Somerville Garden Club

Splendor in the Grasses!

The use of ornamental grasses in New England gardens has sky rocketed over the last 20 year. They offer the busy gardener stunning design elements and easy maintenance. There are so many options for every garden, whether sunny, part sunny or shady. These handsome species range in color from wine to red to gold to silvery blue with heights of several inches to several feet. The beauty of ornamental grasses is both their graceful foliage and their feathery, long-lasting plumes. What’s available, what’s new, what’s native, and how to best maintain them, will be fully explored.

Andi Ross is a Massachusetts Master Gardener and has studied with numerous garden programs and schools, and earned numerous certificates and accreditations.

Among the many schools she has attended are Federated Garden Club’s programs in Garden Study, its Landscape Design & Environmental Schools, NSCC’s Landscape Design and Garden Maintenance, The Harvard University Landscape Institute, and NOFA Organic Landcare Program where she has been re-accredited every year. She interned at the Trustees of Reservations’ Long Hill & Stevens Coolidge Estate. Andi started a landscape design business in 2002 called “It’s Nature’s Way.” She also offers private garden coaching.  She no longer installs gardens which has allowed her to have more time to speak, travel, paint & write. Several years ago she created a Face Book Garden Community called GARDEN GREATER NEWBURYPORT, which has swelled to 1,500 members.

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.

Curious About Mushrooms

Come get your nerd on with Farmer Elizabeth, founder of Fat Moon Farm. During our time together, we’ll uncover the facts behind the fungi. Get ready to take a deep dive into both the life cycle and anatomy of the mushroom. Join us to cultivate an understanding of the role mushrooms play in crafting a sustainable ecosystem and how Farmer Elizabeth considers environmental impact at her organic mushroom farm. And learn how to experiment with fungi at home with a DIY mushroom grow kit! Mycophiles, or mushroom lovers, will leave with increased knowledge about the growing process, as well as an appreciation for the myriad of health and ecological benefits that mushrooms bring to the table.

Farmer Elizabeth Almeida has been devoted to food, farming, family, and community throughout her life. She grew up on a multi-generation cattle farm in Ohio, where her family grew, canned, and froze their own veggies and meat. As a kid, Elizabeth was active in 4-H and FFA, winning many awards in livestock and cooking, including Grand Champion Chickens! Her first job–from 14 to 22–was working for a caterer, where she learned to prepare and serve delicious food. During college, she worked in a food science research lab, where she learned the exacting scientific practices that she employs today when optimizing her mushroom growing techniques. After college, Elizabeth spent a year living and volunteering in the Appalachian region of eastern Kentucky, where her eyes were opened to justice issues, including: food justice, as it relates to affordable access to healthy food, environmental justice in witnessing how the land was ravaged by corporations mining natural resources, and economic justice in witnessing the societal effects of a lack of employment opportunities. She left Appalachia with a commitment to continue to work for justice. She lives out her values at Fat Moon, where she produces the healthiest of foods, recycles farm waste into a soil-enriching compost for local farms and gardens, and provides jobs for her community.

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.