Photos by Hannah Taylor ·
Friday, February 6, 2026
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On Saturday, Jan. 31, at the Harvard Senior Center, the Harvard Conservation Commission Land Stewardship Subcommittee hosted a native plant winter sow workshop—led by subcommittee member Brian McClain and Freddie Gillespie, the chair of Southborough’s Open Space Preservation Commission. Participants made planters out of recycled plastic jugs and took home a selection of native seeds to grow in their yards. The seeds, provided by pollinator gardens in Southborough, are from native plants that will attract native bees and other at-risk pollinators come spring.
Event organizer Brian McClain and Pam Durrant set up a planting station with an assortment of native plant seeds.
Lynn Thornton (left) watches as Freddie Gillespie carefully selects seeds for her to plant.
Jeanie Colony (left) and Marijke Vallaeys work on constructing planters made out of recycled plastic jugs.
Yelena Cope labels her planters. She planted seeds of calico aster and little bluestem.
Sisters Vivien Fair and Stacey Fair fill their planters with soil.
With guidance from Libby Levison (right), Matt Bosselait fills up a container with soil.
Freddie Gillespie brushes a palmful of narrow leaf fireweed seeds into a planter.
Peter Loges scoops up some soil to fill his plastic jug planter.