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Pittsburgh, PA

HIGHLAND PARK GARDEN CLUB

HIGHLAND PARK GARDEN CLUB

HIGHLAND PARK GARDEN CLUB

EDUCATION

MEETINGS AND PROGRAMS

New this year: in-person meetings will be held in Brooks Hall at St. Andrew’s Church, 5801 Hampton Street, 15206. (Please use the Accessible Entrance to the church office building, under the green metal awning. Brooks Hall is on the left.)

Meetings generally fall on the third Saturday of the month at 10 am; exceptions are noted below in italics. The Meetings include the program (lecture or crafting event), followed by a business meeting, after field trip programs (garden visits or tours). Some events require advance RSVP and/or material fees.

Meetings and tours are free to members. Non-members are welcome; a $10 donations is suggested through Eventbrite. All are welcome to join the HPGC; membership information and the application form be found here.

2024 HPGC PROGRAM SCHEDULE 

February 17, 4-6 pm

Members’ Zoom Happy Hour

Let's celebrate the coming of spring and say hello to our garden club friends! Check you email for the zoom link.

March 16th, 10 am - In person

Growing herbs, vegetables and flowers efficiently in small urban spaces and patio gardens

Presenter: Elena Kessler, Urban Garden Consultant

Brooks Hall, St. Andrew’s Church

Are you interested in learning how to grow fresh produce on your balcony, patio, porch or rooftop? Growing your own produce doesn’t always require lots of land! This program will cover sustainable urban gardening techniques for people with small or non-traditional urban spaces. We will discuss sustainable methods to garden, such as upcycling household containers, for nearly any plant.

Elena Kessler runs PGH Urban Garden Consultant and is located in the East End of Pittsburgh.  In 2019, this small woman-owned business began and has since helped dozens of local people design their gardens and grow food at home. Elena has more than 15 years of urban gardening experience and is an active member of the local urban gardening community.  The business primarily works with clients within the city limits of Pittsburgh.

Elena is currently the director of the UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Sustainable Urban Garden. Last year, the Hospital garden generated about 60 pounds of food, including jalapeños, herbs and tomatoes, which were donated to the cafe, staff members and patients’ families.  She has spoken at numerous garden related conferences and events, such as the Phipps Botanical Garden and the Western PA Farm to Table conference.   Her home gardening efforts have been highlighted by the Phipps Conservancy's Sustainable Gardening Award for Microgarden in 2021 and PA Horticultural Society's Best in Show award in 2020.  When she is not gardening, she works locally as a genetic counselor. 

April 20, 10 am - Hybrid Program (In-person or by Zoom)

The  Work of the WPC and introduction to invasive plants in Western PA.  

Presenter: Western PA Conservancy Staff

Location: Brooks Hall, St. Andrew’s Church (or by Zoom)

The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy has been dedicated to protecting and restoring the region’s exceptional natural places since 1932. As a member-based nonprofit organization, we work in cities and towns across Western Pennsylvania and rely on the help of thousands of members, partners and volunteers. We are making a difference in our region’s water, land and life. We do this work for the benefit of wildlife and people who call Western Pennsylvania home, and for future generations.   

We will learn about the work the WPC is doing in our area to preserve our natural world. We will also learn to identify invasive plant species and how to remove them.

May 18, 10 am - Field Trip

Bonsai tour. Field Trip, Highland Park neighborhood

Host and Tour Guide: David Steidl

David is an amateur Bonsai artist. He will teach us about the Japanese art of growing and training these miniature trees in containers. He will give us a tour of the Bonsai trees he has created over the years.

June 15 - Field Trip

McKeesport Rose Garden @ 11 am. Field Trip, McKeesport

Possible lunch @ Betsey Shoppe afterwards. 

Sat, July 13, 4 pm

Member Potluck at Pine Dell Memorial Glen

Hosts: Melaine and (Len Kachmar

July 20, 10 am - Field Trip

Tree Trek Through Time: Exploring Westinghouse's Arboreal Legacy - An Interactive Meander of Identification and History

Tour Guide: Jill Traub

Join us as we wander Westinghouse Park in North Point Breeze which was designated a National Arboretum in October 2021. This City Park, an under-appreciated gem, was once the cherished grounds of George Westinghouse's historic home, Solitude.

Here, you will discover a rich tapestry of trees, from timeless giants to unique specimens, many of which have graced this space since the early 1900's. This stroll will offer members the opportunity to deepen their connection with nature by learning to identify a diverse array of these captivating trees, and also learn more about Pittsburgh's past and the legacy of a visionary industrialist. This easy walk promises an exploration of both botany and bygone days.

August 18 (Sunday) 10 am - Field trip

Rodef Shalom Botanical Biblical Garden Tour (Oakland)

The Rodef Shalom Biblical Botanic Garden is inspired by the land and stories of the Hebrew Bible and Jewish culture. Our plants include selections directly mentioned in significant books, native to the Levant, and native to western Pennsylvania.  The garden was founded by Irene and Rabbi Walter Jacob in 1986, and is the largest biblical garden in the United States. The Garden aims to be both educational and a refuge from the bustling city that surrounds us. The tour will be docent-led.

The current directorship is held by Dasya Petranova, who is dedicated to understanding the garden and its plants in all their needs and significance. 

Sept 21, 10 am - Field Trip

Hard Cider! (Tour @ Beechwood Farms)

Presenter: Chris Kubiak, Education Director, Audubon Society of Western PA

This talk charts the importance of hard cider in the United States (with a special focus on Western Pennsylvania) from it's peak in the early 19th century to cider mysterious demise by the turn of the 20th. We'll discuss specifically “Johnny Appleseed”’s role and impact locally, the types of hard cider made, along with the Temperance Movement and German larger bier for the disappearance of the common drink by 1900. 

Chris Kubiak, a native Pittsburgher and life-long enthusiast of Pennsylvania’s rich biological heritage, has been an active outdoor enthusiast for the past 25 years in Western Pennsylvania. Chris combines a love of history and nature with his nonprofit and research experience at Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania. He also has an academic interest in environmental history and human impacts, and uses upon ecosystems. Before joining Audubon, Chris worked as an independent historical researcher and as an adjunct history professor at both CCAC and Robert Morris University. Chris earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Master of Arts in History from Slippery Rock University, with a focus on Early American/Native American history. Chris and his wife, Sarah, currently reside in Butler, PA with their two children, Maddie and Ewan. Chris and Sarah also manage 8 acres of apple orchards for cider production.

Oct 20 (Sunday), 10 am - Field Trip

Rabkin Japanese Garden

Host: Dr. Michael Rabkin

The HPGC has had the great pleasure of visiting the Hy & Irma Rabkin Japanese Gardens previously in the spring and summer months. This visit will give us the opportunity of seeing the gardens in glory of their fall colors.

The Hy & Irma Rabkin Japanese Gardens are an astounding oriental garden haven in the middle of the urban greater Pittsburgh area. They were commissioned and are owned by Michael S. Rabkin, M.D., Ph.D. and his wife, Beth Rabkin. There are three gardens: an entry garden, a tea garden/stroll garden with a tea house and three interconnected ponds (two koi ponds and a wetland pond that also serves as a biological filter), and a dry garden (Zen garden, karesansui garden).

The master plan for the main garden was completed on September 26, 2018 and for the dry garden on April 29, 2009. The gardens were completed and dedicated to Dr. Rabkin’s parents as the Hy & Irma Rabkin Japanese Gardens on June 6, 2015. The gardens lie adjacent to the historic brick 2nd Ward Public School, which the Rabkins purchased from the Highlands School Board in 2008. The building was originally purchased and renovated as a home for Dr. Rabkin's medical laboratory, but he has since retired and sold the laboratory. Dr. Rabkin is a member of the North American Japanese Garden Association. He was inspired to build the gardens by his love of gardens in general and Japanese gardens in particular that he had visited over the years, especially the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco.

Nov 16,  10 am - Hybrid Program (In-person or by Zoom)

Brenda Moore President of National Garden Club. Topic TBA.

Brooks Hall, St. Andrew’s Church

DECEMBER - No Program

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