February 2022 Newsletter

Greetings from President Deb

It is that time of year to spend hours browsing the stack of seed catalogs that have arrived! I am being good this year and keeping a spreadsheet of all the seeds and plants that I am ordering and a list of those I hope to pick up in the local nurseries in spring. If I do not keep track, I forget and then double order! Whether the seeds are for my garden or shared with the COMO Children's Learning Garden, I hope my germination rates and seedling success surpass the prior year. I start sowing seeds in mid-February for my ranunculus and anemones – they take forever. Then, in March, I start sowing all the other seeds.

In January, I received several emails from members who enjoyed the evening Zoom Membership Meeting. We will follow the same format for our February Membership Meeting – 6:30 pm, February 9, via Zoom. The snowbirds in places south (and even some skiing members up north) enjoyed the chance to join in. Our members who work outside the home were thrilled. We appreciate your flexibility. Plan and enjoy your dinner during Zoom or enjoy a cocktail/mocktail. Invite your spouse, significant other, or house guests to join us for a lively conversation with horticulturist Tom Christopher talking about Nature Into Art. We are hoping for an in-person meeting in March as the weather starts to warm up and many of our snowbirds are back in the area.

I look forward to Zooming with you on the 9th!

Programs Carole Barnard, Chair

Our February Membership Meeting will be via Zoom at 6:30 PM. The meeting will feature a special presentation by noted horticulturist and landscape designer Tom Christopher, who will speak on "Nature into Art."

Tom is a graduate of the New York Botanical Garden School of Professional Horticulture and has been designing and maintaining gardens for more than four decades. A former contributing editor to Martha Stewart Living magazine and House & Garden, he is the author of more than a dozen books about gardening, most recently Nature Into Art, The Gardens of Wave Hill (Timber Press, 2019). In addition, Tom produces a weekly podcast and radio program, Growing Greener, that broadcasts on a dozen radio stations nationwide and writes a weekly gardening column that circulates to more than 20 regional publications in southern and central New England with a total readership of over 250,000. He gardens with his wife Suzanne in central Connecticut and the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts. For more information, check out his website at www.thomaschristophergardens.com.

SGC COVID POLICY REMINDER

We ask that anyone attending an in-person Stonington Garden Club-sponsored meeting, workshop, or civic activity be fully vaccinated. Face masks are required for any indoor gathering. Our top priority is the safety and wellbeing of our members, and we will keep our membership informed of any updates relating to our in-person meetings.

Kudos & Thanks to...

Laura Metzger for her extraordinary leadership of our Gardens by the Sea tour. Steadfast, she motivates all to do their best with a sense of humor!

Laurie Paige and Carole Barnard for planning our first ever Gardens by the Sea Preview Party on June 9. You won't want to miss it!

Horticulture Pam Wright, Chair

Joint Floral Design & Horticulture Trip!

Please join Mary Lynn McRee and Pam Wright for a special walking tour of the CT Flower Show on Thursday, February 24th, at 11 am at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford.

Learn what makes a winning floral design and horticulture entry. Tips on interpreting the schedule, mechanics, and designing for the WOW! factor. Both Pam and Mary Lynn, NGC Accredited Judges in Design & Horticulture, have judged and exhibited in the CT Flower Show.

Plan on a 90-minute walkthrough of Rhythm and Blooms, and then lunch and vendors at your own pace. Details for the meeting place at the show are TBD.

Purchase your discounted ticket ($14) here. Discount valid through February 10th. Please let Pam know if you will be joining the tour (wrightjpamela@gmail.com or 914-260-9799).

Horticulture Bench Show in March - Container-Grown Plants

There will be a Horticulture Bench Show at our March membership meeting focusing on container-grown plants. We hope the March meeting will be in-person, but if not, we can do it all virtually. Please click here to see the details, entry requirements, classes, etc. If you plan on participating or have any questions, don't hesitate to contact Pam.

Floral Design Mary Lynn McRee & Kirby Williams, Co-Chairs

Interested in Floral Design?

Whether you’re a flower show frequent flyer or a newbie just dipping your toe into the proverbial exhibitor’s pond, we would like to work with you on a floral design entry for the two upcoming flower shows shown below.

The Pathways Flower Show will be part of the GCA Annual Meeting on April 28-30, 2022. We're in person for the first time since 2019, and we can't wait to see you all! Registration closes on February 27, 2022. There is a Photography Division in the show as well.

Click here for more information.

The ZONE II Flower Show will be held in Hartford, CT, on June 14-15, 2022, as part of the Charter Oak Zone II Annual Meeting. Yes, we know it is on the heels of our Gardens by the Sea Tour, but we hope our interested designers will be available to work on an entry. There also is a Photography Division in the show.

Click here for more information.

Please contact Mary Lynn McRee or Kirby Williams for more details on these great opportunities to show off your floral design talents. Novices welcome!

Hot off the press! Big news from National Garden Clubs! Our federated partner has just released a digital version of the Handbook for Flower Shows. This is the first time in the history of NGC that the Handbook has been available to all members, free of charge. Much like the GCA Yellow Book, the Handbook contains detailed instructions for writing schedules, hosting flower shows, and becoming a flower show judge. Many of the basic concepts, designs, and rules are similar to GCA with the occasional NGC-specific twist. One of the main differences between GCA and NGC is the judging program. In NGC, once you take classes, exams, write a schedule, exhibit, judge, and pass your final Handbook exam, you are qualified to judge both floral design and horticulture. The GCA judging program takes a more apprenticeship approach, and you qualify in one discipline. Mary Lynn McRee and Pam Wright, both experienced judges, are always available to answer any questions.

Visiting Gardens Linda Visscher, Chair

Due to great enthusiasm and participation, we are having a second Jigsaw Puzzle Zoom Party on Monday, March 7, at 7 pm. Our next puzzle will be a 500-piece and floral-themed by the same company as the one we just completed as it was a great, manageable size and a most enjoyable puzzle to solve. Order your puzzle here (not available locally). Please do join us!

Our first 2022 “field trip” will be a visit and private tour of “The Poetry of Nature: Hudson River School Landscapes from The New York Historical Society at the New Britain Museum of American Art” on Wednesday, March 16, at 10 am. Click here for more information about this exhibition. The cost per person is $20.

Lastly, I am delighted to share that the SGC Green Thoughts Reading group will meet on Thursday, March 24, at 4 pm to discuss “The Roots of My Obsession, 30 Great Gardeners Reveal Why They Garden,” edited by Thomas C. Cooper. We very much hope to meet in person! If you have not yet signed up but plan to read the book, please contact Linda Thacher Visscher. Meeting details will be shared with those registered.

Like our puzzle, the book is not available locally and can only be ordered online. Please visit Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or other online booksellers to purchase your copy.

Please contact Linda Thacher Visscher at (860) 608 -9898 or lvisscher@snet.net to register for any or all of these two Visiting Garden events or should you have any questions.

Photography Laura Frommer, Chair

Thank you to all the members who submitted lovely photos of amaryllises for the January slideshow.

The current issue of GCA’s Focus Magazine includes an article, “Lightbox Photography,” by our own Jill Corr, Zone II Photography Rep. (and Laura Frommer acted as her model!). Check it out here (use the arrow button to advance to page 9).

In addition, Jill gave a workshop at the Garden Club of Hartford on “How to Create Amazing Photos and Enter a GCA Flower Show/Photography Division.” To watch a recording of this informative session, click here. This presentation will also be the subject of a Photography Workshop in late February (date TBA).

We are excited about another upcoming Photography Workshop with Arabella Dane in March (date TBA). This workshop will cover photographing seascapes and water in the landscape. Arabella will also provide helpful critiques for members' photos. In addition, this workshop will help us prepare for our May Bench Show, “By the Edge of the Sea” (more on that in a future newsletter). If you are interested in participating in either of these workshops, please let Laura Frommer (know so that she can keep you posted on the date and zoom details.

Please see the Floral Design article above for links to information about the Photography divisions in two major upcoming GCA Flower Shows.

Save the Date! Thursday, March 31, 2022, for the GCA Photography Conference

This virtual conference will be open to all GCA club members. Registration will launch in mid-February via an email sent to everyone.

Photo: Seagrasses at Harkness Park in the Winter by Laura Frommer

Garden History and Design Gail Hamsher, Chair

Although most of Fredrick Law Olmsted’s design principles were primarily used for public spaces, they are valuable concepts to incorporate into our private landscapes. The principles will perhaps allow us to create a similar type of magic on our own properties that are presently found in the public parks where Olmsted created an enduring design. He was very opposed to garden trends and remained committed to his six principles of design.

The fourth Olmsted principle of design is “Orchestration of Use.” He thought spaces in the landscape should have a function. Large green spaces allow for gatherings and playing,

small intimate spaces for restful contemplation, other spaces allow for alfresco dining, and of course, the beauty of the flower garden gives us visual pleasure. These spaces can be a part of the greater whole of the landscape and flow from one space to another, thus using the fourth of his principles, Orchestration of Movement.

Image from the GCA Collection at the Archives of American Gardens.

Conservation Lisa Szaro, Chair

As you probably have seen, this year's National Affairs & Legislation Conference (NAL) has been changed to an all-virtual conference on March 1 & 2 due to Covid concerns. The conference is now open to all GCA members at no charge. NAL is a fantastic opportunity to participate in a critically important forum for conservation, climate change, and related advocacy issues. Click here to register.

Lisa Szaro will still be our club's delegate and will participate in separately scheduled Zoom sessions with our legislators.

Connecticut Conservation Efforts for 2022:

Undergrounding of Wires

We have a wonderful opportunity to speak up in support of undergrounding of electric and communication wires/cables in Connecticut! Thanks to a paper prepared by Elizabeth Hopley of the Greenwich Garden Club, our advocacy opportunity arises because CT DEEP is holding a virtual meeting to deliver a presentation and receive comments on the scope of its 2022 Comprehensive Energy Strategy on Thursday, February 17, 2022, at 9:00 am via Zoom. To register for this meeting, click here.

PRFCT Future

I’m happy to inform you that the report of the PRFCT Future (Policy on Resilient Forests for Connecticut’s Future) Working Group has been accepted by CT DEEP.

Garden Club of Hartford – Subcommittee on Advocacy for Forests and Trees

Susan Barney has graciously offered to create “advocacy sheets” for anyone interested that would contain the contact details of your federal and state legislators. This is time-consuming work but very helpful for anyone new to the field. Email Susan at susanrbarney@aol.com and provide your address to get a copy.

CT Pesticide Legislation

A small group is working on proposals to ban neonicotinoids (along the lines of the NY Birds and Bees Protection Act), restrict the use of chlorpyrifos on golf courses, and digitize CT DEEP’s pesticide record keeping. If anyone wants to be part of this informal group, please let me know, and I will add you to the email list. This work is spearheaded by Tara Cook-Littman, an advocacy consultant, who gives the rest of us a supporting, but important role.

Membership Update Kirby Williams, Chair

Propose a Prospective SGC Member!

SGC welcomes the interest of prospective members. Please refer to your SGC handbook for information on proposing someone for membership. Our next deadline for applications is April 1. If you have a prospective member or have any questions about the process, please don't hesitate to contact Kirby Williams (kirbywilliams02@gmail.com or 203-536-7933).

Current Membership (as of 2-1-22)

Actives 58

Friends 26

New Members 4

Secondary Members 2

Lifetime Members 1

Honorary Members 1

TOTAL 92

Kirby’s Trivia Question for the Month!

Question:

How did the SGC contribute to the war effort during WWII?

Answer:

The New England Historical Society lauds Victory gardens for helping to win World War II because they allowed the U.S. government to divert scarce tin supplies for military use. Over 20 million victory gardens were planted in the United States during the war - on school grounds, in vacant city lots, in apartment window boxes, and on rooftops. These gardens promoted healthy eating habits, as fresh, home-grown vegetables supplied 40 percent of the produce grown in the United States by 1944. The Stonington Garden Club disbanded during the war to concentrate members’ efforts on creating and maintaining local Victory Gardens. But SGC members went one step further…

During Nazi Germany’s 1941 “blitzkrieg,” an intense bombing campaign against Great Britain, SGC members harvested Victory Garden seeds to send to that country. A letter preserved in our archives dated September 2, 1941, documents our contributions to “American Seeds for British Soil,” a project that sent over 17,000 tons of vegetable seeds to Great Britain, enabling British citizens to supplement their strict rations by replanting gardens destroyed by the German attacks.

Click here to read the letter!

Spotlight on Organizations SGC Supports

For the next few months, we will profile some of the organizations that we support or belong to so that you will be more familiar with how our budget is spent and what benefits there may be for our members. Click on the titles below to visit their websites (if applicable).

Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center & Giving Garden

DPNC’s mission is to inspire an understanding of the natural world and foster a personal environmental ethic. Located in Mystic, the Nature Center and Coogan Farm have over 10 miles of trails to explore, including the newly created Meditation Trail. Regenerative Gardening Classes with Farmer Craig Floyd provide invaluable techniques and philosophies in sustainable farming to provide much-needed food to our local food insecure community. Several members have taken these classes, and Farmer Craig’s advice has helped us realize the potential of our home gardens and the COMO Children’s Learning Garden. SGC’s annual contribution ($5.000) to the Naturescapes Program allows every third grader in the Stonington Public Schools to participate at DPNC by bringing children back to basics and nurturing connections to the natural world. In addition, we support the Coogan Giving Garden, which last year produced 16,000 pounds of vegetables, herbs, and fruit for the 34,000 food-insecure people living in New London County. Our donation this year to Coogan Farm was $200.

Native Plant Trust

The Native Plant Trust is dedicated to conserving and promoting New England’s native plants to ensure healthy, biologically diverse landscapes. SGC’s annual membership ($225) contributes to one of the country’s most extensive programs in native plant education, with year-round programs for adults, children, and families across New England and online. Both Plantfinder and Go Botany are comprehensive tools to help members identify and learn about native plants. Our membership also provides eight passes for visiting Garden in the Woods, Native Plant Trust’s flagship teaching garden in Framingham, MA.

Please contact the Horticulture Chair or the Membership Chair to borrow a pass.

Deans Mill Outdoor Classroom

Last year a member of the Board heard that Deans Mill Elementary School (DMS) was in the middle of creating an outdoor classroom to facilitate outdoor learning and exposure to the natural world. All 480 students, grades K-5, would use this space. The DMS Outdoor Classroom Project Team was looking for advice on what plants to grow in their outdoor classroom and how to plant them. They were also in need of funds to help defray the cost of plants and supplies. Deb Dodds and Michelle Kutz suggested native plants and soil amendments that would work best in the space where the outdoor classroom was being constructed. The Project Team applied for a grant from the Stonington Garden Club, and we awarded $500 to the DMS Outdoor Classroom project in November 2021.

Above photos from DPNC and NPT websites; Deans Mill photos by Laura Metzger

Upcoming Tours, Conferences & Webinars of Interest

Federated Garden Clubs of CT has several upcoming tours that might be of interest, including one to Long Island gardens and stately homes in July and La Marche in Italy in October. Check them out here.

Wild Ones Mountain Laurel Chapter (CT) is offering a free zoom presentation on “Starting Native Perennials from Seed” on Saturday, February 19, 2022, at 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM. Starting plants from seed is an economical way to propagate native perennials, but the process is a bit different than growing annuals. In this virtual program, you will learn how to start native perennials by winter sowing in pots. You will also learn how to cultivate these plants to the point where they can be planted in your garden. We will cover several important types of pollinator-friendly plants that are easy to grow from seed. Bring your questions and get ready to grow! To register, click here.