Driftwood Garden Club

Longtime Driftwood Garden Club member Pal Bickford, along with Larry Simpson from Simpson Garden Design gave a wonderful Valentine’s Day presentation on the importance of trees in our fast changing landscapes. Led by Pal, she and Larry are members of our Town Trees and Urban Forestry, a working group of Sustainable Marblehead. They gave us a great update complete with maps on the Tree Replacement Project here in town. Larry is an accomplished garden designer and spoke to us at length about the importance of trees in our landscapes.

Of particular interest to all of us, was this list of trees native to our area and how much they do to support our local wildlife. Larry stressed that our native plants support our native insects and therefore all of our beautiful native birds. The common oak tree supports 473 species of insects and birds in our area- more than any other tree!

• Oak – Quercus (473)
• Beach plum, cherry, chokecherries – Prunus (411)
• Willow – Salix (399)
• Birch – Betula (393)
• Aspen, poplar, cottonwood – Populus (335)

Our hostesses provided deliciously festive treats, and many members pulled out all the stops to dress in all different shades of pink! As always, it was a great night.

    Designing and Building a

   Sustainable Container Garden

As always, we began the meeting with our social time. Welcoming refreshments provided by our hostesses are always a delight. We also welcomed some new members! 

Here is a stunning example of container gardening on a deck surrounded by native plants in a challenging environment near the ocean.

Our members enjoyed learning all of Molly’s tips for constructing beautiful containers using her technique: ”Fill” with carefully chosen planting materials and plants, make sure one plant will “Spill” over the sides, and, finally, with the plants chosen for color, texture, and flowering and even how they look when they’re done growing, to “Thrill” us with their beauty. We ended our meeting with one lucky member who won the lovely container!

As part of the 52^nd Annual Marblehead Christmas Walk, local garden clubs are invited to decorate a space in Marblehead Arts Association’s historic home, the beautiful King Hooper Mansion. This year the decorating theme is ‘Holiday Traditions.’ Earlier in the fall, the Driftwood Garden Club design duo of Treasurer Laurie Boggis and Past President/Historian Ginny von Rueden chose ‘Giving Gifts for Christmas and Hanukkah’ as the holiday tradition to embellish the mantel and fireplace in the Liz Larrabee Gallery.

Preparations started back in early November with a shopping excursion to Jacobson Floral Supply in Boston to purchase any necessary materials, followed by a hands-on workshop to prepare and assemble the design elements.

Final installation is a collaborative effort of DGC members and the design team to transform the first-floor parlor in the 1728 mansion. Please stop in to admire all the magical holiday decorations during the 2023 Christmas Walk!

The November meeting of the Driftwood Garden Club of Marblehead was a fun and enlightening event. The Masonic Hall was magically transformed into a serene space where we were led in a restorative practice by yoga instructor Daphne Ramos. Daphne is trained in yin, vinyasa, and restorative yoga, as well as being a master reiki practitioner. Her gentle voice and soft music guided the class through a series of movements on and off the mat.

After a brief warm-up, our yoga movements stretched and strengthened the many muscles used in gardening. We ended the class in shavasana pose to relax the breath, body and mind.  

Kudos to our DGC Program Chairs for booking an event different from our usual garden-themed meetings. This evening was designed for the metaphorical gardener within each of us. Our yoga instructor ended the evening with the quote by Robert Louis Stevenson, “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.”

Namaste!

Driftwood Garden Club of Marblehead Members gathered recently for a delightful evening of Designing with Dahlias presented by Jocelyn Cook ‘s The Fleur de Mer flower bar. Jocelyn impressed us with her enthusiasm and technique of propagating, growing, and harvesting her garden-fresh flowers.

Although we all started with the same glass vases, every finished arrangement was unique. Some members subscribe to the ‘less is more’ philosophy, while others favor the ‘bigger is better’ style. Every floral arrangement had a different color palate and different fillers. In addition to the greenery supplied, many members brought in clippings from favorite plants in their own garden to make their arrangement personal and unique.

Having freshly-harvested blossoms from The Fleur de Mer flower bar makes such a difference. Jocelynn cut her dahlias that morning! These arrangements still look perky days later!

Hats off to our Program Chairpersons for coordinating this wonderful hands-on event for Driftwood Garden Club members and guests.

The Driftwood Garden Club of Marblehead’s 2023 Cocktail Party at Hollyhock Cottage was a warm success on a cool autumn evening. We were treated to a magical night in our current Vice President’s home to renew friendships, talk shop, and discuss the upcoming programs in ’23 and ‘24.

Many thanks to our host for providing such a cozy setting on a fall evening. And many thanks to our volunteer hostesses for passing endless trays of delectable appetizers and sweet treats.

The Driftwood Garden Club was established in 1952 as a volunteer, nonprofit organization and we proudly continue seven decades of gardening and support of the environment. We look forward to our educational, as well as hands-on, programs in the upcoming year.

In early autumn 2023, eight members of the Driftwood Garden Club visited glorious gardens and gilded-age mansions in the Hudson Valley of New York. Starting with a gourmet lunch at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, we proceeded to tour the grounds of the Vanderbilt Mansion followed by a guided tour of Beatrix Farrand’s private garden. Beatrix was a woman trailblazer in landscape gardening and architecture whose work defined American taste in gardens in the first half of the 20^th century.

Stonecrop Gardens in Cold Spring, NY, is alive with native woodland plants tucked along winding paths and vivid groupings of stunning flowers. The stone ‘bothy’ cottages and glass conservatory hold all sorts of gardening treasures and supplies. Renowned for their collection of alpine plants, Stonecrop began in 1958 as a private garden built by Frank Cabot and his wife Anne, and opened to the public in 1992.

Boscobel House and Gardens in Garrison, NY, offers stunning views across the Hudson River to West Point Academy. The estate has a storied history, home to both loyalists and patriots during the American revolution era. The neoclassical mansion was built between 1804 and 1806 but fell into disrepair in the 1950s. Preservationists saved many architectural features, and the house was rebuilt and restored to its original grandeur. The grounds contain 68 acres of lush gardens and trails.

We were awed by the stained-glass windows in historic Union Church of Pocantico Hills in Tarrytown. The Rockefeller family commissioned these glass masterpieces in memory of family members. The dramatic Rose Window was Henri Matisse’s last commissioned work. Nine windows by artist Marc Chagall create a powerful combination of light and color. One member of our group got married in this very church!

Our tour of Lyndhurst Mansion, Tarrytown, NY, covered two floors of the opulent mansion and access to the expansive grounds. The views of the Hudson River were gorgeous, despite it being an overcast day.

Even in the rain, the New York Botanical Garden is a magical place to visit. We enjoyed the outdoor gardens as well as explored the Conservatory containing plants from around the world.

Although rain canceled our first reservation, on the following day we were fortunate to have an extended tour of Kykuit Estates in Sleepy Hollow. The estate, with sweeping river views, was home to four generations of Rockefellers. The gardens, stone hardscapes, sculptures, and outbuildings were spectacular.

We felt we just scratched the surface of treasures that Hudson Valley offers. We hope to return!

6/17/23

After a busy year working in the Abbot Library gardens at Eveleth, the gardens at Farrell Court, and capped by our annual Plant Sale in May, Driftwood members tossed their gardening shoes into their mudrooms and prepared for the Annual Luncheon in a member’s garden. We are always optimistic, but this time Nature did not give us the warm, sunny day we hoped for!

Thanks to our hostess and others who contributed some wonderful dishes, we gathered inside her home to enjoy lobster rolls and lobster salad (note to all, lobster also makes great compost!), delicious salads, and, of course, cupcakes!

Our outgoing president reviewed this year’s activities and thanked all the members for their hard work. Projects included providing educational programs for members and guests, making lovely holiday decorations for homebound seniors in our community, working on the gardens at Farrell Court, beautification of the gardens surrounding the Abbot Library at Eveleth School, their temporary location, and supporting The Abbot Library with funds raised through our Plant Sale. Our treasurer reviewed the budget and formally announced the happy news that our earnings from the Plant Sale were the highest yet! Our president gave a shout-out to “Unsung Heroes” who magically appeared at just the right times to lend an extra hand! And our outgoing president welcomed our new president and board members who will be leading DCG for the next year.

There were lots of laughs as we reminisced about our experiences this past year at DGC workdays and events!

Here’s to another great year ahead!