Presque Isle Garden Club
prepares for flower season
By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — Snow may still be on the ground, but members of the Presque Isle Garden Club are already busy planning activities for the coming months — with thoughts of all things green and blossoming.
“The Presque Isle Garden Club will begin its 2012 season with Scott Belair, an environmental studies major at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, explaining the taxonomy of plants. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 20, at 7 p.m. at the home of Sue Barrett, president of the club,” said Roberta Griffiths, program chair. Club meetings are held the third Tuesday of each month.
Special guest speakers have been lined up throughout the season to discuss a variety of topics relative to club activities.
“Larry Berz, director of the Francis Malcolm Science Center in Easton, will present a planetarium show on April 17, starting at 7 p.m. at the center. Since gardeners have planted and harvested by the phases of the moon for millenniums, it seemed appropriate to spend some time brushing up on the subject,” said Griffiths, encouraging both club members and guests to attend.
Treating garden problems will be the focus of the May meeting.
“On May 15, Andrew Plant, an educator with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Service, will help us to understand the basic rules for treating problems in our gardens, how to identify them and what treatment is necessary to grew healthy plants and realize a bountiful harvest. That meeting will take place at my home on the Fort Road,” said Griffiths.
Griffiths said tending bees and their hives will be the subject of the June 19 meeting, which will be held at Georgina Schiff’s home, located at 54 Third St.
Participants will be traveling to Canada for their July gathering, taking in the sights and smells of two facilities.
“On July 17, members will travel to two small, beautiful gardens in Notre Dame du Lac in Quebec. Brunch will be enjoyed at a lovely restaurant which is on the shore of Lac Temouscouta. Anyone who is interested in joining us should call Sylvia Pineau at 425-6362 at least two weeks before the trip,” she said.
Taking a break in August — club members devote time and attention to floral events at the Northern Maine Fair — meetings will resume in September.
“Scott Thompson, director, Aroostook State Park — the oldest state park in Maine — will serve as host for A Walk in the Woods, which will take place Sept. 18. The time of the walk will be announced later or those interested can call me for details,” said Griffiths.
Griffiths said the Garden Club “has a long history with the park, having established a nature trail there in the ‘60s.”
“A meeting will take place following the program at Ann Wight’s cottage, weather permitting,” continued Griffiths, asking participants to call her to confirm.
Club activities for the year will draw to a close in October.
“Oct. 16 will bring our season to a close, with a potluck supper and annual meeting at the home of Frances Flewelling. We will share our successes and failures of the past season, and plan programs for 2013. Those interested in attending can call me,” she said.
The Presque Isle Garden Club has held a high profile over the 76 years since its organization, with its dedication to beautifying the city with its plantings.
“A flower bed is maintained on Main Street which is full of red tulips in the spring. The tulips are replaced with seasonal flowers, which are subsequently replaced with bulbs again in the fall. Beds are maintained at the Turner Memorial Library as well,” said Griffiths. “Three Garden Club members, as members of the Downtown Revitalization Committee, supervise the plantings, placement and maintenance of the flower barrels on Main Street.”
The club received a $2,000 grant from the Presque Isle Rotary Club last fall, and will be working hard this summer to replace plantings and some of the shrubs along the bike path.
“The gardens, which are called Downing Park, were established on the bike path between Academy and State streets, along Cook Street, in 1998. Downing Park is the only named and endowed park in the city. We will be celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2013. The Presque Isle Garden Club would like to publicly thank the Rotary Club for helping us to be able to make improvements to Downing Park, which so many of our citizens have enjoyed over the years,” said Griffiths.
Club members take pride in the contributions the organization has made to benefit higher education.
“The Garden Club established and supports a scholarship in memory of three of its members — Mary Holmes, Minnie Varnum and Margie Hurst — with the Foundation at UMPI. Scott Belair, who will be a presenter at our March meeting, is a former recipient of our scholarship,” said Griffiths, noting the scholarship was established in 1997 and has made an important difference in the lives of its recipients.
Anyone interested in helping Garden Club members with projects, for more information on meetings or the club in general, call Griffiths at 768-5608.
