President's Letter

Dear Fellow Gardeners,

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once exclaimed “How beautiful is the rain!”, but it is the eighth stanza of his poem that resonated with me this summer:

Near at hand,

From under the sheltering trees,

The farmer sees

His pastures, and his fields of grain,

As they bend their tops

To the numberless beating drops

Of the incessant rain.

So often the never-ending drops and the relentless rains kept me indoors, gazing at the tall, green grass and marveling at the rich, entangled network of twisting weeds that seemed to take over my perennial beds. The rain did afford me an opportunity to reminisce, however – to think back to that gorgeous spring day in June when we gathered in Martha Alexander’s beautiful garden and celebrated, with speeches and acclamations, 85 years of the Garden Club of New Haven. The rain, also, gave me time to wander through the files and familiarize myself with the many aspects of the Club. What accomplishments have been achieved! For many years Phelps Triangle has been a focus for us, but we have added other garden projects to our list, including the Wagner Garden on Audubon Street and the Shakespeare Garden at Common Ground School. We have planted trees on the New Haven Green, in front of the Museum & Historical Society, and throughout the city, and now we have undertaken the important and significant Elm Tree initiative, a project that will help New Haven reclaim the nickname of “The Elm City”. We have learned how to create floral designs, thanks to hands-on classes and Betsy Nininger’s informative manual, and have participated in numerous Flower Shows and community workshops. We have actively supported conservation efforts, presenting symposiums and working in close collaboration with other like-minded groups. The Garden Club’s efforts to “create interest in and promote knowledge of gardening, preservation of natural resources, and civic horticultural work” have been well-sustained for over 8 decades, and I am honored to be asked to help to coordinate the continuation of these traditions. So, on rainy, dark days I have been busy reading, planning, plotting, and learning. Gratefully, however, I have been guided and supported by the efficient and knowledgeable Garden Club Board and by Debbie and Billie, our extremely competent past-presidents. All of the committee heads have been hard at work, both filling our summer days with trips and readying the activities of this year for us: Darlene Zimmermann and the Visiting Gardens Committee arranged two amazing programs – a morning spent walking through and marveling at the 7 acre Phyllis Warden Garden in Bedford Hills, NY, and an informative luncheon program and tour of the Grove Street Cemetery. Now… Debby Moore has scheduled a series of programs that will take us along the Farmington Canal, through whispers of Spain in California and visions of traditional Japanese flower arrangements, and back to our own homes and gardens which we will look at with fresh eyes. Elaine Anderson has completed the update of our directory which is brimming with information and will be available at the October meeting. The Phelps Triangle has been tended, watered, and weeded by many members of the Club over the summer months, and Karen Doyle has kept a close eye on our new plantings – checking the watering schedule and even hand-watering plants which were of particular concern. Pamela Hamilton has worked with our new Treasurers, Sondra Haller and Katharine Goodbody, and the finance committee to create a Budget for the 2009-2010 year which is reflective of the needs of the Garden Club committees. The Horticulture, Flower Arranging, and Conservation committees are planning a full schedule of activities which will be out soon. In the meanwhile, however, they would like to continue the tradition, which was started last year, of asking members to bring a small floral arrangement or horticultural example to each general meeting. Please refer to the schedule outlined below and the more complete description in each monthly newsletter. Start creating your designs! (Isabel Caride says that there are wonderful succulents available at Van Wilgen’s!) For the October meeting we recognize the tomato:“Create a small floral design in glorious hues of red, yellow, green, purple, or orange to celebrate the versatile tomato, a symbol of a never-ending-summer’s simple pleasures”.

I thank all of you for your hard work and dedication and look forward to welcoming you at our first meeting on October 5th at which time we can celebrate the beginning of our 86th year. Enjoy the clover-scented fragrance of the well-watered soil!

---Carol Ross