Garden

CONTINUES FROM PAGE F2 stems where they snapped, leaving about 18 inches of intact stem if possible. Lay the cut pieces near the plant, where they can decompose and the insects inside can eventually leave. Another option is to bind multiple cut stems with twine into bundles and lean them against a tree or place them in the back of the garden.

• Install a wildlife habitat

Notes

with style in containers throughout the New England garden season. Cost $165 members, $175 nonmembers.;

• Wednesday, March 15, 5:30 to 7 p.m. online. “Native Groundcovers: Living Mulch.”

Discover a selection of tough, versatile plants to use as groundcovers in a variety of growing conditions. Presented by Duncan Himmelman.

Cost is $12 members, $15 nonmembers.;

• Saturday, March 18, “Bark and Bud Tree ID,” 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Discover the many plants that lend bark, buds, fruit and structural interest to the garden in fall and winter. Under the expert guidance of Tom Ingersol, students will develop the ability to identify winter trees by twig and bud anatomy, bark features and plant architecture, while practicing their skills with winter tree dichotomous keys. This program will be held primarily indoors, and students will work with collected specimens. Cost $25 members, $30 nonmembers.

For more information, or help with paying for some of the classes, or to register, visit www.berkshirebotanical. org; Berkshire Botanical Garden is located at 5 West Stockbridge Road.

AGAWAM Garden Club meeting

The first meeting of the

Sign

With more native plant gardens popping up in front yards, a wildlife habitat sign can mean the difference between sidelong glances and the faces of excited children and curious parents interested in installing such a garden themselves. “Passersby, relatives and neighbors will understand that this is an intentional choice and is being done to benefit wildlife,” Eckel says.

You’ve probably already seen such signs. They might announce Certified Wildlife

2023 year of the Agawam Garden Club will meet on Tuesday, March 14, 6:30 p.m. in the Judy Clini Conference Room at the Agawam Public Library, 750 Cooper St. Refreshments will be served. After a short business meeting, the speaker will be Bob Whitney, a member of the American Institute of Floral Designers, who will present a program on spring floral arranging. Bob has over 40 years in the floral industry, as designer, instructor and wholesale sales person. For many years he participated in the flower show at the Springfield Museum. Any floral arrangement made will be raffled off at the end of the program.

SPRINGFIELD Garden Club meeting

The Springfield Garden Club will host “Stunning Spring Perenials” presented by Joan Butler on Friday, March 17, at 11:30 a.m. The event will be in person at the Barney Carriage House at Forest Park, on Sumner Avenue. Expert plant collector and sought after flower show judge, Joan Butler, will share a colleciton of early spring garden choices to add colorful early spring flowers to shade or sunny gardens. Joan holds a bachelor’s degree in geology from UMass Amherst and a certificate in landscape management from UMass Extension Green School. She is a Master Gardener, has worked as a horticulturist at Weston Nurseries, and is a past chairman of the Massachusetts

Habitat, Plants for Birds or Certified Monarch Garden. But they all serve the same purpose of making known that there’s a method to the perceived madness. Some signs can be purchased, while others require certification through a conservation group such as the National Wildlife Federation (nwf.org), the North American Butterfly Association (nababutterfly.com) or National Audubon Society chapters (audubon.org).

• Plan to replace hardwood mulch with living

Landscape Design Council. The program will also be held on Zoom. Light luncheon, including gluten free options, sweets, coffee, and tea will be served. Directions to the Carriage House at barneycarriagehouse.com Raffle for members and guests. Guest fee is $5 and tickets are available at Eventbrite.com. For more information on this and other Springfield Garden Club events, visit springfieldgardenclubma.org or visit them on their Facebook page.

SPRINGFIELD Garden Club scholarship

The Springfield Garden Club is accepting applications for their annual $2,000 scholarship awarded to a graduating high school senior, undergraduate or graduate college student majoring in a full-time plant science or environmental studies program, such as horticulture, floriculture, landscape design, conservation, forestry, botany, agronomy, plant pathology, environmental control, land management or other allied fields. The candidate must be a resident of Hampden County, demonstrate financial need and have adequate academic standing. High school seniors, undergraduate and graduate college students are eligible for consideration. For additional information and to request a copy of the application contact Jane Glushik at SGCscholarship@gmail.com or Elizabeth Tongue at 413627-5503. Scholarship applications are to be completed and mulch

Locate bare areas in beds and fill them with low-growing ground-cover perennials, known as living — or green — mulch. This can reduce or eliminate the need for hardwood mulch. The plants suppress weeds, prevent erosion and retain moisture like traditional mulch, and over time, certain varieties will spread. “There’s an initial investment for the plants upfront,” Brunelle says. “But if you’re paying for mulch and the labor to spread it, then over meet the submission deadline of March 31 to be eligible for consideration.

AGAWAM Garden Club scholarship

The Agawam Garden Club is offering their annual scholarship to a graduating senior of Agawam High School or a college student who graduated from Agawam High School. One of the following majors qualify: botany, environmental engineering, environmental science, earth systems, forest management, natural resources, plant soil and insect science, sustainable agriculture, sustainable horticulture or food and farming, turf grass science and management, landscape design and management technology, clean energy, technology studies: wastewater, or other environmental studies not mentioned above. Interested applicants must submit the following required documents: a copy of high school transcript and a copy of college acceptance letter for high school seniors, copy of all college/university transcripts for a college student who graduated from Agawam High School, two references, and a completed scholarship application which includes a paragraph on who or what was most influential in your commitment to intended major, how this scholarship would impact your future goals, and post college graduation plans. Applications are available at the Agawam High School Guidance office or online at time, it’s more cost effective to buy the plants.”

Brunelle recommends using low-growing mounds of prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis), as well as blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium), which she describes as “a miniiris with cute blue flowers.”

• Keep your garden in perspective

“It’s not just the plants and flowers that make a garden exciting,” Eckel says. “It’s the butterflies, moths, bees, beetles and birds interacting with those plants and flowers.” agawamgardenclub.com Documents should be mailed to Denise Carmody, Secretary, Agawam Garden Club, 40 Primrose Lane, Agawam, MA 01001 and must be received by April 1.

WEST SPRINGFIELD Garden Club scholarship

The West Springfield Garden Club has announced that two $1,000 scholarships are available to qualifying high school senior students during the spring of 2023. Applicants must be a resident of West Springfield and be a current student with a minimum “B” average or better in science related courses. They must submit a written 1-page document which demonstrates their plans for after high school graduation in any of the below-mentioned fields and how the grant will assist in their career choice. Scholarships are available for students with a focus of study in one or more of the following areas: horticulture, agriculture, ecology, botany, environmental studies, landscape design or forestry. Eligible candidates will submit their completed application and written entry to the WSHS Guidance Office no later than April 14. Please pick up instructions & application forms from the WSHS Guidance Department. The successful candidates will be notified via mail in mid-May.

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