Let me tell you how we planned and will put on the Connecticut Flower Show during a pandemic that is winding down − the same way two porcupines hug − very carefully.
Expect a show of a quality equal to that of previous shows, but not necessarily a match in quantity. What we’ll offer will be topnotch. Let’s enjoy floral designers’, horticulturalists’ and photographers’ talents.
The Schedule and Floor Plan for “Rhythm and Blooms” were designed to allow for social distancing while designers create and other exhibitors enter horticulture, photography, and other botanical arts, and while visitors stroll the aisles after the show opens.
If you haven’t considered entering the Horticulture competition, you still can! Go to www.ctgardenclubs.org and click on the Flower Show Schedule. All the information you need is there!
Every aspect of the show has been thought through with sensitivity to individual safety and peace of mind.
North East Expos has designed the entire floor of the Convention Center with the same safety considerations. We will wear masks and avail ourselves of hand sanitizer liberally placed for convenience.
There will be fifteen gardens designed by professional landscapers. Spring bulbs, flowering trees, chlorophyll, and mulch will perfume the air. This year there will be fewer vendors. Seminars and demonstrations will take place on the Convention floor, not upstairs.
All this planning would make no sense if the percentage of infection were to remain where it was so short a time ago. Most of the physics I know I learned from Tom Lehrer. What goes up must come down, which is what we finally see happening. I expect it will continue to do so.
For club members, tickets are discounted by $4 from the regular admission price of $18, but only until February 10th. If you are already planning to attend, order discounted tickets now, or volunteer some of your time for free admission.
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This year we’re going forward, very carefully. Let’s enjoy the 2022 Connecticut Flower Show together!
Polly Brooks
President
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Leslie, a landscape designer and a member of the Landscape Design Council, will help us celebrate the bicentennial of the birth of Frederick Law Olmsted, considered the father of American landscape architecture. His designs provided an opportunity for people to interact with nature as well as other people. Olmsted understood the impact a designed green space had on people’s social, mental, and physical health when he began designing public parks. We will explore the relevancy of his design principles and our interests in public green spaces by looking at Olmsted parks, their current issues, and the newest trends in public green spaces. We will use Olmsted’s Connecticut parks as a starting point and then look at some of the newest and most intriguing new park spaces through the design lens of Olmsted design principles. Leslie will speak about today’s parks, their role in our lives. |
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Registration deadline: April 8, 2022 (Cancellations after that date will not be refunded) |
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Check the Event Calendar for any Member Clubs, Affiliate Organizations*, State or National events.
*Affiliates may submit up to six events each calendar year.
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Important Reminder for ALL clubs! |
FGCCT now uses Constant Contact to distribute ALL information — from updates on upcoming tours, to school registration details, to news for (and from) member Clubs and Affiliates.
Clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of ANY Constant Contact message from FGCCT, including this newsletter, will automatically unsubscribe you from ALL future messages.
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NGC Offers Free "Membership Mondays" Workshops on Zoom
National Garden Clubs invites all members to Join them on the 2nd Monday of each month from 2 pm - 3 pm EST for “Membership Mondays,” a free Zoom workshop. Membership is the lifeblood of our organization, and we can all benefit when we explore aspects of Member Recruitment, Retention, and the Revitalization of shrinking clubs. Learn new skills, share success stories, resolve commonly encountered issues, and brainstorm solutions with fellow garden club members across the Americas.
Each workshop will present a topic of the month with a special guest speaker, followed by Q&A and member dialogue. NGC Membership is committed to connecting us all together to explore solutions in a spirit of collaboration. Below is the list of upcoming “Membership Mondays” workshops:
- February 14, 2022
- March 14, 2022
- April 11, 2022
- May 9, 2022
There are also helpful membership resources on the NGC website, including:
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Reminder from NGC: The National Gardener is now ONLINE (and free!)
The official publication of the National Garden Clubs, The National Gardener appears quarterly, and highlights articles of interest to environmentalists, gardeners, landscapers, floral designers, educators as well as nature photographers. Feature columns offer leadership advice, seasonal recipes and garden club lore. Enjoy this and more by viewing and downloading the latest issue here. Subscribe here.
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FGCCT Annual Reports
Annual Reports are due on April 1. You may begin to submit them now, while we dream about the promise of spring and returning to our gardens.
When completing your Annual Reports, please consider what is the difference between a civic project, environmental or conservation project or even horticulture and historic garden project. Many clubs continue to include all their civic activities in the Civics Annual Report because their Civic Chair is writing the report. While all projects certainly meet civic responsibilities, if the project contains the words pollinator or invasive plants, consider reporting the information on the Environmental and Conservation Annual Report. If the project is really about native plants or gardening, the Horticulture Annual Report is a better choice for that information. If you are planting or renovating or gardening at a historic site, by all means include that in the Historic, Memorial and Public Garden Annual Report. Did you catch that Public Gardens is part of Historic, Memorial and Public Gardens? Do you maintain a garden in a Public Park in your town? Take a minute to consider your club’s projects and try to diversify your Annual Reports. We at the Awards Committee look forward to reviewing them.
… and Out with the Old!
The Awards Manual is updated and is on the website (so throw out the old one from 5 years ago in your three ring binder and review the new manual.)
— Vonice Carr, FGCCT Awards Chair
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FGCCT Tours
Hidden Treasures of Le Marche
A Regional Discovery Tour
October 6-15, 2022
Marche is one of the twenty regions of Italy. It is situated roughly half way down the east coast of the country, bound to the west by the Apennine Mountains and to the east by the Adriatic Sea. It is also an undiscovered jewel.
A highlight of the tour for many will be the visits to three gorgeous renaissance villas, complete with their spectacular gardens.
For complete brochure and reservation information, click here.
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Coming up in 2022:
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The Lowcountry: Beaufort and Savannah (April 18-24) Note: this trip is full with a waiting list.
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Alaska: Land of the Midnight Sun (June 19-28) Note: this trip is full with a waiting list.
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Long Island (July 26-29) Summer Getaway to Long Island. Highlights will be Old Westbury, Planting Fields, Madoo, Landcraft Garden Foundation with Dennis Schrader, Private Gardens, Wine! and much more. Note: This trip has limited spots remaining.
In the works for 2023:
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February: Barbados Gardens
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April: Historic Virginia Garden Week
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May: Madeira Flower Festival
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July: National Parks—Glacier National Park
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September: Nova Scotia
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Late October/Early November: South Africa Garden Tour with Safari Extension
— Kathy Lindroth, FGCCT Tours Coordinator
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Spring's Diminutive Herald |
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Of all the signs of our emergence from winter, the one that drops me to my knees every time is the crocus. I enjoy watching the bees who, if it is warm enough to fly, will go crashing into that cup of nectar and pollen, delighted by these beacons of spring. Crocuses (or croci) need little introduction of course. They grace gardens worldwide but are native to Europe, North Africa and Asia. While we are familiar mostly with the spring bloomers, there are 90 species that flower from spring to autumn. Crocus grow from corms like gladiolas.
The name of the genus is derived from the Greek krokos which ultimately traces back to the Sanskrit word for saffron. The world's costliest spice by weight, saffron is obtained from the stigmas and styles of Crocus sativus. The cultivation and harvesting of C. sativus was first documented in the Mediterranean, notably on the island of Crete, but it has a long history. C. sativus an autumn-blooming species, unknown in the wild, and a product of 3500 years of selective breeding by many civilizations. You can easily grow your own but you will need to handpick 150 to 200 flowers to produce one gram of saffron – it is expensive for a reason. (If ordering ensure you get the correct species and not an entirely different plant, Colchicum, often called “autumn crocus”. They are easy to tell apart as Crocus has three stamens while Colchicum has six stamens.)
Beyond spice, crocuses are grown for their charm. The first crocuses seen in the Netherlands were from corms brought back in the 1560s from Constantinople. By 1620, new garden varieties had been developed and today mainly five species of spring blooming crocus are cultivated. I will stick to these but feel free to explore the many species.
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Crocus chrysanthus (Snow crocus) is one of the earliest of the crocuses to bloom, typically in very early spring around the time of snowdrops (Galanthus). The species are yellow-orange but there are many cultivars. 'Blue Pearl' are light lavender-blue on the outside, creamy white inside with a yellow throat. ‘Orange Monarch’ has deep orange petals with contrasting purple/black stripes on the outside. As a bonus, these flowers have a mild honey fragrance.
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Crocus tommasinianus (Woodland crocus or “Tommies”) is also an early bloomer. It flowers prolifically and naturalizes easily. 'Roseus' is a small charmer with dainty amethyst-rose petals and a white throat accented by orange stigmas and stamens. ‘Ruby Giant’ is a rich violet-purple on the edges, fading to white inside.
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Crocus sieberi (Sieber's or Cretan crocus) is a small, early blooming crocus that easily naturalizes as well. ‘Tricolor’ is a head turner with 4” lilac-blue flowers that have a white band above a golden-yellow center. Crocus flavus (Yellow Mammoth) is a 17th century heirloom with rich, buttercup-yellow 5" tall flowers and matching anthers.
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Finally, there is Crocus vernus commonly referred to as Dutch or Giant crocus. It is considered a hybrid where the earlier ones are considered species Crocus. Its flowers are the largest of any crocus and it blooms later than the others. My favorite is ‘Pickwick’ with its jaunty lilac stripes and ‘Jeanne d’Arc’ whose gleaming white flowers have light purple striations on the stem and flower base.
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OK, OK … I can hear you shouting SQUIRREL! and CHIPMUNK!
from here. Our job as gardeners is to outsmart our foes, so pull on those gloves, grab that trowel and prepare for battle. Now, both critters are very territorial and drawn to newly disturbed soil. They will dig to find out what you put in their territory and if it is a tasty corm, well, that’s just pay dirt. Disguising the smell of new earth can help – a thick covering of fallen leaves works; you can brush them aside in the spring if need be. There are gardeners who swear by a topping of Milorgnite (aka Milwaukee sewer sludge) which is a fertilizer that apparently offends those little noses. Of course you can cover with hardware cloth or plant with oyster shells or chicken grit to ruin their manicures.
Think timing. Early in the fall, squirrels and chipmunks forage frenetically but typically by November, they slow down. Planting as late in the season as you can (usually not a problem for me as I slow down too) can avoid their most active period. I find if you can get your corms through the first season unmolested, you are good to go.
And if all else fails, plant Tommies which are the most squirrel “resistant” crocus species. Tommies are cheap, plant LOTS … maybe the little bandits will miss some. If not, well, admit defeat and admire your squirrels and chipmunks for the resourceful creatures they are.
Daffodils anyone?
— Renee Marsh, FGCCT Horticulture Chair
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Spotlight on Our FGCCT Affiliates:
Preservation Connecticut
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Preservation Connecticut is a Federation affiliate whose mission is to preserve, protect, and promote the buildings, sites, and landscapes that contribute to the heritage and vitality of Connecticut communities. Originally named the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation, they have been successfully championing the protection of remarkable community assets all over the state for four decades by leveraging funding, advocating, forming partnerships, and promoting stewardship. Read more about their history.
Preservation Connecticut is proud to present their second juried photography show, “Picturing History: Historic Landscapes of Connecticut.”
In celebration of Frederick Law Olmsted’s 200th birthday in 2022, Preservation Connecticut is looking for photographs of Connecticut’s historic landscapes. Serious amateur and student photographers ages 8 years old and up are invited to submit works featuring landscapes in the following categories: color, black & white, Olmsted designed, and smart phone images.
What is an historic landscape? Historic landscapes are landscapes that have been shaped by human involvement. They may be associated with a person or event. They may be big or small; they may reflect conscious planning and artistic achievement, or they may have evolved through use and reflect the everyday lives of the people who inhabit or created them.
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Submissions will be accepted online for this contest until April 23, 2022.
In June of 2022, Preservation Connecticut will proudly display the selected works at the Art League of New Britain’s beautiful gallery space in a circa 1870 barn, with walking tours of Olmsted’s Walnut Hill Park nearby, followed by additional exhibitions across the state.
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"Club Corner" is a feature of the CFNews designed to be a place where clubs or individual club members can showcase club achievements and activities. Visit " Club Corner" on the FGCCT website for latest news from—and tips for—our member clubs!
Send photos, along with a very brief writeup or detailed photo captions that describe your event or activity, to the CFNews to be considered for inclusion. |
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In Litchfield, Tribute Awards and Holiday Swags |
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The Litchfield Garden Club (LGC)'s holiday gathering featured a swag workshop conducted by Sarah Worden of Sarah Worden Natural Design. Sarah is known for putting an organic spin on traditional designs using unexpected combinations and textural elements. Bundles of cuttings from members’ landscapes including boxwood, holly, arborvitae, pine, juniper, cedar, hemlock, magnolia and winterberry along with ribbons and pinecones were collected. Sarah provided dried orange slices, pods and other natural embellishments. The 85 swags that members created were distributed to the St. Michael's Food Pantry in Litchfield along with donated food items.
The Club's Floral Design Committee, chaired by Sylvia Abbott, chose the challenging “Hogarth Curve” for the Floral Design Sweeps. Thirteen creative arrangements were on display, with Julia Metcalf winning “Best in Show” (pictured below).
Polly Brooks, President of the Federated Garden Clubs of CT (FGCCT) and a member of the club, presented Joan Burgess, LGC Communications Chair, with the FGCCT Tribute Award for Communications. Joan was also honored with the Tommy Donnan Award of Merit at the gathering. A Tribute Award for Conservation was presented to the club's Conservation Chair, Grace Yagtug, in December.
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FGCCT President Polly Brooks, right, presents Joan Burgess, LGC Communications Chair, with the FGCCT Tribute Award for Communications. Additionally, Joan was honored with the Tommy Donnan Award of Merit. |
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The Pollinator Garden at the White Memorial Conservation Center in Litchfield was a fitting location for Susan Magary, Litchfield Garden Club President, to present Grace Yagtug, Conservation Chair, with her Federated Garden Clubs of CT (FGCCT) Tribute Award for Conservation in December. |
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One of the 85 completed swag decorations made by Sarah Worden during the Litchfield Garden Club workshop.
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Litchfield Garden Club members (L-R) Seton O’Reilly, Emily Dalton and Sylvia Abbott assemble their fresh swag decorations. |
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Litchfield Garden Club “Best in Show" award winning "Hogarth Curve” entry designed by Julia Metcalf. |
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In Woodbury, Covid Prompts a Fundraising Pivot |
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When the Pomperaug Valley Garden Club Board decided in early 2021 that the Covid landscape was too uncertain to commit to a traditional fall luncheon fundraiser, they voted to pivot to a new model: a holiday market featuring handmade crafts. If Covid surged, the event could be held outdoors. Worst case: everything would keep for a later date. The first workshops were held in March (socially distanced and with masks) to begin what became a 9-month adventure. From origami-style seed packets crafted from wallpaper, to pine cone and dried hydrangea wreaths, to teasel mice and owls and stunning milkweed "stars" for the tree, club members eagerly embraced the plan. The doors opened in November to the club's most successful fundraiser in years. The lessons: be flexible, tap members' talents, and have fun! |
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Milkweed pods collected in early fall became stunning tree ornaments. Members collected and dried Queen Anne's Lace, sold as "snowflakes" for holiday arrangements. |
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Bouquets of dried hydrangeas, alliums, lavender and teasel flew out the door. |
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The theme of the market was handmade holiday decor and gifts made from natural materials wherever possible. |
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Newtown's Journey for Native Plant Regulation
by Holly Kocet, The Garden Club of Newtown
It was serendipitous when Barbara Thomas, a member of the Monroe Conservation Commission, contacted me in March of 2020 to see what Newtown was doing to encourage the use of native plants in commercial development projects. Native Plant policy is something the Newtown and Monroe Conservation Commissions have wanted to accomplish for some time. Barbara and I are passionate about native plants. We are both master gardeners, educators and speakers, with 20 years of experience. We have spoken at many a garden club meeting about pollinators and the benefit of native plants.
Increased development in many towns has resulted in degradation and fragmentation of woodlands and wild places, disturbances that facilitate the spread of invasive species which outcompete and eliminate native flora. This is a serious threat to healthy ecosystems and especially to birds and other wildlife dependent on native plants for food and shelter. Non-native/exotic plants, while not necessarily invasive, have dominated town and residential landscapes and are no substitute for the native plants on which our wildlife increasingly depends.
A Meeting of the Minds
That initial conversation with Barbara was the impetus for moving ahead on Native Plant policy. We quickly realized the benefit of two neighboring town commissions working together. So, during the height of the pandemic, we conferred with one another to research, compile documentation, and write policy. And in the new year, we were ready to present a proposal to our respective commissions for policy/regulation endorsement.
Plans come to Fruition
Newtown had already approved a native plant ordinance for municipal properties (September). Work continued on Town Zoning Regulations for commercial properties. These regulations would limit non-native exotic species on landscape plans by requiring a greater number of native trees, shrubs, and plants. In December, the Planning and Zoning Commission approved the Conservation Commission’s application to require Native Plants for Commercial development projects. While regulations do not apply to homeowners, we hope this example will serve to encourage more and more residents to include native plants in their private landscapes.
Monroe Conservation Commissioners expect native plant zoning regulation approval very soon. Several more towns are in the process of developing native plant policies. Local garden clubs and pollinator pathways can help their towns develop native policy ensuring healthy ecosystems.
Taking it on the Road
Barbara and I plan to continue our efforts with an initiative to spread the word about our journey and our successes. We are contacting garden clubs, conservation commissions and Pollinator Pathway organizers, hoping to inspire and to offer our support in developing native plant regulations for their own municipalities. For more information, please contact us.
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Donations by Garden Clubs to our Scholarship, Garden Therapy and World Gardening Funds |
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We thank the following Garden Clubs for their recent donations to the FGCCT Scholarship Fund.* For almost 40 years, the Federation has awarded scholarships to college and university students who major in Agronomy, Botany, City Planning, Conservation, Environmental Studies, Floriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Land Management, Landscape Design, Plant Pathology, or allied subjects. We welcome donations of any size. Our appeal is ongoing to give all of our clubs the opportunity to make a contribution in the amount of their choosing.
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Scholarship Donations as of January 26, 2022 |
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Margery May
Jane Waugh
Middletown Garden Club
CT NAHRO
Middletown Garden Club
Glastonbury Garden Club
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In Memory of Trudy Rumberger
In Memory of Trudy Rumberger
In Memory of Trudy Rumberger
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$100.00
$1,000.00
$100.00
$150.00
$50.00
$300.00
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Please send all Scholarship Fund donation checks to the appropriate chair (see below). Make checks out to "FGCCT" with the appropriate Fund listed on the memo line.
*Please note that due to the deadline for articles and information for the CFNews, some donations may not be received and deposited in time to be included in the bi-monthly donation acknowledgement, but will be included in the next issue of our newsletter.
Please mail checks to
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For World Gardening & Garden Therapy:
Peggy Lajoie
12 Eastview Rd
Southington, CT 06489
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For FGCCT Scholarship Fund:
Deborah Osborne
25 Zoar Rd
Sandy Hook, CT 06482
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Tips to use online calendar and submitting a calendar event - click buttons below. |
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Don't Forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram!
FGCCT is on Facebook and Instagram and we love to post your news and photos! Please send upcoming events, club activities, civic projects, milestones, and hort tips. Include photos and a brief writeup of the news your club would like to share. The best format is text in an email with jpg photos attached. Take active photos showing members at work or showcasing beautiful gardens, flowers, and plants (please name the flower if it is a hort only photo). Let’s follow each other! Send submissions to social@ctgardenclubs.org
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URGENT NOTICE
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.
or Go To
www.irs.gov, then click link for "Charities & Non-Profits."
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Deadline to submit articles/photos, ads and calendar events for the April/May 2022 issue of The Connecticut Federation News is March 10, 2022. Please submit to:
ARTICLES/PHOTOS
Marty Sherman
ADVERTISING
Barbara Romblad
PO Box 854, Branford, CT 06405
203.488.5528
CALENDAR
Ellie Tessmer
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State, Regional &
National Events
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