A Historic Club of Green Thumbs

Long before Ocean Boulevard was designated a "scenic" byway – almost a century before, in fact – a small, spirited group set out to cultivate a scenic pocket garden just north of North Hampton State Beach. The seaside stretch was really just a pull-off then, more noticeable for occasional litter than the roadside attraction it is now.

The Rye Beach Little Boar's Head Garden Club was established in 1916. In those first years, members often wore white gloves and it was more of a society event. Today, the white gloves are off, and the green thumbs of this non-profit can be seen regularly tending the plants and shrubs.

Thousands of residents and tourists walk, ride and drive by the garden each summer. Some of the pedestrians stop to chat with the gardeners. Earlier this week, Hampton-North Hampton Patch caught up with three of them – Margaret Schoenberger, Leslie Asadoorian and Patti Flaherty – to ask them more about this deciduous delight.