Donations sought for beautification


The Garden Club donated a memorial garden bench to the Norcross Center last year. The bench was a way to honor former East Longmeadow Garden Club members and beautify Norcross at the same time. From the left,Norcross Center President Merle Safford, left, Chris Graziano of Graziano Gardens and Suzanne Reed of the E.L. Garden Club.

By Natasha Clark

Reminder Assistant Editor

EAST LONGMEADOW Donations are being sought for the East Longmeadow Garden Club's Beautification program.

With expenses increasing, it has become costly for the Club to maintain the beauty they've contributed throughout the town.

In the past the Garden Club has been fortunate to have had the assistance of Fred Forbes of Forbes Gardens. Forbes either donated plants or sold them at a low cost to the Committee. After his passing, Chairman of the Beautification Committee Suzanne Reed said the costs have exceeded the amount they planned on spending.

Reed told Reminder Publications that Forbes is irreplaceable.

"He was a tremendous help. He was always delivering things ... I have gone to others, not to say they were not helpful, but they were not like he was," Reed said.

The East Longmeadow Garden Club was organized in 1969. Throughout the year they plant and maintain the garden tubs at the center of town and the flower beds surrounding the flagpole, the garden beds along the walkway in front of Town Hall, and the beds in front of the war memorials. The weeding, the trimming, the maintenance all of it is taken care of at no cost to the town, and members of the club are volunteers.

The Beautification Committee is currently seeking monetary support from businesses and residents.

Along with helping to keep East Longmeadow a beautiful place, the Garden Club also gives away an annual scholarship award.

It is usually awarded in April to an East Longmeadow resident who plans to further his or her education in the fields of horticulture, forestry, conservation, plant/environmental sciences or related fields.

Reed said with the scholarship amounts getting larger and the price of plants going up, things are getting expensive for the organization. She hopes locals who appreciate the beauty the plants add to the town will help.

"We just don't want something like this to go by the way side. East Longmeadow has always been near and dear to my heart," she added.

Monetary contributions can be addressed to: Suzanne Reed, 109 Stonehill Road, East Longmeadow, MA, 01028.