February, 2023 Newsletter
Volunteers Making New Canaan Beautiful
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Dear Members and Friends,
The New Canaan Beautification League is so successful thanks to the work of our volunteers. We see them around town in their bright yellow NCBL shirts planting and weeding triangles, the Town Hall planters, in Mead Park, the train station, the Pine Street mailboxes and many more places. However, we have volunteers who play vital roles for NCBL that people may not always notice. For example, Dave Hunt puts in long hours keeping our finances in order and Nancy Jordan dutifully takes board meeting minutes, which is no easy task. There are so many people who employ their skills and time to keep this organization up and running behind the scenes.
As we celebrate the soft launch of our new website, we would be remiss if we did not thank Laura Ault and Lisa Ferrante for their hours and hours (so many hours) of work, with web consultant Michael Carusi, re-creating and getting the new website up and running. The colors are fresh, the pictures beautiful and the language is fun - maybe even a little sassy. Donations online will now be easier and signing up for membership or renewing membership can be done through the website. Take a look!
Thanks to Laura and Lisa for making this new website possible and to all our NCBL volunteers.
Sincerely,
Robin Bates-Mason & Jill Ernst
co-Presidents
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Say 'Hello' to the New NCBL Website! |
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The newly revamped and upgraded New Canaan Beautification League website is live. Woohoo! We worked with each of the League’s committees to ensure a site that would deliver more capability to our members online. On the new site, you can:
- Donate to the Annual Appeal, no check required (it’s right around the corner!)
- Easily renew your membership each June (or share the link with friends you’d like to recruit!)
- Register for our upcoming programs
- Stay updated on our town projects, and learn more about Lee Garden
- Continue to access our newsletters, documents, lending library, and videos of past programs
We’re thrilled with the new site’s modernized layout and increased functionality, and hope you’ll find it valuable, too. While we iron out the final developmental kinks, we welcome your thoughts.
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February Program: This Wednesday |
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Gardens For All
with Irene Barber
Wednesday
February 1, 2023
9:30 - 11:00 am on Zoom
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Irene Barber, Adult Education & Horticultural Therapy Program Manager at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, will present a visual explanation of what “Gardens for All” means through the lens of working at the universally accessible Lerner Garden of the Five Senses within CMBG.
Garden professionals around the world have been breaking down physical barriers and expanding the opportunities to create adaptive, ergonomic and therapeutic garden features, tools and design to make gardening available to everyone, no matter their ability, financial status or cultural background.
Pursuing her passion for connecting people to plants, Irene Barber completed degrees in human behavior and then plant and soil sciences. She began designing landscapes professionally in 2007 and continues to consult and design for clients through her business, Greenscapes Design LLC. A lifetime student, Irene appreciates learning every day from people, nature, and the new discoveries social and environmental studies unveil.
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After registering, you will receive an email with instructions on how to attend the webinar. Reminder emails will also be sent.
This event is open to all. Invite friends by directing them to the registration on our NCBL website program page.
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All About Dahlias
with Sean Corenki of Gardener's Center of Darien
March 1, 2023
9:30 - 11:00am on Zoom
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Sean Corenki, General Manager of the Gardener’s Center in Darien, will discuss varieties and care of dahlias. Topics such as when and how to plant them, and over-wintering them will be included. Please register in advance below, or on our website. This will be a zoom presentation.
Sean Corenki has been working in the gardening industry for almost 30 years. Like many of us, he was introduced to gardening by a beloved family member at a young age and has been more than happy to make a career out of this interest. NCBL hosted Sean last February when he spoke to us about preparing the spring garden. We are looking forward to learning about dahlias from him this year.
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Check out these dahlia delights from the gardens of three of our members for a little inspiration. |
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Above: dahlias from Kathy Kwiatkowski's garden. |
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Above: dahlias from Carol Seldin's garden. |
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Above: dahlias from Rob Carpenter's garden. |
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Our ever so popular Spring Buffet Luncheon (previously The Victorian Tea) will be taking place in March on the 22nd, just two days after the official first day of spring! Come celebrate spring with members and friends at this much loved event.
See your invitation below:
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RSVP with number attending/guest name and email
by March 15 to:
Gloria Simon
(203)972-8069 or thesimons4949@gmail.com
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Let us know if you’ll be bringing:
2 dozen finger sandwiches
2 dozen sweets
a green salad
a fruit salad
or deviled eggs.
Please bring on a decorative plate or bowl.
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Please contact Jacqueline Harmody if you have a tea pot to loan for the event.
jharmody@yahoo.com
Jacqueline needs 10 - 12 teapots and if your teapot is used, you will be able to take home the arrangement in your pot!
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In 1916, Stephen Mather helped establish the National Parks Administration, created to oversee the national parks and monuments of the U.S. Mather spearheaded a campaign to promote and develop criteria for admission to - and protection of - our national parks system which now comprises 63 parks covering approximately 52 million acres. He served as leader of NPS for 12 years.
Heather Raker, Executive Director at the Mather Homestead, has invited us to tea on Wednesday, February 7th from 1:00 to 2:00 to view their first exhibit celebrating the life and legacy of Stephen Mather, owner of the Homestead from 1906 to 1930.
We are limited to 30 attendees due to zoning.
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Save the Date: April Program |
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April 5, 2023
9:30 - 11:30 am
New Canaan Library new auditorium
Blue Violet with author Cig Harvey
Save the date of April 5 for a joint meeting with the New Canaan Garden Club featuring Cig Harvey, British fine art photographer and author of Blue Violet. She will discuss her book, described as a 'celebration of the natural world and its senses'. Her photographs beautifully capture nature and the magic in everyday life.
Books will be available for purchase and signing.
You can learn more about Cig Harvey from her website:
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Informal Member Garden Visits 2023 |
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It's time to mark your calendar for the 2023 NCBL Informal Garden Visits. This year we will be having garden visits on:
Thursday, May 18
Thursday, June 15
Wednesday, July 12
Wednesday, August 16
The gardens will be open from 9:30 to noon, to 35 registered NCBL members. Pre- registration for all 4 events will open in early May. Watch the newsletter for updated information.
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The program with Doug Tallamy was entertaining and quite informative. Doug spoke about the misunderstandings regarding the oak tree, how to successfully plant oaks, the unique beneficial characteristics of oaks, and the important part oaks play in our ecosystem. If you missed the program, you can view the replay by clicking the YouTube image below:
Click the image below to watch the recording of Doug Tallamy with NCBL as he presents, The Nature of Oaks:
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Descendants of our own Charter Oak |
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If you attended the webinar, or watched the replay, you'll hear Dr Tallamy field a question from the audience about Connecticut's own Charter Oak. In the question, the attendee states that they have an acorn from CT's Charter Oak in the refrigerator, and wants to know when it can be planted. In his answer, Dr Tallamy was confused as the Charter Oak died hundreds of years ago. What wasn't clarified, as it is hard to clarify questions via webinar, is that the attendee has an acorn from a Charter Oak descendant located on the Bartlett Arboretum property. You can hear Dr Tallamy's answer on what to do with white oak (the species of the Charter Oak) and red oak acorns in his answer at about the 1 hour 15 minute mark. To find where Charter Oak descendants are located in CT click the button below. The list contains a small camera icon, which upon clicking, shows a photo of the tree on the property. How wonderful it would be to gather an acorn descended from our own Charter Oak and plant it on your property!
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NCBL provides over 220 hanging baskets to enhance the beauty of our downtown area. This year's colors will be lots of blue, purple, white, and green.
The sun baskets will consist of (shown below clockwise from top left): Petunia Mini Vista Indigo, Verbena Superbena Stormburst, Hedera (Algerian Ivy), and Petunia Mini Vista White.
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The shade baskets will consist of (shown below clockwise from top left): Browallia Endless Flirtation Blue, Torenia Summerwave Silver, Torenia Summerwave Purple, Begonia Babywing White, and Hedera (Algerian Ivy).
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NCBL's Traveling Trowels care for:
The Gold Star Walk and Plaza at Mead Park on Richmond Hill Road
The mail box drop-off at the corner of Pine and Park Streets
Town Hall's pots and the garden running atop the wall along the driveway
The railroad station
Members pitch in for an hour or so when garden help is needed.
If you'd like to be part of the group, meet more members and learn a lot about the plants we grow and the history of the town while you're doing it, please email Faith at:
faithkerchoff@hotmail.com
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NCBL green fleece vest
We have one new vest in stock, size L, $45. If interested, please make check payable to NCBL. Anyone wishing to order a vest for spring, please send your order and $45 to Faith Kerchoff, modeling above.
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The Annual Appeal and Marketing committees are busy preparing the colorful 2023 appeal letter and bookmark. Once again, Laura Ault is designing it for us, ensuring the message is consistent with NCBL’s overall brand image, while highlighting the volunteers behind our organization. Many thanks to Laura and everyone who is contributing to another successful launch.
Look for the 2023 Annual Appeal pamphlet in your mailbox early March!
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The 2022 Annual Appeal is coming to a close February 28. There’s still time to donate to the 2022 Appeal and make this our most successful campaign yet! If you did not donate to the 2022 Appeal and would like to, you can do so here: https://www.newcanaanbeautification.org/donate-now/
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Every season is beautiful at Lee Garden. Visit now and you'll see a couple varieties of Witch hazel (Hamamelis sp.) in bloom.
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To volunteer at Lee Garden, contact Faith Kerchoff. We can always use more people! |
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Welcome to our newest members!
Kristine and Tom D’Elisa
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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 membership.
We want to be sure everyone feels welcome.
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"Gateway to Spring"
41st CT FLOWER SHOW
Feb 23-26. Thur-Sun.
The Connecticut Convention Center
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Honoring One of our Members |
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This year the Gridiron Club is honoring NCBL member and former member of our Advisory Council, Tucker Murphy, at a dinner in April at the Country Club of New Canaan. Sara Hunt is organizing a table for NCBL members for Thursday, April 27. It’s a roast, and it’s always fun!
Sign up for your tickets in March through the Gridiron Club. Tell them you would like to sit at the NCBL table. Then call or email Sara to let her know you've signed up.
Tickets will go on sale in March
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From Our Conservation Commission |
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Our Conservation Commission has published guidelines on how to be an ecologically minded 'good neighbor' and a practical list of good conservation habits. Take a look for great tips to make 2023 an environmentally friendly year! |
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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. |
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visit our website:
New Canaan Beautification League
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