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The Down to Earth Garden Club annual spring plant sale will be held at BMP, 1263 Maple Ave, DuBois, PA. (Our thanks to Jeff and BMP.) The sale will begin May 18 at 7:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. The hours May 19 will be from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Please do not ask that plants be held without payment. We will hold paid for plants at the buyers risk. We will not sell plants outside the stated times as the volunteers are busy setting up or tearing down. Currently, there are about 900 perennials in inventory. Most of them have spent at least one winter in the pot. All are hardy and will grow in the DuBois area as that is where they were grown. They come from DTEGC member’s gardens or were donated by friends of the organization. The list can be found at www.downtoearthgardenclub.com and will be updated as the inventory changes. There are always last minute surprises that don’t make the list or plants that aren’t nice enough to be put in the sale. Proceeds go to maintaining the gardens at the DuBois Public Library, the Reitz Theater, City Building, and the Pershing Parking lot. There are also various pots and window boxes around the city that require annuals, soil and fertilizer. The club also has a three tiered butterfly bed on the Beaver Meadow Walkway and several small beds in that location. The various flower beds on the embankment at the foot of Liberty Blvd are also a club project with the bed located across from Harley -Davidson currently being planted as a sanctuary for pollinators. The teaching butterfly bed at Parker Dam has been cared for by the club for many years. It contains only native plants that are specific host or nectar plants for native butterflies. The group also provides plants and assistance to schools and other non-profits that need information and help in planting gardens. The goal is to increase the number of gardens in our area and to educate gardeners in the ways of plants and the need to provide food and homes for butterflies and pollinating insects. We aim to make DuBois beautiful. For more information on the plants available or the club in general email downtoearthgardenclub@hotmail.com

The Down to Earth Garden Club will be meeting Thursday, April 26, at 7:00 p.m. at Christ Lutheran Church, 875 Sunflower Drive. The group will be evaluating the participation in the Spring Clean-up and the butterfly garden exhibit at the Penn State Earth Day. Plans for the coming season will be presented. For more information call 371-8672 or 375-9528, email downtoearthgardenclub@hotmail.com or visit the group’s web page at www.downtoearthgardenclub.org or check on Facebook.

The Down to Earth Garden Club will be meeting Thursday, March 22 at 7:00 p.m. at Christ Lutheran Church, 875 Sunflower Drive. The meeting will focus on a new pending menace to the garden and agricultural community the Spotted Lantern Fly. The program will be presented Erica Smyers the daughter of Larry and Monic Smyers of DuBois. Erica Smyers is an Entomology Ph.D. student at the Pennsylvania State University. She studies the Spotted Lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula, an invasive planthopper that was discovered in Berks Co., Pennsylvania in 2014. Since its discovery in 2014, L. delicatula has spread to over a dozen counties in eastern Pennsylvania and has been detected in several other states including New Jersey, Delaware, New York, and Virginia. The Spotted Lanternfly is known for being both a nuisance pest in urban environments and an economic pest in agriculture due to its ability to feed on over 65 host plants including ornamentals, hardwoods, fruit trees, and grapevines. Smyers’ research focuses on how the Spotted Lanternfly impacts grapevine health and fruit quality, as well as its chemical control in vineyards. For more information on Spotted Lanternfly visit: https://extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly The Spotted Lantern fly has not yet arrived in Clearfield, Jefferson or surrounding counties. The US Department of Agriculture is requesting that any suspected sightings be reported. Instructions for conveying information can be found at http://www.agriculture.pa.gov/Plants_Land_Water/PlantIndustry/Entomology/spotted_lanternfly/Pages/default.aspx or by calling 1-866-253-7189 and leaving a message detailing your sighting and contact information. A short business meeting will follow the presentation. For more information call 371-8672 or 375-9528, email downtoearthgardenclub@hotmail.com or visit the group’s web page at www.downtoearthgardenclub.org or check on Facebook.

The Down to Earth Garden Club will be meeting Thursday, February 22 at 7:00 p.m. at Christ Lutheran Church, 875 Sunflower Drive. The newly elected officers will be presiding. The budget for the upcoming year will be discussed. Members who are planning bed renovations or additions are asked to bring plans to this meeting so they can be included in the 2018 budget. For more information call 371-8672 or 375-9528, email downtoearthgardenclub@hotmail.com or visit the group’s web page at www.downtoearthgardenclub.org or check on Facebook.

The Down to Earth Garden Club will be meeting Thursday, January 25 at 7:00 p.m. at Christ Lutheran Church, 875 Sunflower Drive. This is the annual traditional “soup” meeting and all members are asked to bring their favorite soup or other dish to share. New officers will be nominated at the January meeting and plans to conduct the annual audit will be made. Details of the Christmas giftwrapping will be discussed. For more information call 371-8672 or 375-9528, email downtoearthgardenclub@hotmail.com or visit the group’s web page at www.downtoearthgardenclub.org or check on Facebook.

The Down to Earth Garden Club will be gift wrapping at the DuBois Mall Sunday, December 17 through Saturday, December 23 from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. The wrapping station will be on the main corridor in front of Christopher Banks. All paper, boxes, ribbons, etc. are provided by the club. Donations go directly to funding plantings at the DuBois Library, the City Building, the Reitz Theater and many other projects throughout the city and on the Beaver Meadow Walkway. Speakers and funding are also provided for projects for other non-profit groups, as well as support for the butterfly bed at Parker Dam. All labor is provided by volunteers. Join the Down to Earth Garden Club this Christmas season in beautifying the DuBois area. For more information contact the group at downtoearthgardenclub@hotmail.com or call 371-8672 or 375-5928. See the group’s projects on Facebook or review gardening information at www.downtoearthgardenclub.org

The Down to Earth Garden Club will be meeting Thursday, October 26 at 7:00 p.m. at Christ Lutheran Church, 875 Sunflower Drive. The speaker will be Bill Monico, who will do a presentation on the “Doctrine of Signatures: Myth and Fact.” He will be explaining the precept that “plants have a ‘signature’ that identifies their medicinal properties. The presentation traces its origins, and evolution from ancient antiquity to modern day.” The doctrine of signatures encompasses the view that plants that resemble a certain body part are useful in treating ailments of that body part. The concept was first codified by Paracelsus, a German physician, alchemist and astrologer, in the 16th century, who stated that “Nature marks each growth according to its curative benefits” and that “The art of healing comes from nature, not from the physician.” The correlation pre-dates Paracelsus and mankind has long associated plants such as Hepaticas, whose lobed leaves resemble the liver, with curative powers specific to that organ. Mr. Monaco is a graduate of Penn State University with a BS Degree in Biological Sciences and Master’s Degree in Secondary Education. He taught high school biology for 35 years in the DuBois Area School District. He also taught biological science classes at Penn State DuBois for over 25 years. In his retirement he has become a world traveler to gather materials for his hobbies. These include photography and the presentation of Power-Point programs ranging from backpacking and hiking to wildflowers and travelogues. A short business meeting and refreshments will follow the presentation. The community is invited to attend this program. For more information call 371-8672 or 375-9528, email downtoearthgardenclub@hotmail.com or visit the group’s web page at www.downtoearthgardenclub.org or check on Facebook.