Boothbay Region Garden Club
Boothbay Region Garden Club Annual Meeting
June 12, 2024 Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club
June 12, 2024 Annual Meeting
“Blooms Through the Season” is a fast paced, exciting talk that is like speed dating for perennials. John Fromer, Maine Master Gardener Volunteer, and his wife Kathy have grown over 140 perennials along the shore at Islesboro and on their flower and vegetable farm in Appleton, ME. Fromer will talk about each perennial for 30-45 seconds with tips based on personal experience for approximately 90 perennials. The perennials are sorted by color and presented from spring to fall.
Fromer is the Program Director at Merryspring Nature Center, presents garden talks and workshops there and teaches gardening at the MidCoast School of Technology. He also teaches the vegetable class at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.
Boothbay Region Garden Club Annual Meeting
June 14, 2023 Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club
The Boothbay Region Garden Club held its 92nd annual meeting and luncheon on June 14th at the Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club. On completing the installation of our 2023-2025 elected officers, members enjoyed a delicious buffet luncheon.
Following the luncheon, our program presenter, Martha Blakeslee shared her experience as a florist at the White House from 2005 to 2010. She then became the chief floral designer at the British Ambassador’s Residence. During that time she also worked in the Office of the Curator at the White House, assisting with collection management.
Boothbay Region Garden Club
New Officers for 2023-2024
Our elected officers for 2023-2025 are:
President Irene Fowle
Vice President Kevin Bowler
Recording Secretary Deanna Clarkson
Treasurer Sandy Abernathy
Directors: Linda Bonin, Linda Redman, Gloria Wakefield
Martha Blakeslee Presents
Martha Blakeslee on 'Flower Arranging at the White House'
Martha writes:
"After graduate school, where I earned a Master’s degree in art history (to go along with my bachelor’s in art history), I worked as a museum collections manager. I began at the Georgia Museum of Art, and then later worked at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.
When my third son was born, I left the Gallery and was a full-time mom until that baby went to kindergarten. That is when I decided I would try to work as a florist. I was able to work part-time for one of the big event florists in DC, whose warehouse/studio was close to my house. He was a wonderful teacher and boss, now a wonderful friend, and I worked for him for several years.
In 2005, I was able to volunteer at the White House flower shop for Christmas decorating. The chief florist at the time was Nancy Clarke, and she asked me to come back as one of their part-time florists. I continued there until 2010, when I became the chief floral designer for the British Ambassador’s Residence. At the same time, I began working part-time in the Office of the Curator at the White House, helping out with collections management there.
I also had private clients in DC. Essentially I had three part-time jobs that felt like more than one full-time job, and carried on until we decided to move full-time to Maine in 2016. I went back to DC periodically to work for the Curators until the Covid shutdown, and now I am happily enjoying life on West Harbor pond. I now can garden a lot, and have been showing dahlias a bit - won a judge's award at Common Ground my first time out!"