Lori suggested we get in touch with Virginia (Ginny) Urdi, president of the Bow Garden Club. We asked Ginny, who has lived in Bow for 39 years, if she could fill us in on what the club is up to. The answer is “a lot,” as we would find out!:
The Bow Garden Club was founded in 1964 and has been a Member of the New Hampshire Federation of Garden Clubs since then. We will be celebrating the club's 45th anniversary this year. We plan to celebrate during National Garden Week, June 7-13.
The club maintains several areas around Bow. The Garden at Rotary Park is a joint project with Bow Rotary. We also plant and care for gardens at the town offices, the gazebo and the old town hall, as well as Alexander and Evans Cemeteries.
We hold a plant sale each year on Memorial Day weekend as a fundraiser for our scholarships for graduating seniors from Bow High School.
We support the Bow Human Services Department Food program with grocery gift cards each year. Members make wreaths and swags around Christmas for public buildings and town signposts. Each year, we donate two wreaths for the Memorial Day services at the town pond to honor town members of the Navy, Marines and Coast Guard who passed on.
We also have an active junior garden club at Bow High School.
In 2008, the club formed a team for the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer in honor of founding member Dot Wheeler, who lost her battle against the disease in March. The team consisted of club members, junior club members, residents from White Rock Senior Center and members of Dot's family. This was a very successful community project, raising $2,800 for research.
The club has a great program list for 2009, including a fundraiser with Bill Graham from Beautiful Things Flowers and Gifts, LTD in Salem, Mass. Bill is a renowned floral designer in the New England area, and his programs are witty and informative. This program is open to the public, and admission is $5.
Our 2009 season will begin on Monday, April 13, with “Let's Get Growing,” a program on planting your own vegetable garden. May brings “Lilacs and Wildflowers.” And in June, we have the program “Using Native Planting in your Home Landscaping.” Many more interesting and informative programs fill out our year, which runs from April until November.
For more about these and other programs, or to inquire about joining, please check our website, which will be updated by April 1 to include the 2009 programs. You may also e-mail ldacko@gsinet.net for membership information. All programs are open to the public with the exception of the December annual meeting, which is members' only.
Ginny Urdi
