2017 Dec. Holiday Party

What a great time at Susan Cameron's home.
Catered food was so delicious, many second helpings by ..... a lovely holiday evening.
Happy Holidays!

Hello everyone,

Another great evening with the Horticulture Club of Newtown!    Last night was so much fun and a fantastic way to end our 2017 events.  First of all I would like to express my sincerest thanks to Susan Cameron for hosting the party at her beautiful and warm home, it was the perfect place to enjoy each other’s company, eat the delicious meal, sip a glass of wine and sit by the fireplaces.    I know you all feel the same as all I heard were happy exclamations from everyone as they were having their second helping of that amazing lemon mousse!  

I would also like to thank everyone for the extremely thoughtful gifts including the centerpiece, gift card, the cardinal ornament that is already hung by the chimney with care, and the vintage silver pin.   I love them all!   I would also like to thank John for the beautiful arrangement he made for me with the orchid, scarborough lily and false onion.   I do promise to give the vase back.  It is so pretty!  

It was wonderful to catch up with many that we don’t see very often, welcome previous members back and catchup on our busy lives.  Congratulations to Tom and Carol Johnson on the birth of their first grandson.  Maybe they will spend more time up north !

Michael and I would like to wish each and everyone a very Merry Christmas and a blessed, happy and healthy New Year !  

Joan

Annual Holiday Party 2017

We will be holding our Annual Holiday Party on Friday December 8, 2017 at the lovely home of Susan Cameron.  The evening will start at 6:30.  We will have the evening catered and the cost will be $20 per person.   Guests are welcome at the cost of $25.  In order to put most of the cost into a great main course, sides and dessert we would like a few volunteers who can bring an appetizer and a few who could bring a bottle of wine.   The club will pay for soft drinks, paper goods and the balance of the cost of the catering.     

Hollister House visit, Washington, CT

Hollister House is an amazing place which has been written up in countless home and garden publications, it showcases an English style garden with some formality but touched with abundance and a “ little wild style planting”.   They offer tours through the Garden Conservancy and garden workshop weekends in the fall. 

Here is a link if you would like to learn more.   Hollister House:  https://hollisterhousegarden.org

Victory Garden Volunteers

Hello All,

Calling all Green Thumbs!  

As I mentioned in the meeting the other day we are looking for volunteers who can commit to 1-2 hours a week to help out at the Victory Garden.   Tammara has offered to be the “Project Manager” but she needs more help in order to keep the garden going.  She, Rich and Brendon have spent the last four years working almost exclusively by themselves with Tammara doing most of the work.  As we have seen she has done a spectacular job with planting and maintaining the garden.   This year we would like to get a few of us to share this community event with her.  

It is my understanding that the town comes to till the soil,  we would need a couple of planting dates to match the weather and then weeding, watering, picking and delivering the vegetables.  Watering is less when we have rain and weeding is probably more when we have rain!    Generally there are other clubs and people at the garden to keep you company or to share with delivering the veggies.  

Tammara has asked for a minimum of three volunteers.   I will be the first with a commitment of 1-2 hours a week.   Is anyone else interested to participate in maintaining our three rows?  Can you please let either or Tammara know by Friday or we will have to let our rows go.  That is not something we want to do and we can hope we can keep it going.  

Thank you all for your consideration! 

The World of Peonies

 Cricket Hill Gardens-The World of Peonies

Presenter:  Dan Furman, owner

 Cricket Hill Garden is a specialty plant nursery located in Thomaston, CT, which grows
 rare and    unusual peonies as well as perennial landscape edibles.  Kasha and David Furman 
founded Cricket Hill Garden in 1989, with a focus on Chinese tree peonies. It was one of the first nurseries in the United States to sell true-  to-name varieties of these rare plants.

 Dan presented at our May meeting about peonies and their ideal conditions and how to incorporate them into  your landscape.The varieties and which have the best fragrances as well as plants were there for sale.

7th annual gardening guru's trade and swap

A great swap and trade today at Dickenson Town Park, it rained  but we were under the pavillion. Lots of great stuff, learning, fun and of course those delicious doughnuts and bagels.  It was great to have a coffee along with the excitement of  the wonderful new gardening bonanza .  Next to plant and grow all these new treasures.

Thanks Joan you make the best bagels and doughnuts!

Dottie came with amaryllis and instructions to share

Thank goodness for Chris  and her gardening cart.

Look at the acorn wow is it fall?

7th annual Gardening Gurus trade and swap

7th annual Gardening Gurus trade and swap with Trinity Productions in conjunction with the Horticulture Club of Newtown 

Dickenson Park, Newtown, CT  (under the pavilion rain or shine)

Sat/. May 13th, 2017 - 9:00 to 10:30 am

Bring items to trade:  annual or perennials, vegetable seeds, seedling gardening books, tools, pots and planters.  Please label your donation and come away with something new for your home or garden.

Coffee, doughnuts and bagels will be available

Non members $5.00

Growing Miniature Conifers and Trees

Our next meeting will be on April 13 at the Meeting House, 7 pm. 
    Joy Angle will be discussing “Growing Miniature Conifers and Trees”.    

Jay graduated from University of Connecticut with a degree in Entomology and Agriculture.  Currently employed by Arysta Life Science as a product Development Scientist.  Owner and propagator at Jay’s Nursery in Watertown, CT specializing in dwarf low maintenance conifers, exotic Beech, Japanese Maples and other miniature broadleaf evergreens.

Herbal teas from plants in our garden with Judith Dreyer

Be sure to drink your organic tea from your herbs delicious and so good for you.  Our first 2017  meet took place on Thursday, March 9^th, 7 pm, at the Meeting House.   Our speaker was Judith Dreyer, who  presented a very interesting discussion on making herbal teas from plants we can find in our garden or on our walks in the woods.  We even we able to sample a couple of her brews and learn about their benefits.     

The room was set the room up with tablecloths, flowers, scones and tea sandwiches  along with the tea 

Below is a bio of Judith.  She has a great blog called “At the Garden’s Gate” that you might want to visit ahead of time, she will bring her book for those interested in learning more,   Book and Blog: At the Garden's Gate: go to judithdreyer.com

Program: Tea Talk: The Garden Variety: Tea Tasting and Discussion of Benefits of Herbal Teas

Presenters:  Judith Dreyer

Judith Dreyer, MS, BSN, RN has an MS in Human Nutrition and her BS in Nursing. She is the author of At the Garden’s Gate and the blog, At the Garden’s Gate.
She has taught at Western CT State University in Danbury, CT focusing on holistic health including western based Herbalism for thirteen years. She recently became certified as a Holistic Stress Management Instructor with Paramount Institute.
She owned and operated Health Food Junction, a full service health food store, for 5 years in the foothills of NW CT. Judith completed Rosemary Gladstar’s Herbal Apprenticeship program. She is also a Dream Navigator, studying dreams with several teachers. Judith offers consultations, holistic based, for stress reduction, wellness and dreams. As a Master Gardener Judith gives talks on wild edible and medicinal plants, landscape sustainability, and creating meadows throughout the East coast. She is also available for topics in the holistic health field.

She is currently a member of the CT Master Gardener Association, United Plant Savers, APSS.

Wonderful tea cups to drink our delicious tea from.  Beauty and healing.

Here is Judith

Joanne with her hat and gloves

Loose tea for us to smell