Club Programs
2026 – 2027 WTGC Meeting Programs
Meetings take place on the first Monday of the month at 6:30 PM and are open to guests, except for June and December, which begin at 6:00 pm and are member-only meetings.
Meetings are held at the Hollowbrook Community Center, 320 Hollowbrook Dr, Ewing Township, NJ 08638.
Jersey Fresh Raffle & Flower Show Planning Party
FLOWER SHOW PREP BY: HELGA FONTUS
Our annual Jersey Fresh raffle — bring a farm stand find, garden goodie, or homemade treat to share! The evening will begin with a short business meeting followed by refreshments while you take chances on your favorite “Jersey Fresh” items — all provided by our club members. A ticket sheet costs $5.
We'll also shift gears toward Flower Show season with tips, encouragement, and time to start planning your entries for the September show.
How to Get Started with Native Plants
PROGRAM BY: KELLY RYPKEMA
Learn how to support local wildlife with native plants in this hands-on workshop led by Kelly Rypkema, Director of Environmental Education at the Mercer County Park Commission. Discover how to identify native plants, research the best ones for your space, and find local nurseries.
Kelly Rypkema brings 25 years of experience to her role as Director of Environmental Education for the Mercer County Park Commission. With her background in stage performance, Kelly strives to find innovative and engaging ways to connect people with the nature around them, from interactive community art exhibits to native plant gardens. Kelly holds a Master's degree in Biology with a focus on ecology and animal behavior.
Tulpehaking Nature Center is the headquarters of the Mercer County Park Commission’s Department of Environmental Education. The nature center sits on the bluffs overlooking the Abbott Marshlands, with rotating exhibits and public programs that feature the nature and archaeology of this wonderful place. Enjoy walking trails, hands-on activities, children’s play area, and live turtles and snakes on display. Open Wednesday-Saturdays 10am-4pm and Sundays 1-4pm. Admission to the nature center is free.
NOTE TO MEMBERS: Bring a smartphone or laptop to the meeting if you can. It is an interactive presentation.
FIELD TRIP: Sunday, September 27 at 11am. A private, guided tour of Tulpehaking Nature Center and nature trail. 157 Westcott Ave., Hamilton, NJ.
Houseplant Care
PROGRAM BY: IKE/BOUNTIFUL GARDENS
Ike from Bountiful Gardens in Ewing will give a presentation on different kinds of houseplants and proper care for them. Light requirements, fertilizing, and pests and diseases, and how best to keep your plants healthy will all be discussed. Ike will bring a selection plants and growing supplies from Bountiful Gardens available for purchase.
FIELD TRIP: October 10 (time TBA). A walk and talk presentation about fall planting and winter care with Ross at Bountiful Gardens, Ewing. 1536 Lower Ferry Rd, Ewing.
Holiday Table ChicDelightful Designs for Your Thanksgiving and Holiday Entertainment: Floral Arranging for Entertaining
PROGRAM BY: DEBORAH POMROY KNIGHT
This demonstration of floral designs will be fresh ideas for your holiday entertainment plans. Whether you are hosting a small dinner for family or having a party to celebrate the holidays with lots of friends, these designs will be colorful for your table or your entry foyer to greet your friends. Come on out and enjoy this fun presentation and demonstration. The designs will range from large scale to more petite designs to be grouped on a buffet table.
We welcome Deborah Pomroy Knight again, as she shares her creative ideas and talents with us. Deborah has been working in floral design for over 35 years. She has served as an adjunct professor at Mercer County Community College where she has taught Floral Design program classes. She has a BS in Ornamental Horticulture with a Business Management minor from Delaware Valley University. She currently works with Seasons Garden Center in Washington Crossing PA.
NOTE: $5 guest fee. Deborah’s arrangements will be raffled off at the end of the demonstration!
Valentine’s Day Pressed Flower Lockets
WORKSHOP BY: SHARON BREIL
Join Sharon from Sharon Breil Studios to make a beautiful, pressed flower keepsake! In this workshop you will be given a double paned glass and frame and choose from a variety of pressed flowers to create a framed pressed flower keepsake. It’s a great way to bring a little of the outdoors inside and experiment with color, texture, and shape. All supplies included. You will learn tips and tricks for working with pressed flowers and the materials and methods used to make pressed flower creations.
Sharon Breil's love of the natural world was inspired by her grandparents, award-winning master gardeners, and florists, whose property consisted of gardens and greenhouses and who often let her join in on their nature-inspired creative projects. With the onset of the pandemic, this passion for the natural world was channeled into close-to-home nature-inspired creative projects, such as botanical watercolor illustration, photography of local landscapes and gardens, and the floral design elements learned from her grandparents. Sharon’s art can be found at art spaces and venues around Monmouth and Ocean counties, and in Maryland. View Sharon’s art online at Sharon Breil Studios (Facebook) and on Instagram at @sharonbreilstudios.
The ABCs of Native Plants
PROGRAM BY: ROSALIND DOREMUS/MY BACKYARD AT NECTARS
Learn the whole alphabet of New Jersey native plants that you can easily grow in your garden! Rosalind Doremus, owner of My Backyard at Nectars, a nursey located at 1600 River Rd (Rt 29), in Titusville, will discuss a plant for each letter of the alphabet, and how they will benefit wildlife and look great growing in your yard.
My Backyard at Nectars is a small, female-owned garden center in Titusville, NJ. Rosalind Doremus is a Certified Nursery and Landscape Professional through the New Jersey Nursery & Landscape Association. In her spare time, Rosalind is an avid gardener. When she’s not at home playing and observing in her own garden, you can find her at the garden center, which she firmly believes to be an extension of who she is.
My Backyard at Nectars places a huge emphasis on native plants, offering a diverse range of not just New Jersey natives, but also pollinator-friendly trees, shrubs, perennials, and vines. Rosalind strives to be an educator in the native plant community, offering her own garden experience and knowledge to anyone who will listen. Her biggest joys come from working with and giving back to the community, including hosting different events like ‘Native Plant Show & Tell’, Native Plant Swaps, and Pollinator Day, a collaboration with the Native Plant Society of NJ. In 2025, Rosalind and My Backyard at Nectars were awarded ‘Retailer of the Year.’
It Takes a Rose
PROGRAM BY: HENRY JANSMA
Roses are fascinating plants. They are one of the first flowering species, found on every continent except Antarctica, and are celebrated and valued by every civilization in history. A North American native plant — with up to 3,000 types currently in cultivation — roses are not your grandmother’s fussy plant. “It Takes a Rose” presents a guide for everything you need to know to plant and enjoy the “Queen of Flowers” in your garden. Tips and information on rose maintenance and insect control will be shared.
The Rev. Canon Henry Jansma, Ph.D. is a retired clergyman. He has been an amateur gardener for over 34 years having first earned gardening from an older generation of cottage gardeners in England. He is a Camden County Certified Gardener, a Board Member of the West Jersey Rose Society, and a Consulting Rosarian for the American Rose Society. His particular interest is in roses in cultivation prior to 1867.
Making a Succulent Arrangement
PROGRAM BY: JEFF TRYON
Succulents are drought-tolerant plants featuring thick, fleshy leaves, stems, or roots designed to store water. Succulent plants can be found on all continents except Antarctica, and all have adaptations to drought or minimal precipitation. Popular varieties include Echeveria, Crassula (Jade), Haworthia, and Aloe. These plants thrive on simple care routines and bright light. A short presentation on succulents will begin the evening followed by a DIY workshop. Come and create your succulent container design that will be easy to care for, and you can grow them outdoors in the summer. Various succulents will be provided, along with cactus/succulent soil, and rocks and driftwood. You will be given a 6” pot with drainage holes.
Jeff Tryon is a member of West Trenton Garden club and has been successfully growing succulents and cacti indoors and in his garden for over 20 years. Jeff is currently Art Director for Witherspoon Media Group — publishers of Princeton Magazine and the Town Topics Newspaper, the editor of Terhune Orchards newsletter, and an architectural photographer for several Princeton-based architects. Outside of work, Jeff enjoys gardening, growing orchids, succulents, aroids, and carnivorous plants; hiking and travel; cooking; making art; touring in a rock band; and playing various musical instruments.
End-of-Year Dinner & Installation
PROGRAM BY: ELLE BELCHEFF AND WTGC COMMITTEE
Celebrate the close of the season with a relaxed dinner and installation of new officers. Recognition of service by board members and committee members. No program, just good food and great company!