BELFAST — The Belfast Garden Club kicks off its 2023 speaker series January 17 with a free talk on pollinator-friendly gardens by Kate Garland, a horticulturist with the University of Maine Extension Service.

The one-hour public program, the first of nine lectures for 2023, will be streamed live at noon, in the Abbott Room, at the Belfast Free Library, 106 High Street. Those who wish to join from home, may attend via Zoom. For more information and to register, visit belfastgardenclub.org.

Pollinators like bees, birds and butterflies play a key role in the health of our gardens and ecosystems. Focusing on native plants and landscape management, Garland will offer practical tips for gardeners on ways to provide food, habitat and water resources for pollinators. Her talk will include an introduction to the Pollinator-Friendly Garden Certification program at the University of Maine Extension Service.

Since joining the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Service in 2010, Garland has helped support home, school, and community gardening efforts in Penobscot and Aroostook counties through workshops, newsletters, and volunteer engagement. She holds a bachelor's degree in botany and a master's degree in horticulture from the University of Maine.

Belfast Garden Club will offer six daytime and three evening programs in 2023 with support from the Belfast Free Library. Programs cover topics pertinent to gardening and the environment.

The daytime programs are held at noon at the library and are also available on Zoom. The evening programs, cosponsored by the library, are presented at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom only and this year focus on managing the impact of climate change on gardens, farms and forests.

Founded in 1928, the Belfast Garden Club promotes the knowledge and love of gardening, the protection of native flora and fauna, and the importance of civic beautification.