Stoneham
Garden Club
It all began on May 18,1928 at a home on Williams Street as 13 ladies and 1 gentleman met to form a garden club which was to be called the Stoneham Garden Club and now 85 years later, we look forward to the future with enthusiasm and re dedication to the original goals of those gathered that day.
Originally the meetings were held twice a month at Member's homes all year round. On October 16, 1975 the Club held its first meeting at Whip hill, the 30 acre Conservation Center and Wildlife Refuge, owned by the Town of Stoneham and operated by the Stoneham Conservation commission. The park is funded by the Taxpayers of Stoneham and the Whip Hill Park Trust, established by Mrs. Angie Crockett as a memorial to her husband.
At Christmas, the house is decorated by the Garden Club in conjunction with the Arts and Crafts group to prepare for the annual" Christmas at Whip Hill" celebration. The Club has maintained the Herb Garden and Perennial Border at Whip Hill as well.
In addition to our annual dues, the Annual Plant sale and Luncheon act as our major income sources. We extend a special thanks to all that make these a success.
Our table at Stoneham Town Day each fall provides an avenue to offer information about the Garden Club and general information on all things plant related. We have had a Town Day table for the last 20 years.
Twice a year our members contribute to the Town's Food Pantry. We bring things that cannot be bought with food stamps such as paper products and personal items.
Our membership is kept informed thru our Annual Yearbook and monthly newsletter. Our first yearbook was published in 1933 and we have a complete collection of Yearbooks at Whip Hill.
Please join us at one of our monthly meetings.
Membership Info
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Schedule
Meetings are routinely held on the third Thursday of each month from September to May.
Announcements & News
STONEHAM GARDEN CLUB NEWS
The Stoneham Garden Club will have its annual plant sale on May 11, 2024 from 10 AM to 12PM.
We feature plants from members’ gardens. Since these plants flourished in our gardens in this area, we can be confident that they will do well in other area gardens. We also have herbs and vegetables which have been purchased from local nurseries.
Come and join us on the Stoneham Common on Central Street and enjoy our favorite day with us.
On April 26, 2024 the Stoneham Garden Club will be working with the Friends of the Stoneham library. The gardeners will be bringing the blooms to a Books in Bloom event that evening. This will be held at the library. For tickets or further information contact the Friends of the Stoneham Library.
Currently our scholarship committee is working to publicize the Clara A. Declelman Scholarship which we award each year. The scholarship offers $1000 to a Stoneham resident seeking post- secondary education in a field related to agriculture, horticulture, earth science, environment, forestry and other closely related fields. Information is available from the Garden Club. Last day to apply is April 29, 2024.
As the spring “springs” along we will be refreshing the Whip Hill Garden and continuing to work on a pollinator project as well as several other local garden spots.
Busy days ahead!
Current Projects:
Maintenance and enhancement of the Whip Hill Garden walled perennial garden.
Whip Hill is an area bordering the Middlesex Fells.
The property includes a home left to the town by Mrs.Crockett for town use.
The Garden includes an herb section, multiple perennials, seasonal annuals, and a vegetable garden.
The club was able to share some of the produce with the local food pantry this summer.
Plans for the Whip Hill Garden for the upcoming year include adding to the perennial garden, continuing with the
vegetable section, and ongoing general improvements.
This year the Garden Club will be establishing a pollinator garden.
This project will emphasize the importance of plants that “cater” to bees, other insects and birds. Hopefully this grouping will help encourage more bees and others to gather and distribute pollen as well as providing nourishment for those species as well.
The Police Circle has been planted with pink impatiens in the shape of the ribbon for breast cancer for a number of years. Potentially the planting may be done in other flowers and in colors representing various other cancer symbols.
A new venture this past year included working with the Stoneham Historical Society.
The Society had done renovations on the property and as part of this renewal a garden in the front area was planted in the form of an old- style high button shoe. The site was designed by club members and planted by them using succulents. It makes an interesting display and represents Stoneham as the “Shoe Town”, harkening back to Stoneham’s role in that industry.
Farming with the Stoneham Garden club
Beginning the Spring of 2021 the Stoneham Garden Club is working with the Stoneham Senior Center
to revitalize the gardens located on their grounds. In addition to floral plantings, the group will grow vegetables
for use by the Center and for the Stoneham Food Pantry.
In 2020, the Garden Club began donating produce grown at the Whip Hill perennial garden site to the Food Pantry. The addition of produce from the Senior Center site will be a welcome addition to the produce from this earlier project.
Summer 2022, the Club continued with its farming ventures with both the Whip Hill Garden and the gardens at the Senior Center producing well despite the persistent heat and ongoing drought.
Potatoes were especially abundant this year as were eggplant. This year 2023 seems to be the “year of the radish” with an abundant crop already harvested.
ANNUAL PLANT SALE
The Club had another successful plant sale on the Saturday before Mothers’ Day!
One of the real challenges this year was the tremendous winds blowing on the day but buyers and sellers endured.
2023 had calmer weather and brisk sales. Once again a success.
BULB PROGRAM
On September 24th, the Club sponsored a program on preparing bulbs for planting or transplanting.
Grace McManus of the horticulture committee was the “lead gardener” for the event
which was attended by 12 enthusiastic gardeners.
The emphasis was on iris and day lilies with a nod to dahlias.
The participants gave the program excellent reviews for content
and presentation… quite enough to encourage additional similar programs.
Club Officers 2023 - 2024
CO-PRESIDENTS Debbie Smith Taylor and Grace McManus
VICE-PRESIDENT Bea Flammia
SECOND VICE-PRESIDENTS Rosalie Dougherty and Joanne Cherichetti
RECORDING SECRETARY Elaine Hondorf
CORRESPONDING SECRETARY Sandra Hatch
TREASURER Brenda Ward
ASSISTANT TREASURER Toni Mansfield
PRESS CORRESPONDENT Ann Eastman