March, 2021 Newsletter
Volunteers Making New Canaan Beautiful
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Dear New Canaan Beautification League Members and Friends,
Beautification League’s all-important Annual Appeal takes center stage this month! You and all 6,739 households in New Canaan received our mailing last week. And new this year, 521 local businesses received a specially designed mailer as well. The lively formats showcase our activities, retain the bookmark feature and use less paper. BRAVO to our dedicated AA Committee: Patricia Spugani, Amy Weber Reid, Dody Whitehurst, Eva Wingate, Richard Duffee, Lisa Ferrante. Cheers to all for your spectacular efforts!!
Creative staging for our Annual Appeal publicity will be a hard act to follow. A multi-talented cast of NCBL members gathered at Carol Seldin’s garage for a dress rehearsal of set design staging for the Playhouse window. Eye-popping production quality is an ensemble endeavor. Enthusiastic applause for Peggy Danneman, Faith Kerchoff, Kathy Lapolla, Yvonne Hunkeler! Two-week limited engagement – March 1-15. Be sure to check it out!
Publicity chair, Robin Bates-Mason, directs a promotion bonus sure to gain rave reviews! Count the bees and butterflies in the window display, email your answer to our website and you are eligible to win a darling Springtime gnome guaranteed to warm your heart!
Get ready for Spring gardening by registering now for Wednesday’s program “Successful Hydrangeas” by Lorraine Ballato. Please join us at 9:30 for this special talk which will not be available at a later date.
The curtain goes up as we celebrate Spring which begins on March 20th – only 3 weeks away!
Warmly,
Carol & Karen
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Witch Hazel (Hamamelis × intermedia 'Arnold Promise') at Lee Garden
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Witch Hazel (Hamamelis × intermedia 'Diane') at Lee Garden
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Programs During the Pandemic
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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.
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Wednesday, March 3, 2021L
Successful Hydrangeas
With Lorraine Ballato
oLorraine Ballato is a professional horticulturist, Advanced Master Gardener, lecturer, garden writer and photographer. She is an instructor at the New York Botanical Garden, the UConn Master Gardener Program as well as for the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut. On her website, lorraineballato.com, you will see that she has a love affair with hydrangeas--she calls them "the queen of American shrubs." Our speaker says, "From 18-inch, container-sized, re-blooming beauties to 8-foot explosions of multicolored zing, there is a hydrangea for every garden." Of her talk she comments, "Through slides and discussion, you'll learn all about hydrangeas, including the many recent introductions that have hit the market, their proper care, and the hardy cultivars that perform well despite over-enthusiastic pruning and finicky weather. You'll leave this talk never again having to ask the question, 'Why doesn't my hydrangea bloom?' "
For more information visit her website: Lorraineballato.com
Please encourage any and all gardening enthusiasts to register!
NOTE: This program will NOT be available for later viewing,
per request of Ms. Ballato
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Ms. Ballato's book is available at
Elm Street Books,
35 Elm St., New Canaan
203/966-4545
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Registration is required, but you only need to register once.
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Once you have registered, an email will be sent to your inbox with the webinar link. You will also receive the webinar link in an email 1-2 days prior to the event.
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ADDITIONAL SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER
For New Canaan residents: At 11am, (following the meeting) Bethany Zaro, RN, MPH, Director of Human Services in New Canaan, will be joining the NCBL meeting to describe the steps needed for New Canaan residents (age 55 and over) to sign up for the COVID-19 vaccine. She’ll be with us for 15-20 minutes on our Zoom Webinar. Please send questions in advance to Patricia at Patriciaspugani@icloud.com as Bethany has limited time. Meanwhile, if you are 55 or older and need help registering for the vaccine you can call her office at 203-594-3093.
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The New Canaan Garden Club and the New Canaan Beautification League will host their annual joint meeting on Wednesday, April 14, 2021, at 9:30 AM. This year’s meeting and featured guest speaker, Barbara Paul Robinson, will be open to the public and available via Zoom.
In her latest book, Heroes of Horticulture, Barbara Paul Robinson tells the vibrant stories of 18 contemporary pioneers of the plant world-- institution builders, plant explorers, and garden creators—who have all had a major impact on the American landscape. Some have helped preserve exceptional gardens for the public to enjoy or introduced new plants to the west, while others have restored and enhanced public parks and spaces, each setting new standards for aesthetics, encouraging land preservation, and promoting public use of the land.
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A hands-in-the-dirt gardener, Robinson, and her husband Charles have created their own gardens at Brush Hill in Connecticut. Barbara’s first book was Rosemary Verey: The Life and Lessons of a Legendary Gardener. A frequent speaker for horticultural organizations and garden clubs, Barbara is Director Emeritus of Wave Hill and The Garden Conservancy and a former board member of Stonecrop. To purchase an autographed copy of “Heroes of Horticulture,” learn more about Barbara, and take a virtual tour of her gardens, visit www. brushhillgardens.com.
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be available for later viewing,
per reNOTE: Ms. Robinson's talk will NOT be available for later viewing.quest of Ms. B
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Click on the linked titles below to view our past webinar programs! You can also find these links on our website.
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The 2020 Annual Appeal has concluded quite successfully! With the generosity of our friends and neighbors, we received a record amount - and number - of donations. These donations fund a significant portion of our annual budget.
We now look forward to the launch of the 2021 Annual Appeal, with mailers recently sent. Look for a colorful new format in your mailbox, with a photo of the “Welcome to New Canaan” sign on the cover!
Thanks to the entire committee and extended team: Amy Weber Reid, Richard Duffee, Lisa Ferrante, Faith Kerchoff, Karen Hanson, Jane Campbell, Dody Whitehurst, and Eva Wingate.
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Peter Hanson's been keeping an eye on triangles.
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Marvin Ridge Road triangle.
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Old Norwalk Road triangle
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The Triangle co-Chairs ask volunteers to submit any requests for spring cleanup work, extra items that they need help with in April and any other issues that need addressing as the spring season starts. The triangles will be mulched some time in April, weather depending. If there is a change in your availability to help this year on your assigned triangle, please contact Claude, Greg or Barbara.
We thank all of the volunteers for their hard work keeping New Canaan beautiful.
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Buttery Road has a new dogwood and roses.
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North Wilton Rd. & S. Bald Hill Road
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Pictures kindly submitted by Robin Bates-Mason and Faith Kerchoff
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Waiting for spring and some company to sit.
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The shed blanketed in snow.
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A bridge over quiet water.
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If you need some inspiration for spring planting, click the button below. There are a host of books stored at the Lee Garden barn available to any member. Call or email Faith Kerchoff or Betsy Sammarco, who will get the book(s) to you.
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Our latest generous donation to our library is from Fanny Moran and is shown at left. Fanny donated the following titles:
The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees
The Complete Planting Design Course
Veg in One Bed
Seasonal Flower Arranging
Dream Gardens Across America
Houses on the Hudson River Valley
Gardens in Time
The New Garden Paradise
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A Walk in the Park with George
Faith Kerchoff has created a slide show of historic Lee Garden and will be presenting it to The New Canaan Men's Club in March. She used all original slides taken by George, and transferred them to prints. The photos show peak bloom at Lee Garden in its early years! It was a profusion of bloom then as now. Notable were all his dogwood trees that have since failed. This is inspiration to possibly seek the more rugged varieties and add them back in. Enjoy scrolling (and strolling) through the garden tour by clicking on the button below:
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Thank you, Faith and co., for putting hearts on the gnomes so that all could enjoy them a bit longer.
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Make sure to check out New Canaan Beautification League on YouTube! All of this past year's programs can be viewed on our YouTube channel and if we get 100 people to subscribe, we will be able to get our own custom URL.
Click on the YouTube icon below and you'll be directed to our channel.
Then hit subscribe! We only need 57 more subscribers!
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Please note that our "Successful Hydrangeas" program will not be recorded, nor will "Heroes of Horticulture".
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NCBL will be in the Chamber Window (to the left of the Playhouse's font door on Elm Street) from March 1st unti the 14th to highlight The Annual Appeal. Stop by to see the colorful display which will help everyone look forward to spring.
With lots of thanks to Peggy Dannemann, Robin Bates-Mason, Kathy Lapolla & Faith Kerchoff & Yvonne Hunkeler for pulling it all together!
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photo left: Robin Bates-Mason, Kathy Lapolla, Carol Seldin, Faith Kerchoff and Peggy Dannemann work on the display. Thanks to Yvonne Hunkeler for the photograph.
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Please welcome our newest member:
Katie Marschalk
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Invite your friends to join us! We love having new members.
To download the membership form, click HERE.
NCBL Membership, PO Box 1244, New Canaan, CT 06840.
Please write 'FOR MEMBERSHIP' on checks.
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Mint Chocolate Pudding Cookies
Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day!
Makes 3 dozen
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 (3.4 oz) box instant vanilla pudding
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp peppermint extract
- 3 drops blue plus 15 drops green food coloring
- 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks
- 1/2 cup Andes mint baking pieces (optional)
Cream together sugar and butter. Add egg, sour cream and dry pudding mix.
In a small bowl combine flour, salt, and baking soda.
Combine flour mixture into the pudding mixture and mix well. Add mint extract and food coloring until desired color is achieved.
Add chocolate chips and chunks. Add Andes mint baking pieces if desired - they add incredible flavor and disappear into the cookies so add them, in addition to, the amount of chips and chunks in the recipe.
Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a cookie sheet - either greased or on a Silpat cookie sheet liner.
Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes or until the tops just begin to brown (you don’t want them too brown or it detracts from the green).
Transfer to a cooling rack and enjoy!
Submitted by Robin Minor
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Looking for “Blooms”
We have more new members joining us! Please volunteer to be a “bloom” and help us welcome our 'buds'. Just share your enthusiasm and alert them to upcoming events. We want to be sure everyone feels welcome. For more information or to volunteer, please contact Jill Ernst.
203-972-0320.
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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 tell us if you know of any NCBL member who is ill or has lost a loved one.
Membership (usually Libby) will send a card to the person from the NCBL.
Libby Butterworth (203-801-0862)
eabutter@gmail.com
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To HECK with Covid! Let's (armchair) travel. To virtually visit some English gardens, click the link below.
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Earwigs love young vegetables and hostas. You can tell they've been munching by the holes they cut which resemble those of slugs. Use 3 parts water, 1 part soy sauce and 1 tsp. molasses in a small container and shake. Dig a hole just large enough to sink the container into the ground to its rim. Pour a bit of vegetable oil on top of the mixture to form a thin layer. Check the following day for trapped earwigs.*
*from 101 Organic Gardening Hacks by Shawna Coronado
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This exhibit at the Stamford Museum & Nature Center looks wonderful!
For more information, click on the photo below.
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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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