October Speaker Series

Gretel Anspach – Pruning Basics

Tuesday, October 18th, 7:30 P.M.

HCAM Studio, 77 Main St., Suite 15 and via Zoom (non-members please register per instructions below)

​

Both options free and open to the public!

About October's Program - 

Gretel will discuss the science behind when, how, and why to prune your woody plants.

You'll also learn how to make the best use of your money by making good choices when determining which plants can be pruned by a home gardener, and which require the services of a professional.

Gretel Anspach is a Trustee of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, a Lifetime Master Gardener with the Massachusetts Master Gardener Association, and a recently-retired systems engineer for Raytheon.  She won the MMGA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016. Gretel established and maintains a 20,000sf food production garden that has provided fresh produce to the Marlboro and Maynard Food Pantries for the last ten years.  Her primary interest and focus is always in the science behind horticulture.

New members are welcome any time  - Come learn with us!

​

NON-MEMBERS ONLY!
FOR ATTENDANCE VIA ZOOM ONLY, PLEASE REGISTER FOR: "Pruning Basics"

Please email register@hopkintongardenclub.org with your first and last name, and indicate your interest in attending our October 18th event online. Instructions for the Zoom session will be returned to you via email closer to the event.

​

HCAM STUDIOS - PARKING AND BUILDING ENTRY

HCAM Studios, 77 Main Street, Suite 15 is in the building fronted by Stephanie G jewelers. The driveway to the rear parking area is on the left side of the building (the Stephanie G side). Enter the building through the rear entrance and walk a short way down the corridor to the elevator on the right. Take the elevator to the basement floor. Turn right when exiting the elevator then look for the sign for HCAM Studios. It's a small building, so distances are short

​

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Hopkinton Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

​

September Floral Arrangements for Vets Breakfast

Cheery floral arrangements for our treasured veterans.

Each month, September through June, club members provide floral arrangements to decorate the tables at the Senior Center for their Veteran's breakfast. 

Thank you 2022 "Help Hopkinton Bloom" Sponsors!

​

Our Business Sponsors share our goal of beautifying Hopkinton for the enjoyment of our community. We are extremely grateful to each organization who continues to support our work through their generous contributions. 

​

We also want to express our deep appreciation to our Department of Public Works for providing a weekly watering for our planters and sites. This help is invaluable to keeping our plants looking their best!

Please show everyone your support and recognize their contribution to our town!

Donors:

• Focus on Fitness

• Middlesex Savings Bank

Site Sponsors:

• Callanan Cronin Funeral Home

• Phipps Insurance Agency

• Honey Hill Farms

​

​

   Planter Sponsors:

• Atlas Wealth Strategies

• Dynasty Restaurant

• E.L. Harvey and Sons

• Hiller's Pizza

• Hopkinton Shell

• Hopkinton Vision Center

• Hopkinton Wine and Spirits

• Kathy Williamson, Berkshire Hathaway

• McIntyre Loam, Inc.

• Middlesex Savings Bank, Hopkinton Branch

• Scott's Landscaping, Inc.

• Sunnyside Gardens

• Thomson Architects

• Unibank, Hopkinton Branch

Click here to view pictures of our town plantings!

Spotted Beebalm

Monarda punctata, called spotted beebalm or horsemint, has a remarkably distinctive inflorescence, with large white-pink bracts (modified leaves) that encircle its whorls of tubular flowers. These flowers, typically pale yellow with maroon dots, are an excellent source of nectar and pollen for a wide range of insects. Unlike many other species of Monarda, spotted beebalm does best in dry, sandy, soils with plenty of sun. It is generally a short-lived perennial, but will happily seed itself around in favorable conditions.

Native Plants!

Native plants in home gardens are essential for providing pollinators safe habitat in which they can thrive.

Climate change, overbuilding, invasive species and other factors have destroyed large areas previously home to our insect and bird populations. With so much land being "chopped up", putting native plants in your garden will add to those from your neighbors’ gardens creating larger spaces for pollinators to call home.

​

Pollinators, who work hard to maintain the ecological systems we depend on (like food growth!), need your help!

Here are links to articles, webinars and websites with information on native plants and why they're so important to pollinators, and to us.

Articles:

• How and Why to Use Native Plants

• Choosing the Right Native Plants

Webinars:

• Adventures with Oddities: Strange and Noteworthy Natives (courtesy of the Ecological Landscaping Alliance) with Dan Jaffe (formerly of the Native Plant Trust)

• Landscaping with a Purpose, What's Diversity Got to Do with It? with Randi Eckel

Websites:

• Native Plant Trust

• Grow Native Massachusetts

• Ecological Landscape Alliance

• Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (Native plants by state)

• Native Plants Lookup (Audubon)