The succulent group will meet at David Boniske’s house in Albany on October 16 at 10:00. We will be making our annual succulent pumpkins for the holidays. Bring either several small pumpkins or one large pumpkin and David will supply the Spanish moss and succulents to go on top. There is limited space in his backyard so please RSVP: otdabster@gmail.com . There will be a limit of 10 participants.

BGC Board Meeting via Zoom

Propagation : Tuesday, September 23 from 1:30 to 3:30 pm at Evelyn Borchert's home in Albany . This meeting will be a tool sharpening and cleaning workshop. It's an opportunity to learn how to care for and upkeep your garden tools and see Evelyn’s many fruit trees. Bring a tool or two to work on, and Evelyn will provide cleaning materials. Please bring $5 cash to reimburse Evelyn for her supplies that she shares. Attendance limited to 15 people. RSVP to Mollie Boero.

BUSD Berkeley Tech Academy - this new initiative kicks off on Sunday Sept 21 10am-noon (we’ve landed on the 3rd Sunday of each month) at Berkeley Tech Academy (2701 Martin Luther King Jr Way). We will be providing much needed help to the garden teacher Aimee (who is only paid on a part time basis but does way more work than that!). It should be lots of fun and should be pretty easy going as there is both access to drinking water and bathrooms.

Succulents: The succulent group will meet at David Boniske’s house in Albany on September 18th at 10:00am. We will begin with a look at the changes David has made in his garden since June. Then we’ll have a short planning meeting to decide what we’ll do for the rest of the year. We will end with renewing old pots that are looking a little ragged. We can use succulents from David’s yard so it is requested that people bring one or two old succulent pots and we will put new soil and succulents in them and make them look new again.

Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin Avenue, Albany.

12:00 to 12:30: Doors open for meeting setup and socializing.

12:30 to 1:30: Regular Business Meeting, Plant Notes, Drawing

1:30 to 2:00: Refreshments and socializing

2:00 to 3:00: Speaker: David Mostardi. “Birds & Blooms, Just Up Over the Hill: Three years observing California Native Plants and Birds in the Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden Park.”

Display Table: Please bring in any beautiful flowers in your garden you'd like to show off. Non-flowering garden achievements are also welcome.

Garden Exchange Table: Please be sure to take any unsold items back home with you at the end of the meeting.

Herbs and Spices : Herbs and Spices is meeting September 9, 2025 from 11:30 to 2 pm at Beth Feingold’s house. We will be discussing healing herbs and planning for the year. Have questions about Herbs & Spices? Contact Mary Shisler.

BGC Board Meeting via Zoom

Propagation: Tuesday, August 26 from 1:30 to 3:30 pm at Theresa Malki’s home in Berkeley.

Come check out Theresa’s very prolific and mostly edible garden and Theresa will lead a discussion on Water in the Garden, how much to water and how to keep it there. Theresa will share thoughts on helping soil hold water with composts, sheet mulch and contouring and she has some examples in her garden. She’s basing her presentation on the book Gaia’s Garden by Toby Hemenway if you want to read up beforehand. Please come prepared to share any tips you have about watering or keeping water in the soil.

Please RSVP to Mollie Boero.

Floriculture : Floriculture will be visiting the whimsical Berkeley garden of artist and gardener extraordinaire Marcia Donahue at 1:00 on Sunday, June 29th. Marcia's garden is located at 3017 Wheeler St. ( It is open every Sunday afternoon, if you would like to go on a different Sunday. ) Contact Eugenia if you would like to explore this garden together.

Propagation : Tuesday, June 24 from 1:30 to 3:30 pm at Christina Ahlstrand’s home in Oakland. Want to know more about cymbidium orchids? Come divide cymbidiums from Christina’s collection and share your growing tips. If you have cymbidiums to share, bring the entire plant (which we will divide and share) to the meeting. Please bring $5 cash for supplies. Also, bring a sharp trowel, hori hori or old knife or small hatchet for dividing plants, clippers, gloves and hat. If you have any one-gallon or larger pots to share, bring those. Soil, some pots and cymbidiums will be provided. The group is limited to 6 people. Please RSVP to Mollie Boero.

SPRING PICNIC AND INSTALLATION OF OFFICERS , TUESDAY JUNE 17 TH

Live Oak Park Picnic Area #2

Next to the Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St.

Look for the map with this bulletin.

12:30 to 1:00pm : Set up.

1:00 to 3:00pm: Picnic and Installation.

3:00 to 3:30 : Cleanup.

Herbs and Spices is meeting June 10, 2025 from 5:30 to 7:00 at the home of Mary K. Shisler in Oakland. It is the final meeting of the season. It is a cocktail party, although non-alcoholic drinks will be served. Please bring finger food encompassing both the New and the Old World. Please contact Mary.

BGC Board Meeting via Zoom

Propagation: Tuesday, May 27th from 1:30 to 3:30 pm at Boxcar Flower Farm. Come tour an urban flower farm run by fellow BGC member Jane Hammond. You’ll see an explosion of flowers growing in the heart of Oakland. Meet at Boxcar Flower Farm at 1601 Wood St, Oakland, at the corner of 16th and Wood Streets to see what they are growing and to hear how they propagate cut flowers for the coming season.

More info about Boxcar Farms at their web site. www.boxcarflowerfarm.com

You can also order monthly flower bouquets from Boxcar. Artful Flowers, Urban Farmed in West Oakland.

All are welcome. Bring a hat. Please RSVP to Mollie Boero.

Join us on for a work party from 10am-10:30 (or maybe 11am) at the Berkeley Arts Magnet School (Lincoln Street side) . In January 2024, the BGC Civic Beautification Committee, in coordination with the BUSD planting coordinator, planted 4+ raised beds with plants for making dyes, plants for a ‘sensory’ garden and pollinator plants. We are now helping to maintain the beds with monthly work parties. No need to RSVP, it's informal. Just feel free to join us if you'd like.

Succulents: NOTE DATE CHANGE MAY15th! For our final meeting David suggested we just have fun. Bring any container of your choice, funky or not and fill it with succulents. Please remember to bring your gardening tools. We will meet as usual at David Boniske’s house in Albany at 10:00 am. Please RSVP to David.

Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin Avenue, Albany.

12:00 to 12:30: Doors open for meeting setup and socializing.

12:30 to 1:30: Regular Business Meeting, Plant Notes, Drawing

1:30 to 2:00: Refreshments and socializing

2:00 to 3:00: Propagating from Soft-wood Cuttings- Suzanne LaFreniere

Display Table: Please bring in any beautiful flowers in your garden you'd like to show off. Non-flowering garden achievements are also welcome.

Garden Exchange Table: Please be sure to take any unsold items back home with you at the end of the meeting.

Masks at meetings are optional. However, now that cold and flu season is here, you may want to bring and wear a mask at our meetings.

Floriculture: We will be visiting the fabulous Oakland garden of landscaper Raul Zumba at 10:00AM on Saturday, May 17th

https://pacifichorticulture.org/articles/thegarden-of-raul-zumba/

Contact Eugenia Hirsch if interested in attending the tour.

Herbs & Spices: We will meet at a Japanese restaurant (to be decided). The luncheon is Tuesday May 13th, from 11:30 to 2 pm. RSVP to Mary Shisler if you're interested in joining the group.

2025 Art & Plant Street Sale 

Saturday, May 10, 2025 11:00 am-4:30 pm 

Lincoln Street at Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, CA 

In partnership with the Arts and Crafts Cooperative, Inc. (ACCI) 

Purchase flowering plants, veggies, CA Natives, house plants, succulents and more propagated by Berkeley Garden Club members and browse ACCI artworks

Find horticultural gifts for Mother’s Day

Discover lovely, water-wise plants that grow well in our East Bay microclimate

Bring your gardening questions for our experienced, local home gardeners

Proceeds fund BGC’s community outreach mission, including civic beautification, education and local conservation 

BGC Board Meeting via Zoom

Curious Flora Tour: We will have a tour of Curious Flora at 10 am on Saturday, May 3rd. Curious Flora is located at 740 Market Ave in Richmond, the site of the former Annie’s Annual. It should be a very interesting and informative tour. 

Floriculture: On Thursday, April 24th at 1:00 we will be touring the exquisite Atherton garden of Mara Melandry's sister, Suzanne. Contact Eugenia if you’re interested in joining us. 

Propagation: Tuesday, April 22nd from 1:30 to 3:30 pm at Tereza Flaxman’s home in Berkeley. Want to know more about begonias? Tereza is active in the Begonia Society of San Francisco and will lead a workshop on propagating all sorts of begonias from cuttings, rhizometers, canes, etc. Bring $6 cash per person to reimburse Tereza for supplies. If you have begonias to share, bring cuttings or the entire plant (which will get pieces trimmed from it) to the meeting. Tereza will also have some cuttings to share. You will leave the workshop with some begonias ready to grow at home. Bring sharp scissors or fine clippers, gloves and hat. The group is limited to 10 people. Please RSVP to Mollie Boero.

Join us on for a work party from 10am-10:30 (or maybe 11am) at the Berkeley Arts Magnet School (Lincoln Street side) . In January 2024, the BGC Civic Beautification Committee, in coordination with the BUSD planting coordinator, planted 4+ raised beds with plants for making dyes, plants for a ‘sensory’ garden and pollinator plants. We are now helping to maintain the beds with monthly work parties. No need to RSVP, it's informal. Just feel free to join us if you'd like.

Spring Tea and Bouquets to Art

Speaker from the deYoung Museum and Member’s Arrangements

12:00-12:30pm: Set up Tea and Displays

12:30-1:00: Tea Service and Socializing

1:00 -1:30pm: Business Meeting

2:00-3:00pm: Nancy Wright “Bouquets to Art” and Member Presentations

3:00-3:30pm: Clean Up

Herbs & Spices: We are meeting on April 8th from 11:30 to 2 pm at the home of Barbara Guletz in Albany. Please RSVP to Mary Shisler if you’d like to join the group.

BGC Board Meeting via Zoom