gardens are even more important now that many wage earners have been furloughed and need the assistance of our local food banks. Please refer to the form contained within this newsletter that should be used to record and share your participation in this wonderful project.
Your state executive board has had to make some difficult decisions this spring in order to comply with government directives and recommendations in regard to the pandemic. The safety of our members was foremost in our minds. Regrettably, many fun and educational events had to be either postponed to a later date or canceled.
For instance, the May NHFGC Annual Meeting was postponed and arrangements have been made with the venue to reschedule this meeting in May of 2021. One important order of business is the budget which, in lieu of the vote customarily held at the annual meeting per our bylaws, was presented with an explanation of line items to all club presidents for adoption. This was sent out via e-mail and the voting was done in the same way.
NHFGC had two fun bus tours planned for this year which have been postponed to 2021. One was for the Newport, RI, Flower Show and the other, a tour of the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay.
The NHFGC Fall Meeting planned for Pat’s Peak in September has been postponed to 2021 due to the fact the venue restrictions would not have been able to accommodate our event this year. District 3 has some great ideas and plans for us to look forward to.
This spring we were able to continue to support youth activities. The Granite State FFA Convention was held virtually and Arianna Keats from Dalton, NH received the Colprit Award from NHFGC. The NHFGC scholarships were awarded to three very deserving students from UNH (see Audrey’s article). And “congratulations” to the two NH students who entered the Smokey Bear/Woodsy Owl Poster Contest and won at the Regional level. Their winning entries were sent on to National for further judging. The winners were: 2nd grader Amber Figueras from Atkinson and 3rd grader Allie Eakes-Zygmont from Derry.
I am so pleased with all the messages I have received from clubs throughout the state as you all find innovative ways to stay connected and carry on with your garden club activities. From online plant sales to virtual meetings, we all continue to stay in touch with each other and support each other as we navigate through these very challenging times. Please remember to “Keep Apart but Stay Connected”.
In closing, please know that I am always available to help you as we all work together to beautify our communities, conserve nature, and to develop a better understanding of the world around us.
Happy Gardening,
Sue
“NH Plants for Wildlife”
“I grow plants for many reasons: to please my eye or to please my soul, to challenge the elements or to challenge my patience, for novelty or for nostalgia, but mostly for the joy in seeing them grow.” ~ David Hobson
Click here to view “The History of the NHFGC, 1933 – 2013” document.
Membership
Are you interested in learning about the New Hampshire Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc. and its member garden clubs?
The New Hampshire Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc.’s (NHFGC’s) current membership consists of seventeen (17) area garden clubs with almost 1000 individual members. The state is geographically divided into four (4) districts and each has a Director who was elected to represent them on the NHFGC Executive Board. District Directors work very closely with their member garden clubs by providing assistance and guidance throughout the year. They also work with individuals in their area who may be considering either joining NHFGC or starting a new garden club in their area.
For questions regarding membership in the New Hampshire Federation of Garden Clubs or forming a new garden club, please contact our current Membership Chairperson at membership@nhfgc.org .
WHY BE FEDERATED?
Networking. “One person going through a field may go unnoticed, but many going through with the same purpose will make a “path”. Our state and our national organizations have made many such paths in many fields over the years and will continue to do so as a united front.
Fellowship. Doing what we all love to do, “gardening” with people from different walks of life—of different personalities, ages, professions, education……We all care about our gardens and our communities. Together with our fellow garden club members, we can work to make our communities more beautiful with community garden areas, planters, and we can take measures to protect our natural spaces. Through state and national networking we can learn how to do this more effectively and be recognized for it through their award programs, some involving small monetary awards.
Civic Beautification. Many of us joined garden clubs because we care about our gardens and our communities. Being part of a national organization gives us many opportunities to beautify and protect our state and our nation in a way that we can all be proud of and receive recognition for as well.
Sharing. We constantly exchange ideas for projects and share information—including programming. Members can refer to the “Program Resource Guide” posted on the NHFGC website where hundreds of speakers and program and topics are listed with their contact information. Occasionally two or more clubs will hire a well-known (and usually more expensive) speaker together, sharing the cost and the benefit. (Several of our Committee Chairs and/or Officers also give programs on their area of expertise, such as Flower Arranging, Container Gardening, Bird and Butterfly Habitats, etc. just for the asking or for a very nominal fee to cover travel and/or floral expenses, etc.)
Floral Arranging. Where else can you learn the art of floral arranging from National Garden Clubs Inc.-certified Flower Show Judges for almost free? You are invited to attend a NH Designers’ Guild meeting to observe and learn, then decide if you want to join. The cost is $10 annually. You bring your own materials and its lots of fun—and no pressure! This is a great place to start out if you are interested in floral design but have no experience!!
Board Liaisons. We have four District Directors that sit on the Executive Board. Each represents the clubs located in a specific geographic area with the Director serving as the liaison between their district clubs and the NHFGC Executive Board. NHFGC members are entitled to attend any NHFGC Board Meeting!
Communication. Our website offers ongoing notice of upcoming gardening events, such as flower shows, garden tours, plant sales, and many other activities, in the Public Calendar. There is also a “Members Only” section which is password protected so that the information is not made public under any circumstances. This section has a full listing of NHFGC Officers, District Directors, Standing Committee Chairmen, Member Clubs and their Club Presidents with their contact information. There is also information about each club’s size, meeting dates and times.
Education. Additional learning opportunities that may be of interest are the topics of Garden Therapy (Mindfulness for Seniors) and various youth programs (Junior Garden Club, Smokey Bear poster contest, Poetry competition). Further study areas sponsored by National Garden Clubs, Inc. are Landscape Design School, Environmental Studies School, Flower Show School, and Garden Studies School.
Scholarship Program. NHFGC has a very sound scholarship program. Each year we award a minimum of $1,500 in scholarship funds to qualified UNH students pursuing a career in environmental studies, horticulture or any career that reflects our mission. We increase the amount of scholarship money annually as available funds allow. We encourage our individual garden clubs to give at least one scholarship annually to a local high school student using similar criteria. Our Scholarship Committee selects a viable candidate from applications received throughout the year to forward to National Garden Clubs, Inc. to be considered for an NGC Scholarship, which is currently $4,000. We are proud to say that many New Hampshire applicants have been awarded one of the available National scholarships!
Recognition. There are many awards available to honor achievement by a garden club or an individual. The NHFGC has 25 possible awards, there are 26 available from New England Garden Clubs, Inc., and 36 offered by National Garden Clubs, Inc.
What is expected of you as a member of NHFGC? A commitment to honor the Federation’s mission “to promote the love of gardening, floral design, civic beautification, and both civic and environmental responsibility“. Every member club is free to do this in their own way. Annual duees are required for each member. They are currently $3, which includes $2 for NHFGC and $1 shared for both National and Regional support. (NHFGC operates entirely “dues-funded”, although we have various fundraising opportunities as necessary and as we are able.)
You may ask: “Why should we join the New Hampshire Federation of Garden Clubs?”
Our response: “Why Not?”
For more information about the New Hampshire Federation of Garden Clubs and/or how to join, please e–mail our current Membership Chairman at membership@nhfgc.org. Thank you.