Every month the club honors members who celebrate their birthdays during that month.
Club Second Vice-President Debby Garrow gifts those members with a bag of assorted chocolates.
Thank you Debby!
November 2026 – Paperwhites
For our November meeting, club member Linda Hooper led the membership in preparing Paperwhite bulbs for Holiday blooms.
Paperwhite flowers are fragrant, trumpet‑shaped blooms from bulbous plants in the Narcissus genus, most commonly “Narcissus papyraceus” (also called paperwhite narcissus or tazetta daffodil.)
Autumn Beauty
As we leave October behind and welcome November, the color of leaves in Connecticut are bright and festive. Pictured here is the beauty of a pond surrounded by the colors of Autumn.
A thank you to Linda Hooper for taking this picture of a pond in her yard that pictures the beauty of Autumn that we enjoy in Connecticut.
Scarecrows in Town – 2026
More scarecrows are showing up in civic gardens around town
Plumb Memorial Library
Perry Hill School
Richard O. Beldon Cultural Center
Boxes to Boots – 2026
For the September and October meetings the Olde Ripton Garden Club members collected items to be sent to U.S. Military Personnel overseas. We collected individual packs of nuts, almonds, peanut butter, trail mix, sunflower seeds, tuna and protein bars. Also collected were puzzles books and decks of playing cards.
Club President Lisa DiNardo and club member Joy Reho delivered the boxes of donated items to the Xfinity store in Derby, CT.
All Xfinity stores in Connecticut received a box to collect items and when the box is filled Comcast/Xfinity will pick up the boxes and deliver them to the Boxes to Boots location in Berlin, CT where donated items will be distributed into care packages, wrapped and shipped overseas to U.S. Military Personnel.
October 2026 – Growing Beautiful Dahlias
For our October meeting we welcomed Pam Bosward, owner of West Woods Flower Farm in Hamden, CT. Pam shared the Power Point presentation “Growing Beautiful Dahlias.”
Pam Bosward and Club Vice President Jen Lombard
Pam is a member of the Connecticut Dahlia Society and the American Dahlia Society. She’s been growing dahlias since 2014 but officially opened the farm business in 2020, she grows over 700 dahlias on her property.
Her presentation covered the various forms and sizes of dahlias, how to grow and care for them throughout the growing season, and dividing and storing them over the winter.
Pam took the time after her presentation to answer questions and do “hands on” of her dahlias with club members. Continue reading
Shelton Day – Sunday, October 4, 2026
The Olde Ripton Garden Club had a booth at the 2026 Shelton Day celebration.
Joanne Brunelle, Pat McDonald and Joy Reho
Club Treasurer Joanne Brunelle organized our booth with the help of club members.
Helping with the set up were (pictured L to R:) Joy Reho, Pat McDonald, Loreta Carrero and Liz Griffin.
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- Joanne Brunelle, Liz Griffin, Lydia Locke and Judy Pavone
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- Joanne Brunelle, Lydia Locke, Judy Pavone and Liz Griffin
Olde Ripton Garden Club
Loreta Carrero designed a beautiful fall arrangement to adorn our table
Fall arrangement by Loreta Carrero
Shelton Day – 2026
Shelton Day October 2026 – Shelton Day is an annual community festival organized by the Rotary Club of Derby-Shelton. It is a long-standing tradition of celebrating community spirit, local businesses and family-friendly fun in Shelton, CT.
The festival features:
- Over 200 vendors and exhibitors
- Delicious food trucks and local food vendors
- Live entertainment throughout the day
- Family activities and children’s attractions
- Community organizations and nonprofit groups
- Local businesses and artisans
- Handmade crafts and specialty products
- Interactive exhibits, demonstrations, games, and much more!
Be sure to stop by the Olde Ripton Garden Club booth this Sunday and pick up free seeds and bulbs!
Many Hands Make Light Work
Club members met to divide up free bulbs and seeds that will be available to the public on Shelton Day.
Clockwise L to R: Pat McDonald, Holly Secskas, Deb Callahan, Joy Reho, Lydia Locke and Joan Mauri
Founded in 1976, the Olde Ripton Garden Club (ORGC) of Shelton, Connecticut is a community of garden enthusiasts committed to sharing the love of gardening and conservation. We provide education in horticulture and assist in beautifying streets, highways, and grounds around public buildings.
Meetings are held March through December (no meetings in January and February.) They are on the first Monday of the month (except for holidays) and start promptly at 10 a.m.
Meetings may be cancelled due to inclement weather and road conditions. Check our Facebook page for information.
Dues are $35 per year, guests are welcome to attend, there is a $5 Visitor Fee for non-members.
Autumn Civic Gardens -2026
As the days get shorter and the leaves begin to change color, the Civic Gardens around town celebrate Autumn with colorful pumpkins, flowers and committee made scarecrows.
Huntington Center Green
Shelton City Hall
Shelton High School
Huntington Community Center
Shelton Police Department
Huntington Branch of the Shelton Post Office
September 2026 – Scarecrow Workshop
For our September meeting, club member Cheryl Dziubina, with the help of her husband, made scarecrow frames and provided stuffing, ribbons and other fixings to use on the individual scarecrows for civic gardens around Shelton.
Cheryl Dziubina
Pat Robik and Club President Lisa DiNardo
Club members separated into groups and created scarecrows to decorate Civic gardens for the Autumn. Each scarecrow was unique, with members supplying clothes, hats and decorations for their scarecrow.
2026 – Summer Civic Gardens
Richard O. Belden Cultural Center
Huntington Center Green
Shelton Community Center
Huntington Fire Department
Huntington Branch of the Shelton Post Office
Shelton Historical Society
Shelton City Hall
Shelton High School
Shelton Police Department
Plumb Memorial Library
August 2026 – Color, Texture and More – Garden Design for Four Season Interest
For our August meeting we welcomed Interfaith Minister and Advanced Master Gardener Donna Katsuranis who shared the Power Point presentation, “Color, Texture and More – Garden Design for Four Season Interest.”
Donna Katsutanis and Club Vice-President Jen Lombard
Donna has taught numerous Advanced Master Garden classes and has lectured throughout the Northeast to Garden Clubs and the Connecticut Flower and Garden Show. She is also a principal for the Kiwanis Giving Garden in Brookfield, which grows vegetables for local food pantries.
Donna showed us how to look at our gardens during the spring, summer, autumn and winter and design the gardens to have interest in all the seasons.
Some of the plants shown were interesting in each season, pictured here are the Dogwood tree with showy white flowers in the spring and bright red leaves in the autumn, Pussy Willow in all the stages of its buds and Winterberry with its attractive red berries in the winter.
Adding Planters to Beautify Downtown Shelton
On Thursday, August 6th Club President Lisa DiNardo along with club members Elizabeth Griffin, Joanne Brunnelle and Joan Mauri spent the day placing shrubs in planters at the Riverwalk and around downtown Shelton.
Pictured clockwise: Club President Lisa DiNardo, Elizabeth Griffin, Joanne Brunnelle and Joan Mauri
Two shrubs were placed at the Riverwalk and three were placed in downtown Shelton on Howe Avenue.
