News

The annual Spring Market returns Saturday, May 11 at the Potting Shed located behind the Rowayton Community Center from 10 am to 1 pm (rain or shine). It is a wonderland of over 400 hearty and gorgeous perennials donated from our local gardens plus pollinator-friendly plants, herbs and greenhouse-grown veggies, as well as a limited number of fabulous annuals. And don’t miss the Second Hand Rose boutique, loaded with lightly used garden items and home accessories. Plus this year there will be a cafe with a great selection of home backed goods, all wrapped and ready to take home.

Our Master Gardeners will be on hand to help answer your garden questions and arborists from Davey Tree will also be there to answer tree and yard questions. Come support the club’s mission of conservation, planting and maintaining several of Rowayton’s public gardens, introducing children to the joy of growing living things and raising community awareness about the environment. Special thanks to our sponsor drbank and supporting sponsor Davey Tree Expert Company for their support.

Dirt Fest at the Potting Shed is back by popular demand Friday, April 26 from 4-5:30 pm. Calling all kids and adults too – this is the Potting Shed event you have been waiting for. You will be able to start your own veggie garden as well as create “creature lodges” to bring home using a hammer, scrap wood and nails. Enjoy a child-friendly dinner and our ever-popular “dirt and gummy worms” dessert and much, much more!

This is NOT a drop-off activity. The cost per adult/child combo is $70 and $30 per additional child. Ideal for children ages 6-11 and adults of all ages. Space is limited so please register as soon as possible. Scholarships Available.

Please note your registration fee supports many community projects and events at the Rowayton Gardeners’ Potting Shed. Sign up here!

Questions or need further info? Contact: Elizabeth Harleman (eharleman@gmail.com)

The Rowayton Gardeners are happy to announce that the children’s after-school nature program is back in action this spring! Join us at the Potting Shed to explore nature’s wonders right outside our shed. Guided by instructors, children will learn about the interdependence between people, animals and plants. Our spring series will focus on the wonder of seeds and soil, trees, flowers and the food they produce.

The four sessions will be offered as a package available to children ages 7-10 on Wednesdays from 4:00-5:15 pm on May 1, May 15, May 22 and May 29. The fee of $140.00 will cover the cost of four programs, class materials and a snack. Scholarships available.

We can only accommodate 15 children, so please register as soon as possible. Register and pay online. There are no refunds for classes missed by the students. Should a class be cancelled by the Rowayton Gardeners, there will be a make-up class or refund offered. Sign up here!

Questions or need further info? Contact: Elizabeth Harleman (eharleman@gmail.com)

Over 45 people braved the weather to attend the RG April Program at the Rowayton Community Center by Kim Eierman called “Gardening Strategies for the Climate Crisis.” She offered great tips on plant selection and planting for pollinators to improve the environment around you, by starting in your own yard and garden.

Kim Eierman is a noted ecological landscape designer and environmental horticulturist. She is the founder of EcoBenefical, LLC, author of two books and a member of the Ecological Landscape Alliance and Garden Communicators International. Here she is (at left) pictured with Program Committee Member Judy Heilmann (right).

The UConn Extension & Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Wildlife Division has published a Connecticut Native Perennial, Tree and Shrub Availability List online with links to resources including: Participating Nurseries Map, CT Native Tree and Shrub List, CT Native Perennial List, Nursery Address and Contact List, Native Trees, Shrubs, and Perennials Pollinator and Bloom Time Information and more. Thank you to RG Amy Tyson for passing along this info!

Visit the website at the link here.

THANKS TO ALL who donated food and funds to buy more breakfast goodies for Person to Person plus the hardworking Rowayton Gardeners who planned and staffed the event. Pictured here left to right: first row Cathy Konstantin, Bridget Bennett, Julie Griffiths, Amy Tyson, Lisa Lauhaussois, and in back Carol Giunta, Ellen Bieber, Mary Divett and Sarah Ritchie) Everyone can still give via QR code below!

Please join us in this effort to provide nourishing meals for individuals and families who are food insecure in lower Fairfield County. Any questions, email Julie Griffiths at jules10028@gmail.com.

Advanced Master Gardener Lorraine Ballato’s wealth of knowledge and love of teaching was on display at the Rowayton Gardeners general meeting on Thursday, March 7. An expert on horticulture and hydrangeas, Lorraine delivered an information-packed talk on “Success with Hydrangeas” to over 50 attendees!

She is pictured here (at left) with Linda Paolini, RG Program Committee member.

It was a full house as members and non-members enjoyed a program by Sefra Alexandra called “The Ecotype Project: Putting the Right Plant in the Right Place” at the Rowayton Community Center.

Sefra Alexandra, an internationally known ethnobotanist who is also known as ‘The Seed Huntress,’ is on a hunt to preserve uncultivated landscapes and transform them into productive habitats by rewilding pollinator corridors. In her presentation, Sefra explored native plants that are grown from an area’s wild-collected seeds and explained the delicacy as well as the diversity of our native habitats.

The Seed Huntress also stressed the importance of choosing the right plant for the right place to sustain birds, pollinators, and other wildlife. Sefra has conducted seed conservation field work around the world, fortifying community seed banks on island nations after natural disasters. She is also the coordinator of the Ecoptype Project for the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Connecticut.

Here she is below with Kathleen Raby, RG Program Committee member (left) and (left to right) Kathleen Raby, Program Committee member, Kevin Tepas, RG Co-Vice President,  Sefra Alexandra and Lisa Lahaussois, RG Co-Vice President.

There was also Eco59 merchandise on display, available on their website: eco59.com

Did you know that gas-powered lawn equipment is endangering our air quality? With 2-stroke engines that do not have pollution controls, this equipment is contributing to air pollutants proven to be detrimental to human health: small particular matter, nitrogen oxides (ozone-forming), excess CO2 as well as toxins such as benzene, formaldehyde and 1,3 butadiene.

Fairfield County ranks 28th highest of 3,100 counties in the U.S. for fine particulate matter, 27th for nitrogen oxide and 33rd for Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s). See this information and more by a non-profit Frontier Group at the link below. You can make a difference!