News

The January New Year’s Kick-off Brunch is one of the RGs favorite meetings. Homemade baked goods and savory dishes were contributed by our talented home cooks. Member John Nestro, who is a certified arborist for Davey Tree Company, presented an interesting and informative program on “Tree Preservation.”

John is a certified arborist with The Davey Tree Expert Company and serves as our second Assistant Treasurer, plus he is the committee chair for the Rowayton School Pond. In his presentation, John discussed the importance of tree preservation and soil care. He notes that we are often focused on what the canopy looks like above ground and adds that we tend to overlook the other half of the tree – the roots. John informed us about the hazards that trees face underground and tell us how to mitigate these issues, so that the trees can continue to live long and happy lives.

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s ” plant hardiness zone map ” was updated Wednesday for the first time in a decade, and it shows the impact that climate change will have on gardens and yards across the country.

Climate shifts aren’t even — the Midwest warmed more than the Southeast, for example. Read more about it via CT Insider here!

The National Wildlife Federation has created a cool new tool to help us feed the birds with our choice of plants. Put in your location and find plants. Next to each tree, flower or shrub photo is the number of butterfly and moth species that feed on the plant as caterpillars — yum. We have a lot of power in our own hands to stop the decline of the bird population and fill our yards with color and life. Good Luck!

Here is the link:  www.nwf.org/nativeplantfinder

Forty members and guests attended this month’s general meeting and program at the Rowayton Community Center. The presentation by Jan Johnsen, principal of Johnsen’s Landscapes and Pools, “Learning from Before and After” was highly informative and inspiring.

Jan Johnsen has been a principal in Johnsen Landscapes and Pools, a landscape design-and-build firm based in Westchester, NY, for more than thirty years. A favorite speaker of our club members, Jan used illustrative before and after photos of various projects which she has executed throughout her career. She shared specific tips, techniques and design possibilities to make-over or enhance your garden.

Attendees received a plant list and were able to participate in a drawing for a copy of one of Ms. Johnsen’s books: Gardentopia (2019) or Floratopia (2021).  After an informative Q and A, her books will be available for purchase and signing. Jan is pictured here with RG Member Charlotte Gannon (left) and RG President Bridget Bennet (right).

Leaving leaves in your planting beds enriches your soil and gives shelter to overwintering insect larvae essential to birds arriving in Spring. More info found in this article from Treehugger.com sourced by RG Margot Epprecht at the link below.  So, “Leaf a Leaf, Plz!”

Read the article at the link here.

Thanks to everyone for making this year’s carvathon so special!

Pumpkins will be available for pick up Sunday Oct 22nd after 10am outside in the Potting shed garden

Here’s an article about the spotted lanternfly from the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station that is filled with facts about this new plant pest. Thanks to Vice President Kevin Tepas for bringing this to our attention!  Read the article here.

Also please not that between now and Spring, if people see these spotted lantern fly eggs on surfaces, they should try to remove them. This video shows how and the link has some other information on these invasives as well. Thanks to RG Margo Epprecht for sharing this link. Watch the video here!

Horticulture Magazine suggests 10 plants for bug control in your kitchen garden. Try them out, then tell us what you think! Keep those persistent bugs at bay! Click here for more information.