Somerville Garden Club

July 10, 2019
by Head Gardener
Comments Off on GARDEN CONTEST: GREENING SOMERVILLE

GARDEN CONTEST: GREENING SOMERVILLE

ENTRY SUBMISSIONS ARE CLOSED! Thanks to all who submitted.
Is your garden in Somerville?

Is your garden festooned with fragrant climbers? An exuberance of spectacular blooms? A blaze of color? A nest of native plants and wildlife? A peaceful secluded haven from the bustle of city life? A cool shady nook? Prolific pots of veggies?

If you are one of the many gardeners in our Somerville neighborhoods whose creativity, resourcefulness, and hard work beautify our City and brighten the lives of residents with greenery and flowers, please enter our contest. We especially welcome entries from people who are not currently garden club members.

CATEGORIES

Gardens will be judged in four categories:

  • GARDEN: Small, medium or large garden; front, side or back garden.
  • BALCONY/PORCH/TERRACE: Pots or containers to soften the space with greenery.
  • VEGETABLE: Veggies, fruits, raised beds, community gardens.
  • STORE FRONT: store or restaurant front beautified with window-boxes or tubs.

RULES

  1. The garden must be in Somerville
  2. The deadline for entries is July 14th
  3. You may nominate your garden or that of friends, family or neighbors with their permission.
  4. Contestants agree that Somerville Garden Club can take and use photos of the garden for promotional purposes.
  5. Judges must be able to view the gardens between July 18th and July 28th.
  6. Judges cannot judge a category in which they have entered a garden and cannot judge the garden of family, friends or neighbors.

TIMELINE

  • June 12th, Contest opens
  • July 14th, Deadline for entries
  • July 16th-July 28th, Judging period. Gardens will be judged on five criteria:
    • Overall design
    • Implementation of the design, plant choices, colors, composition
    • Creativity
    • Maintenance, plant health
    • Sustainability, friendliness to birds and bees
  • July 31st, Winners will be notified by email or telephone.
  • August 14th, Prizegiving! Somerville Garden Club monthly meeting; 7pm, TAB building on Holland Street.

PRIZES

  • 1st prize: $75 gift certificate and 1-year membership of the Somerville Garden Club
  • 2nd prize: $25 gift certificate and 1-year membership of the Somerville Garden Club
  • 3rd prize: 1-year membership of the Somerville Garden Club

Photos of the winning gardens will be posted on the Somerville Garden Club Facebook page.

Thank you to our sponsors: Pemberton Farms, Ricky’s, and Wilson Farms for their sponsorship of this event.

June 23, 2019
by Head Gardener
Comments Off on Meeting – July 10

Meeting – July 10

Please Note. This presentation has been postponed. Instead, we will be watching some video highlights from British horticulturist Monty Don at the July 10 Meeting.

Ants in the City: The role of ants in urban landscapes

Insects are a fundamental part of ecosystems, making up the base of food chains and providing a wide range of ecosystem services. Recent research from around the globe suggests we may be losing our insect populations at a disturbing rate. However there is also reason to believe urban green spaces could play an important role in insect conservation, if managed correctly. Ants play a wide variety of roles in ecosystems, from aerating soil to dispersing seeds to decomposing waste and controlling pest populations. How can we manage our urban green spaces to protect these important insects? We will discuss recent work on ant diversity and habitat structure in green spaces in the Boston area and what this work can teach us about conserving our local ant fauna.

Amy Mertl, has long been fascinated by the underlying patterns structuring the evolution and ecology of diverse insect groups. Currently she teaches Biology, Animal Behavior, Botany, and Ecology and Natural History at Lesley University where she is an Assistant Professor of Biology. Her present research involves investigating the diversity, ecology and structure of ant and termite communities in New England forests. This project engages Lesley students and community members in citizen science projects. Amy also has a background in using film and video as educational tools. She has co-produced several short documentaries, including “Ants”, an award-winning short film on her favorite tiny subjects. Amy holds a BS from the University of Minnesota and a PhD from Boston University.

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, and the building is a ten-minute walk from the Davis Square MBTA stop.