Springfield Garden Club’s annual civic beautification, 2017

Take a perfect gardening day: overcast, cool (but not cold), with a bit of rain in the forecast (but not today), add an enthusiastic group of gardeners, 600 plants, and what do you get? Springfield Garden Club

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Springfield Garden Club’s annual civic beautification, 2017 BY KAREN ENGDAHL, The ShopperMay 28, 2017 Springfield Garden Club Springfield Garden Club members 2017. Photo by Karen Engdahl. SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – Take a perfect gardening day: overcast, cool (but not cold), with a bit of rain in the forecast (but not today), add an enthusiastic group of gardeners, 600 plants, and what do you get? Springfield Garden Club Valerie Hanly and Sue McCausland plant it pink. Photo by Karen Engdahl. Another successful civic beautification project for the Springfield Garden Club. “The only problem is the bugs!” said Sue McCausland, swatting black flies as she weeded a spot in the Memorial Garden near the Black River. McCausland and fellow Garden Club member Valerie Hanly worked to refresh the “Plant it Pink” flower bed honoring those who have struggled with breast cancer. A few miles away near the Springfield Town Hall, another group of Garden Club members assembled to weed and refresh the large flower bed in front of the building. Organizers with clipboards and checklists kept the process moving as trays of brightly-colored begonias, petunias, and potato vines were deployed to the many large planters along Main Street. “This year we’re using more than 600 plants and 33 bags of soil,” said Sandy MacGillivray. “In January, a committee meets to decide what plants to use – we listen to community feedback about what people like best. Then John MacAveeny at Sunshine Acres starts the plugs for us and John Harmer’s class at the River Valley Tech Center nurtures them until we’re ready to plant.” “This is the day we’ve all been waiting for,” added Jocelyn Zezza. “I just got back at two o’clock this morning from a trip to New Orleans, but I couldn’t wait to start planting. My favorite part of the project is making the town look pretty.” In addition to the Main Street planters, the Town Hall flower beds, and the Memorial Garden near the Gould’s Mill Bridge, Garden Club members plant and maintain the flower beds at the downtown flagpole, plaza traffic island, Route 10/106 island, and the Eureka Shoolhouse. They also do planting and maintenance at the Springweather Wildlife Nature Habitat in North Springfield, the perennial garden at TARPS, and aid in the restoration of gardens at the historic Dan Foster House in cooperation with the Weathersfield Historical Society. The Garden Club’s projects are primarily funded with proceeds from their annual “Festival of Trees” Holiday Season event. “Planting everything is just the first step,” said Zezza. “Then we water and take care of the plants until October.” For more information about the Garden Club, including information about becoming a member, visit their website, springfieldgardenclub.org.