Membership News - March 2024 (Updated)
Member of The Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut, Inc. , New England Garden Clubs Inc. and The National Garden Clubs Inc. |
Dear Members: Thank you to Kelly Forsberg for hosting the delightful Valentine Tea held at her house. Members enjoyed Kelly’s beautifully decorated home, the yummy eatables and tea, and most of all, each other's company! | |
Wendy MacDonald, Wendy Yu and Martina Doshan entered a total of 18 exhibits in the CT Flower Show in Design, Horticulture and Photography. Please see pictures of the blue ribbon winning entries below. More pictures can be seen in the newsletter posted on our club website. Congratulations to Wendy, Wendy and Martina! We are approaching a busy time in our club’s calendar. Please read in the newsletter about events, doings and club history. Best, Martina | |
Business Meeting on Friday, March 15Our business meeting starts at 10:30am, followed by a presentation by Jana Milbocker, author of The Garden Tourist’s New England, on “Stunning Gardens of The Hudson Valley” starting at 11:30.The design is a Creative Line Design and the theme is “Accent on Youth , for more details: https://www.gardenclubofoldgreenwich.org/2023-24-design-schedule”; the Horticulture schedule can be found on line at Hort Schedules 2023 and 2024.pdf and the photography theme “Feathered Friends” an 8” x 10” vertical portrait of a bird in its natural habitat, for more details, |
Blue Ribbon Winners at theCT Flower Show | |
Wendy MacDonald in Botanical Arts | Wendy MacDonald in Photography: Waterlilies |
Martina Doshan In Horticulture | Wendy Yu In Horticulture |
Design WorkshopJoin us on Monday, March 11, 2024 for a demonstration on assembling the next two scheduled designs, Creative Line Design and A Reflective Design. We will meet at the Innis Arden Cottage at 10:00. Light refreshments will be provided. Contact Wendy MacDonald ( wendymac521@gmail.com) for any further information . | |
March 15, 2024Creative Line Design | April 12, 2024A Reflective Design |
Calling All PhotographersThe photography theme for our March meeting is “FEATHERED FRIENDS” an 8 x 10 vertical color portrait of a bird in its natural habitat. For our upcoming meeting in April and May, the themes are as follows: April: WATER, WATER, EVERYWHERE 8 x 10 vertical or horizontal color landscape image that incorporates water May: REFLECTING ON CHANGE (2) 8 x 10 (color or black & white) images of the same subject photographed in 2 different seasons |
Plant SaleDear Members, It is not too early to start thinking about our upcoming plant sale. The proceeds of the plant sale help to fund our club programs and endeavors. It will be held on Friday, May 10 2pm to 6pm ( for preparation) and Saturday, May 11, 9 pm - 1 pm at the Church of Living Hope, 38 West End Avenue, Old Greenwich, CT. As you know, we ask that all members participate in making our plant sale a success. We will be reaching out to you during the month of March to enlist your help in a variety of jobs needed on the days of the plant sale itself. Our Members’ Own plants are our greatest money earners. We are asking that everyone walk their gardens and determine what can be dug and divided. Please, be generous with your contributions. All varieties of plants are welcome, whether common or unique. We have members who can walk through your garden with you, help you select plants that can be dug and then arrange a time for volunteers to come help dig, divide and pot up. If you would like someone to come walk through your garden with you, please Julia Gray at juliagraymd@gmail.com or Martina Doshan at tinadosh@gmail.com. We need volunteers to come help to dig and divide and pot up plants in members’ gardens. The days designated for this volunteer group will be Tuesdays 1-4 and Saturdays 9-12 throughout the month of April. Please let me know if you can participate in either or both groups by emailing Julia Gray at juliagraymd@gmail.com or Martina Doshan at tinadosh@gmail.com. |
Plant Sale Supplies NeededIf you have extra pots 4” to 10” in size, and do not think you need them for your garden contributions to the plant sale, please drop the clean pots off at Roz Brady’s house. (16 Terrace Avenue, Riverside, CT)If you have any small to medium sized baskets that can be used for Mother's Day baskets, please drop them off at Wendy Yu’s house. |
MEMBER PRE-SALE ON EDEN FARM ANNUALSWe are offering 14 popular annuals for Pre-Sale to club members.WHY PRE-ORDER ?- guarantees you get what you want- preserves our inventory to sell to the public- generates income for the club- AND a discount for YOU !Flats can ONLY be ordered as full flatsORDER NOW - PAY & PICK-UP AT THE PLANT SALE MAY 11thHere is a link to a downloadable order form: Members — Garden Club of Old Greenwich ORDERS DUE APRIL 1E-mail Wendy Yu your order chriswendyyu@hotmail.com |
Garden TherapyFriday, March 22, 1:30 pm, Spring Program Hill House, Garden Therapy Spring Program at Hill House, 10 Riverside Ave., Riverside Wednesday, March 27, 11:00 am, Easter Egg Dyeing, Pathways, 8 Sinawoy Rd., Cos Cob |
Amaryllis Bulb Challenge ResultsSponsored by the Horticulture CommitteeClick on the link: Amaryllis Challenge 2023-2024 (padlet.com) |
Club History Now on Display atTown Hall | |
Club History Corner1930’s….From “Sound Beach” to “Old Greenwich” By 1930 club membership capacity was reached at seventy five regular members. Restoring the name of the community from Sound Beach to Old Greenwich, the name originally granted in 1640, became the major club project when Mrs. Helen Binney Kitchel was elected president of the Garden Club. It was not a simple process, club members took petitions to practically every house in Sound Beach, getting hundreds of signatures. These petitions were taken to the Postmaster General in Washington, DC and the President of the New Haven and Hartford Railroad. In 1931, Sound Beach became Old Greenwich and the garden club became thus known as The Garden Club of Old Greenwich. Tree planting was a high priority of the club. When the government planned a national celebration of Arbor Day in 1932, to mark the bicentennial of George Washington’s birth, the garden club planted dogwood trees, evergreens, flowering shrubs and bulbs at Old Greenwich School. For our efforts, the club received an award from the American Tree Association. Our club’s tenth anniversary in 1934 was marked with the planting of ten sizable dogwood trees, many on the lawns of the churches, along Sound Beach Avenue and in honor of Connecticut’s Tercentenary the club planted over 200 flowering shrubs and trees. The Garden Club adopted the neglected old Tomac Cemetery where the remains of many revolutionary soldiers and early settlers lie. Clearing it of weeds and doing extensive plantings of bushes, flowers and trees it was restored to a place of peace and beauty with headstones reset and walls relaid. Through our membership in the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut we cooperated in the state-wide campaign to protect the roadside from exploitation by outdoor advertising and supported House Bill No. 1 introduced by club member and past club president Mrs Helen Binney Kitchel. Christmas door decorating competitions were introduced in the 1930’s and seven Flower Shows & Exhibitions were staged by the club, along with participating in other local Garden Club Flower Shows. In 1936 the club was awarded a bronze medal for their exhibit “The Collector’s Corner” at the Westchester Fairfield Horticultural Society Flower Show. | |
GCOG Garden with UsThe Spring Planting of the planters in Old Greenwich will happen the week of April 7th. Please keep your eyes open for an email with the specific date as we finalize our plant order. This is an opportunity to work together with your fellow members on beautifying the village. Many hands make light work! |
Juniors Committee |
Introducing New Garden Club MerchandiseWe heard your suggestions and have added new items, featuring our Centennial Anniversary Logo | |
NEW - 3/4 sleeve length Henley Shirt featuring the Anniversary logo on the front & back Available in gray, olive green & yellow | NEW - Wide Brimmed Garden Hat featuring the Anniversary Logo Available in stone & white |
NEW - Fleece Vest featuring the Anniversary Logo Available in gray | NEW STYLE - Fleece Jacket featuring the Anniversary Logo Available in forest green & gray |
Visit our on-line club store to view all our shop merchandise & place your order Click Here: https://www.gardenclubofoldgreenwich.org/gcog-gear | |
NEWS !National Garden Club Winter issue of The National Gardener: https://gardenclub.org/sites/default/files/2022-12/tng-winter-2023.pdf Federated Garden Clubs of CT February/March 2024 newsletter: |
FGCCT Educational OpportunitiesLandscape Design School – Series 12: Course 1March 26 and 27, 2024 via Zoom https://ctgardenclubs.org/education/schools/landscape-design-school-2-2-2-2/ Flower Show School -- Course 1 of 4April 18 (Zoom), 24-26, 2024: At the Kellogg Environmental Center https://ctgardenclubs.org/education/schools/flower-show-school-2/ |
The Book GroupWednesday March 6, 2024 @ 10am (Via Zoom)Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds, and Shape Our Future by Merlin Sheldrake.“When we think of fungi, we likely think of mushrooms. But mushrooms are only fruiting bodies, analogous to apples on a tree. Most fungi live out of sight, yet make up a massively diverse kingdom of organisms that supports and sustains nearly all living systems. Fungi provide a key to understanding the planet on which we live, and the ways we think, feel, and behave.” |
The Book Nook | |
What might our world be like without bees? Julie Carrick Dalton's The Last Beekeeper is a celebration of found family, an exploration of truth versus power, and the triumph of hope in the face of despair.To read more about the book, click on the following: | |
Recommended by Martina Doshan If you have a garden related book you would like to recommend, please let me know at tinadosh@gmail.com | |
