Did you know New Hampshire has over 110 documented butterfly species? Using data from local butterfly counts, Amy Highstrom of the Sunapee Butterfly Club will discuss local non-migrating species that visit, reproduce, and overwinter in our landscapes and gardens. She’ll offer tips and visual guides to help us recognize common butterfly species and understand their habitats. She’ll also include habitat types for different species, host plant considerations to inform our own gardening decisions, and ways we can contribute data to local conservation efforts.

Amy is a volunteer instructor and organizer for the Lake Sunapee Region Butterfly Count circle of the NH Butterfly Monitoring Network. She has been gardening, learning from, and monitoring butterflies (and other insects) on a challenging Sutton, NH, property for over 20 years. With an emphasis on a “garden and landscape as habitat” approach, she attempts to support as much insect biodiversity as possible, while nurturing her own self, health, and creative needs.

Free of charge and open to the public, this adult program is part of a series produced by the Hanover Garden Club in partnership with the Montshire Museum of Science. It will be held in person with a Zoom option. Bring a friend and enjoy yummy refreshments made by our members!

Click here for the Zoom registration link. Zoom registrants will be admitted from the waiting room when the meeting begins.

Check back later for more details.

Join Katie Earley at the Greenhouse for a demonstration on wreath-making using natural materials, refreshments will be served. Email hgclubweb@gmail.com by 11/15 to reserve your spot.

Hanover Garden Club Board meetings are generally held on the 4th Monday of the month at the Black Community Center in Hanover and via Zoom. Anyone is welcome to attend and participate in our discussions to bring garden service/beauty, education, and conservation to the Upper Valley of NH and VT!

HGC members and guests make and give away about 250 delightful little seasonal arrangements to bring holiday joy to area nursing homes residents and Meals On Wheels recipients. Registration details to come.

Note: There are two sessions (9 am–noon and 1–3 pm), but you’re welcome to attend both. The project may continue on Thursday, December 10 (9 am–noon) depending on the number of attendees.

HGC members and guests make and give away about 250 delightful little seasonal arrangements to bring holiday joy to area nursing homes residents and Meals On Wheels recipients. Registration details to come.

NOTE: This is the extra day in case we don’t finish the project or there are weather issues on Wednesday, December 9. Hours are 9 am–noon.

Preservationist and designer Bill Noble maintains that the gardens that speak to him most are those made by gardeners who create eloquent and functional spaces that marry aesthetics with the site’s ecology and cultural context. In this richly illustrated talk, he will explore how gardeners have approached a site, responded to it, and gardened it over time.

From early positions at Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park and The Fells to director of preservation at the Garden Conservancy, Bill has been instrumental in the preservation and restoration of gardens throughout the United States. He also works with clients to create compelling new gardens or restore and revitalize existing ones. In his 2020 book, Spirit of Place: The Making of a New England Garden, he describes the pleasures and challenges of creating a garden that feels deeply rooted to its place. His garden in Norwich, VT, is included in the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Gardens and has been featured in numerous design publications.

Check back later for the Zoom registration link.

Check back later for more details.

From a bare cornyard by a barn to a formal haven of plants and flowers, Diana McNamara will discuss how she created a garden on a windy Scottish hilltop overlooking the North Sea on a shoestring budget. She’ll cover soil and weather issues, plant selections, and penny-pinching tips gleaned from her 20-year transformation of the site and existing cottage. She will also present some of the gardens of nearby National Trust of Scotland properties that provided design inspiration as well as solutions to centuries’ worth of gardening challenges.

Diana grew up gardening alongside her mother in New England. Summer snacks were “what you could find in the vegetable garden.” Her life’s journey found her facing the challenge of creating gardens in the Southern California climate. Later, while pursuing an MA and PhD in Scotland she once again found her peace in gardening. Drawing on a lifetime of hands-on experience she persevered against the elements to create her own personal oasis.

Check back later for the Zoom registration link.

Often overlooked as ubiquitous dwellers of forest understories, ferns are the second largest group of land plants, comprising diverse and important components of our New Hampshire ecosystems. Erin Sigel PhD of the University of New Hampshire will speak on the unique and fascinating lifecycle and biology of ferns, while highlighting both common and rare species found across New England.

Erin studied botany at the University of Vermont and evolutionary biology at Duke University. Currently, Erin is the collections manager of the Hodgdon Herbarium at the University of New Hampshire. Founded in 1892, the Herbarium catalogs the state’s plant and algal diversity and how it has changed over space and time. With over 235,000 preserved specimens, the Hodgdon Herbarium is a leading resource for plant-focused researchers, government agencies, and botanical enthusiasts across New Hampshire and the broader Northeast.

Check back later for the Zoom registration link.

Check back later for more details.

You’re ready to plant native species in your garden to support wildlife. As you plan, you might have some questions. Which plant species support pollinators? Does it matter if a plant is a cultivar? How important is local ecotype? In this talk, Desirée Narango PhD will share research that evaluates how different plant species influence interactions with wildlife. Drawing from her research and that of other experts, she will explore what we know (and still don’t know) about common questions in ecological gardening.

Desirée is a conservation scientist at the Vermont Center for Ecostudies in White River Junction, VT. Her research program focuses on the ecology and conservation of insects and birds in human-dominated habitats including yards and gardens. Desiree has a PhD in entomology and wildlife ecology from the University of Delaware and more than 20 years of experience studying wildlife. She’s also an active naturalist and gardener who enjoys getting others excited about the natural world.

Check back later for the Zoom registration link.

Whether grown for foliage, fragrance, or culinary purposes, herbs are a welcome addition to new and existing garden spaces and containers. UNH Extension Advanced Master Gardener Bill Weeks will discuss the propagation and growth habits of readily available herbs and some that are more difficult to find (such as lovage). He’ll also provide an overview of the environmental conditions needed to grow herbs successfully. (The medicinal usage of herbs will not be addressed.)

Bill received his Master Gardener certificate in 2021 after retiring from over 50 years in business. He has developed an interest in pollinators and has been active in the Grantham Garden Club, the Enfield Mascoma Lakeside Park project (where he designed and is helping plant its 1,500-SF pollinator garden), and other local gardening events. His initial interest in gardening was sparked in the 1970s by watching The Victory Garden, a PBS series hosted by Jim Crockett.

Check back later for the Zoom registration link.

A one-day retreat for our HGC Board and invited Friends. Watch your email for more information.