The Somerville Garden Club was founded in 1994 by a group of Somerville residents to promote home gardening as well as the horticultural possibilities of Somerville’s public spaces. Of the club’s over 200 members, some are experienced gardeners, some are beginners; some are long-term residents; some are new residents, and about a third come from surrounding communities. All gardening enthusiasts are welcome to participate in our activities.
Welcome!
Meetings
When: 7:00 P.M., the second Wednesday of every month
Where: Tufts Administration Building [TAB], 167 Holland St., second floor, wheelchair accessible (A ten-minute walk from the Davis Square MBTA stop. Parking also available.)
The SGC meetings begin with announcements and an open roundtable discussion of gardening questions, followed by an invited speaker. Recent presentations have included pruning techniques, propagating heirloom tomatoes, composting and organic soil amendments, integrated pest management, and dry shade gardening. Talks are delivered by local experts and well known horticultural professionals. Every meeting ends with a raffle of donated plants and garden items. The meetings are free and open to the public.
March 10, 7-9pm
Time to Get (Your Tools) Sharp
Bring garden tools to the Somerville Garden Club meeting on Wednesday, March 10, for a demonstration by woodworker Beth Ireland on how to get and keep them sharp.
Pruning shears, loppers, lawn mowers, and hedge clippers all last longer and perform better with a well- maintained cutting edge. Woodworker Beth Ireland will demonstrate simple, easy to use abrasives and stones, sandpaper and grinding wheels. Bring your favorite pruners and clippers for the hands-on sharpening session.
Beth Ireland is a 1979 graduate of State University College at Buffalo, where she received a BA in Art Education. Beth Ireland Woodworking in Roslindale has specialized in architectural woodturning, furniture and cabinetry since 1982. She has lectured and taught throughout New England, and directed the Wood Program at Worcester Center for Crafts. Galleries throughout the United States and publications such as Bead and Button, and Design Book 7, have featured her work.
SGC Elections 2010
As you may know, SGC officers are elected every March. One order of business that had been scheduled for the cancelled February 10th meeting was the closing of nominations for elected officers. As of now, the candidates are:
President – Tricia Singer
Vice-President – Teresa McGowan
Treasurer – Pat Cain
Secretary – Rita Edmunds
Membership Coordinator – Dorothy Gilman
If you had planned to nominate yourself, or someone else, at the February meeting, it’s not too late. Please send an email to nominate@somervillegardenclub.org by Friday, 2/19, to be placed on the ballot.
We hope to see you at the March meeting!
New England Flower and Garden Shows 2010
2010 Flower and Garden Shows throughout New England
Be inspired!
February-March
Camellias in peak bloom
Lyman Estate Greenhouses
185 Lyman St., Waltham
781-891-4882 x244
http://www.historicnewengland.org/visit/homes/lyman_estate_greenhouses.htm
February 18-21
Connecticut Flower & Garden Show
Connecticut Convention Center
100 Columbus Blvd., Hartford, CT
860-844-8461
http://www.CTflowershow.com
Theme: “The Spice of Life” This is the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut’s 29th annual show. Bring a half cup of soil to the UCONN booth for free soil testing.
February 18-21
Rhode Island Spring Flower & Garden Show
Rhode Island Convention Center
Providence, RI
401-272-0980
http://www.flowershow.com
Theme: “Timeless Gardens” at the RI Horticultural Society’s 17th annual show.
New England Wild Flower Society – March 2010 Listings
For more information, visit http://www.newenglandwild.org/learn.
March, 2010 Listings – Adult Classes, Gardening, Horticulture, Field Trips at Garden in the Woods and Eastern MA Locations
Thursday, March 4, 6:30-9 p.m., and Saturday, March 6, 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Bones of the Garden: Strengthening the Design. Garden in the Woods, Framingham, MA. While “bones” may seem like a strange word to describe the garden, the term identifies the placement of trees and large shrubs that create form, direct movement and organize the garden space. Recognizing how these plants contribute to garden development can help you create the right structure for the landscape you desire. Instructor Cheryl Salatino teaches the class how to select, situate and integrate these stately elements into the cultivated landscape. Fee: $66 (Member) / $78 (Nonmember). Pre-registration is necessary, contact the registrar at 508-877-7630, ext. 3303.
Monday, March 22, 10:30 a.m. coffee; 11 a.m. program. Going Green with Marie Stella: An Environmentally Engineered Home and Landscape. Wellesley College Science Center, Wellesley, MA. Marie Stella takes to heart the Renaissance ideal of harmony between art and technology. She designed her teaching site and landscape laboratory Beaver Lodge on this principle specifically to address environmental awareness, low energy consumption, the promotion of sustainability and innovative uses of plant material. Beaver Lodge incorporates such ecological approaches as rain gardens, buffer zones, vegetated roof, and green architecture. Marie highlights the integrated process of building an energy efficient, sustainable house and seamlessly blending it into a responsibly managed landscape. Fee: $15 (Member) / $18 (Nonmember). Cosponsored by New England Wild Flower Society, The Garden Club of Back Bay and Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture. Pre-registration is necessary, contact the registrar at 508-877-7630, ext. 3303.
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Permaculture Lecture – Toby Hemenway
This was sent in by a couple different people as something the SGC audience might find interesting. There are two events here, one on Saturday, February 27th, and another on Sunday, the 28th.
Saturday, February 27th 7-9pm
A Presentation by Toby Hemenway: What Does Permaculture Look Like?
Sponsored by the Urban Homesteaders’ League, the Tufts Food Systems Planning Coalition, and Tufts Slow Food
Sliding Scale: $15-25 (Tufts students are free.)
Buy tickets here: http://www.eventsbot.com/events/eb651647603
Raffle for a free ticket to Toby Hemenway’s permaculture workshop on Sunday! Submit your name at the door when you attend Saturday night’s lecture.
Location: Tufts University/Pearson Hall RM 104
62 Talbot Avenue Ave, Medford, MA 02155
Permaculture is an increasingly popular set of solutions for sustainable living that is based on ecology. This presentation will show how permaculture works, and will give examples and images of permaculture in practice around North America. Whether you are new to permaculture or an experienced practitioner, this lively evening with one of the world’s best-known permaculture teachers will offer both principles and practical steps you can take toward living more sustainably.
Sunday, February 28th, 10-3pm
A Workshop with Toby Hemenway: Permaculture Solutions for City and Suburb
Sponsored by the Urban Homesteaders’ League
Sliding Scale: $40-$80 (Full and partial scholarships available.)
Reserve a space here: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/98307
Location: The Democracy Center
45 Mt. Auburn, Cambridge, MA 02138
How does permaculture work in urban and suburban places? Though land may be limited, cities are rich in other resources, especially social capital. This workshop will show how to find, harvest, and integrate the many resources in our cities in sustainable ways, including getting access to land for gardening, creating business guilds and networks, learning the pattern language of the city, creating public space in neighborhoods, and building urban ecovillages. We’ll learn how permaculture’s principles and design methods apply to the dense, rich environments of our cities, and how to leverage the special opportunities that cities provide.
Bio:
Toby Hemenway is a writer, university professor, and freelance educator based in Portland, Oregon. He is the author of “Gaia’s Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture”, which for the past seven years has been the world’s best-selling book on permaculture. Toby is an adjunct professor in the School of Graduate Education at Portland State University, and Scholar-in-Residence at Pacific University. His writing has appeared in publications such as Natural Home, Whole Earth Review, and WorldWatch, and he has taught workshops all over the continent and in many countries.
Middlesex Conservation District Spring Plant Sale
The Middlesex Conservation District will be holding its annual Spring Plant Sale on Friday 4/23 (3-6pm) and Saturday 4/24 (8am -noon) at the 4H Fairgrounds, 51 South Chelmsford Rd, Westford, MA.
All items may be ordered in advance through March 31. Sale items include:
* tree and shrub seedlings
* perennials
* groundcovers
* fruits
* garden supplies (rain barrels, compost bins, cow manure, etc)
All proceeds support the District’s environmental programs. You may order by visiting their website at http://www.middlesexconservation.org to obtain an order form and view their selections.
February 2010 Events – New England Wild Flower Society
New England Wild Flower Society has a fascinating selection of classes for adults and children scheduled in February of 2010.
Contact:
Steven Ziglar, Marketing and Public Relations Manager
508-877-7630 x 3503 sziglar@newenglandWILD.org
For more information, visit www.newenglandwild.org/learn.
February 2010 Listings – Adult Classes, Gardening, Horticulture, Field Trips at Garden in the Woods and Eastern MA Locations
Tuesdays, February 2, 9, 16, 23, March 2, 9, 16, 5:45-7:45 p.m. Residential Landscape Design. Cambridge Center for Adult Education, Cambridge, MA.
In this multi-session course appropriate for beginners, learn different aspects of the landscape design process with special emphasis on native plants in the residential landscape. Workshop sessions focus on design methods using site analysis techniques and schematic design tools. With consultation of the instructor, Karen Sebastian, work on a project of your own choosing. Interspersed with design work, lectures focus on plants and habitats, including information on plant choice and placement in the landscape. A list of required materials supplied at the first class. Fee: $175 (Member) / $210 (Nonmember). Cosponsored by New England Wild Flower Society and Cambridge Center for Adult Education. Pre-registration is necessary, contact the registrar at 508-877-7630, ext. 3303.
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