November 2025 Updates and Events
- Concord Garden Club NH
- 3 hours ago
- 5 min read
CONCORD GARDEN CLUB
NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Hi folks--
My agenda for the Garden Club’s November Board Meeting was really short and we all agreed that the Club is humming along happily. Our Program Committee has a full slate planned for this year and is already beginning to think about next year; the Community Service Committee met and worked through projects and ideas for next year; Art & Bloom planning is going well. There are more updates from other committees below in the newsletter.
I’d like to remind everyone that the Garden Club has funds available to donate through our Polly Perry Fund to charitable projects that support children, music, the underserved, the environment, education and women’s issues. Get in touch with Melissa Smart or Jenny Robson if you know of a suitable project.
I feel like the holidays are already upon us. I look forward to seeing you all at the Garden Club’s December 3rd Creating Holiday Decor presentation, starting at 2pm which will be followed by our winter social gathering from 3-4:30.
Gena
PS - This dish, left behind at our September Fall Social, is still missing its owner.
Please contact me if it's yours and you would like to be reunited!
November Meeting
How to Divide Perennials and
Expand your garden for Free
with Isabel Burley
Learn how, when and why to divide your perennials. Isabel Burley of Black Forest Nursery will discuss timing, soil preparation, watering and how to identify the best time to divide plants. She will also demonstrate the process for different plant/root types. Question and answer period to follow.
This event will take place in the unheated barn at Black Forest, so remember to bundle up!
Nov 06, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Black Forest Nursery,
209 King St, Boscawen
Questions? Contact Anne Mills
ASAP!
Christmas at The Fells
This is a reminder that Garden Club has reserved a private docent-led tour for Christmas at the Fells on November 14 at 11 am. There are still slots available for up to 8 people, if you would like to attend please let Gena know so she can track numbers. Your $20 payment can be given to Tricia Wentworth upon arrival at The Fells.
TWO SPECIAL EVENTS IN DECEMBER:
December Meeting:
Creating Holiday Decor
with Barbara Jobin
Please join us on December 3rd for our program Creating Holiday Decor with Barbara Jobin - and for a little holiday cheer!
The program will go from 2:00 to 3:00pm, and from 3:00 to 4:30 we will enjoy gathering with each other!
Barbara's program highlights will include:
Ideas for updating your holiday décor
Inspiration for styling areas of your home: the entryway, kitchen, and living room
Easy ways to add festive touches with what you already have!
If you are planning to attend, we would very much appreciate donations of light appetizers and wine. If your last name begins with A - L, could you please bring a bottle of wine, and if your last name begins with M - Z, could you please bring an appetizer.
This program will be for members only and we hope to see you there!
Dec 03, 2025,
Presentation 2:00 PM
Social Time 3-4:30 PM
3 Wildemere Terrace, Concord
Questions? Contact Lauren Savage
Community Service Holiday Greens Workshop
Continue our annual tradition of creating holiday decorations with MCNH residents. Please bring greens and clippers. Unlike previous years, we will not gather for lunch prior to the event.
A big shout-out and thank you to Black Forest Nursery, who again this year are very kindly donating their leftover holiday greens to us for this workshop!
Dec 10, 2025, 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Merrimack County Nursing Home,
325 Daniel Webster Hwy,
Boscawen
Questions? Contact Melissa Smart
Prior to the workshop,
Decorations for the workshop will need to be made! Melissa Smart will be hosting a bow-making workshop at her home, 81 Cedar Street in Contoocook, on Wednesday, November 12th at 10am-noon. Please let Melissa know if you can attend at lisbeetea.ms@gmail.com. And don't forget to bring your scissors!
And coming in January --
ART and BLOOM
We are busy preparing for CGC’s 23rd Annual Art and Bloom, which will take place at Kimball Jenkins Estate Thursday 1/22/2026 through Saturday 1/24/2026. We are pleased that our Art will again be provided by the Women’s Caucus for Art, NH Chapter. Please mark your calendars!
We have a good number of designers but are always looking for more. Please contact Millie LaFontaine if you are interested, or know of a community member who would like to participate.
We will be looking for hosts closer to the time, but hope as many of you as possible will volunteer. The show should be a wonderful success for our organization!
Community Service
library entrance garden
Jeanie West, who spearheads the entrance garden maintenance at the Concord Library, will be there to work on the gardens the morning of Friday, November 14th from 9:00 to 11:00. If more time is needed, she will be there again on Monday morning, November 17th at 9:00. She welcomes all helpers! Remember to bring your clippers and a bag for debris.
Kimball Jenkins
Kimball Jenkins is holding their first annual Holidays at the Estate, a robust schedule of holiday-related events, from November 29 through December 19. It's an ambitious undertaking, and for it to succeed they need volunteers for 2-hour shifts many of those days to help with tasks like hosting, helping with set-up for musical events, a gingerbread house display, a pop-up craft sale, etc.
If you're interested in helping out, check out their signup sheet.
November horticultural tips
Continued fall clean up….what really needs to be done?
Plants that are diseased should be cut back and clean up soil around plant.
Monarda and Phlox are prone to powdery mildew..so cut and discard.
Peonies get a fungal disease -- cut back and discard. Cut stem to 2 to 3 inches.
Bearded Iris needs a clean garden bed. Wait until after 1st frost before cutting back. The iris borer moth is active until then.
If Rudbeckia has Septonia leaf spot, cut, clean up and discard.
Hosta…after a hard frost clean up all leaves from plant. They might have slug eggs. Leaf stem should be 2 to 3 inches to protect crown.
Agastaches, coneflowers and rudbeckia feed the birds.
Native sedums, Joe Pyeweed and Heleopsis helianthoides are good for birds, butterflies and beneficial insects. They shelter in these native plants and in their leaf litter. Seeds heads can be removed and planted in another area of the garden
Mums, Anise Hyssop, Montauk Daisy, red hot poker (Kniphofa Uvaria)...leave the foliage. It protects the root crowns over winter. Cutting back will stimulate new growth.
Pulmonaria and Penstemons…leave until spring.
Do not cut back, epimediums, hellebores, heucheras, hardy geraniums, diathus, moss phlox, euphorbia, candytuft, primula, hens and chicks, heaths, heathers. Trim in spring.
Do not fertilize in fall…wait until spring. Compost can be placed in the garden bed. It is considered a soil conditioner and not a fertilizer
More cleanup tips can be found in this very interesting article in the Farmer's Almanac
Comments