The
House &
Garden Club of Wellesley
Join the fun!
The House and Garden Club's activities nurture
warm friendships and philanthropic outreach
that benefit Wellesley, its residents, its schools, and its businesses.
Make new friends while you make a difference in your community's education,
conservation, and beautification.
Guests are Welcome!
We are always seeking to “grow” club membership.
Founded in 1958 and Federated as a Non-Profit 501 (c) 3 Civic Organization in 1963
Membership Info
Memberships and Affiliations
- National Garden Clubs, Inc.
- National Garden Clubs New England Region, Inc.
- Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts, Inc.
- Massachusetts Horticultural Society
- Joint Council of Wellesley Garden Clubs
- Wellesley Conservation Council
- Wellesley Green Collaborative
Photos
Get In Touch!
We're happy to answer your questions.
Programs and Activities 2023 - 2024
Tuesday September 19th, 11:00am
OPENING MEETING Home of Shelly Griswold - 7 Winslow Road, Wellesley Let’s reconnect, welcome our new member, and ring in our new season as a club. Bring a plant from your garden or home to exchange and share with another member!
Tuesday October 3rd, 10:00am (rain date: Wednesday, 10/4)
Central Square Park and Church Park, Present and Future Join us for a walking tour of local perennial gardens and a Q&A with Town of Wellesley horticulture technician, Susy Jordan. We will begin at Central Park at 10am
Thursday October 26th, 10-12pm
Fall Floral Arrangement Workshop Warren Building - 90 Washington Street, Wellesley (room TBD) Jessica from A Natural Arrangement will guide us in this workshop to create a beautiful fall floral arrangement. Each participant should bring a 5x5 square or cylindrical vase to use. Day TBD Date and Time TBD Wellesley College Botanic Garden Tour Wellesley College - 106 Central Street, Wellesley Join us for a guided tour of the Margaret C. Ferguson greenhouses.
Monday December 4th, 10:00am
Wreath Decorating Workshop Home of Carrie Benet - 403 Grove Street, Needham Come and decorate your own wreath for the holiday season! Let’s be eco-friendly and bring any extra bows or decor you have to use/share with fellow members.
Thursday December 14th, 10:30am
Holiday Luncheon and Fundraiser Charles River Country Club - 483 Dedham Street, Newton Join us for our annual fundraiser benefiting Wellesley Friendly Aid and the Wellesley Food Pantry. There will be a live auction of items donated by local merchants and homemade treats from our club members.
Wednesday January 17th, 3-5pm Plant Bingo and Wine Tasting! Home of Karen Gasdia - 12 Carver Road, Wellesley Join us for a lively game of “plant bingo” while we enjoy snacks and wine pairings.
Wednesday February 14th, 2-4pm
Valentine’s Day Tea and Book Share Home of Susan Miao - 7 Midland Road, Wellesley Join us for tea, light bites, and bring your favorite plant/gardening book to share with fellow members to spark ideas, inspiration, and conversation.
Monday March 4nd, 11:30am-2:30pm
“This Beautiful Fantastic” Movie Viewing Home of Carrie Benet - 403 Grove Street, Neeham Beat the winter blues with lunch and a movie viewing with club members. We will be watching “This Beautiful Fantastic”. “When Bella Brown, a reclusive young woman is threatened with eviction unless she gives her garden a makeover, she sets to work watched by her scornful and curmudgeonly next-door neighbor, Alfie.” We will have a potluck style lunch beforehand and beverages will be provided.
Wednesday March 27th
Washi Egg Making Home of Zozie Porter - 50 Dover Road, Wellesley Our own Zozie will guide us in how to create beautiful, patterned eggs using washi paper. A perfect activity as the spring holidays approach.
Thursday April 4th
Time/Location TBD Joint Council Program Join the other Wellesley garden clubs for an enjoyable and informative presentation. The program has yet TBD..
Thursday April 25th, 9:30am-2pm
Art in Bloom at the MFA Let’s support Maura and Karen, as they interpret another incredible piece of art. Lunch to follow at the New American Cafe on the first level. Carpooling details to come.
Saturday May 4th, 7am-1pm
Annual Geranium Sale RDF Book Area and Captain Marden’s Sign up and join fellow members in our annual fundraiser to benefit the butterfly gardens and Central Park projects.
Tuesday May 21st, 10:30am
Garden in the Woods 180 Hemenway Road, Framingham, MA Join us for a guided tour through a botanic garden that showcases New England native plants in a beautiful, natural setting. Here you’ll find inspiration for your own garden and a new appreciation for the varied plant life of our region. Picnic lunch to follow??
Thursday June 6th, 11am
Closing Meeting Home of Barbara Viechnicki - 5 Poplar Road, Wellesley Our club’s final gathering to celebrate our accomplishments, acknowledge fellow members’ efforts, and enjoy each other's company before summer begins.
Club Officers
CLUB OFFICERS
Co-Presidents: Shelly Griswold and Deanna Szeto
Vice President: Carrie Benet
Recording Secretary: Anne Ammons
Treasurer: Shelly Griswold
Corresponding Secretary: Nan Morrow
Programs: Carrie Benet
Board Meetings are held the last Monday of each month at 12 noon.
Place TBA.
Fulfilling Our Mission
Mission:
The House and Garden Club aims to preserve town resources, beautify our surroundings, and educate ourselves and others on horticultural and environmental issues. We connect through creative programming: speakers, workshops, activities, field trips, reading circles, film viewing and more. The club also aims to support conservation at the local, state, and national levels.
Community Projects include the installation and maintenance of Butterfly Gardens at Wellesley elementary schools, and Central Park at Post Office Square; providing holiday decorations for Town Hall; hosting an annual auction to benefit Wellesley Friendly Aid's Camp Scholarship Fund; providing Garden Therapy for seniors; hosting an annual Geranium Sale Fundraiser to support these and other projects.
Central Park:
We launched Central Park in 1963 to beautify Post Office Square and Wellesley Center. After removing unsightly undergrowth and weeds, the club prepared the ground to receive plantings of trees, shrubs, bulbs, perennials, and annuals, to give Post Office Square enduring appeal with the colors, fragrances, and horticultural beauty of each season.
In collaboration with Wellesley's Department of Public Works, many more additions have been added since 1963, including the picnic table, benches, a brick walkway, and the bronze statue "Girl with Butterfly" that we commissioned to be made by the local artist, Merrilyn Delano Marsh, is a statue of a girl grasping a bouquet topped off by a butterfly. It commemorates the Club's Butterfly Gardens at Wellesley elementary schools. The most recent additions are lovely lilac shrubs given in memory of Mrs. Billie St. Clair, one of the club's Founding Members and a former club president.
Wellesley Schools' Butterfly Gardens grew out of the club’s collaboration with the Wellesley Schools’ Director of Curriculum and the PTO's Beautification Committees. The club's mission of conservation of wildlife and lands united with Wellesley Schools' Science Curriculum. The gardens were designed to 1) save the diminishing population of butterflies [and bees], by providing nourishment for them with plants from which they prefer to drink nectar, and by 2) providing “host plants” on which they prefer to lay their eggs.
Wellesley’s elementary schools have Butterfly Gardens, AKA Outdoor Science Laboratories in which students may observe science. Following a butterfly's metamorphosis, it is released into the gardens. Each May Wellesley's students and teachers give these colorful insects their new homes in nature. In addition, the gardens are used for other science lessons, such as for the study of seeds.
More Community Projects:
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Collaborative projects with Wellesley Girl Scouts, encouraging young gardeners and giving them Service Awards
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Annual Luncheon and Holiday Auction benefitting the Wellesley Friendly Aid Camp Scholarship Fund
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Collaborative projects and programs with the Council of Wellesley Garden Clubs
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Art in Bloom, Boston Museum of Fine Arts