Programs

June 24 – 1:30pm
484 Billmyer Mill Road, Shepherdstown
Enjoy the shade under the trees at Carmen’s historic home (bring your lawn chair!). The program will feature Ava Reinstein, butterfly educator and enthusiast, who will share her experience and tips for gardening for caterpillars and butterflies. Ava is a program manager by profession in the health care field. She was set on her pollinator journey at the age of sixteen by her pediatrician father, Alvin Freund, and has spent the last 30 years creating butterfly gardens. Through her gardening experiences, she has created an approach that supports the entire life cycle of pollinators. Research, trial and error, and a smidge of serendipity have taught her that it is not enough to simply put the right plants in a garden, but where you place these key plants relative to each other and how you fertilize can truly impact your level of success.
Refreshments: Jane Gamble, Carmen Slater
Parking: Park near the garden. Instead of driving all the way back, follow the signs.
Notes: Please bring a lawn chair. There is inside space to meet in case of rain or excessive heat. Also, if you would like to walk over to Tabler Farm after the meeting, Carmen will take you.

CANCELED
May 27 – 10:00 to ?
Choose Your Own Adventure – Tour of Plant Nurseries on Rohrersville Road
Postponed in 2025 due to heat, we are heading off earlier this Spring for a self-guided tour of some of our local nurseries featuring miniatures, natives, and unusual plants for home and garden. Regardless of when you leave, plan to meet up at 1:00 for a picnic lunch and a meeting at the local vineyard (TBD).

Saturday
May 2 – 9:00am to Noon
Trinity Episcopal Church, German Street, Shepherdstown
Rain or shine. Set up sale area: 7:30am – 9am; Plant sale: 9am – noon; Clean up: noon to ?
Offer to help people find specific types of plants, offer alternatives, be kind to kids shopping for Mother’s Day. Work at the sale table. Plant Sale prep info here.
Can’t attend the sale? Drop off plants behind Trinity Chapel on Thursday and Friday.

April 22 – 11:00am
484 Billmyer Road, Shepherdstown
This meeting at Carmen Slater’s home is an opportunity to repot and price plants and to help others get ready for the sale. Potting materials will be available.

April 15 – 1:30pm
Sundogs, 255 Silver Spring Road, Shepherdstown
Explore the woods at Sundogs Bed & Breakfast with Peggy Bowers and Kathy Bilton. Along the way, identify native wildflowers and spring birds — and a terrific opportunity to try out free smartphone apps, including iNaturalist, Seek, and Merlin.
After the walk, pick up supplies for potting and marking your plant sale materials.
Park in the Guest parking lot.
Refreshments: Peggy Bowers, Suzanne Patrick

March 25 – 1:30pm
Shepherdstown Public Library
Hear arborist Shawn Walker talk about his general approach to inspecting trees and determining their condition as a consulting arborist. We will wrap up by discussing some common red flags that homeowners and tree advocates can look out for, as well as some ‘red herrings’ that aren’t as bad as they look!
Arborist Shawn Walker is the owner of Trees 101. He provides a range of consulting services in the region to help homeowners, landscapers, developers, schools and municipalities implement informed tree management decisions.
Refreshments: Jane Blash, Kathy Bilton, Karin Field-Smith, Esther Murphy, Diana Oddenino

February 25 – 1:30pm
Shepherdstown Public Library
Jane Gamble, club member, will talk about her garden and photographs to demonstrate that there are many ways we can make our gardens more attractive to birds. From growing food sources to providing shelter, water, and nesting locations, every gardener can make small changes that create a big difference to struggling bird populations. The rewards of creating a bird-friendly garden are endless, from the beauty that birds bring through their songs to the ecological benefits they provide by controlling insects. This talk covers the simple steps everyone can take to make their garden more beneficial to our feathered friends, while enhancing the beauty of the garden for all.
Refreshments: Errika Best, Karin Field-Smith, Libby Sturm

December 3 – 1:30pm
Shepherdstown Public Library
This annual tradition is a great time to make your own wreath or small festive arrangements to distribute to local food banks and nursing homes. Bring a snack to share as well as greens — and clippers!, ribbons, and ornaments. Don’t worry if you don’t have any greens, there are always plenty.
Refreshments: Christine Dorsey, Kate McClelland

October 22 – 1:30pm
Shepherdstown Public Library
Our very own Pat Stine will demonstrate how to create a small arrangement using dried material and a rustic mug. We will have a chance to make our own arrangements.
Please bring a mug (fall colors suggested), clippers, and dried materials from your herb garden, yard, and countryside, enough to share. Suggested materials: Think small scale — flower heads the size of a thumbnail or smaller, including sumac, goldenrod, lavender, grasses, celosia, cocks comb, seed heads and pods (such as rudbeckia and iris), berries (this is a good time to use invasives such as Oriental bittersweet and multiflora rose), strawflowers, gomphrena, teasel, dried peppers, Russian sage, foxtail grasses, soybeans, and branches of dried leaves. Dry Oasis will be provided, or you can create a tape grid on your mug.
Refreshments: Aileen Boyd, Diana Eldridge, Cherica Ibarra, Sue Kemnitzer

September 24 – 10:00am
High Glen Gardens
6450 Christophers Crossing, Frederick MD
Planning to go? Please complete the High Glen Gardens Field Trip form here.
We are heading out of town for a private tour of High Glen Gardens. The 60+ acre property consists of 10 acres of formal gardens and rooms designed by McHale & McHale for the Ausherman family. The garden rooms have their own distinct design themes and are knitted together by hedges. The property includes a variety of garden and natural features such as an amphitheater, non-tidal wetland, and an earth mound. Sabrina Hartley, Garden Manager and a resident of Shepherdstown, will be our guide. After the tour, enjoy lunch in Frederick. Please plan to carpool. Look for the parking signs at the Gardens.
Rain or shine! Sabrina will have umbrellas and ponchos for the group just in case!