So much of what we do is geared around education. Our committees share with each other tricks and tips learned, and there are also the many educational excursions the club goes on.
Start the month by removing old mulch and any evergreen branches from your perennial beds —but stay out of the beds so you don’t compact the soil. Hold off adding new mulch for a week to allow the soil to warm up. Remove now, by hand, any weeds that wintered over before they get stronger. 
When lawns have dried, remove any debris by raking lawns with a spring-tined rake. Avoid the temptation (and the ads) to apply fertilizer or grass seed. Fertilizing and seeding are best done in the fall when the grass is not competing with annual weeds. New England lawns do well without a spring fertilization, but a thin (1/4 inch) top-dressing with compost will do wonders for it by adding beneficial soil organisms.…
Members took part in the Landscape Design School on the weekend of October 25-26 in Randolph, MA.…
Some of the many benefits of membership in the Framingham Garden Club are the hands-on floral design workshops presented by the club’s master designers several times a year. In October 2018 we focused on “Grouped Mass Design.” Grouped Mass Design features groups, or clusters, of like flowers or other plant material placed next to groups of different like materials, all emanating from one point of emergence.
Here are two examples designed by FGC’s own experts, Minal Akkad, Ruth Evans and Marion Goodman.
Notice the clusters of plant material placed next to other clusters.
Design tip: place wet Oasis one inch above the top of the container. …
On November 3, The Framingham Public Library invited FGC members Nancy Martin and Marion Goodman to lead a lively flower arranging demonstration as part of the Library’s “Brown Bag Learning Series.”
One Friday a month, the FPL hosts wonderful lunchtime continuing education workshops and entertaining lectures that are open and free to the public.
Framingham Garden Club members Martin and Goodman’s contribution to this ‘Brown Bag Brain Boost’ was filled with simple tips to make beautiful centerpieces using inexpensive flowers from the supermarket that will be the envy of your family and friends.
Our participation in the Framingham Public Library’s event series is just one of the ways we love to give back to our friends and neighbors. …
Framingham Garden Club members spent a delightful morning touring a private garden in Paxton last week.
Our genial host took us around his grass tennis court, gardens, extensive fruit trees, and his Koi ponds. (FGC member Margery fed the fish and almost fell in with all of the food!)
Andrea Shagory prepared a wonderful picnic lunch for us. Members commented that it was both educational and relaxing. Pam told our host that he inspired her to try wintering over the tropical water lilies in her Koi pond.…
In May 2022, the Framingham Garden Club, Inc. awarded four $1000 scholarships to local students who plan to degree in environmental or related areas orf study..
This year’s deserving recipients are Ella Downey, Olivia Robitaille, Calvin Poole and Emma Rothwell. Shown here is Emma Rothwell, the Marion Goodman Memorial Scholarship recipient, and her fellow deservinggraduating seniors.
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The Framingham Garden Club proudly donated an early reader book to each Framingham elementary school. This month, each school will add The Frightened Frog: An Environmental Tale to their school library. Written and produced by National Garden Clubs, Inc., The Frightened Frog is a resource designed to inform elementary-aged children about amphibians and the environmental issues that they face. The book includes interesting facts about frogs and the ways in which children can “Leap into Action” to help protect and preserve local amphibian habitats.
In addition to this generous donation, The Framingham Garden Club continues to support Framingham Public Schools in the form of student scholarships, teacher grants, and funding for the Patterns in Nature, Art, and History program for third graders.
The Framingham Garden Club, Inc. presented three copies of The Frightened Frog, by Brenda Moor and Jean Ohlmann to the Children’s Department of the Framingham Public Library on October 12, 2016.
From left to right: FPL Children’s Specialist Danielle Cersosimo, Framingham Garden Club members Natalie Mullen, Nancy Martin, Ruth Evans, Betsy Swartz, Estelle Gooltz, and FPL Assistant Director Lena Kilburn.
Published by the National Garden Clubs, Inc., the colorfully illustrated environmental tale is written from a frog’s point of view and encourages young readers to take good care of the environment. The book includes introductory pages for parents and educators, a glossary of terms, fun frog facts, and a list of how frog sounds are spoken in languages around the world.…
