Gardening
Flower

Learn About Native Plants and Pollinators: Webinar Monday Night

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Learn about native plants and pollinators in our community by joining Deepika Saksena and Juliet Cain Darien Pollinator Pathways in a Zoom webinar from 7 to 8 p.m. Monday in an event sponsored by Darien Library. — an announcement from the library

Native plants and pollinators are an essential part of creating a healthy habitat. Native plants provide food and shelter to an array of butterflies and moths, which are often dependent on specific native plant species. You’ll learn about native plants and pollinators in our community, how we can encourage them to thrive and how you can become a citizen scientist with the iNaturalist App and assist Pollinator Pathways’ ongoing pollinator habitat research by tracking native plants and pollinators in our area. About the Presenters
Deepika Saksena is a co-founder of the Darien Pollinator Pathway.

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Rowayton Gardeners Club Community Gardens Walk & Great Gnome Hunt

Tour Some Rowayton Gardens, Hunt for Gnomes at Gardeners Club’s June 13 Celebration

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The Rowayton Gardeners Club invites you to its first-ever Community Gardens Walk & Great Gnome Hunt on Sunday, June 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

— an announcement from the Rowayton Gardeners Club

It’s an event for people of all ages, featuring a nature inspired scavenger & gnome hunt, environmental education stations, farm fun programs by the Stamford Museum and Nature Center, refreshments, music, and fun for the whole family. Attendees will get an up-close look at six of Rowayton’s beautiful community gardens, with Rowayton Gardeners’ docents on hand to answer your questions. All proceeds from the event will directly benefit the upkeep and improvement projects at the Community Gardens and our outreach programs.

Tickets go on sale Tuesday, June 1. More information can be found on the Rowayton Gardeners Club website.

Gardening
Spring Market 2021 Rowayton Gardeners wide image

Rowayton Gardeners’ Spring Market Coming on May 15

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Over 400 hardy perennials donated from local gardens, pollinator-friendly plants, herbs, greenhouse-grown veggies and a limited number of fabulous annuals will be available to buy in mid-May at Rowayton Gardeners club’s Annual Spring Sale. — an announcement from Rowayton Gardeners club

The sale takes place for three hours only, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, May 15 (rain or shine) at the Potting Shed behind the Rowayton Community Center at 33 Highland Ave., Rowayton,  
The club’s master gardeners will be on hand to help answer all your garden-related questions. “Secondhand Rose boutique” will be loaded with lightly used garden-related items and home accessories and our “Café” will feature a variety of delicious home-baked goods. Come support the Garden Club’s mission of spreading the word about conservation, planting and maintaining most of Rowayton’s public gardens, introducing children to the joy of growing living things and raising community awareness about the environment. Join us and treat yourself to something beautiful for your garden and home.

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book cover 50 Beautiful Deer-Resistant Plants

Deer-Resistant Native Plants That Thrive Here: An Online Lecture Thursday

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A free, online talk on using deer-resistant native plants to create thriving backyard habitats will be given by author Ruth Rogers Clausen at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, April 8. A question and answer session will follow virtual lecture, which costs $30. The talk has been organized by the Greenwich Botanical Center. — an announcement from the Greenwich Botanical Center

Deer browsing is an integral part of what deer do to eat during the winter. However, their presence can disrupt neighborhood gardens.

Gardening
Peacock butterfly

Talk on Using Native Vegetation to Manage Wildlife on Your Property, Wednesday, April 7

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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.

Charity Events and Opportunities
Bartlett Arboretum Gala 2021

‘Broadway at the Bartlett’ Gala Fundraiser This Wednesday for Bartlett Arboretum and Gardens

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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 2021

Aquarion Water Co. to Sell Customers Rain Barrels at a $50 Discount to Help Conserve Water

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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.

Eversource 2021
Eversource tree trimming

Eversource: We’re Trimming Trees to Avoid Power Outages, and You Should Consider It, Too

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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.

Darien Library

The Art of Seed Saving with ‘The Seed Huntress,’ an Online Talk

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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.

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Unsolicited seeds, apparently from China 2020

If You Were Mailed Any Seeds You Didn’t Ask For, Please Report That to CT Department of Agriculture

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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.

Community Organizations
Darien Pollinator Pathway Sign

Presentation on the Living Seed Bank Initiative, Thursday at Gardener’s Center and Florist

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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

Charity Events and Opportunities

Rowayton Gardeners Christmas Market Coming Saturday, Dec 7

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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.

Environment

Pesticides in Parks and Playing Fields: Documentary and Discussion with Filmmaker Coming Oct 1

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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.

Gardening
Vegetable Garden Bartlett Arboretum

Vegetable Garden Tour Offered Sunday, Sept 1 at Bartlett Arboretum

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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!

Community Organizations
Darien Nature Center Darien Pollinator Pathway

Volunteers Work to Create Native Plant Habitat in Part of Darien Nature Center

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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.