October 2021 Newsletter
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Greetings from President Deb
What is so special about the SGC? It's you and the fun we have together, bringing different perspectives to the table as we work side-by-side, learning about gardening, nature, and our environment. We accomplish our goals by working together. It makes sense that our 2021-2022 theme is “Caring for Our Community.”
Giving to our community continues with the exciting plans for our Gardens by the Sea tour in June 2022. We will be creating moments of beauty for our guests and ourselves. Delightful guest lectures will educate, and unique shopping opportunities will thrill all participants. I hope that as we engage with our fellow members on this project, we will continue to nurture that sense of community amongst ourselves.
We are 88 members strong, and our Club is a community of people who share an interest in the beauty of nature and in protecting our fragile coastal environment. We are also a group of friends who work well together, as we share ideas and support and care for each other. So here’s to a fabulous SGC year of enthusiastic committee participation, interesting membership meetings, and fascinating field trips! Whether we meet by Zoom or in person, we can create and learn together.
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Programs Carole Barnard, Chair
To continue to keep our members as safe as possible, we will hold our October Membership Meeting on Wednesday, October 13th, at 10 am via Zoom. Everyone should have received your e-vite with the Zoom link. We hope to meet in person in November.
Reminder that all Active Members will be voting on the By-Law changes that were emailed on September 29th.
After the business meeting, the program speaker will be Ellen Ogden, renowned author, gardener, chef, and co-founder of The Cooks Garden, who will speak about “The New Heirloom Garden.” She will share her tips on how to grow the best-tasting vegetables, raise the most fragrant flowers, and add structure to our kitchen garden designs. For more details on our speaker, please click here. This is a must-see program!
There will also be a Photography Bench Show “Celebrating our Native Plants.” (See below)
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SGC COVID POLICY REMINDER
We ask that anyone attending an in-person Stonington Garden Club-sponsored meeting, workshop, or civic activity be fully vaccinated. Face masks are required for any indoor gathering. Our top priority is the safety and wellbeing of our members, and we will keep our membership informed of any updates relating to our in-person meetings.
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Floral Design
Kirby Williams and Mary Lynn McRee, Co-Chairs
FLORAL DESIGN WORKSHOP
Thursday, October 14th - 10 am
IN, UNDER, ON, OR OVER:
HAVING FUN DECORATING WITH PUMPKINS
Be Creative! Learn what color combinations and design concepts work using the newest pumpkins available today. Dark green, gray, white striped, pink, and even black!
Take home a table decoration with a new twist on traditional, which will delight throughout the autumn season! Bring gloves, clippers, and a box to take your arrangement home. Also, bring a compote if you’d like to place your pumpkin in one!
For more info, click here.
Thursday, October 14th - 10 am
Kirby Williams’ barn at 38 Broad Street, Stonington, CT
$20 materials fee; payable by check to SGC, PO Box 385, Stonington 06378
RSVP to Mary Lynn McRee By October 12 to mcruglady@aol.com.
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Horticulture Pam Wright, Chair
Join us for one of the Amaryllis Workshops scheduled for November 3rd at 10 am & 7 pm. Please let Pam know which one you will attend (wrightjpamela@gmail.com). If you can’t make the workshop, bulbs can be bagged with soil and moss for pickup or delivery. The workshop and/or pickup will be at Pam Wright’s home, located at 285 River Road in Pawcatuck.
The next Horticulture Committee meeting is scheduled for October 20th at 9:30 am at the Butterfly Garden in the COMO Children’s Garden. Join us for some fall cleanup and fun pollinator plant exploration!
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Visiting Gardens Linda Visscher, Chair
RECENT VISIT:
HOLLISTER HOUSE GARDEN, Washington CT
Visiting Gardens is on the move! On September 28th, we had thunder, lightning, and rain on our visit to Hollister House Garden. But what a visit it was! Owner George Schoellkopf walked us through his gardens, joined by head gardener Krista Adams, and discussed plants, influences, garden planning, and care. During a particularly intense deluge, we were treated with an invitation into his 18th-century house. Though the house is not normally open to the public, a visit to the Hollister House Garden is highly recommended (it’s open April-October)!
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UPCOMING VISITS (NOTE RSVP DEADLINES!):
CONNECTICUT COLLEGE ARBORETUM
After several postponements, Visiting Gardens is excited to announce that the tour of the native plant collection at the Connecticut College Arboretum will be held on Friday, October 15th at 10:15 am. A picnic lunch will follow (choice of sandwiches from SIFT).
Cost:
Tour is $10 (payable by check to SGC, PO Box 385 Stonington 06378
Lunch is $11 (payable by check, cash, or Venmo to Anna Bell McLanahan)
RSVP deadline: Tuesday, October 12th to Linda Visscher, visscher@snet.net or (860) 608-9898.
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ENDERS ISLAND TOUR AND LUNCH
Wednesday, October 20th at 11 am
Please join us for a very special guided tour and lunch at Enders Island! The dahlias are blooming, and the setting is unique. After our tour, we will enjoy soup and sandwiches, dessert, coffee, and non-alcoholic beverages. Please direct any inquiries to Rita Nason and/or Carole Nossek.
When: Wednesday, October 20th at 11 am
Cost: $25, payable by check to SGC, PO Box 385 Stonington 06378
RSVP deadline: Thursday, October 14th to Carole Nossek, cjnossek210@aol.com or (860) 912-2616.
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Photography Laura Frommer, Chair
Our Photography Bench Show, “Celebrating our Native Plants,” will be presented at the October membership meeting. Ann Franzen, who has extensive photography and judging experience with GCA, will be judging our entries. There will be a slideshow presentation with all the feedback, photos, and awards.
Check out the recording of September’s virtual photography workshop with GCA emeritus judge Arabella Dane. She provided expert tips on what photography judges look for and offered constructive feedback on members’ photos. She also discussed Snapseed and other smartphone apps. The actual workshop runs for about two hours and starts at about 0:15:07, so just fast forward to that point to start.
Focus Magazine is an online publication of the GCA Photography Committee. “This Land is Your Land” 2021 Focus Contest classes are now full. Finalists will be posted on the GCA website on November 1. Good luck to our members who entered the contest!
Congratulations to our own Jill Corr, who was recently awarded a GCA Novice Award in Photography! The beautiful image below was selected among all novice winners of first, second, and third places at the 2021 GCA Virtual Flower Show hosted by the Albemarle Garden Club in Charlottesville, VA. Jill photographed the scene during the spring of 2021 while visiting the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, MO. The photo features the Japanese Garden, designed by Koichi Kawana; it is the largest Japanese Garden in the US.
Jill has also created a helpful video for the GCA website on “How to Resize Images using an iPhone.” Check it out here.
Photos by Laura Frommer (above) and Jill Corr (below)
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Garden History & Design
Gail Hamsher, Chair
Frederick Law Olmsted’s primary objective in creating landscape designs of public places was to improve the quality of life in America. Our country, at that time, didn’t provide open spaces within the urban environment for the average person to relax and enjoy.
The first of his six principles of design is “The Genius of Space.” He created the “genius” by working in harmony with both the advantages and disadvantages of the site. The design should take advantage of the unique characteristics of the space, both good and bad. He created harmony, took advantage of vistas, and always kept aesthetic values a top priority.
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Conservation Lisa Szaro, Chair
Calling SGC members to the Great Avalonia Trail Trek 2021! This week-long fundraiser (10/10-10/24) seeks to conserve land, protect watersheds and address climate change. Let’s be a team and contribute to this important effort for our community! For details, click here.
We have received a gift of several Joe-Pye Weeds (from Marggie Blake) that were planted into the Rain Garden along with a few variegated grasses to fill in bare spots and return next year with pink blossoms. Thank you, Kirby Williams, for receiving and planting!
Climate Change Impacts Watch Hill
Napatree Science Advisors Dr. Peter August ad Dr. Bryan Oakley reviewed the work of The Watch Hill Conservancy’s initiative Planning for a Resilient Future. Their joint presentation is now available on the Conservancy YouTube Channel here.
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Post Office Garden
Allegra Griffiths, Chair
As the summer draws to a close, the Post Office Garden Committee continues to maintain and enjoy the newly reimagined PO garden. Spearheaded by Jojo Reindel, the redesign thoughtfully incorporates successive waves of colorful blooms, and numerous passersby have reached out to let us know how much they have enjoyed it throughout the summer.
Many thanks to the committee’s dedicated volunteers - Susan Alston, Michelle Kutz, Ann Lobdell, Kathy Conger, and Kirby Williams - who have groomed, cared for, and watered the garden since the spring. If anyone would like to join our committee, please contact Allegra Griffiths at brianandallegra@gmail.com – we’d love to have your help putting the garden to bed this fall!
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COMO Children’s Garden
Wanda Sullivan and Annette Born, Co-Chairs
The time has arrived to tuck in the beds in the COMO Children’s Garden for the long winter ahead. In October, we invite you to learn and help over three consecutive weekends to bed the garden down for the winter and prepare it for next year. Enjoy the camaraderie of the end of the season, learn great tips, and take home goodies from the garden! Below are the times and tasks.
“Saving” the Dahlias
- Part 1 – Sunday, October 10 at 11:00 am. We will learn how to “lift” the dahlias and prep them for winter storage.
- Part 2 – Sunday, October 17 at 11:00 am. We will divide the dahlias to create dozens of more plants for next year. You will learn how to store the dahlias to avoid rot, and you get to take home a dahlia tuber!
“Bedding” the Garden
- Part 1 – Saturday, October 16 at 10:00 am. Cutting down and cleaning out the raised beds and other areas of the garden.
- Part 2 – Saturday, October 23 at 10:00 am. Learn how to amend the soil, what to add and when, and what the different amendments do for your garden soil. Go home with a garden amendment goodie bag!
RSVP to Annette Born at bornal@msn.com/(617) 308 0750 or Wanda Sullivan at wsullivan15@comcast.net/(202) 438-9870
Photo by Wanda Sullivan
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Old Lighthouse Garden Michelle Kutz, Chair
We have been busy with the weekly upkeep in the garden, which is delightful to the eye even now at the end of September. In addition to the garden flowers, the crew spent time removing black swallow-wort (Vincetoxicum nigrum) and other undesirables along the fence line. On September 28th, we took aim at the vine in the pine. The vine, sweet autumn clematis (Clematis terniflora), and some black swallow-wort were indeed formidable foes, yet this did not deter the Lighthouse Garden Crew. The large mugo pine (Pinus mugo) is undoubtedly much relieved!
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Vilma’s tip: Do not put noxious weeds in your compost nor the town’s compost. Instead, dispose of invasive plants in a sealed plastic bag and add the bag to your trash. Burn mile-a-minute (Persicaria perfoliata) and garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) or eat it, as it’s edible.
Anyone interested in all this fun is welcome any Tuesday from 8 am-9 am. Best to reach michellekutz@me.com to get added to the weekly reminder list. Occasionally we do not meet.
Photos by Michelle Kutz
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Last Call for Bulb Orders!
October 15th is the final day
to order your fall planting bulbs.
We offer a wide variety sourced from Holland –
all 100% guaranteed!
Order online at:
stoningtongardenclub.fpfundraising.com
or scan the QR code!
The net proceeds from this sale will benefit the club’s Community Grants Program.
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Membership Update Kirby Williams, Chair
We welcome new members! Please contact Kirby Williams (kirbywilliams02@gmail.com) if you have a candidate that would be a good match with our Club’s purpose and activities. Qualified candidates for membership are considered for admission twice a year (November & April).
Our next deadline for new member applications is coming up on November 1st. A completed should include:
- Application Form (available on the website)
- Indication of Interests
- Proposer Letter of Support
- Seconder Letter of Support
- Application fee of $50 payable to Stonington Garden Club
Current Membership (as of 9-30-21)
Actives 54
Friends 26
New Members 4
Secondary Members 2
Lifetime Members 1
Honorary Members 1
TOTAL 88
The 2021-2022 Yearbooks are at the printer and will be mailed or hand delivered as soon as we receive them. The hope is for members to receive the yearbooks prior to the October 13 membership meeting.
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SGC in the News
In case you missed it, the article about our 2021 scholarship recipients appeared in
The Westerly Sun on August 23rd. Check it out here.
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Help Plant Bulbs for the “Borough in Bloom” Tulip Festival!
The Stonington Borough Merchants Association (SBMA) is ready to plant 3,000 tulips at the Stonington Free Library in anticipation of the “Borough in Bloom” Tulip Festival in spring of 2022, and they need our help! Can you lend a hand? (We are a member of the SBMA.)
SATURDAY OCTOBER 23, 2021 at 8:30 AM
Stonington Free Library
Coffee and donuts will be served
BYOS (shovel)
Bring friends!
RSVP here.
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GCA National Conferences
Check out all the GCA National Conferences that are open to all GCA club members. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to participate remotely! Login to the Members Section of the GCA Website and click on the
GCA Resources tab/Conferences & Events.
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Calendar of Upcoming Club Events |
October 2021
October 6 @ 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Gardens by the Sea Tour committee meeting. ZOOM
October 6 @ 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm
COMO Children’s Garden, 25 Cutler Street, Stonington
October 10 @ 11:00 am
COMO Children’s Garden, 25 Cutler Street, Stonington
October 12 @ 8:00 am - 9:00 am
The Lighthouse Museum, 7 Water Street, Stonington
October 13 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Membership Meeting & Photography Bench Show, ZOOM
October 14 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Floral Design Workshop
Kirby Williams’ Barn, 38 Broad Street, Stonington
October 15 - Order deadline for Fall Bulbs
October 15 @ 10:15 am
Connecticut College, New London
October 16 @ 10:00 am
COMO Children’s Garden, 25 Cutler Street, Stonington
October 17 @ 11:00 am
COMO Children’s Garden, 25 Cutler Street, Stonington
October 17 @ 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Conservation Committee Meeting
October 19 @ 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
The Lighthouse Museum, 7 Water Street, Stonington
October 20 @ 9:30 am - 10:30 am
Butterfly Garden/COMO Children’s Garden, Stonington
October 20 @ 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
1 Enders Island, Mystic
October 23 @ 10:00 am
COMO Children’s Garden, 25 Cutler Street, Stonington
November 2021
November 3 @ 10:00 am - 11:30 am & 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Pam Wright’s home, 285 River Rd, Pawcatuck
November 3 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
November 10 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
La Grua Center, 32 Water Street, Stonington
November 15 @ 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Conservation Committee Meeting
November 17 @ 10:00 am - 11:30 am
For most current info, please refer to the Calendar on our website.
If you have an event, meeting, or workshop to add to our Calendar,
please use the Event Information Form.
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This newsletter is a publication of the Stonington Garden Club, Inc., Dodie Bump, Editor | | | | |