SEPTEMBER 2021 NEWSLETTER
THYME TO GARDEN!
UNDER THE GROW LIGHTS!
What a summer for gardening! The plants appreciated the rain in July and responded beautifully. For my part of the state, a dry August has been problematic but others of you have had enough moisture that you are not dragging hoses and filling watering cans. Ornamentals have kept me busy as I try to follow advice to deadhead and pull bad leaves for a neater garden appearance. The harvest is flowing with many batches of pickles and the freezer is filling. I expect similar scenes are playing out in many members’ gardens.
This summer has been especially memorable for the huge success of the three GCFM open gardens. Garden owners Pam Allen, Katy Gannon-Janelle and Cynthia Hosmer outdid themselves in providing the perfect places for long garden tours and informational sessions. Flower Show Judges Nancy Atwell and Carol Smith led sessions on flower arranging with plants from their gardens. I know I got ideas of more plants to buy. Thank you to the many volunteers who helped in numerous ways and the many GCFM members who brought their good humor to the gardens. I look forward to three more garden visits in the northern, central and eastern part of the state next year.
With the increase in Covid cases, I am grateful for technology that will continue to provide opportunities. The upcoming presidents’ and district directors’ meeting will be on Zoom and will touch on a variety of issues from awards to technology. Our Fall Conference is usually a place where members from around the state enjoy networking. While we will miss being with each other, the change to a remote event made it possible to procure an out of state speaker without paying mileage.
While the switch to remote meetings has been necessitated by the pandemic, technology can continue to be a tool. Times are changing and GCFM is adapting. Please participate in the survey to make your interests as a member known. Help us plan a program that meets member clubs’ interests. There is much we can do as a group that is beyond what an individual club can do. Our open gardens are a case in point, as are Zoom lectures. Another Zoom lecture on trends in gardening is in the works for this winter.
As September begins, wonderful gardening weather awaits. There are plants to divide, new purchases to go into the ground, and fall containers to design. In October the pace will quicken with tender perennials ready to move inside as winterizing begins. Enjoy your time outside this fall, relish in the change of seasons harkened by the gorgeous Maine fall foliage, and keep in touch with garden club friends. Harriet
(Harriet enjoyed a summer day with Camden Garden Club President Debra Stokes at the club’s 73rd annual garden tour.)
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FALL CONFERENCE TO GO VIRTUAL OCTOBER 26TH
 Coming to you, free of charge, on your laptop or tablet: the 2021 Fall Conference! Because of concerns about the Covid Delta variant, the GCFM board has voted to hold Fall Conference virtually this year. A short business meeting will be followed by a speaker who is sure to catch your interest.
Dr. Judith Sumner will speak on topics from her book Plants Go to War: A Botanical History of World War II. She will look at military history from a botanical perspective, from victory gardens and agriculture to timber, rubber, coal, and cotton, the many plant products that supplied the military and the home front during a time of intense need and high demand. The talk will include a special look at medicinal plants, including their use in the Pacific war, the County herb Committees in England, and the development of penicillin as a critical wartime drug. Join us for a unique view of World War II through a botanical lens. In short, we would not have won the war without plants!
At this point the plan is to distribute the link to the Zoom meeting through club presidents. The talk will be recorded so that members who are unable to attend at the scheduled time of 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 26, may watch it at their convenience. This event will be free of charge. More details will be available closer to the date. National Garden Clubs (NGC) will be assisting us with our technical needs.
For those who are disappointed that rosarian Peter Kukielski is not the speaker, have no worries. He prefers in person gatherings and will be the speaker at our 2022 Fall Conference on November 1 next year.
DEADLINE TO REGISTER FOR NEGC EVENT IS SEPTEMBER 18TH
Plans are still moving forward for the New England Garden Clubs (NEGC) Annual Meeting and Small Standard Flower Show to be held October 12th to the 13th at Village by the Sea in Wells. The deadline to register is September 18th. The Registration Form, Schedule of Events, and all information about entering a design or horticulture specimen in the Flower Show can be found by clicking this link to the NEGC website MEETINGS tab. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the web page to find all links. If you're interested in attending and still need a room reservation, contact Village by the Sea at 1-800-444-8862. Be sure to tell them you're attending the New England Garden Clubs' event to get the special room rates.
Meeting Chairman Suzanne Bushnell is expecting a good turnout of members from Maine to welcome our NGC President Mary Warshauer to our State. All Covid-19 protocols as set forth by the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) will be followed! At this time, the Maine CDC is recommending the use of facemasks -- whether you're vaccinated or not -- when attending indoor events. Thus, we will be requesting that all attendees wear face masks when indoors except when eating and drinking. Social distancing will be in effect at meetings and meals. (In the town of Wells, where the meeting will be held, the current vaccination rate stands at 94%.)
The event is split into two days with a cocktail reception and dinner on Tuesday evening starting at 6:00 p.m. Attendees will hear from keynote speaker Drew Dumsch, CEO and Founder of The Ecology School located at Riverbend Farm in Saco, Maine. The Annual Business Meeting and Luncheon is on Wednesday starting at 9:00 a.m. Arabella Dane of New Hampshire, well known for her photography and a garden club member who helped to create both the Garden Club of America's and the NGC's outstanding photography programs, will be giving a presentation on the essentials for creating better photos between the Business Meeting and the Luncheon. We're exploring the possibility of having Arabella present her workshop outdoors so less time would be spent indoors.
During both days, the "County Fair" Small Standard Flower Show will be ongoing (see related article below). We are also looking for members to enter creative scarecrows for the Silent Auction. They can be dropped off in the lobby of Village by the Sea on Tuesday, October 12th at 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Anyone can enter a scarecrow of any size as long as they can be transported easily by those who place the winning bids in the Silent Auction. For more information about the NEGC event, contact Meeting Chairman Suzanne Bushnell by clicking this link. For information about registering to attend the meeting, contact Registrar Fran Moore by clicking this link. For more information about the Small Standard Flower Show, contact Flower Show Chairman Marilyn Traiser by clicking this link.
ENTER AND VISIT THE "COUNTY FAIR" FLOWER SHOW!
In conjunction with the New England Garden Clubs Annual Meeting, the GCFM Judges Council is presenting a Small Standard Flower Show at Village By the Sea, 1349 Post Road, Wells, ME on Tuesday, October 12th from 6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and on Wednesday, October 13th from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. This is the first time we will be presenting a Small Standard Show, so we are hoping many of you will decide to come and see. It is free and open to the public.
In addition we are hoping that some of you will decide to enter. We are offering GCFM floral designers and growers first choice at entries before we open it up to New England designers. Please contact Linda Frinsko at (207) 839-3878 or lfrinsko@maine.rr.com. You have until September 1st to sign up for designs. Entries for horticulture and design will be accepted at the meeting venue from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on October 12th. Entry cards for horticulture will be available at the front desk at Village by the Sea. You can pick them up early and fill them out before you enter. To see how to fill out an entry card and the guidelines for entering horticulture entries, click this link to the New England Garden Clubs website MEETINGS tab. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the web page to find the link to the form. You'll also find the "County Fair" Flower Show Schedule that can be downloaded on that same page using the link above.
If you plan to enter Horticulture (and we hope you do!) these documents, pertaining to filling out the entries and checking for botanical names of your entries, will be a big help. It is very important that you are prepared to enter your perennials, vegetables and container grown plants. If you have any questions, please contact me at mkt@maine.rr.com. Thanks for considering entering. (Article submitted by Marilyn Traiser, Chairman of the "County Fair" Flower Show)
MEETING FOR CLUB PRESIDENTS AND DISTRICT DIRECTORS
Several new presidents asked for a GCFM orientation meeting. District directors collected agenda ideas and Board members agreed to present on a variety of topics at a Zoom meeting on Thursday, September 16 at 4:30 pm. This meeting is optional but hopefully will be of interest to many district directors and presidents, both new and not so new to their positions.
The plan is to have the meeting fast paced, with a variety of subjects introduced. With some of the topics, the idea will be to give you a taste of what is possible and not make you experts at one sitting. I expect that presenters will be able to continue to help with questions by email or telephone for those needing more help on a particular issue.
This is a draft agenda. Welcome: Harriet Robinson; GCFM overview: Barbara Longstaff; What districts do (or can do): Harriet Robinson; Nonprofit status: Cindi Kimball; Using Zoom: Ellen Jackson; Making Surveys: Nancy Atwell; Awards: Judy Stallworth; Grants: Karen Rea; Sources of program ideas: Ann Vanosdol; Other issues GCFM is working on: Harriet Robinson. A Zoom sign-up invitation will be sent closer to the date.
SURVEY
We want your opinion about GCFM. A short survey about all aspects of our program is helping us plan our future. What do you like about what we are doing? Is there anything you dislike? What else would you like us to do? In order to serve our members, we want everyone's opinion. Whether you have been in GCFM a long time, served on the Board or you are a new member of a club, we want to know what you think and what you want.
Please ask your club president for the link to the survey. If you are an at large member, you may contact Survey Chairman Nancy Atwell by clicking this link and ask her for the link to the survey. If you have the link but are having trouble pulling up the survey, Nancy will help you troubleshoot if you contact her. Every member’s opinion matters. Thank you for considering this.
TRIBUTE TO GLORIA BURRILL
(Editor's Note: Former GCFM President Gloria Burrill passed away in July. Because of the many tributes that friends and members have sent in, her tribute will appear in two parts with the second part appearing in our November issue.)
 Heaven’s garden has a new bloom. Gloria passed away on July 6, 2021 at the age of 92. She came from very humble beginnings. As one of 10 children, she learned to work hard, but also to have fun. She was immensely proud of her family -- the one she was born into as well as the one she and her husband Phil created.
Gloria was an avid conservationist. She was a skilled gardener and horticulturist. Her introduction to garden clubs came when she began driving her mother-in-law to Sebasticook Garden Club meetings. Not one to sit idly by, Gloria soon became an SGC member and was elected President her second year. She served three terms, 1982-83, 1991-93, 2007-09 and was a major presence throughout her 40 years of membership. A number of SGC members have said she was the reason they joined the club. Gloria was a GCFM Penobscot District Director 1983-85. She received the Penobscot District Lifetime Service Award in 2002. Gloria was GCFM President 1987-89.
SGC member and former GCFM President Sonia Cianchette recalls, “Gloria became GCFM President and convinced me to be her Protocol Chairman. I didn’t even know what the word protocol meant! But she taught me what to do and I met people and had experiences that I never would have had otherwise.”
Longtime friend, gardener and former GCFM President Allison Beards brilliantly sums up Gloria’s time as GCFM President. “I think Gloria’s term was significant –‘In Harmony with Our Environment.’ GCFM was much larger then, with 65 clubs and 4000 members. She pulled so many aspects of garden club toward her theme establishing a tree growing program, new environmental awards, workshops on protecting and improving the environment, historic preservation, legislation involvement, horticulture scholarships, flower shows, environmental poster contest and establishing her Tree Award."
Gardening Study Course 1 was started in 1986 with Gloria running it for many years. Gloria’s other accomplishments include Master Gardener, Gardening Consultant, Landscape Consultant, GCFM State Life Member and NGC Life Member. She was a truly gifted floral designer and highly respected NGC Flower Show Master Judge. She convinced Carol Smith of Brewer Garden & Bird Club to attend Flower Show School and was so proud when Carol became a Flower Show Judge.
Gloria had a twinkle in her eye, an endearing smile, a keen intellect and the ability to put anyone at ease. She will be missed. (Thanks to Carol Smith, Penobscot District Director and Carleen Harriman, Sebasticook Garden Club Member for working together to submit this Tribute to Gloria.)
FORESIDE GARDEN CLUB SHARES THEIR FALL SCHEDULE
The members of the Foreside Garden Club have had a busy summer with members participating in two of the garden tours sponsored by the GCFM. On June 30th nine members traveled to Nobleboro to visit Pam Allen's garden while eleven members joined in the tour at Katy Gannon-Janelle's in West Falmouth. Club members have also been busy maintaining the Anne Lamb Garden and the Foreside Garden Club's garden at the Falmouth Library which was installed last year.
Upcoming programs through December include the following: September 21st -- a tour of Evergreen Cemetery in Portland with a lecture on "The History and Changes at Evergreen Over the Past Decades" (cost is $10 and begins at 3:30 p.m.); October 19th -- "Happy Seventy, Foreside Garden Club" plus an auction to support educational programs and scholarships (6:30 p.m. with location to be announced); November 16th -- "Seasonal Craft Project" with members creating a holiday lantern with greens and lights to give as a gift or keep as a decoration (6:30 p.m. with location to be announced); and December 14th -- "Annual Christmas Party" where members will celebrate the season and enjoy a Yankee Swap. Donations will be collected and distributed to a local organization. This event will take place in a member's home. With the September and October meetings, a business meeting will follow the program. (Article submitted by Gail Stokes-Smith, Co-President of the Foreside Garden Club)
BUDDING ARTISTS IN THE BUCKSPORT GARDEN CLUB
While this time of year can be hectic with visitors, many members of the Bucksport Garden Club turned out for their Art Project meeting at The Lighthouse Center in Bucksport. Artist Kathryn James led the class in painting wooden gift tags decorated with holly, fall leaves, grapes and an apple. Members learned different brush strokes to achieve a specific effect on the tags. Everyone left with four different completed tags AND a wonderful sense of satisfaction! Looking ahead, the Club will have a meeting on September 8th and will participate in Orland River Day on September 11th. Their "Mystery Tour" on September 22nd and 23rd will round out the month's activities. (Article submitted by Linda White, President of the Bucksport Garden Club)
SURRY GARDEN CLUB NEWS
 The Surry Garden Club spent a splendid day in mid-August as the first visitors to stroll through the gates of the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden in Seal Harbor. The Club sends many thanks to Cassie Banning, Director of Farms and Gardens at the Mount Desert Island Land and Garden Preserve for hosting the Club, and to the many gardeners who patiently answered their many questions that day. Lunch afterwards at the nearby Lighthouse Inn in Seal Harbor rounded out a memorable afternoon. The next meeting of the Surry Garden Club, with speaker Martina Haines Dittmar, will be September 8th at 7:00 p.m. held in the lovely old Rural Hall. (Article submitted by Marie Merkel, Co-President of the Surry Garden Club)
HARPSWELL PLANS BOTH IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL MEETINGS
The Harpswell Garden Club has been meeting outdoors since May when the Club held its Annual Meeting on the grounds of the gardens they maintain at Harpswell Historic Park. In July they enjoyed a marvelous demonstration on using flowers from one's own garden in creative floral designs from John Sundling, owner of Portland-based Plant Office (pictured in photo).
In coming weeks, the Club will be visiting a nursery in Bowdoinham -- Campo di Fiori. The Club's annual sale of mums is underway, with orders being accepted for the distribution of both mums and asters on September 10th. Later that month the Club is looking forward to hearing Isabella Mastroianni talk about her experiences with Sanctuary Baking, in a program she calls "Loving Your Neighbors for Such Times as These." In October the Club hopes to have its first indoor program since the pandemic began, featuring Andrea Southworth who manages the Children's Garden at Ft Williams Park. Their November program will take place virtually, and feature a talk on replacing invasive plants with native plantings. Harpswell looks forward to assembling their annual "Mugs of Cheer" for the holidays, to be distributed by Harpswell Aging at Home to seniors in need of holiday cheer. (Article submitted by Becky Gallery, President of the Harpswell Garden Club)
GARDENING 101 WITH THE BAR HARBOR GARDEN CLUB
 We were pleased to again offer our own rendition of ‘Gardening 101’ to provide an opportunity for Club members to visit a well‑established garden and ask questions. Several members agreed to give a 45 to 60-minute tour of their garden, and answer any questions people might have. This was a great idea that offered a wonderful opportunity to see what other gardeners are doing. This was a learning and teaching experience where the owners are not asked to have their gardens in garden tour shape but rather an opportunity for all to learn. We thank our three club members for showing their lovely gardens. It gave us so many new ideas to try. (Article submitted by Jane Sanderson, President of the Bar Harbor Garden Club and photo montage provided by Virginia Ruth, Bar Harbor Garden Club Publicity Chairman)
LEARN MORE ABOUT HOSTA FLOWERS
Editor's Note: A good resource for hosta growers is Mickfield Hostas, a hosta nursery in the U.K., which has an informative website and newsletter. One of our members, Lenore Tipping (Veazie Garden Club), contributes to the site with comments about growing hostas in Maine. The link to the newsletter is https://www.mickfieldhostas.co.uk. This latest piece discusses managing hosta flowers.
Hosta flowers present complicated choices. I wanted to learn more about people's views on managing flowers, so I raised the issue with many Maine hosta gardeners over the past several weeks.
I learned that people here tend to feel strongly about hosta flowers, no  matter what their particular opinion. Some people prefer the uncluttered beauty of hosta foliage, and cut all scapes as they emerge. Most, however, allow the flowers to bloom, appreciating their beauty and variety, as well as the fragrance of the later-blooming plantaginea descendants. Some emphasized the flowers' benefit to pollinators (who currently are endangered in the U.S., decreasing at the rate of one-third each year). Some people enjoy most hosta flowers but prefer to cut a few they consider less attractive, or they may cut emerging scapes to provide more energy for the plant. (Photo at left is flower of Hosta 'Brother Stefan').
American Hosta Society members have a growing appreciation for hosta flowers. Mark Zilis, one of the most respected U.S. hosta hybridizers, addressed the issue of flowers in his well-known book, The Hostapedia (2009, A & Z Nursery, Inc.). Zilis recalls that hosta flowers were once denigrated, but this is no longer the case. He says, "Times have changed and hosta flowers are now evaluated for their ornamental merit." He notes that some hybridizers now breed hostas specifically for flower performance. Indeed, some recent hosta varieties produce remarkable flowers.
As for seed pods, many people cut the flower scapes after blooming, either to improve appearance, to spare the plant from producing unnecessary seeds, or to prevent seedlings from appearing in their gardens. Others enjoy finding volunteer seedlings. Some gardeners save hosta seeds for hybridizing. They collect and plant seeds, some open-pollinated and some intentionally pollinated. In tours of collectors' gardens across the country I have seen many unknown seedlings growing happily among other well-known hostas.
Personally, I love the beauty and variety of both hosta buds and flowers, as well as the fragrance of plantaginia varieties. I strongly wish to help pollinators. I like finding seedlings in the garden but I do cut many of the spent flower scapes. And finally, I enjoy filling vases with fresh hosta flowers, from June through September! (Article courtesy of Lenore Tipping, Veazie Garden Club)
CAPE ELIZABETH GARDEN CLUB REPORTS ON THEIR ACTIVITIES
The Cape Elizabeth Garden Club met in July in a member's garden for a program on beekeeping by two members. It was a very informative program, presented well by a married couple. In August members toured the gardens at Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth. Head gardener Derrick Daly led the tour and those attending really loved seeing the gardens. In September the Club will have their traditional members' potluck supper at a member's home -- which kicks off their programs for fall and winter (they hope)! The Club will host Doug Hitchcox from Maine Audubon with a PowerPoint presentation on monarch butterflies and what they hope to find in gardens. Finally, the Club started their bulb sale in August and hope to do as well as they did last year so as to present another $1,000 scholarship next year. (Article submitted by Nancy Atwell, President of the Cape Elizabeth Garden Club)
MORE STROUDWATER DISTRICT CLUB NEWS
Other Stroudwater District clubs have sent information about both summer and upcoming fall events. The Longfellow Garden Club has had a great summer with visits to The Hummingbird Farm in Turner, Tidewater Farm in Falmouth, and a private garden in Cape Elizabeth. With dedicated work groups at the Longfellow House Garden and the Arboretum in Payson Park -- and lots of rain -- gardens have been looking spectacular! The Club is looking forward to resuming their regularly scheduled meetings in September at Maine Audubon in Falmouth and seeing everyone face to face again.
The Osewantha Garden Club of South Portland stayed active during the summer caring for the Settler's Cemetery. In September the Club will start fall meetings and programs. On September 16th the Club plans to go to the Pierson Gardens in Biddeford for a tour with a focus on native plants and trees. Other programs will meet the interests of members including house plants, floral design, composting, perennials, etc. The Club is excited to be up and running! (Longfellow Garden Club news provided by Debbie Peck, President, and Osewantha Garden Club news provided by Lois Willis, President)
SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER FLORAL DESIGN CLASSES
 Maine Judges Council wants to remind everyone that they've kicked off this season's floral design classes. A new series of classes for those members who may not have a lot of experience with floral design is also being offered! Beginners Design Session #1 started in August with classes running through February 9th. This series of classes is held at 1:00 p.m. immediately following the regular (advanced) floral design classes. All classes are offered at the Auditorium of St. Mary's Church, 43 Foreside Road (Rt. 88), in Falmouth. Each class will be held on the second Wednesday of the month with the EXCEPTION of the October class which is scheduled for October 5th. There is no meeting in December. If you didn't can sign up for all six classes already, you can still sign up for individual classes for $10 each. Non-members are also welcome with classes costing $15 for each session. Checks should be made payable to Judges Council of Maine and sent to Marilyn Traiser, 25 Fiddlers Lane, Yarmouth, ME 04096. The Registration Form can be found on the HOME PAGE of our website www.mainegardenclubs.org. You'll be able to click on the FLORAL DESIGN button to see both the advanced class form and the beginners series form.
Classes for beginning designers will cover the following topics for September and October: September 8th -- Line-Mass Design; October 5th -- Parallel Design. Complete descriptions plus design examples of workshops and materials to bring will be emailed to you prior to each design date.
Those taking the advanced classes in Design Session #7 meet at 10:00 AM (before the Beginner's class). It should also be noted by members taking Series #7 that the October class has been rescheduled to OCTOBER 5TH. The design for September 8th is "White Water Rafting" -- a Cascade Design . The design for October 5th is "Halloween" -- an Illuminary Design. Judges Council members are hoping that any student taking their classes will feel comfortable in possibly entering the Small Standard Flower Show at the NEGC Annual Meeting in October! (Photo of Buff Harrington, Harpswell Garden Club and Master Flower Show Judge, as she evaluates a design at the August advanced design class)
NEW NGC CHILDREN'S BOOK AVAILABLE TO ORDER
"Network with Nature" is the new children's book now available  through the National Garden Clubs' website. The book, written by NGC 1st Vice President Brenda Moore, and illustrated by designer Emily Lackey Anderson, is intended primarily for children in grades Kindergarten through 5th Grade, though the moral of the story would apply to all ages! The main characters are a set of grandparents who are trying to convince their visiting grandson that he should put down his smart phone and tablet so he can get outside to "network with nature"! The cost of the book is $10 plus shipping and can be ordered through NGC Member Services. We've heard that the NGC is offering 10% off anything bought through Member Services from September 20-30, so now's a good time to buy any items you've had your eye on. Click this link to take you directly to the page where you can order the book.
ENDANGERED AND THREATENED PLANTS LIST UPDATE
Recently, Donald Cameron, Botanist/Ecologist with the Maine Natural Areas Program was kind enough to share a bit of his time and answer a few questions about the Endangered and Threatened Plants list. The list is updated every five years or so, by the members of state’s Botanical Advisory Group which include representatives from academia, conservation organizations, consulting companies, and state and federal agencies.
The best news I learned from Don was in answer to my question whether human impact was the greatest factor in placing new plants on the list. He replied “No, the... primary reason new species are added to the list is due to the relocation of populations of species that were historic, not having been seen in over 20 years.”
My next question was about the number of sedges on the list, and I  wondered is this because we are losing habitat or a different explanation? He assured me that this is due to the sedges encompassing a “disproportionately large portion of our flora in comparison to other genera”, and not cause for alarm. “Note that currently there are very few species on the list due to loss of habitat. Species are rare either because the habitat type they occur in is naturally rare, because they are at the edge of their range in Maine, because they are rare throughout their range, or because they need some specialized type of disturbance. Two examples of how habitat rarity drives plant rarity are 1) Mt. Katahdin has dozens of rare species due to the large extent of area of various alpine/boreal environments it includes that are at elevations higher than any other mountain in the state, and 2) the upper St. John River, which also supports numerous rare species because the river has a rare combination of environmental factors including broad ice scoured shorelines, short cool summers, wide spread seepages, and relatively high pH bedrock and ground water. Furbish’s lousewort is one of the more well known rare species that occur on the banks of the St. John.” (See photo above.)
Finally, when I asked what GCFM members could do to help, Don offered this advice. “It’s important to understand that rare species by definition are naturally occurring and that they generally rely on intact habitats to survive. While only a small number of plant species are currently rare due to changes in land use, that number will likely rise in the future. Supporting conservation projects or organizations such as local land trusts that work to protect intact habitats is one way to help conserve rare species and also all of our other native species so they will never become rare. Of course if someone finds what they believe is a population of rare species we would like to be contacted so we can verify it and collect data so that it is available for relevant planning that may protect the plants in the future.”
Thanks, Don! And thanks to our membership for remaining active and up-to-date as stewards of the land. (Article submitted by Katy Gannon-Janelle, GCFM Horticulture/Native Plants Chairman)
(EDITOR'S NOTE: If you have news to share about your club for our newsletter, contact Suzanne Bushnell by clicking this link. Our next issue is November, and the deadline to get your information to our Newsletter Editor is October 23rd. If you have photos to share for the GCFM Facebook page, send them to Kathleen Marty by clicking this link and attaching your photos. Please identify your event with any photos sent. Also, we've added some new images to our GCFM website rotating photos on our HOME PAGE. Check them out. Finally, the new GCFM Directory of Club Presidents and the GCFM Board of Directors Directory are now posted on our website on the Members Only section. This section is password protected. If you don't know the password, contact your club president for directions on accessing these directories. If club presidents need help with this, please contact Fran Moore, Website Chairman, by clicking this link.)
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
* September 1 Deadline to enter Flower Show design
* September 16 GCFM Club Presidents' Workshop by Zoom
* September 18 Deadline to Register for NEGC Annual Meeting
* October 12-13 NEGC Annual Meeting, Village by the Sea, Wells
* October 26 GCFM Fall Conference (Virtual Event)
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Cordially,
Harriet Robinson
President
president@mainegardenclubs.org
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