Three Societies for Thursday

  • Post published:11/18/2010
  • Post comments:2 Comments

It’s time to renew memberships!  What are you a member of?

My most local membership is in the New England Wildflower Society because their propagation operation and nursery are so close by. An individual membership is only $50, for which you get free admission to the famous Garden in the Woods in Framingham, discounts on workshops and lectures, discounts at Nasami Farm and in the Gift Shop. NEWFS also participates in a Reciprocal Admissions Program that will give you free or reduced admission to over 200 botanic gardens, arboreta and conservatories. For full information click here.  I haven’t yet gone to the Garden in the Woods, but more and more is happening at Nasami Farmb where the new LEED Gold Native Plant Center is now open. Very exciting.

My national membership is in the American Horticultural Society. My main benefit from the AHS is their magazine, The American Gardener. I mine the magazine for ideas for my garden and for my garden column.  My November/December issue just arrived with articles by Rosalind Creasy on edible landscaping for small spaces, Carole ottesen on growing moss, Rita Pelczar on outstanding conifers, Kris Wetherbee on a new view of garden cleanup, and Karen Bussolini on winter perennials. Even in cold zones. Of course there is also lots of information about all the good work that the AHS does in so many different areas.  An individual membership is only $35. The AHS website has lots of information for all gardeners, but members have a special section and special services.  Click here for more information on membership.

My third membership is the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. I do get subscriptions to Organic Gardening and Garden Design with my individual $50  membership, as well as the Leaflet newsletter and a ticket to the Boston Flower Show. Reciprocal admission benefits, too.  MHS maintains the beautiful Elm Bank Gardens bordering the towns of Wellesley and Dover. For full membership information click here.

Obviously, all of these memberships provide me with benefits, but my membership benefits each society in supporting their gardens, The Garden in the Woods, River Farm, and Elm Bank, in the work they each do in conservation, volunteer projects, and education. And that work is a support to me as well. Hard to tell where the benefits begin and end.  If you haven’t joined a plant society before, consider it now. There are many state horticultural societies, and individual plant societies. These societies are a great fund of information and put us in touch with other gardeners and plant enthusiasts.

Give yourself, or a gardening friend, the gift of a membership. It’s value and pleasure will last all year.

Visit Cindy MCOK at My Corner of Katy to see who else has Three for Thursday. You never know what will turn up.

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. Carol

    All three great societies to be part of. I love having Nasami so close by too. Now there is a place we could meet up Pat. Terrific post! ;>)

  2. Pat

    Carol – Easy to meet at Nasami. Now that fall is here can the spring Nasami season be far behind?

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