September, 2020 Newsletter

Volunteers Making New Canaan Beautiful

Presidents' Letter

Dear New Canaan Beautification League Members and Friends,

The last six months have been dramatically different and exceptionally challenging for all of us in many ways. Exceptional circumstances call for creative thinking and alternative approaches as activities have been limited. And you know what? Gardening has reached new and unimagined levels of popularity!

Thanks to the enthusiasm, ingenuity and determination of our amazing members, Beautification League projects are flourishing and blooming as robustly as ever! What can be more satisfying than nurturing a garden? Out in the fresh air, weeding and tilling, planting and pruning, raking and mulching - it's all great exercise!

Hanging Baskets: Our community really needed to see those joyfully bright petunias more than ever! Bianca Romano keeps them looking healthy no matter what the weather.

Mead Park: Tree planting for the Gold Star Walk - weeding, pruning, mulching. Designed and installed pollinator-friendly garden by bridge and landscaping for patio. Yes, masked gardening by many can be a fun, social-distancing activity! Led by Faith Kerchoff and Rob Carpenter.

Triangles: Maintained by many skilled volunteers. Passersby stop to admire and offer thanks.

Lee Garden: Oh, such a magnificent display of azaleas and rhododendron this Spring! New Canaan High School SLOBS will continue to help with numerous chores.

Morse Court: Tree plantings designed by Barbara Wilson will bloom abundantly next spring!

Zoom Meetings: We will conduct our program meetings using Zoom for now, so get comfortable with your technology. Thank you, Patricia Spugani for hosting. (See newsletter for details.)

Programs: The Programs Committee, chaired by Kirsten Gregorio, has arranged an exciting roster of speakers for our monthly Zoom meetings.

Membership: Sara Hunt says we have now have a record-breaking 170+ members. We look forward to getting to know our new members. Welcome!

This weekend, our talented Peggy Dannemann will be making the rounds of several members' gardens to forage and cut flowers for a friend's backyard family wedding. What can be more lovely than knowing that the plants you have tended will provide natural beauty for the union of young love and lives? Gardens are for sharing. We all look forward to your pictures, Peggy!

We are honored to serve as your new co-Presidents and we look forward to communicating with all of you. Please read each newsletter carefully to stay informed. We always welcome your calls and emails on all matters NCBL.

Warmly,

Karen Hanson & Carol Seldin

co-Presidents

Programs During the Pandemic

Programs for 2020-2021 will be virtual via a Zoom webinar.

The Zoom link will be sent by email 1-2 days prior to each event.

Zoom will work on your computer, iPad or any smartphone.

Each month, members, and if permitted, guests, will be asked to register for the Zoom program. (Not all programs will be open to the public - some will be for Members only.) A few days before each Zoom program, you will receive an email from NCBL with the invitation and Zoom registration link. Please register using Your eMail, First and Last Name. You will then receive an email with your personal “one-click” link to use for the event. A reminder email with the same link will also be sent one hour before the program begins. Please do not share your link; it is unique to you. Note: You do not need to have a Zoom account to join NCBL events. Also, there is no cost to participate in any Zoom event.

There will be TWO PROGRAMS this month:

Tuesday, September 22 10:00 - 10:45 a.m.

"Zoom 101 for NCBL Members"

If you are not familiar with Zoom, please join this Zoom Webinar to learn how to use Zoom for our meetings this year! You will be able to ask questions.

Hosted by Patricia Spugani

Wednesday, September 23 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. Gold Star walk at Noon

"NCBL Around Town"

Faith Kerchoff, NCBL's Vice President of Civic Beautification and Chair of Lee Garden, will update us on what the NCBL does to keep New Canaan beautiful. After Faith's talk, and weather permitting, we will gather outside at Mead Park Plaza on Richmond Hill Rd. to enjoy the Gold Star Walk at Noon. Park in the parking area by the plaza or within the park and walk over. Please wear a mask.

October 7th program:

Nancy Kline Gorkin, owner of Earth Garden tells us how to keep house plants healthy and happy over the winter.

Noxious Plants

The USDA is warning residents that seeds are being sent from China, unsolicited.

DO NOT PLANT THEM.

They maybe be noxious plants, invasive and dangerous to our pollinator plants and others.

Please read the link below.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/07/28/usda-advice-plant-unsolicited-seeds-china/5525129002/

Poison Ivy

Click this link for information from the Mayo Clinic.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/poison-ivy/symptoms-causes/syc-20376485

Copia Garden Sale - Extended

NATIVE PLANT SALE EXTENDED

Planet New Canaan is teaming up with Copia Home and Garden for a native plant sale to benefit New Canaan Beautification League from August 1st until October 15th. For every $75 worth of native plants purchased, $10 worth of native plants will be donated to NCBL. Customers may also give a native plant to NCBL for $15. The sale applies to native perennials, shrubs and trees. New Canaan residents who would like to purchase native plants but are not comfortable visiting Copia during Covid can have their purchase of perennials and shrubs delivered to their homes by Planet New Canaan, as long as they meet the $75 in native plants minimum. Orders to Copia can be placed over the phone and Planet New Canaan will update weekly a list of available plants on their Facebook Page and Website. Unfortunately the NCBL 10% off discount will not be valid for this sale. Please mention Planet New Canaan when making your purchase to ensure credit.

A WISH LIST OF PLANTS FOR LEE GARDEN

Bur Oak Tree - Quercus macrocarpa

American Sweet Gum Tree - Liquidambar styraciflua

Oak Regal Prince - Quercus x warei 'Long'

American Chestnut Castanea dentata

American Holly 'Mary Holman' Ilex opaca

Magnolia Virginiana 'Green Shadow' Magnolia - 'Sweetbay'

Frothergilla x intermediate 'Mt. Airy'

Clethra 'Ruby Spice Summersweet'

Buttonbush, Cephalanthus occidentalis

American black elderberry, Sambucus canadensis

Azalea x 'Lemon Drop'

Cardinal flower 'Lobelia cardinalis'

Swamp Milkweed, Asclepias incarnata - 'Ice Ballet'

Sweetfern, Comptonia peregrina

Copia

475 Smith Ridge Rd.

S. Salem, NY

914/533-7242

Faith visited the newly installed garden of Kristi Breed

to thank her for her purchase of plants from Copia

which benefitted NCBL.

Hanging Baskets

Thank you, Bianca for the beautiful hanging baskets!

Membership

If you have not already done so, please pay your membership dues (due June 30).

Anyone who has joined since January 2020

does not have to pay dues for the coming year, 2020 – 2021.

Please send in your membership form with your check for dues to NCBL Membership, PO Box 1244, New Canaan, CT 06840.

To download the membership form, click HERE.

The directory is at the printer and will be sent to members by mail,

probably the third week of September.

THANK YOU SARA HUNT FOR PUTTING IT TOGETHER!

NCBL now has over 170 members.

Please tell us if you know of any NCBL member who is ill or has lost a loved one.

Membership (usually Libby) will send them a card from the NCBL.

Libby Butterworth

(203-801-0862)

(eabutter@gmail.com)

Please welcome our newest members!

Nora Fay

Betsy Anderson

Mailboxes on Pine St., Town Hall Planters & Mead Park

Please click on the link below to see

New Canaanite's article on the Mead Park Plaza

https://newcanaanite.com/new-plaza-goes-in-at-mead-park-3391404

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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