MGC 35th Annual Greens Sale Photos

Greens Sale Trimmings

For 35 years, the Mystic Garden Club’s main source of revenue has been from our Green Sale. This year’s production was unparalleled in the history of this sale.
Linda McArthur and Barbara Tacy built upon their experience as directors from last year to assemble a strong cast of players and materials with which they could accentuate their art skills.
Nancy Hevenor beat the publicity drum louder than ever before to attract new customers. Thanks to our new wreath supplier, Tim Black (Timbuck 2, 215 Flanders Rd. Groton), the fresh, well-bound greens were a pleasure to decorate.
Our Monday workshops produced high end natural tree trimmings which commanded higher prices and we were able to add to our normal revenue stream with the wooden swans supplied by Pam Arguelles from her husband, Roger’s, workshop.
The productivity of our presale workers was enhanced by the high caloric munchies organized by Candi Briggs. Mary Ann little did her usual great job to ensure that the advanced sale orders were received and delivered. Donations of wreaths were made to the Mystic & Noank Library, the Nature Center, the Denison Homestead, the Mystic River Historical Society, and to the Stonington Historical Society.
As we have recently seen on Broadway, no production can proceed without the stagehands, and Connie Blair’s group of tiers and wirers set the scenery for the main act to come.
Our two gleaners, Sue Johnson and Carol Conor, denuded the countryside of greens which Amy Bush and her staff made into sprays while Barbara Ginsberg and her team made over 100 boxwood trees which quickly sold out.
Amy also organized the pre-performance cocktail party and those who made the food outdid themselves. One of the bartenders, who seeks anonymity, even kept serving the parking attendant the next day.
Before the curtain opened, Pam Arguelles, Jane Bogden and Nancy White made up a beautiful array of custom wreaths for our stage manager Irene Trimble to display indoors while Shinny Stone and Cynthia Benfield worked outdoors cutting the gleaners’ greens into manageable pieces.
In the meantime Peg Maxon was cleaning up underfoot from the beginning until the lights finally went out.
After the curtain fell on Saturday afternoon, Diane Davis and her cashiers gathered the receipts together to discover that all box office records had been shattered on the 35th year of blood, sweat and tears.
Thanks to all of you who kept your covenant with the Garden Club to sacrifice your time and energy after Thanksgiving to help fund the contributions we make to our Community.

Gail Ettinger, President Mystic Garden Club

A Special Thanks to the Co-Chairs - Linda & Barbara

Linda and Barbara worked all year long to make this - the 35th Annual Greens Sale, the biggest success ever! They are receiving a little of their much deserved thanks and praise.
Celia Gallup, Gail Ettinger, Linda McArthur, Barbara Tacy

These photos were taken by Greg Stone. He has shared them on Shutterfly and you can go to Pictures from Greg Stone to view the rest of the photos and to order prints of any that you'd like.

Gail Ettinger, Amy Bush, Shinny Stone

Amy Bush, Karin Stuart, Diane Davis

Helen Callen, Linda Habib

Ready for people to begin arriving on Day 2!

The Worker Appreciation Party

The Worker Appreciation was a big success. After the many, many hours that everyone put into the preparations for the Greens Sale it was time for a celebration! The first day was a tremendous success and before the party the walls were refilled and more boxwood trees were quickly assembled. People made phone calls to arrange to cut more greens early the next morning. But tonight it was time for fun and some eating and drinking.

Gail Ettinger, Barbara Ginsberg, Marc Ginsberg

Amy Bush, Mary Ann Little

Clifford Wilson, Elsie Johnson, Joy Molloy

MGC Greens Sale Prepartions

Double click the green arrow to rerun the slide show

Everyone in the Mystic Garden Club is working diligently on the Mystic Garden Club Greens Sale. The work begins in September and builds to a frenzy of activity by the week after Christmas. Even before the week of assembly women are busy going around cutting and gathering greens from all over town. Holly bushes are trimmed, unwanted evergreens are cut down. Members fill truck beds with greenery.
Meanwhile the pre-orders are taken and organized. So on Monday morning after Thanksgiving decorators and drivers arrive to create and deliver these wreaths all around town. Gift wreaths are given to a number of places around town, including the Nature Center, the Denison Homestead and the Mystic & Noank Library.
By Day 4 it is unbelievable the amount of beautiful decorations that have been lovingly created by skilled hands.
Happily the weather is holding clear through Saturday and we are anticipating a terrific 35th Annual Greens Sale.

Wreath for the Groton Town Hall

Photo by Pamela Arguelles

Every Year the Mystic Garden Club creates an enormous wreath to hang on the Groton Town Hall. Here is this year's wreath ready for going to the town hall.

Cutler School Science Courtyard

The Mystic Garden Club donates to many worthwhile causes. Barbara Rousseau has photographed the courtyard of the Cutler School Science Courtyard
They Mystic Garden Club donates to many community organizations. The Cutler School received funds from the Garden Club for their Science Courtyard

Seasonal Decorations along with the plantings

Photos by Barbara Rousseau

MGC November Meeting

The Mystic Garden Club November Meeting was terrific. The Church Fellowship
was invited to participate. The lunch was delicious as always.

Luncheon Centerpiece Arrangement by Elsie Johnson

Our presentation was by Diane Hartlin did a terrific demonstration on holiday decorations. She began by describing all the materials she uses. She shared her secret of using an old frying pan to melt wax and dip the decorations into the hot wax rather than using picks and wires or a glue gun.

Diane Hartlin showing the centerpiece in process.

Note the frying pan full of hot wax to dip the decorations into.

The centerpieces she created were beautiful. They were raffled off and Ellie won the first one.

Ellie was our first winner!

Our Second Winner Donata Delulio!

Beautiful creations!

The Mystic flower boxes were recently cleaned out. Most boxes contained potato vines and this year was the second annual potato contest. Linda McArthur won for the largest (heaviest) potato. Nancy Noise and Kay Hill won for the longest potato. Carol Connor had the most unusual potato - it looked like it was smiling at us!

Linda McArthur receiving first prize for the largest potato.

Kay Hill receiving the prize for the longest potato

Barbara shows off the most unusual potato.

Sue Johnson shared facts on raising bromeliads.
Mary Katherine Porter and the design committee are doing a series on antique postcards. This month's gorgeous arrangement was inspired by an antique Hawaiian Postcard and created by Mary Katherine.

Garden Therapy at Mystic Manor

It's known as "Garden Therapy". Every month 8 or 10 members of The Mystic Garden Club visit Mystic Manor Nursing Home. Arms full of greens and flowers, we greeted the 20 or so residents that were assembled in the recreation room that morning. When we arrived the residents were enjoying their morning coffee while listening to the newspaper being read aloud. MGC members were filling baskets with florist foam and clipping the greens and flowers into sizes suitable for the containers.

After the morning news was over, the tables were covered with the old newspapers and the work began. Each resident received a basket to work on. Greens were distributed to the table for the basis of the bouquet.
Many of the residents are frail and some have difficulty pushing the stems into the florist foam. But every resident was intent and delighted in the color and shape of the bouquets as they evolved. Garden club members were there to supply helping hands but most residents took charge of their own creation. "I need a pink and a purple flower" I was told. So I hustled over to the table to find the desired colors. When I was admiring one woman's basket she told me she had gone to school for this. I tried to find out more but she was busy with her flowers. Another resident had both wrists wrapped and placed her stems with difficulty. But I learned that she had been in a Garden Club years ago and she had a definite sense of balance and desire to have her basket just so.


The time just flew by and the baskets took shape. It is amazing how a bunch of assorted greens and mixed flowers turns into 20 or more bouquets.

MGC Beautification Award

Each year the Mystic Garden Club presents a Beautification Award to the place or business that the club feels deserves recognition for the beautification they have brought to the community. This year the Award went to the Groton Transfer Station for their beautification which is named "Better Dumps and Gardens!" Below is a photo of the award being presented.

Pictured are Pam Arguelles, Gary Schneider and Karin Stuart.