2022 was year of celebration, growth and progress on large-scale projects. This reflection is a look back at 2022, as we marked our club’s 50th anniversary of community service to the town of Lewisboro.
LGC Mission Statement: The objective of our Club is to promote the art of gardening, to aid in conserving the natural flora and to cooperate in beautifying public grounds.
LGC Officers in 2022:
LGC Officers in 2022:
Co-Presidents: Darcy Rydlun and Joe Mulligan
Vice-President: Maureen Koehl
Treasurer: Beverly Scott
Secretary: Priscilla Luckow
We welcomed a record-setting 25 new members to the club in 2022 bringing our club membership just under 95 members at the end of the year. In March, we bade farewell to our longtime Membership Chair, Peggy Jett. Patty Thomson and Carol Collins were kept very busy throughout the rest of the year orienting all of our new members. A New Member Reception was held in July at the Lewisboro Library due to excessive heat and thunderstorms.
Peggy Jett
New Member Reception at the Library
Our mission to beautify public grounds and aid in conserving the natural flora is manifested in our work in the town parks, triangles, Golden Roads, Community Garden, Plant Sales and Rooting for Lewisboro program. We maintained 27 Triangles and Stand Alone Areas throughout Lewisboro in 2022 thanks to the organization of the Triangle Committee: Mary Ann Lansdale, MaryAnn Eggleston and Eileen Cunningham.
MOAT
The very large triangle at Bouton Rd. and Post Office Rd. aka “MOAT” or “Mother Of All Triangles” is a huge project initiated by Darcy Rydlun as an experiment in 2021. Work continued under the leadership of Sharon Slocum and Emily Wein when Darcy moved away. Roots, vines and other invasives have been removed and over 160 native plants supporting the Pollinator Pathway have been added. LGC members, neighbors and community members helped to transform this area into a pollinator-friendly meadow. It will be wonderful to see the results of all of their hard work next spring when the work will continue.
Sharon Slocum and Emily Wein
Emily Wein, Marianne Pei and a neighbor
THE MEADOW AT ONATRU
The meadow at Onatru was rejuvenated through hard work and a new $2500 grant from One Tree Planted. Mary Ann Lansdale and Deanna Novak led the rejuvenation in the late summer and fall of 2022 with many LGC members and community volunteers helping to remove invasive mugwort and rye grasses in the meadow, and plant 355 new native plants for the pollinators.
Deanna Novak, Nicole Del Pino, John Lansdale, Mary Ann Lansdale, Connie and Al Pezone, Joe Mulligan,Charlie Honess and Jill Meier
TOWN PARK
LGC members, including MaryAnn Eggleston, Mary Ann Lansdale, Eileen Cunningham and Emily Wein worked to make the entrance to the Town Park more welcoming in preparation for the new, inclusive playground. An Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) and 2 Serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea) were planted as part of a grant from One Tree Planted, along with several varieties of perennials. They and other volunteers including Rose Bonanno, John Lansdale and Joe Mulligan also helped to clear an area in a grove of trees near the playground to make it safer for the children.
Clearing the grove near the playground
MaryAnn Eggleston, Eileen Cunningham and Emily Wein
ROOTING FOR LEWISBORO
Rooting for Lewisboro, a program offering free native tree and shrub seedlings in Lewisboro was an incredible success. The committee was formed in late 2020 by Mary Ann Lansdale in response to the loss of so many Ash trees in town. In 2022, 1750 new native tree and shrub seedlings of 18 varieties were distributed to over 150 homes. Over the past two years, over 3000 native tree and shrub seedlings have been distributed to Lewisboro residents. The cost of the entire program was covered by a $2500 grant from One Tree Planted via a partnership with the Norwalk River Watershed Association. The 2022 grant was $1000 higher than the previous year’s grant, so some of the money was also used for new plantings in the meadow and at Town Park.
Jane Roberts, John Lansdale and Mary Ann Lansdale
Preparing the trees
PLANT SALES
The garden club held two very successful Plant Sales at Gossett's Nursery (Bev Scott) and Copia Home and Garden (Mary Ann Lansdale). Club members assisted shoppers with gardening questions and advice, and a bake sale with donations from members was held at the Gossett's Plant Sale. The LGC receives part of the proceeds from each sale which help to fund our programs throughout the year.
Bake Sale at Gossett's Plant Sale
Thank you from Jenn and Peter CIpriano from Copia Home and Garden Center
LGC OUTREACH
The Growing Kindness project, started by Ursula Bisconti and continued by Patty Thomson, worked with Pam Veith, Senior Citizen Outreach Coordinator, to present cut flowers (from the gardens of LGC members) to senior adults in town. Many senior adults were touched by this program.
This April, the LGC, Copia Home and Garden and the Lewisboro Library Community Crafters worked together to spread springtime cheer and appreciation to the Lewisboro Senior Adults and our 5 First Responder groups in town: The South Salem Fire Department, the Vista Fire Department, the Goldens Bridge Fire Department, Lewisboro Volunteer Ambulance Corps and the Lewisboro Police Department. It was a great partnership.
Maureen Koehl and Mary Ann Lansdale
Linda Mead and Pam Vieth
Tom Ritchey at the Vista Fire Department
SCHOLARSHIPS
Each year, the garden club sponsors three scholarships for seniors at John Jay High School who demonstrate an appreciation and respect for Lewisboro’s environment, environmental conservation and natural resources, and are pursuing environmentally focused commitments and goals within the community. The scholarships are awarded each year at the JJHS Recognition Awards Night.
50th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
The club celebrated our 50th Anniversary in many different ways throughout the year. Polly Tafrate and Jo Ann Hickey wrote many wonderful articles for the Katonah-Lewisboro Times describing the projects of the club, LGC-sponsored events and gardening tips. They both did a fantastic job of spreading the word about our community service. Bonnie Shaver and Mary Ann Lansdale created a beautiful yellow banner that we used in our newsletters and in the newspaper all year long. A Golden Yearbook was put together as a team effort by Mary Ann Lansdale, Bonnie Shaver and Susan Lamothe, and a beautiful invitation was designed by Polley Wong. A gala celebration of the LGC took place on June 11th at Onatru Farm. The whole community was invited. The HUGE undertaking was organized by Rose Bonanno and Mary Ann Lansdale and the 50th Anniversary Committee: Ursula Bisconti, Carol and Bob Collins, Polly Tafrate and Maureen Koehl. It was a spectacular evening with a beautiful Silent Auction organized by Timi Parsons. The Lewisboro Library received half of the proceeds of the auction. Darcy Rydlun led tours of the gardens at Onatru. Carol and Bob Collins organized a Cookbook of 50 Years of LGC recipes that was given as a keepsake to attendees.
Invitation by Polley Wong
The Alice Poor Garden
Flower by the LGC memberrs
SIlent Auction organized by Timi Parsons
Darcy Rydlun led the Garrden Tours
Rose Bonanno and Maryann Lansdale Goldie Robitaile Founding LGC membeer
POLLINATOR PATHWAY
The Garden Club is a vital part of the Pollinator Pathway Project. Our triangles and stand-alone gardens, Golden Roads, Rooting for Lewisboro program, the Community Garden plots, plant sales at Gossett's Nursery and Copia Home and Garden, and education programs throughout the year all support this important initiative.
COMMUNITY GARDEN
The Community Garden, organized by Bonnie Shaver, Jay Luzzi and Goldie Robitaille at Onatru Farm was first opened in 1996 as a no-cost, protected and organic gardening space for the community. We have an average of 36-40 gardeners now, most of whom plant vegetables and herbs. Over the years, 24 raised beds have been added by Eagle Scouts. The town and the garden club have always worked together to maintain the garden and the tool shed nearby at no cost to the community. Each year, improvements are made to the area. In 2022, heavy weed cloth was laid on the pathways and covered with woodchips to cut down on maintenance and improve the organic appearance of the garden. This coming season, the focus will be on composting.
COMMUNITY FAIRS
The club continued to participate in several community activities including the Lewisboro Volunteer Fair and the Library Fair during 2022. Aki Kano and Min Yoo took over the Fairy Garden children’s activity at the Library Fair from Darcy Rydlun. Over $900 was raised for the Lewisboro Library. The LGC/Golden Roads tent was busy all day answering questions and selling daffodil bulbs. LGC members could be found volunteering all over the fair.
Aki Kano and Min Yoo
GOLDEN ROADS
In November, the Golden Roads program led by George Scott and his amazing team: Bev Scott, Susie Andrews, Timi Parsons, Gary Roehrborn and Tracey Shanley, held their 16th annual planting at the exit driveway between the Lewisboro Library and the Town House. 3000 daffodils were planted by almost 100 LGC and community members, including Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts along both sides of the driveway. Approximately 58,000 daffodils have now been planted roadside in Lewisboro as part of this town-wide beautification program.
TRIPS AND EDUCATION
Our mission to spread awareness of the art of gardening and to aid in conserving natural flora through continued via Zoom and in-person thanks to Rose Bonanno and Susan Lamothe. They organized two wonderful trips to Hollister House Garden in Washington, CT and Hilltop Hanover Farm in Yorktown. Other programs included the Care and Handling of Orchids and seasonal Porch Pot Workshops by Jenn Cipriano, and the History of the LGC and Onatru Farm by Maureen Koehl in September. In October, we had a wonderful zoom presentation on ‘The Magic of the Winter Garden” by Jana Milbocker.
Jenn Cipriano's Orchid Presentation
Hollister House Garden Trip
CHAMPION TREES
The Champion Tree Program was introduced in 2021 and is led by MaryAnn Eggleston. A Champion Tree Registry documents the largest tree of each species in town. A gallery of possible champions is on the LGC website. Measurement kits and instructions are available for the community to check out at the Lewisboro Library.
STEWARDS OF ONATRU
The Stewards of Onatru were organized as a follow-up to the film, Uninvited: The spread of invasive species, shown at the Lewisboro Library on Nov. 11, 2021. This hardy group of LGC members: Jay Luzzi, Joe Mulligan and Mary Ann and John Lansdale removed Burning Bush, Multiflora Roses, Barberry and Bittersweet in several areas of Onatru. They also smothered a large area of mugwort with cardboard to stop its spread. They were helped throughout the winter by Rose Bonanno, Steve Shomstein, George Scott, Darcy Rydlun and Jim Berenson. Two majestic Maple trees, a pond and a water cistern were uncovered in the course of their work. The Stewards also helped clear large overgrown areas at the Town Park and at MOAT.
HOLIDAY SWAGS AND POTLUCK BRUNCH
The tradition of our club hanging Holiday Swags at Town Parks and on town signs continued to bring holiday spirit all over Lewisboro. This year, a Holiday Swag Fundraiser for the club was organized by Jenn Cipriano and Susan Lamothe and 39 beautiful swags were sold to LGC members and the community. A fantastic Holiday brunch was held at Onatru in early December and it was wonderful to see so many members celebrating together.
OFFICERS AND OTHER ROLES
Other positions such as LGC Officers, Sunshine Committee, Yearbook, Media, Town Liaison, Nominating and Website Coordinator help our club to run efficiently and connect and communicate with our members and the town. These areas are critical to our success even though they don't often get recognized for their work. Many hours of work and hundreds (maybe thousands?!) of emails occur behind the scenes to keep our club running smoothly.
A final note. It is amazing to see the contribution the Lewisboro Garden Club makes to our town. Community service is a great resolution to make.
Happy 2023! Take Care, Priscilla
A final note. It is amazing to see the contribution the Lewisboro Garden Club makes to our town. Community service is a great resolution to make.
Happy 2023! Take Care, Priscilla
