Our September meeting featured a video conference with
Theresa Gallagher, Natural Resource Manager for the City of Shelton.

Theresa shared with us information about the 30 miles of marked
hiking trails in Shelton. Trails are created and maintained by volunteers.

These trails include:
Shelton Riverwalk, Shelton Lakes Recreation Path, Shelton Lakes Greenway Trail Network, Gristmill Trail on the Far Mill River, Boehm Pond Trails, Means Brook Greenway, Tahmore Trail & Indian Well S.P., The Bluff Walk (Riverview Trail),
and the Paugussett (“Blue Dot”) Trail.

To learn more about the Shelton Conservation Commission visit their website at:

http://sheltonconservation.org/recreation/shelton_trails.html

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This month for our virtual meeting we welcomed Siddhi Sheth who is a Registered Dietician with ShopRite of Shelton.  Siddhi discussed the benefits of eating seasonal produce, tips for finding foods in season and cooking using seasonal items.

Gardeners love earthworms…but not all earthworms are good for our gardens! This month we welcomed Nicole Christensen who gave a virtual presentation about the  invasive species known as the Asian Jumping Worm.

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As we continue to conduct our meetings virtually, please check back regularly to see when we will once again return to our regular meetings at the Plumb Memorial Library.

If you are new to our website or have come back to visit, be sure to check the above tabs.  The various tabs will give you a look into who we are and some of the interesting things we have accomplished in the past.

This month, as we continue with our virtual meetings, we were delighted to see the program, “Small Furry Critters and You,” presented by past president Renee Marsh.

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The May meeting of the Olde Ripton Garden Club will not be held at the Plumb Memorial Library due to Covid-19.  A virtual meeting will be held for members on Monday, May 4th at 10:00.  Please check back to see when we will resume our regular monthly meetings

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May welcomes the return of flowering trees and shrubs, look for our Native Dogwood trees to be blooming around Mother’s Day.

Because we are spending our days at home, to help brighten your spirits try visiting the New York Botanical Gardens’ interactive website.  https://www.nybg.org/nybg-at-home/

Another website with virtual garden tours is House Beautiful’s 8 virtual gardens from around the world.  https://www.housebeautiful.com/uk/garden/g31913008/best-virtual-tours-garden/

The April meeting of the Olde Ripton Garden Club has been cancelled due to Covid-19.  Check back often to see when we will resume our monthly meetings.

During this time when most of us are spending time at home, go outside and welcome the spring!  Forsythia is in full bloom in many yards, flowering spring bulbs have popped up and Bleeding Hearts have poked out of the ground.

Our pollinators are also starting to show up, look for the Ruby Throated Hummingbird to return to Connecticut between the18th and the 25th of April.  To feed Hummingbirds use this simple recipe of 1 part sugar to 4 parts of water.  Make sure to use only plain white sugar as honey and other sugars may be harmful to Hummingbirds.  Make sure to refrigerate any left over food, check the feeders often to assure that the food hasn’t spoiled.

This month we welcomed Cathy Ritch who shared flower arranging techniques with us.

Cathy’s arrangements are unique and simplistic in design.  Using striking leaves and greenery to compliment the flowers, an attractive centerpiece is fashioned.

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For our first meeting of the new year we will welcome Floral Designer Cathy Ritch who will demonstrate several easy floral designs that incorporate plant material we commonly have in our own yards.  At the end of the meeting we will hold a raffle for the completed designs.

Cathy Ritch is an accomplished and enthusiastic floral designer, instructor and National Garden Clubs (NGC) Accredited Life Judge.  Her designs have won numerous blue ribbons and top NGC design awards at the Connecticut Flower and Garden Shows.  Her work has been exhibited at the New Britain Museum of American Art’s show “Floral Expressions.”  The NGC Vision of Beauty Calendar has featured photos of her designs.

She was the chair for the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut annual flower show for three years and leads Beyond Beginning Floral Design Workshops for which she won a prestigious NGC “Award of Excellence.”

A member of the Long Hill Garden Club of Trumbull and Creative Arrangers of Connecticut, Cathy is happiest when she can create floral designs using plant material grown in her own gardens.

Olde Ripton Garden Club will meet at 10:00 on Monday, March 2nd at the Plumb Memorial Library.  Visitors are welcome and asked to donate $5.00 towards the program and refreshments.

Pictured is the carpet that was purchased for the Children’s Department of the Plumb Memorial Library.  The purchase was made possible by a donation from the Olde Ripton Garden Club.  As a tribute to our club this carpet was chosen because it focuses on trees, flowers and the beauty of nature.