PARIS – Michael Desplaines, executive director of the McLaughlin Foundation, addressed the Rotary Club at the Aug. 10 meeting. Desplaines holds a degree in horticulture and also owns and operates Copperline Ranch where he raises organic produce that he sells at the Norway Farmer’s Market.

Desplaines presented a slide show that told the story of the garden and Bernard McLaughlin, its founder. McLaughlin had an amazing vision and was passionate about his garden, always inviting the public to enjoy it with him, Desplaines said. He started collecting perennials, wildflowers and lilacs and planted trees to shade what at one time had been pastureland.

Unlike most public gardens, which usually had belonged to the wealthy, McLaughlin Garden was the work of a man of modest means who had been employed as a grocery clerk and bank teller. Some of the many plants that Desplaines showed included ferns, trillium, May apples, jack in the pulpit, bee balm, bug bain, hosta and heads and chicks.

The group was told that some historic preservation work will be done on the house and barn starting this fall. The rails in the barn (being removed soon), are not part of the original structure and were added in the 1940s as part of the war effort so that heavy equipment could be rolled into the barn without damaging the floor. Two of the main rooms of the house will also be restored featuring period details from the 1800s. A recent grant will pay for the cost of the preservation work.

In addition to the garden, there is a caf which is open Wednesday through Saturday for lunch and a gift shop open daily featuring jewelry, garden tools, toys, Vera Bradley purses and more. For more information, visit the garden and/or the Web site at www.mclaughilngarden.org.

The Oxford Hills Rotary Club was chartered in 1983. The theme for this year is Service Above Self. The club meets at 7:30 a.m. every Wednesday at the First Congregational Church in South Paris. Anyone interested in attending a meeting, contact President Roy Earl at 527-2828 or check out www.oxfordhillsrotary.org.