What we Do
Driven by our Mission Statement, throughout the year from September to May the Concord Garden Club presents a variety of programs and activities to engage and inform our members and the general public. These include:
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Lectures and educational activities about the natural world and our place in it,
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Community service opportunities in and around Concord, NH, and
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Social activities that build friendships and inspire creativity.
Learn more about some of the CGC’s activities below.
Cultivating the Spirit of Gardening
In 1924 the founders of the Concord Garden Club believed that the CGC should “cultivate the spirit of gardening.”
Art & Bloom
Art & Bloom is the Concord Garden Club’s signature social event. Every year CGC members and local florists create floral arrangements to pair with art works by local artists. The paired arrangements and works of art are displayed for the public over a three day period in January and provide a welcome colorful break from our New England winters. Check out the Art & Bloom Gallery here.
Social Activities
Today CGC members build friendships and exchange information, ideas and inspiration at the annual luncheon and other social events.
Connecting
CGC members share gardening knowledge and connect with each other at monthly meetings throughout the year. The CGC maintains a public Facebook business page and Instagram account with pictures and information about gardening activities. Throughout the Covid pandemic, CGC meetings were held by Zoom with wonderful turn out!
Concord Public Library
The Concord Garden Club is proud of its efforts to promote the spirit of gardening in Concord, NH by donating many books to the Concord Public Library to enhance its gardening collection. The Concord Public Library is a recent recipient of a grant from the CGC’s Polly Perry Fund to create a new entrance garden.
Community Service
Community service is one of the organizing objectives of the Concord Garden Club, and CGC members help out in our local community in and around Concord, New Hampshire in a variety of ways.
White Park Peace Pole Garden
CGC members plant and maintain the peace pole garden in White Park and have helped maintain other public flower beds in and around Concord, NH.
Friendly Kitchen
Concord Garden Club members donate table arrangements for the Friendly Kitchen dining facility.
Merrimack County Nursing Home
CGC members visit the Merrimack County Nursing Home every year to help residents make holiday decorations for their rooms and common areas.
Polly Perry Legacy
The CGC administers funds bequeathed by Polly Perry, former President and longtime member of the Concord Garden Club. The CGC makes grants from this fund to programs, projects and entities that reflect Ms. Perry’s special interests: children, music, the underserved, the environment, education and women’s issues. Recipients of these grants must be 501(c)(3) organizations. The grant application can be found here.
Education
The Concord Garden Club is pleased to present lectures, tours and workshops throughout the year on topics in and around gardening, the natural world, and our place in it.
lectures
Here are some of the lectures CGC members have enjoyed in past years:
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Dr. Doug Tallamy Video Presentation
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Perennial Muses – Flowers in Art with Jane Oneail
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Orchids with Jean Stefanik
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Holiday Floral Arrangements with Matthew Mead
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The Luxurious Shade Garden with Kerry Ann Mendez
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Herbs! with Maria Noel Groves
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Shrubs for Year Round Interest with Cheryl Monroe
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The History of the Tulip and its 17th Century Tulipmania Moment with Ila Cox
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Discovering New England Stone Walls with Kevin Gardner
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Big Trees of New Hampshire with Kevin Martin
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Exciting New Annuals with Ara Lynn
Tours
In addition to lectures, CGC members have enjoyed tours at Canterbury Shaker Village, Tarbin Gardens, the Currier Museum, behind the scenes at Apotheca Design House, and other local private and public gardens.
Workshops
The Concord Garden Club sponsors a bow making workshop as part of its annual community service project helping the residents of the Merrimack County Nursing Home. CGC members have enjoyed flower arranging workshops and demonstrations with local floral designers.
Conservation of the Natural World
The Concord Garden Club’s educational lectures have often touched on the ways humans interact with the natural world, for better or worse. In the future, the CGC hopes to sponsor more programs focusing on conservation and the protection of the natural world.
Homegrown National Park
HOMEGROWN NATIONAL PARK® is a grassroots call-to-action to regenerate biodiversity and ecosystem function by planting native plants and creating new ecological networks. Learn more here!
Merrimack River Greenway Trail
The Concord Garden Club supports nonprofits, such as the Merrimack River Greenway Trail, whose missions support environmental goals.
