Laurelwood Garden Club welcomes spring with pansies

Starts season by stocking memorial planter

OiTITDuRS » The Laurelwood Garden Club began its gardening season with the planting of an array of yellow pansies in the Julia Casey Memorial Planter, located in the Renaissance Park, on upper Main Street, to welcome spring.

The members who enjoyed planting were Julie Palioca, Kathryn Nowosielski, Vice President Debra Vilandry and Doris

Clow.

Palioca said the project was made possible through a grant awarded to the Laurelwood Garden Club under the project titled “Art/Beautification/Public/Benefit” by the Fitchburg Cultural Council.

The Fitchburg Cultural Coun

cil is a local agency that is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

In July 2017, the Laurelwood Garden Club converted a 3,000-pound, 18th-century horsetrough water basin into a memorial garden in memory of club member Julia Casey, as a civic beautification project.

“Julia planted flowers and maintained this water basin for many years when it was located on the Fitchburg Historical Society’s property,” Palioca said.

This historic, Civil Warera water basin was used as a watering trough for horses in the horse-andbuggy days. It stood in front of the Fitchburg Sentinel & Enterprise building for many decades until it was moved in 1991 to the Fitchburg Historical Society’s property at 50 Grove St. as an Eagle Scout project. In 2019 it was moved to the Renaissance Park on Main Street.

“The memorial planter will be further rejuvenated in late May with the planting of exuberant colors of flowers for a spectacular floral display during the summer months and early fall,” Palioca said. “This floral garden can be viewed from the street and sidewalks.”

Renaissance Park is open to the public.

Palioca said to look out in coming weeks for a beautiful display of daffodils, “which I believe are the most popular spring flower.”

The Laurelwood Garden Club was organized in 1965 and is affiliated with the National Garden Clubs Inc. (New England Region) and the Garden Club Federation of Mass Inc., within the North Central District.

The garden club’s monthly meeting place is at Fitchburg Art Museum on the second Fridays of the month from September through June.

This year, club members hope to resume inperson meetings in September with programs and events.

For information regarding the club and membership, contact Palioca 978-537-7630.

COURTESY LAURELWOOD GARDEN CLUB Kathryn Nowosielski, left, president of the Laurelwood Garden Club, and Julie Palioca, beautification chairperson, show off the array of daisies at the Julia Casey Memorial Planter in Renaissance Park.