Somerville Garden Club

Guerrilla Gardening: Transforming an Urban Wasteland into an Oasis

Alden Zecha, a long-term local resident, has been secretly working for nearly a decade to transform a neglected public plot of land near the McGrath Highway into a thriving flower garden and unintentional Miyawaki forest. Using only donated plants and supplies, and fueled by a passion for greenery, Alden quietly nurtured this forgotten space into a vibrant oasis. Join us for an evening of inspiration and community. Come hear Alden’s firsthand account of the challenges and triumphs of a guerrilla gardener transforming an urban wasteland into a haven the community now enjoys. You’ll leave feeling empowered to make a difference, however small, in your own corner of the world.

Alden Zecha is a business executive and entrepreneur who grew up gardening in the lush tropics of Hawaii and readily admits to being a perpetual student of New England’s plants, climate, and environment. He has a lifelong love of learning. Every year, he embarks on new gardening experiments, embracing both successes and failures as valuable learning experiences.

All Somerville Garden Club meetings are free and open to the public. 7-9pm.

Meetings are held the at the Tufts Administration Building, (TAB), 167 Holland Street, second floor, wheelchair accessible. Parking is available for a small fee, and the building is a ten-minute walk from the Davis Square MBTA stop.

If you are interested in attending virtually, but have not received the meeting link via email, or are not a SGC member, you can email info@somervillegardenclub.org for the link.

Come join us for our January meeting when we will be showing the 2019 nature documentary Fantastic Fungi. Directed by Louie Schwartzberg, this film explores the magical world of fungi, from mushrooms that clear oil spills to underground fungal networks that help trees communicate. Interviews with numerous mycologists, scientists, and authors such as Paul Stamets, Michael Pollan, Eugenia Bone, and Andrew Weil, and spectacular time-lapse photography evoke wonder and amazement by exploring the complexities and sophistication of the fungi kingdom. Fungi are one of the most diverse organisms on Earth and the most populous kingdom on the planet. The Internet Movie Database describes Fantastic Fungi as a time-lapse journey into the magical mysterious and medicinal world of fungi and their power to heal, sustain and contribute to the regeneration of life on Earth.

** Most unfortunately, we are unable to broadcast Fantastic Fungi via Zoom to attendees at-home. This will be an in-house-only meeting and showing of the film. 

All Somerville Garden Club meetings are free and open to the public. We meet on the second Wednesday of the month, from 7-9pm. 

Meetings are held the at the Tufts Administration Building, (TAB), 167 Holland Street, second floor, wheelchair accessible. Parking is available for a small fee, and the building is a ten-minute walk from the Davis Square MBTA stop.