President’s Message - Summer 2026
As you read through this issue, please take the time to read what other clubs are doing for activities for their members. This is a great way to get program ideas for your club. NHFGC members appreciate and support the activities sponsored by other clubs. I hope to visit as
many club activities as possible. Please invite me if you have something you would like to share with me. I truly enjoy visiting.
I am including the speech I gave at the Annual Meeting as my President Report. This is to provide an opportunity for everyone to receive information concerning federated activities this year.
Annual Meeting Speech
I would like to begin by welcoming our newest club to NHFGC. Deerfield Garden Club has joined and will be part of District 2. Welcome, we all look forward to getting to know you!
As a retired US History teacher, I see this as a “state of the union” or “state of the federation” speech. Please do not feel you need to rise and applaud as they do in Washington. Relax and hear about our very active and productive year.
We BLOOMED!!!
Partnering with the Currier Museum of Art to create this event proved to be so very, very successful. It was wonderful seeing so many members attending and enjoying the event. The event had over two thousand attendees. All four districts in NHFGC were represented by
designers, and members from all 18 clubs came to enjoy the beautiful art and floral designs. We have received many positive comments from visitors. If you have any comments or ideas about how to make the event even better, please let me know. Constructive criticism is
welcomed. This gave us a wonderful opportunity to promote our federation. The weekend of March 18-21, 2027 has been set for next year.
We have finished updating the Standard Rules, Policy and Procedures book. This is a many-paged document that describes how we work as a federation. It is an incredible source of information. You can find this very helpful document on our website. The dedicated committee
worked for TWO YEARS to complete this project under the guidance of Mary Kaltenbach, our wonderful resource and leader.
Last year our Annual Meeting was hosted by District 3, at the Keene Country Club. At this meeting, we added the idea of inviting vendors to our meeting. This added an opportunity for local vendors and for members at the meeting to shop. District 4 created the Annual Meeting we are enjoying today and District 2 has wonderful plans for our Fall Gathering. You will be hearing more about this later today! District 1 hosted the Fall Gathering in September at Squam Lake Science Center. The day included many guided and self-guided activities. A wonderful lunch was served by a local vender. Many took advantage of the opportunity to take a boat ride on the beautiful lake.
Clubs working together in the different districts create unique statewide gatherings. Every club has the opportunity to participate in the planning of our statewide gatherings and events. All members are invited to attend and enjoy a day of sharing ideas and growing together.
The Life Membership Award name has been changed to the Life Recognition Award. The new pins are now ready. The criteria remains the same as well as the cost. The cost is $50. Half of that supports the NHFGC scholarship and the other half supports the general fund. That fund is used to help finance the cost of doing business like renting venues for events such as the Annual Meeting and Fall Gathering. The board is committed to saving wherever possible and support of this is a very nice way to show both recognition of a member and support of the organization. A club might consider presenting one to their president as a thank you!
Today we are celebrating NHFGC and the semiquincentennial of our country. Please remember if you are planting public spaces it would be nice to include red, white and blue for this 250th year. If this is not possible, perhaps add a small flag or another patriotic emblem to a container to celebrate 250 years! The bicentennial in 1976 was wonderful. Celebrating brings us together.
To remind everyone, my theme is “Plant Seeds of Friendship” – friendship within our individual clubs and friendship between our federated clubs as well as friendship in our communities and, of course, friendship with nature. Keep smiling and enjoy this wonderful day.
Fondly,
Winnie
Winnie Schmidt
Click here to view “The History of the NHFGC, 1933 – 2013” document.
Membership
Are you interested in learning about the New Hampshire Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc. and its member garden clubs?
The New Hampshire Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc.’s (NHFGC’s) current membership consists of sixteen (16) area garden clubs with almost 1000 individual members. The state is geographically divided into four (4) districts and each has a Director who was elected to represent them on the NHFGC Executive Board. District Directors work very closely with their member garden clubs by providing assistance and guidance throughout the year. They also work with individuals in their area who may be considering either joining NHFGC or starting a new garden club in their area.
For questions regarding membership in the New Hampshire Federation of Garden Clubs or forming a new garden club, please contact our current Membership Chairperson at membership@nhfgc.org .
WHY BE FEDERATED?
Networking. “One person going through a field may go unnoticed, but many going through with the same purpose will make a “path”. Our state and our national organizations have made many such paths in many fields over the years and will continue to do so as a united front.
Fellowship. Doing what we all love to do, “gardening” with people from different walks of life—of different personalities, ages, professions, education……We all care about our gardens and our communities. Together with our fellow garden club members, we can work to make our communities more beautiful with community garden areas, planters, and we can take measures to protect our natural spaces. Through state and national networking we can learn how to do this more effectively and be recognized for it through their award programs, some involving small monetary awards.
Civic Beautification. Many of us joined garden clubs because we care about our gardens and our communities. Being part of a national organization gives us many opportunities to beautify and protect our state and our nation in a way that we can all be proud of and receive recognition for as well.
Sharing. We constantly exchange ideas for projects and share information—including programming. Members can refer to the “Program Resource Guide” posted on the NHFGC website where hundreds of speakers and program and topics are listed with their contact information. Occasionally two or more clubs will hire a well-known (and usually more expensive) speaker together, sharing the cost and the benefit. (Several of our Committee Chairs and/or Officers also give programs on their area of expertise, such as Flower Arranging, Container Gardening, Bird and Butterfly Habitats, etc. just for the asking or for a very nominal fee to cover travel and/or floral expenses, etc.)
Floral Arranging. Where else can you learn the art of floral arranging from National Garden Clubs Inc.-certified Flower Show Judges for almost free? You are invited to attend a NH Designers’ Guild meeting to observe and learn, then decide if you want to join. The cost is $10 annually. You bring your own materials and its lots of fun—and no pressure! This is a great place to start out if you are interested in floral design but have no experience!!
Board Liaisons. We have four District Directors that sit on the Executive Board. Each represents the clubs located in a specific geographic area with the Director serving as the liaison between their district clubs and the NHFGC Executive Board. NHFGC members are entitled to attend any NHFGC Board Meeting!
Communication. Our website offers ongoing notice of upcoming gardening events, such as flower shows, garden tours, plant sales, and many other activities, in the Public Calendar. There is also a “Members Only” section which is password protected so that the information is not made public under any circumstances. This section has a full listing of NHFGC Officers, District Directors, Standing Committee Chairmen, Member Clubs and their Club Presidents with their contact information. There is also information about each club’s size, meeting dates and times.
Education. Additional learning opportunities that may be of interest are the topics of Garden Therapy (Mindfulness for Seniors) and various youth programs (Junior Garden Club, Smokey Bear poster contest, Poetry competition). Further study areas sponsored by National Garden Clubs, Inc. are Landscape Design School, Environmental Studies School, Flower Show School, and Garden Studies School.
Scholarship Program. NHFGC has a very sound scholarship program. Each year we award a minimum of $2,000 in scholarship funds to qualified UNH students pursuing a career in environmental studies, horticulture or any career that reflects our mission. We increase the amount of scholarship money annually as available funds allow. We encourage our individual garden clubs to give at least one scholarship annually to a local high school student using similar criteria. Our Scholarship Committee selects a viable candidate from applications received throughout the year to forward to National Garden Clubs, Inc. to be considered for an NGC Scholarship, which is currently $4,500. We are proud to say that many New Hampshire applicants have been awarded one of the available National scholarships!
Recognition. There are many awards available to honor achievement by a garden club or an individual. The NHFGC has 25 possible awards, there are 26 available from New England Garden Clubs, Inc., and 36 offered by National Garden Clubs, Inc.
What is expected of you as a member of NHFGC? A commitment to honor the Federation’s mission “to promote the love of gardening, floral design, civic beautification, and both civic and environmental responsibility“. Every member club is free to do this in their own way. Annual duees are required for each member. They are currently $3, which includes $2 for NHFGC and $1 shared for both National and Regional support. (NHFGC operates entirely “dues-funded”, although we have various fundraising opportunities as necessary and as we are able.)
You may ask: “Why should we join the New Hampshire Federation of Garden Clubs?”
Our response: “Why Not?”
For more information about the New Hampshire Federation of Garden Clubs and/or how to join, please e–mail our current Membership Chairman at membership@nhfgc.org. Thank you.