joene's garden » CT Grown

Native Plants from the Connecticut Conservation Districts

joenesgarden — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 02:18:41 +0000

Native Plants from the Connecticut Conservation Districts

One way to improve the diversity of the plant offerings in your landscape is to plant natives. Native plants, shrubs and trees do a bang up job of attracting native insects which, in turn, help feed native birds and pollinators that will improve yields of edible and ornamental flora in your gardens.

Read more on native plants in In Search of Natives, an article I wrote for Connecticut Gardener.

Connecticut gardeners have a wonderful opportunity to purchase many native plants, shrubs and trees through the various Connecticut Conservation Districts' plant sales. Follow this link and click on the district in which you are located to find the plant sale specifics of your region.

Those of you in my district, The Connecticut River Coastal Conservation District, can download the plant sale brochure here. There are many, difficult to locate, native shrubs and trees available in the brochure. Before ordering check out the photo/info database for each plant so you know their needs and characteristics. I'm quite impressed that they have Pagoda Dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) and American Wisteria (Wisteria frutescens 'Amethyst Falls') among the natives offered this year.

Proceeds from the plant sale support the many conservation and water quality programs offered by the Connecticut Conservation Districts. But don't wait … orders must be received by April 1, 2013.

Categories: CT Grown, Gardening, Perennials & Annuals.
Tags: Connecticut Conservation Districts, Connecticut Gardener, Connecticut River Coastal Conservation District plant sale, gardening in Connecticut, Native plant sale.

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Don’t Miss the CHS Plant Sale & Auction

joenesgarden — Thu, 10 May 2012 13:27:18 +0000

Don’t Miss the CHS Plant Sale & Auction

The timing could not be better … a pre-Mother's Day plant sale and auction that supports scholarships for horticulture students all courtesy of The Connecticut Horticultural Society (CHS) this Friday, May 11, 2012 at the Tolland County Agricultural Center, 24 Hyde Ave., Vernon.

Admission: FREE

Doors open for previews: 5:30 pm

Plant sale starts at 7:00 pm.

Pick out shrubs, bulbs, wildflowers, perennials … all donated by CHS members. Prices range from 50 cents to $5.

Auction begins at 7:15 pm.

CHS raises scholarship funds mainly through its spring and fall plant auctions. Since 1959 this fund has awarded about $150,000. Students in horticulture programs at the University of Connecticut and Naugatuck Valley Community College apply for these scholarships.

It's a win-win all around. Mom receives plants grown in other Connecticut gardens and the proceeds of your purchase go to furthering horticultural knowledge and education.

If not for a prior family commitment you'd have to elbow me out of the way for the best deals! If you cannot make it to the sale, consider a monetary donation to the CHS Scholarship Fund. Visit www.cthort.org or call 860-529-8713.

Garden thoughtfully … and enjoy the sale and auction.

Photo courtesy of Colleen Fitzpatrick, Director of Communications, Connecticut Horticultural Society

Categories: CT Grown, Horticulture Groups.
Tags: Connecticut Horticultural Society, gardening in Connecticut, plant sale and auction.

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Eat CT

joenesgarden — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 14:00:51 +0000

Eat CT

Common autumn outings in Connecticut include going apple picking and wandering through a pumpkin patch for the perfect Halloween decorations. Breathing in the sweet ripe-fruit aroma that wafts from apple-heavy trees is one autumn joy that should be on everyone's bucket list and … how can you not smile while watching a child's delight when they find their pumpkin.

It's easy to locate the Connecticut farms nearest your home or those specializing in the type of product or produce you seek. Just go to http://www.buyctgrown.com/ and type your zip code and how far you want to travel, or the product or specific farm you're looking for. You can even search the in season link for specific vegetables, fruits, dairy and egg products, herbs, meat, seafood or fish, specialty foods and other state-grown products like nursery plants, fiber products, livestock, handicrafts, liquor and energy. It's a pretty impressive list for such a small state.

Looking for those cute little white pumpkins? Click on Baby Poo Pumpkins and up pops a map of CT filled with markers linking to the farms selling Baby Poos.

Want a specific type of apple for pies, sauce or just plain eating? You can search these too, then follow each farms link to learn more.

But if you want a behind-the-scene look at the people who produce the produce, check out the book Connecticut Farmer & Feast: Harvesting Local Bounty. Author and chef Emily Brooks visited more than 40 of Connecticut's farms and talked to the farmers running them. In the book, she shares her experiences and the recipes she developed using products from each farm.

Readers can peruse the book's Middlesex County chapter to learn about beef and dairy products at Deerfield Farm, the ongoing events and produce (including pick-your-own) of Lyman Orchards, the history behind the greenhouses, fruits and vegetables and Christmas trees available at Staehly Farms, and how Starlight Gardens came to be the late-life career and love of its owners.

Individual chapters highlight farms in each of Connecticut's other counties – Fairfield, Hartford, Litchfield, New Haven, New London, Tolland, and Windham.

Each story is unique, intriguing and brings to light the diverse backgrounds of just a few of Connecticut's farmers … a group that certainly deserves our respect and support.

So before frost bites Connecticut's apples and diminishes outdoor production of locally-grown produce, take some time to get to know a local farmer and eat a bit of CT.

Categories: CT Grown, On the Bookshelf, Seasons.
Tags: Buy CT Grown, Connecticut Farmer & Feast, Connecticut grown, Deerfield Farm, Emily Brooks, Lyman Orchards, Staehly Farms, Starlight Gardens.

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