Dear Bolton Hill Garden Club (BHGC) new and returning members,
I hope this message finds you enjoying the final days of summer and readying your homes and yards for a festive fall season. I’m excited to share with you some of our accomplishments over the past year and give you a peek into some of our programs you will see in the coming months.
It was a busy year with amazing growth in the club and renewed focus on greening efforts and education. Here is a small reminder of some of the highlights of our last year.
- We continued to grow as a club under the leadership of our Executive Committee, Advisors, and Committee members. As of the end of the fiscal year ending May 31, the club had 104 member households, up more than 25% from the previous year. We continue to add new members.
- We issued Greening Grants in the amount of $7,500 to fund efforts within our community to improve our parks and public spaces.
- We planted 18 trees in new tree wells in the 1400 and 1700 blocks of Druid Hill Avenue in the nearby Marble Hill neighborhood. This work was funded by an Alice Rush McKeon Tree Planting Grant of $5,000 from the Federated Garden Clubs of Maryland.
- We held successful plants, decorations and shed sales to help fund our greening efforts, specifically the Fall Pansy Sale, our Holiday Greens Sale, and our Garden Shed and Spring Plant Sale.
- Club members participated in field trips to Rawlings Conservatory and Poplar Grove Farm.
- Many of us volunteered to help replant our local parks (especially the Park Place Median and Francis Scott Key Memorial Gardens) in coordination with the BHCA Greening Committee and Park Stewards.
- We presented educational lectures and workshops on floral design, invasive plants, and the status of Maryland native bees.
Given the success we have seen in BHGC programs over the last two years, we will continue our theme centered on the health and expansion of the Baltimore Tree Canopy, both inside Bolton Hill and in collaboration with nearby neighborhoods. We will have several pop-up clinics and educational seminars to promote actions we can all take in our own backyards to beautify those spaces and to support a sustainable environment. We will continue to listen to our membership and gather recommendations for activities and lecture topics to keep us informed and engaged.
For new members and as a reminder to existing members, all regular membership meetings are scheduled on the third Tuesday of each month. Membership meetings begin at 7:00 p.m. with time to socialize, followed by a business meeting at 7:30 p.m. Business meetings are generally followed by an education program or activity. Executive Committee meetings are held the first Monday of the month. In the spirit of spreading horticultural and environmental knowledge and awareness in the community, the club’s educational programs are open to the public. Unless otherwise indicated, tours, special events and parties are reserved for BHGC members only.
BHGC continues to have a dedicated and knowledgeable group of neighborhood volunteers helping to lead the club efforts. Lisa Johnson, Joyce Oliner, Stephen Oliner, Christine Delise, and I comprise the Executive Committee. Barbara Blumberg, past president Lynn Pellaton, and Bonnie Legro are trusted advisors who support the work of the Executive Committee.
As we are a volunteer membership organization, the quality of the club’s activities is strongly dependent on member participation as hosts for meetings and in the work of its committees. The work of these committees is what makes BHGC strong in its fellowship. If you have not done so, please consider participating and volunteering for a committee or events that you consider interesting. Meeting hosts and chairpersons are needed for several committees, and committee members are always needed.
A list of the committees is below for your reference. Please feel free to reach out to me directly or Lisa Johnson (flora.bhgc@gmail.com), or any member of the Executive Committee if you have any questions about the committees or wish to participate. We are happy to discuss the opportunities with you.
Committees and Events:
- Hospitality – Chairperson needed
- Membership – Avendui Lacovara – Chairperson
- Website Administration – Guru needed.
- Fall Pansies Sale (Pre-Orders) – September– Christine Delise, Lynn Pellton- Chairperson
- Pansies Sale (In-Person) –October 7 – Christine Delise, Barbara Blumberg, Chairpersons
- Gathering Greens on the Eastern Shore – November 26 – Lisa Johnson, Barbara Cox, – Chairpersons
- Holiday Greens Sale, Pre-Orders – Daivd Nyweide, Chairperson
- Holiday Greens Sale, In-Person – Barbara Blumberg, Lynn Pellaton, Chairpersons
- Holiday Party – December – Chairperson needed
- Rawlings Conservatory Tour & Tea – January 2024– Chairperson needed
- Greening Grants – Spring 2024 – Bonnie Legro, Chairperson
- Parks, Gardens and Trees of Bolton Hill program/reception – March 2024 – Chairperson needed
- Plant Swap – April 2024, Helen Yuen, Chairperson,
- Spring Plant Sale – April 2024 (with Garden Shed Sale) –Christine Delise, Chairperson
- Garden Shed Sale – April 2024(with Spring Plant Sale) – Lisa Johnson, Chairperson.
- Garden Walk Spring – May 2024 – Maria Wawer, Barbara Blumberg, Lisa Johnson – Chairpersons
- June Potluck – June 2024 – Chairperson needed
- Summer Soiree Garden Party – August 2024 – Chairperson needed
Yours in greening and fellowship,
Chris Mirkovich
President, Bolton Hill Garden Club
