May, 2023 Newsletter
Volunteers Making New Canaan Beautiful
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Dear Members and Friends,
It is indeed the merry month of May and getting merrier by the day as we add special events. Pam Roman will discuss her yard and how she transformed it from a place overgrown with invasive plants to one of pollinators. Come get ideas for your gardens. at the Nature Center on Wednesday, May 3 at 9:30.
The ribbon cutting ceremony inaugurating the beautiful new gate at Lee Garden and welcoming of new members will be on May 7 at 3 p.m. Toby Winiarski, George Lee’s nephew, will be there to help us celebrate. Refreshments will be served. On May 21, the azaleas and rhododendrons will be beckoning all to Lee Garden’s Open Day. It promises to be full of color and some of the experts who help care for the garden will be available to answer questions.
Sarah Magrino will be leading a special flower designing workshop on May 23rd at Lapham Community Center where you will get personal guidance using spring flowers. This is an evening workshop.
The Memorial Day Parade is coming and it's such a fun time to walk our town streets lined with NCBL hanging baskets. Get more information on how you can join the festivities in the newsletter.
You've asked for field trips and we have them! Carol Seldin has coordinated a field trip to Sleepy Cat Farm in Greenwich in June. From everything we've heard, this garden is a must see! Read all about it and how to sign up below.
Plans are in the works for next year's programs and the committee would be grateful for any leads and thoughts.
Voting for the new board slate will take place in May. Members will receive an email with very simple voting instructions and the results will be published in the June newsletter.
It is time to renew your membership. It is even easier to do this year following Sara Hunt’s directions in our newsletter.
Sincerely,
Robin Bates-Mason & Jill Ernst
co-Presidents
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Wednesday
May 3, 2023
9:30 - 11:30 am
New Canaan Nature Center
Pam Roman will explain step-by-step how she removed invasive shrubs and vines in order to create a native pollinator-friendly garden. How can such a daunting, seemingly hopeless task become reality? Join us as Pam explains what she did in her own yard, day-by-day, month-by-month, over a period of 3 years.
Pam Roman is a former book publishing executive who now works with local organizations that embrace native plantings, sustainability and teaching children the value of all things nature. An avocational gardener and birder all her adult life, Pam has spent years at work in her own Trumbull yard, removing invasive plants, growing native (and non-native) flowers and shrubs, and tending to a vegetable garden.
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above: photos from Pam Roman's garden. |
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Bakers or donations needed!
Bakers needed for our upcoming program on May 3rd, 9:30 am at the Nature Center - “From Invasive to Native.” Anyone interested please contact Anne Tropeano via email at annietrop@yahoo.com.
Thank you from the Hospitality Committee
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A Note From the Programs Committee
Our committee is already working on next year's schedule and would greatly appreciate any connections and ideas members may have. We do not expect people to join the committee, but your connections can be quite helpful.
Thank you.
Janet Fonss, Angela Materna, Susan Foxworth
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B.Y.O. Flowers
Flower arranging workshop
Lapham Community Center
May 23, 2023
6:30 – 8:30 PM
Get tips and personal guidance from Sarah Magrino, a passionate flower lover & floral designer based in Fairfield County specializing in events, outdoor containers and at-home parties for over 20 years.
Bring:
- flowers (from Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, other grocery stores, your garden!)
- 20-25+ stems 12-15" long
- Some greens
- Vase no larger than 6” wide
- Very sharp flower clippers
Members only, Space is limited.
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Save the Date: Annual Meeting |
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Fireflies
with Chris Schipper, John Winter and Bill McDonald
Wednesday
June 7, 2023
9:30 - 11:30 am
New Canaan Nature Center
MEMBERS ONLY, Please
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Representatives of the New Canaan Land Trust, John Winter, Chris Schipper and Bill McDonald, will hold a panel discussion and presentation devoted to our beloved fireflies. The life cycles of these insects, as well as their roles in ecosystems and our roles in protecting them, will be the main topics included. The speakers will also discuss the firefly sanctuaries maintained by the land trust and the history behind them. Members of NCBL are invited to sign up for an evening field trip to visit one of these properties later this summer during peak firefly season. The specific date for this outing has yet to be determined, so be on the lookout for the announcement. Spaces are limited and will fill up fast.
John Winter, Executive Director of the New Canaan Land Trust, is a Connecticut native with experience in land conservation and stewardship. He holds a Masters Degree in Environmental Management from Duke University’s School of the Environment and has co-authored three books on the subject.
Chris Schipper served as President of the Land Trust Board until 2016 and is now the Chair of the New Canaan Conservation Commission with an ex-officio role on the Land Trust board. He is active on the Waveny Conservancy Board and leads the “Friends of Bristow” group in revitalizing the beautiful bird sanctuary on Route 106.
Bill McDonald lives on a property adjoining one of the firefly sanctuaries and spearheaded the firefly preservation movement in town. Bill is considered the guru of all things firefly and has a wealth of knowledge on these fascinating little flashing bugs. He will share how he has converted his property into a beautiful, healthy ecosystem for all sorts of native species and how he has worked with the Land Trust to devote space for firefly conservation.
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Upcoming Lee Garden Events |
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NEW GATE RIBBON CUTTING
and
WELCOMING OF NEW MEMBERS
Sunday
May 7, 2023
3 - 5 pm
Join Us for refreshments
as we cut
the ribbon on our NEW GATE and welcome our
NEW MEMBERS.
We hope you will join us for this festive occasion.
No need to register. All are welcome.
89 Chichester Rd. (Parking on Toquam Rd.)
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OPEN GARDEN DAY
Sunday
May 21, 2023
1:00 - 4:00 pm
Come see the breathtaking display of azaleas and rhododendrons in peak spring bloom! Bring your friends, family, and camera.
On our Open Garden Day you will be able to meet and ask questions of the volunteers who work hard to keep this garden beautiful.
Lee Garden is open every day, dawn to dusk.
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Informal Member Garden Visits 2023 |
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You can now register for our first two dates of
Informal Garden Visits: May 18 and June 15
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The gardens will be open from 9:30 to noon, to 35 registered NCBL members. Pre- register by clicking the green button below: |
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A GREAT WAY TO MEET FELLOW MEMBERS AND TO SEE GARDENS IS TO VOLUNTEER TO BE A GREETER!
Use the blue button below to sign up as a greeter.
Please contact Pam Yee if you have any questions:
pamyee6@gmail.com
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ALL MEMBERS ARE WELCOME TO MARCH WITH US
Memorial Day, May 29 9:00 a.m.
Meet at St. Mark's Church, 111 Oenoke Ridge
Memorial Parade decorating committee.
If you would like to help decorate the pick up truck, please meet at Ginny Dobbs on Sunday May 28th, 9 Rippowam Rd., New Canaan 2-3p.m.
Please bring any flower decor we may use to decorate our truck. Some decor from previous years will be available. Looking for some creativity to make this the best "float" in the parade!
ginnyadobbs@gmail.com
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Volunteers Needed: Flower Arranging at Waveny |
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We are in need of volunteers to make flower arrangement in June! Join in and bring a smile to the faces of those at Waveny Care Center!
Volunteers are needed for the following Mondays at 9:00 am:
June 5
June 12
June 19
June 26
Please contact:
Eniko Szatai: enikoszatai@gmail.com
or
Betsy Bilus: enbilus@gmail.com
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Sleepy Cat Farm Field Trip |
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Monday
June 12, 2023
Alan Gorkin, head gardener of Sleepy Cat Farm will take us on a guided tour of Sleepy Cat Farm on Monday, June 12.
We will meet at Lapham Center parking lot at 9:15 a.m. to carpool and depart from there at 9:30 sharp to arrive at Sleepy Cat Farm in Greenwich by 10. Only sure-footed members should sign up as areas can be steep and slippery. Wear appropriate footwear. Anticipate a 2-hour visit, returning to Lapham at 12:30 p.m.
To sign up email Carol Seldin: carol@seldins.net and please Indicate if you are willing to drive and the number of passengers you can comfortably accommodate.
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Flower Arranging 101 Workshop |
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Flower Arranging Workshop 101
Thursday, July 6, 2023
Lapham Community Center
10-11:30 a.m.
Ty Tan and Faith Kerchoff will teach fellow members the steps to creating splendid floral arrangements
for all occasions either with flowers from your own garden or purchased. Bring
flowers and clippers. You can bring your own container or use one provided by NCBL.
Advance sign-up required.
RSVP by contacting Ty at: ty@tytandesigns.com
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Bouquets from last year's class. |
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Traveling Trowels has been out and about, cleaning up Mead Park's Gold Star Walk, the plaza and the pollinator garden at the mail box drop off on Pine Street. |
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Daffodils at the mail boxes on Pine St. |
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The Gold Star Walk, Mead Park looks perfect in red, white, and blue. |
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Anemone blanda (Grecian Windflower)
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Sanguinaria canadensis (Bloodroot)
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A huge thank you to the Service League of Boys as well as to Joey & Max for helping to spread chips at Lee Garden! |
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Neighbors Joey and his dad Max, came to help both days. Max says when Joey sees us working, he starts getting ready with his gardening stuff to join in. |
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More of the very helpful SLOBs crew! |
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National Charity League enjoys a day at Lee |
The NCL sent a thank you letter to Faith and Kathy:
Thank you for a lovely day building fairy houses and working on bench maintenance. It was great to chat and be busy together in one of the most wonderful places in New Canaan. We (and NCL) look forward to seeing you in the coming weeks.
Participants today included - from L to R:
Sarah and Anna Hering, Sophie and Genevieve Schettino, Ava and Kate Licata.
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Visit Lee Garden in May
Lee Garden may have experienced one of the earliest springs on record. When this newsletter arrives, the garden may actually be peaking. So pack a lunch to enjoy on the patio, pack up your kids and grandkids, dogs on leashes, artists, photographers, garden friends and come over!
Thanks to our volunteers, the garden is looking spectacular. Our work is never done and volunteers are always welcome, especially new members who may enjoy hanging out, chatting and learning.
Especially noticeable this season is the collection of epimediums that Lois Himes has introduced to the garden.
Several garden clubs - local as well as from as far away as Hartford - have scheduled tours in May. Faith is looking forward to guiding them all with assistance from Lois Himes.
Our “special place”, almost three acres, tucked away in a quiet neighborhood for 80 years, continues to charm the young, the old and our neighbors. Staying Put in New Canaan will be visiting again this year and our teenage volunteers, the SLOBs and NCL return every year with enthusiasm.
George Lee’s nephew, Toby, will be visiting on May 7th, midday, stop by to meet him.
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LEE GARDEN LIBRARY
Lee Garden's Library has a good collection of books available to borrow. Faith begins this month, by highlighting some favorite garden and garden-related books. These books will be on the table in the Barn at Lee. We are usually there Mondays and Thursdays. Email if you'd like another time to look at or borrow them..
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Lady Bird Johnson's book Wild Flowers Across America, extolls the virtues of native plants. People traveling through Texas this year were astounded by the blooms roadside. What can we do in New England?
Owen & Mzee, a children's book, by Craig Hatkoff, Isabella Hatkoff, and Paul Kahumbu, is a true story about two unlikely animal friends, a hippopotamus and an Aldabra giant tortoise, who survived a tsunami and bonded. The book has photos and there is also a follow-up story. (Mzee is pronounced 'May-Zee').
Mossy is a children's book by Jan Brett. Her illustrations are realistic and beautifully done. Every page is a treasure and the story also has a message. I will have this book forever. Mossy, an amazing turtle with a gorgeous garden growing on her shell, loses her freedom when caged in a museum.
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To volunteer at Lee Garden, contact Faith Kerchoff. We can always use more people!
faithkerchoff@hotmail.com
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The town is adding three new “Welcome to New Canaan" signs and creating corresponding traffic triangles/gardens for them. We are looking for volunteers to help maintain and possibly water these new projects located at:
Rt. 106 and Valley Road
Rt 124 & NY line
Rt. 123 & NY line.
Additionally, Jessica Havens needs someone to help her with the triangle at Rt. 123 and Rt. 106. Please contact her if interested: jessicahavens@gmail.com.
Teams of volunteers are welcome to adopt the new garden spaces.
Care for the triangles takes about an hour - or less - per month, depending on the size of the garden.
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A note from the triangle chairs
Spring is almost over and summer will soon be upon us. With summer will come the weeds. Now is the time for Triangle Volunteers to set a schedule to check for weeds bi-weekly or monthly as needed. Also remove any trash and report any issues with dead or damaged plants that will need replacement to the Triangle co-Chair, Barbara Wilson. Thanks for all your hard work!
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Cascade & Ponus, above. Rosebrook & Brushy Ridge, below. |
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NCBL celebrated Earth Day, 2023 with a booth at the first Farmers Market of the season.
Note the banners created by Ginny & Laura Ault with photography help from members. Thank you to all who helped to spread the word about NCBL.
Ginny Dobbs (left) and Stephanie Hutter (right), sporting their flower wreaths, gave out NCBL fliers. Fanny Moran and Karen Hanson were also present.
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Slate of NCBL Board of Directors |
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Thanks to Sara Hunt, Barb Achenbaum, Cindy Bamatter, Karen Hanson, Faith Kerchoff and Robin Miner, the proposed board for NCBL's 2023/24 year is listed below. Voting will occur in mid-May via email and results will be announced in the June newsletter.
New Canaan Beautification League Slate for 2023 – 2024
President – Robin Bates-Mason, Jill Ernst
Vice President – Debbie Raymond
Recording Secretary - Nancy Jordan
Treasurer - Dave Hunt
Vice President Beautification - Faith Kerchoff, Kathy Kwiatkowski
Triangles - Greg Brown, Claude Colabella, Barbara Wilson
Holiday Decorations – Kathleen/Peter Murphy, Barbara O’Shea/Robert Strong
Hanging Baskets - Jessica Havens, Pam Yee
Flower Arranging for Meetings and Events - Susan Bergen, Anne Tropeano
Flower Arranging for Waveny Care - Amy Sorensen, Amy Weber Reid
PR Publicity – Ginny Dobbs
PR Marketing – Laura Ault
Pollinator Pathway Representative – Angela Materna
Photography - Peter Hanson, Nora Fay
Programs - Janet Fonss, Angela Materna, Susan Foxworth, Nancy Malling (visits to private gardens), Zoom Host - Patricia Spugani
Webmaster - Lisa Ferrante
Newsletter - Fanny Moran, Betsy Sammarco
Fundraising or Annual Appeal – Patricia Spugani, Lisa Ferrante, Karen Ferguson, Mary Ann Henry, Kathleen Murphy, AA Treasurer – Karen Hanson
Hospitality – Cindy Bamatter, Robin Miner, Anne Tropeano
Hospitality Special Events - Sara Hunt
Corresponding Secretary – Libby Butterworth
Membership – Sara Hunt, Sarina Vetterli, Wendy Fog
Lee Garden – Yvonne Hunkeler, Faith Kerchoff, Lois Himes, Kathy Lapolla (advisor)
Nominating Committee – Janet Fonss, Fanny Moran, Pam Yee
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Annual Appeal/Development |
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The Annual Appeal (now 'DEVELOPMENT') and Marketing committees have mailed the colorful 2023 appeal letter and bookmark. Once again, Laura Ault designed 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 has contributed to another successful launch.
This year, you can donate online by going to our website or clicking the button below:
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The new Development Committee, previously the Annual Appeal Committee, is looking for additional committee support to assist them with the following:
- writing thank you notes to new donors (we will provide a draft; about 4-5 notes per volunteer)
- planning a special event to thank donors, hopefully this spring
- data management of donor database within new donor platform, including some spreadsheet management
Our goal is to welcome new donors and to offer special thanks to those who support NCBL (to keep donors and hopefully attract new members).
Committee: Karen Hanson (Treasurer), Lisa Ferrante, Karen Ferguson, Mary Ann Henry, Kathleen Murphy
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Renew your Membership by June 15 |
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Thank you for being a member! It's time to renew your annual dues!
Anyone who has joined since January 2023 does not have to pay dues for the coming year, 2023 – 2024.
PLEASE RENEW ONLINE through our website by clicking the button below:
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or 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 for mailing, click the button below. |
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You can watch Sean Corenki's March presentation on dahlias at our YouTube channel or by clicking the image below: |
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Welcome to our newest members!
Karen Christie
Jennifer Gage
Nancy and Donald Gilbert
Julieane and Darden Livesa
Anne Snyder
Olga Sweet
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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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There was great attendance last month at the New Canaan Pollinator Pathway Group's presentation by Louis Fusco, Sustainable Landscape; Designing with Native Plantings.
Informational sheets were given out regarding best plants for bees and birds. These sheets are produced by American Beauties Native Plants and we have them here for download.
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Gardens in Bloom Garden Tour |
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Gardens in Bloom
Thursday, June 8
10am - 3pm
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The New Canaan Garden Club is offering a self-guided tour of 4 of their members' gardens and Waveny Walled Garden, Peony Walk, and the Parterre Garden.
Tickets are available below and at the Farmer's Market prior to the tour.
NCBL, the NC Pollinator Pathway and other local conservation groups will be represented on this day at The Community Conservation Corner
in the parking lot between the Powerhouse Theater and the walled garden.
Ticket sales and distribution will take place at Waveny House.
Please stop by and say hello!
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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 Sara Hunt: skhminky@optonline.net.
We want to be sure everyone feels welcome.
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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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