WORCESTER City residents who died during the COVID-19 pandemic were honored on Arbor Day with the planting of three trees Friday at Elm Park.
To date, 421 Worcester residents have died as a result of the pandemic, City Manager Edward M. Augustus said.
In addition to recognizing those residents who have passed away during the pandemic, the trees are also a tribute to the city s health care professionals and other essential workers, organizers said.
“All of those people are heroes. They allow us to get through this pandemic,” Augustus said.
City Councilor Sarai Rivera said people have learned and gone through a lot, so it means a lot to Worcester residents to have a beautiful park to enjoy and to remember others.
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It has been a hard winter. It has been a hard year, full of rules, restrictions and distancing. Life came to a standstill in many ways. But despite this, some things maintained familiar rhythms. This blue and green planet that is home has continued to revolve around the sun and the quiet starkness of winter has given way to the promise of spring.
Now is the perfect time to get outside and to explore nature as it awakens. And Massachusetts has many beautiful gardens - old and new - to experience this comforting time of renewal.
Many of the gardens require advance tickets and reservations, face masks and social distancing. Call or check their websites for more information. Some of the public gardens offer reciprocal programs for members of participating gardens.
Mark Richardson explains that the geranium Rozanne is a beautiful, low-maintenance ground cover plant. (Courtesy Mark Richardson)
Environmentally-friendly gardening, once considered on the fringe, has surged in interest in the pandemic, according to Mark Richardson, director of horticulture for the Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston.
Richardson sees the trend in the sold-out tickets to the garden this month, and in the blossoming membership in the Ecological Landscape Alliance, which promotes eco-friendly gardening.
“So many people are interested in how they can garden in a more sustainable way,” Richardson, who sits on the Ecological Landscape Alliance s board, said. He added that people are specifically invested in learning how they can support pollinators, wildlife and how to garden in a way that s not environmentally damaging.
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