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 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 for the annual"Christmas at Whip Hill" for the past 12 years the Club has maintained the Herb Garden and Perennial Border.
In addition to our dues, (which in 1928 were$.50) our Annual Plant Sale and Luncheon, held in May is our major source of funds. A special thanks to all that make it a success. Last fall our table at Town Day was also a financial success. We have had a table at Town Day since Sept. 2003.
This year, we are trying our hand at helping the Town's children learn about planting and arranging the town's Flower,Black-eyed Susan, at the Stoneham Library for Arbor Day.
Twice a year our members contribute to the Town's Food Pantry. We bring things that cannot be brought 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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Get In Touch!
We're happy to answer your questions.
Schedule
Meetings were routinely held on the third Thursday of each month from September to May.
With Covid 19 restrictions the September and October 2020 meetings will be “al fresco.”
Later meeting plans are still in the works.
Announcements & News
With spring approaching the Stoneham Garden club is planning for the growing season.
Saturday May 13th the Club will hold its annual plant sale.
The sale offers a variety of perennial plants from members’ gardens, vegetables, herbs
and some annuals from local nurseries. An enduring and colorful presentation.
The sale is held on the Stoneham Town Common on Main Street, directly in the center of town
at the corner of Common Street and Main Street.
Sale hours are 9AM to 1PM but we have sold out early the last two years!
Soon after that, our community gardening projects will be in full swing including
the vegetable garden which helps to support the local food pantries,
the perennial garden at Whip Hill, and progress on the new pollinator meadow.
Busy times in a buzzy season.
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.
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.
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.
BULB PROGRAM
On September 24 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 2022 - 2023
PRESIDENT Jeanne Grieve
VICE-PRESIDENT Rosalie Dougherty
SECOND VICE-PRESIDENTS Alicia Mills
RECORDING SECRETARY Elaine Hondorf
CORRESPONDING SECRETARY Sandra Hatch
TREASURER Brenda Ward
ASSISTANT TREASURER Louise Sorabella
PRESS CORRESPONDENT Ann Eastman