News

Zone II Meeting Schedule – June 13 & 14

Take a look . . .
We want everyone to know we are on a roll now as we host the Zone II Meeting on June 13 and 14. This Schedule is approved and final. The Invitations are out. And RSVP details are coming in.
We want each and everyone to feel apart of this once in twenty year event — without you, where would we be? We look forward to celebrating New Canaan with our gardening friends from far and near in Rhode Island, Connecticut and beyond!    

Nominating Slate for 2018-19

The Nominating Committee has completed the proposed slate for next year’s Board positions. By following the New Canaan Garden Club Constitution, the slate must be submitted to membership at least two weeks prior to the General Meeting. A vote will be taken to approve the proposed slate at our next general meeting which will take place on May 9, 2018.I would like to thank my membership committee comprised of Jane Gamber, Anda Hutchins and Ellen McMahon, who worked hard to help me with the proposed slate.Respectfully submitted,Lisa BittingNominating Chair[email protected]203-972-6644

New Canaan Garden Club
Nominating Slate 2018-2019     Continue Reading →

Proposed Amendments to NCGC Standing Rules

Going forward as a club, we need to take a look at the deadline dates for both membership and nominating. Nominating would like to change the existing deadline from AT the May meeting to BY the May meeting. This would allow for more flexibility in putting a slate of officers at an earlier date to accommodate schedules and various needs in each committee. Membership would also like to change deadline dates for a more flexible time frame to write letters. Click here to see the Proposed Amendments to the NCGC Standing Rules. Please log onto ncgardenclub.org to see existing in NCGC Standing Rules under left sidebar “About Us”.     

Irwin Park: New Canaan’s gathering place!

Last spring, the New Canaan Garden Club held a successful plant sale fundraiser and instructional planting activity for children at Irwin Park Barn. Club members were on hand to provide assistance with selecting plants and advising on best planting practices. Open to the public for the first time, the barn is part of the 36 acre park which is a vibrant community gathering place for walking, jogging and exercising dogs on its environmentally friendly Flexi-Pave trails. The New Canaan Garden Club manages ongoing conservation and beautification projects at Irwin including the addition of 44,000 daffodils and 42 trees. According to Irwin Park Committee Co-Chair Judy Neville, “As stewards of this varied habitat, we continue our efforts to sustain the rich biodiversity of Irwin by adding plantings and trees to help protect the environment and the endangered Monarch Butterfly. Butterflies represent the essence of nature; freedom, beauty and peace. Irwin park provides an opportunity for people of all ages in our community to enjoy the changing seasons and connect with nature.” An important civic project for the New Canaan Garden Club since 2005, Irwin Park provides social, health and environmental benefits for residents of the town of New Canaan and those from neighboring communities.     

2017 Holiday Giving

At its December holiday party, the New Canaan Garden Club raised $3,000 which was donated to the Department of Health and Human Services for the town’s Food Pantry and Warm-Up Fund. The Food Pantry makes its largest distribution during the holidays with between 120 and 190 individuals accessing the food bank every two weeks. Many of the people who use the food bank also benefit from the Warm-Up Fund which helps with heating and shut off notices. Continuing a long history of holiday civic projects, the New Canaan Garden Club also decorated trees for the town Holiday Stroll and assembled festive miniature arrangements for delivery through Meals on Wheels. The club worked with another organization to make large wreaths that decorated many of the town’s public buildings helping to create a cheerful atmosphere for residents and visitors.     From left to right: Catharine Sturgess, New Canaan Garden Club Holiday Stroll Chair, Carol McDonald, Director New Canaan Health and Human Services, Ellen Zumbach, New Canaan Garden Club President, and Kevin Moynihan, New Canaan First Selectman     

“Toxic Puzzle – Hunt for the Hidden Killer” Film Screening

Possible links of harmful algal blooms to ALS and Alzheimer’s disease are portrayed in the new film “Toxic Puzzle – Hunt for the Hidden Killer” directed by internationally-renowned film director Bo Landin. Narrated by Harrison Ford, the film portrays the efforts of the Brain Chemistry Labs (BCL) in Jackson, Wyoming, to find and fight environmental triggers for neurodegenerative illness like ALS.     Continue Reading →

Help Keep Our Water Clean!

We recently received the information below from our Zone II Conservation Rep, Karen Marache. On behalf of the Conservation and NAL committees, the GCA submitted an official comment to the Federal Register. Now these committees are asking our own clubs and individual members to write comments directly to the EPA to avoid them redefining the regulations that help keep our water and watersheds clean. Please read the information and sample letter and if you choose to submit a comment, click here to write a submission to the comment box. The comment period will close on August 28th. Many thanks for your attention to this matter — every comment matters and will be registered. Help preserve our clean water and watersheds!   clean_water_act.pdf     

2018/19 Membership Dues & Committee Signups

We would like to continue our move to the digital and paperless world by collecting membership dues and committee signups through our website. To this end, please select your membership class and then click on the Add to Cart button below to pay your 2018/19 dues either by credit card or through PayPal. Additionally, you can click on the SignUpGenius button below to select the civic projects and club committees you would like to be part of for the 2018/19 season. We hope you find this new procedure simple and efficient. If successful, we will collect all membership dues in the future through this process. Many thanks for your participation and assistance!   Membership Dues:  
Classes

Committee SignUps:     Please consider an additional tax-deductible contribution to the New Canaan Garden Club to support programs and workshops as well as general administration – thank you!       

2018 Flower Show Schedule

HOT OFF THE PRESS!  Attached is the schedule for our spring 2018 Zone II Flower Show entitled “Iconic Style – A Design Legacy”. Show will be held at the Carriage Barn Arts Center in Waveny Park on Wednesday, June 13th and Thursday, June 14th, 2018. It is open to the public at no charge. As described in the schedule’s introduction, “Iconic Style – A Design Legacy” celebrates New Canaan’s distinctive architecture, landscape architecture and open spaces. Known for its charming colonials, grand estates, mid-century moderns, vast open spaces and formal gardens, there is certainly a varied and unique array of “Iconic Styles” in New Canaan.