Shannon Fitzpatrick

FGC earns blue ribbons at 2025 New England Flower Show

September 22, 2025
Shannon Fitzpatrick
awards, Competitions @ Local & State Levels, Exhibits, Framingham
No Comments

Congratulations to Shannon Fitzpatrick for her blue-ribbon Mono-Botanic Design at the New England Fall Flower Show at Elm Bank. A Mono-Botanic Design is one that incorporates three or more parts of a plant of one family of genus. Parts may be stems, blooms, foliage, buds, and/or roots. 

Betsy Szymczak also represented our FGC (and Natick GC), and  we congratulate her for eight Horticulture entries at MassHort that earned four blues, two reds, two yellow, with Begonia grandis for propagation. Shannon also entered the horticulture competition, earning four blues, five reds, one yellow and two honorable mentions.

 

Minal Akkad and Ruth Evans participated in the show as Design judges, while Betsy also judged Horticulture.…

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Grow Bags are perfect for container gardening

July 17, 2025
Shannon Fitzpatrick
Community Giving Garden, Earth Day, Garden Tips
No Comments

No Backyard? No Problem! Grow Bags Make Gardening Accessible for All

Think you need a sprawling yard to start a garden? Think again! With grow bags, anyone can become a gardener—even if your “green space” is a sunny corner of a porch or balcony.

Here’s how easy it is to get started:

  •  A 5-gallon bag is perfect for one tomato plant
  •  A 3-gallon bag  supports a pepper or a generous helping of salad greens
  • 🌼 Want flowers? These sizes hold three spreading annuals like petunias, or double that number if planting compact varieties like pansies
  • Larger sizes are good for planting more plants at a time, or larger plants. 
…
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Framingham Garden Club Honored with Multiple Awards at GCFM Annual Meeting

July 11, 2025
Shannon Fitzpatrick
awards, Club Events, Competitions @ Local & State Levels
No Comments

We’re thrilled to share that the Framingham Garden Club proudly brought home a total of 15 awards, including three National Awards awarded specifically to FGC at the recent Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts (GCFM) annual meeting. Additionally, two additional National Awards were given for district-wide programs created by FGC members

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a look at our award-winning achievements:

🌟 GCFM (State) Awards

  • Patricia C. Michaud Award – Outstanding Design Program
    For “The Character of Color” Team Challenge designed and executed by Ruth Evans
    🎉 Bonus: This award included a $100 prize!

  • William J. Thompson Award
    For our Earth Day Celebration 2024 put together by Terrie Pirozzi, Irene Gazda and Marie Giorgetti

  • Publications Award for the FGC club brochure designed by Shannon Fitzpatrick

  • Special Achievement Service Award
    For our stunning Tablescapes program conceived and implemented by Marilyn Hanley and Pat Towle

  • Media Production Award
    For statewide educational outreach on the Garden Therapy Model Program, another elite program designed by Marilyn Hanley and Pat Towle

  • Media Production Award
    For the Moments of Joy Video created by Shannon Fitzpatrick and submitted on behalf of 3 districts
  • Youth Poetry  (Sponsored by FGC – Congratulations to these talented young writers!)
…
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New Officers installed for 2025-2026 at Joyful Annual Meeting

June 11, 2025
Shannon Fitzpatrick
Uncategorized
No Comments

On May 14, 2025, new officers were installed for the 2025-2026 year during FGC’s annual meeting. Past presidents Andi Saari, Minal Akkaad, Mary Hanley, Ruth Evans and Marie Giorgetti presented a yellow rose and recited the duty of each officer as the new officers took their place.

Member Pat Towle also wrote an engaging game testing our knowledge about departing president, Marie Giorgetti

Many thanks go to Pam Keeney and Marilyn Hanley for planning the big event, and to Marilyn Hanley and Suzanne Fioretti for co-hosting on the day.

New officers are as follows:

President, Shannon Fitzpatrick

1st Vice President Lianne Manzella

2nd Vice President Kathy Hoogeboom

Recording Secretary Pam Keeney

Recording Secretary Eileen Fialkow

Treasurer Cathy DeNorscia

Communications Secretary Maria Chaput

…

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Let’s Talk About Mulch – two common mistakes

June 10, 2025
Shannon Fitzpatrick
Education, Garden Tips, Plant Info, Summer gardening
No Comments

Let’s Talk About Mulching
Recently, I invested quite a bit in having aged hemlock mulch applied to my front gardens. My goals were simple: suppress weeds, retain moisture, and give the beds a tidy, refreshed appearance. And at first glance—it looked beautiful. Until I started seeing weeds popping through just a few days later.

Mistake #1: Not enough coverage
It turns out the mulch had been applied too sparsely in quite a few areas. Some areas had a proper 2–3 inch layer, while others were barely covered with an inch. Insufficient coverage defeats the purpose of mulching. When done properly, mulch helps:

  • Regulate soil temperature
  • Conserve soil moisture
  • Suppress weed growth

When done poorly, it’s ineffective, wasteful, and at times even harmful – see Mistake #2.…

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How to Preserve Peonies to Last for Months

June 1, 2025
Shannon Fitzpatrick
Uncategorized
No Comments

How to Store Peony Buds in the Refrigerator to Enjoy Later in the Summer

Peonies are one of the most beloved flowers, known for their lush, fragrant blooms. But their season is fleeting, leaving many gardeners wishing they could extend their beauty beyond spring. The good news? You can store peony buds in the refrigerator and enjoy their blooms weeks—even months—later!

Choosing the Right Peony Buds

Not all peony buds are ideal for storage. The key is to cut them at the right stage:

  • Look for buds that are showing color but haven’t fully opened.
  • The bud should feel soft like a marshmallow when gently squeezed.
…
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FGC and FPL hosted Dr. Gegear who spoke about restoring native plant diversity

March 23, 2025
Shannon Fitzpatrick
Club Events, ECOLOGY, NATIVE PLANTS
No Comments

Now available: Watch the replay of Dr. Gegear’s talk. 

On Tuesday March 25 famed Dr. Robert Gegear, Framingham resident and associate professor of Biology at UMass Dartmouth, shared Framingham’s ecological history and how we can help restore native plant and pollinator diversity in our own gardens.  This special event was brought to you by the Framingham Garden Club, Inc. and the Framingham Public Library. 

In his talk, “More Than Just The Buzz: A practical Guide to Restoring Native Plant-Pollinator Diversity (and why it matters),” Dr. Gegear discussed his research in the areas of the conservation of native pollination systems, floral diversity, and bumblebee ecology. …

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