Welcome to the Greenfield Garden Club
Serving all of Franklin County, Massachusetts, and beyond.
Please join us at one of our many meetings - and bring a friend!

Abrah Dresdale by Paul Franz

August Meeting: Thursday, August 21st
Time: 5:30M
Location: 1 College Drive, Greenfield, MA
Topic: Tour of the Net-Zero Greenhouse and Permaculture Gardens of Greenfield Community College with host Abrah Dresdale

(Adapted from The Recorder/Chris Shores' article) Garden coordinators say it's easy for people to think of “permaculture” as only about a place where people can grow food.  But at the heart of permaculture, says UMass Permaculture Academic Coordinator Ryan Harb, is designing spaces that help people, that aid the planet and that share Earth’s resources. “Permaculture is really about solutions. It’s about finding the way to take all of the problems we have in the world and making something good out of them.”  Harb said permaculture can happen in all sorts of projects — from filling water bottles with trash and using them as “bricks” for furniture, to turning unused land into a sustainable garden.

Abrah Dresdale, farm and food services coordinator at GCC, and owner of Feeding Landscapes, said that western Massachusetts has become one of the hot spots of permaculture in the entire nation. New efforts are being made all over the area, including garden  project at GCC that began this fall (2012). Planting will occur in the spring (2013) at GCC's permaculture garden, located behind the south wing of campus. It is phase one of a major permaculture effort on campus - one that could, over the next five years, expand to include a micro orchard as well as edible landscaping around the college's new core building.

Abrah Dresdale graduated from Conway School of Landsape Design in 2010 and is the 2013-2014 recipient of the David Bird International Service Fellowship. She now works as the Coordinator of the Farm and Food Systems Program at Greenfield Community College and teaches permaculture design courses at several colleges in New England.

Feeding Landscapes (Abrah's business) offers services in sustainable landscape design and planning for residential properties, community campuses, and municipalities. Abrah Jordan Dresdale, sole proprietor, designs functional, ecologically responsible, and attractive landscapes. She also has experience in local food systems planning--supporting communities in sustaining themselves. After completing her Master of Arts at the Conway School of Landscape Design, Abrah has gone on to teach college-level courses in permaculture design and food systems. Feeding Landscapes combines Abrah's background experience, pairing sustainable design and a whole systems approach to education as tools to facilitate positive change in partnership with people and communities. contact: feedinglandscapes@gmail.com


Directions: Conveniently located near the intersection of Interstate 91 and Rout e 2. Take exit 26 off I-91 and follow the traffic rotary to Route 2 west. Once on Route 2, take a right at the first traffic light onto Colrain Road. GCC is located on College Drive, six-tenths of a mile ahead on the left. Parking should not be a problem this time of day. Choose a place to park (Lot A or E might be closest) , and let's plan to meet in front of the greenhouse, which is on the left side of the building as you approach it.


We hope to see you soon!

Hypertufa Balls - click to see how they are made!

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2014 Schedule of Monthly Meetings and Events of Interest to Members

January 19 - Annual Meeting at Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory and Gardens. 12:30pm

February 8 - Berkshire Botanical Garden Winter Lecture featuring Louis Benech. Register here. They say it will sell out, so book early if you intend to go!

February 20 - 7pm - Michael Marcotrigiano, Director of the Botanic Gardens of Smith College will give a talk about the history of the gardens and there will be a short talk about invasive species by the Discovery Center Staff.

February 20-23 - 33rd Annual CT Flower & Garden Show at CT Convention Center, Hartford, CT.

February 20-23 - 21st Annual Rhode Island Spring Flower & Garden Show at the RI Convention Center, Providence, RI.

February 26 - Wed - 6:30pm - "Queen of the Sun: What are the bees telling Us?" with Dan Conlon of Warm Colors Apiary. Film to be shown at St James Church.

February 28 - Opening Lecture, Smith College Bulb Show: "The Best of Flower and Fragrance" presented by Holly Shimizu, Executive Director, United States Botanic Garden. 7:30 Campus Center Carroll Room.

March 1-16 - let's plan a field trip to either/both the Smith College and Mt Holyoke College bulb shows. Email the club to indicate your interest, and the best date/time. Like to plan ahead? Smith has dates for their bulb and chrysanthemum shows set 5 years ahead!

March 8 - 8:45AM - 2:15PM - "Bring Imagination to Your Garden" Western Massachusetts Master Gardener Association's Spring Symposium. Click here for details and registration. Frontier Regional High School, South Deerfield, MA.

March 11 - 6:30pm - Leyden Town Hall "Creating Native Bee Habitat" with Tom Sullivan.

(Late March - 2014 Grant Proposal's will be awarded.)

March 12-16 - Boston Flower Show, Seaport World Trade Center, Boston, MA. This year's Theme: "Romance in the Garden."

March 20  7pm - Craft Night - make a water feature in a pot with Stacey Chapley. Pumps, bowls and bamboo will be available on a first come, first served basis. There will be a fee to order these. You may also choose to bring your own supplies.

March 29 - "Inch by Inch, Row by Row" Lower Valley Master Gardener Spring Symposium. Holyoke High School, 8:00AM - 2:00PM. Click here for more info.

April 26 - Saturday - 9am - 3pm - Garden Expo at Five Acre Farm in Northfield. Tours of the greenhouses, lots of vendors, and your member discount on purchases. This takes the place of a regular monthly meeting. 

April 12 - "Ten years of Beautiful Berkshire Gardens" Berkshire Valley Spring Symposia - 8:00AM - 2:30PM at Lenox High School. Sponsored by Western Mass Master Gardener Association. Click here for details.

May 3 - Saturday - road trip to Pickity Place in Mason,
NH. Five course herbal luncheon (fee), explore the gardens, peruse the gift shop. Carpool leaves at 9am from Cherry Rum Plaza. (This was originally the April event but was moved forward due to Easter and school vacation.)

(Extravaganza is May 10, 2014)

May 15 - 6pm - Visit Seeds of Solidarity in Orange, MA. Their motto is "Grow Food Everywhere!" Carpool from Cherry Rum Plaza at 5:25pm.

May 17 - Plant sale at St James Episcopal Church on the corner of Federal and Church Streets, as well as the Bridge of Flowers Plant Sale in Shelburne Falls. 9 am- noon.

June 6 &7 - Friday and Saturday. Concord Museum's 25th annual self-guided Garden Tour. 9-4 each day. Click here for info, and here for directions.

June 8-11 - Garden Days at the Emily Dickinson Museum

June 6-15 - Bee Week in Greenfield. Visit www.beeweek.org for more details.

June 19 - 6pm - visit the gardens of Ann Marie and Paul Kostecki in South Deerfield, MA. Carpool from Cherry Rum leaves at 5:40pm. Click here to read Sherry Wilson's article about them in the Hampshire Gazette.

(Garden Tour is June 28, 2014)

July 12 - 9am - 3:30pm  Daylily and Arts Festival, 54 Glenbrook Drive, Greenfield, MA (off Leyden Road at the turn-off for Camp Kee-wanee)

July 12 - 10-3 - House and Garden Your sponsored by the Northfield Garden Club. Tickets available 10-2 at the Northfield Historical Commission, 13 Pine St.

July 12 & 13 - Garden Tour In Phillipston, MA. Adult $18 under 10 $5. Advance tickets are $15 - call Mel Haughton at 978-249-3171 or Nancy MacEwen at 978-249-7517. Includes lunch.

July 17 - 6pm - visit the new gardens of Tony Palumbo and Mike Collins in Colrain. Carpool from Cherry Rum leaves at 5:30pm. Click here to read the story of Irene and their gardens' death and rebirth.

(July 20 is Bug Hill Farm Open House in Ashfield, MA)

August 21 - 5:30pm - Abrah Dresdale to give a tour and talk about the net-zero greenhouse and permaculture gardens at GCC.

(Community Meal is Wednesday, August 13, 2014)

September 13 - Saturday - 10-4 - Annual Honey Festival at Warm Colors Apiary in South Deerfield. See their website for details.

September 18 - 6pm - Visit the gardens of Kate Kerivan, owner and grower par excellence at Bug Hill in Ashfield, MA. Carpool leaves Cherry Rum at 5:25pm. Click here to read an article and here to see WGBY's short video.

October 16 - Movie Nite: Gardens and Glass with Dale Chihuly.

November 20 - Wreaths/Kissing Balls/Boxwood - what's your fancy?

December 5 - Friday at 7pm. Holiday Party. Location TBD.

For more information on this month's or any other listed club-sponsored event, please contact the club at: greenfieldgardenclub@yahoo.com

Click the document image below for a printable calendar to put on your fridge! (Always check the website for the most current information!)

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Did you know? The Greenfield Garden Club turns 25 in 2016. Keep your eyes peeled for a big year of activities! Let the club know if you have suggestions or are interested in helping to plan this milestone year.

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