SOLD OUT!! "Pinching Perennials" workshop with Nancy DuBrule-Clemente-June 17
2023-06-17 13:00 - 14:00 UTC | NatureWorks, 518 Forest Road, Northford, CT, 06472, United States
This workshop is sold out but you can add your name to the waiting list by emailing office@cthort.org.
Join us for a “Pinching Perennials” Workshop with Nancy DuBrule-Clemente on June 17 from 1-2 pm at Natureworks, 518 Forest Road, Northford.
Join Nancy DuBrule-Clemente in the Natureworks Teaching Tent and Gardens for a talk and hands-on demonstration of how and why you should pinch back your perennials in June.
Based on the book, The Well Tended Perennial Garden by Tracy Disabato-Aust, learn why Nancy always says, “If you aren’t walking out of your garden in June with tarp loads of garden clippings, then you aren’t being brave enough!”
You will be taught why pinching back reduces staking and how it can double or triple the bloom time of your late summer and fall perennials.
The workshop is $20 and includes cold drinks and a comprehensive handout. Register now! We are limited to 25 people!

ONLY A FEW SPOTS LEFT! Nancy DuBrule-Clemente is your tour guide for a July 21 bus trip to Woodbury's finest gardens
2023-07-21 | CT
CT Hort is excited to be co-hosting a day-long bus tour this summer with Friendship Tours! Won’t you join us? Your tour guide is Nancy DuBrule-Clemente, author and founder of Natureworks Horticulture Services. Go to www.friendshiptours.net or call 860-243-1630 to reserve a space.
Gardens of Woodbury Friday, July 21

Bus leaves at 8:30 am from New Britain and 9:00 am from Middletown. Approximate return time is 5-5:30pm

Your day kicks off with a visit to Earth Tones, a native plant nursery that offers grasses, ferns, perennials, shrubs, and trees that are native to New England. After a tour of the nursery, you’ll enjoy a workshop on how to save seeds from native plants and how to sow and grow them. Then we’ll have lunch at Marketplace Kitchen, in the heart of town, before a trip to the Gardens of Gertrude Jekyll. Ms. Jekyll had a profound influence on modern garden design and is widely considered the greatest gardener of the 20th century. Nancy will guide us through this spectacular space. CT Hort Members: $150 / General Admission: $155 Price includes the workshop and tour at Earth Tones, the stop and tour at the Gardens of Gertrude Jekyll, lunch, deluxe motorcoach bus, and tour director. Go to www.friendshiptours.net or call 860-243-1630 to reserve a space.

ONLY A FEW SPOTS LEFT! Join tour guide Nancy DuBrule-Clemente for an August 17 day-long garden trip to New Bedford
2023-08-17 | CT
CT Hort is excited to be co-hosting a day-long bus tour this summer with Friendship Tours! Won’t you join us? Your tour guide is Nancy DuBrule-Clemente, author and founder of Natureworks Horticulture Services. Go to www.friendshiptours.net or call 860-243-1630 to reserve a space.

Massachusetts South Coast Visit Thursday, August 17

Bus leaves at 8:30 am from New Britain and 9:00 am from Middletown. Approximate return time is 7-7:30pm

We’ll go to Avant Gardens in North Dartmouth and meet owner Katherine Tracey, and participate in a workshop where Ms. Tracy will demonstrate how to transform your container gardens for late summer and fall. Following the workshop, tour the gardens and greenhouse, which there’s an array of uncommon and rare trees, shrubs, perennials, garden annuals, succulents, and hard-to-find houseplants. After a lovely buffet lunch at Pub 6t5, we’re on our way to the Allen C. Haskell Public Gardens, a storied former New Bedford nursery and homestead-turned vibrant public park. Mr. Haskell himself curated the six acres of beauty blooming in the heart of the town.

CT Hort Members: $145 / General Admission: $150 Price includes the workshop and tour at Avant Gardens, the stop at the Haskell Public Gardens, a buffet lunch, deluxe motorcoach bus, and tour director. Go to www.friendshiptours.net or call 860-243-1630 to reserve a space.

Hurry! Space is limited on the buses for both tours.

September Board Meeting
2023-09-05 19:00 UTC | CT

Explore Québec’s Eastern Townships Sept. 7-11, 2023
2023-09-07 08:00 - 2023-09-11 17:00 (America/New_York) | CT
HURRY -THE DEADLINE TO SIGN UP FOR THIS TRIP IS JUNE 1!
Join CT Horticultural Society September 7-11 to travel back in time and take in the old-world flavor of Québec’s Eastern Townships. In the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, uncover the delights of charming French villages, lush green valleys, enchanted woods, idyllic farmland and Victorian architecture.
Visits in the Coaticook Valley, lakes and mountains in the Memphrémagog region, all topped off with the naturally urban charm of Sherbrooke.
Eastern Townships are also home to the fabled ‘Three Pines’ in the Louise Penny, Chief Inspector Gamache series!
Learn more about the tour: Quebec’s Eastern Townships

Roy Diblik kicks off our first meeting of the season Sept. 21 at our new location-Elmwood Community Center
2023-09-21 06:00 - 20:30 UTC | CT
Perennial Plant Communities and Coming to Know the Plants with Roy Diblik
September 21, 2023 starting at 6:15pm
Live and on Zoom
Elmwood Community Center
1106 New Britain
West Hartford, CT
Perennial Plant Communities: “The Know Maintenance Approach” (6:15 pm)
Roy’s thoughtful way to design perennial plantings welcomes fresh contemporary styles and plant diversity integrated with responsible stewardship concerns. By using a selection of regionally dependable perennials and native plants, endless nature inspired plant patterns can be created, each relating to time and cost to nurture and care for. He will discuss the developing partnership between the gardener, the plants and nature, always knowing the beauty is in the doing.
Coming to Know the Plants
The emphasis will be on the importance of knowing plants and their relationships to each other and the planting site. We will discuss the nature of plants beyond the general awareness of bloom time, flower color, height and soil conditions. Coming to know plants places you closer to their lifestyle needs within community. This thoughtful approach will create a greater interest and deeper enjoyment of landscaping open space, or simply gardening.
Roy is co-owner of Northwind Perennial Farm located in Burlington, Wisconsin. He has been growing traditional and native perennials since 1978. His garden designs emphasize plant relationships to maintenance strategies and costs. Roy’s design and planting projects include the Louis Sullivan Arch for the Modern Wing at the Art Institute of Chicago and the lakeside plantings for the Oceanarium at the Shedd Aquarium and recently the perennial plantings for Scott Byron’s new garden design for the Chicago History Museum. His book ‘The Know Maintenance Perennial Garden’ highlights his perennial gardening practice.
Free for members; $10 suggested non-member donation. After the event, you’ll receive a recorded copy of the talk.
Click here to register.

Our new speaker presentation lineup is here! Starting September 21, 2023
2023-09-21 18:00 - 20:00 UTC | CT
We’re so excited about our 2023-2024 lineup of speakers! New presentations-in a new space!
Starting September 21—the kickoff to our 2023-2024 speaker season—we’re moving our meetings to Elmwood Community Center, at 1106 New Britain Avenue, in West Hartford. The parking lot is off Burgoyne Street, and there’s plenty of spots available!
Details about each talk are coming soon:
January, February, and March events are on Zoom only. The rest are in person (Elmwood Community Center, 1106 New Britain Ave., West Hartford) and on Zoom. Programs begin at 7pm, with the exception of the Sept. 21 program, which starts at 6:15pm).
Be sure to check CTHort.org, email office@cthort.org or call 860-529-8713.
September 21, 2023: Perennial Plant Communities: The Know Maintenance Approach and Coming to Know the Plants (First talk begins at 6:15pm)
Roy Diblik, garden designer, nursery owner
October 19, 2023: A Year in the Life of a Gardener
Robin Lensi, gardener, landscape photographer
November 16, 2023: Designing in Challenging Situations: Plants and Techniques that Deliver
Ian Caton, landscape design, gardener
January 18, 2024: Smart Planting Management
Claudia West, plant design, gardener and author
February 15, 2024: Urban Gardens: Changing Lives
Sheryll Durrant, founder of Kelly Street Garden, educator and food justice advocate, and Randell McShepard, activist and co-founder of the Rid-All Green Partnership
March 21, 2024: Native Plants for Container Gardens
Duncan Himmelman, gardener and teacher
April 18, 2024: Ecological Approaches to Garden Design and Management
Harland Patch, biologist, Pollinator Programming Director at Penn State’s Bird and Pollinator Garden
May 16, 2024: Roses for New England
Mike & Angelina Chute, landscape design, rose experts, authors
June 20, 2024: Knockout Natives
Sam Hoadley, horticulturist and landscape designer at Mt. Cuba Center

October Board Meeting
2023-10-03 19:00 UTC | CT

A Year in the Life of a Gardener with Robin Lensi October 19, 2023 at 7:00pm
2023-10-19 19:00 - 20:30 UTC | CT
A Year in the Life of a Gardener with Robin Lensi & our Annual Bulb Sale
October 19, 2023 at 7:00pm
Live and on Zoom
Elmwood Community Center
1106 New Britain
West Hartford, CT
The garden of Robin Lensi (aka lensi designs photography) and Tom Zabel in Burlington, CT started as a blank slate seven years ago. Every landscape is first seen through her lens. As a former photographer for the Garden Conservancy, and a member of the Connecticut Daylily Society, those many wonderful spaces inspired this one.
This creative yardscape is intertwined with color explosions and architectural structures spanning months of viewing beauty incorporating all the possibilities into a personal landscape, that creates “magic” and infuses one with a calm Zen-like feeling. Enamored of all types of plants and with a background in interior design, garden design, and horticulture, there were tons of ideas and a blank slate to begin. The challenges here: the heavy clay soil, a windy site, exceptional water runoff down the mountain, rabbits, and voles. We all know gardens are never stagnant but a constant work in progress, and this one’s no different.
As with her passion for cooking, she views the landscape like a layer cake combining large trees and shrubs for color, texture, height, bird habitat, and structure. Then the filling: the perennials that change with the seasons, ending with the icing: the annuals like herbs, dahlias, and zinnias that thrill all summer. Finally, hundreds of bulbs like alliums, tulips, and daffodils that prepare us to be excited when spring beckons us outside again. This true four-season garden is a passion, including a wide variety of daylilies, hydrangeas, dahlias, roses, grasses, and hostas scattered throughout. Through this diversity the landscape changes daily-and who knows what next year will reveal, since only Mother Nature will decide.
Free for members; $10 suggested non-member donation. After the event, you’ll receive a recorded copy of the talk.
Click here to register.

November Board Meeting
2023-11-07 08:00 - 17:00 UTC | CT

Designing in Challenging Situations: Plants and Techniques that Deliver Ian Caton November 16 at 7:00pm
2023-11-16 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | CT
Designing in Challenging Situations: Plants and Techniques that Deliver with Ian Caton November 16, 2023 at 7:00pm
Live and on Zoom
Elmwood Community Center
1106 New Britain Avenue, West Hartford, CT
Free for members; non-members register here.
Zoom links are automatically sent to members the Sunday before and the day of the presentation.

This lecture is intended to provide Mr. Caton’s expertise in understanding how plants behave, the habitats they come from, and how they can be utilized to truly create a low-maintenance landscape—as well as highlighting a suite of plants that he has found to fit well into most any difficult situation.
Ian Caton has been the owner/operator of Wood Thrush Native Plant Nursery (Formerly Enchanters Garden) in Floyd, Virginia since March of 2013. Wood Thrush Native Plants is a nursery specializing in native plants of the Appalachian region including West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and North Carolina. One of the focuses of the nursery is the introduction of new and rare native plants which are little known or underappreciated in the nursery trade.
Previously Ian Caton had been an employee of Larry Weaner Landscape Associates (a landscape firm specializing in the use and promotion of native plants in landscaping) since 2001. He has an ongoing relationship with the firm and its educational arm: “The New Directions in the Landscape (NDAL)” program.
Free for members; $10 suggested non-member donation. After the event, you’ll receive a recorded copy of the talk.
Click here to register.

January Board Meeting
2024-01-09 19:00 - 20:00 UTC | CT

Smart Planting Management with Claudia West, January 18 (Zoom only-sorry, no recording!)
2024-01-18 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | CT
Smart Planting Management with Claudia West
January 18, 2024
Zoom only (PLEASE NOTE: this event will not be recorded for future viewing).
Free for members; non-members Register now!
Zoom links are automatically sent to members the Sunday before and the day of the presentation.

Gardeners love nurturing their plantings but get frustrated when maintenance needs become overwhelming. Join Claudia for an eye-opening deep dive into the root causes of high maintenance gardens. We will discuss recent discoveries in plant community science and link them to some of the biggest challenges gardeners face. You will leave with practical thinking models and tools to help you balance your garden’s needs with your busy lifestyle and budget. Nurturing an inspiring, ecologically rich garden should not be a burden!
Claudia West is a leading voice in the emerging field of ecological planting design. Known for her passionate advocacy of plant-driven design, Claudia is a widely sought out speaker and consultant who applies the technologies of plant systems to bring essential natural functions back into our cities and towns. She has worked on all sides of the green industry—as a designer, a grower, installer, and land manager—grounding her innovative work in pragmatic solutions that address the realities of our urbanizing world. She is the co-author of the critically acclaimed book, Planting in a Post-Wild World.
Having grown up on a family-owned nursery, florist business, and design/build firm in eastern Germany, Claudia was propagating plants before she could walk. Her love of American native plants brought her to the U.S. where she worked at Blue Mount Nurseries in Maryland and immersed herself in the study of American flora and mid-Atlantic ecosystems. Claudia holds a Master’s Degree of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning from the Technical University of Munich, Germany. Her intense studies of plant habitats and the science of plant community-based design strategies at the renowned school for horticulture in Weihenstephan, Germany built a solid foundation for her current work. Before co-founding Phyto Studio, Claudia was ecological sales manager at North Creek Nurseries, a wholesale perennial grower in Landenberg, PA. Her work was focused on bridging the gap between growers, designers, and land managers as well as introducing more functional and beautiful ecological plants into the nursery trade.
Free for members; $10 suggested non-member donation. Sorry, this talk will not be recorded.
Click here to register.

CT Hort 2024 Virtual Symposium - "Gardening Matters: Our Future is Growing"
2024-02-03 09:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | CT
The Connecticut Horticultural Society is thrilled to announce that its 2024 Virtual Symposium on Saturday, February 3, “Gardening Matters: Our Future is Growing, will feature talks by garden experts Fergus Garrett, John Forti, Jared Rosenbaum and Gary Lewis. The day-long symposium runs from 9am-4pm and is designed to inspire, enlighten, and educate novice and expert gardeners alike.
After purchasing tickets directly from CT Hort on this page, you will be able to log in to attend the Symposium with your email address on February 3rd.
You will receive a link to the symposium to watch at your convenience about a week after it airs.
Thanks to our sponsors: Prides Corner Farms, Connecticut Valley Garden Club, Coast of Maine, Cricket Hill Garden, Webster Bank, Natureworks, Ballek’s Garden Center, PlantHer, Colorblends, and Friendship Tours.

Headline Speaker: Fergus Garrett – “Layered Planting Through the Seasons”
Sponsored by Prides Corner Farms
About the Talk:
Mr. Garrett will talk about the principles of long season gardening. He will touch on long season plants, shape, texture, underplanting and interplanting with bulbs and other plants which are happy to share the same space, as well as the use of self sowers and temporary fillers to prolong the seasons.
The main part of the talk will concentrate on how to use bulbs and woodland plants to provide another layer in your perennial and mixed borders. From snowdrops through to alliums, these play a vital role in filling the gaps and giving you color for many months.
About Fergus Garrett:
Fergus has held the position of Head Gardener for the internationally acclaimed Great Dixter Garden in Northiam, East Sussex, UK since 1993: It was from the charismatic gardener and writer Christopher Lloyd (1921-2006) and his unique gardening skills that Fergus learnt to keep the gardens of Great Dixter constantly changing throughout the seasons and to be adventurous in trying out new plants and plant- combinations.
He is a hands-on gardener and plantsman who has a keen interest in working practices. He is interested in ecology and how an ornamental garden and biodiversity interact. He is also keen on woodland management and green wood working, and has spearheaded several projects including the greening up of urban and suburban communities, biodiversity related projects in towns and villages, and training students from all over the world in the Dixter style of flower gardening. Fergus has written many magazine articles and lectures widely both nationally and internationally.
In 2008 Fergus was awarded the Royal Horticultural Society Associate of Honour. In 2012 he received the International Contributor Award from the Perennial Plant Association. In 2013 Fergus received the Longhouse Landscape Award and in the same year, the Garden Media Guild Golden Nisse Award.
In 2015 Fergus was awarded the Veitch Memorial Medal for outstanding contribution to the practice of horticulture. On 8th April 2019 Fergus received the highest accolade the Royal Horticultural Society can give: The Victoria Medal of Honour (VMH).
Featured Speaker: John Forti – “The Heirloom Gardener—Traditional Plants and Skills”
Sponsored by Connecticut Valley Garden Club
About the Talk:
Mr. Forti’s talk draws from his best-selling book of traditional plants and skills for the modern world. He will share the inspiration from our long history of heirloom preservation, garden craft and homestead lifeways that we can apply to our own gardens and landscapes, as well as artisanal gardening lifestyles that are helping us to rebuild vibrant local agricultural economies and celebrate sustainable cottage industries that are contributing to our new, homegrown American arts & crafts movement and backyard environmentalism.
About John Forti:
John Forti is a garden historian and ethnobotanist who has directed gardens for Plimouth Plantation Museum, Strawbery Banke Museum, Massachusetts Horticultural Society, and Bedrock Gardens. He is also author of the best-selling book The Heirloom Gardener–Traditional Plants and Skills for the Modern World. As a Slow Food Governor and biodiversity specialist, his preservation work has helped to restore countless native and heirloom plants and has brought traditional artisanal practices to modern thinking. He has won numerous awards for historic garden preservation, children’s garden design, herbal and historical education and the 2021 Award of Excellence from National Garden clubs. His new book was inspired by his posts as The Heirloom Gardener – John Forti which go out regularly to millions on Facebook.
Featured Speaker: Jared Rosenbaum – “Wild Plant Culture: Restoring Native Edible and Medicinal Plant Communities”
Sponsored by Coast of Maine
About the Talk:
Native edible and medicinal plant species can be integrated into gardens and ecological restoration projects to create habitats that support (and include) humans as part of local ecosystems. In this informative talk, Jared Rosenbaum will lay the groundwork for how to steward edible and medicinal plant species from native habitats such as riparian corridors and glades and discuss how a habitat-based approach translates to yards, parks, and farms. He’ll explore the prospect of changing our foodways to patterns that favor native diversity, rewarding restoration and stewardship.
Field botanist, native plant grower, and restoration practitioner Jared Rosenbaum asks whether we can honor native ecosystems and lifeways as we restore habitats that support humans, other animals, and native plants alike.
About Jared Rosenbaum:
Jared Rosenbaum is a botanist, native plant grower, and Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner. He is a founding partner at Wild Ridge Plants LLC, a business that grows local ecotype native plants using sustainable practices and performs botanical surveys. Jared is the author of the book Wild Plant Culture: A Guide to Restoring Native Edible and Medicinal Plant Communities, as well as children’s book The Puddle Garden, about native plants and wildlife.
Featured Speaker: Gary Lewis – “The Complete Talk on Ground Covers: Plants that reduce maintenance, control erosion, improve the environment, and beautify the landscape”
About the Talk:
Ground covers are widely thought of as utilitarian, but these plants also offer a diverse range of beautiful and intriguing options with a variety of colors, textures, and forms. They can unify a landscape, knit together plantings and hardscape, and add extra layers of beauty, dynamism, and surprise. As a replacement for lawns, they can reduce our use of water, fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides, carbon-based fuels, and transform a yard into a diverse landscape of habitat and food for native insects, birds, and other wildlife.
In this companion talk to Gary’s encyclopedia The Complete Book of Ground Covers (which won this year’s Gold Laurel Award in the category of Technical/Reference Book from Garden Communicators International, the US-based industry organization that represents garden communicators), Gary will highlight the functional and aesthetic uses of ground covers in the landscape, including tips and tricks for designing with ground covers to take your outdoor space to the next level and a discussion on the diverse services ground covers can provide to make gardens more sustainable. He will illustrate all these benefits and uses of ground covers with beautiful photos taken from his travels to gardens around the world.
About Gary Lewis:
Gary Lewis has had a lifelong passion for plants. While completing a Masters of Science degree in Botany, Gary became the owner of Phoenix Perennials on his 28th birthday. Since that time he has greatly expanded the business into a dynamic, award-winning, destination nursery for Western Canada with over 5,000 different plants a year, many of which are grown at Phoenix Perennials from plant material sourced from around the world. In 2013 Phoenix Perennials launched Canadian mail order to bring their unique plant selection to a broader audience and now ships more than 2,500 different plants a year to avid gardeners from coast to coast to coast.
Gary is a regular speaker at garden clubs and has appeared many times on radio and television. He has written for a variety of gardening magazines including Fine Gardening and his encyclopedia, The Complete Book of Ground Covers (Timber Press, 2022). This compendium focuses on 4,000 different ground covers for the temperate gardening world accompanied by 650 photos he took on travels around the world.
In 2013 Gary was selected as Communicator of the Year by the BC Landscape and Nursery Association and in 2017 was the recipient of the Retail Sales Award from the Perennial Plant Association.
Expose your business or organization to hundreds of garden enthusiasts! Become a sponsor!
Holding the symposium online allows us to draw an audience of thousands of households from Connecticut and all around the country, a greater number than we’ve ever reached with our symposium before.
As a sponsor at any one of the levels we have built into our program, your business will benefit from the exposure of this day-long program. We hope you will check out what we have to offer. If you have any questions, please contact Diane Erling at (860) 970-5105 or via email at diane.erling@sbcglobal.net.
Click here to access the sponsor information.
This symposium may qualify for continuing education credit(s) for green industry professionals, Connecticut Accredited Nursery Professionals, Master Gardeners, and Accredited Organic Land Care Professionals (CT NOFA). Please contact us at office@cthort.org with the subject line: Symposium CEU. After the Symposium, we will provide you with documentation of your attendance for submission to your accrediting association.
Registration is now closed, please contact the office to inquire about recording availability.

Applications are being accepted for the CT Hort Cares Grant Program starting Feb. 15
2024-02-06 08:00 - 17:00 UTC | CT
Applications are being accepted for the CT Hort Cares Grant Program starting Feb. 15. The program supports community efforts to educate state residents on the importance of plants and the environment. A total $5,000 is awarded twice a year; the maximum amount per grant is $500. The grants are open to everyone, as long as the project takes place in Connecticut.
Applications are being accepted from February 15 – April 15 for a May 1 distribution.

February Board Meeting
2024-02-06 19:00 UTC | CT

Urban Gardens: Changing Lives with Sheryll Durrant and Randell McShepard--February 15, 2024 Zoom only!
2024-02-15 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | CT
Urban Gardens: Changing Lives with Sheryll Durrant and Randell McShepard
February 15, 2024
Zoom only
Free for members; non-members register here.
Zoom links are automatically sent to members the Sunday before and the day of the presentation.

You’ll enjoy this informative panel discussion. Step into the world of urban gardening and witness the life-changing impact at our presentation, “Urban Gardens: Changing Lives.” Join us as we explore the inspiring stories of the Rid-All Green Partnership in Cleveland and the Kelly Street Garden in the Bronx, two remarkable projects that have transformed communities and touched countless lives. We are thrilled to be welcoming Sheryll Durrant, founder of Kelly Street Garden, educator and food justice advocate, and Randell McShepard, activist and co-founder of the Rid-All Green Partnership.

We will hear the captivating story of the Kelly Street Garden in the Bronx. Explore how this once-abandoned space was transformed into a vibrant hub of community engagement and social resilience. Witness the positive impact it has had on the lives of residents, from improved nutrition and food security to strengthened bonds and a sense of pride. We will also learn about the power of the Rid-All Green Partnership, where a group of dedicated individuals turned vacant urban lots into flourishing gardens. Discover how they not only created thriving green spaces but also fostered economic opportunities, education, and empowerment within their community.
Learn about the strategies employed, the challenges faced, and the lessons learned along the way. Discover how these initiatives have become beacons of hope and change, inspiring individuals and communities to reimagine the potential of their urban landscapes. Be inspired by their journey and witness the profound transformation that urban gardens can bring to urban environments. Whether you are a passionate gardener, an advocate for community development, or simply curious about the incredible impact of urban gardens, this presentation is a must-attend event.
Free for members; $10 suggested non-member donation. After the event, you’ll receive a recorded copy of the talk.
Click here to register.

Thank you to everyone for a wonderful symposium!
2024-02-29 08:00 - 17:00 UTC | CT
Thank you to everyone who volunteered, sponsored, promoted, and joined us for our symposium, “Gardening Matters: Our Future is Growing”
Our speakers:
Fergus Garrett
John Forti
Jared Rosenbaum
Gary Lewis
Our sponsors:
Prides Corner Farms
Connecticut Valley Garden Club
Coast of Maine Organic Products, Inc.
Webster Bank
Cricket Hill Garden
Natureworks Organic Garden Center
Colorblends Wholesale Flowerbulbs
PlantHer
Ballek’s Garden Center
Friendship Tours & The Ship Shop
Our symposium committee:
Nancy DuBrule-Clemente, Committee Chair
Diane Erling
Bonnie Hoskins
Trish Lyons
Cheryl Marino
Joan Stubenrauch
Elaine Widmer
With support from:
Tracey Weiss, Director of Communications
Mary Anna Martell, Office Administrator

March Board Meeting
2024-03-05 19:00 UTC | CT

SOLD OUT! Trip to the Philadelphia Flower Show, New York Botanical Garden Orchid Show and Longwood Gardens Orchid Extravaganza
2024-03-09 08:00 - 2024-03-11 17:00 UTC | CT
This event has sold out! So sorry!
Trip to the Philadelphia Flower Show, New York Botanical Garden Orchid Show and Longwood Gardens Orchid Extravaganza
March 9-11, 2024
With Special Guest: Nancy DuBrule–Clemente, Author & Founder of Natureworks Horticultural Services
Begin the trip with a stop at the New York Botanical Garden’s annual orchid show before we head to Philly for a two-night stay at the Mendenhall Hotel for a welcome reception and dinner. The next day we are off to the 195th Annual Philadelphia Flower Show. On our last day ,we will take a trip to beautiful Longwood Gardens for their spectacular orchid exhibit.
Trip includes deluxe motor coach, two nights hotel accommodations, tax and baggage, two breakfasts, two dinners, flower show admission, orchid show admission, sightseeing per itinerary, all gratuities, and a Friendship Tour director.
$945pp double / $1089pp single
CT Hort members receive a $55pp discount
Deadline to reserve your spot/deposit is January 5, 2024
Click here for details and registration.

SOLD OUT! The Garden Tourist's Charleston & Savannah March 20-26, 2024
2024-03-20 - 2024-03-26 | CT
Enjoy a beautiful garden’s eye trip to Charleston and Savannah with Friendship Tours, running March 20-26, 2024. Click here for more information.
Featuring Historic Homes, Private Gardens, Middleton Place, Magnolia Plantation, Brookgreen Gardens and more!
• Small group tour with author Jana Milbocker and Friendship Tours
• 7 days, 6 nights at Courtyard Charleston Historic District
• 76th Annual Festival of Houses and Gardens Tour
• Charleston Garden Club House and Garden Tour
• 6 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 3 dinners including dinner cruise
• Hotel and restaurant gratuities
• Sightseeing, admissions and coach per itinerary
• Limited to 30 travelers
• Airfare and hotel transfers not included
RESERVATIONS VIA FRIENDSHIP TOURS:
CALL: 800-243-1630 and ask for The Garden Tourist’s Charleston & Savannah Tour
ONLINE : www.friendshiptours.net/group-travel and select “Group Sign In.” Enter the Tour Code 24MAR20GARDEN in the box labeled “Make a New Reservation.”

Native Plants for Container Gardens with Duncan Himmelman March 21, 2024 Zoom only!
2024-03-21 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | CT
Native Plants for Container Gardens with Duncan Himmelman
March 21, 2024
Zoom only
Free for members; non-members register here.
Zoom links are automatically sent to members the Sunday before and the day of the presentation.

Many native plants make great choices for container gardens. From shade to sun, perennials to shrubs, spring to fall, there are exciting options that will bring a host of beneficial insects and birds to your yard, patio, deck, or balcony.
Duncan Himmelman, Ph.D., earned his doctorate at Cornell University and taught horticultural science at the college level for 24 years. He recently retired as the Education Manager at Mt. Cuba Center, a public garden in Delaware devoted to native plant advocacy. He continues to enjoy teaching, designing landscapes, and promoting ecologically focused gardening practices.
Free for members; $10 suggested non-member donation. After the event, you’ll receive a recorded copy of the talk.
Click here to register.

April Board Meeting
2024-04-02 19:00 UTC | Online Meeting

Creating Pollinator Gardens - the Role of Plant Choice and Design with Dr. Harland Patch
2024-04-18 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | CT
Creating Pollinator Gardens – the Role of Plant Choice and Design with Harland Patch
April 18, 2024
Live and on Zoom
Elmwood Community Center
1106 New Britain Avenue, West Hartford, CT
Free for members; non-members register here.
Zoom links are automatically sent to members the Sunday before and the day of the presentation.

Ecological approaches to garden design and management are hallmarks of 21st century gardening. Until recently most approaches have been adapted for aesthetic reasons or for the ill-defined goal of supporting biodiversity. Much of the interest in ecological gardens comes from concerns about declining biodiversity and degradation of natural spaces. But the processes underlying ecological declines remain poorly understood by gardeners and designers therefore limiting the ability to create a truly sustainable garden aesthetic. Recent advances in pollination science from the landscape level to genetics can greatly inform the creation and management of ecological gardens.
Dr. Harland Patch focuses his research on many aspects of pollinator biology from genes to landscapes. His current research on understanding the biological mechanisms associated with bee nutrition and how nutrition, in turn, affects bee health. Dr. Patch is working with collaborators to understand the underlying factors that contribute to pollinator host plant choice, including the role of annual and perennial cultivars to support pollinator populations. This includes developing an easy-to-use digital tool to determine which cultivars support pollinators. He is scientific advisor and Director of Pollinator Programming at Penn State’s Bird and Pollinator Garden, a recently built 4-acre garden based on scientific research. He is also involved in ongoing projects to determine the causes of pollinator declines in the US and in Africa. Dr. Patch has taught Molecular Ecology, Pollination Biology and an undergraduate course on honey bees, among other classes.
Free for members; $10 suggested non-member donation. After the event, you’ll receive a recorded copy of the talk.
Click here to register.

CT Hort to participate in day-long "Rhodo Rendezvous"
2024-04-30 08:00 - 17:00 UTC | CT
CT Hort is thrilled to be participating in the “Rhodo Rendezvous” on Sunday, May 19 for a daylong exploration into the world of rhododendrons.
Rhodo Rendezvous:
10:30 – 11:45 am: Panel Discussion at Carriage Barn Art Center, New Canaan, CT $ 20
Get inspired by expert insights in our engaging panel discussion, featuring:
Moderator: Sara Bailey, UConn Master Gardener Program
American Rhododendron Society Panelists:
Richard A Flavell, PhD Yale University scientist and immunologist is renowned for his hybridization of “big leaf” rhododendrons with hardy varieties, resulting in numerous hardy and attractive plants.
Ron Rabideau, former president of the Greater Philadelphia Chapter, brings expertise in plant hybridization, including the introduction of ‘Absolute Citron’ and ‘Jersey Mammoth’, and has a broad interest in various plants, with extensive experience in propagation and plant collection expeditions to Asia.
11:45 am – 12:45 pm: Box Lunch Option: $20
Enjoy a delightful lunch after the panel to fuel your exploration.
1:00 – 4:00 pm: Optional Garden Tours panel + box lunch = $40
Embark on an optional tour of two stunning gardens: panel + box lunch $10 = $ 50
– the Mehlquist Garden at Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens, Stamford, CT
Home to a diverse array of rhododendrons, azaleas, and more.
or
– Blau House & Gardens, Westport, CT:
Experience a theatrical masterpiece where rhododendrons play a leading role.
Immerse yourself in the beauty of rhododendrons as plein air painters capture their splendor at each garden.
Don’t miss this enchanting journey into the world of rhododendrons!
Register now and be part of this unforgettable experience.
In partnership with the Carriage Barn Arts Center, Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens, and Blau House & Gardens, University of Connecticut Master Gardener Program, American Rhododendron Society (Connecticut and Valley Forge Chapters), The Connecticut Horticultural Society , Fairfield County Plein Air Painters.
Thanks to Oliver Nurseries for graciously sponsoring coffee/tea service and Histoury for the shuttle van.

May Board Meeting
2024-05-07 19:00 UTC | CT

Roses for New England with Mike & Angelina Chute May 16, 2024 (not being recorded for future viewing)
2024-05-16 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | CT
Roses for New England with Mike & Angelina Chute
May 16, 2024
Live and on Zoom (this presentation will NOT be recorded for future viewing)
Elmwood Community Center
1106 New Britain Avenue, West Hartford, CT
Free for members; non-members register here.
Zoom links are automatically sent to members the Sunday before and the day of the presentation.

Roses for New England is a special presentation for every rose-lover who wants to grow hardy, healthy, and disease resistant roses in their home gardens. This program specifically addresses the merits and challenges of rose gardening in New England. Novice rose gardeners will find everything they need to know to successfully grow roses and experienced gardeners will utilize this program as a ready reference to enable them to grow better roses. Mike and Angelina Chute’s book, Roses for New England: A Guide to Sustainable Rose Gardening is the companion reference to this program.
This program includes: six easy steps to growing roses in New England; how to select winter hardy and disease resistant varieties for New England gardens; the best way to plant and prune roses; and tips and personal anecdotes from the authors’ twenty-five years of rose gardening experience.
Roses for New England shows you how to grow roses better than you ever thought you could. Mike and Angelina Chute will be available to sign copies of their books Roses for New England: A Guide to Sustainable Rose Gardening and Rose Gardening Season by Season: A Journal for Passionate Gardeners after the program.
Mike and Angelina Chute are co-owners of RoseSolutions, a landscape consulting company that specializes in roses. They are both certified American Rose Society Master Rosarians. Mike is an accredited ARS horticultural rose judge. They also serve as consultants for both municipal and private rose gardens. Accomplished garden writers, the Chutes’ second book, Rose Gardening Season by Season: A Journal for Passionate Gardeners joins Roses for New England: A Guide to Sustainable Rose Gardening. In addition to their books, the Chute’s are Contributing Editors to the American Rose magazine, have written numerous garden articles and authored the chapter “Roses” in the University of Rhode Island Sustainable Gardening Manual. They maintain a website (www.rosesolutions.net), a blog (www.therosejournal.wordpress.com) and publish a quarterly e-newsletter, The Northeast Rose Gardener. They were also co-founders and past presidents of the Rhode Island Rose Society.
Mike and Angelina maintain an active schedule of lectures and workshops throughout the New England area, including the Boston Flower & Garden Show, the Southeastern Connecticut Home & Garden Show, the Connecticut Flower & Garden Show, the Newport Flower Show, the Maine Flower Show, the RI Home, Flower & Garden Show, landscape and gardening conventions as well as numerous garden clubs and other horticultural organizations.
Free for members; $10 suggested non-member donation. Sorry, this talk will not be recorded.
Click here to register.

Spring 2024 Plant Sale & Auction - May 17 - Bethany Covenant Church, Berlin CT
2024-05-17 18:30 - 21:00 UTC | Bethany Covenant Church, 785 Mill Street (Rt. 372), Berlin, CT
CT Hort Plant Sale & Auction • Friday, May 17
Bethany Covenant Church, 785 Mill Street (Rt. 372), Berlin, CT
Doors open to the public at 6:30 p.m., $5 Admission
Mark your calendar to attend this lively, fun-filled, and educational event on Friday, May 17. The Auction is a great spot to find just the right plant or gift. The evening begins with a plant sale, while bids are accepted for unusual silent auction items and refreshments are served. Then it’s on to the LIVE auction!
For more information and handouts to help promote the auction, click here!
If you’d like to volunteer to help with the evening, please add your name to the list of helpers by clicking here!
Horticulturist Nancy DuBrule-Clemente will once again curate the night’s offerings.
Proceeds from the evening provide scholarships to Horticulture students at the University of Connecticut (since 1959), and Naugatuck Valley Community College (since 2011). In addition, funds in excess of our scholarship commitments will spill over to CT Hort Cares, our civic grants program.
Please come join us! For additional information or questions email auction@cthort.org.

Knockout Natives with Sam Hoadley June 20, 2024
2024-06-20 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | CT
Knockout Natives with Sam Hoadley
June 20, 2024
7pm
Live and on Zoom (please note that this event is taking place in Middletown, not West Hartford)
First Church Middletown
190 Court Street, Middletown, CT and via Zoom (you’ll be sent the link on the Sunday before the talk).
Scroll down for parking information.
Free for members; non-members register here.

When you join us on June 20 for Sam Hoadley’s “Knockout Natives,” your in-person vote on June 20 is needed. Please join us!

About Sam Hoadley
Sam Hoadley at the Mt. Cuba Center
Join Sam Hoadley, the Manager of Horticultural Research at Mt. Cuba Center, as he highlights knockout native species and cultivars from their trials. Top performers and favorites of Monarda, Phlox, Helenium, Echinacea, wild hydrangea, Carex, and Vernonia represent some of the best native plants for the mid-Atlantic region and beyond. Sam will discuss their horticultural and ecological performance and will share important information on standouts that will make beautiful additions to your garden.
Sam Hoadley is the Manager of Horticultural Research at Mt. Cuba Center where he evaluates native plant species, old and new cultivars, and hybrids in the Trial Garden. Sam earned his degree in Sustainable Landscape Horticulture from the University of Vermont.
Parking at the church
We encourage you to carpool to the church for Mr. Hoadley’s presentation.
There are metered on-street parking on College, Court, and Broad Streets which are free after 6 pm.
The Middlesex Corporate Center parking garage also has parking and the entrance is on College Street between Main Street and Broad Street, one block south of the church with a pedestrian path from just east of the parking garage entrance directly to the front of the church. It charges .75 cents per half hour.
The Russell Library parking lot entrance is on Broad Street, just north of Russell Library, between Court Street and Washington Street. It charges $1/hour until 8 pm.
It’s time to amend our bylaws and we need your help, as members, to vote to make those changes on June 20.
Since they were adopted in 1955, the Connecticut Horticultural Society’s Constitution and Bylaws have been amended seven times to reflect the strategic vision, direction, mission, and operation of the organization.
The last amendment to our bylaws were in May of 2005, and there have been large changes in the world since then. Technology, the pandemic, and our increasingly busy schedules are some of the factors that have contributed to the way we run our organization. Our constitution and bylaws need to now reflect that.
As a member of CT Hort, your input is key. In order to vote in the changes needed to amend the bylaws, we must have an in-person quorum at our June 20 meeting at First Church Middletown at 190 Court Street in Middletown. We will need a vote of 55 votes to approve these changes, and to reiterate, the votes must be in person. We hope you will join us then for another important reason: our speaker, Sam Hoadley, also promises to offer a great presentation on “Knockout Natives.”
Here are the changes that have been made to the existing constitution and bylaws. The underlined passages indicate the actual change.
CONSTITUTION
ARTICLE I – NAME
Change: Reference to the organization is more uniquely identified at CT Hort.
This Society shall be called the Connecticut Horticultural Society and referred to as CT Hort to align with the website cthort.org.
BYLAWS
Change: Membership categories have been updated to reflect the options currently offered.
Article 1.3: Membership Categories. Membership can include Honorary, Individual, Senior Individual, Family, Senior Family, Sustaining, Garden Club, Business, Business Benefactor and Student. Organizations and Businesses may appoint a single delegate with the right to vote at regular meetings and be eligible to hold office.
Article 1.3.1: Honorary Membership. Honorary members shall be elected by the Society upon the recommendation of the Board of Directors. This shall be an exceptional category designated for members who have been active for decades, and have made a significant contribution to the Society.
Change: Term limits have been removed due to difficult nature of finding volunteers to hold these positions.
Article 2.3: Tenure of Officers. The President and Vice President shall serve not more than two consecutive terms, but each may be reelected after an interval of one year. It is considered desirable that each of them shall have previously served as a Director. Positions of Secretary and Treasurer shall not be subject to term limits.
Change: Process has been revised to add the option to vote for Constitution and Bylaw revisions electronically. This is also stated in Article 5.2.
Article 3.2: Number and Election. The Board of Directors shall be members in good standing and shall consist of all duly elected officers and nine other members at large, for a total of fourteen (14) members. The Board of Directors shall be elected at the annual meeting. An election may also be taken through the use of electronic voting that records unique voters and their vote.
Change: Process has been revised to add the option to electronically vote to accept the incoming Board of Directors.
Article 3.8: Meetings. Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be called by the President or upon written request of three Directors. The Board shall meet a minimum of six times a year. Virtual Board meetings are considered acceptable.
Change: The list of Committees has been updated to reflect those currently in existence.
Article 6.1: There shall be the following committees of the Society: Program, Finance, Tours, Scholarships and Grants, Hospitality, Auction, Education, Symposium, and others as needed. The members of the committees shall be appointed at the discretion of the committee Chair, except as set forth in Sections 6.3 and 6.5 below.
Change: Process has been revised to add the option to vote for Constitution and Bylaw revisions electronically.
Article 9.1: This Constitution and Bylaws may be amended only by a two- thirds vote of members present at any regular membership meeting at which a quorum is present, provided the proposed amendment shall have been read at two preceding meetings, and notice that action will be taken has been given to all members in the call for the meeting. This Constitution and Bylaws may also be amended by notifying members of the proposed revisions via electronic communication, providing a link to the revised document, and capturing their unique vote to approve/disapprove the changes.
THE CONNECTICUT HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY ENDOWMENT SPENDING AND INVESTMENT POLICY STATEMENTS
Spending Policy
The Connecticut Horticultural Society (CT Hort) will use income from its endowment to support the educational and outreach programs of the Society. This support will supplement the income received from dues and other revenue-generating activities. Over time, it is assumed that the budgeted annual support from the endowment will be no more than 4% of the 20 tracking quarter average of the endowment value as of the May 31st immediately preceding the budget year. Anticipated endowment support needs will be communicated to the Connecticut Horticultural Society Investment Advisor at the completion of the annual budget.
Asset Allocation
Because of the small size of the endowment, it is assumed that CT Hort will use commingled investment vehicles offered by financial institutions, i.e., banks or mutual fund organizations, and will not invest directly in the securities of individual companies.
To achieve the Society’s real return objective, it is assumed that between 60-70% of assets will be invested in equities and between 30-40% in fixed income securities.
Questions? Email office@cthort.org.

Post navigation

← Previous Post

Click here to register.

Fairfield County Nursery Tour
2024-06-24 09:30 - 14:30 (America/New_York) | CT
Join us for a Fairfield County Nursery Tour
Location: Starts off at Oliver Nurseries, 1159 Bronson Rd, Fairfield, CT
Date and time: Mon, Jun 24, 2024 9:30 AM – 2:30 PM

Take the day, carpool with friends, and enjoy a tour of three of Fairfield County’s finest
nurseries. We’ll start at 9:30 am at Oliver Nurseries (1159 Bronson Rd., Fairfield), to explore and enjoy an alpine trough planting demonstration given by Lori Chips. Then it’s off to Gilbertie’s Herbs & Garden Center (7 Sylvan Lane, Westport), to visit the largest herb plant grower on the East Coast. Next up is Terrain (561 Post Rd. East, Westport), where we’ll shop the wonderfully curated and displayed collection of nature-inspired items and grab lunch at the Terrain Cafe-or you can bring your own.
Cost: $10. Register now!
