Get Growing with Mickey Rathbun: Gardening symposiums herald spring’s arrival

By MICKEY RATHBUN

For the Recorder

Published: 03-14-2025 11:18 AM

I received the announcement of the Western Massachusetts Master Gardener Association (WMMGA)’s spring symposiums earlier this month, when the wind was whipping the falling snow into spiraling towers of white. In early February, it’s hard for the imagination to break through the winter doldrums. Will we ever feel the touch of soft spring breezes or enjoy the sight of green shoots pushing through the cold dark soil? The WMMGA symposiums help us to jostle our gardening passions out of hibernation and into activity, even if only mental.

The first symposium will be held on March 22 at Frontier Regional High School in South Deerfield from 8:45 a.m. to noon. It will offer a rich variety of breakout sessions to appeal to any and all gardeners. WMMGA is fortunate to have the wonderful Dan Ziomek to present again this year. Dan has worked in plant nurseries for many years and is now at Sugarloaf Gardens in Sunderland. He is incredibly knowledgeable about plants (and he also knows a thing or two about birds!). He will talk about small plants for small spaces, an important subject for people who are downsizing their yards and landscaped spaces, or just their ambitions. The demand for dwarf and miniature woody plants is growing, and nurseries are adapting to this trend in their offerings. As in previous symposiums, Dan will bring abundant samples of these plants for show and tell.

“Dahlias 101: Essential Insights on Growing, Harvesting and Storing” will be presented by Rebecca Maillet, co-founder of Many Graces Farm & Design of Northampton. Rebecca and her crew grow some of the most amazing dahlias on the planet, which they use in their gorgeous floral creations. If you want to grow dahlias or even if you’re just curious, don’t miss this session! Rebecca will tell you everything you need to know. In my experience, the hardest thing about dahlias is choosing from the vast variety of blossoms available.

Several presentations will deal with climate change and environmental issues. Robert Graham from the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill will discuss the garden’s ongoing efforts to improve sustainability and adjust to climate change. Some of Tower Hill’s strategies will certainly be useful in our home gardens. Another climate-related session is “DIY Approach to Managing Stormwater with Gardens.” This is a timely subject for homeowners in the face of the frequent heavy rainstorms and floods we have been experiencing. You will learn how to find an appropriate place for a rain garden as well as how to design and build it. If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

Master Gardener Heidi Dollard will present two sessions. The first, “Pollinator Powerhouse Plants,” will discuss how certain keystone plant species, including asters and solidagos (goldenrod), support an array of pollinators. The second, “The Fall Clean-up: Less is More,” addresses an issue near and dear to my heart and the hearts of many of us aging gardeners. Dollard will explain how minimizing fall clean-up will boost biodiversity and reduce global warming while saving you work and money. (I’ve learned to enjoy the sight of brush piles, knowing that they shelter animals and insects in the bone-chilling weather we’ve had this winter.) Supporting pollinators is also the theme of “It’s Not Just About Bees! Help for Non-Bee and Other Specialized Pollinators,” a presentation by Nicole Bell, University of Massachusetts Extension pollinator specialist.

I doubt I’m the only gardener whose tools need refurbishment. Master Gardener Paul Green will demonstrate how to sharpen garden tools, from pruners to trowels to shovels. He will also explain how to remove rust and restore wooden handles. Space for this is limited, so sign up early. Bring a couple of tools to work on and sharpeners if you have them. Tools and sharpeners (files, stones and diamond plate) will be available for practice.

Finally, the symposium will offer a couple of creative how-to sessions. Jennifer Ablard of Northampton will demonstrate how to do camera-less photography with cyanotypes, a process that uses sunlight, pre-treated paper and water to make radiantly blue images of plants which can be enhanced using watercolors or other materials. Space is limited; a $15 materials fee will be charged. Rachel Gonzalez of Rachel’s Everlastings in Orange will lead a hands-on workshop on making a beautiful and fragrant dried flower and herb swag. Space is limited; a $20 materials fee will be charged.

Before and between sessions, the symposium will provide soil testing, a marketplace for local vendors, a used gardening books table and complimentary coffee and homemade treats.

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Register early to make sure you can participate in your first choices of breakout sessions. The cost for the day, 8:45 a.m. till noon, is $35. You can register online at WMMGA.org (extra service fee applies) or by downloading the application and mailing it to Lucy Alman, 27 Park Rd., Sunderland MA 01375. Carpooling is encouraged, parking is limited.

In addition to the South Deerfield symposium, the WMMGA is hosting two other symposiums, a bit further afield but well worth attending. The Westfield symposium will take place March 29 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Westfield South Middle School. Its sessions include shade gardening, growing and using herbs, updating old gardens and soil and compost. The third symposium will take place April 5 from 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at Lenox Memorial Middle and High School in Lenox. The presentations will cover a variety of subjects including seed starting, container gardening and spring ephemerals. Both of these symposiums will offer refreshments, vendor marketplaces and other activities. Visit WMMGA.org for more information.

Mickey Rathbun is an Amherst-based writer whose new book, “The Real Gatsby: George Gordon Moore, A Granddaughter’s Memoir,” has recently been published by White River Press.