AWAY FROM HOME
Garden club events
The Glastonbury Garden Club will meet on Feb. 4, (snow date Feb. 11), at St. Luke’s Church, 915 Main St., South Glastonbury, from 7 to 9 p.m. Member Carol Quish from the UCONN Home and Garden Education Center will share her expertise on keeping your garden healthy. Control measures for insects and diseases will be discussed. Anyone, with an interest in gardening and/or floral design is invited to join, regardless of experience. 860-633-2283 for member information.
Simsbury Garden Club hosts “Biological Seed Planting” by Kris McCue, the Greater Hartford Connecticut chapter leader of the Bionutrient Food Association on Jan. 28. Kris will discuss the benefits of planting your own seeds, that quality matters, and invites us to grow great-tasting and highly nutritious food. She has had a life-long connection with the George Hall Organic Farm in West Simsbury, from her first job, to currently founding, managing and maintaining the 8,000-square-foot BFA Biological Demonstration Garden there. The Simsbury Garden Club meets at the Simsbury Farms Apple Barn for monthly at 11:30 a.m. for a light lunch, followed by a general meeting, then a guest presentation. The public is invited. There is a $10 guest fee. simsburygardenclub.org
The Orchard Valley Garden Club of Southington is accepting applications for a $1,500 scholarship to a Southington graduating senior who is continuing his or her education with any of the following majors: agronomy, botany, city planning, conservation, environmental studies, floriculture, forestry, horticulture, land management, landscape design, plant pathology, or allied subjects. Qualifying criteria and contact information is listed at orchardvalleygardenclub.weebly .com or southingtonschools.org (search scholarship).
OTHER EVENTS
Songbirds of the Northeast
Naturalist John Root teaches how to recognize this region’s songbirds by their songs and calls as well as discuss the role of song in these birds’ lives, as well as their diet, social behavior and other adaptations for survival Feb. 11 at 6:30 p.m. At Wells-Turner Memorial Library in Glastonbury. This presentation will feature both stunning photographs of the songbirds and recordings of their
songs. Also learn how to provide an attractive habitat in your garden for your favorite birds. Seating is limited; registration is requested. wtmlib.info
Lil Plant Shop classes
Learn the Japanese art of Kokedama and its origin and make your own string garden Jan. 19 at 2 p.m. $25 includes materials. Learn the basics of bonsai and create your own bonsai garden Jan. 26 at 2 p.m. The Li’l Plant Shop is at 52 West Main St., Plainville. Call 860-839-1110 to reserve a spot. Come in from the cold
Ballek’s Garden Center hosts an afternoon in the greenhouses exploring the world of indoor plants. Jan. 19 at 3 p.m. at Ballek’s Garden Center, 90 Maple Ave., East Haddam. balleksgardencenter.org or 860-873-8878
Love and Roses – A Valentine Special
The next Connecticut Rose Society meeting will host a romantic presentation by Mirjana Toyn and Michael Russo. Toyn will present a story of roses and their significance in portraying love. Russo will present his collection of antique Valentine cards. The meeting will be held on February 3 at 2:00 pm at the The Congregational Church of Plainville, 130 West Main St. Doors open at 1:30 pm. Free and open to the public.
Soup’s On potluck and photography talk
The Connecticut Daylily Society hosts a potluck lunch with Marlene Harmon with a presentation on garden photography Jan. 19 at the Avon Senior Center. Marlene, along with her husband Carl, have operated the glorious Harmon Hill Farm, in New Hampshire, since 1998. They specialize in modern northern and Region 4 hybridizers’ introductions, as well as carry a large number of hardy southern cultivars.
Potluck lunch begins at noon, followed by a brief business meeting and Harmon’s presentation at 1 p.m. Bring a soup, stew, chowder or accompaniment to share. There will be daylily door prizes, and attendance is free of charge to anyone with a passion for plants. See Harmon’s work at harmonhillfarm.com.
Quiche dinner and seed event
The Hillstown Grange is holding a quiche dinner and Free Garden Seed event on Jan. 24. Doors open at 6 p.m for a quiche dinner of 2 slices of a variety of quiches, salad, desert and drink for a donation of $5. The Agricultural Committee will offer seed packets at 7 p.m. The grange will also be announcing a schedule for a new series about gardening with a master gardener and composter, as well as the Ag Fair growing challenge. 617 Hills St., East Hartford. 860-690-2845 or hillstowngrange@aol.com.
Winter bird walks
The Connecticut Audubon hosts guided walks at Deer Pond Farm, 57 Wakeman Hill Road, Sherman, to enjoy the sights and sounds of winter visiting birds. Miley Bull, senior director of science and conservation, will help identify, share information and answer questions. All levels of birders are welcome. Binoculars available to borrow. Allow for an average of two hours and 1.5 to 2 miles. Participants are advised to dress for the weather, with wool hats, gloves and socks, and to bring a water bottle, walking stick, binoculars, camera and a sense of adventure. Inclement weather cancels. Walks will be held Jan. 23, 26 and 31 at 9 a.m. And are free for members, $5 for nonmembers, $10 for a family of nonmembers. Register at ctaudubon.org/deerpond-farm-programs-classes.
Boat Show
Hartford Boat Show will dock at the new Earth Expo Center at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, through Jan. 20 with the theme “Boating Under the Sun.”
Produced by the Connecticut Marine Trades Association, the event is celebrating its 50th anniversary and will feature over 125 exhibitors covering approximately 150,000 square feet of the new Earth Expo Center at Mohegan Sun, in the center’s ballroom, breakout rooms, casino and parking lot (weather permitting), with over 400 boats and water craft being featured. Over 35 dealers, representing at least 95 different brands are participating.
Tickets at hartfordboatshow.com. General admission is $14, with children under 12 accompanied by an adult admitted free. A senior/military one-day pass is $10. A two-day pass allowing access to the show any two days is available at $20.
Connecticut Flower & Garden Show
The 38th annual “Connecticut Flower & Garden Show” is Feb. 21 through 24 at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford. The event covers almost three acres and includes seminars by horticulturalists, landscapers and industry professionals, more than an acre of gardens in full bloom. There will be more than 12,000 square feet of a design, horticulture and photography competition with more than 250 judged entries, all with an “April in Paris” theme. There will be over 300 booths of displays, activities and shopping, with handcrafted gifts, fresh flowers, plants, garden ornaments, metalwork sculptures, herbs, bulbs, seeds, fertilizers, soils, gardening books, patio furniture and lawn and garden tools and equipment. The UConn Co-op will offer free soil testing to those who bring a half cup of soil.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Feb. 21; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Feb. 22 and 23; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 24. Admission is $18 adults; $16 seniors over 62 on Thursday and Friday; $5 children 5-12; free under age 5. Cash only. Advance tickets purchased by Feb. 18 are discounted by $2 and can be purchased at The Garden Barn Nursery & Landscape in Vernon; Moscarrillo’s Garden Shoppe in West Hartford; Natureworks in Northford; and Woodland Gardens in Manchester. Paid daily parking at Connecticut Convention Center Garage. Free parking and shuttle at 18 Pequot St. Thursday and Friday. $5 parking at Front Street North and South garages Saturday and Sunday. More details at CTFlowerShow.com.