Dear Garden Club Members,
Although I know you have heard these words before, I would like to say again a thousand thank- yous to all who contributed to making our Zone II 2011 meeting such a great success. It was a tremendous effort on the part of so many and I, along with Carol Ross, the Chair of the Zone II meeting, am both grateful to and very proud of our club.
At the end of this letter, you’ll find the words printed in the Zone II program which describes the many ways our club is involved in our community. I think- and hope- you might feel very proud too.
It was lovely to be able to spend a good part of our November meeting giving accolades. Jeanie Kashgarian was the well-deserved award winner of this year’s Carol Stancliff bowl. As you know, Jeanie’s lovely cottage garden, swooning with lush David Austin roses, has often been open to members, and is a showcase for her fabulous green thumb. Marty Daulwalder won the Belle Rooks Creativity Award for her splendid, blue- ribbon- winning - flower arrangement in the Zone II Flower Show. Billie Ladd won the first Robin Dubois Horticulture Award for her snake plant, which she has owned and nurtured for over 30 years! And kudos to Amy Estabrook who designed award certificates for our two club Flower Show Awards. They are quite attractive and I hope you have a chance to see them.
Tovah Martin, our November program speaker, gave an excellent talk on terrariums and, after the meeting, led a wonderful workshop for those of us who were lucky enough to sign up. Since I am a very random waterer, I have high hopes that I’ll be able to keep the charming terrarium I put together with Tovah’s guidance alive- at least for a while!
Please keep Letha Sandweiss and Louise Carter, two of our members who are recovering from medical conditions, in your thoughts and prayers. Cards and notes would be greatly appreciated; you may send them to their home addresses and I know that their families will make sure that they receive them.
I’d like to alert everyone to a few member contact changes – please update your directory!
Lucy Ambach
274 Ogden Street (not 27)
New Haven, CT 06511
Jody Bush has a new telephone number: 203-507-2831
As I mentioned at Monday’s meeting, I received the disappointing news that the Connecticut Agricultural Experimental Station- our very own AG Station- will be closed for two years starting in October 2012. We have been such a fortunate club to have the – free!- use of the Jones Auditorium for our meetings and during the next two years we will most likely have to spend money for a space for our meetings and juggle around a bit too. I will keep you updated on our search but am always happy to hear thoughts and suggestions.
On to cheerier thoughts - remember to bring lots of greens (boxwood, holly, etc.) to our always-fun holiday workshop on December 12 at the Carriage House. And don’t forget to make an extra batch, or two, of your delicious cookies, chutney, spiced nuts, pomanders, pickles……..to sell at our holiday boutique. It is a great treat to be able to purchase hand-made gifts from our very creative members.
Looking forward to seeing you on the 12th. In the meantime, best wishes for a very happy, happy Thanksgiving.
Warmest regards, Susan
PS If you’re looking for an excellent holiday gift for a gardener- perhaps yourself? – you’d do well to thumb through the simply beautiful volume, Gertrude Jekyll and The Country House Garden by Judith B. Tankard (Rizzoli, $45.00). Jekyll was one of the most important and influential garden designers of the 20th century. There are gorgeous pictures of exquisite gardens to pore over, in color and black & white, all culled from the archives of Country Life. Also included are Jekyll's celebrated theories on color, planting and design. A luscious book to curl up with in the front of the fire, while dreaming of spring planting!
Rooted In the Community
From The Garden Club of New Haven’s Zone II 2011 Program
Since its inception 86 years ago, The Garden Club of New Haven has been committed to civic works. Notes from our archives indicate that the Club was planting in city parks as early as 1925. For 41 years, the Club has landscaped and cared for Phelps Triangle, a small park at the corner of Trumbull and Whitney that has been recently documented and accepted into the archives of the Smithsonian Institute. This oasis in the city provides a beautiful green space for city residents in which to stroll and relax.
Provisionals are immersed in our volunteer culture; it is their responsibility, with our New Member Education Chair, to plant seasonal window boxes at the Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital. We work with the Urban Resources Initiative and the Committee of the Proprietors of the Common and Undivided Lands in New Haven to maintain the city’s green canopy. Other civic partners include Common Grounds, a charter high school:; Fellowship Place, a community for adults with mental illness; the Mary Wade Home, a center for the elderly; The Neighborhood Music School garden; Long Wharf Nature Preserve; Edgerton Park; the New Haven Museum and the Children’s Roof Garden in Hartford.
Currently, the club is collaborating with five area schools and almost a dozen other area organizations on our 2013 Tree Project. We intend to plant 150 seedlings in school yard and at non-profit organizations through out the Greater New Haven area and to GPS –map and track the growth of all of these trees over time, and to re-populate “ The Elm City” with disease-resistant American Elms.
Our Conservation Committee holds open-to-the-public meetings once or twice a year on a variety of topics. In addition, every December, the club has a holiday workshop creating centerpieces for area nursing homes --one of the clubs most enthusiastically attended gatherings.
Our club is involved in a myriad of ways in our wonderful community, and we are thrilled to be able to show a few of them to you during your visit.
No comments:
Post a Comment