LONDONDERRY, Vt. – The Green Mountain Gardeners (GMG) capped off a successful year with their tradition of tabletop-tree-making and donations to support community organizations. The uniquely decorated tabletop trees and cookies from the Weston Women’s Club and the Wantastiquet Rotary elves bring holiday cheer to the homebound.
In addition to collecting food for the food pantry, the GMG donated $300 to Neighbors Pantry, and will make other donations in 2025.
The tabletop-tree-making event capped off a successful year for the organization, which included its hallmark biannual Mountain Garden Walks on behalf of the club’s Lib Thieme Scholarship, a four-year scholarship for local youth interested in studying in an area related to the goals of GMG. The biannual tour of six local gardens raised over $10,000 for the scholarship, which provides monetary assistance for college or vocational studies in environmental sciences, landscape design, conservation, agriculture, or ecology to area students.
In conjunction with its goal to foster conservation and education, GMG hosted a program on invasive species by Pieter van Loon of the Vermont Land Trust. The talk provided community members with tools to identify and eradicate invasive species, and suggested plants that could be used in the garden to replace them.
At its annual meeting in October, GMG celebrated the receipt of numerous awards bestowed upon it by the Federated Garden Club of Vermont. The club received 10 awards, including awards for civic beautification, education, and historic preservation. Of note, the statewide Golden Trowel Award went to Landgrove’s Sally Ogden, for over 50 years of work on behalf of GMG.
Throughout 2024, GMG members contributed to beautifying the Mountain Towns and brightening the lives of residents and visitors. These efforts included spring cleanup in Londonderry, and working on the garden at the Londonderry Arts and Historical Society, maintenance of Weston’s Farrar-Mansur Museum, flower plantings at the town hall in Landgrove, and planting trees and bulbs in the Mountain Towns.
For those interested in joining the Green Mountain Gardeners and the opportunity to make a difference in the community, membership information can be found on their website at www.greenmountaingardeners.net/join-us.html.
The Green Mountain Gardeners fosters horticulture, beautification, and conservation in the Mountain Towns of Landgrove, Londonderry, Peru, and Weston. In addition, the group also serves their communities through beautification and service projects. Visit their website, www.greenmountaingardeners.net, to learn more, or to join the organization.