During May, Club members will begin civic beautification plans. Local businesses and organizations will be approached to participate in a floral summer window box or hanging basket display. Awards for first, second, and third place will be presented in mid-August.
Winning arrangements will be judged on color, container design and structure, and plant selection. Let’s give our quaint and picturesque town of Andover a face-lift! Business owners, please respond “Yes!” when a member of the Beautification Committee approaches you to join in the fun.
In April, Garden Club members enjoyed a four-week webinar series on sustainable gardening. Each Tuesday, members gathered at the Andover Community Hub in front of a recently donated large-screen smart TV to view an informative Fine Gardening series. Topics covered were: sustainable garden design; naturalistic approaches to landscape planning; native alternatives for common plants; pollinator-friendly plant selections; habitat conservation; enhancing soil sustainability; and successful native-plant integration.
It was a great learning experience, not only giving members an opportunity to expand their knowledge of sustainable gardening practices, but also in introducing Club members with like-minded interests. Plans are now being made to offer webinars year-round featuring timely and relevant topics. The next webinar will be held on Tuesday, May 10, at 6 PM. For more information, email AndoverNHGardenClub@nullgmail.com.
On April 27, in honor of Earth Day, Club member and apiarist Kim Pease presented “Why Honeybees are Important and Other Pollinators.” Native bee (and insect) “hotels” were given away, and native plant- and bee-themed books, art prints, and tote bags were sold, as well as honey products from Ball Family Farm in Salisbury. Proceeds benefit the Club’s education programs and civic beautification efforts. It was a lively meeting, and much fun and learning was had by all.
The next Club meeting will be held at the Hub on Wednesday, June 8, from 3 to 5 PM, when Lilac Society President John Bentley will demonstrate how to prune lilacs, using the Hub’s overgrown shrubs as examples. Members will also participate in an exchange of perennial plants. For more information, visit the Club’s Facebook page at Andover NH Garden Club.
And be sure to “Like” the Club on Facebook to receive up-to-date information about events and activities.
The Andover Garden Club is a program of the Andover Community Hub, and membership is free and open to all.