February 2026 Concord Garden Club UPDATES AND EVENTS
- Jenny Robson - Communications
- 6 days ago
- 5 min read
Happy Midwinter --
Time to think about your seed-starting plan!
President's Message
For my February President’s message I want to send my thanks and the thanks of the entire Board to Millie LaFontaine and her team: Nicki Kilfara, Chris Miller, Donna Love, Lisa Blais, Lucy Gentilhomme, Cynthia Rouvalis, Anne Mills, Johane Telgener, Karen McNamara and probably some others I missed who once again delivered a joyful and successful Art & Bloom. Art & Bloom is a beloved Concord event (according to the many neighbors, friends and attendees who stopped to tell me so) and we should all be proud. I’m especially happy about how Art & Bloom the last couple of years has created a synergy among the Concord Garden Club, the Kimball Jenkins Estate and the Women’s Caucus for Art where all three organizations benefit.
I’m also pleased to welcome four new members to Concord Garden Club: Maleeka Lloyd, Muriel Schadee, Sarah Chaffee and Karen Horsch. Please welcome them when you see them. The Board will be hosting a get together for our newer members in the month of March to help them get settled in.
I hope to see you all on February 12 when our own Melissa Smart and Lauren Savage will give a presentation on gardens they have visited, reminding us that if it’s too cold and snowy to garden here, we can always go somewhere else.
-- Gena
Art and Bloom recap
Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s Art and Bloom! We outdid ourselves. There were 23 arrangements, including 8 from CGC, 10 from community members, and 5 from professionals. Almost 700 visitors enjoyed the show despite frigid temperatures outside.
Our People’s Choice voting confirmed what we already knew: every single arrangement was someone’s favorite!
Congratulations to Gayle Kimball, top vote-getter for her interpretation of Suzan Gannett’s “The Fence Post with Barbed Wire”.
The top professional designer was Beth Webb for interpreting Brenda Wilbert’s “Chromatic Renewal”.
CGC member Lucy Gentilhomme deserves special mention for her interpretation of the same artist’s “Color Unfurled”.
Lisa Blais, who created a diorama inspired by Alison Scott’s photo “Apricity 12-26 Ice Jam Sheets at Sunrise”,
and mother-and-son team of Maura Weston and Jeffrey Bartlett, who designed a stunning triptych after Lucy Mueller’s “Under the Ice”, vied for honors among our teams of community members.
We had 14 sponsors and 2 in-kind donors. Judith Maloy’s company, Polaris Direct, donated our beautiful posters, and Concord Hospital printed our brochures.
Our opening reception was outstanding. Special thanks go to our extraordinary reception volunteers, Lisa Blais and Donna Love, who prepared an amazing array of refreshments on beautiful tables, and to Jeanie West, who organized our wine service.
All of the volunteers on our committee really stepped up. We particularly thank Inez McDermott for curating the art from the Women’s Caucus, and of course Nicki Kilfara for creating our brochure and organizing our host schedule. We think that the collaboration with Kimball Jenkins and the Women’s Caucus for Art worked really well, and is worth continuing.
Millie LaFontaine
February Meeting
Two Extraordinary Gardens with
Lauren Savage & Melissa Smart
Travel through two remarkable gardens without leaving your seat!
Melissa will present a look at Iford Manor ,an English garden set on a hill in the Cotswolds. Located in Wiltshire, this Italianate garden was designed by Harold Peto, who brought plants back from all over the world. She will share her insights and photos of the hard structures, along with the unique beauty of the garden, which combines formality with nature.
Lauren will discuss Les Quatre Vents, in La Malbaie Quebec, founded by Frank Cabot. This garden has been described as the most aesthetically satisfying and horticulturally exciting landscape experience in North America.
Thursday, Feb 12, 2026
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
NH Audubon Society,
84 Silk Farm Rd,
Concord, NH
Please RSVP here
Questions? Contact Lauren Savage - lauren.savage1971@gmail.com
March Meeting
What's Wrong with my Plant?
How to Manage Common Problems of Indoor Plants
Isabel Burley of Black Forest Nursery will discuss some common problems for a variety of indoor plants and how to manage them, including yellowing, browning tips, pests, overwatering, underwatering, failure to bloom, leaf drop, etc.
Garden Club Members are encouraged to bring in their own problem plants to use as specimens for discussion.
Mar 12, 2026
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Concord Community Center - Auditorium,
14 Canterbury Rd, Concord, NH 03301, USA
Please RSVP here
Questions? Contact Anne Mills acaseymills@gmail.com
April Meeting
Perennial Muses -
Flowers in Art
with Jane Oneail from Culturally Curious
Have you ever wondered about the hidden messages blooming within famous paintings? Throughout the history of art, flowers have been more than just beautiful decorations - they've served as powerful symbols, carrying secret meanings known to artists and their patrons. From the purity of lilies in Renaissance Madonnas to the fleeting nature of life represented by wilting bouquets in Dutch still lifes, each petal and stem tells a story. This fascinating exploration of flora in art will unveil the language of flowers, revealing how these delicate blooms have shaped our visual culture and continue to inspire artists - and flower lovers! - to this day.
Thursday, April 16, 2026
4:00PM
Woman's Club of Concord
44 Pleasant St, Concord
RSVP here
March 12-15 brings Art & Bloom to you again -- but this time at the Currier Museum in Manchester. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets, and get ready to see if their floral displays rival ours!
The Program Committee is busy creating our schedule of presenters for 2026-27. If anyone has recommendations for the Committee, please forward them to Anne Mills acaseymills@gmail.com and Johane Telgener jtelgener020@gmail.com.
Community Corner
Don't forget that Black Forest nursery is holding a series of educational workshops most Saturdays and some weekdays throughout the winter. Check them out here!
UNH Extension has a set of robust offerings around the state. Check them out here!
Winter Garden Arrangements
Repeated from last year's newsletter, but in case you've forgotten:
For those of us who just can't wait for spring, yet don't want to buy hothouse grown blooms from the supermarket, consider foraging in your own backyard for natural elements that can be used for beautiful indoor displays.
Spring flowering trees and shrubs can be forced indoors for a wonderful breath of spring, accompanied by accents of other natural elements whose beauty are often overlooked in our winter landscapes.
Suggestions for forcing:
White star magnolia
Pussywillow
Forsythia
Dogwood
Viburnum
Witch Hazel
To accompany:
Hellebore leaves or flowers
Dried hydrangeas
Dried grasses
Moss
Lichen branches
Echinacea seed heads
Seed Starting
Dreaming of tomatoes? Can't wait to dig your fingers into some dirt? If you're planning your veggie garden, follow this link to a handy seed starting calculator, based on our gardening zone.
