top of page
Search

October 2026 Concord Garden Club Updates & Events

Writer: Jenny Robson - Communications
Jenny Robson - Communications
Oct 6
8 min read


President's Letter


The Concord Garden Club's 2026-2027 year is off to a great start!  

 

We had a fun "kick off" event on September 8th hosted by Diane Wilson.  The weather was perfect for a beautiful evening of catching up and enjoying Diane's lovely gardens.

 

On September 17th we traveled to Cornish for a fantastic tour of Saint-Gaudens National Historic Park, arranged by Inez McDermott.

 

Our next program is this Thursday October 8th at the NH Audubon. Cynthia Sutphin will present a slide show of her Cape Cod Lavender Farm, highlighting varieties of lavender and how to achieve lavender growing success.  If you plan to attend this program, please sign up on the website (see event information below) and if you have any questions, contact Anne Mills, program chair. I hope you will join us!


- Peg



October Meeting:


Cape Cod Lavender Farm

with Cynthia Sutphin


Thursday, October 8th

1:00 -2:00pm

NH Audubon Society McLane Center


Cynthia will talk about the development of their Cape Cod Lavender Farm, the first in New England, now celebrating their 32nd year. She will also share information about the many varieties of lavender and their care.


This small farm boasts over 7,000 plants and is surrounded by 75 acres of conservation land with woodland walking trails. The farm is free to visit and open March-December, with the lavender harvest occurring between late June to mid-July.


NOTE: Cape Cod is in Zone 5-6.


Questions? Contact Anne Mills acaseymills@gmail.com


Admission is free. Members only, please.






November Meeting:


Flora and Floral -

Women in Botanical Illustration and Still Life


With Inez McDermott


Thursday, November 19th

1:00 – 2:30 PM


Kimball Jenkins Carriage House

266 N Main St

Concord


At a time when women artists had limited access to training and recognition, a few remarkable women did achieve success in art, science, and the marketplace through floral illustration and still-life painting. Inez McDermott will introduce several of these artists from the 16th through 19th centuries, highlighting work that combined scientific curiosity with the creation of beautiful floral images.


Tea and dessert will be served

Admission is Free. Members only, please.


Questions? Contact Inez McDermott imcdermott57@gmail.com





December Meeting

Holiday Event


Thursday, Dec 10th

4:30 – 6:30 PM



Lucy Gentilhomme's Home

82 N State St

Concord


Members only, please.

Questions?

Contact Lucy Gentilhomme






A note about event rsvp's

If you have RSVP'd to one of our events and your plans change, please email the Contact person for that event so they know not to expect you.



Merrimack County Nursing Home

Decorating Workshop



Join us as we continue our annual tradition of creating holiday decorations with MCNH residents. Please bring greens and clippers.


Wednesday, December 9th

1:00 – 3:00 PM


Merrimack County Nursing Home,

325 Daniel Webster Hwy, Boscawen, NH



Questions? Contact Melissa Smart lisbeetea.ms@gmail.com



Christmas at The Fells

November 7 - November 15, 2026


Our club hasn't scheduled a private tour of The Fells this holiday season, but if you love visiting, you can still take a seasonal tour of The Fells on your own or with friends. Professional interior designers, floral artists, decorators and talented volunteers have sprinkled their magic throughout to create a one-of-a-kind showhouse. Their Holiday Boutique features the finest regional artisans. On the weekends, stop by their Holiday Cafe for a light lunch of soup, salad, bread, and dessert. Purchase raffle tickets to win a hand-decorated holiday tree.


For a schedule of opening times and ticket availability, click HERE.


Community Service

Highlight of the day was a young family who came to our garden to release their Monarch Butterfly!
Highlight of the day was a young family who came to our garden to release their Monarch Butterfly!

The redesign and replanting of White's Park's Peace Pole Garden continued in September, with the removal of plants that weren't thriving and the addition of six Ilex shrubs that will provide winter color and some structure for the perennials we'll continue to add to the garden in the Spring. New volunteer gardeners are always welcome!









The entire Committee will meet on Tuesday, October 13th to discuss future activities and potential recipients for Polly Perry grant funds.


We currently have two Polly Perry grant applications to discuss; if you have ideas for a Community Service project or another non-profit recipient worthy of grant funds, please contact Melissa Smart (lisbeetea.ms@gmail.com) or Jenny Robson (jenrobson@mac.com). Thank you!


Membership

2026-27 Member Handbooks are now available. If you don't have yours yet, contact Nicki Kilfara at nkilfara@hotmail.com.


Nicki also requests that we all check our information as it appears in the handbook. Mistakes happen, and if your email address or phone number are incorrect, you might miss out on things you'd like to know about! If you find an error, contact Nicki immediately. Thank you!


Art and Bloom 2027


January is not as far off as you might think!


Plans are underway for our 24th Annual Art and Bloom, which will be held on January 28-30, 2027 at Kimball Jenkins.


We will be collaborating once again with the Women’s Caucus for Art, NH Chapter, and expect to have plenty of inspiration for our floral arrangements provided by our talented local artists.


At this point we are actively recruiting our floral designers for the show. We have a few, but we definitely need more. If you haven’t signed up yet, please consider this as a terrific opportunity to share your talents—or to discover a new talent you never knew you had! 


As in past years, we will be needing hosts during the 3 days of the show. We will be letting you know more about that closer to the event. In addition, while we have had several who have already volunteered to help with set-up and other tasks related to our Thursday evening reception, we will need more.


Please keep those opportunities in mind as you consider your January schedule.


Millie LaFontaine 

Chair, 2027 Art and Bloom



HOSPITALITY REQUEST

As part of our push to be environmentally sensitive and aware, Diane Wilson, Hospitality Chair, is collecting cloth napkins of any size to be used at our social events instead of paper napkins. If you have any unwanted cloth napkins to donate, please contact Diane at dianewilsonnh@gmail.com.


Diane will also take donations of any packages of paper napkins that you don't plan to use, as those products will still be used for the Art and Bloom reception.



Looking for Christmas Gifts?


If you are looking for holiday gifts for yourself or others, check out the shopping tab on our website for Garden Club branded items. Or share the link with a loved one who can gift you the fabulous Concord Garden Club logowear you've been secretly hoping for!



Community Corner


SAVE THE DATE! If you're a person who can't get enough of flower arranging, consider joining the Concord Garden Club Bloom team. Bloom, the Currier Museum's own wonderful Art and Bloom event, will be held March 18-21 2027. Gayle Kimball has graciously volunteered to spearhead our Club's entry, so please contact her if you'd like to take part. gaylekimballjd@gmail.com



Join NHTI in supporting the Dartmouth Gynecologic Oncology Fund at their event, Let's Decorate for Christmas!

Discover how to elevate windows, tables, and stairways with faux evergreens, and create eye-catching focal points with ease and confidence. You will learn how to add ribbon and bows to your tree, and show you how to place ornaments to reflect light, highlight texture, and balance color. Whether your style is classic, modern, or playful, you’ll leave empowered with practical insights and fresh perspectives to make your home glow with holiday spirit.


Tuesday, October 20  

6:30 - 8 PM

at NHTI


Click HERE for more information and for tickets

October To-Do's


As we begin fall cleanup, check out Homegrown National Park's website which features a very useful "how to leave the leaves" guide






Closer to home, here are UNH Extension's useful Fall Cleanup tips, specific to our climate and growing conditions.


Happy October Granite State Gardeners! 

October is when things really start to slow down in New Hampshire gardens. Frosts become more common, leaves start piling up, and many vegetable and perennial plants are finished for the year. There is still plenty to do though! October is a great time to plant garlic, clean up diseased plant material, put fallen leaves to use, protect trees and shrubs, and start getting your garden ready for winter. 



Don’t overdo the fall cleanup! It can be tempting to cut everything down and rake every leaf, but a little mess can be a good thing. Healthy perennial stems, seedheads, and leaves can provide food and shelter for insects, birds, and other wildlife. Diseased plant material, on the other hand, is usually best removed and destroyed. For more info about leaving plant material for wildlife, see this UNH Extension resource- Leaving Leaves and Flower Stalks for Wildlife.  



General Garden Advice- 

  • Put those leaves to work. Fallen leaves are a great free resource. Use them as mulch around perennial beds, add them to your compost pile, or leave some underneath trees and shrubs where they can break down naturally.  

  • Clean and put away garden tools. Wash soil off hand tools, empty and store containers, and drain hoses and irrigation equipment before freezing temperatures arrive. It’s also a great time to remove rust and sharpen pruners and loppers so they’re ready when you need them for winter pruning.  

  • Dig tender bulbs and tubers. Dahlias, cannas, gladiolus, and other plants that won’t survive a New Hampshire winter should be dug and stored once frost has ended their growing season.  


Vegetable gardens

  • Garlic Time! October is garlic planting time in New Hampshire. Plant individual cloves pointed-side up in a well-drained garden bed and mulch after planting to help protect them through the winter.  

  • Keep harvesting! Kale, spinach, carrots, Brussels sprouts, and some other cold-tolerant vegetables can keep producing well into the fall. Row covers or other light protection can help extend the season even longer.  

  • Important Reminder: Remove dead and diseased plant material. Plants that had significant disease problems this season are best removed from the garden, bagged and trashed rather than left in place over winter.  

  • Cover bare soil. If your vegetable beds are empty, consider covering the soil with leaves, mulch, or another suitable material rather than leaving it bare all winter. This helps preserve soil moisture and texture.  


Trees and Shrubs

  • Keep watering new plants. Trees and shrubs planted this year can still benefit from water if the weather has been dry. Try to keep them adequately watered until the ground freezes.  

  • Add mulch if needed. Mulch can help protect roots and moderate soil temperatures through the winter. Just remember to keep mulch away from direct contact with tree trunks and keep it no more than 2-3 inches thick.  

  • Think about deer protection. If deer regularly browse your arborvitae, yews, or other landscape plants, now is a good time to get fencing or other protection in place before winter.  

  • Skip the fall pruning. There is generally no need to prune trees and shrubs just because the growing season is ending. Unless you are removing damaged or hazardous branches, save pruning for the appropriate time for that particular plant (usually late winter during dormancy).  


Quick Tip


Save some leaves for next year. If you end up with more leaves than you can use right now, pile and cover them somewhere out of the way rather than getting rid of them. Over time they’ll start breaking down into leaf mold, which can be used around garden beds or added to compost. 


Free mulch delivered directly to your yard every fall isn’t such a bad deal! 



As always, you can reach out to the UNH Extension Yard and Garden Infoline with your pressing questions.


Web form- extension.unh.edu/ask or call 877-398-4769.  







 
 
 

Comments

bottom of page