Shannon Fitzpatrick 2025
It is with great pride that I take on the role of President of the Framingham Garden Club. FGC, as we fondly call our club, means a great deal to me.
What does Garden Club mean to you? To me it means community. A community of diverse, smart, hardworking and stimulating humans connected by a love of the earth and the joy of nurturing plant life. We teach and learn from each other. We support each other’s ideas and endeavors. We are there for each other in health crises, in happiness and sorrow and in celebration for ourselves and others. We encourage each other and get things done with incredible results. Together, we are a successful, vibrant garden club. I am so proud to begin my term as your club President. I thank Marie Giorgetti for leading the way and laying a solid path.
One of my greatest hopes is that we continue to welcome new members into our club. Each new face brings fresh ideas, energy, and perspectives that help us remain vital and relevant. I challenge all our members to invite at least one guest to a meeting this year. And please join me in ensuring that every guest and new member feels genuinely welcome and engaged. Mentors – actively connect with your mentee! Feel free to seek out information and advice from anyone in the club. My email is always open.
One initiative I hope we accomplish in the next year is to revamp our website to make it more useful and accessible to both members and the public. We have so much information– we want to make it easier to share among ourselves and the public.
I’m also excited to expand our commitment to native plants this year. With winter sowing, we are able to grow our own beneficial perennials that have a real impact on local biodiversity. I encourage everyone with a bit of space – even a patio – to winter sow at least one jug of seeds from Dr. Gegear’s list, which can be found at https://gegearlab.weebly.com/plant-list.html. Watch for more information on winter sowing in our Green Sheets and website. Let’s keep championing native species as beautiful, resilient, and important pieces of our shared landscape.
Our club’s award-winning status reflects our hard work, dedication, and vision. Let’s build on that legacy by continuing to lead with creativity and a spirit of collaboration. This includes an exciting opportunity for partnership with Framingham High School in a spring floral show inspired by Art in Bloom.
Finally, this coming year offers a rich program of lectures, workshops, and field trips I encourage you to participate in as many as you can to get the most out of our wonderful club.
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