Wed Mar 11    Principles of Landscape Design for the Home Gardener with Gaele McCully

In many instances, people pay more attention to the interior part their house and less to the exterior landscaping, but a good landscape design can increase the value of your home by at least 5 to 11 percent. The best part is that even though landscaping is one of the most valuable home improvements you can make, it’s also one of the easiest. Gaele McCully, of Mahoney's Nursery in Winchester, a Massachusetts-certified Landscape Designer, will tell us how to enhance the appeal of our property by selecting the appropriate shrubs, trees, plants, and flowers.

Sun  Mar 15, 2:30 PM  Quabbin to Wachusett: a Multi-town Massachusetts Land & Water Conservation Project with Leigh Youngblood

The Quabbin Reservoir is the largest inland body of water in Massachusetts, and was built between 1930 and 1939. Today, along with the Wachusett Reservoir, it is the primary water supply for Boston, some 65 miles to the east, as well as 40 other communities in Greater Boston. Executive Director of Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust, Leigh Youngblood, will discuss the construction of the reservoir, the four lost towns of the Quabbin Reservoir - Dana, Enfield, Greenwich, and Prescott -  and the land, water, wildlife, and people that persevere there today. Many individuals living in the greater North Quabbin region where Mount Grace conserves and stewards land have parents who experienced the relocation, keeping the legacy very much alive today. Constant encounters with landowners, foresters, biologists, surveyors, historians, artists, anglers, poets, and others inform a balanced perspective between the practical and the personal. LFGC and Cary Library are sponsoring this talk held in the large meeting room of Cary Library. 

Wed Apr 15, 7 PM    Botany for Gardeners: Understanding How Plants Grow with Judith Sumner

Join us to learn some closely held botanical secrets, from seed germination and companion plants to fertilization, watering, mulching, and seed-saving. Judith Sumner will share many of the subtle aspects of plant growth that affect plant survival in your garden. This mini-class in botany will demystify several perplexing topics in plant growth, with the goal of improving garden success!

Judith Sumner is a botanist and author specializing in ethnobotany, herbs, flowering plants, pollination, and plant adaptation.  She lectures widely at botanical gardens, including Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University and Garden in the Woods.

Wed  May 13    Flower Arranging with Marisa McCoy

Flower arranging may look easy, but it's something that comes with practice  - and a little know-how. Sometimes you really need a professional to show you the way.  For our May program, we have asked Marisa McCoy, a floral designer, instructor, garden club speaker, and exhibitor in state and national shows, to show us how to make some spring flower arrangements and give us a few arranging tips. She has taught floral design at the MFA, MA Horticultural Society, Tower Hill, and the GCF of MA, Inc.  

The lecture will be followed by a Monet-themed Annual Lunch (members only) at St Brigid’s. Reservations required. Fee.