The Riverside Garden Club extended its civic reach this year by spearheading a new project which both pays homage to the past and supports the ongoing beauty of the greater Greenwich community – the Putnam Cottage Historic Kitchen Garden restoration.
Restoration of the existing garden entailed researching colonial kitchen gardens in New England in order to identify and prune plants to be saved as well as planting additional herbs. This was followed by clearing the beds and lining the pathways with locally sourced shells. A list of herbs with their traditional culinary and/or medicinal uses will be available for visitors to the garden so please stop by and see our handiwork.
Continuing with the Club’s support of bringing a greater understanding of the natural world to youth in Greenwich, the Club held its annual Binney Park field trip for fifth-grade students from North Mianus school. 86 students participated in a scavenger hunt, a hike through Binney Woods, a demonstration of bee-keeping and pond life.
The Club also continued its 105-year tradition of maintaining the gardens at Riverside Train Station – the Pollinator Garden by Oval Avenue, the Japanese Garden by the train station house and the Dogwood Tree Garden east of the train station house.
Other activities for the Club this year included a wine and cheese kickoff meeting in September followed by The Great American Flower Show which was presented by both RGC and the Garden Club of Old Greenwich. A presentation on the care of trees by Bill Logan, founder and President of Urban Arborists, in October.
In November, the Club continued its new tradition of making holiday floral arrangements for various local schools, libraries and adult care centers. In December, the Club celebrated the holiday with a festive party at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church which was decorated with floral designs. January’s meeting focused on houseplant propagation with a presentation by Tiana Santasiere of the Greenwich Botanical Center.
In February, members of the Club travelled to Hartford to attend the annual CT Flower Show. March’s meeting focused on CT’s Historic, Public and Private Gardens with a presentation by Caryn Davis, an award-winning landscape photographer. “That Garden Guy”, Lee Ganim, provided attendees at the April meeting with expert advice on a number of gardening topics. Club members that month also travelled to see the Orchid Show at the NY Botanical Garden. “Shade Gardening” was the focus at the May meeting with Michael Ruggiero, former Sr. Curator for Horticulture at the NY Botanical Garden.
The Club’s 105th year ended on June 12 with a lovely luncheon and plant swap at The Riverside Yacht Club. Awards were given to Club members wo made significant contributions: Laura Petit, Terry Lubman, Chrissy Gremp and our out-going and much loved president, Cindy Lindemeyer.
Anyone interested in joining the Riverside Garden Club can send an email to riversidectgardenclub@gmail.com. Also, please visit our website at riversidectgardenclub.org for information on programs and membership. The first two meetings you attend are free. We hope to see you there!
