Garden Club lecture series: Planting the seeds of knowledge

The Garden Club of Amenia is flourishing under the guidance of its president, Gretchen Hitselberger, who along with her husband and the club’s treasurer, Kevin Cassone, recently came up with the idea for a lecture series. The pair said it was a way to make the club more relevant and to connect with the community; it began with the idea of a winter lecture for gardeners waiting for spring, and grew from there.On Saturday, March 16, the club held the second talk of the six-part series, entitled, “Vegetables — Gardening Outside of the Box,” with Cassone as the presenter.When asked how the reception to the lectures has been, Cassone said he was pleased.“So far, so good,” he said, adding the town waived its usual fees to use the Town Hall auditorium and also to provide the required $1 million insurance rider. “The town was very gracious.”That could be because the Garden Club of Amenia has actually done a lot for the town. Every October it gives residents thousands of bulbs and plants for free, to plant on their properties, ideally within sight of a roadway or sidewalk for passersby to see. The club also began a garden at Town Hall, part of a multi-year effort, according to Cassone, an improvement from the crab grass and dandelions it replaced.In July, the weekend following the firemen’s Fourth of July parade and carnival, the club holds its annual Hidden Gardens of Amenia Tour — always a big draw in the region. This year the tour falls on Saturday, July 13, and promises to include new gardens. In fact, instead of the standard 10 gardens there may be as many as 15 gardens on the tour. It’s the profits from the tour that help fund the club’s expenses, like the free bulb and plant giveaways, and the garden at Town Hall.At the end of April or in early May the Garden Club of Amenia sponsors both a clean-up day and a planting day, to help beautify the town. Volunteer members donate their time and energy to spruce up the streets of Amenia, also funded by profits from the garden tour.The Garden Club of Amenia lecture series suggests a $5 donation, which will go into the club’s coffers to help with its numerous expenses. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, not associated with the town, every donation helps, according to Cassone.“Every penny we collect goes to purchase plants and bulbs we give away in the fall and to planting in town and in public spaces,” he said.There are also some expenses associated with the lecture series. Handouts are provided at the talks, as are refreshments from local purveyors.But most importantly, information is disseminated at the presentations. The day before the lecture Cassone outlined some of the details the vegetable talk would cover, including: taking vegetable plants out of the vegetable garden and using them for landscape; using traditional garden plants inside the vegetable garden; and designing more formal, aesthetically pleasing vegetable gardens.The lectures typically last an hour or more and are followed by a question-and-answer period. They are held on the third Saturday of the month, currently scheduled through June. The goal is to share expert information among those who will put it to good use.“We want to share our knowledge and have many lessons on how to do so inexpensively,” Cassone said. “There’s the whole movement of how to grow your own [vegetables] at home. It’s a throwback really ... and nothing, no vegetable, tastes better than if it’s pulled out of your own garden.”And novices need not worry; they, too, can benefit from digging in the dirt.“Absolutely,” Cassone said. “Anybody could do it. I can say so without a moment’s hesitation. People are just intimidated. If you want to try to cross-breed two of the rarest orchids on earth, that’s difficult. But if you want to grow vegetables, nothing could be simpler. And you have to go out of your way to kill a bulb.”The Garden Club of Amenia’s lecture series remaining lectures are scheduled from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Amenia Town Hall auditorium, at 4988 Route 22, Amenia, on the third Saturday of the following months. They include: April 20: “Great European Gardens,” presenter Diana Hanbury KingMay 18: “Container Gardening,” presenter Kevin CassoneJune 15: “Roses — With a Garden Viewing,” presenter Paul ArcarioJuly 13: “Hidden Gardens of Amenia Tour,” no lectureFor more on the Garden Club of Amenia, go to www.ameniagardens.com.