Member of The Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut, Inc.and National Garden Clubs, Inc.

Newsletter January 2020

Upcoming Events

Board Meeting January 7th @ 7 PM at Nolini Barretto's, 59 Westminster RoadThis meeting is open to all members. Please RSVP and let Nolini know if there is anything you would like to add to the board meeting agenda, barretto.nolini@gmail.com.

Horticulture and Botanical Arts MeetingJanuary 14th @ 7 PM at Nancy Saiers, 1559 Shippan AvenueThis meeting is open to all members.

Barbara Deysson will share tips for exhibiting club project Amaryllis "Candy Floss" and holding over the bulb for next year's club project in January. She will also discuss the Heuchera club project for September, October, November.

Ruth Chiles will provide an update on Pollinator's Pathway. Dianna Dwyer will share ideas and demo examples for our January design theme, Hot

Springs National Park (Arkansas). o Hot Springs National Park is aptly named for its many natural hot springs. In 1820,

President Andrew Jackson signed legislation to set aside land and springs as a federal reservation (not Indian reservation). Hot Springs National Park is technically the oldest national park among current National Park Service (NPS) parks. That said, the NPS, as we know it today, wasn’t established until 1916 and Hot Springs Reservation came under its administration. Hot Springs was designated was the 18th national park on March 4, 1921.

Noel Kondub will show us how to create a Valentine’s Day Card. Thanks to Nancy for hosting and Krystyna Vaughan and Meg Kelley for co-hosting. Please visit the club website for monthly schedules and entry forms.

http://shippanpointgardenclub.org/members-only/

January Flower Design

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Design Theme: Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)Type: PetiteSize: 5” high, 5” wide, and 5” deepPlant Material: Fresh and/or dried plant materialStaging: Background and underlay recommended, but not required

January 2020

Artistic CraftThis month’s project will be to create a Valentine's Day card using pressed and/or dried plant material on a 5” x 7” folded white card, provided by Committee. Embellishments allowed, but must be subordinate to plant material. Dried plant material may be treated. No faux plant material permitted. The card is to be displayed in vertical or horizontal position on a white tablecloth.

Membership Meeting January 24th @ 6 PM at [TBD]Submission of Exhibits 4:30 PM – 5:45 PM (no late entries accepted)Cocktails at 6 PM, Membership Meeting and Dinner from 7 – 9:30 PMWe need a hostess for our membership meeting. Please contact Sally Russell at sallyrussell@gmail.com if you are available to host. We also thank Sally in advance for organizing the dinner menu and catering, and Marge Pavlov and Andrew Sverdlove for clerking and Diane Deegan and Amanda Cook for being on reserve as substitutes

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January 2020

If others are available to act as clerks/substitutes at this and/or future meetings, please contact Anne Cheng at annekcheng@gmail.com . If anyone would like to act as hostess or help with the table arrangements for upcoming meetings, please contact Sally at sallyrussell22@gmail.com.

Other News

Civic PlantingOn a cold, crisp morning in November, Janet McCabe led a contingent of volunteers in planting bulbs and clearing the Welcome Garden. While Sally Russell was unable to join the group, which included, Anne Cheng, Ruth Chiles, Dianna Dwyer, Birlie Lau, Kathleen Mathews, and Diane White, they were well fortified by Sally’s homemade confections (brownies/blondies?)! It was an easy way to balance any calories lost during the twists, squats, and bends exercised while planting bulbs and trimming back the plantings!

Janet McCabe, Birlie Lau, Diane White, Ruth Chiles, Kathleen Mathews, and Anne Cheng

Dianna Dwyer, Anne Cheng, Diane White, Kathleen Mathews, and Ruth Chiles

Photos courtesy of Janet McCabe

Magee ProjectThe City Operations Department removed tree stumps along Magee Avenue on Friday, December 27th. We will be planting our 24 Accolade Cherry trees and plantings in the alcoves of the WPCA wall in late March or early April.

Community ServiceSt. Camillus Health Care Facility Residents at St. Camillus enjoyed a fun and interactive afternoon participating in a workshop focused on creating holiday arrangements. With special thanks to Cathy Bertasso and Noel

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January 2020

Kondub for leading the Club’s efforts and to Nolini Barretto, Diane Deegan, Dianna Dwyer, and Nancy Saiers for volunteering! The arrangements brightened many rooms throughout the residence. Also, with thanks to the generosity of many club members, warm and welcome holiday gifts were donated to St. Camillus.

4Photos courtesy of Noel Kondub

January 2020

Doors of Shippan Round-up

Thanks to Lisa Cuscuna and Jen Johnson for another successful Doors of Shippan event! It could not have been executed without able committee members Nolini Barretto, Cathy Bertasso, Kim Dickinson, Dianna Dwyer, Ginny Fox, Meg Kelley, Noel Kondub, and Janet McCabe. The Committee also partnered with the Shippan Point Association on publicity and we had terrific community engagement.

We thank Noel for working with OLSS and its supplier to secure a number of wreaths for the Club and also for overseeing distribution! We also thank all our judges and clerks who volunteered to helped chauffeur and judge the 44 beautiful wreaths entered into this year’s event. Photos of the blue ribbon winners are included.

Following the judging of the wreaths, members convened at the ever gracious home of Dianna Dwyer for a lovely luncheon repast organized by Sally Russell. A jolly time was had by all and there were many holiday cheers and well wishes shared by the group.

A Very Merry Feast

Barbara LeCornec, Diane White, Marge Pavlov, Andrew Sverdlove, Meg Kelley, Amanda Cook, Donna Wiberg,

Jennifer Johnson, Nolini Barretto, Barbara Deysson, Ruth Chiles, and

Ulli Delmar

Diane Deegan, Maureen Carson, Ulli Delmar, Lisa Cuscuna, Dianna Dwyer, Jennifer Johnson, and

Noel Kondub

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January 2020

Ruth Chiles, Donna Wiberg, Kim Dickinson, Andrew Sverdlove Marge Pavlov, Kathleen Mathews, and Patti

Watkins

Meg Kelley, Barbara LeCornec, Noel Kondub, Krystyna Vaughn, Nancy Saiers, Sally Russell,

Diane White and Kitty Sample

Georgia Nostrand, Jackie Connolly, Barbara Deysson, and Amanda Cook

Patti Watkins, Dianna Dwyer, Krystyna Vaughn, Georgia Nostrand, Janet Thomas, and Sally Russell

Photos courtesy of Nolini Barretto

Blue Ribbon Honorees

Newcomer CategoryTheresa Ginsburg

TraditionalSally Russell

Your Favorite Things - TraditionalCindy Sharp

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January 2020

Your Favorite Things - ModernKristin Angelov and

Dianna Dwyer

By the SeaLisa Cuscuna

All NaturalMaureen Carson

WoodlandUlli Delmar

Something You Believe inNoel Kondub

Creative and UnconventionalKara Billhardt

Photos courtesy of Lisa Cuscuna and Nolini Barretto

Federated Garden Clubs of CT (FGCCT) News

The Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut, Inc. (FGCCT) has many activities in the coming months. Registration information for all FGCCT events noted below and additional information is online at www.ctgardens.org.

Connecticut Flower and Garden Show – Spring into Connecticut – Save the Date!February 20th-23rd @ 10 AM at the CT Convention Ctr, 100 Columbus Blvd, Hartford, CTSpring in February arrives annually at the Connecticut Convention Center! Explore over 300 booths overflowing with fresh flowers, plants, herbs, bulbs, seeds, gardening books, garden

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January 2020

equipment, and much more. View beautifully landscaped gardens and stop by the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut design & horticulture competition.

The colorful, fragrant show covers almost three acres with the 2019 theme, “The Charm of Spring”, with creative and practical ideas for house, apartment and condo dwellers alike. The most notable feature of the show is the extensive lineup of seminars and demonstrations on offer each day! More than 80 hours of educational seminars and demonstrations across a variety of topics by over 20 horticulturists and landscapers are free with general admission.

There will be no online tickets sales for this event. Cash only at the box office. Admission price includes the 10% admission tax and are as follows: $18 for adult general admission; $16 for Seniors (Thursday & Friday Only); $5 for children 5-12; and free for children under 5. For additional information, please click here.

Beyond Beginning Workshop- Introduction to Angular DesignApril 2nd @ 10 AM – 12:30 PM, St. Michael’s Church, 25 South Street, Litchfield, CTThis session is intended for new designers who want to learn how to get started making Creative Floral Design Types. We will discuss everything from soaking and cutting oasis, through basic mechanics and how to place the plant material in the oasis. The Principles and Elements of Design will be covered and how proper use of them leads to a great Creative Design.

This workshop, will feature a simple Angular Creative Design. Included is a lecture, followed by a hands-on workshop, and critique. Critiques are done in small groups by the instructor and other accredited judges to aid participants in improving their design skills. The cost per session of $40 covers all materials. If the workshop is sold out or if you prefer, we welcome you to enroll as an observer at no charge.

Historic Virginia Garden Week TourApril 20th – 26th, VirginiaTour is limited to 25 passengers! Cost is $1929 pp twin, $2469 pp single.Each spring visitors are welcomed to over 250 of Virginia’s most beautiful gardens, homes and historic landmarks during “America’s Largest Open House.” This 8-day statewide event provides visitors a unique opportunity to see unforgettable gardens at the peak of Virginia’s springtime color, as well as beautiful houses sparkling with over 2,300 flower arrangements created by Garden Club of Virginia members.

Join us as we visit James River Plantations, Richmond’s Church Hill and Monument Avenue Gardens, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts which includes a docent tour and private dinner, Monticello, and Charlottesville Private Gardens with Cole Burrell.

Tour proceeds fund the restoration and preservation of more than 40 of Virginia’s historic public gardens and landscapes, a research fellowship program, and a Garden Club of Virginia

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January 2020

Centennial project with Virginia State Parks. Please see the tour brochure here. If interested in attending, please contact Kathy Lindroth, Tours Coordinator at Tours@ctgardenclubs.org or +1.860.836.3407.

Poetry Corner: National ParksIn celebration of the National Park Service Centennial in 2016, the Academy of American Poets commissioned fifty poets to write poems about a park in each of the 50 states. This project was part of Imagine Your Parks, a grant initiative from the National Endowment for the Arts created in partnership with the National Park Service to support projects that use the arts to engage people with the memorable places and landscapes of the National Park System. Where available, we will include a poem for each of the parks we highlight throughout the year.

“Hot Springs”By Davis McCombsafter Robert Francis’s “Silent Poem”

rain storm rock pore flow path earth crustthrust fault drip slope trough dam blue ooze

tile floor stained glass sitz bath rust stainsun porch deck chair sky light gas lamp

foot bridge leaf twitch dirt trail red oakwhite tail hoof prints moss stump wood thrush

chert flake clay shard pit mine whet stoneknife blade green gorge creek mud blue tent

fire ring wood smoke sign post steep roadstore front plate glass stone arch tile roof

street light pump house brick walk steam gratehot wisp guard rail foot soak spa town

Respectfully submitted by SPGC Corresponding Secretary, Birlie Lau

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