Hydrangea Petiolaris is a vigorous climbing vine that clings to surfaces by aerial rootlets. It has a slow growing, shrubby habit until established, then becomes quite vigorous, producing long, fast growing stems. The foliage is blanketed with magnificent, white lace cap blooms in the summer.

This massive Hydrangea was photographed in Lina Hooper’s garden, the Hydrangea has climbed to the top of an old tree trunk.

The climbing Hydrangea will grow from 30 to 50 feet tall and 5 to 6 feet wide.  It is at its best where it gets morning sun and afternoon shade, however it can tolerate dense shade.

On Monday, June 6^th we held our annual June luncheon at Matto Wine Bar in Shelton. The luncheon was coordinated by club Second Vice President Dee Blewett.

At the center of each table were Golden Empire Bidens. At the end of the luncheon the member at each table with the birthday closest to the date of the luncheon got to take home the Bidens.

At each place setting were terra cotta pots containing sedum and hand painted with a sunflower by Dee Blewett.  Also at each place setting were hand painted rocks and everyone was also given a potted sunflower, “Helianthus annuus” to take home.

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For our November 2021 meeting we welcomed Debbie Semonich who led us in a workshop of “Winter Sowing.”   Members learned how to make their own miniature greenhouses from recycled plastic containers.  After planting the seeds, containers were wintered outdoors and in the spring seedlings appeared.

These are the successful plantings of Linda Hooper, pictured are the winter sowing jugs containing Hollyhocks, Love in a mist, blue wheat, and Chinese lanterns.

See our November 2021 posting for instructions on how to make a miniature greenhouse of your own.

On Saturday, May 14th we held our Annual Plant and Bake sale at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Parking Lot. 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.  A special thanks to Co-Chairs Lisa DiNardo and Debbi Garrow for all of their hard work that made the Plant Sale a success.

Besides Perennials we also offered Gift Cards donated by local businesses, Painted Rocks designed by club members, Baked goods provided by club members and a Raffle of items donated by local businesses and nurseries.

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Join us this Saturday, May 14 from 9:00 to 12:00 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Parking Lot, 25 Church Street (Huntington Green) Shelton for our Annual Plant and Bake Sale.

Proceeds benefit the community projects for Shelton – scholarships, school programs, senior garden therapy and beautifying our city gardens.  ORGC is a non- profit organization

For sale will be Member Grown Perennials, Annuals, House Plants and Herbs. There will also be Hand Painted Rocks, a Bake Sale and a Raffle.

Follow the links below to visit the Facebook pages for the Local Garden Centers donating annuals and perennials.

Benedict’s Home & Garden

Filanowski Farms

Langanke’s Florist & Greenhouses

Laurel Glen Farm

Wells Hollow Farm 

Follow Olde Ripton Garden Club on our Facebook page.

This month we welcomed once again Margery Winters from Roaring Brook Nature Center in Canton, CT.  Margery did a Power Point presentation on “Soil – It’s Not Just Dirt.”

Margery is the Assistant Director and instructor at Roaring Brook Nature Center in Canton where she is delighted to be able to share her passion for earth science and nature with students of all ages. She manages the Nature Center’s native plant gardens and is an advocate for the role of natives in our designed landscapes. She is a Master Landscape Design Consultant.

Rarely discussed by gardeners, soil is the foundation of the garden. Each teaspoon of healthy soil is alive with millions of creatures, many working to keep our plants healthy. We learned why we should care about this intriguing ecosystem.

Always an interesting speaker, Margery, kept us absorbed in her presentation.  We learned all about the different types of soils, the connections between soils and plants and how organic matter makes healthy soil.

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For Horticulture this month Linda Hooper shared with us the gardening trend that “bloomed” during the pandemic.

Everyone was planting a garden and retailers found themselves struggling to keep up with the demand for seeds.

Gardening became an activity for the entire family, working from home encouraged people to put more thought into gardening, landscaping and nature.  It helped relieve stress and boosted the connection with nature and outdoor physical activity.

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Our May meeting will be held at the Shelton Community Center – lower level on May 2, 2022 at 10 a.m.  Our speaker this month will be Margery Winters from Roaring Brook Nature Center in Canton, CT.  Margery will be doing a presentation on “Soil – It’s Not Just Dirt.”

Rarely discussed by gardeners, soil is the foundation of the garden. Each teaspoon of healthy soil is alive with millions of creatures, many working to keep our plants healthy. We will learn why we should care about this intriguing ecosystem.

Margery is the Assistant Director and instructor at Roaring Brook Nature Center in Canton where she is delighted to be able to share her passion for earth science and nature with students of all ages. She manages the Nature Center’s native plant gardens and is an advocate for the role of natives in our designed landscapes. She is a Master Landscape Design Consultant.

Margery serves on several land use boards in Simsbury.  She is chairman of their Inland Wetland / Conservation Commission and a member the Open Space Committee, and currently serves as president of the Simsbury Land Trust.

Guests are welcome to attend, there is a $5.00 Visitor Fee for non-members, membership is $35.00 a year.

Earth Day is an annual event held every year on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by EarthDay.org including 1 billion people in more than 193 countries. The official theme for 2022 is “Invest In Our Planet.”

Follow the link above to visit the official Earth Day website and see how you can help.

At our April meeting we welcomed Lee Ganim of Ganim’s Garden Center and Florist in Fairfield, Connecticut.  Lee’s presentation was “Preparing Your Garden for Spring.”  

He is well known as “That Garden Guy” with his weekly Sunday morning radio show on WICC600AM.  His gardening talk show offers real-time advice for local gardeners as well as information about current gardening trends.

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Horticulture Co-Chair Joyce Fedorko presented our flower of the month, Hellebores.

Hellebores are native to Europe and western Asia. Hellebores are also known as the Lenten Rose because they flower in the early spring around the period of Lent.

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The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is eastern North America’s sole breeding hummingbird.  Feeders and flower gardens are great ways to attract these birds.

Photo Courtesy of Eric Wehger, Slater Sanctuary

Around the middle of April we will be seeing the first hummingbirds arriving in Connecticut.  After their long voyage they are hungry and will be looking for food to regain their weight.

Take the time to make sure before you put your feeders out that they are well cleaned.  Because hummingbirds are very territorial about their feeders it is a good idea to put out more than one around your yard.

A simple recipe for Hummingbird food is 1 cup of cane sugar mixed with 4 cups of hot/boiling water.  It is important to remember that you only use cane sugar since other sugars are not safe for Hummingbirds.  Change the water before it grows cloudy or discolored and remember that during hot weather, sugar water ferments rapidly to produce toxic alcohol.

Brightly-colored flowers that are tubular hold the most nectar, and are particularly attractive to hummingbirds. These include perennials such as bee balms, columbines, daylilies, and lupines; biennials such as foxgloves and hollyhocks; and many annuals, including cleomes, impatiens, and petunias.

Join us Saturday, May 14, 2022, rain or shine, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church parking lot for our annual Plant Sale.  For sale will be member grown perennials, there will also be annuals, house plants and herbs.  Our successful bake sale will be offered along with hand painted rocks and a raffle. Click here for the printable flyer.

Here are some of the rocks members painted at a recent workshop that will be available at our annual plant sale.