Henry Block, an experienced local expert on gardening with native plants, will be presenting at the next monthly meeting of the Boothbay Region Garden Club on Wednesday, July 9 at approximately 2:30 p.m. at St. Columba’s Episcopal Church (32 Emery Lane, Boothbay Harbor).  The public is invited to join us for refreshments which will be served at 1:30 p.m. 

The presentation will be entitled “Gardening with Native Plants." Henry will talk about the definition of native plants and common misconceptions about what is, or is not, native to Midcoast Maine. The importance of native plants to birds and insect populations and diversity in landscaping will be discussed. Gardening and landscaping ideas will be explored including the concept of substitution which is using natives with similar growth habits and appearance to more commonly found non-natives. Information on where to buy native plants and where to get help will be provided. Photos will be projected to the group and a variety of potted specimens will accompany the talk and there will be time for questions at the end. The talk will be given from the viewpoint of a dedicated hobbyist with advanced apologies to any scientific professionals whose help and comments will be welcome! 

Henry is a charter member of Wild Things Midcoast Maine Chapter and belongs to Maine Audubon. He is also a charter member of Miami-Dade Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society, a member of The Tropical Audubon Society, the Miami Blue Chapter of the Butterfly Association, and the Sierra Club. 

As co-founder of the state and nationally recognized Kenwoods Outdoor Learning Center at Miami-Dade County Public School's Kenwood K-8 Center, he received the Native Plant Society's prestigious Margory Stoneman Douglas Award in 1988.and has been the long-time lead volunteer for that project. 

In Maine, Henry and his wife of 53 years, Cathy, have spent long summers in Lincoln County for 20 years. After many years in Bremen, they now live on Damarriscotta Lake in Newcastle. When at home in SE Florida they live in an old Spanish style home on a small lot in old Coral Gables, heavily planted with native South Florida species. 

In 2021 he gave a talk at the Coral Gables Farmer's Market entitled “Small Lot Landscaping With Native Plants” and more recently spoke about native plants at the Miami Beach Garden Club. 

Henry is a semi-retired commercial real estate broker in Florida (since 1981) for his family business, Jack Thomas, Inc. 

Please join us for this timely and important presentation! 

For more information: https://www.boothbayregiongardenclub.org/