Category: Outdoors

Kiddie Pool 23/06/29

Family fun for the weekend

Outside fun

• The first Hopkinton Field Fun Day is going to be on Thursday, June 29, starting at 10 a.m. at the town library (61 Houston Drive, Contoocook). The event will be filled with fun and games for visitors of all ages. Visit hopkintontownlibrary.org for more information.

• The New Hampshire Boat Museum (399 Center St., Wolfeboro) is having a Lake Discovery Day on Thursday, June 29, from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Kids will learn about boating safety and the world under the water and on the shore through different activities and craft projects. Admission is free. For more information visit nhbm.org.

• Kids can hang out with kids — meaning baby goats — at Rochester Blue Seal (275 Portland St.) for its baby goat day on Friday, June 30, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Baby goats will be provided by Denbow Acres Farm for the makeshift petting zoo. For more information visit blueseal.com.

• Get your engines running for high-octane fun at the New England Dragway (280 Exeter St., Epping) with the Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings on Friday, June 30, at 5 p.m. and Saturday, July 1, at 2 p.m. Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings is a group of racers that have a reality television show documenting their experiences doing racing without any preparation on the cars or tracks. Tickets cost $30 for general admission, free for kids 12 and younger. To buy tickets visit nedragway.com.

• Earth Child New England is hosting an Inclusive Nature Immersion Event on Saturday, July 1, from 11 a.m. to noon at Mine Falls Park in Nashua. The event will have a gentle nature walk for children, as well as yoga, mindfulness, social skills and nature-based learning. The event is $30 per child, $15 for each additional sibling. To purchase tickets go to forms.gle/aMi3YmeMT4UPM28Y6

Theater extravaganza

• The Educational Theater Collaborative, Plymouth State University’s summer camp for kids ages 8 to 14, is putting on an original play called Team Up Together at The Flying Monkey (39 Main St., Plymouth) at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 30. Tickets to the show cost $10, $5 for children. Tickets can be purchased online at flyingmonkeynh.com.

• The 2023 Bank of New HampshireChildren’s Summer Series at The Palace (80 Hanover St., Manchester) begins with renowned children’s magician BJ Hickman Wednesday, July 5, with shows at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tickets cost $10 per child and can be purchased at palacetheatre.org.

Growing plants for their scents

Stop and smell the daphne, peonies and viburnum

Do you remember your Grammy’s favorite rose? If you do, you probably remember how fragrant it was. One of my grandmother’s favorite plants was the peony named ‘Festiva Maxima.’ It is a double white with a drop of red in the middle. It’s in bloom now, with a fragrance so pleasant it almost makes me swoon. And even though she passed away in 1953, her peony has been divided and shared, and I have a piece of it, which I treasure.

My friend Nelia Sargent of Claremont, New Hampshire, is an excellent gardener, growing trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals. She specializes in plants with fragrant flowers because she has been blind since she lost her sight while in college decades ago. I called her recently to see what flowers please her the most in spring, summer and fall. Let’s take a look.

Spring: Early each spring one of Nelia’s first bloomers is a witch hazel named ‘Arnold’s Promise.’ Even though it is a Zone 5 plant (hardy to minus 20 degrees) and we are in a Zone 4 area, her home is within a mile of the Connecticut River, which tempers winters a bit. Arnold’s Promise blooms for her in April and, she said, one stem will fill a room with fragrance for up to two weeks in a vase.

Another favorite of hers is February daphne (Daphne mezereum), which blooms here in late March into April. It is a small shrub that is relatively slow-growing and short-lived. She says they are good for 10 years, but I’ve had one for 20. It is very fragrant and has lovely lavender flowers. All daphnes are fragrant and she also likes Daphne burkwoodii, which blooms in May.

Viburnums are also fragrant shrubs grown by Nelia. She particularly likes Viburnum judii and V. carlessii. The first, also called Judd’s viburnum, has semi-snowball bloom clusters that are pink in bud and white when open. It grows in full sun or part shade, as does Korean spice viburnum (V. carlessii). Both prefer well-drained rich soil in sun and stay a tidy 6- to 8-foot height and width. I grow the second and have had mixed luck with it: It is not always very generous with its blossoms, and does develop dead branches at maturity.

Summer: This is the season that has the most kinds of fragrant blossoms. Nelia has developed such a keen sense of smell that she was once invited to “smell test” and rate the lilacs at the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard.

Nelia told me that there are about 20 different fragrances from lilacs, each distinct. Her favorite lilacs are called ‘Sister Justina,’ ‘Gertrude Lesley’ and ‘Miss Kim.’ Miss Kim is often sold as a miniature, but it is really just slow-growing. Mine, now 25 years old, is about 12 feet tall and wide. The fragrance is lovely — I can smell it from 20 feet away, and on a sunny day it is loaded with butterflies and bees.

Then there are peonies. Properly planted, peonies last forever. And, as Nelia said, ”You can plant peonies for your heirs, but they yield immediately.” Purchase your peonies now, while in bloom at the garden center so you can see if they are fragrant — not all are — and see what they look like. Just don’t plant them so deep that their nibs or growing points are covered with more than an inch of soil, or they will not bloom in the future.

Nelia’s favorite peonies are Dawn Glow, Madame Deveronvale, Edulalis Superba (a very early deep pink), Festiva Maxima, Duchesse De Nemours and Carnation Bouquet (spicy, with a “carnation appearance”).

Mock orange (Philadelphus spp.) is a group of shrubs composed of about 20 species that are very fragrant. But they are a bit unruly and not suited for prime real estate in the garden. Nelia suggests planting them a bit away from the house and letting them naturalize. I’ve never grown it myself due to its spreading behavior.

Late summer and fall: Many fall flowers are big, tall, bright — but not very fragrant. Here are a few she likes.

Clethra: A nice shrub that likes moist places. She particularly likes ‘Ruby Spice,’ which is a reddish one.

Cohosh (formerly Cimicifuga spp., now included in the genus Actea): This plant has tall flower spikes that display drooping bottlebrush flowers. Bees absolutely love it. There is a black-leafed species that is quite distinctive called Hillside Black Beauty.

Seven Sons-Flower Tree (Heptacodium miconioides) starts blooming in September and may continue into October unless there is a bad frost. The blossoms are small and white and delicately fragrant. I grow it for the bark as well, which is exfoliating and interesting all winter.

So, if you like fragrant flowers, try some of Nelia Sargent’s favorites. All are wonderful.

Henry is the author of four gardening books and is a gardening consultant. He lives and gardens in Cornish Flat, N.H. Reach him at [email protected].

Featured photo: Close-up of February Daphne taken in late March. Photo by Henry Homeyer.

Ka-boom!

Independence Day celebrations across the Granite State

Compiled by Katelyn Sahagian

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Whether it’s a cookout, parade or celebration, towns and cities across New Hampshire want to make sure their residents have their Fourth of July go out with a bang.

• Amherst Fourth of July celebration Two days’ worth of celebration and entertainment, featuring fireworks, a festival on the town green, and a parade with classic cars competing for awards. When: Monday, July 3, festivities begin at 5:30 p.m. with fireworks. A second day of festivities, including the parade and festival, begins Tuesday, July 4, at 9 a.m. Where: July 3 events at Souhegan High School, 412 Boston Post Road. July 4 parade leaves opposite the Wilkins School, 80 Boston Post Road. Visit: amherstnh4th.org

• Brookline fireworks uesday, July 4, around 9 p.m. Where: The fireworks will be over Lake Potanipo, Max Cohen Memorial Grove, 3 Mason Road. Visit: brookline.nh.us

• Canobie Lake Park fireworks Stick around after a day at the amusement park for fireworks over the lake. The fireworks show is timed to patriotic music and the amusement park recommends viewers watch them by the daVinci’s Dream ride.When: Friday, June 30, through Tuesday, July 4, 9:15 p.m. Where: Canobie Lake Park, 85 N. Policy St., Salem Visit: canobie.com

• Derry fireworks Tuesday, July 4, approximately 8:45 p.m. Where: Best viewing areas are Hood Commons, Crystal Avenue and Tsienneto Road Visit: derry-nh.org

• Hopkinton Fourth of July Family Fun Day Featuring a kiddie and main parade, family games, live music and a cookie bake-off When: Tuesday, July 4, cookie competition dropoff is from 9 to 11 a.m., kiddie parade begins at 11:30 a.m., main parade begins at noon and competition results are at 2 p.m. Where: Parades begin at Hopkinton High School (297 Park Ave., Contoocook), then proceed through Fountain Square toward Contoocook Village Cemetery. Other festivities held at Houston Park, 41 Houston Drive, Hopkinton. Visit: hopkintonrec.com

• Laconia celebration and fireworks Laconia will be holding a parade and a festival full of vendors and live music on top of the spectacular fireworks show. When: Sunday, July 2. The parade will start at 4:30 p.m., the band will start playing after, and fireworks will begin at 10 p.m. Where: The parade will start at the Laconia High School, 345 Union Ave., and end at Opechee Park, 915 Main St. Visit: laconianh.gov

• Manchester Independence Day celebration Enjoy fireworks, live music and food vendors. When: Monday, July 3. Live music starts at 7 p.m.; fireworks begin at 9:30 p.m. Where: Arms Park, 10 Arms St. Visit: manchesternh.gov

• Merrimack Fourth of July festivities A weekend-long celebration featuring fireworks, live music, a road race, a pancake breakfast and much more. When: The Merrimack Concert Association’s annual Patriotic Concert in the Park will be held Monday, July 3, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The annual Merrimack Sparkler 5K Road Race will begin at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, July 4. The Merrimack Rotary Club Pancake Breakfast will be held from 8 to 11 a.m. A parade will begin at 1 p.m. and fireworks will begin at 9 p.m. Where: Holiday concert at Abbie Griffin Park. Road race begins and ends at Merrimack High School, 38 McElwain St. Pancake breakfast and fireworks are also at Merrimack High School. The parade will start at the Commons Shopping Plaza, 515 Daniel Webster Hwy. Visit: merrimackparksandrec.org

• Milford Star Spangled 5K Deck out in red, white and blue to show your patriotism at this race. There’s also a free fun run for kids ages 12 and younger. When: Saturday, July 1. Race starts at 8:30 a.m., check-in at 7:30 a.m. Where: Keyes Memorial Park, Elm Street Price: registration costs $30 for those 13 and older, $10 for 12 and youngerVisit: milford.nh.gov

• Nashua Fourth of July celebration Fireworks, live music and hall of fame inductions. When: Tuesday, July 4, children’s activities from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., concert at 6 p.m. featuring The Slakas. Fireworks begin at dusk. Where: Holman Stadium, 67 Amherst St. Visit: nashuanh.gov

• New Boston Fourth of July celebration Featuring a parade, live music, a barbecue, ax throwing and the firing of the historic Molly Stark cannon. When: Tuesday, July 4, parade begins at 10 a.m., fairgrounds will open at 4 p.m., opening ceremonies are at 5 p.m., and the fireworks will start at 9:30 p.m. Where: Parade begins at the top of High Street and will end at the grounds of the Hillsborough County Youth Center Foundation, off River Road. Visit: newboston4thofjuly.org

• Raymond Fourth of July celebration 21th annual Fourth of July parade will have floats, horses, antique cars, clowns and more. When: Tuesday, July 4, parade at 9:30 a.m. Where: Parade proceeds from Route 27 (Epping Street) to the Raymond Town Common, onto Old Manchester Road and to Wight Street. Visit: raymondareanews.com

• Salem Independence Day celebration Featuring live music, food trucks, face painting, fireworks, a beer garden and more.When: Monday, July 3. Kids’ activities and food trucks will be open from noon to 9 p.m., fireworks will start at dusk. Where: The event this year is taking place at Tuscan Village, 9 Via Toscana. Visit: townofsalemnh.org

• Weare patriotic celebration fireworks Enjoy fair food, live music, and carnival rides before the fireworks start. When: Fireworks begin at 9:15 p.m. Where: Center Park, North Stark Highway, Weare Visit: fb.me/e/2VVetdx9S

• Windham fireworks The Windham High School band will play a patriotic concert and there will be a selection of vendors selling all kinds of wares before the fireworks light up the sky. When: The parking lot opens at 5:30 p.m., the band starts at 7:15 p.m., fireworks at 9:30 p.m. Where: Windham High School, 64 London Bridges Road. Visit: windhamnh.gov

Kiddie Pool 23/06/22

Family fun for the weekend

Festival time

• The Nest Family Café (20 Orchard View Drive, Londonderry) is hosting Nest Fest! on Saturday, June 24, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be live music, games and crafts for the kids, a variety of vendors, a picnic area and a fire truck visit. The event is free to attend with any purchase at the café. For more information, visit the café’s website at thenestfamilycafe.com.

• Summerfest by the Wilton Main Street Association is back on Saturday, June 24, at 10 a.m. There will be an arts market, live music, food, street vendors, and fireworks in the evening. In the morning there will be a pancake breakfast. The rain date is Sunday, June 25. For more information visit visitwilton.com/summerfest.

• Independence Day is coming early to Pelham for its annual Independence Day celebration on Saturday, June 24, starting at 6 p.m. There will be fair food like hot dogs, hamburgers, kettle corn, fried dough, strawberry shortcake and more. There will also be plenty of entertainment in the form of games, live music, face painting and, of course, fireworks. For more information about this event, visit pelhamcommunityspirit.org.

Movie night

• Regal Cinemas (282 Loudon Road, Concord) is starting its Summer Movie Express series this week. There will be discounted movie screenings on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from now until Sept. 6. The next movies in the lineup are Sonic the Hedgehog (2020, PG) and Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019, PG), will both screen on June 27 and June 28 at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $2 per person. Purchase at regmovies.com.

Outdoor fun

• Monday, June 26, is the first day of Greater Derry Track Club’s Kids Summer Fun Runs. These fun runs will be held behind the Londonderry High School (295 Mammoth Road), with start time at 6:30 p.m. The series will continue every Monday through July 31. Registration deadline is Saturday, June 24, and it is free to register. Bib pickup will be earlier in the evening on the night of the first race. Kids 3 and younger run 50 yards, ages 4 to 6 run 200 meters, ages 7 and 8 run 300 meters, ages 9 and 10 run 600 meters, and ages 11 to 13 run the cross-country mile. Runners 14 and older do not need to register but can run the open mile after the younger runners are done. To register, visit runsignup.com/Race/NH/Londonderry/GDTCkids.

• Construct a palace fit for royalty at the Sandcastle Building Contest at Max Cohen Memorial Grove (3 Mason Road, Brookline) on Tuesday, June 27. Builders can begin construction whenever they choose, but must have finished their castles by 1 p.m. Winners will be announced at 1:30 p.m. For more information, visit brooklinenh.us.

Moving plants

You don’t need a van, just a wheelbarrow

Once, a long time ago, I was sitting on a porch overlooking a landscape with an acquaintance. I commented that if she removed or thinned a line of tall pine trees, she would have a lovely long view.

“Great idea! I’ll have them moved,” she said. Even though she was a woman of means, I explained that it wouldn’t be possible to move 60-foot white pines. She should either live with them or cut some down.

On the other hand, I move shrubs and perennial flowers regularly. When it’s done right, a plant barely knows it’s been moved. I have a number of reasons for moving a plant.

First, if the plant is not growing well. Perhaps the tag on it said, “sun or part shade.” Well, what is part shade? I define full sun as five or six hours of afternoon sun. Morning sun is less hot, and a sun-lover might want some afternoon sun in addition to the morning sun.

shovel with long, think head, sitting on grass
This drain spade is good for transplanting perennials and shrubs

Why else move a plant? We all change our minds. Or plants grow and start to crowd out their neighbors. We get new plants and decide to plant one where something else is already growing. Moving plants is a normal part of gardening.

I have a lovely shrub called Carolina sweetshrub or Calycanthus floridus. My reference book by Michael Dirr, Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, suggests planting it in sun or shade in deep moist loam. I planted it in full sun in deep, moist loam and the leaves burned that first summer. I assumed it had been grown in a shady place at the nursery, so figured it would be fine in Year 2. It was not. Its leaves burned again. So that fall I moved it to a shady spot.

For the next three years or more my sweetshrub did not burn up in summer, but neither did it flower much. I wanted those deep burgundy wine-colored blossoms, each more than an inch across. So I finally moved it again, this time under a pear tree that allowed filtered sunshine. Perfect! It has bloomed magnificently ever since.

My technique for moving a shrub is simple. I decide where it should go, and get the area ready by removing grass or plants and loosening the top layers of soil. Then I go to the plant in question with a drain spade that has a blade 16 inches long and only 5 inches wide. I slide it under the shrub on all four sides by thrusting the blade into the soil at a 45-degree angle. On each side I give the spade a gentle downward push to lift and loosen the shrub a little. By the fourth thrust it should be ready to lift out by sliding my two hands under the root ball.

I move the shrub into a waiting wheelbarrow and bring it to its new home. I measure the depth of the root ball and dig out a hole deep enough so that it will sit at the same depth it was at originally. I dig a wide hole so that the area around the shrub will be nicely loosened and ready for roots to grow in it once I backfill the hole. I water well that day and regularly all summer.

When I water a plant I have moved, I add something to the water: a capful (half a teaspoon) of something called “Superthrive” in a watering can of water. It was developed some 70 years ago and uses seaweed extracts and plant hormones to lessen transplant shock. I find it really helps. A small blurt of Neptune’s Harvest Fish and Seaweed fertilizer in the water adds some quick nutrition. I use both liquids on all my vegetables as I plant them, too.

Any plant that you planted this year can be moved now without damaging it. It takes several weeks before roots move far from their root ball. I don’t bother with a spade when moving new things. I use my CobraHead weeder, which is shaped like a long curved finger. It gets under the root ball easily, and by wiggling it around I can loosen the plant and gently lift it out, pulling from below with my CobraHead.

When I am moving an established perennial, I am more careful. Over the years, from experience and readings, I have learned much about the root systems of common perennials. You probably have, too. Some have roots near the surface while others are more like tubers that go deep.

Peony roots go deep and are not easy to move without breaking their fleshy tubers. Peony experts say to move them in the fall, when they are going dormant. But I once moved a hedge of peonies in June with about 50 plants, and not one showed ill effects.

It is best to move established perennials in the early evening, or on a cool or drizzly day. Some plants go into shock if disturbed in the heat of the day, so avoid doing so if you can. Others, like daylilies, don’t care at all about being moved on a hot dry day.

I recently was planting my front walkway garden and noticed a rudbeckia called ‘Prairie Sun’ that was too close to another plant, so I moved it at 11 a.m. on a hot day. After lunch the leaves were limp and it was in distress. My solution? I gave it another drink of Superthrive and placed an umbrella over it to provide shade. By the next morning it looked like it had never been moved!

So go ahead, move plants. Other than big trees, there are very few you can’t move.

Featured photo: Calycanthus or sweetshrub is a shade-loving shrub that I moved twice to find it a happy home. Photo by Henry Homeyer.

Make way for Market Days

Three-day street festival returns to downtown Concord

By Maya Puma

[email protected]

Back for a 49th year in downtown Concord, Market Days, the three-day street festival featuring vendors, musicians, a beer garden and a variety of other special events, is bigger than ever. It will run from Thursday, June 22, through Saturday, June 24, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day, along Main Street and connecting side streets.

This year there will be some new festivities, including a free photo booth, an inclusive art project and recycling. The art project is happening on Thursday and Friday on Capitol Street and all attendees are welcome to participate.

“Everyone can join the project and make a little picture, and just make an effort to do some positive messaging and be inclusive of everybody,” said Jessica Martin, executive director of Intown Concord, which organizes the festival.

Recycling is also new to the event this year, and there will be a sustainability effort represented through three recycling stations and vendors to do composting.

Nearly 200 street vendors are participating, including the Concord Arts Market, which will be on Pleasant Street. Several vendors will be serving food, like Temple Street Diner, Twelve 31 Cafe, Eatxactly Sweet Cafe and fan favorites Yankee Farmer’s Market Buffalo and Let the Dough Roll.

Over the course of the weekend more than 75 live local performances will take place on three separate stages. According to Martin, this is the second year that performers will be paid, thanks to a grant from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts.

The Club Soda Band, for example, is a Concord-based cover band playing a mix of pop, rock, classic rock and some country music from the 1960s to now. A mainstay of Market Days over the last 30 years, the group will perform on the Main Stage on Thursday at 7:45 p.m.

“I just like being part of this event. There’s a history to it,” Club Soda Band keyboardist Carl Smith said. “I’m a lifelong resident of this town … so it’s one of those days that I look forward to every year.”

Other events to take place throughout the duration of the festival include balloon animal demonstrations by Lollipop the Clown, a drum circle courtesy of the Concord Community Music School, a dog show from Pawskies, salsa and champeta dancing from Barranquilla Flavor and even a roller derby demonstration.

Worthy Mind and Movement, an alternate fitness studio based in Concord, will host a Buti yoga class and zumba class. Buti yoga incorporates dynamic movements, biometrics and yoga poses. The studio aims to make fitness fun and accessible for all people, according to owner Cassie O’Brien.

“We’re excited to showcase what we do and it should be a fun time,” she said. “Market Days is always a good time.”

Market Days Festival
When: Thursday, June 22, through Saturday, June 24, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Where: Main Street and neighboring streets, downtown Concord
Visit: marketdaysfestival.com

Statehouse lawn
Thursday, June 22
– Concord Public Library storytime: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
– Concord Community Music School storytime and Music and Movement: 2 to 3 p.m.
– Girl Scouts offering face- and arm-painting, as well as tattoos: 3 to 6:30 p.m

Friday, June 23
– Storytime with Miss New Hampshire Brook Mills: 10 to 11 a.m.
– Concord Public Library storytime: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
– The Friends Program makes friendship bracelets and buttons: noon to 5 p.m.
– Worthy Mind and Movement Zumba class: noon to 12:30 p.m.
– Worthy Mind and Movement Buti yoga class: 12:30 to 1 p.m.
– Girl Scouts offering face- and arm-painting, as well as tattoos: 12:30 to 6 p.m.

Saturday, June 24
– Boy Scouts of America: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
– Music & Movement with the Concord Community Music School: 10 to 10:45 a.m.
– Girl Scouts offering face- and arm-painting, as well as tattoos: 10:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.
– Concord Community Music School Folk Jam Session: 11 a.m. to noon
– Concord Community Music School drum session: noon to 1 p.m.
– The 501st and Rebel Legions – The Star Wars Fan Costuming Group: 2 to 6 p.m.
– Granite State Roller Derby games for kids: 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

City Plaza
Thursday, June 22
– Element Booth Company takes pictures with friends and family: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
– Music & Movement with the Concord Community Music School: 10 to 10:45 a.m.
– Lollipop the Clown and balloon twisting: 3 to 6 p.m.
– Darbster Rescue adoption showcase: 5:30 to 8 p.m.

Friday, June 23
– Element Booth Company takes pictures with friends and family: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
– Music & Movement with the Concord Community Music School: 10 to 10:45 a.m.
– Pawskies dog show: 2 to 4 p.m.
– Cumbia dancing with Barranquilla Flavor: 4:30 to 5 p.m.
– Salsa dancing with Barranquilla Flavor: 5 to 5:30 p.m.
– Cardio sculpt classes with Thrive Fitness: 6 to 7 p.m.

Saturday, June 24
– Element Booth Company takes pictures with friends and family: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
– Champeta dancing with Barranquilla Flavor: 10:30 to 11 a.m.
– Salsa dancing with Barranquilla Flavor: 11 to 11:30 a.m.
– Cardio sculpt classes with Thrive Fitness: 1 to 2 p.m. and 5 to 6 p.m.
– Granite State Roller Derby demonstrations: 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

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