“To everything,” the famous song by “The Byrds” tells us, “There is a season.”

For the Natick Garden Club, every season is a time to plant.

On the cusp of autumn, the group gathered in downtown Natick to put their green thumbs to work.

On that Wednesday morning in mid-September, a lingering hint of summer heat and sunshine shone upon the pavement. From a makeshift workstation on the corner of Court and Main streets, members and volunteers of NGC pulled from a supply of plants arrayed on the sidewalk.

Sconce planters already affixed to brick facades of buildings would soon become hosts for the flora awaiting their forever homes.

“We design it; we plant it,” said Elizabeth Carroll. She is Chairperson for the NGC’s fall planting season, and also serves as Co-Chair for the town’s “Art In Bloom” event.

“To keep everything alive,” said Carroll, representatives from the Natick Center Cultural District take on the task of watering the plants. 

Located on Court Street, the cultural district office is within a garden stone’s throw of the arrangements.

The organization has other ties to the Natick Garden Club, including supplementing its funding from time to time. The two groups have a shared mission: To enrich Natick’s cultural and commercial spaces.

To keep membership flourishing, the NGC holds evening meetings. That makes it workable for volunteers who work during the day. “That makes it more accessible to people,” said Carroll. 

The club has been around since 1998, and includes about 140 members. Most of NGC’s funding comes from dues paid by members.

In exchange, those members find community and learn more about the planting process.

“I knew nobody,” said Natick resident Linda Lentz. For her, the town was a place where she slept and commuted to and from work, with little opportunity in between to socialize. “It’s been a great way to meet new friends.”

Across Main Street, volunteer Laurie Adelstein was helping the club’s current president steady a sconce that slipped its fastenings and was now askew. The fixture adorned the façade of the Debsan paint and wallpaper store.

Adelstein agreed that the club was a fun and informative way to meet like-minded people and learn new skills.

The NGC maintains 35 planters in the downtown area, bringing a flourish of living color to the community. An additional six containers make up the constellation around the Morse Institute Library.

In addition to collection dues, the club hosts a plant sale every spring to finance its efforts. As part of its mission, the NGC also offers funds scholarships for Natick High School students.

The club does a mass planting for each season, and flora are carefully selected by the group to survive and thrive in those elements.

Spring brings pansies and daffodils, summer sees an assortment of geraniums. Dogwood is favored for its flourish of color during gray and dark winter months.

Natick merchants pitch in to help the NGC purchase plants and flowers, and in return see their brick storefronts blossom year-round.

“It really keeps the downtown looking vibrant,” said Carroll.