Crystal Garden Club
of Reading
With an active membership of approximately 35 members, the Crystal Garden Club meets on the second Tuesday of each month September through May in the Great Room at the Pleasant Street Center in Reading at 7:00 PM.
The Crystal Garden Club was organized in September 1955 by a group of Reading and Wakefield gardeners. The Club’s objectives are to study all aspects of horticulture, landscaping, conservation and floral design, and to participate in civic beautification within both towns. The Crystal Garden Club joined the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts in 1957 and continues to be an active member.
The Crystal Garden Club’s Community Projects each year focus on the design, installation and maintenance of plantings at the Pleasant Street Center Garden and the Reading Fire Station Garden. The Club also participates in the planning and decorating of one room at the Hartshorne House in Wakefield for their annual Holiday Open House. In addition, the Club donates gardening subscriptions each year to the Beebe Library in Wakefield and the Reading Public Library, and provides centerpieces for various civic activities including the Reading Volunteer Appreciation Dinner and the Mother’s Day Brunch for Senior Citizens.
Membership Info
Members of the Crystal Garden Club serve on various club committees such as Ways and Means, Civic Beautification, Membership and Hospitality, and the Hartshorne Holiday Open House.
Active members are encouraged to serve on a Committee within the Garden Club. The work of these committees help to make our Club activities successful!
Photos
Second prize for
gardens in
Reading’s
Adopt an Island
Program
Get In Touch!
We're happy to answer your questions.
Meetings Schedule
The Garden Club meets on the second Tuesday of each month, from September through May
The club meetings are held at St. Angnes in Reading - address 188 Woburn Street in Reading, MA
.at 7:00 PM, unless otherwise noted.
General Meetings are open to the public.
Annual dues are $45 per year, which includes the cost of the
Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts newsletter, the eMayflower.
Dues are payable by March 30th for the following year.
The Crystal Garden Club is a member of the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts,
Middlesex District, and the National Garden Clubs, Inc.
Meetings Schedule:
November 8, 2022 — 7:00 PM Members Only
Starting off the Holidays with a Candle Top Arrangement
Bring your own candlestick to this workshop. Ellen Mastracola from Crystal Garden Club will show you how to create an elegant fresh floral arrangement using fall flowers, Thanksgiving décor and winter greens. The greens should last through Chanukah and Christmas when you can add additional flowers to suit your holiday scheme. Workshop fee will be approximately $15-$20.
December 8, 2022, Thursday — 6:45 PM
Holiday Wonder Shared Meeting with Wakefield GC
Cindy, owner of Given-Erwin Florist in Burlington, will present a holiday designed floral arranging demonstration. Our annual holiday bizarre will have alluring gardening related offerings for sale.
Note Location: First Parish Congregational Church,
1 Church Street, Wakefield
January 10, 2023 — 7:00 PM
Re-gift Swap & Peonies: Love of My Life
Go back in time to and learn about the origin of peonies and their history with Christine Paxhia, Massachusetts Master Gardener. She will teach you to select, install, care for and divide these beautiful and much-loved plants. Then sit back and feast your eyes on a colorful photographic showcase of the many different varieties and types of peonies. The presentation will be followed by a fun re-gift swap. Got some impractical holiday gift? This is the perfect opportunity to get rid of the what-am-I-going-to-do-with-this well-intended but unusable gift. Try trading it for something you can actually use.
February 14, 2023 — 7:00 PM
Keeping Trees Healthy
Learn how to identify the most common diseases and insects that are prevalent in our area that can destroy your trees. Dave Anderson from Mayer Tree Service will cover tree health care and disease management and offer tree care tips as well as answer your tree questions.
March 14, 2023 — 7:00 PM
Unhidden Gems
Saunter through gardens filled with fascinating plants, ideas, and surprising back stories with Debra Alvarez, creator of Saved by the Garden. Come, wind down and take a moment to embrace the beauty and significance of these “unhidden gems.” Explore the unexpected shapes and colorful blooms of the Great Southwest, compelling plants of the Jurassic period, and the creatively designed “unhidden,” yet secret gardens found right here in New England. You’ll come away with knowledge, historical facts, botanical nuggets, and an appreciation for the intriguing impacts these gardens and plants have had on all.
April 11, 2023 — 7:00 PM
Yankee Containers for Sun. and Shade
Shared meeting with Reading Garden Club
Michele, owner of Natural Selections, will show us how to change out plants in a container garden to be appropriate for the season. Why limit yourself to annuals?! Michele will fill containers that can last multiple seasons using cyclical combinations featuring perennials, native plants, herbs and veggies. These could include evergreens, grasses, herbs, petite woody perennials, and ferns.
May 9, 2023 — 7:00 PM Members Only
Annual Meeting
Yum! An Italian feast at Rosa Luna in Tewksbury, right off of I-93. We will wrap up our garden club business year with our annual meeting and election of officers.
June 13, 2023 — 6:00 PM
Cemetery & Garden Tour
Woodlawn Cemetery is a hidden jewel nestled in an urban area. It was laid out in the fashionable tradition of rural cemeteries and is known for its beautiful landscaping, bright flowerbeds, trees, shrubbery and distinguished greenhouse. Join an easy walking tour at 6:00P followed by a visit to Cathie Keene’s garden in Malden. We will conclude the evening with a social gathering at Cathie’s home.
~Other Events~
Virtual Board Meetings First Tuesdays
Hartshorne Holiday Open House December 4
41 Church Street, Wakefield
Field Trip “Flora in Winter” March 2023
Worcester Art Museum (date TBD)
Announcements & News
No new announcements at this time.
Club Officers
President
Cathie Keane
Vice President
Michele Clopper
Recording Secretary
Susan Bergeron
Treasurer
Erin Fopiano
Corresponding secretary
Janice Feagley
Program Director
Terry Hale