The bright summer had passed away, and gorgeous autumn was flinging its rainbow-tints of beauty on hill and dale.
Cornelia L. Tuthill

Applications now open for 2025-26 grants and scholarships

Nonprofit garden, farm projects invited to apply for Ann Arbor Farm & Garden grants; scholarship funds available to college students

Ann Arbor Farm & Garden is now accepting applications for grant funding from nonprofit garden- and farm-related projects in Washtenaw County. Grant applicants must be nonprofit or 501(c)3 organizations.

Projects must further the mission of Ann Arbor Farm & Garden to promote and support local gardens, farms, and environmental stewardship through education, community service, and financial grants and scholarships.

College students pursuing studies in horticulture, environment, and related fields are invited to apply for scholarship funds.

The application deadline is November 30, 2025. Award decisions will be announced in February 2026. Please direct questions to Ann Ringia, Foundation Chair, at AAFG.Foundation@gmail.com.

AAFG2025_26GrantApp

AAFG2025_26ScholarshipApp

Monthly Meeting

Thursday, Nov. 13, 11:30 am, City Club

Restoring the Urban Canopy: The Greening of Detroit

From 1950-1980, Detroit lost more than half a million trees due to disease, urban expansion and neglect. The Greening of Detroit is working to change this trajectory. Over the past 35 years, with the help of 27,000 volunteers, they have planted 166,000 trees in the City of Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park. Over the next five years, The Greening of Detroit plans to plant 75,000 more trees. The group’s youth Green Corps program and robust job training and development initiatives have also taken root, further enhancing the urban landscape.

Fai Foen, Director of Green Infrastructure, Greening of Detroit, will discuss the history of this organization and its current programs, including the Community Forestry Program. She’ll cover some of the challenges they face convincing people to accept the idea of planting trees in an urban setting and share anecdotes about people eager to ‘reforest.

Join us Thursday, Nov. 13 at 11:30 am at the City Club for this educational and inspiring presentation. Registration is now open, and will close Thursday, Nov. 6 at 11:58 pm. The event registration page has more details.

MEMBERS: Flower Therapy needs cans for vases! Please bring CLEAN cans (standard 10.5 - 15 oz size) to the November 13 meeting, or contact Karen Mikus for alternate drop-off arrangements.

Dividing perennials is topic of new Garden Conversations series

Sunday, Oct. 26, 3-4 pm

Hands-on demonstration; members only; limited space

One of the benefits of being a Farm & Garden member is all the learning we do! Whether from a speaker at our monthly meeting, a field trip or garden visit, or just talking with other members, we're always discovering and sharing something new about the practice of gardening. We're pleased to announce a new opportunity for education -- Garden Conversations.

Our first offering tackles the timely topic of dividing perennials. Not sure how to split a grass or divvy up daylilies? AAF&G member Cathy Schuh, whose Old West Side garden was featured on the 2025 Ann Arbor Garden Walk, will discuss and demonstrate division of different plants. Bring a bag to take some divisions home! You can also bring perennials you'd like to share.

The event is open to AAF&G members only, and space is limited to 12 participants. Please register using the link below by October 25 at 11:58 pm. The street address is included in the event listing and will be in the registration confirmation email.

Ann Arbor T-Shirt Company offers Farm & Garden apparel

A variety of AAF&G tee shirts, hoodies, and a tote bag, featuring our logo and a lovely floral design by local designer Rebecca Bartlett, await your perusal at the Ann Arbor T-Shirt Company.

The clothing comes in a wide variety of colors and styles. Pay close attention to the sizing; some items are unisex and run larger. Items are non-returnable. To eliminate shipping fees, you can pick up your order at 505 S. Maple (opposite the Kroger in Westgate).

New local initiative offers Ecological Steward training classes in November

Whether you’re a homeowner battling buckthorn and other invasives, or an experienced steward looking to broaden your knowledge base, the recently formed Washtenaw Restoration Ecology Network (WREN) is offering three Ecological Steward Skills Training classes in November. Pre-registration is required. Cost is pay-as-you-can.

Honeysuckle - Nov 8th @ Searles Nature Preserve

Common Buckthorn - Nov 16th @ Medford Pavilion at County Farm Park

Autumn Olive - Nov 23rd @ Fox Science Preserve

Participants will learn how to identify woody invasive plants in all seasons, use multiple control techniques safely and effectively, tool handling, and more. Visit the WREN website for more information and registration details.

WREN

Be eco-friendly this fall -- it's easy with these tips

Whether we're tending a traditional urban yard, an expansive garden, or a rural property, we all have a role to play as good environmental stewards. Creating and maintaining habitats for our bird, frog, bee, butterfly and insect friends has never been more critical. Happily, there are some easy ways to simplify your fall garden chores AND do your part to support the creatures who help support us.

Leave the leaves! (and the perennials)
Leaf litter is an incubator for a host of insects, frogs and toads, and other wildlife. Native bees nest in hollow stems of perennials, and butterflies overwinter on a variety of garden plants. Birds feast on the seed heads of coneflowers, sunflowers, liatris and more.

Check out the Xerces Society's "Leave the Leaves" campaign site for extensive information and great resources, including cool signs you can download and display to neighbors and passersby.

Plant bulbs for next Spring's pollinators
Early-blooming bulbs provide critical nectar for bees. Daffodils, alliums, crocus and hyacinths are great choices. (Tulips are lovely, but irresistible to deer.)

MSU Extension has a wealth of information on spring-flowering bulbs here.

Plant Michigan native shrubs and trees
Their flowers, fruits and foliage are important to a wide range of insects, birds, and mammals, and they'll add beauty to your landscape. Fall is an excellent time to plant!

Discover the best of our natives with these guides from MSU Extension and Ann Arbor Parks & Recreation.

Saline gardener provides facts and inspiration in new book

How much difference can one person, one yard, one garden club make in rebuilding our natural world? Edith Andersen, a longtime Michigan gardener and member of the Saline Garden Club, has some ideas.

Her recently published book, Rebuilding Nature: Yard by Yard, combines facts about where we stand today in caring for nature, pollinators and wildlife with practical steps that anyone can take in our yards and communities to help reverse some of the harm humans have caused to the environment.

"With practical advice, inspiring stories, and a generous dose of hope, this book proves that the solution to our environmental crisis isn't happening in distant parks—it's growing right outside your door....every yard matters. Every choice counts. And every firefly deserves a fighting chance." (from Amazon description)

Edith hopes to encourage not only garden club members, but all homeowners and gardeners, to see that every effort we make counts. Together, our collective impact can be profound.

Become a Certified Master Composter in Washtenaw County!

Want to transform yard debris and kitchen scraps into a nutrient-rich, natural soil amendment? Identify your own soil profile? Create low-maintenance, low-waste yards? Tour large- and small-scale compost operations? Know how to compost with red worms? Make compost teas? All these topics and more are offered by a range of presenters through the Fall 2025 Master Composter class.

Course Details

Six-week workshop, Tuesdays, Sept. 16 - Oct. 21, 6:00-8:30 pm
Cost: $69 plus optional $10 printed manual fee
Locations: Ann Arbor Senior Center, 1320 Baldwin Avenue, and Leslie Science and Nature Center, 1831 Traver Road.

Meet the Team:

Lisa Perschke, Advanced Master Composter, Advanced Master Gardener

Joet Reoma, Master Composter, Master Gardener, Master Rain Gardener

Marcella Trautman, Master Composter

Chris Simmons, Master Composter, City of Ypsilanti

Ann Broderick, Master Composter

Sarah Archer, Owner, Iris Waste Diversion Specialists and 5-Hearts Worm Farm

Christine Charles, Michigan State University Extension Agent

Joanie Stovall, Project Grow Coordinator, Master Composter

Get to know Ann Arbor Farm & Garden!

We’re a welcoming, active group of learners, doers, explorers, and leaders,

passionate about sharing and promoting the many benefits of gardens and gardening with each other and our community.

We raise money for annual grants and scholarships, expand our gardening and environmental knowledge,

and share beauty with others through garden tours and flower therapy. In the process, we create strong social connections and lifelong friendships.

Flowers – Friends – Food – Gardens – Giving

AAF&G members enjoy them all. Join us!

Course Details

Get to know Ann Arbor Farm & Garden!

Flowers – Friends – Food – Gardens – Giving

Giving

Membership

Learning

Flower Therapy