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December, 2023 Newsletter
Volunteers Making New Canaan Beautiful
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Dear Members and Friends,
NCBL has had a big year with many projects completed. After 3 years of delays due to Covid, the train station finally has its makeover. See below for more information on the other projects we've done this year.
Our Greens and Gnomes workshop was a huge success and the results of it can be seen throughout town. We are especially grateful to Peter Atkins & Associates, the Seldins, and Rob Hutchinson for their generous donations of greens. Kathleen and Peter Murphy, Barbara O'Shea and Bob Strong did a magnificent job of organizing it all. Our bountiful thanks to them, the Garden Club, the NC Nature Center, the DPW and our volunteers for everything that was done to make this day happen.
It's a great time to learn about the historic gardens in our own state and our January program with Laurie Masciandaro will do just that. The program will be via Zoom and registration information is found below.
We wish you and your families a healthy, happy holiday season.
Sincerely,
Robin Bates-Mason & Jill Ernst
co-Presidents
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January Program: Register Now | |
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January 3, 2024
9:30 am
via Zoom
"Exploring Connecticut's Historic Gardens"
with Laurie Masciandaro,
Site Manager of Historic Roseland Cottage
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Register in advance for this webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_CYA1yHmTRSOi4LJVK1A3CQ
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
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Laurie Masciandaro introduces us to the history and beauty of the Connecticut gardens that have charmed and inspired visitors for a century or more. Laurie is Site Manager of Historic New England’s Roseland Cottage in Woodstock CT, where she enjoys one of Connecticut’s loveliest gardens every day.
Join us for this long awaited webinar to hear about these beautiful gardens in our own backyard!
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February Program: Save the Date | |
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February 7, 2024
9:30 - 11:00 am
via Zoom
(registration to come)
Deborah Chud presents
New Perennials: A Love Story
(a personal introduction to design principles of the New Perennial Movement)
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Deborah Chud is a retired Massachusetts physician turned garden-maker, consultant and educator. Her 6 years of research on New Perennial gardens, including New York’s High Line, Chicago’s Lurie Garden, the Oudolf Meadow at Delaware Botanic Gardens, and Oudolf Garden Detroit, generated the most comprehensive existing database of New Perennial plant combinations and led to the creation of her own highly unusual New Perennial garden. She will be speaking to us about her research at our February program. | |
March Program: Save the Date | |
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March 6, 2024
9:30 - 11:00 am
via Zoom
(registration to come)
Texas Tree Lady
with Janette Monear, President and CEO of Texas Tree Foundation
Janette Monear, President and CEO of Texas Trees Foundation, will speak to us about her work with the urban forestry non-profit dedicated to connecting people with trees to improve the quality of life in cities.
The motto of the Texas Trees Foundation is “The Greening of North Central Texas". This foundation sustains a tree planting initiative for neighborhood parkways and medians, schools and other public open spaces, a tree growing facility to assure a healthy supply of trees for the future, and education programs to teach the importance and benefits of maintaining a healthy urban forest.
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Greens & Gnomes Recap and Thank You | |
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From our Greens & Gnomes Chairs:
A MOST SINCERE thank you for your incredible hard work, valuable time and fabulous talent in making the Greens Workshop another wonderful day of community pride.
WOW... every corner of the greenhouse was filled with smiles and greens to create all the beautiful bows, wreaths and gnomes!
It was a fabulous day for the NCBL and we know that every resident will find joy in your work and talent.
We wish you a very Happy Holiday, a Merry Christmas and a very Happy & Healthy New Year!
With gratitude and friendship,
Kathleen & Peter
Barbara & Bob
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Want to see more photos of magical moments from that day? Click below to see our Flickr album: | |
SLOBs make gnomes with NCBL | |
The New Canaan High School Service League of Boys (SLOBs) made gnomes with our NCBL experts the following week. Left to right: Charles Burges, John Burke, Jacqueline Harmody, Nicholas Plasencia, and Nancy Burges. Not pictured: Faith Kerchoff, Heather Boulanger, and Sarah Hering. | |
Did you miss our November Program with Jenn Cipriano? | |
Don't worry, we've got you covered! You can view Jenn's presentation on Preparing Your Winter Landscape on our YouTube channel by clicking the link below. | |
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Volunteers Needed to Make Flower Arrangements
Waveny Care Center
Mondays in December
Thank you for all who have signed up to help this month!
There is still an opportunity to help alongside an experienced volunteer on December 18.
Sign up by clicking the button below:
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If you have extra flowers, our flower arrangers could put them to good use at Waveny Care Center. Contact Amy Sorensen or Amy Reid if you have any garden greens to donate.
Thank you!
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NCBL bought 2 Flash Fire Sugar Maples (Acer saccharum 'Flash Fire') for School House Apartments. They are a fast-growing maple with fiery color.
They were planted with help from the town after removal of a dead crabapple and a dead euonymus at each side of the entrance stairs. Two hydrangeas were moved to the right side, to create a more symmetrical look.
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The terrace at Mead Park's pickleball courts was planted with 4 Flowering Dogwood 'Appalachian Spring', Liatris sp, Rudbeckia sp, prairie dropseed grass, bayberry, and Asclepias tuberosa. They are all native to the U.S. and were purchased from Copia. The design was done by Keith Simpson. | |
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Joining Traveling Trowels
Meeting up to do some gardening with Traveling Trowels is an excellent way to learn about gardening in the area. We ask and discuss gardening questions and share new tool information while making New Canaan beautiful. Is your email on our Traveling Trowels list? If not, contact Faith Kerchoff to get on the list.
Shout out to these November helpers:
Faith Kerchoff, Pam Yee, Lois Himes, Sandy Siegel, Kathy Lapolla, Lois Himes, Yvonne Hunkeler, Kathy Kwiatkowski, Eniko Szatai, Sarah Hering, Julieane Livesay, Karen Christie, Fanny Moran, Camilla Austin, Ann Flinn, Stephanie Hutter, Claire Perkins, Angela Materna, Betsy Sammarco, Cindy Bamatter, Ty Tan,
Robin Bates-Mason, Jill Ernst.
Thank you!
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Town Hall winter planters have mushrooms, huge sugar pinecones and bows this year. Bulbs were planted in the dirt below for bloom in the spring. | |  |
The new pots at School House Apartments were decorated for the holidays. | | |
Thanks to Kathy Lapolla, Kathy Kwiatkowski, Yvonne Hunkeler, Fanny Moran, and Faith Kerchoff. | |
NCBL accomplished great things in 2023! | |
With the help of DPW, we tore out and replanted the strip between Elm Street and the parking lot of the NC train station. | |
The DPW and NCBL members installed a garden designed by Keith Simpson at the pickleball courts in Mead Park. | |
Reusing plants from the NC Police Department, we were able to plant the front of the EMS building. | | |
School House Apartments got a facelift and will now have new pots on either side of the front door. The area below and around the sign was planted as well. | | |
The driveway to the barn at Lee Garden was paved and a curb installed. | | |
A gate, designed by Faith, was installed at Lee. | | |
Thanks to master gardener and mentor Kathy Kwiatkowski, we had members of the Lower Fairfield Master Gardener program volunteering at the garden this year. Ty Tan held a well-attended pruning workshop for them, and as a result we were able to prune a big section of the garden. We look forward to more workshops and the help of more master gardener hands in the spring. We thank them for all they've helped us accomplish! | |
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“Every one of us, no matter who we are or where we live, can and must play a part in restoring nature, . . . now is the time for action, and together we can save it.”
-David Attenborough, The Guardian, March 13, 2023
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In connection with the new sidewalk on Richmond Hill Road, the town added a triangle at the Mead Park exit. Eniko Szatai reused plants from the Town Hall planters to get started. More plants, including Heuchera sp, Rudbeckia sp, Stokes Aster, Johnny Jump-Ups and other Violas have been ordered from Copia. Thanks to Faith and Eniko for planting the area. Eniko will maintain this triangle. Thank you Eniko! | |
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WE NEED YOUR HANDS!
Enjoy some walks at Lee Garden and while you are there, please swat the leaves off the azaleas! You can also take a big stick and tap the branches to get the leaves to drop off. If we get heavy wet snow, those bunches of leaves will hold too much snow and the weight may snap the branches.
The water in the barn has been shut off for the winter, so no bathroom or sink until spring.
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Our extensive book collection is available for all to enjoy.
We are there Mondays and Thursdays from 10:00-1pm, or you can email Faithkerchoff@hotmail.com to set up a different time to meet.
Recommended reading:
The Founding Gardeners, Wulf
Heroes of Horticulture, Robinson
Wildflower Across America, Lady Bird Johnson
Bringing Nature Home, Tallamy
Nature's Best Hope, Tallamy
The Nature of Oaks, Tallamy
Click below to see all our available titles:
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The Nominating Committee will soon begin the process of recruiting volunteers for the 2024-5 Board of Directors. Our outreach efforts will begin in mid-January, and our goal is to have a final slate in place by early March.
We are looking for people to fill leadership positions in a variety of areas, including computer skills, membership, photography, beautification, programming, fundraising, and more. If you would like to share your talents in this way, reach out to the Nominating Committee to discuss your thoughts about a possible commitment. You can contact any of our Nominating Committee members below:
Barb Achenbaum, Cindy Bamatter, Janet Fonss, Karen Hanson, Faith Kerchoff, Fanny Moran, and Pam Yee.
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NCBL Vests
We are taking orders for our nifty green fleece vest with an embroidered
NCBL Logo.
Sizes available: XS-S-M-L-XL- 3X-4X (the sizes run a bit large).
They are men’s sizes and are being made by 84 Sports in New Canaan.
Send or drop off money ($48) to Faith Kerchoff.
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NCBL Long Sleeve
If Triangle/Traveling Trowels volunteers would like long-sleeve, bright green T-shirts, let Faith know. They are free for our volunteers.
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Jumpsuits
There are still five jumpsuits available for anyone who would like one.
Contact Jill Ernst if you think this would make your volunteer work easier!
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If you have changed any of your contact information (home address, email address, or phone number), please let membership know. | | |
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Please let me know if a member of our NCBL family needs some cheering up in the form of a card, or perhaps, some flowers.
to provide me with the appropriate information.
Many thanks for your thoughtfulness!
Libby
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Looking for 'Blooms'
We have new members joining us each month and we need volunteers to be 'blooms' to help us welcome our 'buds'. Just share your enthusiasm and alert them to upcoming events.
For more information or to volunteer, please contact Sara Hunt:
skhminky@gmail.com.
We want to be sure everyone feels welcome.
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NCBL Donation to Carriage Barn Auction | |
Faith Kerchoff is known for her gnomes that decorate our public spaces in winter. She also used a little gnome magic and talent by creating this wreath as the NCBL donation to the Carriage Barn 'Deck the Walls' auction. Thank you Faith! We are sure the auction winner will love it! | |
2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map Released | |
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The USDA has published its new hardiness zone map, replacing the previous map from 2012. Most of New Canaan is now zone 7a, while some northern regions of our town are 6b.
Click the map below to go to the USDA webpage where you can zoom in on various areas of CT and the country.
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Click below to read or hear Margaret Roach interview Todd Rounsaville about the USDA process in creating the map, and what it may mean to gardeners! | |
Our NCBL Newsletter is used to distribute information regarding NCBL activities and announcements that pertain directly to our stated mission. The newsletter shall not be used for political issues, or for the promotion of merchandise or services unless such merchandise or services are part of a joint venture with NCBL. | |
visit our website:
New Canaan Beautification League
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