Editor’s Note: The Gardeners’ Guide is a seasonal rundown of gardening related events. Listings are free. Email: features@recorder.com. Questions? Call 413-772-0261, ext. 276. Weather may cancel or force the rescheduling of some of these events. Additionally, space is often limited. Please contact organizers to ensure you can attend. This is particularly important if registration is required.
Greenfield Garden Club
28th Annual Meeting: Sunday, March 17, 1 to 4 p.m. at the John Zon Community Center, 35 Pleasant St. in Greenfield. All past and present members are invited to the meeting to reinvigorate, reignite and reimagine the future of the Greenfield Garden Club. Meeting attendees will work together to express what they love about the club, as well as discern what’s necessary to plan and continue in the future. Come with your ideas and memories. Light refreshments will be served. Meeting was rescheduled due to snow. For more information, email greenfieldgardenclub@yahoo.com or call 413-774-4594.
Western Massachusetts Master Gardener Association
Spring Symposium: Saturday, March 23, 8:45 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. at Frontier Regional High School, 113 North Main St., South Deerfield. This session’s theme is “Healthy Gardens, Healthy Gardeners.”
Choose from 17 topics in two concurrent sessions, offering ideas for a healthy you and your garden. Topics range from “Butterflies & Butterfly Gardening” to “Creating a Garden that Teams with Life” and many more. Kicking off this symposium will be a talk by keynote speaker Dr. Stephen Rich, director of the University of Massachusetts’ Laboratory of Medical Zoology on “What Every Gardener Needs to Know About Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases.” Also includes a marketplace with vendors offering locally produced items and a book table selling assorted titles for gardeners from Storey Publishing and Timber Press.
The March 23 session is the first in a series of three spring gardening symposia. The second session is “Bees, Butterflies and Bounty” on March 30, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Holyoke High School, 500 Beech St. in Holyoke. The third session is “Strengthen Your Garden Skills” on April 6, 8:15 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Lenox Memorial Middle and High School, 197 East St. in Lenox.
Visit wmmga.org to register online or through the mail, and to view a complete list of topics, directions and registration information.
Cedar Rose Naturopathic
“Plant the Wild” Workshop: Sunday, March 24, 1 to 4 p.m. at the Blue Dragon Apothecary, 158 Main St. in Greenfield. Dr. Nitya Eisenheim, local naturopathic physician and herbalist, and Tom Sullivan, a local pollinator expert, will explore how to plant a native medicinal garden, which create an abundant supply of food for pollinators. Participants will leave with a plan for planting a native medicinal garden or including them in an existing garden. The cost is $75 for one person, or $120 for two people. Space is limited to 20 people. Register and pay by March 20 at cedarroseheals.com/posts-news/.
Grown in Westhampton
“Good Bug Versus Bad Bug”: Tuesday, March 26, 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Westhampton Public Library, 1 North Road in Westhampton. Master Gardener George Stephan of Ashfield will talk about how to promote good insects and entice them into your garden, as well as strategies to deal with bad insects while avoiding costly and harmful chemicals. Free.
New Salem Public Library
“Attracting Birds, Butterflies and Other Beneficials”: Thursday, March 28, 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the library, 23 South Main St. in New Salem. Learn how to welcome songbirds, hummingbirds, butterflies and other beneficial organisms to your yard and neighborhood. Free admission, though perennials for edible landscaping and welcoming birds and pollinators will be offered for sale. For more information, call 978-544-6334.
