From the President:
Happy New Year. I hope all your holiday festivities went well. The Greenhouse is filling up, committees are in full swing, and there are interesting
programs ahead. The Annual Meeting of the GCA in Boston will be keeping us on our toes, and with a shorter, earlier Backyard Botany, and annual Plant Sale, we will have a very busy spring. But right now, it’s the beginning of winter. When I was young, my grandfather, a major arborist, with a big estate, extensive greenhouses, a conservatory off the dining room, and all the reason in the world to bask in happy horticultural bliss, used to say to us all at the Summer Solstice, “Ah well, the days are getting shorter, Winter is coming!” This made us all so cross. Why did he play Scrooge and remind us of winter as we finally approached warmer weather and summer fun? Now, however, as I write this, the Solstice is past and winter is upon us. Now I can turn the tables on my grandfather’s remarks and say, “Be happy, the days are growing longer, Spring is on its way!” Smile.
Happy New Year
— Ruth
Solstice Dawn
Calendar
January
Tuesday, Jan. 8 —9 a.m., Busy day at the greenhouse as geranium plugs arrive. Come if you can.
Wednesday, Jan. 9— At 10 a.m., chairmen of the various committees involved in the Boston Annual Meeting Post Trip will meet at Ellen Christie’s. See below for more details of the trip. This is an all-club event on May 20 and 21.
Tuesday, Jan. 15 — At 10:30 a.m. Executive Committee meets in the Coach House.
Thursday, Jan. 17. — At 10:30 a.m., Monthly meeting at the Southworth Library. Dartmouth. Warren Leach of Tranquil Lake Nursery will present “Plant Combinations for a Long Season of Bloom.” Head hostess is Lisa Mellgard.
Tuesday, Jan. 22 —At 10:30 a.m. after Greenhouse, in the Coach House. Committee chairs will meet to discuss future leadership, projects, etc.
February
Date TBD — Backyard Botany committee will meet to finalize plans for three day program for New Bedford fourth graders.
Tuesday, Feb. 19 — At 10:30 a.m., after Greenhouse, Executive Committee will meet in the Coach House.
Thursday, Feb. 21 — 10:30 a.m. Monthly meeting at the Southworth Library Dartmouth. Speaker is Diane Lang of the Trustees of Reservations. Head hostess is Susan Mead.
SAVE THESE DATES:
Tuesday April 23 -Thursday, April 25.— 9 a.m. to noon, Backyard Botany program. Because of the Boston Annual Meeting we are only doing three days, three lectures and tours a day and moving it a week earlier. This is our major community project, so try to keep it on your calendar. Suzanne Prescott is the chairman.
May 20 and May 21 —CGA Annual Meeting Post Trip. We will be hosting 35 GCA members a Garden Club Buzzards Bays they relish in the glories of the Southcoast. Dinners in members’ homes, transportation, etc. will be our responsibility. Details below.
Juncus Journey
Last spring Margaret Forbush and I went on a scouting trip to a Rhode Island wholesale nursery in search of some interesting plants to supplement our offerings for the GCBB Plant Sale. We had fun perusing the greenhouses and bought a lovely array of mostly colorful annuals. At the last minute we remembered that Linda Cornell suggested we buy some Juncus. What’s that you may ask? Specifically, Juncus effuses ‘Spiralis’ aka the corkscrew plant.
It’s a type of rush that has green spikey and curly tendrils going in all directions, no visible flowers and loves very wet, boggy soil.
So against our better judgment, we bought 8 Juncus plants but feared they would never sell. Surprise! They quickly sold out with no problem. I bought one myself and thought I had the perfect pot for it…..what a great hairdo for this guy!
Unfortunately my Juncus quickly outgrew this pot, and by late summer I had repotted into a terra cotta pot.
I kept the plant on my deck u
ntil late October, bringing it in occasionally to avoid frosts. But I didn’t really have a place to keep it over the winter, and didn’t want to part with it either. So of course I took it into the greenhouse where we ripped it apart, took at least 12 divisions for new plants, gave a few away, and repotted the remains as a smaller, slimmer stock plant.
Greenhouse waterers, please be on the lookout for these new plants and give them a generous drink. If all goes well, we’ll have some great Juncus plants to sell next May.
—Susan McLauren
GCA Post Trip May 20-‐21
Ellen Christie and Ruth Furman are chairing the Post Trip to our neck of the woods on May 20 and 21 following the national meeting in Boston on May 16-19. The following is a description of the sold-out trip. The GCBB post-trip committee will be meeting Wednesday, Jan. 9 at 10 a.m. at Ellen’s house to discuss what volunteers we need when and where for transportation, dinners, guides, etc. Keep the days open.
“Treasures and Charms of the Southcoast”
The Garden Club of Buzzards Bay (GCBB) welcomes you!
Come on aboard for a visit to the famed historic seaport of New Bedford, MA, where 19th century whalers set out on high sea adventures and where today it is a significant fishing port. Find out the stories that made this city a historically significant port and explore some of the hidden treasures of the 432 square mile watershed known as Buzzards Bay with its endless barrier beaches, fascinating salt marshes; where sea breezes meet gardens.
Day one starts with tours of three distinctive gardens–all GCBB members’ gardens set in charming coastal towns. The first garden includes a formal garden, a vegetable garden, an orchard as well as a Japanese inspired garden. The second garden is an iconic, small New England oasis. The last garden on tour is in the American Archives at the Smithsonian and has been on the Nature Conservancy tour and features mature specimen trees, a rose garden, a stumpery and formal strolling gardens. Relax and enjoy lunch in this beautifully appointed garden.
The final tour of the day will be at the National Historic Landmark, the Rotch Jones Duff House Garden and Museum, built by a whaling family. It has a beautiful garden to wander through at days-end. Enjoy tea or a glass of bubbly in the garden.
Cocktails and dinners will be in GCBB members’ homes where guests will enjoy a warm and welcoming evening.
Day two starts with a visit to the Fishing Heritage Center in the historic Johnny Cake Hill area for an introduction to New Bedford’s fishing industry. New Bedford is the most valuable port in the United States. There will be a private tour of the center and a presentation from a fisherman. A quick walk away is the New Bedford Whaling Museum, the largest of its kind in America. Here we will savor the international history of whaling and its impact on the surrounding south coast. With appetites whetted, we will lunch at a local family-owned seafood restaurant overlooking our beautiful Buzzards Bay. Afterwards we go across the street to visit the Audubon Society’s AllensPond Wildlife Sanctuary for an easy, docent-led walking tour offering ocean and pond views frommany fine vantage points. (Cameras charged and sensible shoes–both A MUST!)
After the tour, it’s a return to New Bedford to board the bus for Boston
Cost/person is $200.00. This does NOT include lodging.
Participants are responsible for making their own hotel reservations. Hotel rooms have been set aside for the GCA at the FairBield Inn & Suites New Bedford, 185 MacArthur Drive, New Bedford, MA 02740. Phone: 774-‐634-‐2000 and indicate “GCA Annual Meeting Post Trip.”
New Members
Sandy Hall
I am an illustrator and a printmaker, wor
king mostly in watercolor and ink as well as silkscreen prints and copper plate etching.I am also an author of children’s books and will have my second book coming out in the Spring. I love garden design with all of the colors, textures and seasonal changes.It’s wonderful to be a part of this amazing group, I am learning so much already!
Anne Heller
I am originally from Burlington, Vermont, and have lived in Massachusetts since I got married in 1980. Until my retirement in 
2012, I worked in higher education (alumni relations and admissions) and as a consultant for an enrollment management consulting firm. I have one son who lives in Lebanon and two stepchildren and their spouses who live in the area. My husband, Jerry, and I discovered Padanaram on a sailing voyage in the mid-1980s, and we’ve been committed to the area ever since (with a boatein the harbor and two summer houses since then).In 2017, we decided to simplify life, sold our home in Wayland, and became full-time (and very happy) residents of Dartmouth. Although I belonged to a garden club in Newton, the primary focus was floral arranging which suited someone who lived on a shady, heavily wooded street. Now that I’m the owner of a large, sunny yard, I’m interested in learning more about plants and garden design. I’m looking forward to my time in the greenhouse and learning the intricacies of plant sale management!
Janet Coquillette
I transferred to GCBB from The Garden Club of Cleveland when my husband and I decided to switch from South Coast vacationers to year-round residents. I worked professionally first as a lawyer and later as a management consultant to nonprofit organizations. An inveterate volunteer, I have had longstanding
relationships with The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Rainey Institute (arts programs for urban children) and a variety of other organizations. I am still mom to three grown children and likes plants, gardens, cooking, farmers markets, art and crewing on the family sailboat. I look forward to learning more about GCBB and the South Coast.
From Photography
Some inspiration from Dorothea Lange, an award-winning photo journalist from 1930-1960:
“The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.”
— Holly McDonough
GCA Photo Favorites
Would you like to participate in voting for the ‘Glorious Gardens’ Focus Magazine contest?
(Focus is the GCA Photography publication, one of many that are invaluable resources accessible through the GCA website, gcamerica.org. Also accessible from the GCBB website under Resources. . Others publications are the Real Dirt from Horticulture, By Design from Floral Design, ConWatch from Conservation, The Bulletin and many more. Great way to spend a wintery day discovering all the resources the GCA offers.)
How to vote, from Zone I Communications Chair Carla Morey: Take a leisurely stroll through an amazing array of beautiful photos, vote in each category and then choose the selection for most creative. The Photography Committee has provided a score sheet for you and explicit directions on how to navigate the contest. Relax and enjoy the artistic talents of GCA members, the perfect antidote to the hectic holidays. Club members log in to the GCA website members page, locate the COMMITTEE NEWS column (middle), and scroll down to: Voting for the ‘Glorious Gardens’ Focus contest is now open!
Hypertufa with Leslie, Leader of the Flock Jolliffe,
Tapestry Wreath from Holly, Traditional from Ellen.