Wow, I can hardly believe it’s almost time to close for the season! My first year in business has just flown by. (And yet somehow I was potting up seedlings up until three days ago… many lessons learned for next year!) Closing for the season October 6th I was planning on staying open through the end of October with the final Ashby market on the 27th, but then I realized that a) other native plant nurseries are already closing, and b) the average date of first frost around here is October 5th, and I don’t want to sell folks plants that are might be frost-killed before they have a chance to get established.

Next Market(s) We’re excited to join Grow Native Massachusetts and three other native plant nurseries for a “popup market” at the Newton Farmers’ Market! This market is Tuesday, September 17, 2024, from 1:30pm to 6pm in Cold Spring Park (1094 Beacon Street) in Newton, MA. The three other nurseries are Bluestem Natives, Checkerspot Farm, and Lady Fern Farm, all incredibly knowledgeable folks who care deeply about native ecosystems. Between the four of us, I’m sure you’ll find any native plant you could want!

Next Markets We’ll be at both the Leominster and Ashby markets this weekend. More markets means more chances to get our plants! Details: Leominster Farmers’ Market: Saturday, September 7th, 2024, from 11am-2pm in Monument Square, Leominster, MA Ashby Farmers Market: Sunday, September 8th, 2024, from 9am to noon on the Ashby Town Common (1 South Rd), Ashby, MA. Our theme for these markets is “In Bloom 🌸” – we plan to bring whatever species are showing off beautiful flowers (or are about to!

Next market: Ashby Farmers’ Market Don’t forget, our Ashby market is this Sunday, August 25th, 2024 from 9am to noon on the Ashby MA Town Common. Our theme for this market is “fall color 🍁” – or, as I like to call it, “oops, all asters.” 😂 I’m going for the broad definition here – anything in the family Asteraceae is game. This includes asters (of course), goldenrods, white snakeroot, and more – anything with those composite flowers!

Hello native plant friends! I hope the recent humidity is treating you well. The Leominster Farmers’ Market was a rousing success, and it was lovely meeting you new subscribers there. I hope to see you at our future markets. Next Markets Our next market will be the Ashby Farmers’ Market, tomorrow (Sunday), August 11, 2024 from 9am to noon, on the Ashby Town Common, 1 South Rd, Ashby, MA. After that, the next market will also be the Ashby Market, on Sunday, August 22nd, 2024.

We are hoppy to report that we are hoppin’ around again, so tomorrow is HOPPENING. 🐸🐸🐸 … sorrynotsorry. Leominster Farmers’ Market Saturday, Aug 3, 2024, 11am-2pm Monument Square, Leominster, MA What we plan to have ($5 in a pint pot unless otherwise marked): Monarch food! i.e. milkweeds (Asclepias spp) 🦋 (literally; the monarchs and milkweed tussock caterpillars have been devouring these!) “Get ready for fall” plants like asters (Symphyotrichum, Eurybia, Doellingeria spp) and goldenrods (Solidago spp) 🍁 “Hummingbird quartet” in vibrants reds and pinks: native penstemons (Penstemon digitalis and hirsutus), cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), and red columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) 🐦‍🔥 Partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata) - $7 for a quart pot of two plants (annual) - now in bloom!

As some of you may already be aware, I sprained my ankle this past Saturday. It’s minor – x-rays confirmed there’s no fracture – but it’s making it difficult to get around, especially to the level I need for gardening and doing markets. As a result, I had to cancel my market on Sunday (Ashby Farmers’ Market). I am scheduled to do the Leominster Farmers’ Market next Saturday – August 3rd, 2024 11am-2pm in Monument Square.

Hello, native plant friends – and especially those newcomers who joined at the Fitchburg Market! I’ve just got a few announcements for you today. Next market: Ashby We will be at the Ashby Farmers’ Market this weekend: Sunday, July 28, from 9am to noon, on the Ashby Common (1 South Rd), Ashby, MA. We plan to have a sampling of most everything on our availability list. Please email lise@redtrilliumgardens.com to reserve specific plants for pickup at this market.

We got rained out last weekend for Leominster Farmers’ Market. Sad, but at least I got to trial my new vehicle packing solution! More details on that below, but the first order of business is… Upcoming Markets We will be at the Fitchburg and Ashby Farmers’ Market this weekend! Fitchburg Farmers’ Market: Saturday, July 13, 2024, 10am-1pm, Upper Common, Fitchburg, MA Ashby Farmers’ Market: Sunday, July 14, 2024, Ashby Town Common (1 South Rd), Ashby, MA, from 9am to noon.

I have a very short announcement for you today: in the past week, we’ve been approved to setup at the Leominster, Fitchburg, AND Ashby Farmers’ Markets. Here are the details – If you use Facebook, you can indicate your interest in the events using the links below. Leominster Farmers’ Market: 1st Saturday of the month through October, in Monument Square, Leominster, MA, from 11am to 2pm. We plan to be there 7/6, 8/3, 9/7, and 10/5 of 2024.

It has been stupidly hot here – last week’s heat wave brought us up to 95 or 96F, plus this week has been your bog-standard midsummer “in the 80s and humid.” (That’s 30-35 C, for you metric lovers). As much as possible, I’m trying to stay inside – I have a lot of repotting to do, and I can do that in my cool plant dungeon basement! But unfortunately that’s not always possible…

Can you believe it’s already June – and almost July? April felt interminable (“the cruelest month”; thanks T.S. Eliot), May had a slow start, but June has flown by. Maybe because it’s the busiest time of the year! … My entire life right now is potting up plants that I winter sowed; pls halp. Speaking of winter sowing, finally some of our winter sown plants are big enough to sell! We also had a generous donation of plants from a friend of the nursery, Ginny, who has been a huge supporter since day 1.

Hello, friends of RTG! We’re moving into June, and I wanted to update you on upcoming markets and new resources on the website. Next Market(s) Our next scheduled market is Saturday, June 15, 2024, from 9am - 2pm, at Montuori Fleamarket at 186 Massachusetts Ave. Some of the plants we plan to have available there include: Yarrow (multi-hued cultivar) - Achillea millefolium - $5/plug Wild bergamot/bee-balm - Monarda fistulosa - $5 per plug; 10 for a quart Spotted bee-balm - Monarda punctata - $5/plug Swamp/rose milkweed - Asclepias incarnata - $5/plug Broad-leaved mountain mint - Pycnanthemum muticum - $5/plug We also have starts of tomatoes (slicing, sauce, and cherry varieties), peppers (both hot and bell), and herbs.

We changed our site description, so it’s official – we’re now open for business! “When can I visit?” As we don’t have a storefront, currently we are selling plants in two ways: 1) at markets and events, and 2) by order for pickup. “What’s your next event?” We are planning to attend these two events: Framingham Spring Fest, May 4, 2024, at Downtown Common, 2 Park Street, Framingham, MA, 12pm-4pm. (Facebook event) Montuori Flea Market, May 11, 2024, 186 Mass Ave in Lunenburg, MA.

The big news is that we’ll be at two events coming up in April and May. The first is this weekend: Fitchburg Earth Day, April 21, 2024, from 12pm to 3pm at Riverfront Park in Fitchburg, MA. We’ll be there as part of Grow Native Massachusetts’ “pop-up market.” Come plant some seeds of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) and take them home with you! We’ll also have some select native and garden herbs to sell, but it’s still too early for most of our stock.

Spring is fast approaching, and we have been busy here at Red Trillium Gardens! Did you notice our new look? RaigeMage wrapped up our logo and banner design last week, and this week I’ve finally been able to implement it! (Being a former web developer helps!) My guidance to him was “Art Deco trillium,” and I think he’s done a bang-up job of capturing that. If you see any infelicities with the site associated with those changes, do let me know!

We now have socials! If you haven’t already, please give us a like/follow on Facebook or Instagram. We also now have an email newsletter! It sends on Tues, Thurs, and Sat evenings if there’s a new blog post to show. Right now we’re averaging about 1 email a week. We have hired RaigeMage to make a more professional logo and header for us. I’m excited by what I’ve seen so far, and I’m excited to see the final result!