August/September 2022
President's Message
Greetings!
As Garden Clubs, how are we perceived within our clubs and within our communities, especially by those we would welcome as members? That’s not as simple as it seems.

One of our current Board members regales folks with her first visit to her community’s club.

No one spoke to her. No one welcomed her. Long story short? She stayed, survived, became Membership Chair, and designated “Greeters.”

Do you invite the public to your meetings? Of course you do. What does the public take away?
Do you retain your members? How do you mentor them? Do you cherish members who were once the mainstays of your club? They are walking encyclopedias of your history.

We were taught to include Who, What, Where, When, Why sometime during our schooling. We were taught these were integral parts of any report or story.

When we tell our stories, do we still limit ourselves to newsprint? Many of us use Social Media. If your club does, you know it helps outsiders understand the wide range of your work.

If you don’t, please forward members’ photos to Kelle Ruden via social@ctgardenclubs.org. Kelle can help introduce prospective members in your area, through your photos of your activities.

It was brought home to me firmly within the last two weeks that many outsiders still perceive us more as characters from a Helen Hokinson cartoon from the 1930s.

You and I know we’re not living in the 1930s. We’re very much active learners gardening in the 21st century. We are diverse. We would like to be even more so.

To attract new members and retain them, let’s share what well over 6,000 members in 115 clubs in Connecticut’s Federation do in our communities.

Please help me thank Shelley Hedberg, member of the Watertown Garden Club, profusely, for serving as Website Chair for our Federation. I hope you visit our website early and often. Thanks to Shelley, it continues to adapt.

Shelley has been training our new Website Chair, Scott DeMuth, member of The Garden Club of New Milford. Scott joins Marty Sherman, CFNews Manager, Kelle Ruden, Social Media, and Lynda Kaplan, who comprise our Media Team. [Marty is also a passionate advocate for monarch butterflies, and took the header photo in this issue.]

Your voice is as important. Welcome visitors to your open meetings. Invite new members to every committee meeting and workshop. They may discover something just as much fun to discover as what originally drew them to you.

I’ll end with a Save the Date.

Wednesday, September 21, 2022, we will offer Club Presidents Day once again in a Zoom format at 10:00 a.m. Previously, we offered this to Club Presidents solely. A virtual meeting space will allow Club Presidents to invite others to join them.
Those invitations will be sent in September.

Above all, enjoy the season, please.
Polly Brooks
President
Upcoming Events
Registration deadline: October 16, 2022
(No registrations will be accepted or refunds given after deadline.)


SAVE THESE NEGC DATES!

"Do you delight in the little things in nature?"
A Zoom workshop on macro and close-up photography
with renowned photographer-writer Colleen Minuik

Open to all garden club members of New England Garden Clubs — CT, MA, ME, NH and VT

August 16th, 2022
4:00 pm-5:30 pm EDT via ZOOM 
$10.00

~
Northern New England Tri-State Symposium ~ August 22-24, 2022
Double Tree Hotel, Manchester, New Hampshire

NOTE: Hotel Registration Deadline is August 1, 2022.
Symposium registration deadline: August 8, 2022.
There will be a $10.00 late fee for registrations postmarked after August 8, 2022.
NO REFUNDS will be made after August 8, 2022.

~
NEGC Annual Meeting
October 18-19 in Nashua, NH

The New Hampshire Federation of Garden Clubs is hosting the New England Garden Clubs, Inc., 6th Annual Meeting on October 18 – 19, 2022 (Tuesday and Wednesday) in Nashua at the Event Center/
Courtyard Marriott. We have two excellent presenters lined up to both entertain and educate you, Arabella Dane will be coordinating a fabulous photography exhibit, and we will all have the opportunity to reconnect with some of our garden club friends throughout New England that we have been missing. Come enjoy a few days in Southern New Hampshire amid the beautiful October foliage.

News from FGCCT & NGC
PLANT SCIENCE DAY 2022
Wednesday, August 3
9:30 am - 4:00 pm
Lockwood Farm
890 Evergreen Avenue
Hamden, CT 06518
 
Come and enjoy a day of fun and education sponsored by The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES). The gates open at 9:30 am and programs begin at 10:00 am. 
You’ll be able to discuss current research topics with CAES scientists, explore the research farm and listen to informative talks. 

• Barn Displays • 80 Field Plots and Exhibits • Technical Demonstrations
• Plant Disease Diagnosis and Plant Identification • Insect Identification
• Your Questions Answered • Passports for Children

A multitude of diverse organizations also plan to be on hand to provide insight and counsel on horticultural and environmental issues that affect all of us in our gardening pursuits. Please stop by The Federation table under the big tent and say hello!
 
The event is free and open to the public. For event details and a full brochure – Click here.
FGCCT Schools

Environmental School (Zoom), September 22-23, 2022

The Living Earth Environmental School is composed of a minimum of 40 hours of study. Specific units are divided into four courses of ten hours each and one field trip. The courses investigate AIR, LAND and WATER. The units are divided into Ecology and Environmental Science, Life on Earth, and Earth Stewardship.

This registration is for Course 1, The Living Earth – a Zoom virtual offering – will be held September 22-23, 2022. Registration is limited to Connecticut residents until August 1, 2022. The deadline for registration is September 10, 2022.

Gardening School: Save the Date for Course 4, October 17-18, 2022!

DEADLINE CHANGE for FGCCT Public Relations Awards
 
January 1 will be The Federation’s deadline for submitting the following Public Relations Awards: 

  • Publications designed to increase membership such as brochures and leaflets
  • Social Media/Website
  • Digital Media Presentations
  • Publications, such as Newsletters/Bulletins
  • National Garden Week promotion

The time period for these Public Relations Awards is January 1 to December 31 of the current year; this aligns with NGC’s requirements. Please see the Awards Manual on The Federation’s website for more details. Note that nominations must be submitted electronically. 

Each nomination requires an FGCCT Award Application included with the email. Send an electronic copy to the FGCCT Public Relations Chair at publicity@ctgardenclubs.org and a copy to the FGCCT Awards Chair at awards@ctgardenclubs.org.
— Vonice Carr, FGCCT Awards Chair
NGC 2023 Youth Contests

Summertime is the perfect time to start planning and preparing for your garden club’s Youth Contests!
For all youth contests, find rules and more information on the FGCCT website under Projects-Youth.
 
The Smokey Bear/Woodsy Owl Poster Contest invites children from first through fifth grade to participate in the 2023 U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service and the National Garden Clubs, Inc. poster contest by creating original drawings of Smokey Bear or Woodsy Owl along with each icon’s message of “Only You Can Prevent Wildfires” for Smokey Bear and “Lend A Hand-Care For The Land” for Woodsy Owl. 

The Smokey Bear contest gives students the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of wildfire prevention. Woodsy Owl challenges students to take an active role in caring for the land through recycling, reusing, and reducing waste.

  • Deadline for Smokey Bear/Woodsy Owl poster submissions is January 21, 2023. For submission information, contact FGCCT Youth Chair Kandra Houston at youth@ctgardenclubs.org.
 
Youth Poetry Contest: The 2022-2023 theme is “Seeds, Trees and Bees…Oh My – Celebrating the Diversity of Nature.” The Poetry Contest is open to students from kindergarten through ninth grade with the goal to enable youth to explore and embrace their creativity through the art of writing. 

  • Deadline for the Youth Poetry Contest is January 15, 2023 All entries must be submitted electronically to youth@ctgardenclubs.org.
 
Youth Sculpture Contest: The on-going theme is “Encouraging Youth to Keep our Planet Green.”

The Youth Sculpture Contest is open to students from the fourth through eighth grade and encourages students to keep our planet green and to get involved with saving the environment. Students create a sculpture of recyclable, reused and/or reduced materials with a width of no more than 8 ½” x 11” with height proportional to width. 

  • Deadline for Youth Sculpture Contest is January 15, 2023. Submit two photographs of each sculpture entry to youth@ctgardenclubs.org.
 
The High School Distinguished Service Project Award is for a high school student from the ninth through twelfth grades for an outstanding civic project making a significant improvement for public benefit, e.g., environment, conservation, landscape, horticulture, recycling, horticultural therapy, etc. The project must be sponsored by an NGC member club, group of clubs, district, or State Federation. A Certificate of Merit and $100 will be awarded to the first place winner and $50 to the second place winner.

  • Deadline for High School Distinguished Service Project award submissions is January 10, 2023 and must be submitted electronically to youth@ctgardenclubs.org.
 
NOTE: Every youth contest entry must also include a completed “Release for Publication and Website” form filled out and signed by the child’s parent/guardian, then submitted to the sponsoring garden club, which will collect, review and submit all entries and forms to youth@ctgardenclubs.org, unless otherwise noted. No entry will be judged without a completed “Release for Publication and Website” form. The form can be found on the FGCCT website under Projects-Youth.
—Kandra Houston, FGCCT Youth Chair


Treasury Notes
Tips for Clubs from FGCCT Treasurer Shirley Hall

All About Audits

Many Club Treasurers I have talked to mention that they have their Club’s financial books audited each year. In fact, many club Bylaws refer to an annual audit. You should be aware that the term “Audit” has certain connotations. The term audit should be reserved for a formal examination of your organization's accounts and financial situation performed by a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). But even if your club engages the professional services of a CPA, there are three different levels of financial statement services offered by CPAs: Audits, Reviews, and Compilations. The more complex and complete the service, the higher the cost.
 
An Audit provides the highest level of assurance of an organization’s financial statements, that they are free of material misstatement and are fairly presented based upon the application of generally accepted accounting principles. An Audit includes:

  • Confirmation with outside parties
  • Testing selected transactions by examining supporting documents
  • Completion of physical inspections and observations
  •  Consideration and evaluation of the internal control system of the organization
 
A CPA Review provides limited assurance of an organization’s financial statements. During a review, analytical procedures present a reasonable basis for expressing limited assurance that no material modifications to the financial statements are necessary and that they confirm with generally accepted accounting principles.
 
A CPA Compilation provides no assurance of an organization’s financial statements. The CPA takes financial data provided by the organization and puts them in a financial statement format that complies with generally accepted accounting principles. There are no testing or analytical procedures performed during a compilation.
 
Most clubs merely have the books or even just the checkbook and/or bank statements looked at yearly by a club member or a committee of club members or by a spouse or relative of a club member. Some clubs do have a non-member look at the status of accounts, but very few, if any, clubs pay for a CPA to actually perform an AUDIT. 
 
In any case, clubs should be aware of accepted accounting principles and be aware of IRS compliance issues for non-profits. It is recommended that all club Treasurers visit the IRS website and search for information regarding non-profits. All clubs should have a copy of the IRS Publication “Compliance Guide for 501 (c)(3) Non-Profits” which can be found on the IRS website here: Publication 4221-PC (Rev. 3-2018) (irs.gov)
FGCCT Tours
COMING in 2023 ...

Please register your interest for the following tours for 2023 by emailing tours@ctgardenclubs.org

  • March 21-26: Charleston
  • Early May: Andalucia, Spain
  • July: Hudson Valley Getaway
  • September: Nova Scotia & Prince Edward Island
  • Late October/Early November: South Africa Garden Tour with Safari Extension (Sold Out!)

Several of our more expensive tours were pushed into 2023 as a result of the pandemic. Even our shorter bus trips have seen a sharp price increase. The Tours Committee is working to provide a balance of tours for all our members at various price points; please feel free to contact me with suggestions for future ideas or how to make our tours better.

Check the website for more information on all tours, including full brochures and current status.
— Kathy Lindroth, FGCCT Tours Coordinator ~ 860.836.3407 or tours@ctgardenclubs.org
My Seal of Approval
I love garden tours but, without sounding jaded, there are few in which I am horticulturally challenged. So for me, the garden of Alison Bourke in Greenwich, CT, was exceptional.  First, I have to respect a woman with her own backhoe. Then there were three and a half acres of amazing plants. In her shade gardens were plants I recognized as Solomon's seal but had never met before. Naturally that set me off on an exploration of the genus Polygonatum.  

Polygonatum is a large genus in the asparagus family, Asparagaceae. The genus name "poly" means "many," and "gonu" means knee joint referring to its jointed plant rhizomes.  A single stem grows from each rhizome section but the rhizomes branch freely so each plant will have multiple stems. The common name is either based on the rhizome scars which resemble the seal of King Solomon or its medicinal use for healing (sealing) wounds. Take your pick.

Above ground, Solomon’s seal is an erect, herbaceous perennial with arching stems. Its allure is both its architectural form and coarse, textured foliage. The broad leaves zigzag their way up the unbranched stalks, each pair slightly offset along the stem. Most species have solid green leaves that turn lemon yellow to brown in autumn. The plant is happiest in cool, organically rich, moist, well-drained soils in full to partial shade (morning or dappled light is best).  It is however quite adaptable to many situations, including dry shade spots near tree roots but it will not be as vigorous. There are few insect or disease problems, and it is not favored by deer, though I do find that slugs and snails will chew the leaves up a bit.  The plant spreads at a modest pace to form a colony but, paired with the right companions, I don’t find it too bullying.
There are flowers that are charming in an understated way. In the spring, clusters of small, bell-shaped whitish flowers dangle from each axil node of the stem. They last for several weeks followed by round, blue-black fruits. These plants can be grown from seed but, by all accounts, that is a long process. They are easiest to propagate by division in the spring, just as the new growth emerges from the ground, or in fall when they are going dormant.

Most species occur in Asia but there are native species which all look fairly similar but differ in height. Small or Smooth Solomon’s seal, P. biflorum, is the most common and grows in a multitude of habitats from Zones 3-9. It has long hairless leaves (thus the “smooth") and grows 3-5 feet tall with one to three flowers per axil. Giant Solomon's seal, P. biflorum var. commutatum, can reach 6-7 feet in the right conditions. It also tends to have more flowers with six or more blooms per axil. Hairy Solomon’s seal, P. pubescens, looks like P. biflorum but tends to be shorter (1-3 feet) and its leaves are slightly hairy on the undersides. 

There is another native plant commonly called Eastern Solomon's-plume or False Solomon's seal. The foliage resembles Solomon's seal but it is a different species altogether, Maianthemum racemosum. They are easy to tell apart as False Solomon’s seal has feathery masses of small whitish, fragrant flowers at the ends of the stems in late spring and small, reddish berries.  

Of the Asian species, perhaps the most well-known is Fragrant Solomon's Seal, Polygonatum odoratum. ‘Variegatum’ is a popular cultivar that has bright green foliage with white edges and maroon-tinged stems.   There are other cultivars of this species that are a bit harder to find but certainly worth the effort. ‘Jinguji' has stems that are a bright pinkish-red, ‘Amadokoro' has large white edges and ‘Byakko’ looks like it was doused with white paint.  
If you are looking for something smaller, there is Dwarf Solomon’s seal, P. humile. It grows 8-12″ tall and is more upright. The flowers are relatively large for such a small plant, making it a bit showier than its larger kin. It will spread out in a colony as well and makes an unusual groundcover. 

Taller? That would be Orange Flowering Solomon's seal, P. huanum. With tall, slender stems that can reach six feet, narrow, whorled leaves and curled tips that cling to surrounding vegetation for support, it demands attention. Orange bell flowers tipped in green complete the package. Both of these are a tad less hardy (Zones 6-9). 

These are just a few of the commonly available Solomon’s seals. In my explorations, I found that collecting Polygonatum is a “thing” with many specialty nurseries selling rare species. Being a form and foliage fan myself, I understand the allure. And if all the species are as indestructible as mine, why not? I need more plants! I need more shade! I need to avoid Garden Conservancy tours … nah …

— Renee Marsh, FGCCT Horticulture Chair

Spotlight on Our FGCCT Affiliates:
Bartlett Arboretum and Gardens
The Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens:
A Peaceful Refuge to Enjoy Nature
and the Arts 

On any given summer day at the Bartlett Arboretum, you are sure to run into busy volunteers led by UCONN-trained Master Gardeners tending to “their” spot on the property. Ask a question or admire a bloom and find yourself engaged in a hands-on tutorial or impromptu tour. On Monday mornings, there is the fern and woodland treasures team, cataloging and caring for the over 130 distinct species of ferns in the enchanting Alice Smith Fern Allée. On Tuesday, you will find the “Herbies” buzzing in and around our renowned Herb and Sensory Gardens. Wednesday ushers in the Vegetable Garden summer interns from local schools harvesting, planting, and growing fruit and veggies for local charities. Finally, on Thursdays, the Perennial Border and Cottage Garden team fan out along the Great Lawn, tending to the 140-foot-long garden featuring more than 100 varieties of native shade and sun loving plants. By Friday, the gardens are once again ready for their closeups, as hundreds of visitors arrive throughout the weekend seeking peaceful refuge in one of Southern Connecticut’s most treasured green spaces.  

The Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens in Stamford, CT, is a 93-acre, member-supported sanctuary featuring 13 themed gardens, wetlands, 10 trails spread out over five miles, and several Champion and Notable Trees. Throughout the year, more than 90,000 people visit the property, including 5,000 school children on field trips and annual environmental camp programs. Free of charge and open seven days a week, from dawn till dusk, the Bartlett serves as a refuge for local families, garden clubs, bird watchers, hikers, and dog walkers, to name a few. 

Members of the Bartlett provide invaluable support for the preservation of the property and help to underwrite the various educational and recreational programs that we offer throughout the year. Programming includes summer camps, tree and garden tours, art classes, seasonal festivals, and the annual Summer Concert Series on the Great Lawn. Member benefits include free and discounted tickets, early-bird registrations, and reciprocal access to over 345+ gardens throughout North America. 
 
What’s On Now?  
 
Right now, visitors can enjoy several of our Gardens at their peak, including the Sensory Garden, the newest garden created at the Bartlett. It is devoted to plants that emphasize the five senses, with each raised bed offering a different group of plants. For instance, the SMELL bed has lavender and roses and TASTE features snap peas, beans, oregano, and basil. The 9/11 Memorial “Survivor Tree” Archway, buffeted by a lush Tropical Garden, offers a verdant landmark symbolizing resilience, and hope in a quiet corner of the Arboretum. You can read more about our collections here.
  
Music lovers can purchase tickets to one of the remaining 2022 Summer Concert Series shows, which take place on the Great Lawn every Sunday night until the end of August. On September 18, the Bartlett will host our popular, annual Honey Harvest Festival. Enjoy shopping local artisans and vendors, honey tastings, live music, local food trucks, kids’ crafts and more! This is a free event. 

A full listing of events at the Bartlett can be found here. Sign up for our newsletter for all the latest news about upcoming events. We look forward to seeing you on the trails! 
 
Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens | www.BartlettArboretum.org | 151 Brookdale Road, Stamford, CT 06903 
The Woodland Treasures volunteer garden team meeting up near the Alice Smith Fern Allée
Synchrony college interns under the 9/11 Memorial Survivor Tree Archway during a day of service
The Federation Welcomes our Newest Affiliate Member: Greenwich Botanical Center
Advertisement
Club Corner
"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 more of the 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 CFNewsManager@ctgardenclubs.org to be considered for inclusion.

Check out more photos from this issue's Featured Club, the Stonington Garden Club, on our website!
FEATURED CLUB: The Stonington Garden Club Celebrates a Banner Year!
It has been quite a year for the Stonington Garden Club (SGC)! After the pandemic forced the club to pivot to virtual meetings and twice postpone Gardens by the Sea, our major triennial fundraiser, the club returned to in-person meetings in November of 2021 and finally hosted our garden tour in June 2022. Under the leadership of our 2021-2022 President, Deb Dodds, the club thrived during this challenging time, adding new members and maintaining a busy schedule of meetings and community projects.
 
Planning for Gardens by the Sea went into high gear last fall. The result was the most successful tour in our history. It was an all-hands-on-deck effort to pull together nine gardens, various associated events, and all the logistics required to support over 2,700 attendees. The event went off without a hitch due in large part to the heroic efforts of the Tour Committee, led by Tour Chair Laura Metzger. The weather was perfect, the gardens were spectacular, and attendee feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. All net proceeds will support our community projects, scholarships, and grant program for the next three years.
 
One of the Tour highlights was the COMO Children’s Learning Garden, the club’s primary community project. In partnership with the Stonington Community Center (COMO) and many other community volunteers and donors, the club began work in the late 1990s on a garden designed to teach children about gardening and instill a love of and respect for nature. The “new” garden opened in 1996 and has been refreshed several times over the years. Children from the COMO Summer Camp tend the garden alongside SGC and community volunteers. The children harvest the produce and are taught how to prepare and cook their bounty. The SGC is proud to partner with the COMO to help local children learn practical gardening skills and where our food comes from as well as develop an appreciation of nature and the environment.
 
The club was also recently honored to receive a Hero Award from the Stonington Historical Society for its longtime commitment to the community and preserving our local history. Several members marched in the Stonington Borough July 4th parade in honor of the Grand Marshall, Candy Sanford, a longtime member of the club. The other 2022 Hero Award went to Joyce Pandolfi who is another longtime SGC member and dedicated Historical Society volunteer.
 
Please visit our website to see more about what we do – www.stoningtongardenclub.org!
This seaside garden, one of nine stunning gardens on the club's 2022 Gardens by the Sea Garden Tour, included a lovely water feature and extensive plantings.
The COMO Children’s Learning Garden is the SGC’s primary community project, supporting the COMO’s curriculum of conservation, horticulture, and ecology lesson modules.
On July 20th SGC Members worked with a large group of 7-9 yr. olds to harvest over 60 onions! Here Deb Dodds helps several of the kids to harvest their bounty!
The Milford Garden Club dedicated the state's first Gold Star Memorial By-Way marker on May 29, 2022, with an installation ceremony followed by a reception on the Milford Green.
The Bristol Garden Club dedicated a Blue Star Memorial marker on the Memorial Boulevard in Bristol on Memorial Day, May 30, 2022.
The Morris Cove Garden Club dedicated a Blue Star Memorial on June 26; the Memorial was installed in coordination with the Fort Nathan Hale Restorations Projects, Inc.
Articles of Interest
Legislative/Action Report: “Balloons, Blow, Don’t Let Them Go.”

As a followup on my project of No Balloon Releases, I was able to stop a balloon release on June 18 at Edgerton Park in New Haven/ Hamden.

A Facebook post advertising a balloon release with a picture from last year showing about 100 balloons being released, was posted. Article stated that they were planning another balloon release and that they were selling tickets for the event. The name of the group was Spiritual Girl, Inc. 

I contacted DEEP and asked if anyone took out a permit to release balloons. They said they do not issue permits and for me to call the police in the town that the release would take place. After contacting the New Haven Police, I was told that Edgerton Park was actually in Hamden (141 Edgehill Rd) and to call the Hamden Police. I called them and told them my reason for calling, to halt a balloon release. They said they never heard of such a request. I explained the law to them and they had me talk to the Dispatch Supervisor. I had to tell him the whole story again and he had me on hold while he looked up the law. He said only 10 balloons per person per day per event was allowed. I gave him the location, the name of the group holding the event and the person in charge and her phone number. He said he would contact her and tell her the law and that she would be fined $35.00 if she released more than 10 balloons.  He asked me to call back the morning of the event. Well, we were there and NO balloons were released!

Needless to say, I was on the phone all morning but it was well worth it. If anyone hears of a balloon release, please contact me with the information and I will try and have it stopped. My pledge still is “Balloons, Blow, Don’t Let Them Go.”
— Gerri Giordano, FGCCT Legislation Chair
Announcements
Donations by Garden Clubs to our Scholarship, Garden Therapy and World Gardening Funds
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.
Scholarship Donations since the last issue of CFNews
Guilford Garden Club   
Garden Club of New Haven
Garden Club of Newtown
Thames River Garden Club
Wilton Garden Club/Life Membership
Sasqua Garden Club
        
$ 50.00
$250.00
$100.00
$500.00
$100.00
$100.00
$1,100.00
Garden Therapy Donations since the last issue of CFNews
Guilford Garden Club  
$50.00
$50.00
World Gardening Donations since the last issue of CFNews
Guilford Garden Club
$50.00
$50.00
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:
For World Gardening & Garden Therapy:

Peggy Lajoie
12 Eastview Rd
Southington, CT 06489
For FGCCT Scholarship Fund:

Deborah Osborne
25 Zoar Rd
Sandy Hook, CT 06482
Tips to use online calendar and submitting a calendar event - click buttons below.
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
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."
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.

Deadline to submit articles/photos, ads and calendar events for the June/July 2022 issue of The Connecticut Federation News is September 10, 2022. Please submit to:

ARTICLES/PHOTOS
Marty Sherman

ADVERTISING
Barbara Romblad
PO Box 854, Branford, CT 06405
203.488.5528
 
CALENDAR
Ellie Tessmer

Direct Circulation Queries to: Office Administrator, FGCCT, PO Box 854, Branford, CT 06405
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 and nature photographers. Subscribe here.
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