Native Oak Tree Project

As you've heard at the annual meeting or read in the CF NEWS, The Federation is helping to fund a native oak tree planting for all member Garden Clubs. Here are the details:

What:   Plant a CT native oak in a public location

            (park, school, street, etc.).

When:   Now through April 1, 2017.

Why:     It's our state and national tree and the best tree for supporting local wildlife.

How:    

?    Find a public location with lots of space for future growth.

?    Obtain permission to plant there.

?    Determine the best native oak variety for that location.

?    Locate a native tree to plant; we can help.

?    Establish a maintenance plan - who will mulch and water regularly the first 2 years.

?    Buy the tree (save the receipt) and plant.

Payment:    

?    The Federation will reimburse your club up to $200 for the tree (does not include planting).

?    Submit a copy of the invoice with the following: club name, tree location, native oak tree variety, date planted, brief description of planned maintenance, and the contact person and address to which the Federation check should be mailed.

?    No special format is required.  

?    A photo of the tree and/or dedication would be most welcome.

Project Chair Contact information:

Barbara Deysson,
216 Sylvan Knoll Rd.,
Stamford CT 06902                                      
(203) 249-0199       
email:  [email protected]

SCHOLARSHIP NEWS

FGCCT TOUR TO CHARLESTON

As our flight left the frigid northeast, it transported us to the sunny south in less than two hours. Local guide, Virginia, spoke to us with pride about her city of Charleston. We drove past many of the sights before we were dropped at our hotel in the center of the Historic District.

The weather was sunny, the food was heavenly and the legendary hospitality did not disappoint.

During our visit to Kiawah we were taken to a Demonstration garden by members of the Nature Conservancy at the Night Heron Garden. We also met with Bill Maneri, landscape architect who designed many gardens on Kiawah and in Charleston. He spoke with us and answered all our questions. The delicate balance between development and native habitat is fiercely protected by the Conservancy.

During free time, our travelers took the opportunity to go to gospel themed concerts, haunted cemeteries,Plantation gardens, shopping on King Street and much more.

Our dinners and lunches were bountiful...Cocktails on the rooftop of the romantic Vendue hotel...A cruise of the harbor highlighted events of the attack of Fort Sumter and history of Charleston.  Did I mention the charming streets filled with stunning flower boxes, slow moving fringe-topped carriages being pulled by horses as the tourists took in the sights? We paced our Glorious Garden tour to end at the Nathaniel Russell House for a tea, lemonade and wine reception.


A walking tour that included the Joseph Maginault House, the historic College of Charleston campus and the Second Presbyterian Church was a wonderful way to spend the morning.

The Middleton Plantation was a gorgeous location to see as the azaleas were in full bloom.

Reflecting on our trip will bring great pleasure to everyone who experienced it. I do hope you can join us for one of our fun-filled trips soon! We gardeners know how to have a good time!



* Kathy Kobishyn
FGCCT Tour Coordinator

GARDENING CONSULTANTS COUNCIL

2015 LOVE-LY GARDEN AWARD

Our gardens are now flourishing. As you view your gardens blooming, please consider entering them for the Love-ly Garden Award.  This award is in honor of Penny Jarvis, who loved to garden and bequeathed funds to the Gardening Consultants Council.  

The application and directions are available on the FGCCT website under "Forms."  Applications can be submitted online or by standard mail.  It is also very helpful to have a few before-and-after photos of the gardens. The deadline is June 15 and judging takes place in July when most gardens are at their peak.  However, if your garden appears at its best in Spring or Autumn, indicate this on your application.  We hope to be visiting YOUR garden this summer!    

* Mary Sullivan,
Gardening Consultants Council Chair  

Meet Nancy Lenoce

For Nancy Lenoce, it all comes together in the rose garden--her first love, photography, and her passion for gardening. Her husband, Al, started 15 years ago with five rose plants. Now their garden contains 500 roses and has been featured in Better Homes and Gardens magazine in addition to many local publications. "Al does the roses and builds the arbors and I do the perennials, the photos and the picking up," says Nancy with pride.  "We've been recognized by NGC on the cover of the National Member Services catalog. " Her photos have also been featured in the Visons of Beauty calendar.  

It was also 15 years ago that Nancy joined the Long Hill Garden Club in Trumbull. "As a brand new member, I was immediately attracted to The Federation's Gardening Study School and Landscape Design Study School. I signed up to exercise my brain," she laughs.  Nancy has now completed three of the NGC schools-all but the Flower Show School.

She soon became a member and then Chair of the Gardening Consultants Council . As Chair of the GCC, Lenoce was instrumental in starting the Love-ly Garden Award in honor of Penny Jarvis.  "I wanted to acknowledge the efforts of regular gardeners," she says. So each year, the Gardening Consultants Council visits garden club members' gardens and selects one for the award.

Nancy also initiated the Scholarship for Gardening Study School with the idea of attracting more students. "People have to get out of their own little circle and exchange ideas," says Nancy.

Nancy joined The Federation Board in 2005 and is now in her fifth year as The Federation's Chair for Historic/Memorial/Public Gardens. In that role, she reviews the annual reports from garden clubs to choose recipients for the state and national awards. She found it very instructive to go on the Landscape Design Study School visits to historical gardens around the state. "You don't realize what garden clubs are doing that may earn an award. And if people don't know what you've accomplished, they may not join the clubs."

As a photographer, Nancy has won blue, white and red ribbons in the new Photography category at the CT Flower and Garden Show. She also has photos in the CT Rose Society Calendar. In June, 2015, her picture of the 4th of July rose will be featured. And she will have two photos in 2016.

Nancy worked as a Branch Manager for World Book, handling sales and service for clients in the Northeast. Later she established her own company supplying schools and libraries with educational materials.

Al and Nancy enjoy opening their garden to visitors for free. They have had up to 1500 visitors in one weekend. During her eight-year stint as Membership Chair for the Long Hill Garden Club, Nancy often invited garden visitors to join the club. Last year she won the CT Tribute Award for All Around Excellence for helping to contribute to the growth of the club and to involvement in The Federation. She has also been awarded a Lifetime Membership in Long Hill Garden Club.

Married 58 years this July, Nancy and Al will watch their daughter wed in their rose garden this June.

* Lynn Hyson
News Editor

EYE ON HORTICULTURE: The June/July Garden

When it comes to the June garden, the first thing that comes to mind is peonies. Nothing is more glorious--I love them all. Beautiful, fragrant, large double blooms atop of pest-free glossy green foliage that looks great all summer, what could be better? 'Sarah Bernhardt', 'Festiva Maxima' and 'Raspberry Sundae' are a few of my old time favorites. If I had to say these plants had a downfall, it would be that their bloom times usually correspond with heavy June rains. We all know what that means.

So to alleviate the mess and to quench my desire for peonies (one can never have enough), I've turned to the singles, the semi-doubles and the Japanese types. While not as showy, they are pretty and are more apt to stand up without support. 'Charles Burgess,' 'Do Tell' and 'Nippon Beauty' are interesting varieties with single to slightly double outer petals and contrasting center petaloids.

Single pink herbaceous peony.

In recent years a coral color has been introduced. 'Coral Charm' is a semi-double that blooms coral and lightly fades from peach to pale yellow. The corals tend to bloom a little earlier, so don't worry about them clashing with the strong pinks.

Always on the hunt for the unusual, I came across a variety aptly named 'Alley Cat.' It has shaggy (almost scraggly) cream blooms with raspberry colored tips. So anti big perfect double type I had to give it a home.

Tree peonies are really a deciduous shrub. Unlike herbaceous peonies, they are not to be cut down at the end of the growing season and bloom approximately a month earlier. They are equally gorgeous, if not more so. There is a wide variety of color choices including multi-colored ones and others with contrasting centers.  After blooming, tree peonies should be deadheaded so the plant's strength will go to the roots and not into seed production.

I once mistakenly let one of the seedpods ripen, so, on a lark at the end of the season, I stuck the three black seeds it contained into the ground under the mother plant. The next spring, to my surprise, I had three little leaves, one per seed. I let them establish a root system for the next few years before I moved them away from their mother. It took another ten years before I saw any blooms. While all pretty, only one of the three resembles the mother. If you have time and are willing to wait, they can be grown from seed. Dividing tree peonies can be difficult and cannot be done on all types of tree peonies, so this gardener chooses to leave it to the professionals.

Tree peony grown from seed.

Two tree peonies grown from seed with the mother plant in the background.

One issue to watch for once you've made a tree peony yours is that some growers graft a piece of the parent plant onto a piece of herbaceous root stock in order to quickly increase supplies. As a result, the herbaceous root takes over to the detriment of the tree peony. You won't know this has happened until you see the fat, round herbaceous buds atop of new green stems at the base of your tree peony.  Tree peony buds are on the woody branches. If this happens, resist the temptation to let the herbaceous buds bloom and cut them off at ground level or your tree peony will suffer the consequences.

Intersectionals or Itoh peonies are relatively new to the market. They are a cross between herbaceous peonies and  tree peonies. They more closely resemble a lush, smaller tree peony but like the herbaceous types will completely die back to the ground in winter. They, too, come in exciting new colors. 'Julia Rose,' for example, is a cherry red fading to orange then yellow. They are gorgeous, but until supplies are increased, will remain a little pricey.

All types of peonies require basically the same growing conditions, full sun and fertile, well-drained soil. The tree peony is the only one that could take a little less sun. When given some afternoon shade, the blooms will last longer. They are also the largest peony, so be sure to give them ample growing room. Preferably all should be planted in the fall. The eyes of the herbaceous type should be no more than two inches below soil level. With the exception of the tree peony, fall is best time to cut down all stems and discard in order to prevent disease. Often these beauties may take a few years to reach their full potential, but they are certainly worth the wait.   

* Liz Rinaldi
Horticulture Chair

ANNOUNCING UPCOMING FGCCT TOURS

HISTORIC GARDENS AND ESTATES IN THE HUDSON VALLEY

September  9-11  2015

Enjoy a late summer coach trip to the Hudson Valley, prime territory for lush gardens. Spend three days enjoying the majestic landscape that borders the Hudson River, an area rich in history and unique garden designs. The splendid setting encompasses an almost infinite variety of design approaches, from formal and traditional to naturalistic.

In Pawling, NY, we will tour a private six-acre botanical garden designed by Duncan Brine. In Hyde Park, we tour Franklin Roosevelt's National Historic Site, the Rose Garden with 28 varieties of roses, as well as tour the Beatrix Farrand Garden at Bellefield.  

Delight in seeing distinguished gardens such as  Stonecrop and Innisfree, icons of landscape design that are now open to the public. Other treats include dinner at the Culinary Institute and a wine tasting at a Hudson Valley vineyard as well as a stroll across the longest and highest pedestrian walkway in the world on the "Walkway Over the Hudson."

For more information, click here.

Share Your Garden

CFNews is asking members to submit a favorite photograph of their gardens to share with our readers. A special spot, an unusual design, any image from your garden that you think is distinctive is welcome. We will publish them in the color Constant Contact version of the newsletter as space permits. Simply email a .jpg file to Lynn Hyson by the 10th of the month at [email protected]. Thank you.

Spring in the garden of Inge Venus, member of the Cheshire Garden Club.