Get ready for a fun-filled week of exciting and informative programming at Henrietta Hankin Branch Library! Inspired by the Longwood Gardens Community Reads of 2024 (The Last Garden in England by Julia Kelly and The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett) with its focus on gardens as a source of human healing, we will be kicking the week off on Sunday, May 19th with a Plant Swap from 1:00-3:00 pm in the Community Room. This will be followed with a whole series of events throughout the week, including virtual and in-person presentations by local experts, a gardening book chat and discussion of the Longwood Gardens Community Read books, crafting programs and even a movie night! A limited number of family passes will be raffled off at each event and there will be light refreshments and seed give-aways.
The presentations will start off with Natives Nurture, a virtual presentation by Kerry Wilson, a gardening expert from the Delaware Nature Society on Monday, May 20th, from 5:30-6:30 pm. Join us either in-person at the library or via Zoom to learn about why there is a call to action to garden with native plants and how you can make a difference with your backyard habitat.
On Tuesday, May 21st, join us from 6:30-7:30 pm for a fascinating in-person presentation, Buzzing Through Beekeeping: A Comprehensive Overview, with Damon Ireland of the Chester County Beekeepers Association. Whether you are a honey fan, want to include more beautiful flowers in your yard, or enjoy engaging in activities that will have a positive effect on the environment, beekeeping can be a fun and sustainable hobby.
Our Wednesday line-up includes a fun Gardening Book Chat from 2:00-3:00pm. Participate either by Zoom or in-person to see what books we have to help you grow your garden. Later that afternoon, gather up your friends and join us for our Sow and Tell Week movie night as we show This Beautiful Fantastic. This romantic comedy released in 2017 is rated PG and presents a whimsical tale of a young woman, Bella Brown (played by Jessica Brown Findlay), whose disorderly life is thrown into further chaos when her landlord gives her 30 days to transform her unloved and unkempt tangle of a back yard into a proper Victorian garden or be evicted. Doors will open at 5:30 pm and the movie will start at 6:00 pm.
On Thursday, we have back-to-back activities, starting with a virtual presentation at 3:00 pm by Mt. Cuba Center gardening expert, Leah Brooks, on Shade-Loving Perennials. Participants are welcome to join us to watch at the library or participate from home via Zoom. An origami crafting event at 5:30 pm will wrap up our Five Weeks of Folded Flowers, which started on April 25th (previous attendance is not required.) Registered participants will be led in the folded creation of a beautiful flower. The day will end with an in-person presentation from 6:30-7:30 pm on Ornamental Grasses in Your Landscape by Penn State Extension, Chester County Master Gardeners, Cassandra Hogue and Dennis Inverso.
Our Sow and Tell Week will finish off on Friday, May 24th, with a focus on stories that emphasize the importance of gardens in our lives. At 10:30 am our Picture It story hour for adults will feature a reading of The Gardener of Alcatraz: a true story, by Emma Bland Smith and illustrated by Jenn Bly. And at 2:00 pm, join us either in-person or online for a discussion of the Longwood Gardens Community Read selection for adults, The Last Garden in England, by Julia Kelly.
For more information or to register for any of these programs, please visit: http://bit.ly/4aRMiaF Thanks to the Friends of the Hankin Branch Library and the Chester County Library Trust for their support of the programming included in this week-long celebration, and to Longwood Gardens for the inspiration of their Community Read and for donating the free passes raffled at our events. Henrietta Hankin Library supports PA Forward Civic and Social Literacy.
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