ANNUAL AWARDS MEETING

I was delighted to meet so many Presidents at the Presidents' Day meeting.  The October 28th Awards meeting will be a wonderful meeting for all Garden Club members to attend. Get a group together and join us.

You will have an opportunity to see 10 Holiday Designs done by clubs that will give you ideas for decorating your own home for the holidays. You will learn of the interesting projects that clubs like yours have done in the past year to help beautify their towns - ideas that you can adopt in your area.

 I have some lovely new vendors for you to visit that day - hand-painted silk scarves, special salad dressings,  dried wildflower pictures, new items from Debbie's Pots, bulbs, plants and holiday decorations from Natureworks and the glorious items from our always-present vendors.
 
I await your registration forms. You may click here for the form, or go to ctgardenclubs.org/ and click on the link in the marquee of the home page. Fifty have already sent in their forms. Deadline for sending yours in is October 21.  Looking forward to seeing you and your members at this wonderful event. 

* Margaret Hopkins
Meetings Chair

Meet Margaret Hopkins

A native of Hamden, Margaret Hopkins earned her Associates Degree in Medical Technology from Quinnipiac University and a BS in Medical Technology from UConn. When she won a scholarship, Richard Hopkins wanted to meet the person who beat him out "when he deserved it." They began dating and then he went to war and she completed school.  At Quinnipiac, Margaret took a course in public speaking, which she says, "helped me more than anything else." And at UConn she learned how to make flower arrangements, which she got to take home. "That got me started," with floral design, she recalls.

After marrying Richard, Margaret worked at St. Raphael's Hospital until they moved to North Branford and started their family. They now have 5 children and 11 grandchildren who all live within 45 minutes of them in Madison, where they've lived since 1967. While raising her children, Margaret held several part-time jobs and has been president of 8 organizations. In addition to serving as President of the Woman's Club, St. Margaret's Ladies Church Guild and several Parent Teacher Organizations, Hopkins was the first woman President of her Parish Council. She was also the President of the Garden Club of Madison.

Margaret worked for the town of Madison for 15 years registering residents for the rental of town facilities. This included weddings on the beach. Margaret laughs, remembering "some wild events! We held one event on a deck during a hurricane, and in one wedding the best man was a dog! It was a great adventure."

So when President Jacqueline Connell needed a Meetings Chair, she turned to Margaret. "I love to be involved with people," says Margaret, "I love being Meetings Chair. Aqua Turf is so accommodating and the food is excellent." For this month's Awards Meeting, she has lined up 11 vendors.

Four years ago, Margaret worked with friends to create "A Man's Smoking Corner" for the CT Flower and Garden Show. Despite an ice storm and two collaborators who got sick, they won a blue ribbon. "We proved ourselves," says Margaret. The next year she won Best in Show at the Garden Club of Madison.

At home, Hopkins maintains perennial gardens in an oak forest. Her husband has built dry stone walls and she created garden rooms: a private area, a play area, a public area and a lawn for the kids. When she isn't babysitting for her grandchildren,  Margaret travels the world with her husband, collecting "beautiful things."

*  Lynn Hyson
News Editor

Milkweed Seed Collection

This fall, FGCCT once again urges clubs to contribute to restoration of habitat for monarch butterflies by participating in Monarch Watch's milkweed seed collection program. The seeds we collect will be sent to Monarch Watch in Kansas, where they will be grown into young plants, which will then be distributed to areas where milkweed is in short supply.

Connecticut lies in Ecoregion 221 (designated by the USDA Forest Service), and is within the main summer breeding area for monarchs in the eastern United States. Seeds that clubs collect will be sent to Monarch Watch, and will be used for habitat restoration efforts.

Here is what your club can do to participate:

* What to collect: The main monarch host plant in this region is Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed), with other species used by monarchs, in their order of abundance and preference, being A. incarnata (swamp milkweed), A. tuberosa (butterflyweed), A. verticillata (whorled milkweed) and A. exaltata (poke milkweed). PLEASE BE SURE YOU KNOW WHICH VARIETY YOU ARE COLLECTING AND LABEL THEM!

A. syriaca

A. incarnata

A. tuberosa

A. verticillata

A. exaltata

* When to collect: ripe pods split upon touch and the seeds should be brown or "browning up." Do not collect pods in which the seeds are white, cream-colored or pale. Be sure to obtain permission before collecting on private property or federal, state or county properties!

* Be safe. Do not collect seeds along busy highways. Remember that milkweed sap can damage your eyes. Wear gloves while collecting milkweed pods and avoid contacting your face, or region of the eyes, with the gloves. Wash your hands carefully after handling milkweed pods. If milkweed sap gets into your eyes or that of a fellow collector, seek medical attention immediately. If you know you have an allergy to latex, be sure to protect your skin and eyes from the sap.

* LABEL a separate, sealed container for the seeds of each milkweed species you collect.  Ziploc bags work well. Include the following information:
o    Contact info: name, address, phone number and/or email for a representative of the club.
o    The date, county, and state of the collection.
o    The species collected.

* How much? Collect as much as you can. Many pounds of milkweed seeds are needed for seed mixes used in roadside or landscape restoration. You do not have to separate the seeds from the silk unless you wish to do so. (If you choose to separate the seeds, try placing a few coins in a clean, empty plastic container. Add the contents of the milkweed pod and close the container tightly. Now, shake the container until the seeds fall to the bottom and the fluff forms a ball on top.)

* Avoid milkweed bugs! Milkweed bugs (bright orange and black insects) use their beak or rostrum to pierce and feed on milkweed seeds, rendering them inviable. Please DO NOT COLLECT open pods with milkweed bugs on the seeds or pods. Avoid introducing milkweed bugs into the bags in which you are placing pods.

* Genetic diversity: Incorporate as much diversity as you can into your sampling of pods. You can do this by collecting your pods from more than one site.

Please send your labeled seeds to:

Questions? Call Marty at (203) 263-2260 or email [email protected]
 
* Marty Sherman
State Project Chair

Youth Programs

As Garden Club members, we are very aware of the natural world around us and the environmental issues that affect our worlds and our gardens.  We  love  our flowers and  the beauty of our flower arrangements.  Who is better qualified to show children the joys of a garden, to share love of the natural world and to teach the importance of caring for the environment?

Your club may choose to organize and/or sponsor a Youth Garden Club.  These clubs hold regular meetings and encourage leadership skills, teach the art and science of gardening, promote awareness of the environment and  explore conservation techniques.  Meetings are usually held in a school or a boys and girls club.

However, you do not need a youth chair or a youth committee or a youth club for your club to do a youth program.  What you do need are a few interested, willing club members, an idea and a group of children.  Your group can be a school class, a scout troop, a boys and girls club or a community center club.  You may even see an opportunity or a need for a program in a neighboring town.  Your youth program can be a single event, a series of seasonal sessions or a continuing weekly program for a month or two.  It can be part of an Earth Day Celebration, a School Science Fair or a town-wide event.  Youth programs are only limited by your members' time, talent and interests.

Your club can also sponsor an FGCCT Registered Youth Garden Club.  The main focus of these clubs is to teach basic skills and formal flower arranging techniques.  Children in these clubs may participate in standard flower shows and win ribbons.  

Whatever youth programs your club chooses to do, you will be encouraging  children to explore their environment, to enjoy gardens and to help improve our natural world.  And...you will be having fun!

*Ann Germano
Youth Chair

National Garden Club Youth Contests

Children love contests and projects.   The National Garden Club offers several contests for different grade levels.  The entries must be sponsored by a garden club or group of garden clubs.  The child who enters the contest may be a child or grandchild of one of your members, a member of a Youth Garden Club or a child from one of your youth programs.

All the contests are judged first on our state level.  State winners are sent on to the New England Regional contest.  Regional winners are then sent on to the National level.  Regional winners will receive a cash prize.  Awards at the National level vary by contest.

I am listing only the basic information for each of the contests.  Detailed information can be found on the National web site.  Go to www.gardenclub.org, go to Youth Contests and click on the individual contest name.  You will be able to download specific contest rules and the necessary entry forms.

Woodsy Owl/Smokey Bear Poster Contest

    Grades    1-5

    Poster: 11x17 poster, not three-dimensional

    Original art work: need accurate colored costume for owl or bear

    Message: conservation, don't pollute, or fire prevention

State deadline: January 22,  2016

    Information: Inge Venus ( [email protected])

Poetry Contest
Grades   K-9
Subject: "Those croaking, leaping frogs"
Form: Any form of poetry.   Does not have to rhyme.
State deadline:  January 15,  2016
Information:  Ann Germano ( [email protected])
    
Sculpture Contest
Grades   4-8
Size: must fit on an  8 1/2" by 11" piece of paper
Made of recycled, reused or reduced material
How to enter:   two 4x6 photos attached to entry form
State deadline:   January 1, 2106
Information:  Ann Germano ( [email protected])

Essay Contest        
(A National Scholarship Contest)
Grades   9-12
Topic: "Don't Let the Frogs Croak"
Form: must be typed 600 to 700 words
State deadline: January 1, 2016
Award: $1,000 scholarship.if underclassman, will be saved til senior year)
Information: Ann Germano ( [email protected])

Distinguished Service Project  Youth Award  # 76
Grades  9-12
Time frame:  June 2015-May 2016
Project:  something that has significant improvement for public benefit:
such as  a landscape project, a garden, a conservation or environment project
Award:  $100.00
State deadline:  April  1, 2016
Information:  Ann Germano ( [email protected])

Container Garden Contest   
(Garden project done by a school group)
Grades  1-5
Theme: "Protect our friends the pollinators"
Type of container: portable or stationary
Plants: emphasize native plants that attract pollinators
State deadline:  February 1 , 2016
Information:  Ann Germano
( [email protected])

Last ESS Invitation for 2015

*     No, it is Not Too Late! Yes, you can hear seven superb speakers cover eight topics over two days AND explore Sessions Woods' "Backyard Wildlife Habitats" with one of its designers, Peter Picone, CT DEEP.

*     You do need to act quickly, though. Course I, Series 3, "The Living Earth," starts Tuesday, October 6, and meets Wednesday, October 7, as well.

*    (Those who wish to take the course for credit need to know the exam will be in the morning of October 8.)

*    All Tuesday and half of Wednesday, we'll meet at the Kellogg Environmental Center, Derby.  Wednesday, after lunch, we'll drive to Sessions Woods, Burlington.

*     Who else will present?

    Oswald Schmitz (Yale University) who always covers at least one topic, will be our first speaker Tuesday. He'll cover "Ecology," and set the bar high for everyone speaking.

*    Neil Schultes, (CT Agricultural Experiment Station) follows. The scope of his topic, "plants- Biodiversity," expanded. Now the speaker is asked to cover a species in depth, discussing its value and ecological niche. Neil can focus on corn, historically, hybridized and genetically modified.
    
*    Martha Phillips, Litchfield Garden Club, received the Garden Club of America's Margaret Douglas Medal at last spring's Annual Meeting, for her notable service to the cause of conservation education.  She'll tackle "Historic Environmental Actions and Leaders" and after lunch, investigate "Networking and Outreach."
    
*    Susan Quincy, one of CT DEEP's two educators, will introduce a topic new to Course I- "Sustainability."
    
*    Sherill Baldwin (CT DEEP, Hartford) will uncover "Environmental Issues," and share her list of Dirty Words.
    
*    Laurel Kohl (Eastern's Institute of Sustainable Living) will connect everything in "Environmental Science."
    
*    You may have read or heard about Sessions Woods recently. Exploring it with Peter Picone will be quite a treat.

    

GARDENING STUDY SCHOOL

COURSE II - SERIES 7

OCTOBER 13-15, 2015

Plans are well underway with a great line up of instructors for this year's Gardening Study School being held in the Jones Auditorium of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) in New Haven.  The two days of courses are followed by a third day when optional tests are administered for those participants seeking credit to become a NCG Gardening Consultant.  Participants who are already accredited Gardening Consultants may Refresh their status by attending the classes but are not required to take the tests.  The topics to be covered this year are:

Understanding Plant Diseases and Garden Pests
How New Plants are Developed and Evaluated
Techniques for Growing Lawns and/or Lawn Alternatives
Techniques for Growing Vegetables and Herbs
Composting Basics
Container Gardening  

Full Course - $110 (Garden Club Members)/$120 (Non-Members)
Optional Lunch - $12/day

Come join us for two information-packed days with passionate fellow gardeners  intent on improving their gardening skills. Click here for the Registration Brochure.  If you have any questions regarding this year's course content, course registration or the benefits of becoming a NGC Garden Consultant please contact the 2015 GSS Co-Chairs:  Marilynn Klepfer at [email protected] or Joanne McKendry at [email protected].

*Marilynn Klepfer
Gardening Study School Co-Chair

NEW ENGLAND REGION (NER)

ANNUAL MEETING

All Connecticut garden club members are welcome to attend the NER
Annual Meeting October 20-21.  If you are interested in a couple of fine lectures and to hear about what regional awards clubs and individuals have won, plan to attend-especially if it fits with your own New England leaf-peeping trip.  It's in Portsmouth, NH, at a great time to be traveling to that area.  There is much to see and do in this picturesque and vibrant harbor town.  Visit our FGCCT website at www.ctgardenclubs.org and click on the info in the marquee.

Last month I discussed some plants that held their own in the summer's heat, but I would be remiss if I did not elaborate on one plant in particular that did not fare well during the late summer drought.

All my Astilbe except those planted in deep shade suffered some degree of burn-out. Now, I love Astilbe with their fern-like foliage and their fuzzy plumes in shades of pink, red, white and lavender.  I have many varieties and use them throughout the garden where it calls for the graceful look of the ferny foliage.  Even the ground cover Astilbe chinensis 'Pumila' dried out, and this variety can tolerate drier conditions than most. The dried out parts will not recover and it will not put out new growth once watered.

Nominating Committee is now in session

JOIN US FOR THE FGCCT YULETIDE TOUR

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

A Standard Flower Show

CT Convention Center

February 18-21, 2016

Section B in our "In the Spotlight" schedule is Circus Acts.  Great physical strength and agility are required in all the acts of a circus.

The first class in this section is "Flying Trapeze."  It is a hanging design where you can really use your creative talents.  The second class is "The Fire Eater," which is a design staged on one of our new pedestals that are 15" square and only 35" high.

The final class in this section is entitled "The Juggler."  It is a Companion Class.  This is a new idea we are trying to help Novice Designers gain a bit more confidence in entering the state show.  The Novice Designer is required to work with another designer to complete their design.  The companion can be a judge, a friend, or any other helper the Novice needs to feel confident.

We're now one month closer to this year's show. My committee is formed and many chairmen will be looking for volunteers to help out.  We'll need Hostesses, Judges, Clerks, Painters and helpers to set up and place Horticulture and Design.  Articles will be appearing in future issues of the CFNEWS as well.  I hope many of you will be willing to help out. For the flower show schedule, go to http://www.ctgardenclubs.org/FlowerShow2016/FSSchedule2016a.pdf. More to come!

* Barbara Bruce

2016 Flower Show Chair

*****

Please sign on as staff for the FGCCT 2016 Flower Show, IN THE SPOTLIGHT!  We are looking for hostesses and hosts to help guide our visitors through this year's  exciting interpretation of the performing arts.    Not only is this a way to do your part to make this show a success, but you receive a FREE ticket to the show!  Call a few friends and sign up for a two-hour shift.  

For details, contact Cheryl Damiani, Host/Hostess Chair, [email protected] or 203-870-6442 (landline),630-835-6630 (iPhone). Thank you.

*Cheryl Damiani
Host/Hostess Chair

Landscape Design Study School

¥    Course includes 2 days of speakers March 22-23, and an optional exam on March 24.

¥    Course fee is $120 (includes lunch for both days).

¥    This course is for the everyday gardener and for those who wish to provide input to projects in their community.  Courses may be taken in any order, March is Course II of IV.  Taking two course exams results in 'Provisional Member in Landscape Design Council' and four
exams obtains 'Certification in Landscape Design.'
¥    Registration forms will be available in November.

* Susan Laurson
Landscape Design Study School Chair

LYME GARDEN CLUB

TOWN CENTER PROJECT

More than two years ago, the Town of Lyme building committee approached the Lyme Garden Club about landscaping the proposed new Town Campus Center that would include a new library, a renovated town hall, and a new Town Green.  The town had not allocated money for landscaping the project, but knew Lyme Garden Club had an endowment of about $17,000: a bequest in memory of a former member.  Lyme Garden Club members voted to spend the endowment for landscaping, and a volunteer sub-committee of the garden club was formed.

The committee hired Lyme Landscape Architect Sarah McCracken to develop plans. The committee requested that the landscaping fit the ethos of Lyme, be sustainable by an aging garden club population, and be affordable both to plant and to maintain.

In spite of a sizeable endowment, it quickly became evident that the money would not support the scope of the project.  Through word of mouth and local media, a fundraising campaign to donate memorial trees, purchase daffodil bulbs, and build a contingency fund brought in enough money to complete the project.

In fall, 2014, Phase I of the project began. Sixteen native trees, more than 6 ft. to the lowest branch, were purchased and two local landscaping companies donated their crews to plant these.  In addition, the Lyme town crew planted another four trees and large shrubs, and another local landscaper planted boxwoods in front of the new library and some additional shrubs at both the library and town hall.  In late fall,  the committee planted several hundred daffodils and other bulbs that the committee purchased, as well as planted 400 donated daffodil bulbs with volunteers from High Hopes, a local, not-for-profit.  The Town Campus Building Committee absorbed the cost of adding topsoil to the Green.  It was November 1 before the Green and Meadow were hydroseeded.  

Phase II began in the spring.  The committee was amazed that everything planted had survived.  Boxwoods and other heeled-in shrubs were planted in front of the renovated town hall.  Garden club members added beautiful Hellebores to the shrubs, and Vinca was planted as a ground cover.  At the library, Hellebores, more boxwoods and an assortment of other plants were added to complete the entry gardens.  

To complicate things, Gypsy moth caterpillars invaded the trees and BT was sprayed by Bill Denow, who became the most hands-on working member of the committee.  He had set up a watering system for the property, but the town had not provided large enough pipes to support more than building use.  So, the committee sustained the trees and the gardens at each building, but the Green and Meadow suffered.  The grass was not able to germinate because of lack of water.  However, the daffodils and other bulbs, as well as the shrubs were beautiful.

Phase III, in early June, began with the planting of two herb gardens on either side of the library entry.  These were done in honor of Betty Cleghorn, who had designed the herb garden on the original library property.  St. Fiacre, the patron saint of gardening was again placed in the herb garden.

Newly planted herb garden in July.  Watering system that Bill Denow set up throughout the beds.

Phase IV began in September with reseeding of the Green and meadow.  This time water will be trucked in if needed, with two members working with a local landscaping crew to distribute the water.  Additionally, daffodils will be added to the landscaping and along the wall that surrounds the property.  Trees and shrubs will continue to be watered and maintained until the end of the season.

The Lyme Garden Club will continue to support the trees for the next two years as well as provide maintenance for the plantings at the town hall and at the library as our regular town commitment.  The town will provide a crew to maintain the lawn on the Green and to sustain the meadow.  This is still a work in progress, but a really important collaboration between a town and a local garden club.

* Mary Ann Kistner,
Lyme Garden Club Town Campus Committee Chair