DERRY, NH – Whether you’re dreaming of fresh vegetables, eager to attract pollinators to your yard, or thinking about that extra something special to brighten your landscape, you’ll likely find what you need at the Derry Garden Club’s (DGC) annual plant sale. The sale will be held, rain or shine, on Saturday, June 6, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Robert Frost Farm, 122 Rockingham Rd. in Derry.
The DGC is honored to hold its sale at Frost Farm for a sixth year. During the plant sale, the field next to the farmhouse will be covered with potted vegetables and herbs, trees and shrubs, sun and shade perennials, pollinator-friendly plants, a special hosta section, and houseplants. All waiting for you! Funds raised by the plant sale give back to the community through scholarships for high school seniors as well as plants and supplies for several of Derry’s civic gardens, according to Jill Gendron, co-chair of the DGC Plant Sale committee.
Many in Derry make it a point to get to the sale early to find that special interest plant, such as the registered lilies that were so popular last year. Gardeners and their families can also discover gardening tools and books, vases, crafts, secondhand jewelry, and garden-themed puzzles at the Yard and Crafts table. Visitors can also try their luck at the annual raffle table, with chances to win a plant, a shrub, garden tools, or gift cards to local nurseries.
Bargain-hunters with an especially green thumb may want to stop by the Discount table, with its interesting plants that could use a little extra care. University of New Hampshire Extension Master Gardeners will also be available at the sale to answer questions and provide pollinator plant information for this area. For those who love history, especially the local variety, the Frost Farmhouse will be open for guided tours during the plant sale. This Historic Site was home to Robert Frost and his family from 1900-1911. An acclaimed poet, Frost attributed many of his poems to memories from the Derry years.
Another bonus? Nearly all sale plants originate right here in Derry so you know they will do well in your yard. DGC members grow some of the flowers and vegetables from seedlings. They also work with Derry area residents who wish to donate plants such as hostas, perennials, or shrubs. In that case, DGC members travel to residents’ gardens, by invitation, and then dig up and divide plants that are established and ready to be shared. If you are interested in sharing plants from your yard, contact the DGC via email at president@derrygardenclub.org.
When preparing plants for sale, the DGC members follow a strict protocol to prevent the spread of jumping worms, which are a non-native species often found now in New Hampshire. These worms are considered invasive because of the threat they pose to our native ecosystems. To prevent their spread, DGC uses a bare rooting technique when transferring plants to pots, then stores the pots on their decks, driveways, gravel, or pallets until sale time.
Derry Garden Club members Blanche Garone, Dot Wiley, Sally Bertrand, Peg Kinsella, and Monica Turcotte prepare to pot plants for the sale. Photo credit: Derry Garden Club.
The Derry Garden Club is a 501c non-profit organization with the objectives of promoting an interest in home and garden, aiding in the protection of native plants, trees and wildlife, and assisting in civic beautification. The DGC gardeners’ touch can be seen at several locations around town:
- The Robert Frost Farm, with its barrels of flowers, children’s garden, iris bed and rose garden, and small herb and fruit garden.
- The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Derry, with its Youth Garden, where members work side by side with the children, who grow a stunning display of flowers and vegetables, and the Prairie garden, a circle of perennial pollinator plants.
- Downtown Derry, where you often see DGC members digging and raking in the garden in front of the Marrion Gerrish Community Center and the pocket garden next to the Derry Farmer’s Market.
- The Derry Public Library, with its perennial garden along the entrance ramp, a pollinator garden near the children’s library walkway, and additional planters behind the library.
The DGC offers educational opportunities, including a $1000 scholarship each year to two graduating seniors who plan a course of study related to horticulture, forestry, botany, or similar subjects. For more information about the Derry Garden Club, view its website: www.derrygardenclub.org. New members are always welcome!