FARMINGTON – Mark Labonte of Labonte Landscaping of Lewiston was the guest speaker at the April 15 meeting of the Mount Blue Garden Club.

Labonte played an essential part in saving of the Portland Flower Show and he told members about the history and frustrations of planning the 2003 show, future plans and of his role as director of exhibits. The show will now be called the People, Places and Plants Flower Show.

Labonte presented a slide program that illustrated the mistakes made when planting trees and shrubbery at homes and at commercial areas. The mistakes are with not researching the mature growth of specimens. Mature trees and shrubs grow into sidewalks, driveways and die away against sides of homes. Pruning or manipulating those plants cuts into their value. Cutting out the lower, supporting limbs of evergreens is an example. Most ominous, he explained, are the trees that grow up into power lines and become energized. The black coating on the wires is not an insulator.

Labonte is also the past president of the Maine Landscaping and Nursery and the Ornamental and Horticultural Associations of Maine.