Darienite (https://darienite.com/category/living/gardening)
Ready to start your holiday shopping? The Rowayton Gardeners is online now with their second “Virtually Yours” online store. More than 175 items will be offered for sale, including festive gifts and unique ornaments, fresh bundled greens and our designer-quality wreaths are ready for purchase online now and through Sunday, Nov. 28. — an announcement from The Rowayton Gardeners club
Shop early to get the best selections.
On April 7, Sarah Coccaro will give An online talk titled “Sustainable Habitats Using Native Vegetation to Manage Wildlife” will be given by Sarah Coccaro, conservation resource manager for the Greenwich Conservation Commission. — an announcement from the Greenwich Botanical Center
Coccaro will share tips for enhancing wildlife habitats and supporting pollinators while using native vegetation to deter pests. She will emphasize the importance of dealing with unwanted wildlife while encouraging beneficial pollinators including bats, bees, butterflies, owls and more. “Nature always provides a solution even when dealing with unwanted wildlife,” Coccaro said. Her lecture, presented by the Greenwich Botanical Center, is in collaboration with the Greenwich Grown initiative.
Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens is holding a virtual gala fundraiser, “Broadway at the Bartlett,” on Wednesday night, March 31, hosted by Chuck Scarborough of NBC 4 New York, and featuring a silent auction and the Broadway cast of “Ain’t Too Proud — The Life and Times of the Temptations.” — an announcement from the Bartlett Arboretum
Tickets for the online event, which runs from 6:50 to 7:30 p.m., are priced anywhere from “a donation of your choosing” to $500, which “includes a complimentary bottle of wine or spirits, two stemless wine glasses and a charcuterie board for two DELIVERED to your home within 10 miles of the Bartlett. Choose from Josh Cabernet Sauvignon, Josh Prosecco or Luksusowa Vodka.” “Please view our silent auction items, which will open on [Saturday] March 27 and close at 8 p.m. on March 31,” the organizers said on Bartlett’s website. “Please consider a donation to our ‘paddle raise’ this year, which is to make the Herb Garden accessible for all abilities. This includes widening and replacing the pathways to connect with those of the Sensory Garden.”
Aquarion Water Company is again offering 60-gallon rain barrels at a discount to its customers across the state. The rain barrel sales support the utility’s conservation program and, the company says, also “provides numerous benefits for users.” You can pick up the barrels, which will cost you $75, in Darien on June 5, Aquarion says. But you’ll have to order them by May 28. Here’s most of the company’s announcement:
Rain barrels are an efficient and effective way to store rain water for later use by collecting rain and runoff from a roof or downspout.
In 2021, Eversource will be investing about $72 million in tree trimming and hazardous tree removal to enhance reliability for customers throughout Connecticut. — an announcement from Eversource
Eversource also encourages customers to maintain trees on their own property that can interfere with electric lines or equipment. “As we saw last summer during some severe storms, trees are the number one cause of power outages and trimming trees away from electric lines and removing dead or hazard trees is critical — especially as fierce weather seems to impact our region more frequently,” said Eversource Vegetation Management Manager Alan Carey. New Englanders saw firsthand the massive devastation caused by Tropical Storm Isaias and the powerful microburst that struck the Branford area last summer — bringing down thousands of trees around the state. Those violent storms are a clear reminder of just how destructive trees can be to the electric system.
Sefra Alexandra, “The Seed Huntress,” will discuss her work with seed saving for conservation, multiplication and distribution. Her talk, hosted by Darien Library, takes place online from 7 to 8 p.m., Monday, Sept. 21. — an announcement from Darien Library
This work supports seed sovereignty through the different initiatives she’s worked on at the local, national, and international scales. She’ll look at the importance of in situ (in place) seed banking and of ex situ (cold storage) seed saving strategies.
Amid reports nationwide — including in Connecticut — of people getting seeds in the mail that they didn’t ask for, apparently sent from China, the state Department of Agriculture is asking anyone who gets them to report
It isn’t known how safe it is to plant them, because they could be invasive plant species, state officials said in a news release. Here’s the announcement:(followed by an announcement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture):
The Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CT DoAg) and The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) have been notified that several Connecticut residents have received unsolicited packages containing seeds that appear to have originated from China. The types of seeds in the packages are unknown at this time and may be invasive plant species. The packages were sent by mail and may have Chinese writing on them. Unsolicited packages of seeds have been received by people in several other states across the United States over the last several days.
Darien Pollinator Pathway presents Dina Brewster, executive director of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Connecticut (CT NOFA), who will talk about the Living Seed Bank Initiative — what it is and why it is so important for the Pollinator Pathway. — an announcement from the Darien Pollinator Pathway
Brewster will discuss the importance of wild seed collection in our eco region and talk about the project that will usher the seeds through propagation and into pollinator habitats in Darien and other Connecticut towns. After the keynote by Brewster, guests can visit the information tables for Seed Collection, Founder Plots, Growers, Retailers, Pollinator Pathway, and Darien Land Trust. Light refreshments will be served. This event will be held at the Gardener’s Center & Florist, 1396 Post Road
From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7, the Rowayton Community Center transforms into a stunning showcase of holiday decorations with the annual Rowayton Gardeners’ Annual Christmas Market. — an announcement from Rowayton Gardeners
The Market, which takes place at the Rowayton Community Center, 22 Highland Ave., features designer-quality wreaths and center pieces, one-of-a-kind gifts, boxwood trees and ornaments — all reasonably priced. A range of fabulous items are on offer at the silent auction, and Santa is also on hand to welcome children and grandchildren. Come support the Garden Club’s mission of spreading the word about conservation, maintaining most of our public spaces, introducing children to the joy of growing living things, and raising community awareness about the environment.
A screening of the film “GroundWar: When Playing Fields become Battlefields,” followed by a discussion with the film maker, will be held at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 1 at Darien Library. — an announcement from Friends of Animals
When documentary filmmaker Andrew Nisker’s father, Harold, an avid golfer who was always the picture of health, fell ill with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, he was heartbroken and perplexed and then alarmed at what he learned. Exposure to pesticides is a marker of the disease and the only place his father could have been exposed was at the golf course, he reveals in his newest film. “My father would be walking through these fields of greens, be he had no idea how those fields were kept and what was being sprayed,’’ Nisker said.
Bartlett volunteers who are responsible for the design and maintenance of the Bartlett’s Vegetable Garden, will talk about Fall harvesting of late season vegetables. The tour should last approximately 45 minutes. This tour is suitable for children. Flat shoes are recommended. Meet in front of the Silver Education Center at 11 a.m.
Spaces are limited, click here to reserve your spot today!
Out with the old, in with the new. A group of town residents rang in the month of August by clearing out an overgrown area behind the Darien Nature Center to make way for a native plant habitat. — an announcement from Darien Nature Center
Victoria Heyne, Deepika Saksena, Eve Mauger, Eliza Wetmore, Juliet Cain, Sig Buchmayer, Chris Filmer, Charlie Wetmore all volunteered hours of their time to make this possible. Saksena, co-chair of the Darien Pollinator Pathway group, said the plot had been overrun by phragmites, which are large perennial grasses normally found in tropical regions. Saksena said she and other volunteers plan to revegetate the spot with species that are native to Connecticut, in addition to existing milkweed plants.
Together with the Connecticut Department of Transportation and local tree wardens around the state, Eversource is addressing the diseased or dead trees that are causing/heightening concern. — an announcement from Eversource
Environmental researchers and arborists around the state of Connecticut are working to raise awareness of the rapidly growing problem of dying, dead and hazardous trees. The energy company’s team of licensed arborists are experts at identifying weakened or hazardous trees that have been killed or stressed by the ongoing insect infestations and drought and threaten electric reliability for customers. “Our year-round work to trim trees away from powerlines and to remove hazardous trees throughout Connecticut is more critical than ever because of the lasting effects of the drought combined with consecutive infestations by the gypsy moth and the emerald ash borer,” said Eversource Vegetation Management Manager Alan Carey. “In my travels around the state, I’ve seen the high tree mortality rate first hand.
Beautiful plants at great prices, all for a good cause, will be offered on Friday, May 10 at the Darien Community Association from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Enjoy free coffee and tea with home baked scones and muffins while you shop, learn and socialize. There is no fee for entry to the plant sale or the workshops offered with it. — an announcement from the Darien Community Association
The DCA Plant Sale, run by the DCA Greenhouse Group, offers over 1,500 naturally-grown hardy perennials from their greenhouse: sun-loving, shade-loving, native, deer-resistant, and highly-prized new plants are available. They are also offering colorful annuals and some newly-introduced succulents. Tomatoes and other favorites you just can’t live without will also be for sale.
Finally – spring is here! Members of the Darien Community Association Greenhouse Group are again offering a free gardening workshop on Tuesday, April 23. — an announcement from the Darien Community Association
Join the group to divide and transplant perennials, plant containers, and prune shrubs on the DCA grounds. Novice gardeners will be given guidance; experienced gardeners are welcome to just help out. Participants should wear clothes appropriate to gardening, and bring any hand tools available (trowel, hand shovel, clippers; the group will have extras).
In celebration of Earth Day (Monday, April 21), Grace Farms Foundation has a two-day lineup the following Friday and Saturday, April 26 and 27, of programs, activities and expert-led discussions about the importance of restoring local native habitats. — an announcement from Grace Farms Foundation and the Nature Conservancy
The annual weekend of events, conducted in partnership with the Nature Conservancy, also includes a lecture and community day. The two-day program provides an opportunity for people across generations to reconnect with nature and learn about practical ways to restore biodiversity to their own backyards or communities. “There are simple ways that we can all reconnect with and Restore Wild in our own backyards — like planting native and pollinator friendly species — by doing this we help the natural world and our communities thrive,” said Mark Fowler, Nature Initiative Director at Grace Farms Foundation. See also:
Darien Pollinator Pathway website
Darien Pollinator Pathway 2019 on Darienite.com
Join Masons in Cleaning Up Six Historic Darien Cemeteries on Saturday, April 20 (April 9)
“Through our 80-acre landscape and program partnership with the Nature Conservancy, we hope to mobilize people to be part of the solution and take action to restore a healthy balance between people and nature,” Fowler said.
