New Canaan is blooming beautifully, and our eager volunteers are springing into action all over town! Thank you to Traveling Trowels for all your raking, pruning, weeding and so much more. Thank you to Jackie Alexander and the Japan Society of Fairfield Country for dedicating a huge Yoshino cherry tree at the Gold Star Walk, celebrated in a ceremony on Saturday. Thank you to New Canaan SLOBS for hauling and spreading mulch at Lee Garden.  And thank you to the many generous families and businesses who have donated to our Annual Appeal and to friendly folks who stop to thank NCBL members for all we do to Make New Canaan Beautiful! 

Vice-President Jill Ernst organized a delightful Buds and Blooms zoom meeting, a chance for new members to get acquainted and learn more about NCBL.  Our very healthy organization continues to grow.  Warmest welcome to our very newest members, the Kamboj family.  Shipra and her 10-year-old son Aarav are excited to learn by doing in Lee Garden.

Stella Clarke and Christine Friedman, administrators at Waveny Care Center have asked NCBL for advice on the landscaping of their campus.  Betsy Bilus is working on a plan which could involve a variety of volunteer groups.

Nancy Malling served as Programs ambassador to coordinate with New Canaan Garden Club for the engaging April meeting featuring Barbara Paul Robinson, author of Heroes of Horticulture.  

Aoife Maynard and her family traveled to Virginia for Revolutionary War Weekend festivities in preparation for this Wednesday’s program “Welcome Home, George Washington: Mount Vernon’s Gardens”.  Dean Norton, Director of Horticulture at Mount Vernon, will be our guest speaker.  (Register now in the Programs section, if you have not done so already.)  It's not too late to plan a trip of your own to Mount Vernon next weekend for the Mount Vernon Historic Plant and Garden Sale.

There are lots of red tulips planted around New Canaan this year, including a picture-perfect red, white and blue combo at Town Hall – George Washington would definitely approve!  Why not take pictures when you are out and about of your garden favorites to share with NCBL members, friends, family - and to enjoy yourself.  Beautification League’s Lee Garden on Chichester Road is particularly splendid this month, so be sure to visit!

Programs for 2020-2021 will be virtual via Zoom webinars.

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.

The General in the Garden is available at:

Elm Street Books,

35 Elm St., New Canaan, CT

203/966-4545

https://www.elmstreetbooks.com

At the end of the day, what better place is there to kick back, chill out, and make the world go away than in your own backyard? C. L. Fornari shows how easy it is to create a garden atmosphere that sets the mood for private relaxation or festive occasions with friends. Discover the ways that you can create a garden for the senses where you can reconnect with friends, family, and the natural world.

This talk explores how to maximize the enjoyment of light from the morning or evening sun, and which plants to use to surround your outdoor living spaces with fragrance. Learn the simple secrets for creating an evening pleasure garden where the birds, butterflies and bees put on a show. Hear about garden-based cocktails and snacks. Discover creative ways to use flowers in beverages, and toast to relaxing in your garden.

is available at

ELM STREET BOOKS

35 Elm St.

New Canaan, CT 06840

203/966-4545

https://www.elmstreetbooks.com

Click on the linked titles below to view our past webinar programs! You can also find these links on our website.

Hydrangea Gardening Tips 

 https://joegardener.com/podcast/hydrangea-care-tips/

https://joegardener.com/podcast/hydrangeas-pruning-color-proper-care/   

The triangle at Rt. 124 & Luke's Wood Road needs a caregiver or two.

If you are interested in helping out, kindly email Barbara Wilson at: [email protected]

The Gold Star Walk in Mead Park is a living monument to the 38 New Canaan men who gave their lives in WWII. A tree for each is planted along the pond. Their names are on a rock to right of the bridge.

NCBL member, Jackie Alexander, a member of the Japan Society of Fairfield County, was instrumental in arranging the gift of a mature Yoshino Cherry Tree (left) to the Gold Star Walk of trees at Mead Park. It replaced a dying tree near the entrance of the park.

Thank you, Jackie and the Japan Society of Fairfield County!

Faith Kerchoff found an April 1973 article written for the Quarterly Bulletin of the American Rhododendron Society that gives a short but intimate view of George Lee and his magnificent collection of azaleas that reside there.

Part of the article reads: Two miles west of the attractive New England residential village of New Canaan, Connecticut, in rolling wooded country blessed with magnificent oaks, tall tulip trees, and stands of cedar, sweet gum, hemlock, shadbush, and flowering dogwood, the three acres of the Olive W. Lee Memorial Garden are well known to gardeners throughout the area. 

If you read the entire article you begin to understand the importance of this space and the grand responsibility that was gifted to our league for preserving it.

Spring is an awesome and ever changing time at Lee Garden. Visit today, and the views will be different tomorrow! So be sure to visit often.

Some photos from April:

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis sp) at Lee Garden is visited by a bumble bee.

Faith and Rob are generally at the Pine Street mailboxes on Friday mornings. Again, they welcome help and in return dispense great information about the plants.

To sign up for notifications about caring for the Pine Street garden and Mead Park's plaza and gold star walk, email Faith at:

A hardy crew turned out to give the Train Station its spring cleaning and included nine new members!.

Thank you to Karen Hanson, Jill Ernst, Debbie Simpson, Pat Thatcher, Sandy Siegel, Stephanie Hutter, Kathy Lapolla,  Jo Crane and Eniko Szata

The Board of NCBL has put forth a slate of proposed board members for election. The election will occur at the June members' meeting. Kindly review the nominees below in preparation.

Aarav Kamboj (Shipra's 10 year old son!)

To download the membership form, click HERE.

Submitted by Anne Tropeano

If you have changed any of your contact information (home address, email address, or phone number), please let membership know.

Sometimes we all need a little cheering up. A card, some flowers or perhaps a plant from our members to let someone know that we are thinking of them. Please call me (203-801-0862) or email me ([email protected]) with information.

Who would have thought many years ago, when our bylaws were written, that we'd have to take into account a pandemic that prohibits gathering? Since that is exactly what has happened, the following change was proposed and voted on at our March board meeting:

QUORUM Section 4.4 Thirty members present in person shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the corporation.

has been changed to:

QUORUM Section 4.4 Thirty members present shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the corporation.

No Mow May is a conservation initiative first popularized by Plantlife, an organization based in the United Kingdom, and which is gaining traction across North America. The goal of No Mow May is to allow lawn to grow unmown for the month of May, creating habitat and forage for early season pollinators. This is particularly important in urban areas where floral resources are often limited.  Pollinator Pathways across Connecticut are promoting this initiative. You can read all about this initiative and way to have a healthy lawn by clicking this button:

This member's front lawn will remain unmowed until the Spring Beauties (Claytonia virginica) die back.

Not feeling brave enough to leave your entire lawn unmown for a month? Try letting one section of lawn go untouched for a few weeks. You may be surprised at the wildflowers that may push their way through. Have a patch of native viola sp. growing in your lawn? Leave it be and the insects will thank you!

Doug Tallamy's research on the interactions of native plants with insects has led to the development of an interactive Native Plant finder in collaboration with The National Wildlife Foundation, The University of Delaware, and the Forest Service.

(You must use a browser other than Safari when using this website). Click on the button below to give it a try.

Wondering where to buy native plants? The Pollinator-Pathway website has a webpage dedicated to nurseries specializing in native plants. Visit the page by clicking the image below and checking out each of the nurseries.