Photos

This month’s general meeting of the Garden Club included a presentation on Identifying Native Trees and Shrubs in Connecticut by Felicia Millet, Plant Diagnostician at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station.

On July 18, members of the Garden Club took a field trip to the Ripley Waterfowl Conservancy in Litchfield, CT.

The Garden Club of Brookfield’s June general meeting began with a presentation by David Beers titled “A History of Connecticut Forests”. David is a State Forester with the State of Connecticut. We learned so many new facts about the forests and woodlands in Brookfield and throughout the state.

On Tuesday, June 18, the Garden Club held a flower arranging session at the Brookfield Senior Center. Colors of red, white and blue as we look forward to celebrating the Fourth of July. The group had lots of fun answering trivia questions about Independence Day.

The Garden Club kicked off a celebration of National Garden Week by hosting a table at Brookfield’s fourth annual Spring into Summer Block Party. Residents who stopped by our table were able to purchase a bouquet of flowers. All proceeds from our table supported the gardening activities of the club. Thank you, Brookfield!

The Garden Club of Brookfield’s May meeting included a presentation by Karen Brown titled “Companion Planting”. Karen is a Brookfield resident, a member of the club, and a 2019 UCONN Master Garden with the Fairfield Extension Office in Bethel.

Nothing daunts a gardener from being outdoors. Thirteen members of the Garden Club braved the chill and drizzle to visit New Pond Farm Education Center in Redding on Thursday, April 18. Decked out in rain gear with some of us carrying umbrellas, we traversed the trails in the woods and meadows to seek out spring ephemerals. We did manage to find such specimens as: mayapple, gill over the ground, trout lily, rue anemone, and red trillium.

The Garden Club was happy to welcome Cheryl Basztura to our March meeting. Cheryl gave a lively presentation about the birds that she has seen and photographed in her backyard and on her world-wide travels.  Interesting and sometimes amusing stories accompanied the varied species that we were able to see and learn about.  It may have been chilly outside but had a lovely springtime-themed spread provided by our refreshment hostesses. And our creative raffle committee found the best bird and springtime-themed items this month.  It was our club’s first attempt at a photo display for our artistic exhibits and they gave the judges a workout to try to decide on the best.  Our horticultural exhibit asked for the expression of spring in branches with buds.  Members braved the chill to search their gardens for the best specimens to show.  All-in-all a great meeting and a wonderful morning.

The Garden Club was really pleased to finally kick off our 2024 meetings on February 15.  We were treated to a lively and fact-filled presentation (not to mention some really great photos) about Bears and Bird feeding given by Phil Robbins of Brookfield’s Wild Birds Unlimited.  Valentine themed artistic exhibits, evergreen horticulture exhibits, a pink/red food feast, and a wonderful raffle rounded out the morning.  Thank you, Phil!