News

The annual Spring Market returns Saturday, May 10 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 baked goods, all wrapped and ready to take home.

Our Master Gardeners will be on hand to help answer any of your garden questions and arborists from Davey Tree will also be there to answer tree and yard questions. Come support our club’s mission of conservation, sharing gardening knowledge and civic beautification through the maintenance of eight community gardens. Special thanks to our sponsor drbank and supporting sponsor Davey Tree Expert Company for their support!

Join us at the Potting Shed at the Rowayton Community Center where, guided by teachers, children will explore nature’s wonders and expand their love of science.

Our spring series will include four programs:

• April 23 – The Wonders of Soil
• April 30 – The Majesty of Trees
• May 14 – The Beauty and Bounty of Flowers
• May 21 – The Ingenuity of Pollinators

Each program will be held after school Wednesdays from 4:00–5:00 pm.

• The programs will be offered as a series (4 classes) or as individual classes.
• Individual classes cost $35 with a discounted fee of $120 for the full series.
• Scholarships to support students are available upon request.

We can only accommodate 15 children (7-10 year olds), so please register as soon as possible. Hope to see you there!

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.

Click HERE to sign up!

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

“Top Five Garden Problems and How to Solve Them” by Karla Dalley

The Rowayton Gardeners and guests turned out on a cold and damp April morning for speaker Karla Dalley’s presentation “Top Five Garden Problems and How to Solve Them” on Thursday, April 3. Karla shared tips and her expertise on a variety of topics with the appreciative audience. Her informative talk was followed by a Q and A session, so everyone could benefit from her experience.

Karla Dalley has been gardening since she was a youngster. A former lawyer, Karla is an avid gardener, lecturer, garden columnist and author of a popular gardening blog, Gardendaze.

THANKS TO ALL who donated food and funds to buy more breakfast goodies for Person to Person, plus all the hardworking Rowayton Gardeners who planned and staffed the event. Here’s the Person to Person van filled with donations – top photo is RG President Bridget Bennett (left) with Food Drive Chair Julie Griffiths and bottom photo (left to right) is Ellen Bobka, Ellen Duggins, Mariann Covello, Bridget Bennett, Julie Griffiths, Sarah Boles and Lisa Lahaussois.

Huge thanks to all of our amazing members that volunteered and donated to this year’s event!

The turnout was fantastic and we collected :
1173 lbs of food
$700 in grocery gift cards
$2200 in donations

Everyone can still give at this link here to make a donation. Please join in this effort to provide nourishing meals for individuals and families who are food insecure in lower Fairfield County!

“Around the World in 80 Gardens” by Dr. Richard Benfield

The March Rowayton Gardeners’ Program was just the antidote after a cold winter season for the appreciative members and guests who were mesmerized by Dr. Richard Benfield’s presentation “Around the World in 80 Gardens.” (Shown in the first image below with Rowayton Gardeners President Bridget Bennett and Vice President Kevin Tepas at right). The magnificent and colorful photos along with Dr. Benfield’s vast knowledge and repartee, took us on a global sojourn to Singapore, Australia, the Seychelles, the Canary Islands, Europe and the English gardens of Richard’s home country, as well as to unique gardens in Canada and the United States. Dr. Benfield generously brought seed packets for members to take home. It was a memorable morning, to be sure!

Dr. Benfield is the former Chair and Professor of Geography at Central Connecticut State University. His current research interests include biogeography, garden tourism and the use of tourism as a conservation tool through the great botanic gardens of the world.

Thanks to all who joined us to ‘Think Spring’ with a mini escape from those midwinter doldrums for a program called “Design a Sunny Perennial Border” on ZOOM February 6 with Jana Millbocker, lecturer, author and owner of Enchanted Gardens. Her lectures combine horticulture, design and travel tips to educate, inspire and delight new as well as seasoned gardeners.

Jana explained how to create garden borders that will delight us with colorful blooms and flowers for cutting from spring to fall. We learned about plant layering, new and reliable perennials, companion plants and design techniques that will make your garden POP.

During the program we also had Kelle Ruden, the 2nd VP & Membership chair from The Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut, Inc. attend to present three awards we received in 2024: the Luckner Youth Award for our after school educational program (ages 6-10); the Youth Award Club Citation for educational puppet shows (Kindergarteners) and the very prestigious Tribute Award to Amy Tyson for the outstanding work she does for our club.

It was a proud moment for all.

The 2025 season of Rowayton Gardeners Programs and Field Trips kicked off at our perennial favorite New Year Brunch on Thursday, January 9 at the Community Center. RG members braved the cold, blustery winter weather for the January Kick-Off Brunch and meeting!

Attendees were treated to great food plus an information packed presentation by member John Nestro, a certified Master Arborist, with Davey Tree Expert Company.

The Rowayton Gardeners annual Christmas Market was the place to be on Saturday morning December 7! Thanks to all who came and shopped our festive decor plus sponsor The Fairfield County Bank as well as supporting sponsors Cross Private Client Insurance (Rand), Tammy Langalis & Katie Sparkman with William Raveis. Happy Holidays!

Rowayton Gardeners’ Program Chair, Amy Tyson, presented “Seasons of Change at Egret Landing”  on Thursday, November 7 at 10:30 am in the Moose Room at the Rowayton Community Center.

Tim and Amy Tyson have owned ‘Egret Landing,’ located in the private community of Wilson Point, since 2009. The presentation details the magical transformation of the property over the past fifteen years.

Amy allowed a ‘virtual walk-about’ of the 1.6-acre property which has been featured in CTCottages and Gardens and East Coast Home and Design. Egret Landing was selected to participate in the highly esteemed Garden Conservancy tours, in June 2024.

Amy shared the vision, planning, and process required to create this one-of-a-kind wonderland. Following the presentation, there was a drawing for a few of Amy’s favorite books on Gardening.

Trees in Our City: Why They Matter and How You Can Get Involved

An In-Person Talk by Arborist Sarah Cruz  at Norwalk Library

Thursday, November 7, 6:30-7:30pm – Register by email HERE

Join in a discussion on the importance of trees and how Norwalk is working to grow and maintain our urban forest. Learn about the tree planting program, the Tree Master Plan and how the community can participate by requesting or adopting a tree as well as volunteering. Learn about projects like the Microforest at Meadow St Park. Help shape the future of our trees—your input is welcome!

Presenter: Sarah Cruz is Norwalk’s City Arborist and Horticulturist, dedicated to keeping Norwalk’s Urban Forest healthy and thriving. She leads the Tree Planting Program, Tree Master Plan, and Tree Inventory projects, working closely with City departments to ensure proper care and long-term sustainability of Norwalk’s trees. With a Bachelor of Science in Conservation Biology and certification as a CT and ISA Arborist, Sarah has been worked in urban forestry since 2016.

The talk is co-hosted by Norwalk River Watershed Association, Norwalk Land Trust, the City of Norwalk, and the Norwalk Library. Norwalk Library is at 1 Belden Avenue, Norwalk.