The approximately 35 members of the Central Maine Garden Club recently saw a slideshow narrated by Doug Casentino on Colby College’s gardens.

Only three grounds crew members and one supervisor, Casentino, maintain the numerous flower beds, which “takes a lot of time, but not a lot of people,” Casentino said, according to a news release from Donna Sawyer with the garden club.

The steps of planting are important in creating a sustainable landscape, he said. First, test the soil. There are many places that do this testing. The cost ranges from free to $60. Next, plan the site. “How much sun does the site receive? Is it exposed to winter/summer winds? Make sure to water heavily the first season. Is there a roof that would dump snow on the site?” are questions to be asked, according to the news release.

The grounds keepers that work with Casentino plant 25,000 bulbs. They are always planted from outside to inside, making sure there are always flowers blooming in some of these locations. The crew is allowed to use discretion to place bulbs where they would be attractive, early, mid and late summer.

The daffodils are salt resistant, which allows for spring blooms. The bulbs are purchased from Longfellow’s, and the trees are ordered commercially.

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