Category Archives: Irvington Garden Club Events

Two-Hour Plant SALE May 18!

 

Thanks to all the friends and neighbors who came to our Two-Hour Plant Sale on May 18. It was so fun, and we SOLD OUT in one hour. What was for sale?

• Beautiful, healthy plants at discounted prices, including shade-friendly and deer-resistant native perennials, many grown in Garden Club members’ gardens.

• Unusual, colorful annuals grown from cuttings and seeds. Plus free expert gardening advice.

And many thanks to everyone one at the O’Hara Nature Center who made it possible. We’ll do it again next year, we hope, with more plants, live music and snacks.

 

Get there early for the best selection. The O’Hara Nature Center is located at 170 Mountain Road in Irvington. (Note: All road construction on Sunnyside Lane will be completed.)

Filed under Family Event, Irvington Garden Club Events, Irvington NY, Landscape and Garden Design

While the Forsythias are Blooming…

It was standing room only when members and friends of The Garden Club met recently to enjoy a demonstration by floral artists Miko Akasaka and her husband Yusuke of Seasons On The Hudson, Irvington’s local floral design and accessories shop. Miko was a wealth of new information, including advice on how to incorporate stems purchased at the florist with flowers from your own garden. She began with tall branches of forsythia, the yellow shrubs now in bloom everywhere—some in full bloom, others she called “really tight,” to open later and give the arrangement longevity. She then added branches of curly willow and pussy willow and stems of delphinium, clematis, bells of Ireland, and orchids. “We don’t force nature. We let nature do its thing,” she said. “This is English Garden style, not too symmetrical.”

Among Miko’s other advice: Use Japanese clippers to split-cut the base of hydrangeas and of other flowers with woody stems. Put the stems in a vase of hot water. Let the water cool a bit before adding other flowers.  Use hairdressers’ gloves to protect your hands. And “Go bold! It takes courage, but do it.”

It’s always a pleasure to watch artists at work. Here, Yusuke is demonstrating how to fold leaves to line a simple glass vase and make it special.

Seasons On The Hudson is located at 45 Main Street, Irvington, NY 10533.

Filed under Flower Arranging, Irvington Garden Club Events, Irvington NY

Plant Sale Sells Out!

Our annual pre-Mother’s Day Plant Sale and Garden Fair was Saturday, May 13. Members arrived at Greenburgh Nature Center on Friday morning to set up. Perennial plants were carefully arranged on tables and benches by growing condition: sun, shade, or both. All native plants were marked.

In the greenhouse, our growers arranged and priced the annuals they’d lovingly tended all winter.

The buyers arrived promptly at 9 a.m. Saturday, as advertised.

They bought by the wheelbarrow-full.

Happy to tote their purchases to their cars.

They bought by the boxful.

Plants, of course, were for sale, and bespoke Garden Club of Irvington aprons and Garden Journals, too, featuring original photography and botanical art by our members.

Should coleus be planted inside or outdoors? What about on a sunny windowsill. At our plant sales, customers always get expert garden advice from members including Renee Shamosh, club co-president (left) and Dori Ruff, greenhouse chair (right).

Customers brought their children.

Who helped them choose native and shade-loving perennials outdoors and colorful annuals from the greenhouse.

Some kids painted a special pot for their lucky Mom.

The cashiers carefully rang up the purchases.

The Greenburgh Nature Center staff was incredibly gracious and helpful.

And just like that… the whole greenhouse was empty. And so were the tables and benches that had displayed so many beautiful perennials.

We’re already planning what went fastest and what to grow for next year. Remember, be here the day before Mother’s Day at 9 a.m. sharp. In the meantime, keep visiting this site for news of our activities and public events, including illustrated talks by experts on conservation and horticulture designed to benefit you, your garden, and our communities.

Kudos to the committee, who handled all aspects of planning and setup—everything from ordering unusual native perennials to ensuring that credit-card processing would go smoothly. L-R: Deb Flock, Cena Hamptden, Alix Dunn (executive director of the Greenburgh Nature Center), Cathy Ludden, Anne Myers.

 

Filed under Family Event, GCA Events, Greenburgh Nature Center, Irvington Garden Club Events, Plant Sale

Check Into a Pollinator Hotel

Perhaps the most fascinating exhibit on the grounds of the O’Hara Nature Center in Irvington is the “Pollinator Hotel,” a structure that supports cavity-nesting bees and wasps. Made of logs with holes drilled in them and of dried stems of perennial plants, it might be the ‘greenest’ recycled housing project ever: stems are saved from Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium fistulosum), Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), and Cup-plant (Silphium perfoliatum) and repurposed into nesting material.

It’s also a work of art.

Please watch this short explanation by the ONC’s resident horticulturist, educator, and designer of educational materials, CJ Reilly, in which he explains that bees and wasps that are solitary, that don’t live in colonies, are attracted to holes in natural materials, in which they lay their eggs and then fill with grasses and other nutrients. Up to a year later the eggs will hatch, creating a new brood of insects ready to pollinate native plants.

CJ 3

Need to know more? Here is a link to some educational material. And you’ll just have to visit on your own.

 

Filed under Horticulture, Irvington Garden Club Events, Irvington NY, Nature Photography, NY and CT Public Garden Tours

How to Develop a Pollinator Victory Garden and Pollinator Pathways

Did you know that communities all over the world are making and linking pesticide-free, native-plant gardens, meadows and forests to encourage beneficial insect and bird species? Especially bees, which are dying out and so essential to our ecosystems.

And we can do this right here in the Rivertowns, beginning in our own gardens.

This free public event with Kim Eierman of EcoBeneficial® is typical of Garden Club of Irvington programming.

Kim is a well known environmental horticulturist who specializes in ecological landscapes and native plants. She teaches at the New York Botanical Garden, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and The Native Plant Center.

Please subscribe to this site and get updates and invites to all our 2019-20 events.

Filed under Conservation, Horticulture, Irvington Garden Club Events, Rivertowns Westchester NY, Tarrytown NY, Zone 7 Native Plants, Zone III Events

Photo Review of Our Flower Show—The Sunny Side of the Hudson

The members of the Garden Club of Irvington-on-Hudson are delighted to bring you this selection of photos of our flower show at the Lyndhurst Carriage House. The theme, “On the Sunny Side of the Hudson,”celebrated the influence of Washington Irving on our Rivertowns region of New York and featured floral and horticultural exhibits inspired by characters and situations on the pages of Irving’s books.

The show was the result of two years of hard work on the part of all our members, especially show chair Barbara Defino. Here is just one of the many accolades sent to Barbara: “Dear Barbara and Members of the GC of Irvington: Congratulations on staging a beautiful flower show. The outstanding classes and excellent club participation showcased the talent within the Garden Club of Irvington. My thanks to you, and all the members of Irvington for their incredible hospitality. We truly were on the sunny side of the Hudson on May 10.”

Guests to the show, which was open to the public on May 10 and 11, were greeted with vases of cut stems set out in tables on the patio in front of the Lyndhurst Carriage House.

Inside the tent, an entire wall of tables was set up with glorious displays of blooms cut from exhibitors’ gardens that morning. All were judged for beauty, horticultural perfection and grooming. Categories included peonies, viburnums, lilacs, and rhododendrons.

The “Best in Show’ award for Horticulture went to Lydia Wallis of the Southampton (NY) Garden Club for her cut specimen of an epimedium.

At the entrance to the Carriage House, below, the Floral Design section opened in a dramatic fashion with mass arrangements of primarily yellow flowers — such as those grown at Sunnyside Cottage, Washington Irving‘s home — displayed on pedestals.

The winners in the “360 Degrees and Sunny” mass arrangement class were Libby Welch and Anna Getz of the Greenwich, CT, Garden Club

“The Book Party” class, channeling a book signing for Washington Irving’s literary friends that included sips of schnapps and games of dominoes, was the theme of the above winning table setting by Colleen Hempleman and Christina Vanderlip of the Hortulus GC. Judges and guests admired the rich, masculine color scheme and rare, deep-toned flowers.

This table setting by Renee Shamosh and Ellen Shapiro of the Garden Club of Irvington featured an arrangement of tulips, hydrangeas and wildflowers and a faux feather made from paper and wire. According to GCA rules, real feathers are not allowed, challenging all entrants in the class to devise a way to depict an appropriate 19th-century writing instrument.

A category entitled “Sleepy Hollow Awakenings” featured arrangements of flowers in bud and in full bloom, displayed in niches. This arrangement by Emily Meskat and Kristina Bicher Rye GC took first place in the class. Richard McKeon, a former GCI member, now with the Garden Club of Millbrook, created the second-place arrangement below.

 

“Short Stories,” miniature arrangements displayed on a mantelpiece, could not exceed five inches in height, width or depth. The winner, below, was Amy Hardis of the Little Garden Club of Rye.

Visitors to the Horticulture exhibits in the tent were treated to a lush display of exquisite plants grown over specified time periods according to strict conditions laid out in the show entry brochure, or “schedule.”

The horticultural displays included a “challenge class” of window boxes in which all the plants were to be propagated from cuttings or grown from seed. The award winners included GCI members Anne Myers and Nancy Stoer, who used unusual cultivars of coleus (above), and Veronica Gedrich, for the window box (below) filled with herbs, which the judges commended for “flavorful eating all season long.”

The window box above, with dipladenia and regal pelargoniums propagated by Renee Shamosh and Ellen Shapiro, was nearly disqualified because it included a few perennials from Ellen’s garden. Propagation by division was not included in the schedule. (Note to future exhibitors: Read the schedule extra carefully!)

The Rosie Jones award for “reflecting the spirit of growing with joy and enthusiasm” went to the above “Mother and Daughter” pair of coleus propagated by Julia Burke of Rye Garden Club.

“Rip Van Winkle” troughs could feature Alpine species or cultivars. dwarf conifers, and/or succulents owned for a minimum of three months. A special club award went to Ellen Shapiro, whose trough (below) included succulents grown from cuttings taken from her daughter-in-law’s San Francisco roof garden.

Our “Imaginary World of Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” children’s class, hosted in conjunction with the Irvington Public Library, displayed fairie houses made by children 8 to 12 years old. Proud exhibitors included Fitz Anderson, above, and Jordana Laks, below, with her mom, Lisa Izes.

In the “Inside Story” photography category, honors went to Susan Van Tassell of the Short Hills, NJ, Garden Club, for her macro shot of a dahlia, and Dori Ruff of GCI for her study of the inner workings of a peony.

The conservation and education exhibit by Catherine Ludden demonstrated the beauty and benefits of adding native plants to your garden — through a slide show and a 20-page handout illustrating “Plant This, Not That” plant pairs. This exhibit, designed by Ellen Shapiro, won a judge’s commendation. It included an exquisite arrangement of native plants, below, from Cathy Ludden’s garden.

A few of the 25 GCI members who organized and staged the show took a break from setting up the exhibits. Clockwise from left: Renee Shamosh, Jo Gurley, Ellen Shapiro, Harriet Kelly, Linda Azif, and Heather Kenny. Photos in this post by Steve Beech and Ellen Shapiro.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed under Garden Club Flower Show Categories, Horticulture, Irvington Garden Club Events, Rivertowns Westchester NY, Tarrytown NY

Fab Flower Show “On The Sunny Side of the Hudson”

washingtonirvingsbooksThrough flowers and plants — our 2017 GCA flower (and plant) show celebrated the life and work of Irvington’s own Washington Irving. All club members worked very hard on this for more than a year to make this show happen.

The floral designs, judged by an esteemed panel of experts, were:

• “360 Degrees and Sunny” — glorious mass flower arrangements featuring yellow flowers in season.
• “The Book Party” — fanciful table settings for a book-signing by none other than Washington Irving at his Sunnyside Cottage,
• “Short Stories” — tiny miniature arrangements displayed on a mantelpiece
•  “Sleepy Hollow Awakenings” — designs with some flowers in bud and others in full bloom.

The horticulture classes included displays of  “Rip Van Winkle” alpine garden troughs and “Home Grown” window boxes — and dozens and dozens of beautiful cut stems and branches of the best in local perennials and flowering shrubs and trees in season.

Visitors also delighted in a display of photographs of historic houses and gardens at rest, among other subjects. All work was done by members of our own and other Garden Club of America clubs who register via the GCA website.

A special and timely conservation exhibit demonstrated the importance of native plants in our landscapes.

The show, chaired by Barbara Defino, was free and open to the public at 2:00 pm on Wednesday, May 10, 2017, and from 10 am to 1 pm on Thursday, May 11, at the Lyndhurst Carriage House. Photos to come soon…

Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), a native plant that is an important food sorce for Monarch butterflies. The conservation and education exhibit will feature native plants to consider for our gardens, such as the common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), which is an important food source for Monarch butterflies.

The conservation and education exhibit will feature native plants to consider for our gardens, such as the common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), which is an important food source for Monarch butterflies.

Filed under Conservation, Garden Club Flower Show Categories, Horticulture, Irvington Garden Club Events, Irvington NY, Rivertowns Westchester NY, Tarrytown NY

Margaret Roach on “Nonstop Plants: A Garden for 365 Days”

The Garden Club of Irvington and the Garden Club of Dobbs Ferry recently enjoyed an illustrated lecture
by famed garden writer and designer Margaret Roach.

“Gardening is not my hobby, it is my spiritual practice and life partner,” Margaret said. After 25 years in the corporate world as garden editor at Newsday and garden editor and an editorial director at Martha Stewart Living, she chose a quieter life closer to nature in the Hudson Valley. But, lucky for us, she still gives lectures, does public-radio podcasts, gives tours of her 2.3-acre organic garden, where she grows much of her own food, and hosts the popular and information-packed website, “A Way to Garden.”

Margaret provided insights for making your garden a visual treat every day of the year, including lists of her favorite plants for all-season interest and color. To download the talk handout, please click here.

The lecture was followed by signing of her books: And I Shall Have Some Peace There and The Backyard Parables: Lessons on Gardening, and Life.

This spring, may your garden be as lovely as Margaret’s!

Filed under Horticulture, Irvington Garden Club Events, Rivertowns Westchester NY

Serving the Community

Thanks to a successful Plant Sale and other fundraising events, the Garden Club of Irvington is once again helping support organizations that improve and protect the environment, including the Center for Plant Conservation, Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct, the Garden Conservancy, Greenburgh Nature Center, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Irvington Land Trust, Native Plant Center, O’Hara Nature Center, Scenic Hudson, Untermyer Gardens Conservancy and Wave Hill.

OHara2

The O’Hara Nature Center on Irvington’s Mountain Road is one of the projects supported by GCI. This center features nine demonstration gardens that have curriculum-related content for educational programs—and are examples for beautifying your landscape. They include the Bird, Butterfly and Bee Garden, the Bog Garden, the Xeriscape and Rock garden, the Edible Forest Ggarden, the Shade Garden, and the Woodland Garden.

We look forward to an equally successful 2016, and wish you and yours a happy, healthy New Year.

 

Filed under Irvington Garden Club Events, Irvington NY, Rivertowns Westchester NY

Bravissimo to Our Artists!

The exhibition, “Home Grown,” art by the members of the Garden Club of Irvington, was on display at the Irvington Public Library through November 28. The show featured collages, watercolors, photography, prints, and needlework by Bunny Bauer, Barbara Defino, Nora Galland, Harriet Kelly, Edna Kornberg, Cathy Ludden, Louise Petosa, Dori Ruff, Renee Shamosh, Ellen Shapiro, Amy Sherwood and Dongkai Zhen.

Galland

Helpful husband Al Galland helped Nora hang twelve of her beautiful botanical illustrations.

Renee

Adam Shamosh helped his mom, Renee, with her paintings.

Donghai

Donghkai Zhen had four exquisite needlepoint pieces in the show.

Photo

Edna Kornberg and Harriet Kelly of the photo committee decided how best to arrange their work.

Bunny

Bunny Bauer shows a collage with three of the many pressed-flower bookmarks made by GCI members for a 2002 Garden Club of America Zone Meeting. In the background are photographic and typographic prints by Ellen Shapiro.

If you are interested in any of the works shown here, please contact us through this site.

Filed under Irvington Garden Club Events, Irvington NY, Rivertowns Westchester NY