The public is welcome to attend all Chapter activities. All meetings are held on Sundays at The Gardens at Elm Bank, Putnam Building, 900 Washington St., Wellesley, MA unless noted otherwise.
2023
10/1 12:00 pm Pot Luck Lunch, Rhododendron Foliage, Ask the Experts for growing advice, favorite Rhodes, pests & diseases
11/19 12:00–3:00 pm, Founders’ Day Luncheon.
Chasing the Southern Deciduous Azaleas Speaker: John Perkins
At Papa Razzi in Wellesley. Pre-registration required.
2024
1/28 1:00 pm Speaker: Don Hyatt (ZOOM)
3/10 1:00 pm Success with Hydrangeas. Speaker: Lorraine Ballato
Meeting held at Wellesley Public Library, 530 Washington St., Wellesley, MA
No garden is complete without this queen of American shrubs. From 18-inch, container-sized, reblooming beauties to 8-foot explosions of multicolored zing, there is a hydrangea for every garden. Through slides and discussion, you’ll learn all about hydrangeas, including the many recent introductions that have hit the market, their proper care, and the hardy cultivars that perform well despite over-enthusiastic pruning and finicky weather. You’ll leave this talk never again having to ask the question, “Why doesn’t my hydrangea bloom?”
Lorraine is an instructor at the New York Botanical Garden where she is regarded as the resident hydrangea expert. She also teaches classes in the Connecticut Master Gardener Program as well as for the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut.
Lorraine is a successful author. Her most recent book, Success With Hydrangeas, A Gardener’s Guide is an international best seller. Via her free hydrangea blog, she continues to write about this fabulous plant. It is also one of her most popular speaking topics throughout the United States. Lorraine’s weekly gardening columns ran for over ten years in local newspapers. She reached more than 15,000 homes in northwest Connecticut.
She speaks at regional symposiums, flower shows, to civic groups and garden clubs. Her talks are instructive and highly entertaining on a broad range of subjects tailored to each audience. In her role as an Advanced Master Gardener, Lorraine works with a sizable team of gardeners of all levels. She also helps train master gardener interns and assists the gardening public on a weekly basis.
4/21 12:00 pm Rare Find Introductions Speaker: Ron Rabideau, Rare Find Nursery, New Jersey
5/18–19 Rhododendron Society Show and Sale, lectures, New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill
Board Meetings
All Board Meetings are held on Wednesdays at 6:00 pm via Zoom, and are for Board Members only.
Massachusetts Rhododendron society 