AWAY FROM HOME
Garden Club Events
The Manchester Garden Club welcomes horticulturalist Nancy DuBrule-Clemente, owner of Natureworks, in Northford, Nov. 12, 7 p.m., at Center Congregational Church. DuBrule-Clemente will teach about pruning. Light refreshments served. $5 donation suggested for guests.
The Cherry Brook Garden Club’s monthly speaker is Howland Blackiston, author of “Beekeeping for Dummies,” a book on beekeeping in the nation, on Nov. 13. The meeting begins at 10 a.m. at the Community Room of the Canton Community
Center, 40 Dyer Ave. The talk will begin at 11. 860-693 2262.
The Wallingford Garden Club will meet Nov. 13 at the First Congregational Church, 23 S. Main Street. A luncheon is featured at 11:30 a.m. with sandwiches and desserts. Shirley Lagerstrom will do the table design. Guest fee is $5. There will be a short business meeting and then Julie Hulten will discuss “The Story and Folklore Surrounding Sleeping Giant State Park.” Prior to the meeting, there will be a design workshop for members only.
The South Windsor Down to Earth Garden Club meets Nov. 14, 7 p.m., at Avery Street Christian Reformed Church, 661 Avery St., South Windsor. Rich Bartoes, Connecticut sales rep, Hopewell Nursery, will discuss “Conifers and Dwarf Evergreens for Small Gardens.” There will also be discussion on planting, care and problems as well as pruning. 860-644-8165, swgardenclub.org.
The Connecticut Horticultural Society welcomes Leslie Duthie discussing “Fronds with Benefits: Ferns From the Wild to the Garden” during a
Nov. 15 meeting at Emanuel Synagogue Auditorium, 160 Mohegan Drive, West Hartford. Duthie will discuss how ferns grow from fiddlehead to frond and how to incorporate these plants into your landscape. Nonmembers pay a drop-in fee of $10. Speaker starts at 7:30 p.m. cthort.org
The Kensington Garden Club will meet at 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 15 at the Berlin Community Center Multipurpose Room, 230 Kensington Road, Kensington. There will be a short business meeting followed by “Gardening is Murder,” a program presented by Neil Sanders, author of 12 mysteries, seven of which involve horticulture and several of those which use garden club settings. Free. kensingtongardenclub.net
The Garden Gate Club of Mansfield will meet Nov. 19 at the Buchanan Auditorium of the
Mansfield Public Library, Route 89, Mansfield Center. Refreshments served at 6:30 p.m., followed by a brief business meeting. Betsy Terrell will start her demonstration of a holiday floral arrangement at 7:15. Garden Gate members can sign up to make and bring home their own arrangement; visitors welcome to observe and learn. reniesteinway@gmail.com.
The East Windsor Garden Club will meet Nov. 20, 6:30 p.m., at the Park Hill Community Room. The program is a make and take fall/winter arrangement make and take project.
Lori Chips discusses “Hypertufa Containers: Planting a Trough Garden” during the Hardy Plant Society’s Nov. 28 meeting at The Solomon Welles House, Wethersfield. Hypertufa containers, made from a mix of cement, perlite, peat and water, are striking and versatile containers that allow the gardener to customize the planting medium to grow varieties that might flounder in a border situation. Chips is the alpine manager at Oliver Nurseries in Fairfield. Socializing begins at 7 p.m., with the speaker at 7:30. Donation of $10 for nonmembers. cthardyplantsociety.org
The Glastonbury Garden Club will hold its annual holiday dinner and Yankee swap on Dec. 3 at St. Luke’s Church, 915 Main St. South Glastonbury, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Members are asked to bring a garden-related item for the swap. There will also be the annual collection of mittens, gloves, scarves and hats which will be donated to A Place of Grace Church Pantry in Hartford. Members only meeting. 860-633-2283.
OTHER EVENTS
Art, Crafts Show
The 2018 Holiday Art & Fine Crafts Show will be Nov. 10, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Nov. 11, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Connecticut Convention Center, 100 Columbus Blvd., Hartford. More than 75 juried high-quality designers, artists and crafters from throughout New England, as well as Philadelphia and New York will sell jewelry, pottery, weaving and textiles, paintings, metal arts, woodworking, furniture, photography, clothing, candles, soaps, gourmet goodies, and other creative holiday gifts. Several of the artists also will present live demonstrations at their booths. $8 adults; free for children and teens under age 14; half-price admission discount with presentation of an Open Studio Hartford Weekend program. ctartcraftshow.com
Craft Fair
A benefit for Medical Aid to Haiti (MATH) will be held Nov. 10, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Nov. 11, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Church of St. Peter Claver, 47 Pleasant St., West Hartford. Fifty New England artisans will offer handcrafted wares at the 11th annual Craft Festival & Marketplace. Shop directly with the makers for gifts and treasures in pottery, glass, wood, jewelry, fiber arts, photography, soaps, candles, stationery, home furnishings, gourmet edibles and much more. A café offers homemade soups, sandwiches and baked goods. Live acoustic musicians and an outdoor petting zoo with live alpacas add to the festivities. Parking and admission are free. medicalaidtohaiti.org
House Tour
The Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society will host the West Hartford House Tour on Nov. 11 from noon to 4 p.m. The purpose of the house tour is to explore the history of West Hartford through its neighborhoods by examining its rich stock of architecture and learning about the people who have made, and continue to make, the town their home. This year’s house tour will be in the “Vanderbilt Hill” neighborhood. This name hearkens back to a time in the 1800s when the famous Vanderbilt family owned land in West Hartford. Today, Vanderbilt Hill encompasses West Hill Drive and Walbridge Road. Tickets are $30 in advance ($25 museum members). Tickets are $35 after Nov. 9 and at the door. Tickets to the reception at St. John’s Episcopal Church are $15 (purchase by Nov. 9). noahwebster.yapsody.com.
Japanese Maples Discussion
Kevin Wilcox, the Connecticut Horticultural Society’s resident horticulturalist, will familiarize guests with the world of Japanese Maples on Nov. 13, 6 p.m., during his talk, “Hardy Japanese Maples: The Species, the Cultivars and How to Grow Them.” Wilcox will help you to understand which variety to choose for your yard. You’ll also learn how to care for your Japanese Maple so that it will reward you with years of beauty. The talk is at Naugatuck Valley Community College (NVCC), Ekstrom Hall, Room E320 (3rd floor), Waterbury. Free to students with a valid ID; $15 for members of CT Hort; $20 for guests. cthort.org .
Thanksgiving Centerpiece Workshop/Holiday Open House
A Thanksgiving floral centerpiece “Make it & Take it” workshop is Nov. 15 at 9:30 a.m., 4:30 or 6:15 p.m. at Woodland Gardens in Manchester. Cost starts at $22. Fresh flowers in all the shades of fall. Pre-registration is required: 860-643-8474; WoodlandGardensCT.com. A Holiday open house will be held Nov. 17, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Decorating demonstrations, live music and refreshments while you come and enjoy the fully Decorated Holiday Wonderland. woodlandGardensCT.com
Author Event
The Hickory Stick Bookshop in Washington will host an author signing with Barbara Paul Robinson on Nov 17 at 3 p.m. Robinson will sign copies of her latest book, “Heroes in Horticulture: Americans Who Transformed the Landscape.” The book tells the stories of 18 heroes of horticulture – institution builders, plant explorers, and garden creators – who have all had a major impact on the American landscape. Three of them worked together to establish The Garden Conservancy to preserve exceptional gardens for the public. Free. 860-868 0525, hickorystickbookshop.com
Elizabeth Park Conservancy Events
A Connecticut Iris Society Fall Cleanup will be Nov. 17, 9 a.m. to noon. Participants are asked to bring their own gloves and tools. The rain/snow date for the event is Dec. 1. elizabethparkct.org or 860-231-9443 Ext. 101.
The Conservancy’s annual Holiday Coffee Reception will be Dec. 5, 9:30 to 11 a.m., at the Pond House Cafe, 1555 Asylum Ave., West Hartford. Short remarks by president and CEO Christine Doty at 10. Reservations required by Nov. 30. elizabethparkct.org
Christmas Floral Arrangements
Bob Buettner, of Paul Buettner Florist Inc. in East Hartford, will demonstrate how to make Christmas floral arrangements in the program room of the Tolland Public Library on Dec. 4 at 6:30 p.m. Registration is required: 860-871-3620. — Amy Ellis, aellis@courant.com