21 April, 2022
Hopkinton Garden Club’s annual spring plant sale is scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 7, from 8:00 a.m. to noon on the Hopkinton Town Common - Park Street side, due to ongoing road construction. In the event of very heavy rain only, a Rain Date is planned for Sunday, May 8, 9:00 a.m. to noon. Any necessary updates will be published on our website, Facebook and Instagram pages (see addresses below). Cash, check and credit card payments will be accepted.
Club members will be selling annuals and perennials, many dug from their own gardens, to include a wide variety of flowers, vegetables, herbs and house plants.
The spring plant sale is the Hopkinton Garden Club’s major annual fundraiser. All members participate in this event, which funds the Club’s town beautification efforts and the Club’s education programs, to include the speaker series and the scholarship fund, as well as conservation objectives.
In response to the rapidly spreading Jumping Worm infestation across Massachusetts, Club members will take the extra precaution of bare-rooting plants dug in their yard. For donated plants we remove the soil from the roots, rinse the roots and then the plant is placed in a sterile potting medium as a precaution to minimize the spread of Jumping Worms.”
Joan Luciano, Master Gardener, and 38-year member of Hopkinton Garden Club adds, “I will be bare-rooting plants that I bring onto my property, not just to protect against Jumping Worms, but also against bringing in other pests or invasives.”
“Jumping Worms (JWs) are extremely destructive to our soil and hence, our plants. Destroy soil, and all the ‘good things’ in the soil are destroyed. There is no natural predator or man-made treatment. The scientific community is working on it, but it’s not available at this time,” notes Ruth Gorman, Master Gardener and 17+ year member of Hopkinton Garden Club. “JWs populate very, very quickly; two years ago, in the western part of the state, there was one identified sighting, and now they are all throughout the state!”
Gorman continues; “To prevent jumping worms from coming into your yard, prevention is key. When buying soil, mulch or compost, ask your supplier, ‘What are you doing to protect against Jumping Worms?’ I’m shredding my own leaves, and using shredded leaves as mulch, it improves the soil, and is environmentally friendly. It’s really best practices to use product that is meant for your soil, native to that soil. I’m starting to brush my shoe soles to make sure no JW egg cocoons aren’t hitching a ride in mud on my shoes.”
“I’m also really worried about the JW damage to the forest floor, as JWs will thoroughly eat through the organics in the top 3 inches of soil, leaving coffee-ground castings (poop) in their voracious wake. These castings easily wash away; between erosion and lack of organics to hold in the moisture undergrowth can’t survive and trees are more susceptible to drought and pests. Our best practices are to stick to prevention protocol. We really need to take this seriously,” Luciano affirmed.
More information on Jumping Worms will be at the sale.
The Massachusetts Master Gardener Association’s (MMGA) trained volunteers will staff a horticultural education booth at the Plant Sale. They will help answer visitor’s questions and answer questions about the Master Gardener organization. If you have a plant problem or garden design issue, please bring photos.
Free soil pH testing by The MMGA will also be offered at the Plant Sale. One of the most important components of a healthy garden is good soil. pH (a numeric score indicating soil acidity or alkalinity) is one measure of soil health. When pH is too low or too high, plants cannot access needed nutrients which may already be present in the soil, negatively impacting plant performance.
Is your grass doing poorly because it needs more nitrogen because it needs lime to reduce the soil's acidity? How about your garden/flower beds? Whether you are an organic or nonorganic gardener, a soil test is an easy and inexpensive way to make certain your soil is in good shape for whatever you want to grow in your lawn and gardens, and soil tests can save you money.
Different plants have different pH requirements; in addition to their pH results, event participants will receive a 2-page fact sheet listing the optimum pH for over 200 plants. For participants who need to adjust their pH, we will be providing a sheet of suggestions for the use of limestone (to raise) and sulfur (to lower) readings.
If test results indicate the need for a more comprehensive soil test, we will provide information on services offered by the UMass Soil and Plant Tissue Testing Lab.
Taking a soil sample for pH testing is easy! Please visit our website, Facebook or Instagram pages (addresses below) for details on preparing soil samples for pH testing.
The Hopkinton Garden Club is a nonprofit organization whose mission in the local community is education, beautification, and conservation. The Club was organized in 1924 and is an affiliate of The Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts. Find us on our Club’s website: www.hopkintongardenclub.org, Facebook (HopkintonGardenClub) and Instagram (@hopkintongardenclub).
