As the Ashland Garden Club prepares to close out its 2026 season and break for the summer, I wanted to focus on the garden area around the Memorial site. This beautiful Memorial is facing Main Street on the corner of Main Street and Front Street. It lists the names of Ashland residents who served and died in WWI, WWⅡ, Korea, Vietnam, and Desert Storm. This site is highly visual and is an important representation of the work the Garden Club does to beautify our Town.

The garden area around the Memorial is planted and maintained by Ashland Garden Club members Karin Oleski and Carol Tyler. They have chosen to plant perennials that function best in an environment with partial sun throughout the day. They also plant seasonal sun-tolerant annuals on both sides of the sidewalk leading to the memorial from the sidewalk on Main Street.

When the Library garden was featured in the May issue of the Ashland Town News, my photograph included what appeared to be a dead shrub. In my article, I mentioned the condition of this shrub and promised to share a photograph of it later in the season. The photograph I took recently shows a beautiful tree peony with yellow flowers. Sometimes gardeners pull out or cut back plants too early in the season, without giving them time to start growing again. The learning here is to wait long enough to see what develops!

The Ashland Garden Club meets the second Saturday of each month, September through June, and all meetings are open to the public. Although the Ashland Garden Club does not meet during the months of July and August, members are busy maintaining their sites and planters around Town while at the same time working in their own gardens. We also use this time to visit each other's gardens. Several members volunteer each summer to host a members-only Wine in the Garden event that often includes a pot-luck lunch or dinner.

On Saturday, July 11, 12-1 p.m., the Library and the AGC are offering a workshop for children and their caregiver, "Growing Food from Scraps".

Watch the Library's website for information about registering for this event. The AGC will host the Community Table on Saturday, August 29, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. This event offers a great opportunity to stop by to learn more about the Club and meet some of the AGC members.

We wish everyone a safe and healthy summer!