Connecticut Horticultural Society

Holiday Cards and Tags: A Festive Printing Workshop with Joanne Wasti
2025-11-15 13:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | 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 | CT
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 | CT
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.

Board Meeting
2026-01-13 19:00 - 20:00, 2026-02-10 19:00 - 20:00 | CT

Garden Club of Brookfield: Food Share Gardening
2026-01-15 10:00 - 11:00 | Valley Presbyterian Church Brookfield CT, 21 West Whisconier Road, Brookfield, CT, 06804
Donna Katsuranis, Brookfield neighbor and a UCONN Advanced Master Gardener, is our first speaker of the new year. She will present about the value and practice of “food-share” gardening in our town and state.

Personal Habitat: 30 Years of Wildlife Gardening with Julie Zickefoose 1/15/26
2026-01-15 19:00 - 20:30 | CT
Julie Zickefoose
Personal Habitat: 30 Years of Wildlife Gardening
Jan. 15, 2026, 7pm
Zoom only
Members will receive the Zoom link the Sunday before the talk.
Free for members; $10 for non-members (register here)
Join author/artist Julie Zickefoose in a retrospective of 30 years of habitat enhancement on her 80-acre parcel in the Appalachian foothills of southeast Ohio.
This virtual garden tour showcases the stunning beauty of one place, deeply loved and closely observed, where thoughtful stewardship has made all the difference. You’ll come away full of ideas for your own space, no matter how small.
Julie Zickefoose is a writer who illustrates her own books: Saving Jemima, Baby Birds, The Bluebird Effect, and Natural Gardening for Birds. She fights invasive plants, gardens, does a bit of songbird rehabilitation, and is advising editor for BWD Magazine, to which she’s contributed since 1986. She is currently writing about Carolina wrens, tiny geniuses.
Free for members; $10 for non-members (register here)

Dreamland Flower Farm Dahlia Tuber Sale
2026-01-17 10:00 - 2026-05-16 17:00 | Online Meeting
Dreamland Flower Farm Tuber Sale open January 17th at 10am ONLINE ONLY. Select from over 125 dahlia varieties for your garden. Organically grown dahlias, hand picked and harvested. Merrie Avallone has been growing dahlias for over 20 years.

ZOOM CALL with Grace and Pat Stamile, award-winning daylily hybridizers
2026-01-17 13:00 - 14:00 | CT Daylily Society
One-hour ZOOM call with pictures and talk. ZOOM CALL with For more information, email rg-nisley@sbcglobal.net.

Wildflower Folklore
2026-01-21 19:30 - 20:30 | Cheshire Senior Center located at 240 Maple Street, Cheshire CT, 240 Maple Street, Cheshire, CT, 06410
The Suburban Garden Club of Cheshire January meeting will be held on January 21, 2026. The topic of the presentation is Wildflower Folklore and will be given by Ken Elkins who is Director of Education and Partnerships at the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary in Southbury. His talk will include how to identify different wildflowers, their characteristics, habitats, and blooming seasons. In addition he will speak about the rich history, mythology, and cultural significance surrounding various wildflowers.

Gardeners of Simsbury Speaker Series: Update on Invasive Species by Rose Hiskes
2026-01-27 19:00 - 20:00 | Simsbury Public Library, 725 Hopmeadow St., Simsbury, CT, 06070, United States
Join the Gardeners of Simsbury as they host Rose Hiskes to discuss invasive Species updates. Learn about these pests and how they affect your garden. Register here: https://simsbury.librarycalendar.com/event/gardeners-simsbury-speaker-series-update-invasive-species-rose-hiskes-73773
Rose Hiskes works as a diagnostician and horticulturist at The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, Valley Laboratory, in Windsor, CT. Rose has a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from the University of Illinois and a master’s degree in plant science from the University of Connecticut. She has worked in the green industry for over 30 years. Some of her horticultural interests are insects, flower gardening and invasive plants. She is a volunteer with the Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group

Pesticides, Pollinators, People and Planet: What We Need to Know
2026-01-28 18:30 - 19:30 | Cheshire Public Library, 104 Main Street, Cheshire, CT, 06410
Neonicotinoids have caught the attention of the public, but they are part of the larger issues with pesticides. For many decades, we have been on the “pesticide treadmill,” with each new pesticide promoted as better and safer, until we identify the risks to human health and the environment, and then, ultimately, the target pests become resistant. Dr. Kimberly Stoner explains why information about pesticide use in our state should be available to the public, so that researchers, policy makers, and concerned citizens can make informed decisions to protect human health and the environment.
Presenter bio:
Dr. Stoner is the CT NOFA Director of Advocacy, and adjunct professor at Western CT State University, teaching a course on Public Policy for Biodiversity. She is also a member of the Pollinator Advisory Committee at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. The group promotes and protects pollinator health and biodiversity in Connecticut by advising on policies and practices that support pollinator populations, facilitate research and education related to pollinator conservation, and collaborates with stakeholders, including farmers, researchers, and conservationists.
This program is made possible by the Friends of Cheshire Public Library, the Coalition for a Sustainable Cheshire and the Cheshire Pollinator Pathway.

2026 Seed Swap
2026-01-31 10:00 - 14:00 | Waverly Senior Center, 7 Waverly Ave, Portland, CT, 06480
Garden Club Seed Swap Jan. 31
Celebrate National Seed Swap Day with the Portland River Valley Garden Club on Saturday, January 31, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Waverly Center, 7 Waverly Ave, Portland.
Thanks to our sponsors – Burpee Seeds, Harts Seeds, NE Seed, MI Gardener and Baker Creek Seeds – we have a large selection of seeds available for you to take and swap. You can also bring labeled seeds saved from your garden or unopened seed packets from last year.
Club members will be offering demos on making seed bombs, winter sowing and growing microgreens. Plant basil or chive seeds to take home. Visit River Bend Bookshop’s pop-up garden-themed book fair and learn about the Portland Library’s Seed Library. Delicious comfort food and refreshments will be available.

Admission is free; food bank donations are encouraged.
For more details, visit the Portland River Valley Garden Club website: https://portland-river-valley-garden-club.blogspot.com/

2026 Symposium announcement coming soon
2026-02-02 | CT
Stay tuned! We’ll have an announcement to make regarding our 2026 Symposium soon!

The Chamaecypris Collection Tours with Dan Christina, Blithewold’s Director of Horticulture
2026-02-03 10:00 - 11:00 | Blithewold Manor, Gardens and Arboretum, 101 Ferry Road, Bristol, RI, 02809, United States
Chamaecyparis (False Cypress) make up 15% of Blithewold Arboretum’s living collection. With more than 200 specimens growing on the property, varying in form and cultivar, you are sure to find something to be inspired by! Many of the trees that will be highlighted during the walking tour will be exhibiting their best winter color during these months, so it is definitely not a tour to miss!
This is a walking tour across the property. Please dress and plan accordingly.

Pre-registration is required.

Seedy Celebration Days
2026-02-06 09:00 - 2026-02-08 16:00 | Natureworks Garden Center, 518 Forest Road, Northford, CT, 06472
Come and Seed Shop and Learn!
Join us for the annual Seedy Celebration Days Friday through Sunday February 6-8th, 2026! 1000’s of vegetable, flower and herb seeds from the best seed companies including Seed Savers Exchange, Renee’s Garden, High Mowing, Botanical Interests, Hudson Valley, NE Seed, Livingston and Flowering Lawn will fill the shop!
Organic seed starting soils, organic composts, organic fertilizers, tools, seed sowing supplies and much more fill our shop.
Many helpful Natureworkers to answer any seedy questions and get you growing in 2026!

2026 CMGA Virtual garden Symposium Gardening For Good Resilient, Restorative, Regenerative Gardening
2026-02-07 08:00 - 17:00 | CT
Annual Gardening Symposium sponsored by the CT Master Gardener Association. Link to the event below. Registration at the link below
https://ctmga.org/symposium-2026
The event is virtual. A link to the event is provided several days prior to the event

CT Rose Society presents "Roses and Romance"
2026-02-07 10:00 - 12:00 | The Lutheran Church of Saint Mark, 75 Griswold Street, Glastonbury, CT, 06033
A special presentation by Marci Martin will delve into the Victorian language of flowers and the symbolism behind rose colors and varieties and how these have been used to express love and emotion.
Lutheran Church of ST Mark, 75 Griswold Street, Glastonbury, CT 06033
Doors open at 10 am. Guests welcome.

Foliage-Driven Garden Design
2026-02-07 11:00 - 12:00 | CT
Raise the bar for nonstop, colorful flower gardens that welcome pollinators and slash maintenance. This presentation features clever design tips and foliage-dazzling plants with pollinator-friendly flowers for year-round, head-turning gardens in sun or shade. Neighbors will be dumbfounded when they rarely see you maintaining these showcase gardens. This lecture is best suited for gardeners in hardiness Zones 3-8.
ZOOM LECTURE. Registration fee 415.95. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO ATTEND THE LIVE BROADCAST. EVERYONE RECEIVES A REPLAY LINK

Seed Starting Workshop
2026-02-07 13:00 - 15:00 | Noah Webster Memorial Library, 20 South Main Street, West Hartford, CT, 06107, United States
Seed Starting Workshop
When: Saturday, Feb 7, 2026 • 1–3 PM
Where: Noah Webster Memorial Library (Main Library)

It’s almost time to start eggplant, peppers, tomatoes (and more!). Learn timing, soil mix, lights/heat mats, watering, and how to harden off seedlings so they thrive outdoors.

This event is made possible by a collaboration between the West Hartford Garden Club & the West Hartford Library, and supported by Wild Ones

Hydrangeas
2026-02-10 11:00 - 12:00 | First Congregational Church, 23 South Main Street, WALLINGFORD, CT, 06492, United States
Wallingford Garden Club will hold February meeting on the 10th. The program will be held at the First Congregational Church, 23 South Main Street. The Program is ‘Hydrangeas’ by presenter Lorraine Ballato at 11:00. She will guide us through the proper care of hydrangeas. She is an award winning writer, speaker, horticulturist, photographer and confirmed ‘plantaholic’.
Following the program will be a BUO 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 St. and/or beyond in Town Hall public parking area. For more information, please call 203-269-2653. Check website: www.wallingfordgardenclub.com.

Pruning Woody Plants in the Landscape
2026-02-10 12:00 - 14:00 | Nathanael Greene Community Center, 32 Church Street, Guilford, CT, 06437
Leete’s Island Garden Club hosts Felicia Millett, licensed arborist and CAES Plant Diagnostician, who will present objectives that should be considered before pruning, and the proper techniques, tools and timing to achieve these goals. Guests are welcome. Please contact 203-453-0780 with questions or to register for this free event.

Foraging 101 (in-person)
2026-02-10 14:00 - 15:00 | Avon Free Public Library, 281 Country Club Rd., Avon, CT, 06001, United States
Foraging 101– The Do’s and Don’ts for getting out and finding all that it has to offer
This is an introductory class on learning how to forage, specifically in Connecticut and New England. This class will go over where and when to find forageable items, what to do with them, and safety tips. We will go over proper foraging etiquette and some of the tools you will need to get started. In the second half of the class we will go over a number of items, by season, that you can easily find in the state. We will also have some items for you to check out and even some yummy items to try as well as a few books on foraging to check out.
About our presenter: Gina Pagano is a vet tech by day, and began foraging 10 years ago. She found learning the old ways so interesting and was astounded at the amount of knowledge we have forgotten over time. With food safety, insecurity, and cost being large issues today, she wanted to learn what was available in our own back yards. She also finds incredible peace wandering the wild areas of Connecticut in search of items for food, dyes, and household use.
Please register, so we can set the community room up with appropriate seating.
Co-Sponsored by the Avon Library & Avon Clean Energy Commission

The Rhododendren Species Botanical Garden (“RSBG”) – An Introduction
2026-02-10 19:00 - 20:30 | CT
Steve Hootman is the Executive Director of Horticulture & Curator of the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden in Federal Way, Washington. He has worked at the RSBG since 1992 and has participated in or led at least thirty expeditions into the remote regions of the world looking for rare and new taxa of rhododendrons and other plants. Steve is considered one of the world authorities on the genus Rhododendron as well as woodland gardening and has introduced many dozens of rhododendrons and other ornamental plants into cultivation.

Growing Annuals from Seeds
2026-02-12 18:00 - 19:00 | CT
Felicia Millet, a research technician with the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, will present “Growing Annuals from Seeds” on Feb. 12 at 6:00 p.m. at Essex Library, 33 West Avenue, Essex, CT.
Starting annuals from seed can be a great way to produce a large number of plants for the garden while reducing the cost of purchasing seedlings. It can also introduce a wider selection of plants than what is available in garden centers in spring. This talk will discuss plant selections, materials needed, and scheduling including which annuals are good to start indoors.
This program is a collaboration of the Essex Library with the Essex Garden Club. All Essex Library programs are free and open to the public at 33 West Avenue, Essex, CT.

Traprock Ridge Annual Speer Preserve Hike
2026-02-15 09:30 - 11:30 | Speer Preserve, Juniper Road, Bloomfield
Join us at the Speer Preserve annual outing led by TRLC member John Cappadona. This short trail connects to more remote sections of MDC Reservoir 6 and Talcott Mountain State Park, which can feel very much like one is in the deep woods. The route is easy-to-moderate and will last 1.5 to 2 hours. Snowshoes are recommended, or if not, waterproof hiking boots and poles. Meet at the cul-de-sac at the top of Juniper Road in Bloomfield. Alternate date: Sunday, February 22.

Animal Embassy
2026-02-17 00:00 - 13:00 | Grace Farms, 365 Lukes Wood Road, New Canaan, CT, 06840, United States
Animal Embassy returns to Grace Farms to provide insight into animals’ amazing adaptations, and why we need to protect and respect them.
