Bedford Garden Club

Tower Hill Botanic Garden & Old Mill Luncheon
2026-06-17 09:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Bedford COA, 12 Mudge Way, Bedford, 01730, United States
Tower Hill Botanic Garden & Old Mill Luncheon – followed by Smith Country Cheese
Date: June 17, 2026 – sponsored by the Bedford COA.

TOUR INCLUDES:

Delicious Lunch @ Old Mill Restaurant
Delightful visit at Tower Hill Botanic Gardens
Informative visit at Smith’s Country Cheese
Travel Aboard a Luxury Wilson Bus Motor Coach

See Flyer for more information

Executive Board Meeting - June
2026-05-18 09:30 - 12:00 | Job Lane Farm Museum, 295 North Road, Bedford, MA, 01730, United States
Monday, May 18, 2025
Board Meeting – Executive
Social 9:30 am Meeting: 10:00 am.
Location: Job Lane Farm Museum Barn, 275 North Road
Bakers: Christine Johnston
Updates and other pressing Club business will be discussed.

Plant Share
2026-05-09 10:00 - 12:00 | Plant Swap, 12 School Avenue, Bedford, MA, 01730, United States
The Bedford Garden Club will not be holding a plant sale this May. But we always get together on the Saturday before Mother’s Day! We still can talk and swap plants. Those plants you dig up anyway in the spring and would have donated to the plant sale? You don’t have to toss them on the compost pile.
Mother’s Day – Plant Share (Members Only)
Just in time for Mother’s Day, join us to kick off our 75th anniversary season planned for Saturday, May 9th at Gale Lewis’ house, 12 School Avenue, Bedford. (park at the Town Hall)
Starting at 10:00 am till noon, the swap will offer plats and plant arrangements that are great gifts for Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 10th.
Perennials for the swap have been donated from the yards of Garden Club members.
For flyer information click here.

Annual Meeting and Luncheon
2026-05-05 12:00 - 15:00 | Annual Meeting, 147 Princeton Street, North Chelmsford, MA, 01863, United States
Tuesday, May 5, 2026, at Noon (Members Only)
Bedford Garden Club Annual Meeting and Luncheon, Princeton Station, 147 Princeton St., North Chelmsford, MA 01863.
As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established for educational and civic purposes, the Club is required by law to hold an Annual Meeting to elect officers and conduct other business.
It is a time when important Club business is conducted, followed by a luncheon organized by the Social Committee: Chair Chris Lipson and members Judy Watkins and Claire Higson. The luncheon is always a wonderful opportunity to socialize with Club members.
Details about the luncheon price will be available closer to the event.
More Information Coming!!

Floral Arranging and Highlights of Running a Flower Shop
2026-04-14 18:00 - 21:00, 2025-04-08 18:00 - 21:00 | Cogregational Church, 25 Great Road, Bedford, MA, 01730, United States
Tuesday, April 14, 2026, First Church of Christ, Congregational, 25 The Great Rd. 6:00 pm: Social period. 6:30 pm: Meeting and guest speaker Nancy Tripodi will present Floral Arranging and Highlights of Running a Flower Shop in Bedford for 40 Years.
Bakers: Claire Higson, Raya Gildor
Bedford Florist owner Nancy Tripodi will create flower arrangements and talk about her 40+ years running a business in our town.
Sharing a love of flowers and gardening with her mother, Nancy began making wedding bouquets and arrangements for family and friends when she was a teenager.
As word of her skills spread and requests increased, she enrolled at Rittner’s Floral Design School in Boston.
Nancy began working at her current location when the business was called Palmeri’s Flowers. When the owner decided to sell the business in 1982, Nancy and her husband Leo purchased it.
The new name, the Bedford Florist, was adopted after her father-in-law suggested that she “name the business after the town.”
She has long been active in the Bedford community and is a member of the Bedford Chamber of Commerce.

Adventures in Ecological Horticulture with Rebecca McMackin
2026-04-07 19:00 - 21:00 | MA
Tuesday, April 7, 2026
Donaldson Auditorium or via Zoom
6:30 p.m. Social, 7:00 p.m. Speaker
Register via Zoom here!
7:00 p.m. – Speaker: Rebecca McMackin presents,
Adventures in Ecological Horticulture
Today’s gardens must do more than look good—they must support and encourage biodiversity. Drawing on her work in urban spaces, ecological horticulturist Rebecca McMackin will share how we can create stunning wildlife-friendly landscapes in the toughest environments where she has done much of her work. Those include, Brooklyn Bridge Park, the Brooklyn Museum. urban parks, school playgrounds, and the sidewalks of New York City.
For more information see the flyer.

Tips, Tricks, and Trade Secrets
2026-03-10 09:30 - 23:30 | Cogregational Church, 25 Great Road, Bedford, MA, 01730, United States
Tuesday, March 10, 2026, First Church of Christ, Congregational, 25 The Great Rd. 9:30 am: Social period. 10 am: Meeting and guest speaker Deborah Trickett presents Tips, Tricks, and Trade Secrets.
Bakers: Christine McGovern, Barbara Feehrer, Kaye Spofford
Centerpiece: Heather Day
Many of us have heard that putting a penny in the water will keep our tulips more upright, cutting flowers on an angle helps them draw up more water, and even that cayenne pepper can keep the deer and bunnies away.
But did you know putting dahlia stems in boiling water can help them last longer? Do you know how to guarantee the biggest blooms on your peonies? Do you know how a slinky can keep squirrels away from your bird feeder?
These and many more tips, tricks, and trade secrets will be presented by Deborah Trickett, owner of The Captured Garden. Whether you are a floral designer, master gardener or someone who just likes getting her hands in the dirt you will learn something new.
Deborah Trickett is an award- winning container garden designer whose work has been featured in The Boston Globe, Garden Gate magazine, New England Home magazine and on the TV show New England Dream Home.
She is a Massachusetts Certified Horticulturist and a Certified Landscape Professional and is a frequent lecturer on container gardening at the Boston Flower and Garden Show, as well as the Philadelphia International Flower Show. She has taught classes and workshops at the Arnold Arboretum.

Executive Board Meeting - March
2026-03-09 09:30 - 12:00 | 1 Notre Dame Road, 1 Notre Dame Road, Bedford, MA, 01730, United States
Monday, March 9, 2026
Board Meeting – Executive
Social 9:30 am Meeting: 10:00 am.
Location: Beth Taylor, 1 Notre Dame Road
Bakers: Jan Burnes, Susan Wingfield
Updates on the summer programs and other pressing Club business will be discussed.

Garden Club Book Club - February
2026-02-24 18:30 - 20:00 | MA
February 2026 (Date to be Determined) via ZOOM. 6:30 pm: Social period. 6:45 – 8:00 pm: Bedford Garden Club Book Club discussion of Genius of Place: The Life of Fredrick Law Olmstead by Justin Martin.
Zoom Link: Join the Meeting
Frederick Law Olmsted is an important historical figure best remembered for his landscape architecture, from New York’s Central Park to Boston’s Emerald Necklace. Olmsted also was an influential journalist, early voice for the environment, and abolitionist credited with helping dissuade England from joining the South in the Civil War.
Most of all, he was a social reformer. With our urgent need to revitalize cities and a widespread yearning for green space, his work is more relevant now than it was during his lifetime.
Using meticulous research and writing
in a narrative style, author Justin Martin provides the full and definitive biography of this interesting visionary.

Lawns and Lawn Alternatives
2026-02-10 09:30 - 23:30 | Cogregational Church, 25 Great Road, Bedford, MA, 01730, United States
Tuesday, February 10, 2026, First Church of Christ, Congregational, 25 The Great Rd. 9:30 am: Social period. 10 am: Meeting and guest speaker Gretel Anspach on Lawns and Lawn Alternatives.
Bakers: Heather Day, Shibani Dalal, Carol Amick
Centerpiece: Carol Amick
Lawns are imported garden fixtures from places with cool, wet summers. Here in New England, a “perfect” lawn is a major drain on water supplies, a source of pollution, and a lot of work!
Presenter Gretal Anspach, who was the featured speaker at the Club’s November 2025 program earlier in this program series, will describe options for tailoring your lawn and lawn care to fit your needs, potentially eliminating hundreds of hours of labor and expensive yearly treatments.
Her talk will include some discussion of alternatives to the traditional grass lawn.
Gretel is active in gardening activities in Massachusetts, both in leadership and volunteer capacities as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and a Lifetime Master Gardener with the Massachusetts Master Gardener Association (MMGA) – a distinction given only to a gardener who demonstrates extraordinary contributions to her community through volunteer service within the Master Gardener program.
She is a speaker for the MMGA’s Speakers Bureau. She recently retired from Raytheon where she worked as a systems engineer, and for 10 years oversaw Raytheon’s Food Pantry Garden.

Executive Board Meeting - January moved to February
2026-02-09 09:30 - 12:00 | MA
Monday, February 9, 2026
Board Meeting – Executive
Social 9:30 am Meeting: 10:00 am.
Location: ZOOM
Bakers: N/A
Updates and other pressing Club business will be discussed.

What’s Wrong with My House Plant?
2026-01-13 09:30 - 12:00 | MA
Tuesday, January 13, 2026, via ZOOM. 9:30 am: Prepare your own cup of coffee or tea and socialize with Club members online. 10 am: Meeting and guest speaker Bonnie Power to discuss What’s Wrong with My House Plant?
As with our outdoor gardens, many things can go wrong when you grow plants indoors.
Learn from guest presenter Bonnie Power the factors that make for happy houseplants, including light, water, and soil…and how to provide them.
Common houseplant pests and diseases are also on the agenda, as well as how to treat them.
Bonnie became a Massachusetts Master Gardener in 2016 and is now a Lifetime Master Gardener for her many years of volunteer service to her community. She also has been a member of the Massachusetts Master Gardeners Association Speakers Bureau since 2018.
A serious outdoor/indoor gardener most of her life, Bonnie is curious and research-oriented by nature and has many horticultural interests and areas of expertise. She holds Bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Zoology, which informs her perspective on the management of garden insects.
She is a member of the MGA Soil pH Testing Team and a volunteer guide at Garden in the Woods, a Native Plant Trust botanical garden in Framingham. She learned to grow vegetables as a child from her father, and flowers and houseplants from her mother.
At home in Marlborough, Bonnie grows a variety of vegetables and ornamentals (with a bias towards natives).

Holiday Party
2025-12-09 12:00 - 15:00 | Not Your Average Joe’s, 158 Great Rd Suite G, Bedford, MA, 01730, United States
Tuesday, December 9, 2025, at Noon: Bedford Garden Club Holiday Party, Location: Not Your Average Joe’s.

Executive Board Meeting - December
2025-12-08 09:30 - 12:00 | MA
Monday, December 8, 2025
Board Meeting – Executive – CANCELLED
Social 9:30 am Meeting: 10:00 am.
Location: ZOOM – Zoom link to follow!
Bakers: N/A
Updates and other pressing Club business will be discussed.

Native New England Flora
2025-11-11 09:30 - 23:30 | Cogregational Church, 25 Great Road, Bedford, MA, 01730, United States
Tuesday, November 11, 2025, First Church of Christ, Congregational, 25 The Great Rd. 9:30 am: Social period. 10 am: Meeting and guest speaker Gretel Anspach on Native New England Flora.
Bakers: Chris Lipson, Dawn Warrington, Judy Watkins
This presentation by Master Gardener Gretel Anspach will focus on the native plants of New England. Plants native to our region are easier to maintain, better able to withstand New England weather, and may offer better resistance to deer and rabbits.
The trees, shrubs, and perennials that evolved here will grow locally with much less work from the gardener. According to Gretel, you will reduce your workload while creating a paradise for the native birds and pollinators.
Gretel is Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and a Lifetime Master Gardener with the Massachusetts Master Gardener Association (MMGA), which honored her in 2016 with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Gretel established and maintains a 20,000 square foot food production garden that has provided fresh produce to the Marlborough and Maynard Food Pantries for the last 13 years. Her primary interest and focus always is the science behind horticulture and creative tablescapes.
She has designed for Art in Bloom at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and has created cut flower arrangements for numerous residential and commercial events.
With a background in nursing, Michele also serves as a Climate for Health Ambassador, a program of Eco America that trains thousands of emissaries to speak and inspire others on climate action and advocacy.

Executive Board Meeting - October
2025-10-27 09:30 - 12:00 | 213 Dudley Road, 213 Dudley Rd, Bedford, MA, 01730, United States
Club’s Future: Board Discussion and Vote
Host: Patty Carluccio
231 Dudley Road
Baker: Beth Taylor

Fun with Flowers
2025-10-14 09:30 - 12:00 | Cogregational Church, 25 Great Road, Bedford, MA, 01730, United States
Tuesday, October 14, 2025, First Church of Christ, Congregational, 25 The Great Rd. 9:30 am: Social period. 10 am: Meeting and Fun with Flowers, a floral design demonstration by guest speaker Kathy Leva.
Bakers: Katie Durham, Ruth Beauchesne, Christine Johnston
Floral design is an easy and enjoyable way to be creative!
Kathy Leva will present simple steps in floral design that will support self- expression in the creation of beautiful flower arrangements.
As a recent past Middlesex District Director for the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts (GCFM), Kathy attended some of the Bedford Garden Club’s activities while serving in that position.
She is a GCFM Master Flower Show Judge in Floral Design and Horticulture. She has participated in numerous flower shows, including the Boston, Newport RI, Topsfield, Marshfield, and Tower Hill flower shows, winning an Honorable Mention at the Boston Flower and Garden Show.
An avid gardener, she is Past President of the Arlington Garden Club and current President of the Lexington Field & Garden Club.
She also volunteers at The Crane Estate in Ipswich, serving on the Gardening Team. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time in her gardens, and raising a flock of chickens.
Kathy retired from Mass General Hospital in Boston after working 38 years in the medical field. She now works part time as a florist and in the Wilmington Public Schools.

Executive Board Meeting - September
2025-09-24 09:30 - 12:00 | 213 Dudley Road, 213 Dudley Rd, Bedford, MA, 01730, United States
Club’s Future: Deliver Recommendations
Host: Patty Carluccio
231 Dudley Road

Bakers: Jeannette Pothier, Carol Amick

Bedford Day
2025-09-20 10:00 - 14:00 | Bedford Day, Mudge Way, Bedford, MA, 01730, United States
Saturday, September 20, 2025, Bedford Day. 10 am-2 pm: Bedford Garden Club’s Bedford Day Booth in the parking lot next to Town Hall.
Bedford Day is the celebration of the Town’s incorporation on September 23, 1729. The Club’s booth will be located on the west side of Town Hall. Club members are always needed to volunteer as salespeople and cashiers.
Club members will be needed to volunteer as salespeople and cashiers.
For more information.
For flyer information click here.

Fall scaping: Extending the Season
2025-09-09 18:00 - 21:00 | Cogregational Church, 25 Great Road, Bedford, MA, 01730, United States
Tuesday, September 9, 2025, First Church of Christ, Congregational, 25 The Great Rd. EVENING PROGRAM: 6:00 pm: Social period. 6:30 pm: Meeting and guest speaker Jana Milbocker on Fall scaping: Extending the Season.
Bakers: Lisa Di Sanzo, Heather Day, Beth Taylor
Interested in keeping the garden beautiful and interesting beyond mums and asters? Want to extend the season?
Guest speaker Jana Milbocker will provide tips on adding beauty to your gardens in the sweet, golden days of autumn with flowers, shrubs, trees, and vines that shine during this season. She will describe plants with colorful blooms, rich foliage and dramatic seed heads, and teach strategies that will guide gardeners in designing a vibrant fall garden.
Jana is an avid gardener, designer, speaker, and author. She combines horticulture, design, and travel tips to educate, inspire, and delight both new and seasoned gardeners. Jana loves to visit gardens and historic sites and share her trips through her books, photos, and blog.
The owner of Enchanted Gardens, Jana has authored travel guides and has lectured at flower shows, horticultural societies, garden clubs, and libraries.

Gardening with Dahlias
2025-06-10 09:30 - 12:00 | Cogregational Church, 25 Great Road, Bedford, MA, 01730, United States
Tuesday, June 10, 2025, First Church of Christ, Congregational, 25 The Great Rd. 9:30 AM: Social period. 10 AM: Meeting and guest speaker Betsy Szymczak on Gardening with Dahlias.
Bakers: Sandy Alexander, Sandy Baker
Centerpiece: Bridget Clayton
Someone once said that peonies are the “Show Girls” of the spring garden. With dahlias, it’s all about late summer-early fall Royalty!
Betsy Szymczak will present a brief history on the discovery of dahlias and then teach participants how to select dahlia tubers, where to plant them, and how to water and fertilize.
