Representatives of Vermont’s 16 FGCV garden clubs participated in an exercise at our Fall meeting. Attendees were asked to record on Post-It Notes answers to general gardening and club management questions. These were then placed on big flip chart sheets posted around the room. What follows below is a summary of all the Post-It Notes from our gardening friends.

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Gardening Tips 

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Favorite piece of gardening advice

• Plant groups of 3 plants together

• Sunscreen – always, even on cold, cloudy days

• Take time to enjoy – ignore the weeds

• Go slow – enjoy

• Get out early in the day to avoid the heat

• Stay hydrated

• Enjoy the process

• If you think it’s a weed, it probably is

• You can always move a plant; so don’t fret about the “perfect” location

• Keep planting journal: diagram, name, date, needs, companions

• Water frequently

• Deadhead and prune during bloom time to encourage growth

• Moving plants is gardening! 

• It’s all about the soil

• Let it go – see what happens

• Right plant, right place

• You can always move it

• Correct method of deadheading

• Don’t be afraid to try

• Mulch well

• Start with the paths

• Xeriscape as though you lived in Denver

• Leave plants for the birds over the winter

• Water water water

• Be patient

• Don’t fertilize during a drought

• Grow shrubs

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Favorite gardening tool

• Cobrahead weeder

• Root slayer, root assassin

  • Root weeder that is like a long     shovel

  • Fisker hand clippers

• 3 foot shovel/spade; spearhead shovel

• Foxgloves gardening gloves

• Wilcox trowel

• King of spades

• Felco pruners

• “Auto” weeder – foot powered

• Bag-it weed collector/bagger

  • Pointed shovel

  • Hori hori Japanese garden knife

• Japanese serrated 10 inch blade

• Secateurs

• Husband; bread knife

• Snippers, small clippers

• Comfortable handheld weeder

 

Best seed catalogue/company

• High Mowing Seed

• Rence’s Garden

• Baker Creek

• Bluestone

• Johnny’s Selected Seed

• Hudson Valley Heirloom Seeds

• Charles C. Hart Seed Co., Wethersfield, CT

• Bert Seed Catalog Col

• Pinetree

• Fedco

• Burpee

 

Most surprisingly successful perennials

• Baptisia

• Vernonia

• White autumn clematis

• Daylilies

• Shasta daisy

• Hibiscus flower

• Coneflowers

• Black cohosh

• Scabiosa “Butterfly”

• Gallardia

• Daylilies

• Sedum “Autumn Joy”

• Amsonia

• Coreopsis

• Japanese anemone

• Violas apr 

• Gattra

• Calendula

• Arizona shrub yellow

• New echinacea varieties

• Empress Wu hosta

 

Best go-to Vermont nursery

• Clearbrook

• River Edge, Lebanon, NH

• Garden Supply

• Glebe Mountain, Londonderry

• Walker Farm, Dummerston

• Equinox Nursery, Manchester

• Garden Way, Williston

• Mettowee Mint, Dorset

• Taylor Farm, Londonderry

• Claussen’s

• Paquette Full of Posies, Richmond

• Horsfords

• Reading Greenhouse

 

Most disastrous gardening experiment

• Organic animal waste that was not aged!

• Trying to grow portulaca from seed

• Tall purple flowers that spread

• Poison ivy

• Wood anemone spreads everywhere

• “Parking” an Epress Wu hosta among tree roots ☹

• Gooseneck loosestrife

• Rain garden

 

Most successful roadside container plants

• Impatiens

• Zinnias – beds

• Sun patients – containers

• Allysum

• Mums

• Snap dragons

• Petunias

 

Best advice for Asian jumping worms

• “Go fish”: take worms from the garden and go fishing

• Kill them

• Don’t panic

• Mix ground mustard with hot water – makes jumping worms more evident

 

 

Club Management Responses

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Social Media outlets used and most effective

• Facebook

• Instagram

• Website

• Posters for events

• Front Porch Forum

• Newspaper articles with pictures

• Newsletter

• Website and blog

• Partnering with other associations and piggybacking on their FB page

• Create a social media calendar for your club – update and edit monthly

 

Most popular speaker topics

• Henry Homeyer

• Charlie Nardozzi

• Tree programs

• The first garden – the history of the garden of Persia

• Hands-on events during meetings, such as making bouquets, seed balls, interactive events

• Michele Dauphinais – Dahlias

• Flower arranging

• Woodland walk with a forester to id plants

• Pollinator gardens

• Not your Mothers Marijuana – THC-CBD explained

• Perennials that don’t require a lot of work

• Kerry Mendez – Tough love in the garden

• Cornell Master Gardener

• Gardening for Baby Boomers – Chris Ferrero

• Utilize knowledge of members

• Propagation of plants

• Julie Moir-Messervy – author and designer – Brattleboro

 

Floral design mechanics

• Garden authors

• Jumping worms

• Tree programs

 

Hardest position to fill as a club officer

• President

• Vice President

• Membership chair

• Treasurer/finance chair

• Secretary

• Vice who will take over as President

• Fundraising chair

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Best ways to engage youth in club events

• Youth category in the flower show

• Plan fun projects outdoors 

• We partnered with Girl Scouts

• Youth holiday decorations for winter sale

• Meet people where they are – go to their locations to encourage engagement (different demographic, etc.)

• Start a junior program

• Boys and Girls Clubs

• Arbor Day with a forester

• Friday Night Live – sponsor something

• Photography and social media presence

• Youth – offer workshops

• Mentor them; offer actual gardening opportunities

• Help children make dish gardens at a community event 

• Downtown festivals

 

Successful ways to partner with libraries, schools, and civic groups

• Purchase gardening books each year; NGC books

• Maintaining gardens at public locations

• Schools: NGC poster contest; coordinate with the school art teacher

• Libraries: story walks

• Seed planting program for kids at the library

• Seed libraries

• Hold garden club events at libraries

• Libraries have great meeting rooms for club meetings and social functions

• Speak with people who are interested in engaging with civic partners to garner interest

• Event locations

• Arbor Day presentation at elementary school

• Tend the library garden

• Civic beautification centerpieces for community special events

• A display with the Governor’s Proclamation of Garden Week

• Offer help and education

• Sponsor school gardeners club – 5th and 6th grade level

• Give to get: do something for them to be able to use their facilities

 

Best ways to attract younger folks as club members

• Talk to people you meet in non-gardening settings

• Ask young people you meet in town

• Hands-on workshops – like flower arranging, wreath making

• Be welcoming

• Word of mouth – at book clubs, mahjong groups, spread the word to new neighbors

• Bring your family members

• Meeting times to accommodate a younger, working member

• Personal invitations to events

• Visible presence while working in gardens, etc

• Talk about the club to others

• Work days that involve families

• Club members bring a friend to a meeting or event

• Get more savvy with social media to reach younger people who would be interested in your events​

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