Members of Garden Club of Lake Placid enjoy an outing to Adirondack View Lavender in Keeseville. From left are Clare Thayer, Joy Hayes, Leslie Walch, Janet Ticconi, Denise Erenstone, Joan Barton, Linda Vaught, Linda Gebhardt and Pearl McCahill. (Provided photo — Patricia Hofbauer)

Garden Club of Lake Placid Club members enjoyed a mid-July outing to Adirondack View Lavender. The field in Keeseville is in its final harvest of fresh stems.

Growing seven different varieties, of both English and French varieties, has proven successful for owner Lindsey Pashow on her 13-acre farm since 2008. The crop is not without challenges, though. Each spring she anticipates a number of plant losses from a harsh winter or wet spring. Lavender prefers a hot, arid climate. Locally, Munstead and Phenomenal are varieties you could try if you have full sun and good drainage. The U-Pick weekends are a favorite as staff instruct on how to cut your bundles to protect the plant and promote re-blooming. The season is short, from late June to mid-July. But with over 2,000 plants, the view with mountains as the backdrop is worth a visit every year.

The club also gathered in late June at the John Brown Farm State Historic Site in Lake Placid for another program on pollinators. This program by Dr. Janet Mihuc, area entomologist and professor at Paul Smith’s College, added a historical perspective to flower and insect relationships. With nearly 75% of crops pollinated by insects, the impact of pollution, deforestation, insecticides and other factors cannot be ignored when combating the decline of pollinators. Members learned of programs in New York since 2014 that are designed to understand the conservation of native insect pollinators.

The Lake Placid Pub and Brewery was the sponsor of the July work session at the Triangle Garden. It needed very little maintenance this month. The benefit of strong mature plants and a layer of mulch is good weed suppression. Some sunny days will help the coneflowers and brown-eyed susan buds open.

As the summer blooms display their colors, frequent insect checks are in order. The Japanese beetle is particularly destructive to flower and foliage. While a few insecticides can be somewhat effective, plucking them off by hand into a bucket of soapy water is a preferred method for small gardens. The beetles are lethargic in early morning, making the task a bit easier. Marketed traps are questionably helpful if you can place them far from your garden, not in your garden. At a close distance, you are essentially attracting them to your garden due to the pheromones used to lure the pests. The University of Minnesota found that of the lured beetles about 75% went into the bag. The others still wreak havoc and in large number their pheromones draw even more beetles to your area. Japanese beetle grubs spend the winter underground in the soil of lawns and other grassy areas. It is a battle that doesn’t seem to end.

Members are busy preparing for presentation of their Four Seasons Fashion Show on Aug. 6 at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts. Local boutiques and designers will feature clothing for women, men and children. Tickets can be purchased online at lakeplacidarts.org. A wine and hors d’oeurve reception begins at 3:30 p.m. with the fashion show in the auditorium at 4:30 p.m.

(Patricia Hofbauer is a member of the Garden Club of Lake Placid.)