Shannon Fitzpatrick

Why get ph soil testing? PH levels are important because they determine how a plant uptakes nutrients. Without a good pH level, it doesn’t matter how much nitrogen you add to your soil—your plants can’t use it. 

A soil pH test is a quick way to determine the acidity of a soil sample. It’s an invaluable tool for ensuring that soil conditions are ideal for plants. 

Massachusetts Master Gardeners offers free soil testing. Samples should be prepared 3-4 days ahead of time. Here are their instructions for preparing your samples. 

(1) Identify the area(s) of your property you want to have tested.…

Framingham Garden Club designers and growers scored well at the “Date Night” themed 2024 Marshfield Flower Show. Ruth Evans and Betsy Szymczak won their respective classes, “Movie Night” and “Game Night.” Shannon Fitzpatrick and Nancy Martin placed well in the class “Casino Night.”

In horticulture, Awards of Merit (for highest scoring horticulture specimen in each of the 4 classes), were awarded to Shannon Fitzpatrick for her Rudbeckia hirta, and to Betsy Szymczak for her Coleus. Betsy also receive the Award of Horticulture Excellence which is the top award for the entire Horticultural Division. Ruth Evans received a blue for her Millennium Allium and Shannon Fitzpatrick won a 90+ red for her Rudbeckia fulgida. …

Framingham Garden Club’s Senior Classes award-winning model has been adopted by the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts as a “garden therapy” prototype for the entire state. The “Design in a Box” concept was created by Senior Class Chairs Marilyn Hanley and Pat Towle during the Covid pandemic. It has been refined as a guide for in-person classes that are led by FGC members and teams of assistants. 

The FGC Senior Classes program received two high awards in 2023. The first was from the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts (GCFM), which awarded our program “The Ralph H. David Silver Bowl” in June 2023.…