Somerville Garden Club

Monthly Programs – 2010

Monthly programs take place at each Somerville Garden Club monthly meeting. The SGC meets on the second Wednesday of every month 7:00–9:00 p.m. at the Tufts Administration Building (TAB), 167 Holland St., second floor. The meetings are open to the public and are wheelchair accessible.

Upcoming Programs in 2010:

January 13, 2010
Pot Luck!
The Somerville Garden Club will be having it’s Annual Pot Luck event to celebrate the club’s 16th anniversary! Bring friends, neighbors and family. Bring a potluck dish; an appetizer, entree, salad, pasta, or dessert. (Set up of tables and pot luck items begins at 6:00 pm.) The event begins at 7:00 pm and ends at 9:00 pm. Hope you can come!

February 10, 2010
Japanese Gardens and Bonsai
Mark Cyr a leading designer of Japanese gardens in the United States, will discuss how the use of water, stones and plants to emulate gardens found in Japan, can provide a tranquil garden setting.

March 10, 2010
Garden Tool Sharpening
Beth Ireland will give a demonstration and hands-on lesson on the proper way to sharpen your garden tools. Bring your own garden tools such as pruners, loppers and saws, and learn how to sharpen them.

April 14, 2010
An Alternative Approach to Turf and Land Care Maintenance
Frank Koll, owner of GreenScapes Lawn & Garden Services Inc., believes that homeowners can create landscapes without the need for herbicides or toxic chemicals. The first step for any effort is to understand the soil in the beds or turf zones. This presentation will describe approaches such as soil structure, explanation on the soil triangle, organic soil amendments, soil testing, and water and alternatives.

May 12, 2010
Spring Wildflowers of the Fells
Bryan Hamlin a naturalist and nature photographer, who spoke at the Somerville Garden Club’s October meeting on Fall Wildflowers of the Fells Reservation, is coming back to talk about the spring wildflowers that grow in the Fells. And, on Saturday, May 15, he will give members a guided tour of the Fells to see the spring wildflowers.

June 9, 2010
Current Insect Pests of New England
Debra Elson, horticulturalist for the Boston Esplanade, will talk about several insect pests of great concern in New England; in particular the Asian Long Horned beetle. Elson will show a video, slide show, and give out information pertaining to this destructive beetle.

July 14, 2010
Do it Yourself Hardscape
Hardscaping is a term that refers to the permanent, man-made features of a landscape made from stone, brick, etc, rather than plants. Somerville Garden Club members, Dorothy Africa, Rita Edmunds, Evelyn Persoff, Joe Kelleher, and Alison Davis will describe the steps they’ve taken to build hardscapes in their own gardens.

August 11, 2010
Growing Edibles; A Panel Discussion
As a follow up to the Somerville Garden Club’s July 25th Edible Garden Tour in Somerville, several garden club members and tour open garden participants will lead a panel discussion on home grown vegetables and fruit. Home baked, pickled and canned goodies will be available for tasting at the meeting.

September 8, 2010
Plant Propagation
Leo Blanchette, owner of Blanchette Gardens in Carlisle, MA, will give a presentation and demonstration on the propagation of plants. Blanchette Gardens is a family run retail nursery offering an extensive list of perennials, many rare and hard to find. The Blanchettes propagate all of the plants they sell.

October 13, 2010
Edible Landscaping with Herbs
Seija Halvah PhD and Garden Coach SM will give a talk on herbs; how to prepare the growing site, how to propagate them, and how to harvest and maintain the plants. She will also provide various fresh herbs for tasting.

November 10, 2010
Favorite Garden Stories and Implements
Somerville Garden Club members tell their favorite garden stories and/or bring in their favorite gardening implements for show-and-tell. A prize is given to the member with the best garden story and to the member with the best gardening implement.
 
December 8, 2010
Holiday Decorating with Live Greens
Members, Carol Demkowsky, Pepper Greene, Melissa Fox, and Judy Eisenberg will show meeting attendees how to make wreaths, swags and centerpieces from live greens.