Karla A. Dalley

Our speaker this month was Karla A. Dalley, Karla is the garden columnist for the West Hartford Magazine and the Book Reviewer for the Connecticut Horticultural Society.  She is also the sole author of an organic gardening blog, “Gardendaze.”

We learned about organic gardening and how to start working with nature in our gardening.  We shouldn’t strive to have everything perfect, we should try to go organic, try to be garden friendly to wildlife, let the birds eat the bugs instead of using pesticides.

Remember that ants are pollinators, spiders consume many bugs in our gardens and native plants require less work. Continue reading →

Our May meeting will be held on Monday, May 1, 2023 at the Shelton Community Center located at 41 Church Street, Suite 2 (lower level.)

Our speaker will be Karla A Dalley who will speak about “How to be a Lazy Gardener – or working with nature instead of against it.”  Her presentation will incorporate elements of sustainable gardening, “leave the leaves” and other practices like “right plant – right place.”

Currently she is the garden columnist for the West Hartford Magazine and the book reviewer for the Connecticut Horticulture Society, as well as the sole author of an organic gardening blog, “Gardendaze.”

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 the 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 generally start at 10 a.m.

Dues are $35 per year, guests are welcome to attend, there is a $5 Visitor Fee for non-members.

Meetings may be cancelled due to inclement weather and road conditions.  Check our Facebook page for information.

Seed Library Committee members l to r: Debbie Mica, J. Stapkowski, Joanne Brunelle and Chair Teya Bell, missing from the photo are Jan Gallagher and Sue Piscioniere

On Saturday, April 22, 2023 the Olde Ripton Garden Club’s Seed Library opened to the public.  The Seed Library is located on the second floor of the Plumb Memorial Library and will be open to residents of Shelton from April 22 until October 31, 2023 during the library’s regular business hours.

design by Teya Bell

A sincere thank you for donations made by the following:

UConn Master Gardener Program

The Friends of Shelton Libraries

Benedict’s Home & Garden

Filanowski Farms

Plumb Memorial Library

and

The Olde Ripton Garden Club

Continue reading →

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 2023 is “Invest In Our Planet.”

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

George S. Logan and Club Vice-President Ruth Pesavento

For our April meeting we welcomed George S. Logan whose presentation was “Drop to Drain – Water Conservation during Climate Change.”  George is the Director of Community Relations at Aquarion Water Company.

George gave a very informative presentation in which we learned about the years that Connecticut suffered severe drought.  During these periods we learned how water was managed by the Aquarion Water Company.

During the presentation, George took time to answer questions from the members regarding where the water in Trap Falls Reservoir originates from, how many other reservoirs Aquarion Water Company manages, how the water is filtered and ways that we can conserve water.

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

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, remember to cool the water before filling your feeders.  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.

Club member Teya Bell, along with committee members of the Olde Ripton Garden Club in conjunction with the Plumb Memorial Library will open the Shelton Seed Library to the public on Saturday, April 22, 2023 from 1pm to 3pm.

Club member Teya Bell

The purpose of the Seed Library is to provide Shelton gardeners with free seeds to use in their home gardens.

The seed library will be located on the second floor of the library and will be open to residents of Shelton from April 22 until October 31, 2023.

There will be a variety of seeds available including herbs, vegetables, fruits, and annual and perennial flowers.

On Saturday, April 22, during the Plumb Memorial Library’s open house, the Olde Ripton Garden Club, while supplies last, will be giving out free home gardening kits.

For more information about the seed library contact SheltonSeedLibrary@aol.com

The Herb of the Year chosen must be outstanding in two of three categories:  Medicinal, Culinary or Decorative.

Linda Hooper giving the Herb of the Year presentation.

The Herb for 2023 is Ginger (Zingiber Officionale.)

This is a tropical flowering plant native to Asia.  The roots are found in grocery stores and are used for culinary and medicinal purposes. Continue reading →

The Olde Ripton Garden Club’s Annual Plant and Bake Sale will be held Rain or Shine from 9:00 to 1:00 on Saturday, May 13, 2023.

The sale will take place in St Paul’s Episcopal Church Parking Lot
25 Church Street, (Huntington Green) – Shelton.

Proceeds benefit community projects, scholarships, senior garden therapy and beautifying the city gardens.

A large selection of member grown perennials, annuals, herbs and tomato plants will be available for sale.

There will also be decorated garden rocks and various crafts, a bake sale and gift cards.

Click here for a full color printable flyer:

ORGC Plant and Bake Sale flyer 2023

Our next meeting of The Olde Ripton Garden Club will take place on Monday, April 3rd at 10:00 at the Shelton Community Center lower level Multi-Purpose Room.

Our speaker this month will be George Logan who will be presenting “Drop to Drain – Water Conservation During Climate Change.”

He has spent most of his professional life working for the Aquarion Water Company where he has learned every aspect of providing clean drinking water to customers.

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.

Garden by American Meadows.com

At our March meeting, Linda Hooper presented, “Gardening Trends for 2023 – Meadowscaping.”

Linda Hooper at our Horticulture Table

“Meadowscaping” is natural, unfussy and informal, allowing for no mowing and no harmful chemicals.  It attracts pollinators and needs low water and low maintenance.

2023 landscaping styles include the focus on the environment, natural wildlife gardens and kitchen gardens.  All of which tie into one common theme this year:  “Sustainability” – no harm to the earth and preservation.

The 2023 garden will see a surge in ceramics, colored glass, local and natural materials and granite.  It is all about materials that are natural, practical and artisan. Continue reading →

For our March meeting we welcomed Dr. Kirby Stafford from the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES).

Dr. Stafford led us through his Power Point Presentation of “Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases and Associated Risks.”

Dr. Stafford is a medical-veterinary entomologist whose research focuses on the ecology and control of the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis that transmits the agents of Lyme disease, human babesiosis, and human ehrlichiosis. Continue reading →

The 41st Annual Connecticut Flower Show “Gateway to Springtime” will be held at the Connecticut Convention Center Thursday, February 23rd through Saturday, February 25th from 10:00am to 8:00pm and Sunday, February 26 from 10:00am to 5:00pm.

The colorful, fragrant show features acres of spacious gardens with creative and practical ideas for house, apartment and condo dwellers alike.

Explore exhibits overflowing with fresh flowers, plants, herbs, bulbs, seeds, gardening books and gardening equipment. View beautifully landscaped gardens full of greenery and stop by the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut design & horticulture competition.

For more information visit their website at ctflowershow.com