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The Down to Earth Garden Club will be holding the annual spring plant sale May 17 and 18 at BMP (1263 Maple Ave, DuBois, PA near the Shaffer Road intersection). (Thank you, Jeff for putting up with us for all these years.) Friday, May 17 the hours will be from 7:00 am.-5:30 pm. and Saturday, May 18 the hours will be from 8:00 am.-2:00 pm. This is every serious gardener’s dream sale with all of those unusual and often difficult to obtain plants at affordable pricing and with no shipping fees. The prices are kept low to give local gardeners a chance to enjoy their hobby even more. Helping us by bringing back the pots will continue to keep the prices low. All of the plants are perennials that are grown in member’s gardens or in the gardens of local friends. There are always surprises. There may be only one of a plant or many. This year there are many rare and unusual daylilies. Some of the varieties are new to the club’s collection and quite costly on-line. There is a nice selection of herbs and many native plants suitable for butterfly and pollinator gardens. There are also some new hostas as well as many trees and shrubs and a varied collection of other perennials. All of these plants will grow in the DuBois area because they do grow here. There are none of those plants that cannot survive local winters and the majority of them have survived at least one winter in its pot tucked into the ground. New to the sale this year are some crafts. Members have completed and donated handmade bird feeders in a variety of styles and sizes. There are also some hand crafted mosaic pots that add a decorative interest to favorite indoor plants. Proceeds from the sale go to support the many gardens that the Down to Earth Garden club maintains in the city and elsewhere. There are two butterfly beds one at Parker Dam and another 3 tiered one on the Beaver Meadow Walkway. Garden club members also maintain a number of small beds on the walkway, the beds at the City Building, the library beds and pots, the old Pershing parking lot gardens and pots, the Reitz Theater landscaping, and the many flower beds and borders on the embankment at the foot of Liberty Boulevard. There are other projects within projects that are too numerous to mention. The Down to Earth Garden Club also provides workshops and programs for non-profit organizations. For more information contact the Down to Earth Garden Club at downtoearthgardenclub@hotmail.com or call 371-8672 or 375-9528. The plant list can be found at www.downtoearthgardenclub.org The list is a working inventory and may be subject to change as new plants come in and others are found not to have survived the winter.

The Down to Earth Garden Club will be attending the Volunteer Reception at the Winkler Gallery on Thursday, April 25 in lieu of the April meeting. The reception will begin at 5:15 pm and end at 6:30. Members are advised that the schedule for the May plant sale will be finalized during the evening. Any other issues that need to be covered before the May meeting can be brought to the reception. 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 28 at 7:00 pm. at Christ Lutheran Church, 875 Sunflower Drive. The new budget will be discussed and the audit for 2018 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.

Whether you’re a green thumb gardener or someone with little to no luck with plants, you could really enjoy the exotic looking air plant. As part of the library’s “Lunch and Learn” program the Down to Earth Garden Club is doing a series of discussions on subjects related to gardening. The second program in the series will be held Thursday, March 7th at noon in the downstairs conference room. Air plants have become a popular plant again. Also known as Tillandsias and nicknamed Tills or Tillys, these plants do not require soil to live. Come and learn why it is so easy to care for air plants in a home or even outdoors in mild weather. As with most plants, imitating their natural environment is the best way to display air plants. They do their best work up high and can be found in the southern United States and Central and South America. We will cover the basics of water and light needs, and some tips on displaying air plants for easy care and adding some greenery to a home that a non-gardener can manage and enjoy. Dessert, coffee and tea will be provided. Attendees are invited to bring lunch if they so wish.

The Down to Earth Garden Club will be meeting Thursday, February 28 at 7:00 pm. at Christ Lutheran Church, 875 Sunflower Drive. There are a number of projects to be considered for the upcoming months. Members are encouraged to bring ideas for the projects listed in the newsletter. 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 weather outside is “frightful” but the DuBois Public Library can offer a bit of spring and a cup of coffee to the winter weary. As part of the library’s “Lunch and Learn” program the Down to Earth Garden Club will be doing a series of discussions on subjects related to gardening. The first of these will be held Thursday, February 7th at noon in the downstairs conference room. There will be a slide presentation on all that is needed to create a fairy garden. These popular miniature landscapes are planted as either as an indoor container garden, an outdoor container garden or an in-ground planting. The Thursday program will concentrate on indoor fairy gardens. There will be information on pots, plants, soil, decorations and general care. All of the needed components will be on display and an actual fairy garden will be designed and planted. If time permits outdoor fairy gardens will be discussed. Dessert, coffee and tea will be provided. Attendees are invited to bring lunch if the so wish. These will be informal programs and audience participation is encouraged. There is no fee and no reservations are needed. Future programs, on a monthly basis, will include but not be limited to “Air Gardens” and “Fuss Free Perennials.”

The Down to Earth Garden Club will be meeting Thursday, January 24 at 7:00 pm. at Christ Lutheran Church, 875 Sunflower Drive. Members are invited to bring their favorite soup as is the tradition for the first meeting of the year. Plans for the upcoming gardening season 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 hosting the annual fall dinner at the Fort Worth on Thursday, November 15 at pm. Please RSVP if you haven’t already done so to 371-8672 or 375-9528 or email downtoearthgardenclub@hotmail.com Guests are welcome. Members are reminded that this is one week earlier than the usual meeting and that it is the last meeting of the year. The group will reconvene in January for the election of officers.

The Down to Earth Garden Club will be meeting Thursday, October 25 at 7:00 pm. at Christ Lutheran Church, 875 Sunflower Drive. The group will be reviewing the past season and the cleaning up of the planting beds for fall. Reservations for the fall dinner may be made at this meeting. Nominations for officers will also be taken. Contributions for the DuBois Library fall basket raffle are also due at this time. The theme is “A cottage by the Sea.” 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, September 27 at 7:00 p.m. at Christ Lutheran Church, 875 Sunflower Drive. There will be a general discussion of financing and fundraisers. 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.