Welcome

Ninety years after its inception, the Acton Garden Club continues to follow the traditions and goals of its founding members and adhere to its original purpose:  To promote a greater interest in gardening and to share experiences that shall be of mutual benefit.

NEWS AND EVENTS

Saturday, April 19, 2025 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

3rd Annual Plant Swap  

West Acton Citizens’ Library – 21 Windsor Avenue, Acton, MA, 01720

Plant Swap – A gathering where plant enthusiasts trade cuttings, propagations, and houseplants.

How It Works:

  • Bring one or more healthy, pest-free plants.

  • Display your offerings with provided labels.

  • Exchange plants and connect with fellow gardeners.

  • No plants? No problem! Come with questions and learn.

For more info, contact Cathy Fochtman at lcfochtman@gmail.com.

March 4, 2025 10:15am

Room 204 Acton Town Hall, Acton MA
How to Build Your Very Own Hometown National Park
Presented by Neal Sanders, author

Summary:
With a style meant to make you chuckle, Neal will tell us how he and his wife took on the challenge to create a “Hometown National Park” as set forth by ‘Nature’s Best Hope’ author Doug Tallamy.  In his book, Tallamy defines the average American lawn as an ‘ecological desert’, and puts forth the radical idea that our properties should be suitable both for humans and desirable species; what he calls ‘Hometown National Parks.’

Neal and his wife took that challenge to heart when creating their garden. It’s almost all native trees, shrubs, perennials, and ground covers. He’ll tell us how they did it… and have continued to refine it.  All are welcome.

Neal’s books will be available for purchase at the event.

Neal’s website
Neal’s blog

February 4, 2025  10:30am

Location Acton Town Hall  Room 206

Speaker Bonnie Power, Master Gardener, member MMGA Speakers Bureau

Topic What’s Wrong with My House Plant?

Summary 

As with our outdoor gardens, many things can go wrong when you grow plants indoors. Learn 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 Power has been a Massachusetts Master Gardener since 2016 (now a Lifetime MG) and member of the MMGA Speakers Bureau since 2018 and a serious outdoor/indoor gardener most of her life. Curious and research-oriented by nature, she has many horticultural interests and areas of expertise. Bonnie holds both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Zoology, which informs her perspective on the management of garden insects. She is a member of the MGA Soil pH Testing team and also 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. Early in her marriage her father-in-law provided her first lessons in organic gardening.  At home in Marlborough, Bonnie grows a variety of vegetables and ornamentals (with a bias for natives).

Acton’s Looking Good Contest

Every summer The Acton Garden Club conducts the ‘Acton’s Looking Good Contest’ in order to acknowledge Acton businesses whose landscapes enhance the town’s beauty and to encourage more businesses to improve their landscapes.

The winners are presented with plaques containing photographs of their property.

Happy Birthday Acton Garden Club – 90 Years Young!

Acton Garden Club, in cooperation with the Town of Acton, has renovated the “Oval Garden” in front of Acton Town Hall to honor the Acton Garden Club’s organization in 1934 and to celebrate its 90 years of service to the community.  A Civic Development grant was sought by the Club and awarded by The Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts to supplement funding and volunteer labor. The Historic District Commission issued a Certificate of Appropriateness for the Victorian era fountain that was installed in the Garden.  The fountain was formerly owned by resident Mabel Jenks and it was donated by the O’Neil family. Holly and evergreen conifers have been planted around the fountain.

Please enjoy reading A Retrospective of the past 90 years of the Acton Garden Club.

A Retrospective of The Acton Garden Club

Garden Club of Massachusetts Awards

The Acton Garden Club received two publication awards at the annual meeting of the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts in Hyannis on June 1st.  In the category of historical preservation the club was honored for preserving and archiving the club’s history each year. Sue Nordhausen initiated the creation of beautiful photo books using publishing software.  A public relations award for the annual “Acton’s Looking Good” recognition was the second award.  The club recognizes local businesses that create and maintain attractive plantings. Sherry Ryder chaired the committee to view and choose businesses in a range of categories for the award.  The Acton Garden Club has a history of receiving awards at the state level for their work in the community and creating an active club.

 

Library Floral Arrangements

Acton Garden Club members enjoy the opportunity to display their floral arranging talent by volunteering to provide arrangements for the Acton Memorial Library circulation desk.  Twice a month from September through June a new arrangement appears.

Garlic Mustard – A Nonnative Invasive Plant

Garlic Mustard is a nonnative invasive plant. You should pull it before it goes to seed
in June.

It is an invasive plant from Europe that impacts the growth of native species.
It is best to pull it while flowering and before it goes to seed. It is easy to pull now. It is better to
pull than mow so it will be less likely to grow back. Put it in a black plastic bag and put the bag
in the sun for 5 days which cooks and kills any seeds. You can then dispose in the trash.

What gardeners should know about Asian Jumping Worms Invasive Jumping Worms

 

Historic Gardens and Seasonal Plantings

The Acton Garden Club shares its love of gardening and civic pride by maintaining three historic gardens in the Town.  There are also seasonal plantings done each year that are provided and maintained throughout Acton by the Club.


The Acton Arboretum Herb Garden

The Acton Arboretum Herb Garden, located in the Acton Arboretum, is built in a stone foundation from a home built in the 1730’s.  This particular garden was established on this location in 1989, and the design and plantings were largely executed by members of the Acton Garden Club to reflect a typical colonial dooryard garden.


Meeting House Hill – Wildflower Garden
Meeting House Hill – Wildflower Garden remains little known in our Town.  Recaptured from an area that was once the school’s ash pile, the soil has been improved over many years with compost and with paths covered with mulch.  The garden is separated into beds and each one has a different focus.  The garden evolves from one season into the other.


Meeting House Hill – Daffodil Run
Meeting House Hill – Daffodil Run is located on the embankment along Main Street near Nagog Hill Road.  Daffodil Run is the more visible garden on Meeting House Hill.  This historically sited garden displays massive plantings of daffodils, forsythias and daylilies, with flowering shrubs in the upper garden area.

 

 

 

Four seasonal plantings are provided and maintained by the Club throughout Acton each year.  These include the troughs in both Acton Center and West Acton, the containers in memory of Timothy Harrigan along Massachusetts Avenue in West Acton, the containers at the Citizen’s Library, the containers at the Acton Center Fire Station, and the containers at the Public Safety Facility.