MILLBROOK — Millbrook Garden Club members led a talk on gardens with a purpose beyond beauty in the April installment of the monthly Garden Matters series at the Millbrook Library on Saturday, April 11.
Expert garden designer Andy Durbridge of Wassaic gathered a rapt audience eager to get tips on selecting and nurturing plants attractive to birds and insects who serve as pollinators for area gardens and beyond.
About 25 attended the talk titled “Plant Communities in a Community Garden.”
“Gardening with a purpose” was a recurring theme, as Durbridge described how and why a garden is a community of plants, sometimes providing support for one another if well planned.
“Thousands of creatures work as pollinators,” Durbridge said, although most only think of birds and insects, the flying pollinators. Bats are major pollinators, as can be crawling insects.
Aim to have a garden that is not a monoculture was Durbridge’s advice. Native plants last longer, comfortable in the existing climate.
Done right, such a pollinator-friendly garden can look good, too, and no matter its size, whether grand or manageably tiny, it can contribute well to the Pollinator Pathway program being implemented throughout the region. Such gardens, dotted over the landscape, are beneficial to the passing pollinator, and remembered as a good place to visit.
“Change your gardening habits incrementally,” Durbridge said, noting that starting small is fine. “I don’t know if I could have a garden without ornamental grasses,” he added as a hint.
A proponent of no-till gardening, Durbridge urged gardeners to resist cultivating, and prepare the surface only.
“When you do big disturbances, you are making more work for yourself,” Durbridge advised.
He said the right selection of plants will lead to natural ground cover, reducing a need for mulch.
Next in the monthly series will be “Root to Flower: Honoring the Whole Plant,” on Saturday, May 9, beginning at 11 a.m.Presenting the program will be Kristen Essig of Stonewood Farm. The Garden Matters program is sponsored by the Millbrook Garden Club in partnership with Stonewood Farm and the Friends of the Millbrook Library.
Part of “Cool & Collected” at Kenise Barnes in Kent.D.H. Callahan
The Re Institute’s Holiday Show features more than 400 works by over 200 artists through Dec. 6, with a closing party from 1 to 4 p.m. that day.D.H. Callahan
Jennifer Terzian’s gallery showcases emerging and mid-career artists, with a focus on drawing, works on paper and painting.Provided
“From Ground to Gravity,” 2026, Oil on Canvas, 77 x 65 inchesProvided
“Nature Eternal,” 2026, Oil on Canvas, 77 x 47 inches.Provided
