This month we welcomed back Cathy Rich as our guest presenter. Cathy demonstrated and created beautiful flower arrangements which were auctioned off at the end of the program.
Cathy showed us how to use plants and flowers from the garden to make interesting and unusual arrangements.
Follow the “continue reading” link below to see some of her beautiful arrangements and learn how to use your own garden plants to design unique arrangements of your own.
This gallery contains 5 photos.
Our July meeting was held at the American Legion Hall the topic was a “Plant Identification Contest.” Members had lots of fun trying to identify different plants. The next meeting of the Olde Ripton Garden Club will take place on … Continue reading
After more than a year of virtual meetings we were finally able to come together in person and enjoy a sunny day at the Kellogg House at Osborne Homestead Museum https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Education/Kellogg/Osborne-Homestead-Museum in Derby, Connecticut.
Picnic organizers DonnaKay Pensiero and Holly Secskas
We had a short business meeting after which we enjoyed our picnic lunches. Later many member took the opportunity to walk through the beautiful gardens of Kellogg House.
This month Linda Hooper presented Digger Bees and Bumble Bees
Photo Courtesy of E. Wehger, Slater Sanctuary
This month we welcomed Sally Brockett, President of the Daytime Gardeners of North Haven, who presented “Hummingbirds: Jeweled Acrobats in the Garden.”
Sally gave an interesting presentation about Hummingbirds, we learned many interesting facts about these “Jeweled Acrobats.”
Olde Ripton Garden Club
Shelton, Connecticut 06484
May 12, 2021
Dear Donors and Customers
Thank you for your generous gifts to The Olde Ripton Garden Club. We are thrilled to have your support. Through your donations and purchases we will be able to raise funds and continue working towards assisting in beautifying streets, and grounds around public buildings in Shelton. Today your donation is going toward new Signs for our Community Gardens and to award a scholarship to a Shelton High School Student who plans to study horticulture, conservation or the environment.
You truly make the difference for us, and we are extremely grateful!
Sincerely,
Lisa DiNardo & Debby Garrow
Co-Chairmen Olde Ripton Garden Club 2021 Annual Plant & Bake Sale
On Saturday, May 8th we held our Annual Plant Sale and it was a huge success. Thank you to the public for supporting this important fund raiser. The Olde Ripton Garden Club is a non-profit organization and all proceeds benefit the community projects in which we are involved.
Lisa DiNardo, Plant Sale Co-chairman and committee member Debby Garrow stand by the hand made wreaths that were available for sale.
Besides member donated plants and baked goods, also available were crafts including hand made wreaths, painted trowels, lavender sachets and floral arrangements. Also sold were gift cards and raffle tickets for a selection of baskets and large plants, all donated by local businesses.
Join us on Saturday, May 8th for our annual plant sale which is a major fundraiser for the Olde Ripton Garden Club. We are a non-profit organization and all proceeds benefit the community projects in which we are involved.
Because of the pandemic last year, we were unable to offer this successful fundraiser to the community, please stop by and check us out and learn all about the Olde Ripton Garden Club.
For our April meeting we welcomed Margery Winters, Assistant Director of Roaring Brook Nature Center. The virtual program was “Spring Wildflowers.” We discovered why they bloom in the spring, where to find them, how they got their names and what makes these plants so special.
Margery is the Assistant Director at Roaring Brook Nature Center in Canton and manages their native plant gardens. She is a past President of the Simsbury Garden Club and past Chairman of the Federated Garden Club Landscape Design Study Program and is a Master Landscape Design Consultant.
At our March virtual meeting, Club Horticulture Co-Chair Linda Hooper shared with us information about the solitary Mason Bee. Mason bees are some of the first bees to emerge in the spring. They can tolerate temperatures down to 55 degrees, for much of North America, this means that mason bees will be active beginning in late February to early April.
Mason Bees are excellent pollinators, but unlike Honey Bees, they do not produce honey, they are named for their habit of using mud or other masonry products in constructing their nests. A variety of commercial nesting boxes are available at garden shops and online.
For our March virtual meeting we welcomed Christine Cummings, President and Co-Founder of “A Place Called Hope.” A Place Called Hope is run entirely by volunteers, along with donations of time, supplies and money from supporters. One of their goals is to teach the public how to protect and respect wildlife, in particular raptors.
We were delighted that Christine shared her red-tailed hawk, Cheyenne, and her barred owl Zen with us. Cheyenne came to A Place Called Hope after a car strike which caused wing damage that made it impossible to gain height when flying. Zen was found by construction workers after falling out of the nest as a young chick. Because birds imprint on the first living thing they see, Zen imprinted with the workers who cared for him and because of this he would no longer be able to survive in the wild. Both birds will be cared for and live out their lives at A Place Called Hope.
Now that winter is upon us, we are spending more time with our indoor plants. We welcomed back Master Gardener Nicole Christensen. Nicole talked about the proper care of houseplants and shared many helpful hints and information to succeed at indoor gardening.
Photos of Nicole’s houseplants are taken from her blog “Suburban Farmgirl”
Around Shelton the Olde Ripton Garden Club maintains civic gardens. Club members decorated the welcome sign at the Shelton High School entrance and added holiday wreathes to the gardens at the Huntington Community Center and the fountain at the Huntington Center Green.
Shelton High School
Huntington Community Center
Fountain on the Huntington Green