Program Schedule
Meetings are typically held the first Monday of the month. In the event of a public holiday the meetings are moved to the next Monday. Meetings are held at The Woodland, 60 Woodland Ave, Maplewood, NJ, at 7:30 p.m. All meetings are free and open to the public.
September 2026
Monday, September 14, at 7:30 PM
Subject: Native (and Not So Native) Plants in Municipal Environments
Speaker: Elizabeth Payne
“Plant native plants, please!” is a frequent refrain from residents wanting input into plant installations around our municipalities. Sounds easy. The reality and practicality are very different. Oftentimes, what a homeowner can do versus what a municipality can do are vastly different. Elizabeth Payne is in her 7th season working for the South Orange DPW, balancing the many needs and wants of the community in making the town beautiful.
Biography
Elizabeth has been a lifelong gardener, learning classic garden design from her rosarian grandfather and vegetable gardening from her mother, and ultimately setting off for college intending to become a genetic engineer for plants. When that didn’t work out, she continued keeping her fingers in the dirt, building gardens in all sun and moisture conditions. In 2017, she received her Master Gardener certificate from Rutgers. Her professional experience includes working for a horticultural brokerage, selling plant starts to independent garden centers and greenhouses while staying on top of the latest breeding techniques and trends. She is a member of America in Bloom, a national organization of towns sharing information on beautification; AmericanHort, a trade association of horticulturalists; the Essex County Chapter of the Native Plant Society of NJ; and the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers.
October 2025
Monday, October 5, at 7:30 PM
Subject: TBD
Speaker: TBD
Presentation overview.
Biography
brief biography
November 2025
Monday, November 2, at 7:30 PM
Subject: TBD
Speaker: TBD
Presentation Overview.
Biography
brief biography.
December 2025
Monday, December 7, at 7:30 PM
Subject: Garden-Inspired Holiday Flowers
Speaker: Erin Williams
Join Erin Williams, founder of Gathered from the Garden, for a holiday floral demonstration showcasing her signature garden-inspired approach to arranging flowers. Erin will create a seasonal arrangement from start to finish while sharing practical tips for selecting flowers, creating movement, and designing arrangements that feel natural, abundant, and approachable. Along the way, she’ll demonstrate techniques attendees can use with flowers from their own gardens when the growing season returns, as well as blooms from the grocery store or local flower market. Finished arrangement(s) will be raffled off at the end of the evening.
Biography
Erin created Gathered from the Garden, where she teaches approachable, garden-inspired floral design through demonstrations, workshops, and private in-home sessions. She is a graduate of both the Floret Flower Arranging Workshop and Floret Flower Farming Workshop and loves helping people discover the joy and confidence that comes from creating with flowers.
January 2026
Monday, January 4, at 7:30 PM
Subject: TBD
Speaker: TBD
Presentation overview.
Biography
brief biography
February 2026
Monday, February 1, at 7:30 PM
Subject: Cacao, The Chocolate Tree
Speaker: Michelle Tomaino
Michelle Tomaino will guide us through the history of the rainforest, the secret of the Aztecs and the gift from the gods: Chocolate. Michelle, a biologist with roots in Costa Rica, will impart her experiences from the jungle and teach us about the botanical life cycle of cacao from seed, to butter, to bar. A guided show and tell with tasting.
Biography
Michelle graduated from Lehigh University with a degree in Biology and a Masters in Secondary Science Education. She taught at The Institute for Tropical Ecology and Conservation in Bocas del Toro, Panama and in Costa Rica, and currently teaches Biological Sciences at Holy Cross School.
A Certified Master Gardener, Eileen is presently on her way to achieving Eastern Apiculture Society (EAS) Master Beekeeping Certification. Her practical experience includes raising queen bees and nucleus hives, rural farmland beekeeping and commercial apiary inspections. Eileen is also familiar with urban rooftop beekeeping at several locations including the Liberty Science Center.
March 2026
Monday, March 1, at 7:30 PM
Subject: History in the Leaves: Field Clues to Land Use History
Speaker: Jared Rosenbaum
The plant species we find in wild areas often provide clues to prior human land use. Sometimes plants communicate as much about recent history as they do about “natural” conditions like soil or aspect. Understanding the history of a site can provide valuable direction to our approaches as restoration practitioners and landscape designers. How can we decipher clues to prior land use as we work in the field? Join Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner Jared Rosenbaum of Wild Ridge Plants as he describes methods for interpreting the history of natural sites, including pasture trees, signs of logging, high quality remnants, the use of aerial imagery, Floristic Quality Assessment/PSI and more.
Biography
Jared is a botanist, native plant grower, and Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner. He is a founding partner at Wild Ridge Plants LLC, a business that grows local ecotype native plants using sustainable practices and performs botanical surveys. Jared is the author of the book Wild Plant Culture: A Guide to Restoring Native Edible and Medicinal Plant Communities, as well as the children’s book The Puddle Garden, about native plants and wildlife.
April 2026
Monday, April 5, at 7:30 PM
Subject: 90th Annual Plant Sale
Speaker: MGC Plant Sale Committee
Get some behind-the-scenes glimpses of New Jersey’s “Big Momma of Plant Sales” and learn what makes the sale so popular and so much fun. We’ll also preview some of the many (many!) perennials, annuals, herbs and other special and unique plants that draw shoppers from all over the region and beyond.
May 2026
Monday, May 3, at 7:30 PM
Subject: Hydrangeas: Everything You Need to Know About America’s Favorite Shrub
Speakers: Karen Fricke
No matter what type of garden you may have, you have probably planted at least one hydrangea in it. Hydrangeas are, in fact, the bestselling shrub in North American nurseries. But they can also be one of the most confusing. What kind of hydrangea you have determines when to prune—or if to prune at all—and how to prune. And even if you do everything right, there will inevitably come a summer when you will have few blossoms, and wonder, “Why isn’t my hydrangea blooming?” Master Gardener Karen Fricke will help answer these questions, and more, about America’s favorite shrub.
Biography
Karen was born on a farm in Pawnee, Illinois, so she was playing in the dirt before she could walk. Her love of gardening led her to Montgomery County Master Gardeners, where she received her training through the University of Maryland, graduating in 2014. For several years she worked at a plant nursery, leading their classes and workshops. After moving to New Jersey in 2022, she
transferred to the Essex County Master Gardeners. Throughout her years at Master Gardener plant clinics and working at the plant nursery, the most common question she heard was, “Why aren’t my hydrangeas blooming?”