MELINDA MYERS

IRON MOUNTAIN — The Dickinson County Library in Iron Mountain, along with We Energies, will present “Beauty Outside Your Door,” a three-part series on gardening with hands-on gardening activities at 5:30 p.m., followed by webinars with gardening expert Melinda Myers at 6:30 p.m. starting today and continuing once a month through June.

The partnership aims to provide free and accessible information that focuses on practical, budget-wise gardening strategies for everyone. Teaming with U.P. libraries, Myers will provide free gardening webinars and projects to help patrons grow beautiful gardens, fruits, and vegetables, and help support pollinators.

Gardeners can help increase the green space in their communities, improve their health, and save energy through sustainable gardening and landscaping practices.

Part one of this series is at 5:30 tonight at the main library in Iron Mountain. This program will begin with an activity to create an herb fairy garden, followed by a webinar on “Container Gardening Throughout the Year.” This webinar will talk about using container gardens to boost the color and seasonal interest in any size landscape, garden, balcony, or deck.

Part two of this series will be at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 1, at the library in Iron Mountain. Participants will create a decorative cutting board, followed by a webinar on “Ornamental Fruits and Vegetables.” This webinar will discuss increasing the nutritional value and beauty of landscape by incorporating attractive fruits and vegetables into landscapes, garden beds and containers.

Part three will be at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 5, at the library in Iron Mountain. The program begins with attendees creating pressed flower lanterns, followed by a webinar on “Under-Appreciated Pollinators.”

The webinar will teach about a variety of pollinators, their role in the environment and their impact on people. Ways to co-exist with these often-overlooked and sometimes feared or dreaded animals that are essential to the production of food, fiber and other raw materials will also be discussed.

Myers is a nationally known gardening expert, TV/radio host and author who has more than 30 years of horticulture experience. She has written more than 20 gardening books, including the “Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition” and “Small Space Gardening.”

She has a master’s degree in horticulture and was a horticulture instructor with tenure. She was recently inducted into the National Association for Garden Communicators Hall of Fame. Go to to her website at www.MelindaMyers.com for gardening videos, podcasts, tips, monthly garden checklists and more.

Founded in 1967, the Dickinson County Library has its main site in Iron Mountain, along with the Solomonson Branch in Norway and the North Dickinson Branch in the North Dickinson County School building in Felch Township. For more information on upcoming programs, go to the library’s website at www.dcl-lib.org or call the main library at 906-774-1218.