september

The first meeting of the 2026-2027 year will be on September 9, 2026 at the Tewksbury Senior Center. Doors open at 6:30 for socializing and meeting starts promptly at 7 pm.

Start another season with an evening of ice cream, friendship, and a fun plant swap! Reconnect with fellow members, welcome new faces, and discover new plants to bring home as we celebrate the start of another program year together.

Bring to Meeting:

· Plant to swap (indoor or outdoor)

· Binder for new yearbook pages

· Membership Dues**

· Cash for monthly drawing

· Optional: Donations for Plant-A-Tree and the Food Pantry (Foil, plastic wrap, plastic bags, paper goods)

**New this year: You can now pay your membership dues online and before the September meeting! Just visit the website and look for the Paypal or Venmo buttons on the home page.

GREENHOUSE NAMING CEREMONY

The Greenhouses at Tewksbury Hospital were renamed on August 6th during a ceremony attended by Hospital staff, program staff,

Monarch Ranch and the Tewksbury Garden Club. The greenhouses have been a part of Tewksbury Hospital history for more than a century. They've been renovated several times over the years, most recently in 2020 when they housed the GROW programs for about 5 years until federal support was withdrawn.

Since then, the Hospital has provided stewardship and support for the greenhouses and is committed to sustaining the historic greenhouses for the benefit of patients, staff and the community. The preservation of these buildings has been taken on by the Hospital Grounds team, painters, mechanics and the many, many staff who have dedicated themselves to the

upkeep of these buildings.

The greenhouses have been used by community groups including Power of Flowers, Monarch Ranch and the Tewksbury Garden Club. The Hospital is committed to supporting the community for activities that bring joy and color to their campus. The new name for the greenhouse complex is the Hope and Growth Greenhouse, with individual areas within the greenhouse name The Bloom Box, The Root Cellar, The Gathering Garden, The Leaf Lounge, and Seeds of Hope.

SHOW YOUR CLUB SPIRIT!

For two weeks only, members, friends, and family will have the opportunity to order Garden Club apparel and show their support in style.

There’s something for every season! Choose from a soft shell vest, rain jacket, long sleeve UV protection shirt, polo shirt, T-shirt, bucket hat, or baseball cap. Best of all, this is more than a chance to add some Garden Club gear to your wardrobe. The Tewksbury Garden Club earns money from every item sold, with proceeds helping support our programs and community activities throughout the year.

The online store will be open for just two weeks, [Sept 1st through Sept 15th], so be sure to place your order before the store closes. Feel free to share the fundraiser with family and friends, too!

Link to Apparel Store

Free direct shipping on orders over $75.

For orders below $75 you can either choose to pay for shipping direct to your house or get in on a bulk pickup (Thanks, Debbie!) with no shipping cost using this coupon code: TEWKSGC

SUMMER GARDEN TOUR

We toured Sara's property on August 1st to see how she utilizes small spaces to spread out her gardening. Clearly she has conquered some challenging terrain and wildlife to produce a beautiful and tranquil space.

TPL SCHOOL SUPPLY DRIVE

Thank you to everyone who donated to the TPL School Supply Drive. Rose estimated at least 12 backpacks were donated, many of which were filled with school supplies. Also, crayons, composition notebooks, binders, pencils, pens, notebook paper, and personal care supplies were donated. People were very generous and the library was extremely appreciative for all that we provided.

COMMUNITY MARKET APPEARANCES

Garden Club members setup an information table at two recent markets (August 16 in Wilmington and August 27 in Tewksbury). We gave away sunflower seed packets and bookmarks with our program dates on them. In Tewksbury, we were able to sell watering bulbs.

We have one more market scheduled for this year (September 27 market in Wilmington). Stop by and say Hi!

DIETARY RESTRICTIONS & ALLERGIES

The Hospitality Committee would like to create a list of our members' dietary restrictions and allergies to better accommodate them for monthly refreshments and when we go offsite for meals. If you have a dietary restriction, sensitivity, or allergy, please text Linda at 617-818-5944.

WHY DO WE HAVE 2 FACEBOOK PAGES?

@TewksburyGC

This page is open to everyone and is where we share club news, upcoming events, community activities, photos, and other information with the public. Please feel free to follow, like, and share our posts to help spread the word about the club!

@TewksGardenClub

This is a private group just for current Tewksbury Garden Club members. We use this space for club discussions, reminders, member updates, sharing gardening information and photos, and other communications intended specifically for members.

HORTICULTURE

Named for the amazing human being who just left us, the ‘Dolly Parton’ rose is a hybrid tea rose. But what does that mean?

Roses come in three main categories, with hundreds of different varieties:

Wild roses (or Species) are very fragrant, have only 5 petals, and bloom only once in the Spring. They are almost always pink.

Old Garden Roses (or Antique or Heritage) were developed before 1867, often have double-blooms and are fragrant. Being native to several continents, they are hardy and disease-resistant.

Modern Roses bloom all season long but have less scent and disease resistance. Hybrid tea belong in this category, named so because their scent is reminiscent of that of a cup of tea!

Find out more here:

BOARD MEETING

The next Board Meeting is on Wednesday, September 2nd at 6:30. We'll be at Jenni's house. Please join us if you want to join the Board, have an item to bring up, or just want a night out. Let Debbie know if you have Board Meeting agenda items or if you want to come and see how much fun a Board meeting can be.