Despite the heavy rains and high winds, we had a great turn out for the annual craft fair on Dec. 3rd. Thanks to everyone for their support. We hope you enjoyed it. Have a wonderful holiday season!

“Rhythm and Blooms” is the theme for the 40th annual flower and garden show at the Convention Center in Hartford: February 24-27. The show features stunning floral designs, wonderful ideas and information for garden lovers, as well as seminars on native plants, pollinators, vegetable gardening and more! Please try to attend

Visit https://ctflowershow.com

We welcomed 2 guest speakers:  Jim Carter, long-time member of the Norwalk River Valley Trail (NRVT), and Louise Washer, President of the Norwalk River Watershed Association (NRWA). They told us about the sections of the NRVT/NRWA including the area at Broad Street & Deering Pond (Norwalk) which is being cleared. The NRVT mission is to build and maintain a 30 mile multi-use trail from Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk up to Rogers Park in Danbury. Meeting: 12-noon, outdoor pavilion at Cranbury Park.  Public welcome – masks optional (outside & socially distanced).

Flowering Quince “Chaenomeles speciose” from Martha’s garden (early spring bloomer)

Congratulations Rosanne, our past president, who received an award October 2020 from the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut for her work on our Star Program. “It was a total surprise to me.  It has my name on it but actually belongs to all the STAR volunteers who were committed and creative and brought joy to our participants.  Hope we can get this started up again at some point in time.”  For over 3 years the Norwalk Garden Club has worked with STAR participants on gardening, nature and craft projects.

Rosanne working with STAR participants.

Autumn Gardening Chores:  Zone 6     

• Set out cool-weather vegetable transplants, including salad greens, broccoli, kale and cabbage.  Continue to harvest available vegetable to stretch their season.
• Sow seeds of fall veggies and annuals
• Sow seeds of cool-weather herbs (chives, parsley)
• Plant garlic and leeks
• Plant winter pansies and fall annuals (calendula, dianthus, ornamental cabbage and kale)
• Plant tag teams of perennials and spring-blooming bulbs that will complement each other or bloom in sequence next season.  Divide & transplant bearded iris.
• As tops die back, harvest potatoes, onions and garlic
• Plant peonies
• Plant fall-blooming bulbs to brighten up fading window boxes, planters and in drifts among ornamental grasses
• Continue to harvest herbs, grasses and flowers for drying  

• Sprinkle compost starter to speed up composting for fall soil building
• Prune summer-blooming shrubs (hydrangea, clethra, caryopteris) after flowers finish

Source: Backyard Gardener

Now that Spring is here, let’s plan a backyard for Birds!  
Plan your bird habitat: take stock of the plants you have – what native plants do you have to attract birds?
Consider the space basics in the yard:
• areas of sun and shade (or combination areas)
• wet or dry areas (does your soil retain moisture? How frequently would you water?)
• soil type (light and/or sandy; heavier and/or clay-based)
Create habitat layers:
• Large trees for overhead canopy
• Shrubs or small trees for fruits and nesting sites
• Perennials, annuals and groundcovers for seeds and pollinator habitats
• Decaying leaves & other plant debris as a habitat base and food source (plant debris house caterpillars & other pupae)
Shift from traditional open lawn space surrounded by small garden beds, to smaller lawn with large beds; eventually the lawn becomes a winding path between your planting areas.
Cluster plants of same species in groups of 5 or more. In addition to an appealing mass of color, plant clusters are favored by pollinators as they prefer to feed from a mass of the same flower species.
Consider the height of plants, color and growing times
Birds need water – what do you have that can catch and hold rainfall? How clean is it? To keep your birdbath fresh, just rinse and scrub it with nine parts water, one-part vinegar. Make sure to refill the water every other day to keep it from bugging up. Clean the ground area under the birdbath and bird feeders frequently.
Resources:
https://www.audubon.org/
https://garden.org/plants (National Gardening Association) can search by plant characteristics

Narcissus (common name “daffodil”, a spring-flowering bulb)

Due to health concerns related to respiratory viruses, we have decided to cancel the March meeting. We hope to see you in April. Happy spring!

Join us March 11th for this talk by Pollinator Pathway consultant, Emily May, of the Xerces Society. Gardeners and homeowners can make a direct positive impact in supporting pollinators in their landscape. An important part of creating a safe oasis for pollinators is protecting these spaces from harmful pesticides. Currently, suburban yards and gardens receive more pesticides per acre than agricultural areas. Can the home gardener who wants to protect pollinators and have a landscape that looks good have it both ways? In this talk, Emily May (Pollinator Conservation Specialist, Pesticide Program, The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation) will discuss pollinator-friendly pest management and planting recommendations for backyards and gardens that reduce reliance on chemical inputs while maintaining attractive landscapes. (1:30pm, Senior Center, Allen Road in Norwalk)