CHESTER, Vt. – When flowers suddenly appear all over Chester, it means that Chester Townscape (CT) volunteers have been at work, and summer will feature flowers that will bloom in a host of public places until frost. This year’s cold, late spring meant that CT’s volunteers had to hustle the minute the weather began to warm up to try to bring on summer abundance. Thus, it was all hands on deck in the last week in May for CT volunteers to plant all the bridge boxes, barrels, and pots for public and private places.
Fortunately, the 33 empty bridge boxes had been refreshed over the winter by Stu Stocker and friends. In late May, John McAveeney provided the outdoor space, tables, and hoses for several days when CT volunteers stopped in as they could to fill the planters and boxes – first with soil and fertilizer, and then with designated annuals and mulch, all to be watered until delivered to assigned bridges and public locations by Chris Meyer, Evan Parks, and Eric Reed on June 3, so everything would look marvelous for the alumni parade on June 6. The comings and goings of volunteers made an all-encompassing list of participants difficult.
Having completed all the boxes, 16 whiskey barrels, and 20 large pots for additional volunteers to tend and water daily over the summer, CT volunteers turned to the task of planting the Brookside Cemetery wall garden with 105 New Guinea annual impatiens on June 1. The impatiens took over the blooming display previously performed by the perennial alliums and daffodils. That planting crew included Mary Bittner, David Carey, Barbara LeMire, Polly Montgomery, Lynn Russell, Margie Straub, Lillian Willis, and Judy Yogman. With impatiens in place, soaker hoses on timers were then tested for leaks and wound among the plants. Finally, the garden beds were mulched. But that’s not all. Besides the Cemetery wall in the center of town, CT volunteers also tend and augment gardens at the information booth, Main Street gazebo, and the pocket park on School Steet.
Chester is renowned for its attractive, flower-filled look that welcomes residents and visitors alike all summer. Flowers can be seen in places all over town: in bridge boxes; in big barrels at the Yosemite Firehouse and Pinnacle; in large pots on the Village Green, the Hearse House, the public tomb, the information booth, the library, and the elementary school; in the window boxes at the town hall; and more. Chester Townscape thanks everyone who contributes physical and financial support to this massive show of love for the town. Anyone interested in becoming part of CT’s beautification efforts is encouraged to contact Lynn Russell at chestertownscape@gmail.com or at 802-875-2707.