MANCHESTER — Passionate gardener, organic land care professional, and author Tovah Martin will offer a presentation at the Manchester Community Library on Saturday, April 25 at 1 p.m.
The event, sponsored collaboratively by the Garden Club of Manchester and the Bennington Garden Club, is open to the public and free of charge.
Garden Club of Manchester member Patricia Haubner said Becky Burke organized of the Tovah Talk, describing Burke as the “heart and soul of the Garden Club [of Manchester].”
“As the Program Chair,” said Burke, “I always try to find different speakers to talk about gardens or plants, or whatever. And Polly Jones, through the Bennington Garden Club, talked about trying to collaborate on the program. She’s a member of both Bennington [Garden Club] and Garden Club of Manchester, as I am. So we started looking around and it came into my mind – we need to get Tovah up here.”
It is not uncommon, Burke and Haubner agreed, that someone belongs to more than one garden club in an area.
The difference between the two local clubs lies in their association. The Bennington Garden Club is under the Garden Club of America umbrella, while the Garden Club of Manchester is under the Federated Garden Clubs, Burke explained. And while the two types of garden club share similarities, they also differ on mission and philosophy and other agenda items – with more similarities than differences, when it comes to their love of plants.
The collaborative spirit of a shared event is something that both Haubner and Burke are looking forward to fostering in the future. According to the two, it began with a need for assistance. With several Garden Club of Manchester members also being privy to the needs of the Bennington Garden Club, they reached out to lend a helping hand.
“And, hopefully going forward, it will be this way. I think what has sort of evolved was, last year, the Bennington Garden Club did a Garden Tour – and they needed help. They’re a very small garden club with, I think, under 40 members. We have over 100 members, and are very active,” said Haubner.
“We got a lot of volunteers to go and help them,” said Burke. “So I think it’s sort of evolved. It brings brings people in. I think they’re always looking for new members. We’re always looking for new members. And so, it’s a way of, sort of bringing the two clubs together.”
“Expanding the circle,” said Haubner, adding that the best outcome has been increasing the diversity to the conversation. “What I think is nice about the collaboration is that you’re getting people with other questions. You’re widening the circle, and we hope they feel maybe a little more welcome. So expanding the circle of information and being able to get the information out to a wider audience is also really really important.”
Haubner emphasized that the Torah Martin programming at the Manchester Community Library was meant for everyone, whether they were members of any local garden clubs or not.
“It’s completely open to the public,” she said. “And, it’s for beginners, on.”
“Somebody who’s new to their garden, maybe somebody who’s moved here recently and they’ve inherited a garden and there are problems with it, or people who have been dealing with a specific issue for a while – we want people to know that there will be solutions for that,” said Haubner, explaining that Martin was an expert in these specific types of issues.
“Tovah Martin is a well known speaker, writer – she has authored over a dozen books,” said Burke. “She has a very extensive background in gardening, and she’s going to be talking about harnessing plants to solve problems.”
One of these issues, Haubner and Burke agree, might be about what to do with bald slopes.
“So, if you have a sloping backyard and you don’t know what to with that – whether to put perennial ground cover or a rock garden or whatever – or if you have soggy lowlands, or if you have a deer issue, or if you have a bunny issue, or if you have dry or shady areas – she’ll be talking about that. And, she’s going to talk about growing medicinal plants, mitigating drainage problems – and just a lot of tips,” said Burke.
According to Martin, “Nature is wonderfully imperfect. And, that explains why we struggle with bald slopes where almost nothing will grow. Or, maybe you have soggy lowland prone to ‘muddy syndrome’ where weeds collect.”
The lecture and following question and answer session will explore these issues, and more.
It is this aspect that most interests Haubner.
“I think for me, as somebody who inherited a garden and now I’m having to see how I can improve it and fix some things that aren’t working, I have one of those sloping bare pieces that’s in shade,” she said. “I’m hoping to walk away with actual solutions, and maybe a list of one or two or three plants – and a strategy – for how to mitigate that problem because, when I look out my window and look down at my garden, I see this bare spot. I’m hoping that she says, ‘Okay, this is what you can do.’ And, I’m hoping that she provides the people that ask questions with some solid strategies and tactics on how to mitigate whatever their problem is.”
Another aspect of Martin’s presentation that Haubner is looking forward to is about “accomplishing remedies harmoniously and creatively – exploring plants that save the planet while also coming to our rescue.”
“Gardens and plants are her life, for sure,” said Burke, who sees the Tovah Talk as a resource for everything from houseplants to New England landscaping. “She’s done horticulture therapy at the New York Botanical Garden – and she’s an interesting person.”
The Tovah Martin Talk at the Manchester Community Library will be held at 138 Cemetery Avenue in Manchester Center. It is open to the public and free of charge.
For more information on Tovah Martin, who authored “Tasha Tudor’s Garden,” visit tovahmartin.com. More information on the Garden Club of Manchester or the Bennington Garden Club can be found on their respective websites at gardenclubofmanchester.com and benningtongardenclub.com.
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