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!

FIELD TRIP FRENZY No. 5
Date: Saturday, June 16th (rain date Sunday, June 17th)
Destination: Elizabeth Park in West Hartford, and O'Brien Nursery in Granby, CT.
Address: 1561 Asylum Ave, West Hartford and 40 Wells Rd, Granby
Time: Carpool will leave Cherry Rum Plaza between 8:30 & 9:00 AM. Those who RSVP will be in the email loop.
Cost: Admission to both gardens is free. There may be fees for parking in West Hartford. Please bring gas money for the driver.
Lunch: the group who RSVP's will decide where to stop for a bite to eat. Elizabeth Park has the Pond House Cafe, and they take reservations. They also have a picnic area if we choose that route.
RSVP: Please contact Laura Schlaikjer if you are thinking of attending. This will get you in the email loop for decision-making. You can leave a phone message at: 413-522-0901 or email her at: greenfieldgardenclub@yahoo.com.
​
We're heading south to the neighboring state of CT for our fifth field trip of 2018, and we're looking forward to seeing both the roses in bloom in West Hartford and the unusual plants in Granby.  We will keep an eye on the weather and choose the best day for this trip. This weekend is Rose Weekend at Elizabeth Park, and it is the Arisaema Open Garden weekend at O'Briens.
​
​Opened to the public in 1897, Elizabeth Park was born of the American Park Movement. Elizabeth Park is the botanical gem of the Hartford park system. It is 101 acres in size, with 82 acres in West Hartford and 19 acres in Hartford. Elizabeth Park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Click here to read about it's history.
The park has four major sections: the Gardens and the Farmstead, the East Lawn, the Pond Area, and the Western Loop. The rose garden is the centerpiece of Elizabeth Park. Designed by Theodore Wirth in 1904, it is our country’s oldest public rose garden. The rose garden is 2.5 acres with 475 beds and over 15,000 rose bushes and arches. Opposite the rose garden, four gardens connect through pathways and entrances creating garden rooms: the perennial garden, shade-rock garden, heritage rose, and tulip-annual garden. Our visit will coincide with Rose Weekend, with the Tulip Bulb Sale, the Bonsai Society Show, and  Healthy West Hartford Fair.

O'Briens is New England’s premier hosta nursery.  Their extensive display gardens feature over 1,600 hosta varieties as well as other 'shady characters' including Asarums, Pulmonarias, Epimediums, Polygonatums, and Arisaemas.  The gardens also include a wide variety of unusual Dwarf Conifers and over a hundred varieties of Japanese Maples. The sales yard features over 1100 hosta varieties in containers ready to go, as well as many other choice shade perennials that help complete a shade garden.  The sales  yard has special areas for Daphnes, Dwarf Conifers, Ginkgos, Japanese Maples, Daylilies, and Sedums. Customers arrive thinking they will make a quick visit and wind up spending hours exploring the gardens and gathering special plants for their gardens. Caution: O'Briens does not accept credit cards!

We'll be looking for your RSVP - reply early to stay in the email loop and make decisions regarding the day, the departure time and lunch.

Dues for 2018: Forget to renew your membership? Dues remain at $18 per single person, and $24 for a household. Please send membership requests to Jean Wall, 40 High St, Greenfield, MA
​
​As always, please email the club with any questions: greenfieldgardenclub@yahoo.com 

PictureFOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK!

2018 Schedule of Monthly Meetings and Events of Interest to Members

Berkshire Botanical 2018 lectures and workshops: click here.

January 24 - 1:00-5:00 pm - Annual Meeting at the French King Restaurant. Dr. Bill Benner featured speaker on butterfly gardening.

February 3 10 am-1pm Winter Farmers Market, Discovery School at Four Corners, Greenfield.

February 19 Field Trip to Logee's Greenhouses in CT 

February 22-25 - 37th Annual CT Flower & Garden Show at CT Convention Center, Hartford, CT.

February 25 - 2:00-4:00 PM Wildflowers in Winter; lecture by Dawn Marvin Ward, Leverett Library
​
February 26-March 16 - Berkshire Botanical Bulb Show

March 3 10-1 Winter Farmers Market, Discovery School at Four Corners, Greenfield.

March 3-11 - Philadelphia Flower Show - Wonders of Water

March 3-18 - Smith College Spring Bulb Show.

March 3-18 - Mount Holyoke College Spring Flower Show.

March 24 - Lower Valley Master Gardener Symposium at Holyoke High School, Holyoke, MA. $30 early reg

March 10 - Saturday (rain date Sunday the 11th): Field Trip to the Lyman Estate Greenhouses, Waltham MA

March 17 8:45 am-2:15pm  WMMGA Spring Symposium at Frontier High School, South Deerfield. Your Living Landscape featuring Henry Homeyer. $35

March 14-18 - Boston Flower Show, Seaport World Trade Center, Boston, MA. This year's Theme: "Savor Spring."

March 24 - Seedy Saturday at Margaret Roach's with Turtle Tree Seeds
​
​April 1 - Sunday at midnight. Grant Proposal deadline.

April 4 - Grant Committee meets at Taylor's Tavern

April 5 - Festival of Flowers Culture & Cocktails Springfield Museums $10 members $20 non-members

April 7 - 7:45 am-2:30 pm Berkshires Master Gardener Symposium at Lenox  Memorial Middle and High School, Lenox, MA. $40 thru 3/31, then $45. Single sessions $15

April 28 - Field Trip to Tower Hill to see the swaths of daffodils. Rain date Sunday April 29.
​
April 28 - Saturday - 9 am - 2 pm - Garden Expo at Five Acre Farm in Northfield. Tours of the greenhouses, lots of vendors, and your member discount on purchases.

May 5-6 - Berkshire Botanical Daffodil Show

May 11-12 - Berkshire Botanical 41st Annual Plant Sale

May 12 - Field Trip to Arnold Arboretum to see the lilacs in bloom. Rain date Sunday May 13.

May 18 - 6 to 7pm: drop off plants for the Extravaganza at Sts. James and Andrews Church, 8 Church St, Gnfld.

Extravaganza is May 19, 2018 - 9:00 AM-3:00 PM Note the date. Note the time. Same date and location as Handmade Crafter's Mart

June 16 - Field Trip to Elizabeth's Garden and O'Briens Nursery in CT. Rain date Sunday the 17th.

June 23 & 24 - 10 - 4 daily; Lavender Festival, Johnson Hill Farm.

July 14 - 9 to 4 -  Silver Gardens Daylily and Arts Festival. 23 Pickett Lane, Greenfield. Thousands of daylilies to choose from!

July 7 - Garden Tour (?) and Garden Party. Rain date Sunday the 8th.

July 19-20 - WMMGA bus trip to Maine - visit 3 gardens

August 11 - Field trip to either Fruitlands or St Gaudens

August 10-12 NOFA Summer Conference, Hampshire College, Amherst, MA

September 6-9 - Franklin County Fair

September 22 - Field Trip to Art in the Orchard. Rain date Sunday the 23rd.
 
October 13 - Field trip to Mt Auburn Cemetery. Rain date Sunday the 14th.
​
November 3-18 Smith College Fall Chrysanthemum Show.

November 2-4 - Cider Days! Celebrate all things apple with special events and tastings.
 
November 15 - 6 pm - Wreaths/Kissing Balls - what's your fancy? Chapley Gardens, South Deerfield. (fee)

December 14 (Friday) 6pm - Annual Holiday Party

January 2019 - Annual Meeting 

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