Andover Garden Club is All About Hydrangeas on April 4

The Andover Garden Club’s April 4 membership meeting will feature Mal Condon (aka “Mal the Hydrangea Guy”), curator of hydrangeas at Sandwich’s Heritage Museums & Gardens. The program is open to the public.

Better Hydrangeas through Better Pruning Practices

According to Condon, home gardeners most often ask about plant identification and pruning techniques, so he will review major species and share pruning best practices. The “Seasonal Step Approach” covers species’ specific pruning requirements and appropriate timing; it has been widely adopted to improve blooming performance and plant form. Condon will also review favorite hydrangea cultivars, including newly introduced varieties, and discuss their suitability to the Andover area.

About the Hydrangea Guy

A lifelong gardener, Mal Condon has been collecting, propagating, and growing hydrangeas for nearly 50 years. An engineer by education and profession, he is strongly committed to the continuing development of the genus, always searching for new and better plants, evaluating their landscape performance, and finding superior ways to produce and grow them.

Condon’s Hydrangea Farm Nursery on Nantucket Island was a well-known specialty nursery, featuring one of the largest hydrangea collections in the Northeast. In 2014, he relocated to Cape Cod, where he is establishing a significant new garden. Condon shares his expertise with garden clubs, horticultural associations, and plant societies worldwide. As curator of hydrangeas at Heritage Museums & Gardens in Sandwich MA he works to expand the Garden’s significant collections, including the North American Hydrangea Test Garden and The Cape Cod Hydrangea Society’s Display Garden.

When, Where, and How

The event will be held at South Church (41 Central Street, Andover) on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. It will begin at 10:00 AM with social time and refreshments, followed by a brief business meeting. The lecture will start at approximately 11:00 AM.

The public is encouraged to take advantage of this program. A $10 donation is requested of nonmembers.

About the Andover Garden Club

Founded in 1927, the Andover Garden Club is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that encourages the study and practice of horticulture, landscape design, and floral design; aids in the beautification of the town of Andover; and helps protect and conserve natural resources. A member of the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts, Inc., and National Garden Clubs, Inc., the club provides both financial and hands-on support to a variety of municipal, educational, and environmental organizations throughout the region.

The Andover Garden Club welcomes new members, and information about joining is available from AGC membership cochairs Cathy Starr (cstarr12@comcast.net, 978-475-8473) and Donna Rudolph (dlabsuper49@aol.com, 978-475-7165).

More information about Heritage Museums & Gardens is available at https://heritagemuseumsandgardens.org. More information about Mal Condon is available at https://thehydrangeaguy.com.