GREENFIELD — Residents and out-of-towners alike flocked to home gardens designated by a wooden daisy sign on Saturday.
The visitors were attending a tour organized by the Greenfield Garden Club. For a $10 ticket price, each attendee went on a self-guided tour of neighborhood gardens, giving them a chance to see hidden private places in Greenfield they did not know about.
“We’ve all walked and driven by these houses, but we were unaware of the urban oasis held inside,” commented Pamela McBride, a member of the Greenfield Garden Club.
The garden tour has been held for the past 25 years. In recent years, due to the pandemic leading residents to look for more outdoor activities, the event has grown tremendously. In 2020, volunteers had to run to a copy machine during the tour twice to make more copies of the map for attendees. During the first two hours of Saturday’s event, more than 100 people had already registered.
“Gardens are my happy place,” Linda Tyler, a member of the Greenfield Garden Club, said when asked why she attended.
Tyler is not alone.
“People are so happy to be outside with flowers and community during all of this,” said Marsha Stone, Garden Club member and garden host. “This program is a great public service. It gives people ideas and distractions,”
Garden host John Crowe agreed with Stone’s sentiment. Crowe explained he is uninterested in receiving attention for his garden, but felt he needed to share the teachings of gardeners who came before him.
“I just wanted to be a good citizen,” he said.
Crowe talked about his unusual methods of gardening to anyone interested. He uses a “no dig” method, where he places a tarp over his grass to prepare the land for planting flowers for the next season.
None of the gardeners volunteered their gardens to be tour stops. Instead, members of the Greenfield Garden Club walked around the city and picked out their favorite gardens. They then knocked on doors and invited people to show their work to the community.
“Many people were interested, but not everyone,” said club member Eva Carrier.
Along with this garden tour, the club has monthly programs, which can be found on the group’s website, thegreenfieldgardenclub.org
“I’ve learned so much today from others,” Crowe said. He explained attendees came to him with questions, tips and requests for seed swaps.
“I joined the group because I didn’t know about gardening,” Carrier explained. “I’ve learned so much about gardening and made many new friends.”
Contact Bella Levavi at 413-930-4579 or blevavi@recorder.com.