By Cynthia Whitty

The Ashland Garden Club (AGC) is partnering with the Ashland Library to present educational programs on all aspects of gardening. These programs, sponsored by the Friends of the Library, are free and open to the public and will be offered both in person and virtually. The first event on Saturday, Nov. 13, 10:30 a.m. in the library community room, will feature author and life-long gardener, Betsy Williams, who will present “Thanksgiving, America’s Favorite Feast Day: Food, Decorations, and a Little Bit of History.”

Herbs and vegetables played a large role in the traditional harvest and preparations for the non-growing season. In this program, attendees will learn about the plants involved in a full harvest, their historical uses, and how to use them creatively and decoratively in their own Thanksgiving celebrations.

Williams teaches, lectures, and writes about living with herbs and flowers. A life-long gardener, herb grower, and cook, she is trained as a florist in Boston and England. She combines her floral, gardening and cooking skills with an extensive knowledge of history, plant lore, and seasonal celebrations and weaves stories and legends throughout her informative talks and demonstrations. 

Anyone interested in attending virtually must register online in advance here: bit.ly/3BELtjK. For more information, visit www.ashlandmass.com/184/Ashland-Public-Library.

Gretchen Bravacos, AGC president, said of the upcoming gardening series,” We are in the early stages of planning a series of trainings, which will cover how to plan and maintain a garden starting with identifying the area, enriching the soil, and choosing native plants. We plan to collaborate with the library on this series.”