The Chatham Garden Club of Chatham, Massachusetts
On Tuesday, April 17, 1968, 29 women met to form the Garden Club of Chatham. From the start the Club helped to make the town bloom. Membership was at first limited to 50 people, and now our Club has 200 active and honorary members and 50 sustaining members.

In 2000, the Chatham Chamber of Commerce awarded its first Citizen of the Year award to our Club. Over the years, we labeled trees in Chase Park, gave away tree seedlings on Arbor Day, helped fund the Chatham Friends of Trees, and embarked on an ambitious project, the Kousa Dogwood Tree Beautification Program, aimed at lining Route 28 from Harwich to Shore Road with dogwood trees. The Club gave over 100 trees to the town and when the plantings were finished, the trees spread their snowy branches throughout the town and continue the show each June, adding to the beauty of this place.

Over the years, our members have worked hard and had lots of fun doing flower shows, tours of homes and gardens, the Christmastime Festival of Trees, the Garden Club Market at the Creative Arts Center's Annual August Festival, and a cookbook called Tea By the Sea. The golden welcome of dozens of daffodils we've planted throughout town are evidence of the work and fun our members have enjoyed over the years.

2010 - 2011 Programs Coming Soon!

The Chatham Garden Club meets on the third Tuesday of the month (exception, February 9, 2010, the second Tuesday) at the Chatham Community Center, 702 Main Street (exception, May and June 2010) at 12:30 p.m. for Friendship and Refreshments, and 1:00 to 2:30 for the Business Meeting and Program.

Meeting cancellations will be announced on Radio Stations WQRC-FM and WFCC-FM. If schools are closed, the Club meeting will automatically be canceled.

See Last Year's Programs
October 20, 2009
A SEASIDE CHRISTMAS
Patti DuVal, owner of Cape Cod Seashells, is a local designer who specializes in holiday decorations using seashells from our very own shores. Using all natural materials, Patti will teach us the basics of combining shells for beautiful swags, trees, and centerpieces. Using what you learn, you can enrich your own home, or volunteer your services for turning Atwood House into a beautiful outdoor seaside setting for the Festival of Trees.

Hostesses: Margaret Stenberg and Pinky Scarlatelli
Centerpiece: Karen Schwalm
Committee: Joanne Donoghue, Polly Gionfriddo, Ginny Hamlet, Sheila Marx, Mary McLaughlin, Diane Semsel, and Judie Stolp

November 17, 2009
INCREDIBLE EDIBLES
Vegetables and flowers too beautiful to eat! You'll learn how to cut and carve everyday vegetables that make attractive and artistic salad center pieces. You'll learn about petal power,k and how edible flowers can add flavor and flair to your cooking, as long as you're careful which ones you choose. Bette Hahner will show how easy it is to do, using just a scissors, sharp knife, and peeler. Plus, Regina McDowell will share her secrets on how to get the most gardening support on the internet using special tried and true sites.

Hostess: Pinky Scarlatelli
Centerpiece: Bette Hahner
Committee: Sharon Cruisckshank, Ginny Hamlet, Joyce Lashway, Joanne Lowre, Regina McDowell, Margaret Stenberg, and Jessica Stetz

January 19, 2010
THE BEETLES ARE COMING! THE BEETLES ARE COMING!
No, its not 1964 and we're not waiting for the Ed Sullivan Show. Instead, we're waiting to hear from David Simser, entomologist with the Cape Cod Extension Service, who will be telling us about the soon to be sorry state of the Cape's pitch pines her here in Chatham. The culprit: the black turpentine beetle who began munching its way across Long Island about 15 years ago and is now chomping away in Chatham and some of its surrounding neighbors. But, there is hope; afflicted trees can be treated. Learn how to identify and treat damaged trees.

Hostess: Pinky Scarlatelli
Centerpiece: Norma Wagner
Committee: Judy Buchanan, Judy Catandella, Carol Knapp, Betty Magnusson, Lillian Walsh, and Carol Wister

February 9, 2010 (Second Tuesday of the Month)
AN EARLY MORNING SIGHT TO BEHOLD
An invitation to all members of the Club, working alone, or in pairs, to arrange a fanciful breakfast tray with a small, simple floral array. Try using special handed-down china, or fun, imaginative pieces that start the day in a special way. Display and vote for the "Most Romantic, Most Unusual and Most Fun. Please contact Bette Hahner at 508 945-9962 to sign up.

Hostess: Margaret Stenberg
Centerpiece: Barbara Cotnam
Committee: Susan Freudenheim, Betty Magnusson, Janet Marjollet, Libby Mottur, Anne O'Brien, and Barbara Schmitt.

March 16, 2010
MEET THE TOMATO LADY
In another life, Celeste Markey was an operating room nurse. Now, retired and living in Wellfleet, she can be found tending her 1,400 new patients - the tomatoes she nurtures from seedlings to full frown plants. She called her business, Celestial Tomatoes. All wannabe tomato growers are invited to listen to the expert so you too can have that long sought after success.

Hostess: Margaret Stenberg
Centerpiece: Anne O'Brien
Committee: Janet Gagliano, Claire Kirby, Rita McGill, Ruth Norman, Eleanor Oakley, Betsey Stevens, and Karen Voorhees

April 20, 2010
HYDRANGEA HAVEN
Long before Martha Stewart turned the spotlight on hydrangeas, they were part of our summer memories on the Cape. Are you stuck on Nikko Blue? Mal Condon, a retired engineer and lifetime plantsman who has the largest collection of hydrangea in the Northeast, will enlighten us about many other choices. For examples, for mopheads, Mal recommends Glowing Embers, Queen of Pearls, Blushing Blue, and Faustin Travillion. For lacecaps, he suggests Lady in Red, and Bits of Lace. So much to learn, and so little time!

Hostess: Pinky Scarlatelli
Centerpiece: Marty Koblish
Committee: Colleen Kolp, Ella Leavitt, Rita McGill, Mary McLaughlin, Nancy Phelps, Judie Stolp, and Dorothy Ward

May 18, 2010
THE WONDERFUL WEQUASSETT INN
Wequassett Inn Resort with their picture-perfect gardens, salt marshes and woodlands is situated on 22 seaside acres on an east facing bluff overlooking Pleasant Bay. Come join us for an inside tour of these luscious gardens, and learn firsthand information on how it has all been put together by Dave Schumacher and Hawk Design. Reservations requested - please call Bette Hahner at 508 945-9962 if you are able to attend.

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