The Environmental Awareness Committee of the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts will hold its Earth Day Workshop on Wednesday, April 22 from 10 – 12:30 at The Gardens at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley. Presenters will include activist Quentin Prideaux (below) speaking on The Climate Crisis and Northeast Gardeners, and Suzanne Mahler, on Know and Grow Natives in Your Garden. For more information and to register, visit www.gcfm.org or call 781-237-0336.
The North Andover Garden Club presents Flowering Trees and Shrubs for Home Landscapes on Tuesday, Mar 12, from 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM at St. Michael’s Parish Hall, 196 Main St, North Andover. Suzanne Mahler explores the splendor of flowering trees and shrubs with a look beyond their fleeting flowers to varieties that provide colorful foliage and fruits, attractive forms, and textural bark, for interest in more than one season. The cost is $5 for the general public. Learn more at http://www.northandovergardenclub.com/
On Wednesday, April 9, from 7 – 9, learn how to create an urban garden that attracts beneficial and beautiful insects, birds and even amphibians by providing nature’s basic needs: food, shelter, water and reproductive areas. Suzanne Mahler is an avid gardener, photographer and lecturer who has been developing her own property in Hanover, MA, for more than 30 years. Her weekly gardening column, Green Thumbs Up, has appeared in GateHouse Media New England newspapers for more than a decade. She is a member of two local garden clubs, past president of the New England Daylily Society, and an overseer for Massachusetts Horticultural Society. The meeting is sponsored by the Evening Garden Club of West Roxbury and takes place at the Elks Lodge, 1 Morrell Street in West Roxbury. $5 at the door. Image from www.gardencenterohio.com. For more information visit http://gcfm.org/eveninggcwestroxbury/Home.aspx.
The Garden Club of Norfolk presents Gardening in the Shade with Suzanne Mahler on Wednesday, March 12, beginning at 7 pm at the Norfolk Public Library Meeting Room, 139 Main Street in Norfolk. Shady sites pose challenges but need not lack pizzazz. Learn which shrubs and perennials tolerate low light while providing fabulous flowers and foliage, for a peaceful shady retreat. Public invited.
February is the perfect time to plan new gardens, research plants, and get organized for the spring planting season. This Walnut Hill Garden Club presentation with Suzanne Mahler on Tuesday, February 4, beginning at 7:15 pm, will cover spring pruning, garden themes, transplanting trees and shrubs, and dividing perennials, plus a Q & A session. In-club expert Suzanne is an avid gardener, photographer and lecturer who has been developing the 1.5-acre property surrounding her home in Hanover for more than 30 years. Her weekly gardening column ‘Green Thumbs Up’ has appeared in GateHouse Media New England newspapers for more than a decade. She is a past president of the New England Daylily Society, an overseer for the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and is employed at a local garden center. Come with questions about your gardening problems and get advice from an expert. The program will be held at the Phoenix Lodge, 133 Broadway, Hanover, Massachusetts.
Once again, garden clubs (including The Garden Club of the Back Bay) and professional designers from around New England will create floral arrangements inspired by works of art. Art in Bloom 2013 includes the transformed William I. Koch Gallery with its collection of 16th and 17th century European paintings and Hanoverian silver as well as a spectacular new display of the Museum’s prized Korean collection. Special events include an illustrated lecture and floral demonstration as well as flower arranging master classes presented by Shane Connolly, the heralded British floral designer and author. Space is limited.
The Shane Connolly Master Classes will take place Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28, from 10:30 – 12:30. These are hands-on workshops, and are priced at $200 each. Mr. Connolly will also present, on Monday, April 29 at 10:30 am, the lecture and demonstration entitled A Year in Flowers: Inspiration for Everyday Living, followed by a book signing ($55.)
For those who missed her at our Club’s March meeting, Maureen Bovet will present The Gardens of New York on Sunday, April 28 from 3 – 4, and past GCBB lecturer Suzanne Mahler will present Designing a Garden for All Seasons on Monday, April 29, also from 3 – 4.
Ikebana International Boston Chapter #17 will demonstrate floral creations from three Ikebana schools on Saturday, April 27, from 3 – 4. For complete information and ticketing, visit www.mfa.org/artinbloom, or call 1-800-440-6975.
The Massachusetts Horticultural Society continues its “Wednesday Evening” series at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street, Wellesley, with Suzanne Mahler speaking on the topic Fabulous Flowers and Foliage for Summer Gardens. Everyone’s garden looks terrific in June, but careful choices made early in the season can ensure that the beds you have at the beginning of summer still looks great in July and August, when our gardens become tired. Foliage (Persian shield, below) has a major role to play in a good-looking mid- and late-summer garden. Suzanne’s own garden is a testament to how ‘summer’ means more than June beauty. All “Wednesday Evenings” talks begin at 7 p.m. and are held in the Education Building at Elm Bank. They end when the last question is answered. The cost to Mass Hort members is $10 per talk or $50 for the series of ten. The charge for non-Mass Hort members is $15 per talk. Refreshments and beverages are served at all talks. Reservations are not required. For directions and more information, visit www.masshort.org.
Go on a journey through the growing season with past Garden Club of the Back Bay speaker Suzanne Mahler as she talks on Perennial Color, Spring Through Fall. It’s not just a dazzling photographic display of the hottest new perennials and the tried and true favorites for both sunny and shady sites; it’s also what-you-can-do-now advice for making next spring your best gardening season ever. Suzanne’s talks are noted for their detailed handouts and sound horticultural practices. The event will take place at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley, on Wednesday, August 18, from 6:30 – 8, and refreshments will be offered. $8 for Mass Hort members, and $10 for non-members. Please bring cash or check. For directions and more information, log on to www.masshort.org. Gaillardia grandiflora ‘Fanfare’ is pictured below.
By adding a progression and variety of easy-to-grow, nectar-rich flowers to your home garden, you can ensure a season-long treat in the form of visiting butterflies. Suzanne Mahler, one of the Garden Club of the Back Bay’s former speakers, is an expert in the subject and she’ll show you how mass plantings of colorful flowers, particularly those tinted pink and lavender, are irresistible to butterflies passing overhead. Butterflies are fragile creatures, and Suzanne will talk about how to ensure your garden is a haven for them. $5 for members of Massachusetts Horticultural Society, $10 general admission. To register, and for directions, log on to www.masshort.org.
