Message from the President |
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Greetings!
The Litchfield Garden Club has a venerable legacy. We are surrounded by it as we walk or drive through our town. The plantings that our club has contributed over the decades are everywhere from the Borough to Community Field, to White Memorial, to the main thoroughfares of routes 202, 63, and 118. It is a testament to the work of our past and present enterprising and gracious members.
Our contributions are not made for the recognition of the LGC, but to fulfill our mission: “The purpose of the Litchfield Garden Club is to educate members and the public in scientific and artistic methods of gardening, stimulate interest in horticulture, encourage and assist in civic beautification, raise environmental awareness and protect and conserve our natural and historic heritage”.
I’m honored and humbled to be a part of the amazing legacy of this smart and extremely talented group. I enjoy every facet of our endeavors, but most especially the friendships and camaraderie that make implementing our mission so much fun. I’m delighted to pass the leadership baton to Susan Magary and continue the joy of the LGC legacy!
Annie
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LGC Annual Meeting Meeting
Litchfield Country Club
July 15, 2021
11:30 a.m.
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The meeting will begin promptly at 11:30 a.m. - we suggest arriving by 11:15 a.m. It will be a great opportunity to thank Annie for the masterful handling of a very challenging term, and welcome Susan as our new President. There will be a buffet luncheon following the meeting. A check for $35 made out to the Litchfield Garden Club is required for your reservation. Send to Rosamond Quay, PO Box 686, Litchfield, CT 06759. Please pay in advance. |
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As you know, there have been changes to the LGC bylaws. They are now up on the website, so please take a look! We are also updating the Awards pages on the website, with new honorees to be added after they are announced at the Annual Meeting on July 15th.
We are so pleased that we will be introducing 2 new Provisional members, Dianne Cicchetti and Jessica Travelstead, at the July meeting. Annie Borzilleri started the tradition of welcoming the new Provisional members with flower bouquets at our annual meeting a few years ago, and it is one that we would like to continue! Emily and I are asking for your help in providing flowers for their bouquets, so please bring a few stems from your own garden. We will have containers at the front of the Litchfield Country Club where you can deposit your blooms, and we will take care of the rest. We know that the new Provisionals will love having bouquets with flowers from our collective gardens. We hope you will participate.
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July is the month the annual dues are to be paid. Thank you to those of you who have already paid, and to those who have not, now is the time!
And remember this:
Roses are red, violets are blue
Without your dues the pollinators lose
We hope you are well - and vaccinated too
But without your dues we all lose
We hope you can pay them as soon as can be
So we can be planting, sowing, and saving the bees.
You may pay your dues by check – click HERE for the mail-in form. If paying online, click HERE for the link to PayPal.
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Committee Reports & Announcements |
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We had an exciting and informative workshop on June 10th about invasive plant species and their look-a-likes given by Jamie Fisher, the Research Director of White Memorial. Seventeen garden club members attended his talk at the Pollinator Garden where we learned how to identify different species through the stems, leaves and markings of various plants. |
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Litchfield Garden Club attending the Hiding In Plain Sight invasive species workshop with Jamie Fisher at the Pollinator Garden. |
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June Dalton-Morris, Margy Miner and Sue Kennedy enjoying the early morning sun! |
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Our group exploring more natural vegetation with Jamie Fisher. |
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Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) bud scar are remarkably large is one character that you can use to identify this invasive tree species. Keep a keen eye open for another emerging invasive species, Spotted Lantern fly (Lycorma delicatula), due to its dependence on this plant to complete its life cycle.
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Porcelain Berry (Ampelopsis glandulosa var. brevipedunculata) is an emerging invasive species in Litchfield, one characteristic that makes it easy to identify is solid white pith. It closely resembles and can be easily confused with our native vines such as grapes (Vitis spp.) and Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia).
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Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) is easily identified from other woody stems with compound leaves from the brown chambered pith.
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Sixth Grade Environmental Education Outreach Series |
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Each year we sponsor the White Memorial Environmental Education Outreach Series, which Carrie Szwed the Education Director, teaches to LIS 6th graders. This year proved a challenge with the pandemic, and Carrie gave the first few programs virtually. When the weather was nicer she ‘set up shop’ outside on the lawn at the school.
Photo of some of the thank you cards the LIS sixth grade children sent her in appreciation for her programs.
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It was so exciting to have an in-person Horticulture sweepstakes at our June meeting! Thanks to all of you who participated and brought your beautiful cuttings to the Tapping Reeve meadow. We are a hardy bunch and did not let the chaotic, windy weather dictate our show. Many thanks to Ronnie Schoelzel, Rose Brooks, Julia Metcalf and others who held things together and managed to have our specimens judged in spite of the morning’s challenges.
At the July meeting I will be bringing seeds, seedlings and foliage for cuttings that will result in new plants that we can show off in the Horticulture Sweepstakes at the September meeting. On September 8th we will have a horticulture meeting to solicit member ideas, and determine our direction for the new year. Please sign up on the Club Information Clipboard for Horticulture if you are interested in joining our group. We look forward to hearing from you.
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Projects and Beautification |
Thank you all who signed up for watering our LGC planters. We do need 4 more people to complete our schedule. The West Street Green needs 1 person and the new Norfolk Road Planter needs 3 people. Click HERE to sign up.
Our very last project began in June, and it is an ongoing project that Dale and I will oversee. The committee will be planting 3 pear espalier trees in West Cemetery along the front wall of the chapel this fall. There will be future workshops that will address how to prune these trees in collaboration with the Horticulture and Conservation teams. Dale Ryan will be leading these workshops.
Our bronze plaques for the Community Field will be installed this month, and there will be a photo shoot in commemoration of our planting 300 daffodils to celebrate the 300th Anniversary of Litchfield and the 100 daffodils in honor of the Suffragettes and the 19th Amendment.
Many thanks again for all of your dedication.
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The Sky’s the Limit!
Frank Fontana has suggested that we exhibit our photography without the limitations of the photography sweepstakes. So please come to the July meeting and bring your favorite photos. No judges, no classes, no rules! It might be an image that you really love but it didn’t fit into our sweeps classes, or it might be the best photo you have ever taken but you never entered it into a sweeps because it doesn’t include any plant material. It might be a prize winning photo or one that has never even been entered into a competition. Photos can be black and white, color, or filtered and can be any size. The sky really is the limit. It will be such FUN to see what you choose to share with us. Photos should be mounted on a hard surface such as foam core, which is available at the Community Center. We will provide easels. No frames please.
If you are not already a member please consider joining the photography committee. You can sign up on the LGC Information Clipboard on the LGC website. The upcoming calendar will include several opportunities for beginning photographers. Our 101 iPhone workshop in May was very well attended and there are opportunities to begin and to advance in the use of this incredible tool. We will also explore what the GCA has to offer in photography education.
Our first meeting will be held on Thursday, August 5th, at 5:30pm for Aperitifs on Bantam Lake. Address is 9 Marsh Point, in Morris. Bring your creative thoughts and ideas for photography committee activities that you would like to see happen in the coming months.
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From the Communications Desk |
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We encourage you to visit the LGC web pages to see what is going on in our Club.
There are new postings on the Club Events page - please visit and see all the activities our Club has been up to.
Visit the Blog page regularly - our members have been very busy with garden activities lately.
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Member News and Upcoming Events |
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The GCA virtual flower show, “Around the Green,” has been produced as a component of the GCA’s 2021 Annual Meeting. It is open to the public through September 30, 2021. GCA welcomes curious visitors — look and learn!
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In Memorium
A memorial service for Jane Moraghan, a longtime LGC member (1977- 2021) and most recently an Emeritus member, will be held at St. Anthony’s Church on Saturday, July 31, at 11:00 a.m. Jane was Vice President under Sylvia Abbott from 1987-1989, and led the Projects Committee in placing the lamplights on the town green. Most recently, Jane had moved to a retirement community in Ohio to be near her daughter Janet.
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Litchfield Garden Club | PO Box 848, Litchfield CT 06759
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