Garden Club Events Calendar 2026
Please note: Business discussions will be a part of most meetings. Unless otherwise stated, carpools meet at the Commuter Parking Lot (opposite Home Depot) at the Palisades Mall,
in the southwest corner, Section J58.
Upright for Life
Wednesday, February 11th at 1:00 pm, Blauvelt Free Library
with Physical Therapist Ed Kalotkin. Ed has a doctorate in physical therapy from Columbia, extensive post doctoral training, and a thriving practice in Palisades. Gardening can be dangerous. Ed will show us best practices for lifting, bending, maintaining balance and what to do about it when things go wrong.Clean Above Means Clean Below
Thursday, March 12th at 1:00 pm, Valley Cottage Library
with Jen Zinio-Smith, CCE Environmental Educator and Manager of the Stormwater Consortium of Rockland County Learn how gardening practices impact the health of our local waterways and marine life. Excess nutrients from fertilizer, sediment, grass and leaf clippings create extra phosphorus in our water, leading to algae and harmful algae blooms. She will discuss where blooms have been confirmed, how our lawns and fertilizer use impact surface water, and what we can do to minimize our impact. The treatment process cannot remove all pollutants. Therefore what enters our local waters is ultimately what we drink.This important presentation is open to the public and the library has asked club members to register. Follow the link in the newsletter log.Registration is required.A Garden through Time: The Nyack Butterfly Garden
Tuesday April 14th at 1pm; Blauvelt Free Library
Gardens teach us all kindsof things; one of the most important lessons: thingschange. Our Butterfly Garden in Memorial Parkexemplifies this beautifully. Hear about how it all began.See how different it is now and imagine what it couldbe. Anne Bryant has scoured the archives andFlorences Katzenstein’s memory for pictures andstories. Included in the presentation will be informationon weed identification and eradication as well as nativeplantings and the insect life they support as seen in theButterfly Garden.Celebrate Earth Day in the Butterfly Garden
Wednesday April 22, 10 AM (raindate: April 24th)
Help us open the season with a special celebration in theButterfly Garden in Nyack Memorial Park. The garden has been our gift to thecommunity for over twenty years. Its maintenance is arequirement of membership; come see what you cando. Bring an annual to plant, socialize with othermembers, and help plan the future of this little gardenon the Hudson.Tulip Paradise
Tuesday April 28th day trip; rain date: April 30th
Holland Ridge Farms, 108 Rues Road, Cream Ridge, NJ Join us for a breathtaking springadventure at Holland Ridge Farms, where tulip fieldsstretch as far as the eye can see. Awaiting us are over8 million tulips in 100 varieties - a rainbow of color.There is a hayride shuttle to explore the farm with easeand, for the more athletically inclined, a 100-foot iconicwindmill for panoramic views. details in April NewsletterOvernight Trip
Berkshire Berkshire Botanical Garden, , Stockbridge,MA, (2.25 hr drive)
https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/
June Date TBD. See March newsletter log for members choice survey
Drop off plants for plant sale
Friday, May 15th from 9:30am to 4pm
Depew House, 50 Piermont Ave, Nyack Club members only and requiredGarden Club Plant Sale
Saturday May16 , Members 9am - 3pm;
Open to Public 10am- 2pm Depew House, 50 Piermont Ave, NyackMy Garden Revolution
Tuesday, June 2 at 1pm
Carolle Huber, a landscapearchitect for over twenty-five years, shares with us howher gardening practices have evolved from creatingformal gardens for herself to creating habitat. Withslides and stories, we’ll see her missteps andsuccesses. We’ll hear ideas to help us supportpollinators and birds, sequester carbon, manage waterand create the thoughtful, ecologically-sound gardensour world so badly needs.Exploring a Regional Treasure: Wave Hill
Thursday, July 23rd day trip
Wave Hill is an urban oasis sitting high above the Hudson River with sweeping views and intimate gardens. There are perennial beds,herb and dry gardens, an alpine house, a conservatory,woodland paths, aquatic and monocot gardens for our enjoyment. Come join us for a leisurely stroll through thegardens and lunch at the cafe. This is a self guided visit,and we can plan our time as we wish. Admission to the gardens is $10.00 (6.00 for Seniors 65+) + Parking (approximately $15, divided by the number of people in the car) + Lunch. Location: 4900 Independence Avenue, Bronx, NYAnnual Picnic at Nyack Boat Club
Tuesday, August 25th, 1-5 pm
59 Gedney Street, Nyack Catch up on all that has been goingon through the summer and hear plans for the fall. Each member brings a dish and the feast is delicious. Join us for a pleasurable afternoon on the verandah enjoying the river view and the fine company.The Real Dirt on Dirt
Tuesday, September 15th, 9am
Valley Cottage Library, 110 NY-303, Valley Cottage, NY Dr Deborah Aller of Cornell University will tell us everything we need to know to improve our gardening by improving our soil’s health.The more we garden, the more we realize what adifference good soil makes in the results we get. Shewill answer questions submitted by our members likewhat is ideal soil? What’s the difference between topsoiland what’s under it? How do you rejuvenate pottingsoil? This talk will be via Zoom, but members will havethe opportunity to ask questions at the end.Stonecrop Gardens
Thursday, September 24th, 9am day trip
81 Stonecrop Lane, Cold Spring NY The gardens cover an area of approximately 15 acres and comprise a diverse collection of gardens and plants including woodland and water gardens, a grass garden, raised alpine stone beds, cliff rock gardens, and an enclosedEnglish-style flower garden which, at this time of year,is filled with a most glorious collection of dahlias. Guided tour($15) and BYO lunch in Cold SpringBraiding Sweetgrass
Monday, October 5th at 1pm; location TBA
Lessons on writing, reciprocity, indigeneity and Parenthood from Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Members readthis book - in part or whole - at their leisure and, inthis meeting, we discuss the concepts presented andour reactions. Ms. Kimmerer is a Potawatomibotanist, Distinguished Teaching Professor at SUNYSyracuse, Founder and Director of the Center forNative Peoples and the Environment and a 2022MacArthur Fellow. She braids together indigenousand scientific knowledge through stories, memoir, andhumor in a poetic celebration of our reciprocalrelationship with the natural world.The Annual Tea
October TBA
Our predecessors poured tea froma silver pot into porcelain cups. Today club silver isstored in a basement, but tiny sandwiches and daintycakes are still the fare and members don hats(though most of them are funny ones). Members whohave joined since the previous tea are recognized.Come join us for an afternoon of fun.Marvelous Mosses: Their biology, history, propagation and uses
Friday, November 6th at 1pm
Susan Petro will introduce us tomosses, which have a long and oftensurprising history. Though lacking true roots, flowers,or seeds they thrive on damp environments on allseven continents. Mosses provide the essentialcomponent of peat bogs with their unique plantcommunities, play a prominent role in Japanesegardens, and, with their high absorbency andantiseptic properties, were commonly used as awound dressing right through World War 1.Garden Therapy at Nyack Ridge Rehabilitation & Nursing Center.
November TBD
476 Christian Herald Rd., Valley Cottage For over 30 years, the garden clubhas provided a program at a care facility. Usingmaterials collected from member gardens, we helpresidents make a Thanksgiving craft. Amid the driedflowers and ribbons, perhaps our most importantcontribution, is the opportunity it provides residents tosee new faces and participate in new conversations.A fun hour, or so, for all who participate.Garden Club Holiday Party
December TBD
Come join in the good spirits of theholidays. This is a time we all bring food, eat anddrink together, tie up any business loose ends, andsimply enjoy the season. Some dress up, others not -a relaxed, easy party. For location and RSVP, see November's NewsletterSoup's On
Tuesday January 2026, 1-4 pm
A potluck lunch celebrating our accomplishments, projections, needs and goals for 2025. An annual meeting to start the year off right. Delicious!