Gardening club return to meetings after three years

The green fingers of Mullingar and District Gardening Club return this week following an absence of almost three years, and meet in the Bridge Club on Thursday March 23 next at 8pm.

Danny Dunne, chairperson of the club, says it is great to be finally meeting face to face again.

“The last time the club met was March 2020, when we were forced to stop due to the pandemic lockdown.

“On the plus side, however, a lot of people got out in their gardens during that time, so we are hoping to welcome new members as well as familiar faces,” he told the Westmeath Examiner.

“We meet on the third Thursday of every month, and that runs from March through June, and from September through November, when we hold our annual dinner and floral display.

“We will have people coming in to give talks on everything and anything to do with nature, wildlife and gardening, gaining experience and sharing tips of our own,” said Danny.

“We usually hold a display in O’Meara’s Garden Centre every August, so that’s something look forward to – vegetables, floral art displays, jams and pastries, as well as photographs.

“We share seeds and cuttings at our monthly meetings, and we hold an our in-house competition of veg and flowers – whatever’s in season at the time. The winners get points each month, and at the end of the year, whoever has the most points wins the perpetual trophy.”

The club also host outings to gardens around across the country, including members’ gardens.

Membership of the Mullingar and District Gardening Club costs just €25 for the year, or €5 for visitors.

The first meeting of the year is on Thursday March 23 at Mullingar Bridge Club, 8pm.