| NATIVES & POLLINATORS | DIVERSITY | SOIL RESTORATION | | PARTNERING WITH NATURE | COMMUNITY OUTREACH |
APPLY BY MAY 1 FOR THE 2021 GARDEN CLUB SCHOLARSHIP
For nearly 50 years the Carlisle Garden Club has awarded the Debbie Wright Scholarship to help Carlisle students defray college costs. This year a $2,500 scholarship is available to high school seniors from Carlisle who attend either a public or private high school or are being home-schooled. Preference is given to students who have an interest in the following fields: Botany; Landscape Architecture; Horticulture; Forestry; Farming; Conservation; Entomology; Ornithology; and Environmental Studies, as well as related areas. The application must be submitted on or before May 1st. Click or tap here to access the scholarship page.
EARTH DAY:
CONSERVATION AND CLIMATE IN CARLISLE
Presentations
Climate-Friendly Home Heating and Air Conditioning – Bob Zogg
Residential Energy Efficiency – Dave Boettcher
Autonomous Underwater Vehicles for Arctic Research on Environmental Impacts
– Nastasia Winey
Composting – Andrew Rogers
Our Diet and the World’s Water – Dan Cook

Earth-based topics will take center stage at the Sunday celebration, which will spread over a number of locations in Town Center. Events range from a giveaway of maple seedlings and "platefuls" of fantasy garden design at Center Park, to a children's art project on the library lawn that will fashion cardboard spring "flowers" for the rotary. Several events will be "parked" under the solar collectors at the lot outside Corey Auditorium: the Club's traditional spring Seed Swap and Share; Environmental and Race Equity advocates, and information about a new Focus on Natives program being implemented by local naturalists. There will also be a 1:00 PM visit to the Clark Farm Market greenhouse at 201 Bedford Road for a presentation on How to Grow Tomatoes. The FRS crescent will host a rally of electric vehicles, with owners on hand to answer your questions. The main ceremony will occur on the Town Common, with a formal tree planting and a tree-climbing demonstration featuring local arborist Andrew Joslin. Winners of the student art prizes will be presented at 1:30 on the common.
Music by Kenny Selcer, Corey parking lot
Click or tap to download the entire Family Earth Day program
Follow this link for additional Earth Day resources. And here are some things you can do to protect the future.
Covid protocols of masks and social distancing will be observed. Hand sanitizers and gloves will also be available.
EARTH DAY events are co-sponsored by the Garden Club and the Environmental Action Committee of the First Religious Society. They are supported in part by a grant from the Carlisle Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Knowing when plants are at their best enables the gardener to create majestic gardens of delight. Laura's presentation follows perennials, shrubs and ornamental trees as they progress through the seasons. It offers a photographic calendar of bloom times and associated design considerations. A downloadable handout that summarizes blooming sequence and pleasing combinations will be offered.
Follow the link to the ticket page to purchase advance tickets and find driving instructions.
|
COMING SOON: NEWS ABOUT AN ONLINE TOUR OVERVIEW
Tentative 2020-21 event schedule
WITH ONLY A LIMITED ABILITY TO READ THE TEA LEAVES, the Club released a tentative meeting schedule, with program topics and public events for the current year. Much as we normally enjoy the gracious hospitality of members' homes, we have required a Zoom option for many events. Follow this link for a copy of our current event info.
PERENNIAL HIBISCUS, GROWN FROM SEED, BLOOMING ON THE 2020 ROTARYThe Garden Club's Rotary renovation is scheduled to begin this spring, with plans to include native shrubs, pollinators for one of the sunniest spots in town, and, yes, just one more thing to check out as you negotiate the roundabout...
|
OTHER RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
SPRING ZOOM SERIES ARE CONTINUING AT TWO GREAT GROUPS:
Free Wednesday noon garden walks (Ecological Landscape Alliance):
Check out the EcologicalLandscapingAssociation for a list. Starts March 31, 2021.
Evenings with Experts (Grow Native Mass):
See the Grow Native Mass site for their three, free 2021 programs. Starts March 31, 2021.
Check out the EcologicalLandscapingAssociation for a list. Starts March 31, 2021.
Evenings with Experts (Grow Native Mass):
See the Grow Native Mass site for their three, free 2021 programs. Starts March 31, 2021.
SOWING THE SEEDS OF CLIMATE ACTION IN THE GARDEN |
A RECENT PIECE IN THE BOSTON GLOBE contained valuable information about how your garden projects can help combat carbon pollution. Click here to access this interesting and useful article.
|
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2020 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER
VISIT OUR SCHOLARSHIP PAGE to meet last year's winner, Kierthan Lathrop. Watch the Mosquito and this website for information on applying for 2021-2022.
LOVE TO GARDEN? JOIN THE CLUB. If you'd like to be part of the Carlisle Garden Club or if you'd like to attend a meeting as our guest, click the button below to contact our member chair.
Some recent club highlights
Download the most recent member list (password required)
2020-21 Officers and Committees
Alison Saylor's Template for land stewardship
Judy Blaikie Lane's Flower arranging demo
2020-21 Officers and Committees
Alison Saylor's Template for land stewardship
Judy Blaikie Lane's Flower arranging demo
THANKS TO OUR 2021 TOUR SPONSORS
Our deepest thanks to the sponsors who so generously supported the 2019 tour. It was the club's major fundraiser, which supports civic beautification, community events such as the spring seed swap, and college scholarships for Carlisle students.
Please patronize our sponsors whenever possible and spread the word among your friends.
Please patronize our sponsors whenever possible and spread the word among your friends.
(Click any sponsor's logo to visit their website.)
Community Garden Sponsors
Wildflower Garden Sponsor
Herb Garden Sponsors
Add habitat for native bumblebees to your landscape
At a fascinating April, 2019 lecture sponsored by Grow Native Massachusetts in Cambridge, biologist Rob Gegear of Worcester Polytechnic Institute shared his research on the ecology of native bumblebees, and offered many evidence-based actions to help conserve these vital pollinators. A key component of Rob's guidelines for creating high-quality bumblebee habitat was plant selection, described later in this article.
His guidelines: first and foremost, avoid using non-native plants as much as possible. Exotic species disrupt the ecological systems within which bumblebees and native plants have evolved, and may actually contribute to bumblebee declines. Of the eleven bumblebee species native to Massachusetts, only a few have stable or expanding populations. Many of the species that are now rare have declined significantly from their historical abundance. Some non-native perennials might buzz with bees when in bloom, but they are often attracting only the most common, least threatened bumblebees. The true indicator of valuable habitat is seeing a diversity of bee species. |
Photo: Bombus impatiens, New England aster. © Janet Wilder
TO VIEW OTHER VIDEOS IN THE EVENINGS WITH EXPERTS SERIES VISIT THE GROW NATIVE WEBSITE . |
Native Plant Trust: a new name for a beloved New England institutionYou need an appointment these Covid days to visit or shop at Native Plant Trust in Framingham. Don't recognize the name? It's the organization formerly known as NEWFS -- the New England Wild Flower Society, still headquartered at Garden in the Woods, 180 Hemenway Road in Framingham. It's been renamed to reflect their important work in protecting native species. Take a look at the website, then plan a visit (or several) to watch the wondrous parade of NE native plants in bloom. You can even purchase natives, grown locally from seed, to grace your own property. Call 1-508-877-7630 for info.
|
RETHINKING YOUR GARDEN:
|
OVER THE MOON ABOUT THE MOON?
If you're one of those wonderful "lunatic" gardeners who believes in planting or harvesting by the phases of the moon, you can click this link for a chart of the moon phases this month. |
THANKS TO OUR SUPPORTERS
CHECK OUT THIS PAGE TO SEE A LIST OF LOCAL AND NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS THAT SUPPORT OUR WORK. Many thanks to all our sponsors, donors and supporters. Please patronize them in return, whenever possible, and mention them to your friends.
What else is new?
LAST YEAR'S SEED SWAP/EXPO FEATURED SEED BOMBS, PEA SHOOTS, MILK-JUG MINI-GREENHOUSES, ORIGAMI ENVELOPES FROM RECYCLED PAPER, MASON BEE HOMES AND NEW COMPOSTING IDEAS for gardeners of all ages. Click here to visit recent Seed Swap documents.
KEEP MOVING, GARDENERS: TRY THE EGOSCUE STRETCHES FOR HEALTH AND REJUVENATION, available for all to download here.
A WORKOUT ROUTINE FOR GARDENERS WHO WANT TO GET IN SHAPE. Available to all site visitors.
MORE PUBLIC LINKS HAVE BEEN ADDED: Check out some exciting new addresses on our favorite links page describing permaculture resources, over-wintering tender fig trees, and new sources for obtaining native New England shrubs and perennials. These links are available to all site visitors.
MEMBER DOCUMENTS NOW AVAILABLE: Get a copy of our downloadable current member list, as well as recent newsletters, and meeting minutes here. Get archived documents and member reimbursement form here. You'll be asked for the site password.
A WORKOUT ROUTINE FOR GARDENERS WHO WANT TO GET IN SHAPE. Available to all site visitors.
MORE PUBLIC LINKS HAVE BEEN ADDED: Check out some exciting new addresses on our favorite links page describing permaculture resources, over-wintering tender fig trees, and new sources for obtaining native New England shrubs and perennials. These links are available to all site visitors.
MEMBER DOCUMENTS NOW AVAILABLE: Get a copy of our downloadable current member list, as well as recent newsletters, and meeting minutes here. Get archived documents and member reimbursement form here. You'll be asked for the site password.
HAVE A QUESTION OR SUGGESTION FOR THE CLUB?
OPEN OUR RESOURCES PAGE TO SEE WHAT'S NEW, ASK A QUESTION, OR SUGGEST A TOPIC. . .