ANDOVER — Andover Garden Club celebrated Earth Day Wednesday morning with the dedication of donated trees to the town at Bicentennial Park and the Park at the Town Common.
An Eastern redbud tree was freshly planted Tuesday in preparation for the ceremony at Bicentennial Park on Central Street. A Fringetree was planted in the Town Common.
Andover Garden Club Civic Beautification and Horticulture Co-Chair Judy Wright, who has been a Garden Club member since 1985, said the trees are part of the club’s yearly donation to the town.
The club’s mission is to beautify the town while helping to protect and conserve natural resources. The club also ensures its plantings are native to the area.
“Every year we have been able to make a presentation of a tree,” she said. “It’s become a nice tradition.”
The Garden Club worked with the town and Superintendent of Forestry, Parks and Grounds and Cemetery Paul Sanborn to find appropriate locations for the new plantings.
The club has 65 members and 18 committees. Members of the Civic Beautification and Hotriculture Committee, led by Wright and Co-Chair Caroline Grady, work on the yearly tree donation to Andover.
The tree dedication usually coincides with Arbor Day, but fell on Earth Day this year, Wright said.
The club’s other donated trees can be found in places like the Spring Grove Cemetery and around “Entering Andover” signs in the south part of town.