We won't have any population updates or estimates from the Monarch butterfly overwintering grounds until February and perhaps even early March, when the counts are completed. As we wait and hope, keep your fingers crossed for NO deadly storms this year, and that the counts will show that efforts to restore habitat might, just might, be paying off. Stay tuned...

In the meantime, as you browse your plant catalogs in the warmth of a comfortable chair these frigid winter days, take note that the Perennial Plant Association has chosen one of Connecticut's native milkweeds - Asclepias tuberosa - as the 2017 Perennial of the Year! Wonderful news, as it means you may have an easier time finding it in nurseries this spring. A. tuberosa comes in both the more commonly found orange variety and 'Hello Yellow' - a beautiful yellow flowering variety. Often called "butterfly weed," A. tuberosa has no known insect or disease problems, and deer avoid it (what more can you ask?!)  In Colonial times, it was used as a treatment for pleurisy, which led to its common name in that period: pleurisy root.

From the Perennial Plant Association comes this description:

"Butterfly weed flowers are easy to recognize because of their "5 up & 5 down" appearance. Each flower has 5 colorful petals that hang down, and 5 upright curved petals called hoods, each possessing one horn. Horns are more or less orange, erect, sickle-shaped, inward curved, forming within the hood."

Blossom of Asclepias tuberosa.

A. tuberosa 'Hello Yellow.'

Like all milkweeds, A. tuberosa is a larval source for monarch butterflies. More manageable and lower in stature than many other kinds of milkweed, it grows well in zones 4-9 in a sunny border (even in the front!) with average to dry soils. 'Hello Yellow' grows one-and-a-half to three feet tall with a one to two-foot spread. The more common orange variety is a tad smaller at one to two and half feet tall with a one to one-and-a-half foot spread. Either will provide magnificent, eye-catching color in the summer perennial garden. AND ... you are helping monarchs!

Note that butterfly weed doesn't like to be moved and develops a very long tap root with age, so site selection is important. The Perennial Plant Association recommends waiting until spring to cut it back; like all milkweeds, it is very slow and late to emerge each year. You can also cut the plants back one time, early in the growth cycle, to encourage branching and more compact growth.

* Marty Sherman
National Project Chair

Southeast Idea Exchange Symposium

Based upon the success of the symposia held in 2015 and 2016, another is scheduled for March 16, 2017, at Mercy By The Sea in Madison.  The Southeast Idea Exchange Symposium provides a forum for clubs in the southeast area of our state to come together to share ideas and discuss meaningful topics ─ all with the goal of helping to make our clubs as good as they can be.  Look for an invitation in your "inbox."

* Arlene Field
FGCCT Second Vice-President and Symposium Chair

Merlin and his magical friends are ready to greet you at WOODLAND ENCHANTMENT on

February 23-26. Are you ready to meet them?  Perhaps you
are coming to bring a Horticulture exhibit. Perhaps you have friends who would like to bring an exhibit. After all, any amateur grower is welcome to enter horticulture. Either way, we have plenty of space for everyone's prized indoor plants or cuttings from a yard specimen.  Perhaps you could organize a group of friends to be hostesses, which comes with free entry. Perhaps you just want to come to the show to relax, eat and shop. As a member of The Federation you can receive reduced price tickets through February 10th by submitting the flyer that can be found on The Federation website http://www.ctgardenclubs.org/FlowerShow2017/Reducedtkts2016.pdf

There is so much to see at WOODLAND ENCHANTMENT!  Over the past few months you've been reading about the Designs in SECRETS OF THE WOODS, the varied selection of Horticulture in WHISPERS FROM THE WOODS, the SNAPSHOTS OF NATURE and Artistic Crafts in TURN STRAW INTO GOLD.  Aren't you just a bit curious as to how the GOLDEN EGG will be decorated?  Maybe you want to see the photographs of WOOD NYMPHS?  Surely, you have friends who have entered one of the divisions and you'd like to see their entries and how they placed. Next, stop and learn something new in BEYOND THE WOODS, full of Special Exhibits to educate you about various topics and societies.  After all, one of the goals of National Garden Clubs is to educate the public!

New this year is a People's Choice Design Award. Details will be available at the show. New, also, are two programs on Floral Design given by Judges from The Federation. Trish Manfredi will speak on Thursday, February 23rd at 2:00pm. Cathy Ritch will speak on Friday at 11:00am.  The topic for both designers is "Clever, Cute, Creative, a design for every lifestyle."  Please come and support them and even learn a tip or two!

You may not realize that the yearly Flower Show is the only fundraiser for The Federation.  So, your support is crucial...whether as an exhibitor, a volunteer, or part of the viewing public.

Finally, here's a little preview of what you'll find at WOODLAND ENCHANTMENT...(written by Donna Nowak)

Look for me under the enchanted tree or email me if you have questions or concerns, [email protected].

* Cathy Ritch
2017 Flower Show Chair

Publicity for Club Events at the Connecticut Flower Show

I'm pleased to remind you of an important policy change offering clubs the opportunity to publicize significant club events at the Connecticut Flower and Garden Show, February 23-26, 2017.  The updated policy is detailed below.

Clubs shall notify the FGCCT Second Vice President one month in advance of an upcoming event that they would like to publicize.  Space will be available in the area of the FGCCT Membership table to display printed materials no larger than an 8½ x 11" sheet of paper, tri-folded, for distribution to visitors to the show.  The materials must be provided to the Second Vice President either by U.S. mail one week in advance of the show, or on site at the Flower Show.  (Publicity for Plant Sales and May Markets is excluded, except if included as part of publicity for a significant event.)

Please contact me if you have any questions.

* Arlene Field
Second Vice-President and Membership Chair
203-268-6541
[email protected]

Why take a course in Landscape Design?

*    The Landscape Design Study School's purpose is to educate club members and the public on good landscape design practices.  Often members choose to update their own yards, advise town committees, or be competent professionals in landscape design.

What's involved?

*    This school is a two-day course with an optional multiple choice exam.  The curriculum of the program is divided into four courses; one course is given in CT each year.  Courses
may be taken in any order.
*    Garden club members passing two courses are offered provisional membership in the Landscape Design Council whose activities include programs, speakers, fabulous
trips and other aspects of continuing education in landscape design.  
*    Garden club members may apply for a Landscape Design Consultant Certificate by attending all four courses and earning grades of 70 or better.

Questions?  Contact Susan Laursen at 203-415-2077 or [email protected]

To register, download the form at www.ctgardenclubs.org/education.html

* Susan Laursen
Landscape Design Study School Chair
 

Meet Katherine Patrick

Currently wearing two hats for The Federation-as Gardening Consultants Council Chair and Gardening Study School Chair--Katherine Patrick is used to being busy. Born in Bridgeport, she grew up helping her grandparents, and later, her father, with their vegetable gardens."Gardening runs in the family," she says.

She met her husband Jerry at the University of Bridgeport and focused on raising their four daughters. During that time, she belonged to the now defunct Wepawaug River Garden Club, serving as president of a council of five clubs. She then moved on to the Milford Garden Club, where she is currently Program Chair. She is collaborating with the Milford Public Library to co-sponsor a series of events celebrating the club's 90th anniversary.

Patrick returned to school in her forties to study finance and began a career working for several credit unions. She was CEO of Bristol Group Federal Credit Union when she had a stroke in 2000. A leftie who no longer had use of her left side, Katherine retired and learned to function as a rightie.

She resumed her garden club activities and helped out with Gardening Study School, where she took over as Chair from Rodney Hayes. " I do enjoy that, it's a great way to get involved and learn," she says. Then Mary Sullivan retired as Gardening Consultants Council Chair and Katherine stepped up to lead the group of former GSS students on meetings and field trips. "If I didn't have my committee, I don't know how I'd get through,"  Patrick says modestly, "Ellie Tessmer proctors, Leslie Orlowsky is registrar, Rodney Hayes handles the Love-ly Garden Award, Mary Sullivan edits the GSC newsletter and Shelley Heldberg ensures that GSS complies with the NGC requirements. And Martha Shay will open her garden for a group visit this year."

Katherine also volunteers on the Boards of the Chamber of Commerce, the United Way, the Boys Club, to name a few. She and Jerry now have 11 grandchildren and three great grandchildren with another on the way. They enjoy gardening on weekends  at their 7-1/2-acre vacation home in New York State. They have a vegetable garden and four flower gardens, which they plant to attract pollinators.

Katherine sees a lot of change in the world, with developments in the environment and conservation. "The Federation is offering good opportunities to learn, to do more planting and conserving, for our children and the future. We are caregivers on the Earth for a short time and we must do the best we can," Patrick says. And clearly lives by these words.

* Lynn Hyson
News Editor

Since February is such a stark month garden-wise, I thought I'd take a lighthearted look at some gardening "don'ts" that have become glaringly apparent amidst the winter landscape.

The first example is what appears to be what is left of a Norway Maple after a very severe pruning. Now I don't claim to be an expert on pruning, nor do I have a particular fondness for Norway Maples, but this is an example of pruning gone wrong. (Norway Maples are non-native trees that are invading and taking over the woodlands that are normally home to native Sugar Maples.) You don't need a degree in horticulture to know that this is not the proper way to prune any tree. I think if a smaller shade tree was the look the homeowner was aiming for why not just plant such a tree?

Cercis canadensis, commonly called Redbud, is just such a tree. An outstanding smaller native shade tree, it is hardy in zones 4-9, prefers full sun to part shade and is not fussy about soil types except that it will not tolerate permanently wet soil. The lovely heart-shaped green leaves turn yellow in the fall. Redbud's fuchsia-colored flowers put on a stunning show in the spring, smothering the tree in color before the leaves emerge. The rounded crown of this little native requires little to no pruning and has a winter silhouette far prettier than that of an over-pruned Norway Maple.


Carpinus caroliniana, commonly called American Hornbeam, Musclewood or Ironwood, is another example of a native, small-to-medium-sized shade tree. It is hardy in zones 3-9, tolerates any degree of sunlight and prefers moist soils. It will even withstand periodic flooding. The leaves are dark green, oval in shape with serrated edges that turn shades of yellow, orange and red in the fall. Carpinus caroliniana produces catkin-like flowers in the spring. Especially in winter the real beauty of this tree becomes apparent. The smooth blue-gray bark of the trunk and larger branches exhibit a muscular fluting, adding visual interest to the landscape. For those who feel the need to prune, the good news is this tree CAN withstand frequent pruning to promote a denser shape!

This next picture is of a beautiful mature Rhododendron. I'm sure all of you are familiar with the large evergreen, leathery leaves and clusters of spring flowers in shades of pink, red, purple and white,  that have made this shrub a staple in the landscape for decades. So, with that being said and all kidding aside the orange- berry-covered vines sprouting forth from this shrub don't belong to the Rhododendron. It is Celastrus orbiculatus, an invasive plant commonly called Oriental Bittersweet.  Originally brought over from Asia in the 1860's as an ornamental, it has escaped cultivation and is now causing great damage throughout many parts of the U.S. by choking out native flora. If not properly disposed of, this invasive vine will quickly overtake and kill the Rhododendron. It may require several attempts of cutting the vines back to the ground and bagging them, the berries and as much of the orange colored roots as possible, for disposal before it can be completely eradicated. Knowing your plant/s description and keeping a watchful eye for invaders such as Oriental Bittersweet will help keep their spread at bay.

Winter is always a good time to reassess the landscape for any necessary (or unnecessary) pruning and if you can catch an invader or two, you will be doing yourself and the environment a favor in the long run.  

* Liz Rinaldi
Horticulture Chair

 

THE 2016 ENFIELD GARDEN CLUB ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PARTY BOARD OF DIRECTORS LEFT TO RIGHT: ANN MAZZA, JEANNIE NEWMAN, JOANNE KNEISS (CO-PRESIDENT), NANCY WYZGA, BETSY PILLITTERI, KATHE LOMENZO, SHARON CIANFARANI,  ALEX BOZZUTO (CO-PRESIDENT), JOANNE TAIT, JEAN LUCAS, JACKIS DAVIS, NATALIE GEORGE.