Connecticut Horticultural Society

Escorted Australia! March 21-April 5
2025-03-21 - 2025-04-05
Escorted Australia 2025
March 21 – April 5, 2025
Escorted by Brett Isaacson, President & Owner

Join Friendship Tours as we embark on a spectacular adventure in the Land Down Under – AUSTRALIA!
President & Owner of Friendship Tours, Brett Isaacson, along with local expert guides will lead the way on this land tour to explore this amazing continent.
Discover the rich culture and awe-inspiring scenery of Australia. Considered one of the most unique destinations on earth, this land tour of Australia offers one-of-a-kind experiences from cosmopolitan cities to rainforests to the Great Barrier Reef. You will see some of the world’s most scenic landscapes & amazing animal life. This exclusive trip is limited to 30 travelers and will be an immersive experience through Australia!
https://www.friendshiptours.net/tours/australia-2025
MAIN TOUR ITINERARY HIGHLIGHTS:

Sydney (4 nights): Blue Mountains National Park – Tour of iconic Sydney Opera House – Bondi Beach – Royal Botanic Garden – Dinner Cruise in Sydney Harbor
Ayers Rock (2 nights): Ayers Rock Sunset & Sunrise Viewings – Dot Painting Indigenous Art Workshop – Field of Lights Exhibition with Dinner
Cairns (3 nights): Kuranda Rainforest – Skyrail Cableway – Army DUCK tour – Kuranda Railway – Full Day Great Barrier Reef adventure with catamaran
Melbourne (4 nights): Phillip Island – Koala Habitat – Penguin Parade – KaBloom: Field of Flowers – Yarra Valley – Aboriginal Talk – Royal Botanical Gardens

TOUR DURATION: 16 Days
For Detailed brochure, click here: Australia Flyer
To Make a Reservation or for More Information, call Friendship Tours 860-243-1630 / 800-243-1630 and ask for Barb.

https://www.friendshiptours.net/tours/australia-2025

Gardens of Charleston and Savannah, March 26-April 2, 2025
2025-03-26 - 2025-04-02
Please join us for an unforgettable journey as we survey the beauty and history of the Lowcountry of South Carolina and Georgia, with our special guest tour guide C. Colston Burrell, garden designer, lecturer, author and photographer.
TOUR ITINERARY HIGHLIGHTS:

Savor a festive Lowcountry Boil in Susan Epstein’s private garden
Explore the Lowcountry’s history, culture and cuisine
Delight in two wine receptions
Partake of three group lunches featuring local cuisine
Visit six private gardens
Tour Brookgreen Garden’s plant collections and sculptures, as well as a pontoon boat trip through rice fields to enjoy local wildlife
Walk in the footsteps of history at Middleton Place and Magnolia Plantation
Stroll through the history of Charleston, Beaufort and Savannah
Enjoy a private guided tour of the history and horticulture of Savannah’s famous squares
Discover the secrets of Bonaventure Cemetery, made famous in the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Call 800-243-1630 or go to www.friendshiptours.net.
$5449 per person double / $ 6644 per person single

April Board Meeting
2025-04-01 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
Broadcast via Zoom.

Oh! What I didn’t plant with Nancy DuBrule-Clemente April 24, 2025
2025-04-24 19:00 - 20:30
Oh! What I didn’t plant with Nancy DuBrule-Clemente
April 24, 2025
7 pm
Live and on Zoom
(Members will receive the Zoom link the Sunday before the talk)
Free Center, 725 Main Street, Middletown, CT
Free for members; $10 for non-members (register here)
Nancy’s garden is filled with so many annuals, perennials, biennials, shrubs, and herbs that she didn’t plant. They may be considered “free gifts” or they may be considered “plants gone rogue”! Dive into how to recognize, manage, move around, edit, and generally care for a generous garden that offers so much to its gardener.
Nancy DuBrule-Clemente is the founder of Natureworks Horticultural Services, an organic garden center, landscape design, consultation, installation and maintenance service in Northford, CT that she started in 1983. She is also the author of Succession of Bloom in the Perennial Garden: A Manual for Garden Designers, Including Shrubs and Vines Often Found in Perennial Gardens and A Country Garden for Your Backyard: Projects, Plans & Plantings for a Country Look

May Board Meeting
2025-05-06 19:00 - 20:00

Crevice Gardening: Even more than it’s cracked up to be with Panayoti Kelaidis May 15, 2025
2025-05-15 19:00 - 20:30
Crevice Gardening: Even more than it’s cracked up to be with Panayoti Kelaidis
May 15, 2025
7 pm
Live and on Zoom
Members will receive the Zoom link the Sunday before the talk.
Free Center, 725 Main Street, Middletown, CT
Free for members; $10 for non-members (register here)
The history of rock gardening goes back a few centuries in Western Europe and America, and a few millennia in East Asia—it’s always seen as a somewhat “niche” form of gardening—pursued by enthusiasts, while “ordinary” people stick to perennial gardens or perhaps annuals or even conifers. This talk will show the enormous scope and variety of the modern crevice garden as it’s being practiced around the world—especially in New England where spectacular examples exist.
In rocky Connecticut, this isn’t quite so much the case—there is a long deep history of rock gardening in New England (with all those rocks!). But trough gardening, and especially the exciting new art of crevice gardening are breathing new life into the art of plants and rocks.
This iteration of rock gardening was born in the Czech Republic almost 60 years ago, where it was perfected and has transplanted vigorously in North America—especially in Victoria, British Columbia thanks to Paul Spriggs, and in Colorado thanks to Kenton Seth. Crevice gardens have become an exciting new way to grow all manner of plants, from challenging alpines, to woodlanders and even cacti and succulents.
Panayoti Kelaidis is a plant explorer, gardener and public garden administrator associated with Denver Botanic Gardens where he is now Director of Outreach. He began his career at DBG in 1980 as curator of the Rock Alpine Garden, where he designed and oversaw the initial plantings of this extensive garden. Garden Design Magazine has rated this garden as the best public rock garden in North America. He has designed plantings for many of the gardens at DBG, as well as being part of the design team at Centennial garden and has designed the Watersmart knot gardens at Denver’s Civic Center as part of Denver Mayor Hickenlooper’s Water Conservation initiative.
He has introduced hundreds of native ornamentals from throughout the Western United States to general horticulture. He has taken five collecting trips to South Africa researching the high mountain and steppe flora there, as well as travels to the Andes, the Himalaya (from both Pakistan and China) as well as travels throughout much of Europe, the Caucasus and Turkey. Perhaps the best known of Panayoti’s introductions are the many showy hardy ice plants: several dozen of these are now available at garden centers across America and in other parts of the world.
In addition to introducing a host of exotic plants to general horticulture, Panayoti has been a champion Western native plants. He was the second secretary of the Colorado Native Plant Society, and past president of the American Penstemon Society. He has explored the Western mountains from Alaska to southern Mexico, collecting seeds of more than a thousand kinds of Western American wild plants for Denver Botanic Gardens’ collections and for research and study.
Panayoti has been party to the discovery of a number of species of plants new to science. In 1980, he pressed the first specimens of a lady’s tress orchid in Golden that was subsequently to be named Spiranthes diluvialis by Charles Sheviak. In 1987 John Lavranos sent Panayoti an Aizoaceae he collected on Komsberg Pass in South Africa which Panayoti subsequently shared with John Trager at the Huntington Botanical Garden, and finally Steve Hammer. This taxon was finally recognized as Delosperma sphalmanthoides by Hammer. In March of 1996 Panayoti and Jim Archibald collected a specimen of an undetermined Moraea on Mount-aux-Sources, Orange Free State, South Africa which Peter Goldblatt determined to be a new species. Several more of his south African collections are undergoing evaluation as likely new species to be published in the coming years.
Panayoti takes particular pride in sharing the plants and information he accrues through many channels: he has lectured in nearly 150 cities in nine countries, and has been featured in dozens of television, newspaper and magazine pieces.
Panayoti was inducted in 2000 to the Colorado Nursery and Greenhouse Growers Hall of Fame. Also in 2000, he received the Arthur Hoyt Scott Medal from the Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College. In 2002, he received the National Garden Clubs Medal of Honor. In 2003, he was inducted into the Garden Club of America as Member-at-Large. In 2004, he received the Boulder History Museum’s 60 Year Living History award. He has received three of the North American Rock Garden Society’s awards over the last two decades, and in 2009, he received the Liberty Hyde Bailey award from the American Horticultural Society.
He believes that gardening is humanity’s best way to gain an appreciation of nature and natural processes. In an increasingly urbanized and polluted world, horticulture is, perhaps, the last best way to create a sustainable future for mankind and our planet.

Save the Date! Plant Sale & Auction returns on Friday, May 16, 2025
2025-05-16 18:00 - 21:00
Click here for the CT Hort 2025 Spring Auction flyer.
Connecticut Horticultural Society’s annual Plant Sale & Auction returns on Friday, May 16 from 6:30-9pm at Bethany Covenant Church in Berlin, CT, and will include an unusual collection of plants and shrubs.
Doors open at 6:00pm with a plant sale and silent auction of perennials, annuals, vegetables, herbs, shrubs and silent auction treasures from local growers, wholesalers, and businesses, and ends with a live auction of some eclectic offerings.
Horticulturalist Nancy DuBrule-Clemente will once again curate and serve as one of the auctioneers, alongside Jim Sirch and Kevin Wilcox. Together, they have well over 100 years of experience in the field.
Nancy DuBrule-Clemente is the founder of Natureworks Horticultural Services, an organic garden center, landscape design, consultation, installation and maintenance service in Northford, CT that she started in 1983. She is also the author of Succession of Bloom in the Perennial Garden: A Manual for Garden Designers, Including Shrubs and Vines Often Found in Perennial Gardens and A Country Garden for Your Backyard: Projects, Plans & Plantings for a Country Look.

Jim Sirch has been giving lectures on pollinator gardening and propagating native plants from seed for over 20 years. He is on the board of the Connecticut Horticultural Society and founded the Beardsley-Maritime Chapter of FrogWatch, a national citizen science program. A CT Master Gardener, Jim serves as vice president of the CT Hort Board of Directors and co-founded the Hamden Public Library’s Pollinator Seed Library. He recently retired working as Education Coordinator at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History.
Kevin Wilcox is CT Hort’s resident horticulturist and has more than 30 years of experience in the field. An accomplished and sought-after lecturer, he has presented to plant societies and garden clubs on a wide range of gardening topics as well as specific groups of plants, including rhododendrons, Japanese maples, and conifers. He has served on the CT Hort Board of Directors and is the vice president of the CT Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society.
Those who attended last year will remember that the auction included dozens of shade plants from CT Hort member Judy King’s amazing garden. This year, there will be another round of shade-loving specimens donated by Ms. King.
The silent auction will include a framed image by garden photographer Ellen Hoverkamp. Ellen died at a young age a couple of years ago.
Proceeds from all sales are deposited into the Society’s Scholarship Fund and used to provide scholarships to Plant Science 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.
Admission tothe Plant Sale and Auction is $5 and includes refreshments.
Bethany Covenant Church is at 785 Mill Street in Berlin, CT. For more information, visit www.cthort.org or email auction@cthort.org.
Can you provide a donation? Click here for a letter that doubles as a tax receipt.
Stay tuned for more information on volunteering that evening.

June Board Meeting
2025-06-03 19:00 - 20:00
Location TBD.

Designing for Habitat: From Back Yards to Byways with C. Colston Burrell June 26, 2025
2025-06-26 19:00 - 20:30
Designing for Habitat: From Back Yards to Byways with C. Colston Burrell
June 26, 2025
COLE WILL JOIN US VIRTUALLY THIS EVENING, DUE TO UNEXPECTED FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS.
7 pm
Live and on Zoom
Members will receive the Zoom link the Sunday before the talk.
Free Center, 725 Main Street, Middletown, CT
Free for members; $10 for non-members (register here)
What does a garden need to attract and sustain wildlife? How do we meet the aesthetic goals of owners while providing the structure and resources necessary to maintain the insects and birds we love? Can we create healthy habitat with a mixture of native and exotic plants? This lecture explores the possibilities and limitations of designing sustainable habitat gardens at various scales, from urban spaces to rural retreats.
Colston Burrell is an acclaimed lecturer, garden designer, award-winning author and photographer. A certified chlorophyll addict, Cole is an avid and lifelong plantsman, gardener and naturalist. He has twice won the American Horticulture Society Book Award for Hellebores: A Comprehensive Guide, Timber Press, in 2007, and for A Gardener’s Encyclopedia of Wildflowers, Rodale Press, in 1998. Cole received the Award of Distinction from the Association of Professional Landscape Designers for his work promoting sustainable gardening practices.
Cole is a popular lecturer internationally on topics of design, plants and ecology. He has shared his love of plants and regional landscapes with professional and amateur audiences for 45 years. He is principal of Native Landscape Design and Restoration, which specializes in blending nature and culture through artistic design.
Cole has teamed up with Friendship Tours and The Minnesota State Horticultural Society for Garden and Nature Tours with C. Colston Burrell to offer personalized leisure tours to exceptional gardens and natural areas around the globe. His one-of-a-kind tours explore the best private and public gardens and the most ecologically diverse natural areas to create once in a lifetime travel adventures.
He has an M.S. in Horticulture from University of Maryland and a Master of Landscape Architecture degree from the University of Minnesota. He is a lecturer in the College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at the University of Virginia, where he teaches about plants and their ecological connections to natural systems and cultural landscapes.

Board Meeting
2025-09-03 19:00 - 20:00, 2025-10-14 19:00 - 20:00, 2025-11-11 19:00 - 20:00

Gardens of Southern Italy and the Amalfi Coast • September 9-19, 2025
2025-09-09 - 2025-09-19
Wow, this trip looks just amazing!
Gardens of Southern Italy the Amalfi Coast – Cole Burrell – Final Flyer
Join Garden and Nature Tours with C. Colston Burrell, local guide Guido Gambone, Friendship Tours and Minnesota State Horticulture Society in Naples, Italy to begin exploring both iconic and personal gardens in the historic cities, charming towns and sublime landscapes of Southern Italy and the Amalfi Coast. This bucket-list trip offers exciting opportunities for exploration, discovery and enjoyment.
Travel with C. Colston Burrell and Guido Gambone along stunning coastlines above azure waters of the Mediterranean to discover the rich history, private gardens, grand villas, and sumptuous cuisine of Southern Italy and the Amalfi Coast!
We begin by exploring the ruins of Pompeii and discovering the charms of Sorrento, Salerno and Naples, including markets, churches, cathedrals, artisan shops, and outdoor cafes.
Our journey includes visits to Giardino della Minerva, Villa Cimbrone, Villa Rufalo and more. On the Isles of Ischia and Capri, we visit Giardini la Mortella, Villa Jasmine, and Villa San Michele. The ruins at Gardens of Ninfa are a fantasyland awaiting discovery. In Rome we visit two iconic gardens, Villa d’Este and Villa Borghese.
Stunning scenery, glorious gardens, delicious meals and warm companionship await. This is a popular tour so register early.
See you in Naples!

Trip to New Hampshire Farms for foraging and fun September 16-19, 2025
2025-09-16 - 2025-09-19
The Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut and Friendship Tours are hosting a trip to New Hampshire September 16-19 for fun and foraging at farms!
Come join the fun to tour highlights of New Hampshire in the prime early-fall season. In just four days, visit farms and gardens, have a go at foraging and enjoy special meals together with our congenial group of travelers.
You’ll spend all three nights at the Hotel Concord centrally located in Concord, New Hampshire. From there, you’ll branch out to visit some of New Hampshire’s premium sights.
Join the Tour!

Click here for more details and registration information.
Pricing is based on a minimum of 25 passengers
$1698 Per Person Double
$2079 Per Person Single
$75 Non-Member Surcharge Applies
The hotel has 7 rooms with two beds
King-bedded rooms & Kings with pull-out sofa bed available
What is included?
$100 Donation to FGCCT Included (non-refundable)
Deposit $350 per person
Deluxe Motorcoach Transportation
Three Nights Hotel Concord
3 Breakfasts, 4 Lunches and 2 Dinners
Sightseeing per itinerary
Friendship Tours Escort
All gratuities included
Snacks and Refreshments provided.
Pickups will be New Haven and Farmington
Cancellation policy: Final Payment due June 27, 2025
From deposit to June 27, 2025 fee of $250 pp. June 27-July 25, 2025, a fee of $1000 pp is applicable. After July 25, 2025, it is non-refundable unless a substitute is provided.

Deeply Disturbed: The Emergent Forest of the Future with Peter Del Tredici 9/18/25
2025-09-18 19:00 - 20:30
Peter Del Trici
Deeply Disturbed: The Emergent Forest of the Future
Sept. 18, 2025, 7pm
On Zoom and in person at Elmwood Community Center
1106 New Britain Avenue
West Hartford
Members will receive the Zoom link the Sunday before the talk.
Free for members; $10 for non-members (register here)
The northeastern United States is a naturally forested landscape and has been so for thousands of years. In his talk, Peter Del Tredici will present an overview of the recent history of the forests of the northeast as impacted by natural disasters, shifting land-use patterns (urbanization and suburban sprawl), introduced pests and pathogens, invasive species, and climate change. He will speculate on how the “emergent” forests that develop in response to these factors differ from those that have existed in the past and what the implications are for our future landscape.
Peter Del Tredici holds a BA degree in Zoology from the University of California, Berkeley (1968) and a Ph.D. in Biology from Boston University (1991). He has been doing research with woody plants since 1972, first as a research technician at the Harvard Forest in Petersham, Massachusetts and then for 35 years at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University in Boston where he worked through 2014 as Plant Propagator, Curator of the Larz Anderson Bonsai Collection, Editor of Arnoldia, Director of Living Collections and finally as Senior Research Scientist. During his time at the Arnold Arboretum, he has made numerous seed collecting and ecological research expeditions to China, Japan and Korea. Peter was also an Associate Professor in Practice in the Landscape Architecture Department at the Harvard Graduate School of Design from 1992 through 2016. and taught in the Urban Planning Department at MIT from 2016 through 2019.
He has published more than 100 articles on a wide variety of botanical subjects including: the taxonomy and cultivation of Magnolias, hemlocks (genus Tsuga) and Stewartias, the history of plant introductions from Japan and China, and the morphology of basal sprouting (resilience) in temperate trees. His PhD thesis (1991) was on the ecology and evolution of the Ginkgo tree, and he is now considered a world authority on the ecology and cultivation of this amazing tree. Recently, his research has focused on climate change and urban ecology which resulted in the publication of the widely acclaimed, Wild Urban Plants of the Northeast: A Field Guide.
In 2013, he was awarded the Veitch Gold Medal from The Royal Horticultural Society “in recognition of services given in the advancement of the science and practice of horticulture.”
Free for members; $10 for non-members (register here)

SOLD OUT! Spend a day at NYBG among the Van Gogh flowers!
2025-10-01
CT Hort and Friendship Tours present a special day trip to New York Botanical Garden
Van Gogh: Painting with Flowers and more! Wed., October 1, 2025
The day-long adventure includes:

Van Gogh’s “Painting with Flowers.” Find yourself immersed in botanical displays and large-scale art as you wander through a breathtaking lawn of monumental sunflowers, and see the expressive masterpieces bloom in recreations made of living flowers.
A private tour of the LuEsther T. Mertz Library, one of the world’s premiere collections of botanical literature.
An all-garden pass admission, which includes access to the garden’s outdoor collections, the Tram Tour, the Conservatory and more.
Lunch on your own in the café and a chance to shop the garden store.

Pricing: $127pp Seniors $130pp (Adults based on 35-50)
Reserve your space by calling Friendship Tours 860.243.1630 or going to https://www.friendshiptours.net/tours/nybg-3-2.

Putting Your Garden to Bed - Re-thinking the Ritual with Sarah Bailey 10/16/25
2025-10-16 19:00 - 20:30
Sarah Bailey
Putting Your Garden to Bed – Re-thinking the Ritual
Oct. 16, 2025, 7pm
On Zoom and in person at Elmwood Community Center
1106 New Britain Avenue
West Hartford
Members will receive the Zoom link the Sunday before the talk.
Free for members; $10 for non-members (register here)
Traditionally, the Fall garden to-do list included clearing your garden spaces to the soil line, ostensibly to prevent pests and diseases from overwintering. As we learn more about the complex web of the environment we live in, we are discovering that the traditional “putting the garden to bed” practices can leave our gardens less diverse and robust. There are better steps to take to prepare your garden spaces for the winter and the following growing season—both environmentally and aesthetically.
Sarah Bailey is a Connecticut Certified Horticulturalist and a UConn Extension Advanced Master Gardener. A graduate of the University of Vermont and the UMass Green School, she has worked in the horticultural industry for the last three decades as, variously, a retail nursery manager, a private gardener and garden designer, and a consultant for several landscape firms. She recently retired from both the state coordinator and the Hartford County coordinator positions for the UConn Extension Master Gardener program. She has served on the Board of Directors of the CT Horticultural Society and currently serves on the education committees of both the CT Horticultural Society and the CT Nursery and Landscape Association and is an instructor for the Connecticut Certified Horticulturalist program and the UConn Master Gardener program. Sarah gardens in the northern part of the state under the watchful eye of her current border collie, who digs up mole tunnels for amusement.
Free for members; $10 for non-members (register here)

Have fun and make a difference - join the Symposium Committee!
2025-10-30 08:00 - 17:00
Have fun and make a difference— join our Symposium Committee!
Our biennial Symposium is slated for November 2026, and we’re looking for more folks to help us plan it and bring new ideas to the table.
This will be our first in-person Symposium since 2020. That will mean a few more moving parts to manage, but with your help, we’re going to make this an event to remember. Help us decide on a theme, speakers, location—all the nuts and bolts key to a great day.
If you’re new to CT Hort, our day-long Symposium is designed to inspire, enlighten, and educate novice and expert gardeners alike, through speaker talks, vendors, and lively conversation with your fellow horticulture lovers. It’s both fun to plan and
fun to attend!
Join the always dynamic Nancy DuBrule-Clemente, Symposium committee chair, and help bring our 2026 CT Hort Symposium to life!
Interested? Email Mary Anna Martell at office@cthort.org

Seed Mix Formulation for Native Meadows (Fall Virtual Series)
2025-10-30 15:00 - 16:15 | https://cthort.org/event/seed-mix-formulation-for-native-meadows-fall-virtual-series/
While seed mix formulation can look simple, long-term meadow success is rooted in a detailed understanding of individual species characteristics, how to quantify those species, how they fit together to form a community, and their roles in the various stages of meadow development. He will also discuss how to overlay various mitigation requirements, as well as the aesthetic preferences of the client.
Through his experience with Larry Weaner Landscape Associates (LWLA) and his encyclopedic knowledge of native plants, Ethan Dropkin, MLA, is uniquely qualified to enhance your ability to design and oversee successful native meadows.

The Great Pumpkin at Hill-Stead
2025-11-01 13:00 - 16:00 | Hill-Stead Museum, 35 Mountain Road, Farmington
The Halloween fun won’t over on Oct. 31! Hill-Stead Museum is holding a cozy, fall-filled afternoon on Sat., Nov. 1 from 1-4pm. Dress up in your spookiest costume or your comfiest flannel and enjoy laid-back trick-or-treating, hayrides, and plenty of pumpkin smashing. Didn’t snag your favorite Reese’s or Snickers last week? Here’s your second chance! Plus, say hi to the sheep and give your old pumpkins (non-painted, please) a green goodbye by recycling them with us.
Soak up the cozy charm of fall as October fades into November. It’s the perfect way to keep the festive spirit going just a little bit longer!
Tickets: $5 person. Register.
Please drop in anytime between 1pm and 4pm. Pumpkins must be non-painted. Wear comfy shoes for exploring the property.

Gardens and Temples of Japan with C. Colston Burrell - Main Tour + Post Tour Nov 5, 2025 - Nov 23, 2025
2025-11-05 - 2025-11-23
Registration is now open!
Gardens and Temples of Tokyo and Kyoto
November 4—15, 2025
Post Tour: Gardens and Temples of Shikoku and Hiroshima
November 15—23
Escorted by Cole Burrell and Maurice Horn
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:

Visit four storied cities: Tokyo, Kamakura, Gotemba, and Kyoto
Learn about the art of Japanese gardening from a master in the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo
In Tokyo, tour Koishikawa Korakuen, Hamarikyu Garden, and Mejii Jingu
Peruse art and explore history in Tokyo’s Nezu Museum and the Hakone Museum of Art and Moss Garden
Weave through the streets of Ginza, one of Tokyo’s top shopping districts famous for stores such as Ginza Mitsukoshi Department Store
Tour three botanical gardens: Hakone Botanical Gardens of Wetlands, Kyoto Botanical Garden, and Manyo Botanical Garden
Behold the Great Buddha of Kamakura
Enjoy the autumn colors on a scenic drive to view Mt. Fuji
Walk in the footsteps of history through ten temple gardens including Ginkakuji, Todai-ji, Tenryu-ji, and Kinkaku-ji – famous for the Golden Pavilion
Enjoy four sumptuous dinners, including cocktails and a farewell dinner at a local restaurant

TOUR DURATION:
10 Nights / 11 Days
Land Only Tour Price
Pricing for 15-19 Travelers
$7,775.00 Land Price — Double Occupancy
$1,015.00 Single Supplement
Pricing for 20-22 Travelers
$6,885.00 Land Price — Double Occupancy
$1,015.00 Single Supplement
Tour price is based on a minimum of 15 travelers
Fewer than 15 travelers may result in a surcharge
Itinerary subject to change without notice

TOUR INCLUSIONS:
– Airport transfers
– Ten nights hotel accommodations
– Breakfast daily
– Four lunches
– Welcome and farewell dinners plus two additional meals
– Sightseeing and transportation as outlined in the program itinerary
– Escort throughout tour—C. Colston Burrell
– Expert local guide—Maurice Horn
– Water and snacks
– Admissions to all gardens and venues
– Bullet Train to Kyoto with Japanese Escort
– Gratuities to your tour escort and guide
– Gratuities to your local drivers and guides
– Hotel taxes and service charges
Tour information: www.friendshiptours.net/tours/gardens-of-japan
For more general information, go to www.friendshiptours.net/

Utilizing Natural Disturbances in the Establishment and Maintenance of Prairie Vegetation (Fall Virtual Series)
2025-11-06 15:00 - 16:15 | https://cthort.org/event/utilizing-natural-disturbances-in-the-establishment-and-maintenance-of-prairie-vegetation-fall-virtual-series/
This presentation will explore how natural disturbances, such as grazing and fire, can be valuable tools in the establishment and maintenance of prairie ecosystems. We’ll delve into how grazing by herbivores influences plant diversity and structure, while fire serves as a natural disturbance that promotes the dominance of grasses and prevents woody plant encroachment. By understanding these interconnected processes, we can appreciate their role in shaping vibrant, resilient prairies. The discussion will also touch on how these ecological forces contribute to soil health, biodiversity, and the overall sustainability of prairie landscapes. To conclude the program, Larry Weaner will join Chad Bitler to discuss ways to overcome the practical difficulties of incorporating these strategies outside of agricultural or ecological restoration settings. These will include the potential availability of new landscape services and equipment that can provide mechanized facsimiles of the processes described in the program.

2025 UConn Native Plants and Pollinators Conference
2025-11-13 08:45 - 15:15 | University of Connecticut, 2100 Hillside Road, Room 330, Storrs, CT
The fifth biennial UConn Native Plants and Pollinators conference will be held Thursday, November 13, 2025, from 8:45 a.m.-3:15 pm, at the UConn Student Union Ballroom (Room 330), 2100 Hillside Road, Storrs, CT.
Join us for an exciting day of presentations featuring current science-based research and information on supporting pollinators in managed landscapes. Learn how native plants support pollinator health throughout the year! This program is designed for growers and other green industry professionals, landscape service providers, landscape architects and designers, town commissions, municipalities, and home gardeners.

CACIWC Conference
2025-11-15 08:00 - 16:15 | Courtyard by Marriott Cromwell, 4 Sebethe Drive, Cromwell, CT, 06416
The Connecticut Association of Conservation and Inland Wetlands Commissions, Inc. (CACIWC) invites you to its 2025 Annual Meeting & Environmental Conference on Sat., November 15 from 8am-4:15pm. The conference will be held at the Courtyard by Marriott Cromwell, 4 Sebethe Drive, Cromwell.
Register for a full day of educational workshops, informative displays, and special keynote presentations. Register here.

Holiday Cards and Tags: A Festive Printing Workshop with Joanne Wasti
2025-11-15 13:00 - 16:00 | Hollister House Garden, 300 Nettleton Hollow Road, Washington, CT, 06759
Celebrate the season with handmade charm! In this festive, hands-on workshop, you’ll design and carve your own original linoleum blocks to create unique holiday cards and gift tags. Learn to work with positive and negative space as you sketch your design, then use simple hand tools to bring it to life in print. A variety of colored inks will be available for experimenting with color and style, and all materials, including two linoleum blocks (one for cards, and a smaller one for tags) will be provided. Your reusable blocks are yours to take home, perfect for future printing or even making your own wrapping paper. No experience necessary, just bring your creativity! All levels welcome, and holiday treats will be on hand to keep spirits bright.
Joanne Wasti has been an art educator for over twenty years. She’s worked as a museum educator at the Guggenheim Museum and as a teaching artist for various arts organizations in NYC, the San Francisco Bay Area and Litchfield County. Painting and collage are her main media, but her passion is teaching people of all ages to let go of their fear of art making and tap into their own creativity. She’s a founding board member of the Kent Curiosity Lab and works to promote access to the arts for all children.
HHG Members: $105.00 (includes $15 required materials fee)
Non-members: $125.00 (includes $15 required materials fee)

The Growth of Trees: A Journey Through Time with Michael Wojtech 11/20/25
2025-11-20 19:00 - 20:30
Michael Wojtech
The Growth of Trees: A Journey Through Time
Nov. 20, 2025, 7pm
On Zoom and in person at Elmwood Community Center
1106 New Britain Avenue
West Hartford
Members will receive the Zoom link the Sunday before the talk.
Free for members; $10 for non-members (register here)
No single view of a tree is a fixed snapshot in time that tells a complete story. Join Michael and discover how trees grow, reproduce, and interact with their environment across days, weeks, seasons, and years and over varying spatial scales—from the intricate details of buds, flowers, leaves, and bark that we use for species identification to the collaborative roles of trees in ecosystems. Experience the function and beauty of characteristics such as peeling bark, overwintering buds, lobed or toothed leaves, flowers by the thousands, and seeds that fly on the wind.
Michael strives to share the science and beauty of natural history in an accessible and compelling fashion through presentations, participatory activities, and outdoor exploration. He writes and teaches about the structure, growth processes, and ecology of trees—including their bark, buds, leaves, roots, and wood—for audiences at all levels of experience. He explores how knowing the natural history of the places we live, and love, fosters connection and the feeling of home.
Michael earned his master’s degree in Conservation Biology from Antioch University New England in Keene, NH. He is the author of Bark: A Field Guide to Trees of the Northeast and co-author of Drawing Leaves and Trees: Observing and Sketching the Natural World.
Free for members; $10 for non-members (register here)

Tallamy and Weaner: A Season by Season Guide to Plant-Wildlife Connections (Fall Virtual Series)
2025-12-03 18:00 - 20:00 | https://cthort.org/event/tallamy-weaner/
To support native birds and pollinators you need native plants. For those plants to thrive, you need to know how to plant, arrange, and manage them. And to optimize the wildlife benefits, those plants must provide habitat throughout the year. In this presentation, entomologist & wildlife ecologist Doug Tallamy and landscape designer Larry Weaner will illustrate an all too rare, integrated approach to habitat creation on residential properties. In an alternating series of presentations, they will connect plants, wildlife, and their specific seasonal needs to illustrate the dynamic landscapes that this integrated approach can provide. They will conclude by comparing notes on their personal experience, interacting with plants and wildlife on their respective home landscapes.

SOLD OUT! Christmas in Maine! December 12-14, 2025
2025-12-12 - 2025-12-14
December 12-14, 2025
3 Day(s) | 4 Meals
Highlights
-Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens – ‘Gardens Aglow!’ Festival
-Portland Stage Theater Evening Performance: ‘A Christmas Carol’
-Portland Museum of Art: Winslow Homer
-Time at Kennebunkport Holiday Prelude
-Two Nights Hotel Accommodations at the Westin Portland Harborview Hotel
-Two Buffet Breakfasts & Two Dinners
-Friendship Tours Escort
Itinerary
Day 1
Day 1: Off to a Festive Start! Pack your bags and your holiday spirit – we’re heading north to Portland, Maine for our enchanting annual holiday escape! Our home for the next two nights is the luxurious Westin Portland Harborview, perfectly situated for festive fun. On the way, we’ll make a sweet stop at Len Libby Candies, where you’ll find delicious treats and the world’s only life-sized chocolate moose – yes, really! This evening, savor the season with our Welcome Holiday Dinner, followed by a heartwarming performance of the timeless classic ‘A Christmas Carol’ at the Portland Stage Theater. Let the magic of the holidays begin! Included: Dinner
Day 2
Day 2: Art, Lights & Holiday Delights Wake up to a day full of culture and wonder. We begin with a docent-led tour of the Portland Museum of Art, home to a stunning collection of American, European, and contemporary works – including a special exhibit by Winslow Homer, one of Maine’s most iconic artists. Enjoy free time afterward to explore more of the museum, enjoy lunch at your leisure, or do a little shopping in the charming museum gift shop. As the sun sets, we’re off to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens for the dazzling ‘Gardens Aglow’ – New England’s largest holiday light display! Over 650,000 lights transform the gardens into a glowing winter wonderland. It’s pure magic! We’ll enjoy dinner on the way back to Portland Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 3
Day 3: Kennebunkport Holiday Prelude – A Town Like No Other! We wrap up our holiday adventure with a trip to Kennebunkport, named #2 Christmas Town in America by HGTV! The town’s Holiday Prelude celebration is straight out of a snow globe – think festive craft fairs, twinkling decorations, charming boutiques, and cozy cafés. We’ll arrive in time for the famous Pooch Parade and a very special appearance by Santa arriving on a firetruck! After some free time to explore, shop, and enjoy lunch on your own, we’ll board our motorcoach for the journey home – with hearts full of cheer and perhaps a few extra shopping bags. And of course, we’ll celebrate one more time with our Motorcoach Holiday Party on the way back! Included: Breakfast

"House Plants"
2026-01-13 11:00 - 15:00 | First Congregational Church, 23 South Main Street, WALLINGFORD, CT, 06492, United States
Wallingford Garden Club will hold the January 2006 meeting on the 13th. The program will be held at the first Congregational Church, 23 South Main Street. The program is ‘House Plants’ by presenter Karla Dalley at 11:00. Karla is a lecturer, garden columnist, and author. She will be speaking about planting and how to take care of house plants. Following the program will be a BYO lunch with dessert and coffee/tea available by the Club. A WGC business meeting will follow. Open to the public. $5 donation is welcome. Parking is available off Center Street and/or beyond Town Hall public parking area. For more information, please call 203-269-2653. www.wallingfordgardenclub.com

Gardening with Mosses
2026-01-13 12:00 - 14:00 | Nathanael Greene Community Center, 32 Church Street, Guilford, CT, 06437
At its monthly meeting, Leete’s Island Garden Club will host Christine Cook, owner of Mossaics Ecological Landscape Design. Christine will explore moss ecology, horticulture and a wide range ideas on how moss may be utilized in the garden. Guests are welcome at this free event. Contact 203-453-0780 with questions or to register.
