JANUARY 2026 Concord Garden Club Updates and Events
- Jenny Robson - Communications
- Jan 6
- 5 min read
Greetings, Gardeners, and Happy New Year! If it's January, it must be Art & Bloom!
We hope you had a wonderful holiday season and are ready to stow away those decorations and dig into our annual signature event -- it's almost here!
As always, remember to scroll all the way down this email so you're in the know on these and all the other CGC happenings.
President's Note
Greetings everyone and welcome to 2026. I hope that the year is a good one for you all. For this month’s President’s Message I only want to remind all our members that Art & Bloom is happening January 22 - 24. Our own Inez McDermott curated the show featuring art by the Women’s Caucus for Art: NH Chapter, and Millie LaFontaine and her team are putting together their usual terrific event. At 1 pm on Thursday, January 22 all members are invited to a private tour of the show with floral arrangement designers describing their pieces. There will be a public reception at 5 that night and the show continues of Friday and Saturday. I hope you will come and bring all your friends.
The Club continues to do well with five new members this fall and a strong and committed Board of Trustees. There is always room for members who want to become more involved in helping to manage the Club; just reach out to me or to Peg Blume, our incoming President.
Gena Cohen Moses
President
Art and Bloom
It’s that time of year, everyone. Art and Bloom is back for its 23rd year!
Our event takes place at the Kimball Jenkins Estate from
Thursday through Saturday, January 22nd through 24th.
Many of our members are participating as floral designers, alongside community members and professionals. The Women’s Caucus for Art has again provided the art, "Apricity: The Warmth of Winter Sun", a show which has been curated and hung by our member Inez McDermott. This year we are expecting 27designers whose arrangements will be displayed in both the mansion and the carriage house.
All of you are invited to join us for the Members Only sneak preview on Thursday the 22nd at 1:00 pm, so mark your calendars now.
Art & Bloom is free and open to the public. A donation of $10 to benefit Kimball Jenkins is suggested. No RSVP required.
Thursday, January 22:
1:00 - 2:00 PM Members only tour with designers
2:00 - 4:00 PM Open to public
5:00 - 7:00 PM Opening Reception.
Friday, January 23:
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM Open to the public.
Saturday, January 24:
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Open to the public.
Event Questions? Contact Millie LaFontaine, lafontainefamily@comcast.net
This promises to be a wonderful event. We’ll look forward to seeing you there - both to host and to enjoy the show!
Happy New Year,
Millie LaFontaine
Chair, Art and Bloom
603-491-6428
IMPORTANT!!!
Request for Volunteer Hosts at ART & BLOOM (1/22-1/24) at KIMBALL JENKINS
Hello, CGC Members!
We really really need several members to step up
and sign up for specific time slots to host during the show.
This year the exhibit will be held in two locations at Kimball Jenkins:
the Main Building and the Carriage House.
Because of this, we will need several more hosts than in the past.
Hosts will need to be present to answer any questions
(hopefully questions that might get visitors interested in joining the CGC).
Below is a list of dates and time-slots. We would ideally have TWO volunteers per time slot.
If you can volunteer, please send an email to NICKI KILFARA (nkilfara@hotmail.com),
listing ALL of the slots you could be available and your preference(s).
PLEASE INCLUDE SLOT NUMBER, DATE and TIME.
You will be assigned to just ONE time slot, unless you specifically request more than one.
(Feel free to volunteer for more than one slot!)
You will be assigned to one of the two locations, as needed.
Once the schedule is finalized, you will receive an email confirming your assigned slot(s) and location
by Monday, 1/19.
ART & BLOOM VOLUNTEER HOST TIME SLOTS:
Thurs, 1/22
SLOT 1: 2:00pm - 3:30pm
SLOT 2: 3:30pm - 5:00pm
Fri, 1/23
SLOT 3: 10:00am - 12:00pm
SLOT 4: 12:00pm - 2:00pm
SLOT 5: 2:00pm - 4:00pm
SLOT 6: 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Sat, 1/24
SLOT 7: 10:00am - 12:00pm
SLOT 8: 12:00pm - 2:00pm
SLOT 9: 2:00pm - 4:00pm
We will hold a Reception on Thursday from 5:00-7:00pm at Kimball Jenkins.
Hope to see you there!
If you have any questions, please contact Millie LaFontaine (lafontainefamily@comcast.net).
or Nicki Kilfara (nkilfara@hotmail.com).
THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!
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 03301, USA
Members Only, Please -- RSVP here
Questions? Contact Lauren Savage.
MARCH MEETING
Isabel Burley of Black Forest Nursery wil discuss some of the 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 invited to bring in their own plants with problems.
Thursday, March 12
1:00-2:30pm
Location TBD
Questions? Contact Anne Mills
Looking back at
2025 ACTIVITIES
Tour of The Fells Estate
In November, the holiday season started for several of our members who enjoyed a Garden Club tour of The Fells Estate all dressed up for Christmas.
Friendly Kitchen Seasonal Decorations
The Friendly Kitchen crew made time to meet and renew the seasonal table decor that some of our Community Service Committee members maintain.
Holiday Party Recap
On December 3rd we had a lovely Holiday Gathering at Lauren Savage's house, watching Barbara Jobin create some beautiful seasonal decor followed by a social hour. All had fun, and many lucky raffle winners took home some gorgeous decorations. Many thanks to those who brought food, and to Lauren for opening her home which was a lovely and festive place for us to gather.
Merrimack County Nursing Home Greens Workshop
Another December activity was our annual Greens Workshop at the Merrimack County Nursing Home. This workshop is a favorite activity for both Nursing Home residents and Garden Club members, and was made possible by the hard work of the Community Service Committee, donations from members, and from Black Forest Nursery. Special thanks to Melissa Smart for again spearheading this effort! Many Club members report this is their favorite Garden Club activity of the year.
Hort Corner
As we enter the depths of winter, remember that this time of year is beloved by gardeners across the Northern Hemisphere as a time to rest, dream and plan for the upcoming season. If you're able to do that this winter, keep in mind the local resources available to us, including a wonderful collection of books at the Concord Public Library.
It's also time to sharpen and sanitize our tools, order seeds and plan their starting schedule, and to nurture our houseplants. For additional tips on these and other winter tasks, check out UNH Extension's January Gardening Tips, and consider subscribing to their monthly newsletter, packed with local gardening information and tips you can use year-round. Our trees need winter care too!
And if you are a gardener committed to caring for our natural world, check out this piece regarding fall cleanup - the significant impact we can make by "leaving the leaves", and just how to do that effectively.
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