The Hawthorn

Fall 2009

One of an infinite variety of wreath designs crafted bythe Merryspring Elves.

Have a Green Holiday:

2009 HOLIDAY BAZAAR

Enter the Holiday Raffle!

Wreaths, evergreen swags, bundles of greens, and centerpieces will be available at the sale, but

we strongly encouragepre-ordering

to be sure you get the decorations and color scheme you seek. The Merryspring elves are waiting to create some-thing just for you! Go to the Holiday Bazaar page of the Merryspring website

http://www.merryspring.org

and click on the Bazaarlink for a copy of the catalog.In addition to holiday greenery and books for the gardener or naturalist on your list, we always have an array of unique gifts thatwill be available only at Merryspring during the sale. Here are just a few samples to whet your holiday shopping appetite:delicious, homemade jams, preserves, and candy; compounded spice mixes; herbal sachets; paperwhites in their holiday best;supplies to make your own decorations; pet treats; botanical greeting cards; and hand-crafted Della Robbia wreaths, decoupageboxes and picture frames, ornaments, and more made by our talented volunteers.We are very grateful to our sponsors,

Long’s Landscaping

and

Scholz & Barclay Architecture

, for helping us bring you this festiveevent. All proceeds from the Bazaar benefit Merryspring Nature Center.

Mark your calendars now so you won’t miss the Merryspring Holiday

Bazaar on Christmas by the Sea weekend. Shopping at the Bazaar is notonly an opportunity to purchase wonderful, locally-harvested, volunteer-crafted holiday decorations and gifts; it is also a chance to double your gift

giving by supporting Merryspring’s environment

-friendly mission witheach purchase.Members will have the first choice of the bounty at the Ross Center on

Thursday, December 3 (2

–

7 p.m.).

The general public is invited to shopon

Saturday, December 5 (10 a.m.

–

4 p.m.)

. If you are not a member, weinvite you to become one at the Bazaar.

Members get a 10% discount onpurchases.

Be sure to enter the Holiday Raffle (tickets $1 each or 6 for $5) for achance to win an epicurean gift basket from Lily, Lupine and Fern ($200

value); an original sea glass sculpture, “Ari the Starfish,” by Lynette

Walther ($190 value, pictured at right); or a Merryspring signature freshbalsam wreath decorated with natural materials ($35 value). See thecatalog for details at

www.merryspring.org

The Hawthorn Fall 2009Page 2

Holiday Bazaar 1Holiday Raffle 1Thanks 2Wish List 2Education Calendar 3Summer Scrapbook 4-5Winter Color Natives 6-7Kitchen Tour 7Horse Chestnut 8

Inside this issue:

MerryspringNature Center

P.O. Box 893, Camden, ME 04843Tel: (207) 236-2239Fax: (207) 230-0663Email: info@merryspring.orgwww.merryspring.org

Mission Statement

Merryspring’s mission is to practice,

teach, and advocate sound principles of ecology, conservation, and horticulture inorder to protect our natural environmentand to provide natural landscapes andcultivated areas for public enjoyment.

Hours of Operation

The park is open free of charge fromdawn to dusk every day of the year. Ouroffices and library are open Tuesday-Friday from 9am to 2pm, or by appoint-ment.

Membership

Individual $35Family $50Business $50-100

Board of Trustees

Ray Andresen, PresidentKathleen Kull, Vice PresidentMargaret E. Barclay, Vice PresidentRichard Ailes, TreasurerFrank Callanan, SecretarySusan DorrCynthia DunhamJoanne FagerburgJames SadySusan ShawCarol Woodbury -Witham

Staff

Toni Goodridge, Administrative Mgr.Gail Sutton, Buildings & Grounds Mgr.Bill Sutton, Buildings & Grounds Assist.

AmeriCorps EnvironmentalEducator

—

Wish List:

Wall Cabinet

—

If you have aspare cabinet of the approximatedimensions (12-

14” deep x24”maximum width x 72” high )

give us a call. We will be happyto move it for you.

Venetian Blind Slats

—

If you

have broken blinds, don’t throw

them away. We use the slats tomake plant labels.

Visit Merryspring’s Facebook

page where you can check onupcoming programs and events.Go tohttp://www.tinyurl.com/merryspring-facebook/ We hope

you’ll become a fan.

eUpdates

www.merryspring.org

to receivethe latest news on programs andevents.

A Year Full of Thanks

The board and staff of Merryspring extend our thanks to allthe volunteers who enable Merryspring to function. All

summer long you’ve been gardening, mowing, clearing,

hosting programs, putting on events, and helping in the office,

library, and gift shop. We couldn’t do it without you.

Our profoundest gratitude goes to the penultimate volunteer,

Rachel Potter

our 2009 AmeriCorps EnvironmentalEducator/Maine Conservation Corps Member,

who spentcountless hours assisting Merryspring with her wealth of knowledge and resources and her quiet patience and good

cheer. There is not an aspect of Merryspring’s operations shehas not helped improve, from expanding our children’s

programs, to modernizing our community outreach, toreassessing our site management plans, to reworking ourvolunteer program. We wish her well in her life beyondMerryspring and look forward to collaborating with her in thefuture as she moves into teaching in the local school system.Merryspring is very grateful to the sponsor of the 2009Summer Tuesday Talks,

The First

, proudly serving thebanking needs of coastal Maine with a "can do spirit," and toall those who shared their knowledge and expertise withothers through our education programs: Tom Atwell; JulieBeckford, Rebel Hill Farms; Didier Bonner Ganter; HammonBuck, Plants Unlimited; Paul Cates, Cates Family Glads; DavidCoomer, SolarMarine; Phillip deMaynadier, ME Fish &Wildlife; Ellen Dyer, Gen. Henry Knox Museum; Eric Evans; Dr.David Field; David Foley, Holland & Foley Architecture; JohnForbes, USDA/APHIS; Wanda Garland, Coastal Senior College;Kathie Gass; Joe Gray, Mid-Coast Audubon; Arthur Haines,New England Wildflower Society; Kerry Hardy; Jenny Hartung;

Tom Hopps; Rebecca Jacobs, Gabriella’s Gardens; Glen Jenks;

Shelley Johnson, BreathEasy Farm; Patrick Keenan,BioDiversity Research Inst.; Clay & Magy King, Green HiveHoney; Clay Kirby, UMaine IPPDL; Neil Lash, Medomak ValleyHigh School; Stephen Leavins, Maine Sport Outfitters; KenLiberty, Peony Society of ME; Greg Marley, Mushrooms forHealth; Dennis Milliken, Hoboken Gardens; Morten

Moesswilde, Maine Forest Service; Diane O’Brien; Fredda Paul

& Leslie Wood, Kuwesi-medicine; Antje Roitzsch; KathieSavoie, U. ME. Extension.; Rick Sawyer, Fernwood; SusanShaw; Lee Schneller Sligh; Lesia Sochor; Barbara Tomlinson,Wild Haven; Cindy Tibbitts, Hummingbird Farm; Cheryl

Wixon, MOFGA; and Tom York, York’s Hardy Rhododendrons.

We would especially like to thank

Wendy Andresen

Merryspring’s “Julia Child of the Garden.” Her five

-part serieson caring for the Perennial Garden through the season wasan amazing contribution to our program.We deeply appreciate our education partner organizations:

Aldermere Farm; AmeriCorps; Ashwood Waldorf School;Central Maine Astronomical Society; Coastal Maine Botani-cal Gardens; Five Town Communities That Care - STARProgram; Knox-Lincoln County Soil & Water ConservationDistrict; American Chestnut Foundation

—

Maine Chapter;Maine Conservation Corps; Maine Daylily Society; Mid-CoastAudubon Society; Otolith Education; Pen Bay Health Care;Plants Unlimited; The Stanwood Wildlife Sanctuary;

and

Youthlinks.

Without their co-sponsorship or participation,many of our events would not be possible.

One of the many Forest Beings

brought to life on Merryspring’s

eastern boundary trails by the Ashwood Waldorf School for the

All Hallows’ Eve Celebration. Come

visit them before winter winds and snow do their work.

The Hawthorn

Fall 2009 Page 3

2010 Winter/Spring Calendar

WINTER & SPRING TUESDAY TALKS

Noon on Tuesdays; bring a bag lunch. Members & Children Free, Others $5

January 12 The Inspired Garden: 24 Artists Share Their Vision

—

Judy Paolini, Author & Designer

January 19 Houseplant Clinic: Expert Advice on Caring for the Indoor Garden

—

Dennis Milliken, Green Thumb Nursery

January 26 Mercury Pollution in Maine

—

Patrick Keenan, BioDiversity Research Institute

February 2 To Be AnnouncedFebruary 9 Maine is a Garden

—

Cathy Melio, Center for Maine Contemporary Art

February 16SCHOOL BREAK FAMILY PROGRAM Live Animal Program to be AnnouncedFebruary 23

What’s New for 2010—

Hammon Buck, Plants Unlimited

March 2 Stories Around a Katahdin Campfire

—

John Neff, Maine Appalachian Trail Club

March 9 Winter Tree I.D.

—

Morten Moesswilde, Maine Forest Service

March 16 Composting with Worms

—

Mark Follansbee, WormMainea

March 23 The Best Vegetable Varieties for Maine Gardens

—

Dr. David Handley, UMaine Cooperative Extension

March 30 Heirloom Plants are for the Birds! (Bees and Butterflies, too!) -

Diana George Chapin, The Heirloom Garden

April 6 Grow More, Work Less with Square-Foot Gardening

—

Shelley Johnson, BreathEasy Farm

April 13 NO TALK SCHEDULEDApril 20SCHOOL BREAK FAMILY PROGRAMGoing Green: Small Changes for a Big Impact

—

Keith Crowley, Chewonki Foundation

April 27 Trees for the Maine Landscape

—

Doug Fox, Unity College

May 4 Alpine Primula

—

Richard May, Evermay Nursery

May 11 Plant Fever: Tips for an Organized Growing Season

—

Rebecca Jacobs, Gabriella’s Gardens

May 18 NO TALK SCHEDULEDMay 25 Soil Health in Plain English

—

Mark Hutchinson, UMaine Cooperative Extension

FAMILY PROGRAMS

A monthly

Family Program Series

and

School Break Family Programs

are currently under construction. Keep your eye on theMerryspring website and weekly eUpdates for the latest postings.

PUBLIC EVENTS

Winter Ecology Festival: Saturday, February 13, from 10am - 12pm

—

A fun event for the whole family: Maine mammals andbirds; winter trees; birdfeeder making; winter sports ; and more; hot drinks and refreshments throughout the day

Astronomy Day, co-sponsor

—

Central Maine Astronomical Society: Saturday, April 24, afternoon and evening

—

Mark you calen-dar for this annual event when astronomers share their joy of astronomy with people of all ages

Some dates may be subject to change and additional workshops and field trips will be added. Be sure to check our website

www.merryspring.org

for the latest

postings. If you’d like to be sent news of new programs and reminders of upcoming events, send your name and email address t

info@merryspring.org

. We willnever share or sell your email address.