Down to Earth Garden Club, ​South Windsor, CT
Meetings, Programs & Activities
General Meetings:
Down to Earth Garden Club meetings are held on the second Wednesday at the Avery Street Christian Reformed Church,
661 Avery Street, South Windsor, CT at 7 pm, unless stated otherwise. Light refreshments may be served.
Visitors are always welcome.​​
DATE: September 10, 2025
TIME: 7:00 PM
LOCATION: Avery Street Christian Reformed Church
SPEAKER: Laurie Masciandaro
TOPIC: CT Historic Gardens
TOPIC SUMMARY: Connecticut is home to many beautiful and unique gardens. Fifteen historic sites dotted throughout the state, with historically significant gardens have joined to form Connecticut’s Historic Gardens.
​​
DATE: October 8, 2025
​TIME: 6:30 PM
LOCATION: South Windsor Public Library
SPEAKER: Diane St. John
TOPIC: Create a Healthy Monarch Butterfly Habitat at Home
TOPIC SUMMARY: Join her and learn the life cycle of the monarch butterfly. Learn how you can attract butterflies to live in your own yard by using easy organic gardening techniques. You will learn about many plants that they need for survival.
DATE: November 12, 2025
TIME: 7:00 PM
LOCATION: Avery Street Christian Reformed Church
SPEAKER: Ginny Apple
TOPIC: Black Bears
TOPIC SUMMARY: Join Master Wildlife Conservationist Ginny Apple as she talks about Black Bears, focusing on the natural history of Black Bears in Connecticut, an overview of their habitat, diet, behavior, reproduction and current research efforts. She also provides practical recommendations for optimum co-existence with our Black Bear population.
​
​
DATE: January 14, 2026
TIME: 7:00 PM
LOCATION: Avery Street Christian Reformed Church
SPEAKER: Laura Green
TOPIC: Our Changing Forests
TOPIC SUMMARY: Join forester Laura Green to learn about the processes that shape our forests, what we can anticipate going forward, and the opportunities for us to be active stewards of the future we wish for our woodlands.
​​​
​
DATE: February 11, 2026
TIME: 7:00 PM
LOCATION: Avery Street Christian Reformed Church
SPEAKER: Molly Keays , the Director of Parks and Recreation for the Town of South Windsor, CT
TOPIC: Crosstown Trail
TOPIC SUMMARY: She introduces how the 6.2-mile multi-use, recreational Crosstown trail will run through South Windsor. She will discuss the design and construction process for the three phases of the trail.
​
DATE: March 11, 2026
TIME: 7:00 PM
LOCATION: Avery Street Christian Reformed Church
SPEAKER: Nora Toomey
TOPIC: Discovering the medicine of summer with summer herbs
TOPIC SUMMARY: Herbal Medicine teaches us that each season has its own plants, gifts, and unique medicine to offer. By following the rhythms and plants of each season, we give ourselves the opportunity to integrate the healing powers of plants back into our lives.
​
​
DATE: April 8, 2026
TIME: 7:00 PM
LOCATION: Wood Memorial Library
SPEAKER: Margery Winters
TOPIC: Soil – It’s Not Just Dirt
TOPIC SUMMARY: Rarely discussed by gardeners, soil is, nonetheless, the foundation of a garden. Each tablespoon of healthy soil is alive with millions of creatures, many working to keep your plants healthy. Learn why you should care about this intriguing ecosystem.
​
DATE: May 13, 2026
TIME: 6:30 PM
LOCATION: South Windsor Public Library
SPEAKER: Maggie Redfern, Director of the Connecticut College Arboretum
TOPIC: Smaller American Lawns Today
TOPIC SUMMARY: Transforming your lawn with environmentally sound practices including planting native plants, removing exotic invasive plants, letting naturalized plants grow, minimizing water consumption, reducing fossil fuel use and not using chemicals will be discussed. One of the many benefits of adopting these practices is attracting pollinators, birds and butterflies.
​
​
​
​
​