CFN Masthead

Volume 76, Number 7  *    SEPTEMBER 2013  

In This Issue
President's Message
Bee Kind to Pollinators
Plant Native Trees
Create Backyard Habitats
Eye on Horticulture
Share Your Garden
Scholarship News
NER Meeting and Symposium
Awards Meeting
Judges Updates
Gardening Study School
About our Website
Butler-McCook House
Plant Science Day
Tax Alert
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Mt Laurel

Greetings!

Welcome back from summer fun to fall activity! This issue is filled with information on how each of us can "Bee Kind to Pollinators, Plant Native Trees; Create Backyard Habitats." The NER Meeting and Symposium, hosted by FGCCT, is fast approaching. Read below and don't miss this special opportunity to mingle with and learn from gardeners across New England. Catch up on the latest Scholarships bestowed by FGCCT and its member clubs. And just enjoy the pictures of members' gardens.

 Click here for the Club Calendar.


Sincerely,

Lynn Hyson, Editor
President's Message

Greetings Fellow Gardeners:  

Crisp days, brilliant sunlight, gentle rains, golden gardens-Happiest Autumn!

As we all regroup after summer vacations, let's greet the days with renewed vigor in our gardens and our club meetings.  The Federation is hosting a jam-packed fall with Presidents' Day, Gardening Study School, The New England Regional Meeting and Flower Show Symposium, the Environmental Studies School, and the Awards Meeting at AquaTurf.  I hope you will attend as many of these events as possible. They will all be a chance to recharge, learn new gardening and design techniques, exchange info on what our clubs are doing and, along the way, enjoy the good company of fellow gardeners.

All Club Presidents are encouraged to attend Presidents' Day or send a representative.  It is your once-every-two-years opportunity to meet with your elected and appointed State Board.  The day will highlight The Federation's events and projects.   A luncheon of homemade delectables will be provided by the State Board.  

Exciting News:  The Federation is planning to inaugurate a photography section in the State Flower Show in February.  Shutterbugs may want to take advantage of glorious autumn days to create photographs for these classes now planned for the show:  a single flower in black and white, a single flower in color, a landscape.  The full flower show schedule will be out this fall.

Many thanks to all the clubs that are embracing the state theme of "Bee Kind to Pollinators, Plant Natives, Create Backyard Habitats."  Our theme is starting to garner
national recognition. (Please see the article on the NGC Mason Bees Partnership in this issue.)  We hope every club will plant native trees and certify backyards with the Wildlife Federation.  If we all do just a bit, we can together substantially help our state's pollinators.
                
* Jacqueline Connell 
     Connell
   

Meet Jacqueline Connell      


Our new president, Jacqueline Connell, remembers back to when her mother was the leader of her Brownie troop. She would disperse the girls to pick up litter, saying, "Now, girls, we must leave this place more beautiful than we found it!" Jacqueline has lived by that ever since, and she believes that is  what we are doing in our garden clubs and The Federation.

An architectural and landscape designer and historian, Connell has consulted on the restoration of historic properties in New England, New York and New Jersey. While living in Providence, she restored, with her husband, the Chafee-Harkness House, the homestead of the great-great-grandfather of US Senator Chafee. Their garden design won an award from the American Society of Landscape Architects. She also co-authored a book titled Paints for Old Houses: 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th Centuries.

Connell also brings extensive experience in garden organizations, having served on the boards of both the National Garden Clubs, Inc., and the New England Region. With the Garden Club of America, she acted as liaison to the Archives of American Gardens at the Smithsonian Institution.

"I consider the greatest privilege of being involved in The Federation to be participating in the schools, councils and continuing education. In this association, we can do so much more than on our own." Connell has completed all four of FGCCT's study schools, beginning with Landscape Design and finishing with Flower Show School. "I never thought I could judge others' flower arrangements," says Connell, "but I learned that you don't judge one against the other. You judge each arrangement against 100 points of perfection...It is not a matter of personal taste."  Flower Show School also gave her a greater appreciation of horticulture. "Any one school helps with the others, " she says.

"I enjoy flower shows because I always learn about new plants and I see people expressing their creativity. That brings me great joy."

In her own garden, Connell specializes in conifers, which are compatible with the abundant wildlife around her home. Her lawn is made up of clovers that are edible and she is gradually planting more native trees and shrubs.

In her role as president, Connell hopes that, "everyone will have a growing experience, and on the way we are going to make nature's creation more beautiful."

* Lynn Hyson
   News Editor

BEE KIND TO POLLINATORS

BeeGAP (Gardeners Adding Pollinators)...
What's all the buzz about?

 
"Making a World of Difference - Choices Matter"
is a goal shared by the recently formed partnership between NGC and Crown Bees, a Mason bee pollination and education company located in Washington state.  This partnership was created to increase native bee awareness and encourage gardeners to raise gentle, rarely stinging Mason bees for food and flower pollination.  Creating edible landscapes and bee-safe habitats in our own gardens can help us save the food supply threatened by declining honeybee pollinators.  We all can play an important role by increasing the bee population today to ensure we are able to put food on our tables tomorrow.  Masonbee

How can you help?

Participate in the BeeGAP Program.  With the decline of the honeybee, we gardeners have an opportunity to fill the gap by raising solitary Mason bees in our own gardens, eventually ending up with excess Mason bees.  Your club can collect excess Mason bee cocoons, then sell them to Crown Bees as a club fundraiser.  Crown Bees will pay the current wholesale price per cocoon.  For unharvested cocoons, Crown Bees will pay 40% of that price.  The excess bees will then be used wisely in regional orchards and crops.  Individual members can sign up for the BeeGAP program at www.crownbees.com/ngcsignup.
(Available October 1.)

Members and clubs can learn how to add Mason bees to their gardens at  www.crownbees.com.  At the end of the season, find out how to harvest the cocoons by watching these YouTube demonstrations: "Opening Mason Bee Wood Trays with Crown Bees" (click here) and "Opening Easy Tear Mason Bee Straws with Crown Bees" (click here). Consider making this a club project by hosting a Bee Harvesting Party each fall.  An online form for recording the number of cocoons will be available soon.  

Solitary bees in your area. There are over 130 species of "cavity nesting bees" in North America.  Most states have the native Blue Orchard Bee. Crown Bees plans to provide a list of all known native bees by state and for international affiliates.  

All of us are encouraged to provide habitats for our area's native solitary nesting bees by adding nesting materials like reeds or paper tubes with diameters of a pencil or less.  Crown Bees will have these available to us at discounted prices.  We are encouraged to leave patches of bare dirt for ground nesting bees to find and nest in; undisturbed areas are best.

Connecticut's "Bee Kind to Pollinators, Plant Natives, Create Backyard Habitats" and New Hampshire's "Bee Aware, Bee Concerned, Bee a Friend to Pollinators" themes are stressing the importance of bees.  They are encouraging all gardeners in their New England Region to include Mason bees in their gardens.   All other NGC regions are encouraged to do the same.  It's easy and fun!    

Provide a garden oasis for bees - Choices Matter.  Provide a garden free of chemicals, full of pollen and nectar rich flowers and adequate bee habitats not only for Mason bees, but for your region's native bees, too.  Begin by planting at least one pollen rich native plant.

Sign up for Bee-Mail at www.crownbees.com to receive monthly e-newsletters designed to provide you with a wealth of information about bees, ongoing issues and solutions.  

Become a member of NGC's BeeGAP Speakers Bureau.  Teach your club, community, schoolchildren and local organizations about bees and how we all can Make a World of Difference.  Crown Bees will be providing a PowerPoint presentation, handouts, and a Speakers Handbook online for speakers to reference and download to use for these presentations.  Begin by providing a program for your club, then reach out to nurseries, your community, schoolchildren and local organizations to promote the bee initiative.  Be sure to take advantage of this time with the public to also promote garden club membership.  

If you or your club would like to join NGC's BeeGAP Speakers Bureau, please sign up at www.crownbees.com/ngcsignup to receive information. You can also contact Debbie Skow at [email protected] with questions about this program.  We already have volunteer speakers in Florida, Ohio and Kentucky.  Thank you!  

The BeeGAP Speakers Bureau also provides clubs with two more fundraising opportunities.  Speakers might ask for a speaker's fee and/or offer attendees 5% off coupons for Crown Bees products with 5% of those purchases going directly to that speaker's club.  Participating speakers will be assigned a club code to track this information.    

30% off Crown Bees Products for your Fundraisers.  The generous folks at Crown Bees are offering a fourth fundraising opportunity for Clubs, Districts, States and Regions.  They will sell their bee nesting materials, houses, and accessories at a 30% discount for your own fundraising efforts.  Consider selling these products at your desired price during plants sales, luncheons, meetings and fundraisers.  Crown Bees will gladly accept returned products along with a 5% restocking fee.

NGC benefits, too!  Members will receive discounts on bee products (bees not included) ordered from NGC's website (www.gardenclub.org), with NGC receiving an "affiliate" reward.  Watch for details about these discounts prior to the spring planting season.

Crown Bees has been working feverishly to provide the above information online. Check out www.crownbees.com and www.gardenclub.org for information about these special programs and offers.  We've been presented a great opportunity to Make a World of Difference for our pollinators today, knowing our Choices Matter to keep food on the table tomorrow.  

* Debbie Skow
NGC Native Bee/BeeGAP Chairman
Our local Connecticut contact for BeeGap is Lois Nichols, CT State Projects Chairman, at [email protected]
.
PLANT NATIVE TREES

There seems to be some confusion as to what is a native plant. The other question I have received, "What is a shrub?"
 
I will start with, "What is a native plant?" The Federal Plant Conservation Alliance defines a native plant species as one that occurs naturally in a particular region, ecosystem, and/or habitat without direct or indirect human intervention. A plant endemic to Europe and introduced to North America is not native here.  Likewise, a plant native to this region of North America is not native to another region unless it originated there without help from us.
 
Ecologically speaking, political boundaries such as national or state lines have no bearing on plant distribution. Plant ecologists have divided North America into 15 provinces. This is important as the province refers to the specific place from which a plant or seed originated. Connecticut is in the Eastern Deciduous Forest Province.  This is why if you are planting a native tree, purchase it at a nursery that can verify the plant material is native.

If you are growing native plants together with non-natives, the non-native can affect the gene pool of the native species. The non-native can mix with the native plants and alter the local gene pool in a way that decreases the native plant's ability to survive.

If possible, the native plant thrives best when it was grown from seed. Many plants are produced by cloning, and the plant material used may not have been from the same plant province. Seed-grown natives are difficult to find.  If possible, start your own native plants from seed. If you purchase a native, ask if the plant was cloned or started from seed.  This is the true native.
 
You might want to plan this fall and winter and start some native plants from seed. Plan an area in your garden just for natives. It's fun and the insects and birds will be grateful.
 
"What is a tree?" Trees are one of three general types of woody perennial plants; the others are vines and shrubs. There are three criteria: A tree must have the potential to reach at least 20 feet at maturity in a temperate climate with reasonable rainfall or irrigation. A tree has a single trunk, with two  or three ascending trunk-like branches of less equal importance. A tree is able to stand by itself. Shrubs are generally smaller than trees and usually lack a central trunk.

The tree is able to stand on its own, and each year the cambium layer beneath the bark forms a new ring of wood on the outside of the previous year's ring.
 
"What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not been discovered yet."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

* Kathrine Neville

CREATE BACKYARD HABITATS

Greetings from my backyard.

Earlier in the summer I found a patch of Rubus - flowering raspberry -- in an area by the house that had been barren except for some weeds.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that some backyard creature had planted a seed and now I have these magnificent vines loaded with berries.  This morning when I checked again, all the berries were gone - a good thing because my backyard creatures or passing cousins must have had a nice meal.  I'm happy because that's what I'm trying to accomplish in my small part of the world, a backyard that will be sustainable on its own.  However, please note, that in ideal conditions, Rubus can be invasive. 
rubus
Rubus

Now is a good time to start thinking about replacing some of our perennials with plants that can provide year-round food and shelter for our backyard inhabitants. 

Two fool-proof native plants that will provide food and shelter for the entire year and seeds for the future are:  the American Elderberries, Sambucus canadensis, for robins, catbirds, and thrashers.  In July these elderberries will be loaded with small purple-black berries. The other is Winterberry, Ilex verticillata.  This Winterberry provides bright red fruit in the early fall, and all the birds seem to love it.


sambucus
Sambucus canadensis, above, and Ilex verticillata at right. 
  Iverticillata


If you have sun and love roses, Rosa rugosa is the plant for you.  This hardy plant has a dense, upright form, lots of small prickles and thorns, and large flowers.  It will provide good nesting cover for birds, and the large rose hips may also prove tasty for some backyard critters.

rugosa
Rosa rugosa. 
 
Although non-natives offer backyards with food and shelter, they do not provide the entire range of seasonal habitat benefits that a native species will provide.  We can do our part to restore the critical, small pieces of our ecosystems by planting natives whenever possible.  Native species provide excellent cover for wildlife, require no fertilization and, once established, do not require watering.  Now,  aren't these good reasons to Go Native?

Don't forget, start certifying your backyard as a habitat by going to  www.nwf.org/how-to-help/garden-for-wildlife/create-a-habitat.aspx.   And encourage your club members to do the same.

Here's to a wonderful future in your backyard.

* Anne Harrigan 
EYE ON HORTICULTURE: The September Garden

With the return of cooler weather, we can forge full speed ahead in the garden. Enjoy planting and transplanting and keep deadheading and pulling up the weeds.

September is not a great time to prune woody plants. Best to wait until later in the fall after they have begun dormancy (after the leaves have fallen). Roses, however, are another matter. It's your choice. You can leave the blooms on the roses and let them develop into bright red hips for winter interest. Or you can continue to prune them back to encourage new blooms and perhaps enjoy roses on your Thanksgiving table.

I like to grow Knock Out roses, and they have bloomed well into December some years. They are consistently great performers and I do not use any fungicides or insecticides on them.

Grasses are coming into their glory now. Do you need more plants with fall interest in your garden? Sometimes we do most of our plant buying in spring and end up with a one-season garden. Vitex is a shrub with blue flowers that bloom from summer into fall. There are many other fall bloomers from which to choose.

When you order bulbs for fall planting, consider buying some Muscari armeniacum and planting a few Muscari bulbs along with your tulips, daffodils and Alliums. The Muscari will grow green leaves in the fall, alerting you as to where you have planted your bulbs.

Muscari
In the perennial garden, continue to deadhead spent blooms and cut down dead or dying foliage. Do not compost leaves of roses, iris, peonies and phlox. These leaves are often diseased and should go into the trash.

Using Herbicides
Herbicides are like the elephant in the room. We all know they are there, but usually we don't want to talk about them. I think that sometimes using an herbicide is justified. I'm not saying you should use an herbicide -- of course you will hand pull poison ivy when you can -- but maybe for one reason or another you decide that you need to use one.

So let's use herbicides responsibly. Here are some guidelines:
  • Read and follow the instructions on the label!
  • Always apply herbicides in the fall. In fall the plant is pulling in its resources in preparation for winter and will pull the herbicide down into its roots. In spring, the plant energy is up and out away from the roots, and the herbicide may not be effective.
  • The best practice is to cut the plant back, let it regrow, then spray the foliage. Or you can cut the plant back and, using a small disposable foam paintbrush, paint the herbicide on the cut stem. Use a full strength herbicide to paint the stem - do not dilute it with water.
  • If you spray the herbicide, spray on a calm day and use large drops instead of a fine spray to minimize spray drifting onto neighboring plants, which you don't want to kill.
  • You can further control the herbicide spray by making a shield out of an empty plastic container. Cut off the top, then spray into the container. This will protect neighboring plants from herbicide spray. 

If you use an herbicide, you are not a Bad Person or a Bad Gardener. But do use it responsibly.

* Pamela Weil
Horticulture Chair

Share Your Garden!

For a new feature of CFNews, we are 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 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!

Poitras
In the succulent garden shown above, Tony Poitras (Suburban Garden Club of Cheshire) wanted to play with plants that are long lasting and overwinter.  The emphasis here was on texture and muted colors - that's why he used mostly succulents whose subtle greens and grays reflect the color of the surrounding stone.
Protected by the fence and euonymus on either side of the succulent bed gives these low-growing beauties a permanent place to thrive.

Brady
This photo shows an area in the garden of Vicky Brady (Cheshire Garden Club), taken at dusk. Featured are two unique aspects in the front yard: a terraced garden all along the side of her property with many different varieties of ornamental shrubs and perennials in bloom from April through September; and a lovely pond area she built five years ago that greets the visitor to this beautiful property. An occasional neutral-colored ornamental grass grows amidst such a bountiful display of color.


Diana'sgarden
Diana Abshire (Redding Garden Club) has created a tapestry of color in her stepping stone herb garden with a mix of perennials and annuals.

 


Scholarship News

FGCCT Scholarship

The Scholarship Committee is pleased to announce the winners of The Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut
Scholarship Program.

Bryan Crowley,  Yale
Shane Feyers,  Yale
Julie Carson,  Yale
Julius Pasay,  Yale
Timothy White,  Yale
Christopher Lorentson,  Eastern Connecticut
John Campanelli,  UCONN

Each student received a $1,000 award.  We plan to highlight one student in the newsletter  each month.

The scholarship committee, consisting of Barbara Norrgard, Louise Weber, Donna Nowak, Jacqueline Connell  and Judy Joly, wish all the winners successful years of study and look forward to presenting them at our Awards Meeting in November.
*
Thank you to Knollwood Garden Club of Stratford for its contribution of $200.

*
Garden Club Scholarships

The Shippan Point Garden Club of Stamford, CT,  is pleased to announce its annual Scholarship awards. A  $2,000 scholarship was awarded to Kiara Kallaway, who will attend Southern Connecticut State University and major in Environmental Studies and Biology. Another $2,000 was awarded to Sarah Manning, who will attend Johns Hopkins University and major in Global Environmental Studies.

The Arbor Garden Club  awarded $1,000 to Liam Mellaly of  Clinton. He will be attending Unity College in Maine majoring in conservation law enforcement.


Workshop

Greenfield Hill Garden Club
granted a $1,000 scholarship to Alana Fitzpatrick of Fairfield, a junior at Bucknell University majoring in Environmental Studies and Spanish.  
Greenfield

Scholarship recipient Alana Fitzpatrick (left) and Greenfield Hill Garden Club  Scholarship Chair Betty Horan.

The Westbrook Garden Club recently awarded two $500 scholarships. This year's scholarship winners are Michael Hathaway, who graduated from Westbrook High School in 2013 and plans to major in environmental studies, sustainability, and geography at Keene State College in New Hampshire. Matthew Winschel graduated from Westbrook High School in 2011 and was a dean's list student at Paul Smith College before transferring to Naugatuck Valley Community College, where he is pursuing a degree in horticulture and a certificate in landscape design. (photo)

Westbrook
 Michael Hathaway receives WGC Scholarship from Vivian Partridge.

* Judy Joly
  Scholarship Chair
 

NER MEETING AND SYMPOSIUM 2013
SAVE the DATES!

NER ANNUAL MEETING- October 14 & 15, 2013
at the Water's Edge Resort and Spa in Westbrook, CT.
Res. 1-800-222-5901
Followed by the NER SYMPOSIUM, October 15 - 17, 2013

Our venue, Water's Edge Resort & Spa, overlooks Long Island Sound....Enjoy a walk on the beach and beautifully landscaped grounds....Have easy access to historic colonial towns, garden centers and antique shops....Visit two premium outlet malls nearby....Shop the well-known vendors on premises.

To get in the "mood," take a virtual tour at http://www.watersedgeresortandspa.com


Have you registered for the 46th New England Region Symposium,
to be held in our own state of Connecticut?  


All garden club members are invited to attend. The registration deadline is September 30th, and for a room at the beautiful Water's Edge Resort and Spa, the deadline is September 14th.   

Our own FGCCT Bronze Medal winner, Donna Ellis, of UConn, will kick off the Symposium on October 15th with an overview of "Invasive Plants in New England," followed by a reception, dinner, and an exciting presentation by past National President and Master Judge, Barbara May, on "Innovation and Change: Modern World Influences on Creative American Design."  

On Wednesday, October 16th, Barbara will feature creative designs with "In, Out and Around - Underwater and Tubular Designs."  

On Thursday, October 17th, National Flower School Chair and Master Judge, Dorthy Yard, will focus on what makes blue ribbon mainstays of New England  gardeners and our Flower Shows:  "Needled Evergreens and Container Ferns."

You'll find all the details and registration form online at http://www.ctgardenclubs.org   Join friends, and make new ones, shop interesting vendors, while you enjoy learning about design and horticulture in a beautiful location on Long Island Sound.   The Symposium isn't just for judges - it's a great learning opportunity for everyone.

* Trish Manfredi
  NER Symposium Chair

Why attend the NER Annual Meeting this October 2013?

  • To Meet and exchange ideas with fellow Garden Club members from different states.
  • To participate at the reception and celebrating Maria Nahom's new Position as The New England Region Director and to meet the new Federated Garden Clubs of CT president as well.
  • To enjoy a special evening with the program: "Poetry in Flowers." Each state will have one designer create a floral design to accompany six poems written by CT poet, Polly Brody, who will be reading her poems.
  • To enjoy a delicious dinner in an elegant dining room overlooking Long Island Sound, and 
  • To visit with old and new friends.
  • To observe, the next day at the Business meeting, and learn what is happening in the six New England states regarding Garden Club activities. The meeting will be followed by a Margery Winters program: "Saving our Wild Areas One at a Time."
  • Also enjoy Special Exhibits, an Awards luncheon and plenty of time to visit vendors and take a walk along the beach.
  • And to take an opportunity to pamper yourself with a visit to the Spa quarters at the Inn.  
* Margareta Kotch
   NER Meeting Chair

Note: In the cost of dinner and lunch, tax and gratuities are included in the listed price.




***SAVE THE DATE***

FGCCT 2013 Awards Meeting   
November 20, 2013 at AquaTurf

"Battle of the Presidents Design Challenge"
 
This year's Awards meeting will showcase our four former presidents, Dee Mozzochi, Maria Nahom, Donna Nowak, and Ronnie Schoelzel.  These top designers will create seasonal arrangements from containers and plant material supplied to them. 
 
JUDGES UPDATES
 
Congratulations to the following new Accredited Judges!
 
    Anne Bell
    Carolyn Bernard
    Diane White
 
Address correction for Student Judge Cindy Marien, who lives at 73 Peck Hill Road (not 75).
 
Please make the above changes to your judges roster.
 
Additionally, please delete Jianny Keegan  and Sophie Kelley from the roster.
 
* Janet Ward
Credentials Chair



GARDENING STUDY SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIP 

The Gardening Study School Scholarship is awarded yearly in the name of Penny Jarvis to any FGCCT garden club member attending a class.  The scholarship is renewable for consecutive classes taken to complete the course.  A name is drawn by the Gardening Consultants Council, and upon passing the exam, $75 of the course fee is reimbursed. 

The application for the scholarship is available at www.ctgardenclubs.org under the link "Education Program."  Applications for this year are due September 21.  Those who submitted applications during last year's class do not need to reapply.  Address questions to Mary Sullivan.


   
* Mary Sullivan, Chairman 
  Gardening Consultants Council


There is still time to register for Gardening Study School, Course IV.  
Go to www.ctgardenclubs.org/education for the registration form. 
 
 

Everything you always wanted to know
about our website but were afraid to ask...


This is Part II of a series we started last month with the above title.  Just in case you missed it in the August issue of our CF NEWS, we announced that we were going to visit a different page on our website www.ctgardenclubs.org each month to make you more familiar with the information featured and available to you.   Do make sure you check it out one more time to read up on the Awards Program we covered.
 
Supposing you wanted to find out when the next Gardening Study School is scheduled?  Well, there are two links on the left side of our home page that you can click on.   First off, click on Calendar.  Once open, scroll down to the current month, and you will find that it is scheduled for September 24-26, 2013, at the Kellogg Environmental Center in Derby.

Another page that offers you much more detailed information is our Education Program page.  Once open, you can see that all four schools are featured, starting with the Environmental Studies School.  Usually, the brochure and registration forms are posted as soon as they become available, but even if only last year's is posted, it still gives you enough information about the venue, the setup, the chairman's contact information, as well as that of the registrar.

As you can see, we like to highlight our pages with photos taken at some of the schools -- always fun to look at.

Finally, don't miss looking at the marquee at the top of the website's home page.  We've made it easy to click on the registration forms and brochures for upcoming events right there.

*Inge Venus
 Website Chair
 

To all Presidents, Co-Presidents or Representatives,

PRESIDENTS' DAY MEETING 
September 18, 2013 
Registration begins at 9:15 AM 
Business Meeting begins promptly at 10 AM 
Location:  Whitney Center, Cultural Arts Room, 200 Leeder Hill Dr., Hamden, CT (Click here for directions).

You will have the opportunity to meet Board members and learn about The Federation. You will also pick up a "packet" which contains new and updated material to share with your club members. At noon a light lunch will be provided. If  you cannot attend, please send a representative to obtain the information presented and your packet.  

 
New Life at Historic Butler-McCook House

The devastation from what is now called "Superstorm Sandy" that hit the tri-state area so powerfully October 30, 2012, continues to be felt.  One of the properties impacted was the historic Butler-McCook House, a CT Landmark site in downtown Hartford. Specifically, "Sandy" felled the 148 year old Carolina silverbell, thought to be part of Jacob Weidenmann's 1865 landscape design, and tore branches from the pink dogwoods near the re-located Bull House.

A grant of $ 1,000 from the National Garden Clubs' "National Disasters, USA" Fund enabled replacement of this important focal point, which took place on Thursday, June 20th. Jackie McKinney, Site Manager of the Butler-McCook House, was "delighted  with the size and beauty of the tree Butler-McCook ."

We extend thanks to the West Hartford GC co-chairs of the Butler-McCook committee: Cheryl Fine, Chloe Horton, Paula Mooney, and Carolyn Lind for pursuing this grant and arranging with Stonehedge Nursery to obtain and plant this beauty; and to the FGCCT for making the Club aware of  this opportunity. 

Having invested both financial assistance and physical labors to maintain (weed, prune, and enhance biweekly, April - October) these historic gardens for the past sixteen summers, the WHGC appreciates the wider support and collaboration to maintain CT's historic sites, which benefit CT and international visitors year round.
      
* Jeanne Grandy,
   Co-Chair Civic Projects Committee, WHGC


Plant Science Day 2013

Plant Science Day at The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station's Lockwood Farm included field experiments and barn exhibits with walking tours and bus tours around the farm.  Many environmental groups had exhibits and information to share.  We learned about food safety testing at the analytical chemistry labs, the impact of storms on plants with diseases and insects.  It was the best weather day yet.  Save the first Wednesday of August, 2014:  August 6. 
 
Plant Sci Day
Pam Weil, Donna Nowak, Lillian Weaver, Jacqueline Connell, Ronnie Schoelzel, Ellie Tessmer.



* Ellie Tessmer
   Environmental Consultants Council Chair


In Memoriam:

Jianny Bianchi Keegan

Jianny Bianchi Keegan, 76, of North Haven, passed away on July 18th, 2013. She was the wife of the late Thomas M. Keegan. Jianny was a Founding member of the Daytime Gardeners of North Haven and a Master Judge in Judges Council. She served as Chairman of Environmental Studies and was a Landscape Design Consultant.

Jianny was born in Carrara, Italy, Grandmother of seven, Mother of Thomas, John and Keith Keegan. Jianny will be missed by all her friends she met along the garden path.

* Nancy Angelopoulos, Daytime Gardeners
CALENDAR GUIDELINES
  •  Space in the Calendar listings is reserved for FGCCT member clubs and affiliates only.
  •  Submit on the 10th of the month before the issue date.
  •  Include in this order: Date of event, club name, presenter's name, title of program, location, guest fee (if any), contact info (if any), and time of event.
  •  Please do not send press releases.
  •  Send to [email protected].



_________________________________________

 

URGENT WARNING

ALL FGCCT CLUBS MUST FILE WITH THE IRS!!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR CLUB PRESIDENTS AND TREASURERS

 

To maintain your garden club's Tax Exemption status, your club MUST file with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) EVERY YEAR. You must file a form 990, 990-EZ, or 990N (the e-postcard).

 

Clubs that fail to file an annual 990-series return or notice, for three consecutive years, will AUTOMATICALLY lose their tax-exempt status.

 

CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION

or Go To

www.irs.gov, then click link for "Charities & Non-Profits."

_________________________________________ 

 

CFNews
 

SEPTEMBER 10:

Deadline for OCTOBER 2013 ISSUE 

 

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CT Federation NEWS

Published monthly except January/July

 

Direct Articles/Dates/Events to:   Lynn Hyson, Editor    

49 Seventy Acre Rd., Redding, CT  06896     203-431-0613

 

Direct Advertising Queries to: Diana Abshire, Advertising Manager

26 Diamond Hill Rd., Redding, CT  06896    203-938-1114

 

Direct Circulation Queries to:  OFFICE SECRETARY, FGCCT

P.O. Box 854, Branford, CT  06405     203-488-5528

  

 

Our Mission Statement 

To coordinate, stimulate and encourage higher standards in all aspects of Garden Club work.

 To protect and conserve our natural resources, preserve our heritage and promote civic beauty.   Federation logo

 

6,817 Members

 

131 Clubs

 

15 Affiliates 

Mt Laurel