The Four Seasons
The Quarterly Newsletter of the Falmouth Garden Club
Spring 2013
Founded 1931 Federated 1934
Member of: National Garden Club, Inc.~ New England Region of NGC ~ The Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts, Inc.~ Southeast District of GCFM, Inc.
Letter from the President:
Welcome Spring 2013. Last year we were all marveling at the warm weather. This year we
don’t dare take out the snow markers for fear we will be plowing again!!!
As I wind down my year as President and though I am still surprised to have been president, it has been a wonderful experience and I know Gretchen following me will be outstanding. Our Club has some wonderful new Provisional members who will become Active at our April meeting and we welcome them. They have all pitched in this past year and made a big impression. They are a very active group. I want to thank all my Committee Chairs and their Committees for their dedication to our club. An excellent example will be our April Membership Meeting, which will be hosted by our Conservation and Environmental committee. The Ways and Means Committee has had several individual Fund Raisers and a big one planned for this summer with a Garden Tour July 9th. Thank you, as well, to all who have attended and/or will attend these events. And before I end my letter to you, my last as President, I want to thank the whole membership for their support of the Club and the Community. As I moved around Falmouth I realized how much we are appreciated by so many of the Groups, large and small. I was very proud to represent you as your President.
Sincerely, Fluffy Winner
Review:
As the snowflakes swirled and the winds blew during our long winter months, the Falmouth Garden Club remained energetic, purposeful and renewed by the enthusiasm and information gained from our programs, design and workshop endeavors, and committee involvements.
The programs presented this winter and early spring informed members in the areas of design, horticulture, and conservation. Jeff Sawyer shared her passion for flowers and floral design; Julie MacIntosh Shapiro, with her vast knowledge of seeds and seed sowing inspired many of us to return home and begin our own seedlings; while our own Conservation Committee provided a wonderful program with the cooperation of guest speakers, Alex Etking, Julie Mirocha, and Josh Leveque on the recent work of the 300 Committee and the fascinating program at Mullen Hall school, “Gardens Alive.” The sharing of the talents and work of our winter presenters is an inspiration and motivator to all.
The live round and valentine wreaths created at Brenda Scannell’s January design workshop were spectacular. All were lovely and different. Sue Griglun and Patti Riccardelli inspired all who attended their workshop based on “Art in Bloom.” Attendees selected a work of art and then interpreted it with a floral design. Hila Lyman presented a traditional floral design workshop on the Crescent Design and Hogarth Curve. Several of all of the wonderful designs graced our tables at the winter monthly meetings. We are most fortunate in our wealth of design masters and our many opportunities to learn from their considerable knowledge.
Even though our civic gardens are at rest, we are not, and the work goes on with the planning and needed preparation. The plans for the newly refurbished Memorial Park by Kathy Tunsley are fabulous and by the time you read this the work will have begun. The same holds true for the Colonial Gardens, Herb Garden, Cupola Garden and Depot window boxes.
We continue to donate our floral arrangements at the desk at the Main Library, and our valued Garden Therapy work for the residents of JML. The Ways and Means Committee has been diligently planning for our July 9th Garden Tour. The details and plans begun in January will bear fruit in July, with the support and cooperation of all our members. This is a good opportunity to remind members that this is a good time of year to reflect on and choose the committee, on which you would like to serve. You were able to indicate your preferred choices on our Annual Survey but, this is a perfect time to touch base with the current chair of your preferred committees or Carol Amaral, our Membership Chair.
Members had the opportunity to chase away the winter blahs by attending our regional flower shows. The Rhode Island Flower show is near by and The Boston Flower Show is always a treat. Both Fluffy Winner and Hila Lyman represented The Falmouth Garden Club at the Boston Flower Show and returned home with second place red ribbons. Congratulations!
Welcome New Members! In April we welcomed nine new Active Members who have completed their Provisional obligations. Congratulations and a warm welcome to all!
Jan MunierBarbara Gachot
908-419-8963508-444-6409
Jan Danis Sheila Gilbert
508-563-2509
Joyce WilliamsCarol Piazza
508-457-9912508-563-2657
Doris LachapelleLinda Jones
978-957-0343 508-540-1660
Judy Coonley
774-255-1560
In The Spotlight:
Janice Burton, our Treasurer, is one of our most energetic and dedicated members. Not only does she keep track of our finances with her traveling laptop but she also works on the Cupola and Memorial Parks gardens, has chaired the Garden Boutique Committee, where she continues to participate, and is a member of the Ways and Means Committee.
She and her husband Michael are parents to two daughters; Jessica, who currently works for Alex and Ani, after graduating from Philadelphia University, and Katie, who is in her second year at the Catholic University of America where she plays Division 3 Lacrosse.
Janice, Michael, and family are avid travelers both throughout our country and abroad. Most recently they traveled to Milan to visit Jess while she was there and they follow Katie’s Lacrosse team up and down the eastern seacoast.
While managing all of this, Janice has worked as a pediatric nurse since graduating from Salve Regina. She has worked at Newton Wellesley since 1995. In addition to all these interests and activities what does she do in her spare time? Run! If you happen to have been in Disney World in February, and watched the Princess Half Marathon, when Cinderella ran by, if you looked closely, you might see that it was Janice, in full Cinderella attire! Additionally, Janice maintains her own gardens at her home, calling them a “Nursery of Nature”. So, not only does she nurture her family, her tiny patients, and her garden, but the Falmouth Garden Club as well.
Preview:
Plants for the Colonial Garden and Memorial Park
Now that spring is here and you are all busy working in your gardens, remember that both the Colonial Garden and Memorial Park need plants. Every plant that we give them is a plant that they don’t have to buy. If you have any of the following, please contact Shelley or Kathy.
For the Colonial Garden, Shelley Baker Vance needs: lobelia siphilitica (Blue cardinal flower), holly hocks of any color, foxglove, delphinium, phlox (violet or white), sedums (hens and chicks), and/or thyme or moss for walks.
For Memorial Park, Kathy Tunsley needs: Solomon’s Seal, Pulmonaria (lungwort), geranium, astilbe, hellebores, columbine, heuchera, Autumn fern, Bleeding heart, Snowdrops, European Ginger, Japanese forest grass (hakonechloa), Japanese painted fern, Lady’s mantle, red lobelia, bee balm, forget-me-nots, penstamon, primrose and foxglove.
It’s important to support other garden club’s events, just as they supported our Standard Flower Show. In the following upcoming events, we’ve listed a number of other group’s events, and we encourage you to go to them.
April 29 9:30 Board meeting at the Historical Society
May 6 FGC regular meeting
Program: Alan Banks, National Park Service, Frederic Law Olmstead out of Brookline
Flower of the month: Iris or any other horticulture specimen
May 13 10am Brenda Scannell’s workshop: “Planting a Container with Proven
Winner Plants” Register with Brenda.
May 16 Beacon Hill GC “The Hidden Gardens of Beacon Hill” annual garden tour.
Tickets $35 in advance; call 617-227-4392 or go online:
May 17-19 Herb and Plant Festival at Green Briar Nature Center
May 20 9:30 Board meeting at the Historical Society
May 21 9:15 Gus Canty Workshop: Traditional Floral Design for the Home
Traditional Mass Design 101 with Hila Lyman and Fluffy Winner
June 3 FGC luncheon and annual meeting; election and installation of officers
June 4 and 5 GCFM Annual Meeting and Judges’ Council Flower Show
Holiday Inn, Mansfield; see GCFM website ( for
Details
June 11 9:15 Gus Canty Workshop: Traditional Floral Design for the Home
Designer’s Choice 101 with Hila Lyman
June 18 10:00am Brenda Scannell’s workshop: “Decorating Garden Hats” register with Brenda.
June 22 9:30-3:30 Village GC of Dennis Garden Tour $20 in advance, $25 day of
tour contact: for information and tickets.
June 24 9:30 Board meeting at the Historical Society
June 27 10-5 Osterville GC Standard Flower Show “A Seaside Journey” at the
Osterville Historical Museum
June 29 10-4 Evening GC of Plymouth “Blooms in June” Garden Tour $15 in
advance, $20 day of tour; contact or
for more information
Be sure to save the dates and volunteer to help with our Garden Tour, “Falmouth Blooms”, July 9th.
And come help with hort or hostess at the Southeast District Flower Show July 20-27. The two entry days are Sat. July 20th and Wed., July 24th. There are also still openings in the design novice class which is a capsule table. See Hila Lyman for details.