Talbot County Garden Club invites you to a free lecture to explore the many benefits of “Community Gardens – Digging in the Dirt with Your Neighbors.” The presenter, TERESA SPEIGHT of Cottage in the Court, will cover this topic and more as part of the garden club’s Winter Lecture Series at the Talbot County Free Library in Easton on Tuesday, February 24 at
11 am.
Teresa will describe how community gardens can strengthen a community by expanding a green space beyond its expected yield of fruits, vegetables and flowers to become a social destination where neighbors can gather to connect with nature, secure multi-generational friendships, and realize a greater awareness of community need.
Teresa will share her specific experience as co-chair of Fiesta Place Community Garden in District Heights (Prince Georges County, Md.), and how it is being designed to foster community engagement, one plot at a time.
An author and garden writer, urban and estate gardener, garden coach specializing in earth-friendly practices, and organic Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm expert, Teresa brings knowledge and common sense to conversations on drought tolerant plants, small space gardens, shade gardens, and the African American experience in horticulture. She is the author of Black Flora and co-author of The Urban Garden: 101 Ways to Grow Food and Beauty in the City. She is also a former regional director of GardenComm International and current president of the Jabali Amani Garden Collective, a National Garden Club virtual garden club.
With ancestral sharecropper roots originating in North and South Carolina, she considers connecting with the earth authentic. “My ancestors’ hands helped build and feed our family for generations,” she says. “To not honor this earth would disrespect my heritage.” She promises, likewise, to imbue program attendees from our community with her love of gardening and respect for the earth and with the impetus to reimagine community garden possibilities.
The garden club’s 2026 Winter Lecture Series continues. Mark your calendar…
Wednesday, March 25
KIRK R. BROWN
“John Bartram Lives…” (An historical presentation on the life of America’s first horticulturist and plant collector)
-more-
Tuesday, April 28
CECE HAYDOCK, Landscape Architect
“Edith Wharton and the Villas of Rome”
Questions about these programs should be directed to camille.massie501@gmail.com
About the Talbot County Garden Club
The Talbot County Garden Club is known for its “good and green works” that benefit the Talbot County community. The club was established in 1917 to enhance the natural beauty of the local environment by sharing knowledge of gardening, designing and maintaining civic gardens, supporting civic greening projects, encouraging the conservation of natural resources, and fostering the art of flower arranging. Noteworthy projects include grounds maintenance at the Talbot Historical Society, Talbot County Free Library (Easton), and the Fountain and Children’s Gardens in Idlewild Park; greenery installations for Easton’s Rails-to-Trails, U.S. Post Office and Christ Church; plus an ever-growing number of horticultural outreach activities. There are currently 120 active, associate and honorary members.
