Earth Day, also known as Mother Earth Day, celebrates its 52nd anniversary on Friday, April 22 with the theme Invest in Our Planet. In observance of this theme, on Wednesday, April 27 at 6 PM, the Andover Garden Club will host Apiarist Kim Pease, who will present “Why Honeybees are Important and Other Pollinators.”

Kim will discuss honey bee biology and behavior, demonstrating with an actual hive – without the bees! Participants will learn about the danger of pesticides and what they can do to help the honey bee and other pollinators, including the role that native plants play. 

Kim has been a beekeeper for five years and is currently enrolled in the Cornell University Master Beekeeper Program. We are so very fortunate that Kim is also a member of our club!

In addition, meeting attendees will hear reports from the various club committees and will learn about plans and activities of the Beautification, Program and Education, Hospitality, Fundraising, and Special Events Committees, and how they can help. 

This meeting is free and open to all. As in past meetings, please consider purchasing a raffle ticket or making a donation to support our education programs and civic beautification efforts.

Thanks to a donation of a 55-inch smart TV, during the month of April club members will be able to tune in to Fine Gardening’s webinar series Sustainability in the Garden. The series will be held each Tuesday (April 5, 12, 19, and 26) from 6 to 7 PM. Each session is taught by a leading expert in the field and includes informative handouts. 

Topics include: ideas for sustainable garden design; naturalistic approaches to landscape planning; native alternatives for common plants; pollinator-friendly plant selections; habitat conservation at the backyard level; steps for enhancing soil sustainability; and conditional improvements for successful native-plant integration.

This is a member-only offering and the fee for the entire series is only $10 per person. It’s so much more fun to learn with a group of friends, reserve while there’s still space! To reserve, call or text 603 568-4194 or email AndoverNHGardenClub@nullgmail.com. Refreshments are provided. 

Many thanks to our generous donor, Kathleen Ordway, for making this webinar series and other similar classes possible!

The Andover NH Garden Club is a program of the Andover Community Hub and membership is free and open to all. New members are always welcome – call, text, or email for more information.