Our meetings are held the second Monday of each month.
Meetings are at 7 p.m., but attendees are invited to arrive
10-15 minutes early for a sweet treat and to meet members.
We begin our program at 7:00, followed by a short break
and the business meeting
Meetings will be held September through May, at Assumption
Church Hall, 27 Adams Street South, Manchester, CT. Park in
the lot behind the church and enter through the back parking
lot door. Please check
individual listings as locations and format may change.
SEPTEMBER 9, 2024
Mary-Beth Kaeser, President
Horizon Wings
Raptor Rehabilitation and Education
Horizon Wings was formed in 2001 by Mary-Beth Kaesar who has
been a Wildlife Rehabilitator since 1985. The mission of
Horizon Wings is to rehabilitate birds of prey and release
them into the wild in order to maintain their population.
Mary-Beth and raptors that cannot be released into the wild
due to their injury will join her for the evening’s
presentation on their history and process of Raptor
rehabilitation.
OCTOBER 14, 2024
Margery Winters
Soil - It's Not Just Dirt
Margery Winters is the Assistant Director and instructor at
Roaring Brook Nature Center in Canton, Connecticut. She is
a Master Landscape Design Consultant. Margery’s
presentation topic is rarely discussed by gardeners, soil is the
foundation of the garden. The presentation will cover
different types of soils, the connections between soils and
plants and how organic matter makes healthy soil.
NOVEMBER 11 , 2024
Ted Johnson
The Design and Benefits of a Wild Landscape
Ted Johnson is the owner of
Wildscape Artisans. He is a Connecticut Certified Master
Gardener with 40 years of gardening experience. Ted's
program will feature the design and benefits of a
residential wild landscape with native plants and tree.
DECEMBER 9, 2024
Community Project
Members will make holiday arrangements.
Check email to members for details.
JANUARY 13, 2025
Betsy Preble
Hydrangeas Demystefied A
seasoned member of the Manchester Garden Club, Betsy Preble
possesses an abundance of knowledge on perennial plants and
shrubs. Hydrangea management and care engenders a host of
questions such as how do I prune my hydrangeas – is it fall
or spring? Which leads to identifying the type of hdrangea
you have. Betsy’s presentation will demystify all the
questions that surround hydrangeas. Betsy will identify the
six main types of hydrangeas commonly grown in North
America, the characteristics of each type, tips for
successful cultivation, color manipulation, and pruning.
FEBRUARY 10, 2025
Jane Seymour
Wildlife Management
Jane Seymour is a wildlife
biologist for the CT DEEP Wildlife Division and the steward
of the
Belding Wildlife Management Area in Vernon,
Connecticut. She has the good fortune of managing habitats
for a variety of species, and seeing the results of
increased diversity and abundance of birds and other
wildlife. Jane Seymour's presentation will explore current
habitat loss and gains and the importance of native plants
and trees that supports our conservation.
MARCH 10, 2025
Felicia Millett
Invasive Plant Species in Connecticut
Felicia Millett is a Plant Diagnostician at the
Connecticut
Agricultural Experiment Station’s Plant Disease Information
Office in New Haven. She holds the Connecticut Arborist’s
License and received her master’s degree in Plant Science
from the University of Connecticut The program will focus
on the skills needed to identify several of the top invasive
plant species found in Connecticut, information on invasive
plants impact on local ecosystems, and management
strategies.
APRIL 14, 2025
Michael Orlowski, Park Hill Joyce
Flower Shop
Floral Design
Michael Orlowski is the owner and operator of
Park Hill
Joyce Flower Shop, 36 Oak Street, Manchester, CT. Mike’s
presentation will engage his audience through the creation
of beautiful arrangements while demonstrating the
fundamentals floral selection and techniques of floral
design. At the end of the program a lucky winner will take
home a floral design.
MAY 12, 2025
Bill Matthews
Carnivorous Plants
Bill Matthews is a former member of Manchester
Garden Club and an expert on rare exotic carnivorous plants.
Bill will share his knowledge and enthusiasm for these
fantastic monstrosities of nature that lure, catch, and
digest insects. He has been growing carnivorous plants since
he was 8 years old and his private collection of over 300
plants includes many rare species.
Bill is a member of the
New England
Carnivorous Plant Society
which maintains a permanent carnivorous plant exhibit and
meets monthly at The New England Botanical Center at Roger
Williams Park in Providence, Rhode Island.
JUNE, 2025
June Party
Party
plans will be available in the spring.
Contact MGC at info@manchestergardenclubs.org