April, 2023 Newsletter
Volunteers Making New Canaan Beautiful
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Dear Members and Friends,
The New Canaan Beautification League's Annual Appeal mailer has arrived in mailboxes throughout New Canaan and we could not be more excited. The pictures are stunning and the mailer nicely highlights everything we do for New Canaan. With the addition of a QR code this year, it's now easier than ever to donate.
Naturally, NCBL has a lot happening as we enter Spring. Due to a family emergency, Cig Harvey has had to cancel her presentation at our joint meeting with the New Canaan Garden Club on April 5th at the New Canaan Library. Thanks to some quick leg-work, we will instead hear from Douglas Dubler, an internationally acknowledged fashion, beauty and fine art photographer, who will speak to us about Presby Memorial Iris Garden and the production of his book by the same name. This program is not open to the public but guests of NCBL members are welcome. Registration is NOT required.
Once again, we will have a table at the opening day of the Farmers' Market on April 22nd, Earth Day no less, so please stop by to say hello.
This month's newsletter is filled with many volunteer opportunities. There is something for everyone. Spring is here and per usual, we are ready!
Sincerely,
Robin Bates-Mason & Jill Ernst
co-Presidents
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Note change to our April program speaker:
April 5, 2023
9:30 - 11:30 am
New Canaan Library's new auditorium
Douglas Dubler, Photographer
Guests welcome.
No RSVP needed.
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We are very sad to report that Cig Harvey’s mother has taken quite ill in England and Cig has flown there to be with her. The NCGC quickly went to work (with thanks to the GCA website and Short Hills Garden Club’s recommendations) and we are thrilled that Douglas Dubler, an internationally acknowledged fashion, beauty and fine art photographer will be our speaker on April 5th.
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Douglas seamlessly joins craft and creativity to produce some memorable images. He is acknowledged as one of the industry’s leading color management experts and specializes in fine art digital printmaking. Early mentors in his creative life were Ansel Adams and Isamu Noguchi. Teaching venues include School of Visual Arts NYC, International Center of Photography NYC, University of Miami MFA program, Xposure2018 in Sharjah U.A.E. and for the last 6 years he has been teaching floral photography at the NYBG.
Douglas will speak to us about his upcoming book, “Iridescence - The Art of the Iris”. It will be a discussion of his photo shoot at the Presby Memorial Iris Garden and the production of his book by the same name. He will discuss his techniques and specific approach to photographing flowers. You won’t want to miss this outstanding presentation! Douglas’s book is soon to be available. He plans to bring several copies and can take orders if members are interested.
PARKING FOR THIS EVENT IS LIMITED. PLEASE CARPOOL.
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The Hospitality Committee is looking for volunteers to donate baked goods/food items for our joint meeting with the New Canaan Garden Club on April 5, 2023 at the New Canaan Library.
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Join Us for Lunch After the Program!
We will have an informal, Dutch-treat lunch at noon after the joint program on Wednesday, April 5 at Cava. We would love to have you join us. Our informal lunches are an opportunity for members, especially new members, to get to know one another. It is purely social, and as usual, we will split the bill by paying for our own meals.
Please let Sara Hunt (skhminky@optonline.net) know if you are coming.
Cava
21 Forest St.
New Canaan, CT
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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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Save the Date: Annual Meeting
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Fireflies
with Chris Schipper
Wednesday
June 7, 2023
9:30 - 11:30 am
New Canaan Nature Center
MEMBERS ONLY, Please
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The season for Traveling Trowels has begun!
We cleaned up the dead plant stalks at the mailboxes on Pine Street revealing yellow winter aconite, purple crocus, and small rock Iris - which were already blooming! Thank you to Yvonne, Pam Y., Sandy, Ty and Faith, with visits from Rob and Jill!
When Faith emailed Tiger about the pile of cuttings we left,
he thanked us for all we do!
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Ty Tan, original designer of the mail boxes garden, trims grasses.
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Rock Iris in bloom.
Pictures thanks to Jill Ernst.
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The plaza at Mead Park and the Gold Star plantings were trimmed and raked recently. The PJM Rhododendron are about to pop open with their lavender flowers and daffodils will also be opening soon.
Helping to keep NC beautiful were: Faith Kerchoff, Lois Himes, Katherine Humphrey, Marcy McKee, Jackie Alexander, Stephanie Hutter, Claire Perkins, Angela Materna, Eniko Szatai, Sandy Siegel, Peggy Jansen and Robin Bates-Mason. Thank you!
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Introduction to Waveny Care Center
Flower Arranging
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Introduction to Flower Arranging at Waveny Care
April 26
10:00 am
Waveny Care Center
RSVP is required as attendance is limited
Have you wondered what it's like to be an NCBL flower arranging volunteer at Waveny Care Center?
Come to this volunteer introduction to see how fun and easy it is!
This introduction includes a brief flower arranging demonstration and a tour of the flower arranging room. It is a great way to gain confidence, get to know fellow NCBL members, and make Waveny Care Center a more beautiful place for its residents.
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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 their peak spring bloom! Bring your friends, family, and camera!
Lee Garden is open every day, dawn to dusk. 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.
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APRIL IS DAFFODIL MONTH AT LEE GARDEN
George Lee, donor of Lee Garden to NCBL, was a former President of the American Daffodil Society and Executive Director of the Greenwich Daffodil Society which has an award named after him. We have George's "Catalogue of Plants", a booklet he compiled for those touring the garden, which lists all his plants at the time and each variety of daffodil - 3 pages worth of daffodils! As the tree cover grew and the daffodils were becoming covered with shade, many of the varieties died out. However, some do remain and Lois Himes has begun to add some of his varieties back into the garden including 'Beersheba', 'Mrs C .J. Backhouse', 'W. P. Milner', 'Thalia', 'White Lion', 'Yellow Cheerfulness', 'Carlton', 'Mount Hood', 'Sun Disc', N. jonquilla , and N. odorus. (If you want some tried and true performers, you can't go wrong with 'Charm Offensive', 'Yellow Cheerfulness', 'Carlton', and 'Mount Hood' for repeat performance year after year.)
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1977 plaque received by George from the American Daffodil Society.
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We have many daffodils to enjoy and many are George's originals which get as much sun as they can before the trees leaf out. The small Narcissus cyclamineus that he planted by the bridge are in bloom now. There are countless blooms of the N. poeticus (pheasant's eye) series along Wood Road and many 'Tete-a-tetes', especially in the Secret Garden area.
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George Lee amongst his daffodils c. 1975
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Epimediums, bishops hat, barrenwort, never heard of them? Well, where have you been hiding? They are all names for epimedium, one of the best spring flowering plants for shade. They will grow anywhere - even under trees with surface roots. And, some of them are even evergreen. Are you interested now?
Lee Garden has lots of them. We have collections planted by George Lee himself back in the late forties that have never been divided. To maintain them, you just clip back the old growth in early March before the wiry stems of the flower stalks emerge. That’s it! Interested now?
Oh yes, the flowers run the gamut from teeny to bigger and from pure white, yellow, orange, red, purple; all colors except blue. Now have I got your attention? I hope so!
Lois Himes
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"Did I plant that?"
This is something we gardeners say every spring as blooms pop out.
The Iris reticulata is happily greeting trail walkers in many locations, along with the yellow Eranthis hyemalis (winter aconite), Tete-a-tete daffodils, Galanthus sp (snowdrops), Helleborus sp (hellebores) and Pulmonaria sp. (lungwort)..
We ask if you have some time to spare please grab a large or small rake from the work patio and gently uncover these spring ephemerals.
They'll thank you!
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Eranthis hyemalis (winter aconite)
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Helleborus sp (hellebore, lenten rose)
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Pulmonaria sp. (lungwort)
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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.
Please contact Claude Colabella if you can help: nccolabella@hotmail.com.
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NCBL will be at the first Farmers' Market of the season.
Saturday, April 22 10-2
We need people to stand at the table and speak to passersby about what we do for the town. There are two shifts:
10-12
12-2
Please email Ginny Dobbs to volunteer.
ginnyadobbs@gmail.com
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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 below. Voting will occur in 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, Steve Zatz, 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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The Annual Appeal 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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Informal Member Garden Visits 2023
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It's time to mark your calendar for the 2023 NCBL Informal Garden Visits. This year we will be having garden visits on:
Thursday, May 18
Thursday, June 15
Wednesday, July 12
Wednesday, August 16
The gardens will be open from 9:30 to noon, to 35 registered NCBL members. Pre- registration for all 4 events will open in early May. Watch the newsletter for updated information.
PLEASE LET PAM YEE KNOW IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE A GREETER. IT'S A GREAT WAY TO MEET FELLOW MEMBERS AND TO SEE GARDENS!
pamyee6@gmail.com
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Sleepy Cat Farm Field Trip
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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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Photo courtesy of The Garden Conservancy
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The Greenwich Daffodil Society's daffodil show is April 26-27 at Christ Church, Greenwich. It is free and open to all and is sponsored by 12 garden clubs, including New Canaan. There is an award named for George S. Lee, Jr., for the best collection of 5 blooms in Division 5, 6, and 7 daffodils (triandrus, cyclamineus and jonquils).
CHRIST CHURCH
254 E. PUTNAM AVE.
GREENWICH, CT
4/26: 2-6 p.m.
4/27: 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.
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Interested in planting daffodils, tulips, and other bulbs?
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Take a look at the new Colorblends.com website. Many of the bulbs NCBL uses in our town planters and gardens are donated or purchased from Colorblends. You'll find a lot of inspiration and informational topics.
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A beautiful sea of daffodils from Colorblends on a roadside in New Canaan.
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Thank you, Gloria Simon for another fantastic spring luncheon! 90 people came with all sorts of yummy food and sweets. By popular demand, - and with thanks to her - below is the carrot cake recipe made by Nancy Jordan:
Cake:
2 c. flour
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking power
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 c. sugar
1 c. vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 can (8 oz.) crushed pineapple, drained
2 c grated carrots
1 c Bakers shredded sweet coconut
1 c walnuts (optional)
Frosting:
6 tbsp butter, softened
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 ½ c. powdered sugar (may need slightly more to get the right consistency)
1 tsp. vanilla
Preheat oven to 350.
To make cake: Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, blend the sugar, oil and eggs and mix well. Add sugar mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well. Blend in the pineapple, carrots, coconut and walnuts. Pour batter into a greased and floured 9 x 13 inch cake pan … or you can use round layer cake pans. Bake for 30-40 minutes. When the cake has fully cooled, frost with cream cheese icing.
To make icing: Combine the softened butter and cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until the mixture is creamy and fluffy.
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A note of thanks from Gloria
A big "thanks" to everyone who made our Victorian Tea/Spring Buffet Luncheon so successful. The food was fantastic and our tables were gorgeous; they were graced by the striking flower arrangements by the amazing Jacqueline Harmody and her helpers (we appreciate their years of glorifying our NCBL tables). Also, a big "hug of thanks" to Sara Hunt and Claire Perkins who assisted me with this event. And, I can't forget the hardworking NCBL members who helped with the set-up and clean-up on March 22nd; you made short work of a large task.
--Gloria Simon
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Welcome to our newest members!
Julieane and Darden Livesay
Karen Christie
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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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Coming April 26!
Save the Date
We know native plants are best for nature and our ecology, but how can you add them to your landscape? Attend this presentation, described below, and find out how!
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April is Native Plant Month!
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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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Honoring One of our Members
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We have one seat available at $160 for the Gridiron Dinner on Thursday, April 27 honoring Tucker Murphy. You will be sitting at one of two tables of NCBL members. Normally the price per ticket is $175, but we obtained a discount by reserving tables. Please let Sara Hunt know (skhminky@optonline.net) if you are interested in attending this fun evening with NCBL friends.
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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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