SCHEDULE
~ September 2019 to June 2020 ~
Regular meetings are held at
Holy Trinity Parish St. Theresa's Church at 15 Still River Road in Harvard, MA.
Meetings begin at 9:30AM unless otherwise noted.
Brunch is served from 9:30 AM until 10:15 AM.
Meetings are cancelled if Harvard Public Schools are closed.
Nature Walks take place on area conservation lands. They are tentatively planned for Thursdays, with time varying seasonally. More information will be available the week before the walk.
We hope to visit all the conservation lands with trails this year.
September
Meeting Date: September 30
Michael Wojtech
The Growth of Trees: A Journey Through Time
Fall is the season when trees seem their most impressive, with dazzling colors of red, orange, and gold, and people drive for miles to catch them at their peak. But Michael Wojtech, a naturalist and educator from Western Mass., will help us to see the wonder and beauty of trees in any season, at any stage in their growth. Michael has been observing and inquiring about the natural world for as far back as he can remember, and his goal is to “engage people in a process of curiosity, discovery, and wonder that they can take with them and continue to practice in the landscapes where they live and frequent.” He will talk about how trees grow, reproduce, and interact with their environment across time. He will zoom in on the details of buds, flowers, leaves and bark by which species are identified and zoom out to discuss the collaborative roles of trees in ecosystems.
October
Meeting Date: October 28
Linda Lipton
Confessions of a Garden Fanatic: Still Crazy After All These Years
An avid do-it-yourself gardener, Linda’s greatest challenge was planting a garden from scratch in the 70 by 30 foot asymmetric sliver of a backyard that came with the historical home she and her husband purchased in Salem, Mass. Despite many challenges, they were able to create a spectacular urban garden, with a distinct focus on the site’s historical roots. In this presentation, Linda will take us through the process: researching time and place, optimizing the best use of small spaces, creating garden rooms, and using design elements and principles to create a cohesive landscape. Her garden was featured in the article “Salem’s Secret Garden” in the summer 2018 issue of North Shore Home magazine.
November
Meeting Date: November 25
Garden Club of Harvard
DIY Fall/Winter Wreaths
Doers: Club Members
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This month we call on the talents of some of our own members to demonstrate how to make a wreath for the holidays. They will use grapevines, pine cones, and wire as bases and dried flowers, grasses, berries and more to decorate them. After observing, members will be encouraged to try their hand at making a wreath or to take some materials home to work on. We need everyone’s help to gather flowers, foliage, and berries that can be dried and used in the wreaths. And anyone who can wrestle some grapevines into shape, please bring them to share. Some members may recall what fun we had last year looking for interesting fall flowers, foliage, and berries in our yards and along the roadsides and our amazement at all the plants whose “potential” we had previously overlooked.
December
Workshop Date: Monday, December 9
Time: 9:30am - noon
at St Theresa's Church, 15 Still River Road
The club gathers each year to make baskets of greens for shut-ins. The club members can also make arrangements for themselves.
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Bring some greens and a container for your arrangement, trade with other members and buy foam and trimmings.
January
Meeting Date: January 27
Jana Milbocker
The Garden Tourist
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January is the perfect time to travel out of the bleak winter cold and into somewhere sunny and filled with beautiful gardens. The best thing about this tour is that there is no waiting in line, no long hours on a plane, no security through which to pass. Our guides on the trip are Holliston residents Jana Milbocker and Joan Butler, both avid gardeners, plant collectors, garden designers, and writers. They will take us to the best public gardens, nursery display gardens, and private gardens in the Northeast. They will point out each garden’s highlights, ideal times to visit, and lead us on a tour of each spot. After this inspiring tour, we will want to visit these places again in the spring and summer. Jana’s book, “The Garden Tourist: 120 Destination Gardens and Nurseries in the Northeast,” will be for sale.
February
Meeting Date: February 24
Neal Sanders
Gardening Will Kill You
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Back by popular demand, and a treat for those who have not heard him before, Neal will present yet another chapter of his experiences as the spouse of an avid gardener. Filled with anecdotes and “drawn from real-life humor,” Neal will explain, “How rock walls consume all available building material,” and “Why Slinkies won’t stop squirrels from raiding your bird feeder.” We welcome the members of the Harvard Woman’s Club to join us for this entertaining presentation. Neal will have his unique and delightful mystery books available for sale.
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This is a joint meeting with the Harvard Woman's Club.
March
Meeting Date: March 30
Suzanne Mahler
Get Ready for Spring
After a long winter’s nap, it’s time to get our hands dirty again! Suzanne will lead us back into the garden with tips and guidelines to help us prepare for a new growing season. Topics will include spring pruning, transplanting trees and shrubs, dividing perennials, and a demonstration of useful tools of the trade. As added inspiration, Suzanne will remind us of what’s to come with beautiful photographs of theme and public gardens. She will also have her favorite Spear Head spades available for sale.
April
Meeting Date: April 27
Bonnie Power
What's Bugging You?
We all know that Japanese beetles destroy our roses, that slugs not only chomp leaves but leave a trail of slime behind, and that the tomato hornworm is alarming, not only for its weird looks but for the damage it can do. But what about that small bug that looks like a little armored tank with lots of legs or the shiny black bug with a bright orange streak? Surely not all bugs can be bad, and some might even be helpful to our gardens. It’s important to know the difference, and that’s what Bonnie Power will help us do. She holds an MA in zoology, taught college-level science courses, and is a certified Master Gardener with a specialty in insect identification. Bonnie will separate the good bugs from the bad bugs, describe their habits and lifecycles, and discuss how their presence affects the success of our garden year.
May
Annual Plant Sale
May 16, 2020
Westward Orchards
178 Massaschusetts Ave
9am to Noon
June
Annual Meeting
and
Garden Tour
(In the planning stages)
