Andover Garden Club Presents Lecture on Drought-Tolerant Plants

The Andover Garden Club’s January 7 membership meeting will feature Jen Kettell, whose presentation, “A Camel’s Garden: Drought-Tolerant Plants for a Changing Climate,” will focus on selecting and growing drought-tolerant plants for the evolving New England climate.

“When the dog days of summer hit, many of us are faced with water bans that limit our ability to water our lush gardens,” said Kettell. “We find ourselves carefully monitoring the water level in rain barrels and hoping for the next rainfall. What if we started to incorporate plants that simply need less water?”

Kettell will discuss the effects of drought on woody plants and describe plant adaptations for dealing with drought. Most importantly, she will introduce a new palette of plant material to decrease water use while increasing species diversity and beauty in the home landscape.

More About the Speaker

Jen Kettell is a Board Certified Master Arborist who serves the New England area and beyond. The owner of Radiant Leaf Consulting, she shares her passion for horticulture through the training she provides to both homeowners and green-industry professionals. She started landscaping as a teenager and subsequently moved on to farming, greenhouse production, and, finally, working for the Arnold Arboretum before building her own consultancy. Radiant Leaf Consulting is a Massachusetts Certified woman business enterprise (WBE) and is celebrating ten+ years as a small, local business.

Kettell has consulted for Safdie Architects and The Trustees’ public gardens and has served as a guest lecturer for the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, the Arnold Arboretum, and the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA).

A graduate of the American Society of Consulting Arborist Academy, she is an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Board Certified Master Arborist, Massachusetts Certified Horticulturist, and Qualified Tree Risk Assessor.

When, Where, and How

The event will be held at South Church (41 Central Street, Andover) on Tuesday, January 7, 2025. The lecture will take place at 10:00 AM and be followed by a brief business meeting.

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).