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January/February 2010
All events are FREE unless noted
Visit the web site for more information and current scheduled events
http://www.elizabethpark.org/ |
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January 2010
13 Garden Lecture
20 Garden Lecture
February
3 Garden Lecture
10 Garden Lecture
24 Garden Lecture |
March
3 Garden Lecture
6 Starting Annuals from Seed ~ 10 am
8-19 Spring Flower Show
17 Garden Lecture
20 Spring Flower Sale
24 Garden
Lecture & Dinner |
April
10 Opening Rose Garden Workshop
May
8 Bird Walk ~ 8 am
15 Tree Tour ~ 10 am |
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Lecture 1: January 13
Bonsai Illusion vs. Reality
Todd Hansen
of Sanctuary Bonsai
A
demonstration and lecture about the ancient art, history, theory,
design and horticulture of Bonsai
Lecture 2: January 20
Garden Photography, Finding your Creative Eye
Gay Ayers
of Farmington
Composition, light, focal points, subjects and backgrounds will be
covered to help you find your creative eye
Snow make up date: January 27
Lecture 3: February 3
Garden Design Made Easy
Deborah Kent -
Master Gardener & Garden Coach
The do's and don'ts of garden design; Step by step professional how
to's that you can use to evaluate your own landscape.
Lecture 4: February 10
An
Evening with Invasive Plants
Donna Ellis
of UCONN
CT landscapes are under threat from invasive plants. Learn about
what they look like, why they are a growing concern and how you can
help.
Snow date: February 1 |
Lecture 5: February 24
Utilizing Native Plants in the Landscape
Ronald Aakjar -
Horticulturist
What native plants are available in the local nursery trade and how
to make effective use of them.
Lecture 6: March 3
Sustainable Roses
Marci Martin & John Mattia -
Rosarians
Learn about many beautiful cultivars, beyond the well known Knockout
rose, that thrive with less care than the typical rose.
Snow date: March 10
Lecture 7: March 17
Gardening Down and Dirty
Bill Turull
-
Garden Sales of Manchester
Spring through Fall perennial garden maintenance with tips on
purchasing plants and designing from forty one years of digging in
the dirt gardening and retail experience.
Lecture 8: March 24
Infusing the Garden with Personality
Tovah Martin -
CT horticulturist & writer
Using examples from some of the finest gardens, learn how to harness
your garden as an expression of you.
Snow date: March 3l 1 |
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2010 Garden
Lecture Series Order Form
All Lectures at 7:00 pm except for the March 24 Buffet Dinner at
6:00pm
I would like a
reservation(s) for the entire lecture series & final dinner
at $85 per person.
Number of
attendees_______x $85 = $_______
GIFT
CERTIFICATE
Please send me _______gift certificate(s) for the entire series
(includes buffet dinner (6:00pm) on 3/24)
$85
x (# of certificates) _________= $__________
OR
Individual
Garden Lecture Registration
Please circle the lecture(s) you plan to attend
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Jan 13 |
#1-
Bonsai Illusion vs. Reality |
$10.00 |
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Jan 20 |
#2-
Garden Photography |
$10.00 |
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Feb 3 |
#3-
Garden Design Made Easy |
$10.00 |
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Feb 10 |
#4-
An Evening with Invasive Plants |
$10.00 |
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Feb 24 |
#5-
Utilizing Native Plants in the Landscape |
$10.00 |
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Mar 3 |
#6-
Sustainable Roses |
$10.00 |
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Mar 17 |
#7-
Gardening Down and Dirty |
$10.00 |
|
Mar 24 |
#8-
Infusing the Garden with Personality
(includes buffet dinner 6:00pm. Reservation
required.) |
$40.00 |
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Name______________________________
Address____________________________
City____________________Zip_________
Phone______________________________
Email_______________________________
Make
check payable to The Friends of Elizabeth Park
Total All Events $__________
Mail to: Friends of Elizabeth Park
PO Box 370361
West Hartford, CT 06137-0361
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ANOTHER DAY IN THE PARK….
with David Wilson, Friends of Elizabeth Park Director
The year 2009 was a difficult one for many people. The Friends of
Elizabeth Park experienced this in the form of low to no funding
from various grantors. “Non Profits Expect Permanent Damage from
the Recession”, “Only
16 percent of surveyed nonprofits expect to cover operating expenses
this year”
and the hopeful “Sustaining
Nonprofits During Economic Downturns”
are just a few of the daunting headlines we read.
The FEP certainly struggled with the rest of them but thanks to our
loyal donors who came through in these difficult times we are one of
the sustaining nonprofits. There are many good causes out there
requesting your contributions and we are so grateful to be in your
hearts among them. |
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I am optimistic about funding for the gardens and park in 2010. We
are working twice as hard and focusing our energies on fundraising
and development, increasing our volunteer efforts, and taking the
initial steps to updating our Strategic Plan. The FEP recently
welcomed six new board members to join us in our efforts. The
energy within the organization is fresh and renewed and we are all
very excited about working together for this Hartford gem in the
coming months.
We would like to thank the Hoffman Foundation for their grant
support allowing the FEP to send out an RFP and hire a Historian. As
a result from this project, the FEP intends to have an accurate
account of the history of Elizabeth Park.
Special thanks to the Donaghue Trust for their support in the
electrical project for the stage area which was just recently
completed, and to the CT Valley Garden Club for collaborating with
the Friends of Elizabeth Park and the City of Hartford and embarking
on a special project, renovating the Heritage Rose Garden.
I personally would like to thank Carmen Holzman for her dedication
to the Friends of Elizabeth Park. Carmen’s contributions to the
organization are above and beyond. She has been a very devoted and a
hands-on Volunteer Coordinator donating her time for nearly every
single Volunteer Super Saturday and is overall very generous to the
organization. |
(Pictured: Brtte, Carmen, Mark, Janet)
We really wish to thank ALL of our volunteers
including Marci Martin (EP Rosarian) who volunteers her time on
Super Saturdays.
Along with Carmen, special thanks to Bette Kelly, Mark Warren and
Janet Valencis. All of whom have been very devoted volunteers in the
Elizabeth Park Rose Garden. |
The Friends of Elizabeth Park are grateful to everyone who has
helped with our mission by making donations this year. Please click
here to see the names of the many people who have been so generous.
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“Love
and Friendship”
Love
is like the wild rose-briar:
Friendship like the holly-tree.
The holly is dark when the rose-briar blooms,
But which will bloom more constantly?
The wild rose-briar is sweet in spring,
Its summer blossoms scent the air;
Yet wait till winter comes again,
And who will call the wild-briar fair?
Then, scorn the silly rose-wreath now,
And deck thee with the holly’s sheen,
That when December blights thy brow,
He may leave thy garland green.
--- Emily Bronte --- |
Click Image
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It
can be said that Bronte believes that like the
rose-briar, love & beauty can fade. Their seasons can
be brief. The holly-tree, like a good friendship, will
endure many seasons and is everlasting. The holly is
given special significance in many cultures dating back
to ancient times that revolve around the holly-tree’s
enduring nature.
There are also many myths and legends associated with
the holly- tree that date back to pagan times. These
myths and legends existed in virtually every culture
where hollies grow. The Druids believed in the Holly
King who used a wooden club made of holly branches to
win a battle with Sir Gawain during a Yuletide feast.
The Romans decorated their homes with holly and other
evergreen boughs to celebrate Saturnalia. Saturnalia
lasted for many days around the time of winter solstice
in honor of Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture, the
seed, the planting and the harvest. Despite the ties as
a pagan tradition, the early Christians kept the Roman
tradition of using holly as a decoration. Thus, today we
see the holly branch as a symbol of Christmas.
Scandinavians planted holly trees near their homes to
protect against Thor’s lightning bolts. In Shinto
mythology the presence of the holly was said to attract
Amaterasu, the goddess of the sun to hasten the coming
of spring. Native Americans used Ilex opaca as a symbol
of courage and attached sprigs of this holly to their
weapons to protect them in battle. They also made teas
made out of holly and pine that were used in
purification ceremonies and also as a remedy for coughs
and colds which they shared with the Pilgrims. |
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English Holly, Ilex aquifolium, and American Holly,
Ilex opaca, are important native plants found in the
landscape throughout Europe as well as in most of
the eastern half of the United States. These
versatile and reliable plants will grow in the
understory of mature deciduous forests or can stand
alone as specimen plants in open areas. They will
serve nicely as useful hedges and are great to
provide the structure for a mixed border or in
foundation plantings. There are many varieties to
choose from that have varying growth habits and
unique characteristics. Dwarf varieties can be kept
to about six feet in height and width. Left alone
standard hollies grow to about seventy feet.
Hollies can be found that have rounded, columnar and
pyramidal growth habits. So, it’s not hard to find
just the right holly to include as an evergreen
element in most landscape designs.
Our American Holly is also diecious, which means
that both a male and a female plant are needed for
the female plant to produce fruit. The male should
be within 300 feet of the female. One male should
be enough pollen for 3 to 8 females. Holly berries
vary in color by variety and will provide great late
fall and winter interest as long as the birds don’t
find them. Once established, all hollies are pretty
rugged and are most can be considered sustainable.
Hollies should be pruned to maintain a pyramidal
shape so that they can shed snow and ice during the
winter. This will also allow the maximum amount of
sunlight to reach their lower branches for more
vigorous growth and better fruiting. It is due to
the lack of sunlight that hollies found in a shady
forest setting will tend to be leggier and bear less
fruit.
For most of us the holiday season has come and
gone. Hopefully, all of our loved ones have
returned home safely and there are many new memories
to reflect upon as we get our lives back to normal.
Almost all of the reminders of the holiday season
have been packed away for another year. Many of us
have returned the green boughs that we used to
decorate our homes to the landscape where they might
provide a blanket for some tulips or protect some
sensitive plants from the harshness of winter in
Connecticut. It already looks very much like winter
in Elizabeth Park. Our rose-briars are without
bloom and have been wrapped in burlap for the
winter. They will rest as they have for over one
hundred years until it is their season once again.
It is our friendly holly-trees and needled
evergreens that are now more prominent in the park’s
winter landscape framed by the bones of the
deciduous trees. Old stone bridges, pathways
winding through the snow, the birch’s bright white
branches framed against a clear blue sky and many
other features of the park that are hidden by the
lushness of growth during the other seasons of the
year are now revealed by the winter landscape. Last
February, on one of those crystal clear winter days,
Marci Martin and I were wowed as a mature bald eagle
with a wing span of about six feet flew directly
overhead as we were standing up to our knees in snow
planning a new garden project. However, it’s the
footprints in the snow that crisscross the lawn
where the summer concerts will be and where Frisbees
will be chased by adults & children that reminds me
most of warmer weather and the grandeur of the
growing season to come. We all wait with the faith
of true gardeners for those bright summer days when
the rose-briars will bloom in glory once again.
Nevertheless, Elizabeth Park is a beautiful place in
the winter. The park remains as a dependable friend
in every season for all those who visit. I’ll never
cease to be amazed by the surprising amount of
activity in the park despite the cold. It’s not too
far fetched to say that Elizabeth Park is like
Bronte’s faithful holly-tree that “blooms
constantly” from season to season! Come, see and
enjoy the park this winter.
It’s time to welcome in the New Year with hope and
anticipation. Best wishes for a prosperous and
happy 2010! See you in the park!
Dave Peterson, President |
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ROSE BED / ROSE ARCH DEDICATION FORM
Name
_________________________________________
Address
_______________________________________
City/Zip
_______________________________________
Memorial plaque
included. (circle one)
Dedicated to In
honor of In memory of Gift to
Name:___________________________
Amount of Donation $ ____________
Please make checks
payable to:
Friends of Elizabeth
Park & mail to:
Friends of Elizabeth
Park
PO Box 370361
West Hartford CT 06137-0361 |
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Artist of the Month:
January 1-31
David Weinholtz
www.davidweinholtz.com
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David
Weinholtz is an artist based in Brooklyn New York. Born in North
Carolina, he has also lived in the South, Mid-West and North
East United States. Weinholtz received his BFA in illustration
from the Hartford Art School in Hartford, Connecticut. Following
graduation, he taught art courses to inner-city Hartford youth.
He is currently working on his MFA in 3-D animation at Pratt
Institute in Brooklyn. A strong sense of social, political, and
cultural issues guides Weinholtz's art. His multi-genre
paintings, charcoal and pencil drawings, comic strips, and
digital imagery consistently display a strong message and
underlying narrative. Above all, Weinholtz strives to achieve
three goals in his art; to be: Tough, Honest, and Poetic. |
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Artist of the Month:
February 1 - 28
Kimberly Zinnen
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Kimberly Zinnen,
is senior photography student at the Hartford Art School. At the age
of 22 she has had the opportunity to experience many landscapes
through her love of traveling. The series of photographs that she
will be showing during February were captured in Colorado at a park
called the Garden of the Gods.
She was amazed at the multitude of shapes and figures that could be
discovered inside of the organic mountains, and was blown away by
the majestic quality of Colorado's landscape and truly god like
lighting." |
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Visit the
Pond House Website for
information on events & promotions
Open Tuesday – Sunday
all winter.
Phone: 860-231-8823 |
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The Pond House Cafe now caters! Let them cater the next event at
your home or business. You can enjoy the delicious food you love
from the Pond House right in your own home. Whether you're having a
dinner for 10 people or a cocktail party for 100, they can customize
a menu for you. Call for more information. |
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The Friends of Elizabeth Park has helped the City of Hartford to
care for the park since its incorporation in 1977.
Call the Information Center at (860) 231-9443 for announcements,
changes, and updates. Send e-mail to
elizabeth_park@sbcglobal.net
Visit the Elizabeth Park fan page on Facebook & become a fan!
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