Garden Club
of
Harrington Park
Harrington Park, New Jersey
The Garden Club of Harrington Park welcomes you to our website. Please browse around the site - we've got lots of good information including our monthly newsletter, what to do monthly in your garden, and pictures of the barrels the Garden Club plants each year under the "Downtown Beautification" button.
Just to tell you a little bit about us; the Garden Club of Harrington Park holds General Meetings the first Thursday of every month (except when otherwise noted) September through June in the Community Church, 1 Spring Street, Harrington Park. The meetings begin at 7:30 P.M. and include a lecture by a guest speaker on various gardening topics. Each meeting we have a floral contest, whereby members interpret a given theme (see below). We have a Field Trip at the end of our Club year, along with a luncheon. Our meetings are open to everyone who loves a garden and gardening. Please check out our activities and events for the Club year by clicking on the "2025-2026 Calendar" button. This is a tri-fold calendar listing our activities. Please print it and keep it handy!
To learn more about the Club, please click on the "About Us" where you will find information on membership and what we do as a Garden Club. Mostly, we have a lot of fun as a group of folks who share a common interest -- the love of gardening!
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Looking for a beautiful garden to visit in the Garden State? Click
www.gardenstategardens.org for more information on 19 gardens to explore!
SPECIAL NOTES
Would you like to help with refreshments, and you've never done it before, we are here to help you with all the details of what to do and bring. If you’ve been around awhile, you know the drill. Either way it is a fun way to help make our meetings very special. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Gerri Gibney at 201 768-2615 or email at themerchantmouse@aol.com.
WE'VE MOVED!!!
Our new home is the Community Church, 1 Spring Street (corner of Harriot Avenue) in Harrington Park.
Enter in the first door on the left from the parking lot!
DUES TIME !!!
Please send dues to Beverly Murray, 363 High Street, Closter, New Jersey 07624. Questions, contact Bev at 201 768-5651. The form to send your dues is in the link box at the top of this page.
Visit Willowwood Arboretum on the web - a great garden, and a wonderful newsletter! Just click below.
Willowwood Arboretum
"The love of gardening is a seed
that once sown never dies."
Gertrude Jekyll
Garden Club
of
Harrington Park
John Beirne is the Reeves-Reed Arboretum's Curatorial Director of Horticulture and Facilities. John comes to Reeves-Reed Arboretum as a seasoned horticulturist and Registered Horticultural Therapist with experience working in both public and private garden settings. In addition to creating annual, perennial and native planting schemes, he also has extensive experience working with and educating volunteers and interns on current best practices in horticultural design, planting and maintenance.
Prior to his work with public gardens, John was in charge of an award-winning horticultural therapy garden that not only received the Award of Excellence by the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the American Horticultural Association, but was recognized as a preeminent horticultural therapy site by the American Horticultural Therapy Association. He is also an instructor at the New York Botanical Garden's school of continuing education where he teaches gardening, the use of therapeutic plants, and horticultural therapy classes. He was named Instructor of the Year at NYBG in 2012.
In Mr. Beirne’s own words he has been gardening since he was four years old. In grade school, he forced winter branches to bloom for show-and-tell. ''I would get my parents to take me to nurseries for fun.” He tells this story about when a classmate brought a nurseries catalogue to school, he saw a chance to order a plant by mail. ''There was a beautiful picture of a tree wisteria, and I saved up from my paper route to buy it. You can imagine how I felt when I opened the package and found a little stick,'' he said, sighing. ''But I planted it, and it grew 30 feet.''
May 7, 2026 - 7:30 P.M.
Speaker: John Beirne
Topic: "Foliage Over Flowers: The Unsung Heroes of the Garden"
As spring bursts forth in vibrant colors and fragrant blooms, gardeners everywhere are busy preparing their plots for a season of growth and beauty. The Garden Club of Harrington Park is excited to announce an upcoming lecture that promises to deepen our appreciation for our green spaces—especially the leafy components that often go overlooked. Join us this May as we welcome horticulturist John Beirne for an enlightening discussion on "Foliage Over Flowers: The Unsung Heroes of the Garden."
John Beirne, a renowned expert in landscape design and plant biology, will explore the critical role that foliage plays in creating stunning and sustainable gardens. While flowers tend to steal the spotlight with their colorful blossoms, it is the foliage that truly provides the backbone of any garden design. From lush ferns and vibrant hostas to the striking hues of Japanese maple leaves, Beirne will highlight how various plants can be artfully combined to enhance both texture and color in our outdoor spaces.
During this interactive lecture, attendees will gain insight into the diverse range of foliage plants available and learn tips on how to select the right ones for a balanced garden. Beirne believes that foliage adds layers of complexity and can create visual interest, even during periods when flowering plants may not be at their peak. Attendees will discover how to cultivate a garden that remains captivating throughout the seasons, emphasizing form, size, and color variations in leaves.
Join us in celebrating the beauty of foliage in our gardens this May! The Garden Club of Harrington Park invites everyone with an interest in gardening to attend this informative lecture. Be sure to mark your calendars—together, we can learn to appreciate the leafy wonders that enhance the landscapes we cherish!
JUNE we will be visiting a local spectacular garden, please check back for date, time, and place. Or, send us your email address to keep up-to-date on all Garden Club activities.
Creations from our Make-It and Take-It at our April meeting -
John Beirne
Reeves-Reed Arboretum's Curatorial Director of Horticulture and Facilities
Happy Spring!
Esther Ross
Ann Ingrid Millikan
