The Riverside Garden Club concluded another successful year with a luncheon at the Riverside Yacht Club on June 8. At the luncheon, co-president, Madeleine DeVries, reviewed all that was accomplished over the last 12 months.
A major highlight was the 100 year old oversight of the Riverside Train Station Gardens. A major clean-up of the train station was performed on Earth Day in April.
The Riverside Garden Club was joined by members of the Garden Club of Old Greenwich, a team from the Greenwich Athleta store and several members from the community.
The Pollinator beds were pruned, weeded and mulched. The north side beds were weeded, the red twig dogwoods pruned, petunias planted and additional chippings added to the beds. Working with Dr. Greg Kramer, Greenwich’s tree warden, Eversource replaced the dead trees removed earlier this year with native trees and shrubs alongside Oval Avenue. The gardens were established to bring beauty and serenity to an area which welcomes both residents and out-of-towners alike on a regular basis.
“The Riverside Garden Club works closely with the town to ensure these gardens are well cared for,” said co-President Susan Foster.
At the luncheon, Madeleine also recognized those members who did outstanding work during the year.
The following members won awards for their contributions to both the club and the community: Martha Marquand won the Goodchild Award for her work in Design, Elaine Hjelte won the Bombeck Award for her work in Horticulture, Terry Lubman won the Outside Flower Show Horitculture Award, Linda Porter won the Outside Flower Show Design Award, a new member, Laura Petit won the Fran Tarbox Award for her work in Design, Horticulture and Civic activities, Patty Roberts won the Helen Lovett Civic Award for her work on an important community program, and Madeleine DeVries won the Pagenstecher-Dolph Award for making an overall significant contribution to the Club.
Other highlights for the club this year were a very successful Youth Program working with the Riverside and North Mianus elementary schools. On April 28 and 29, a total of 175 fifth graders were brought to Binney Park to learn about the fauna and flora which bring beauty to our community and to give them an appreciation for what nature has to offer.
In addition to nature walks around the park, a beekeeper and turtle expert were both on hand to discuss the creatures that live and thrive in our park system. Dr. Kramer was also on hand to lead the students on a tree identification hike through Daffodil Hill. The Club plans to continue programs such as this one for the benefit of Greenwich’s children going forward. The Club also supports our senior community by planting and maintaining seasonal planters at Hill House Senior Residence.
Other activities of the Club this year included a visit on May 17 to Untermyer Gardens which sits along the Hudson River in Yonkers, NY.
“Visiting Untemyer was like taking a stroll through a time machine back to the days of the gilded age with beauty all around you,” said Cindy Lindemeyer, the Club’s new President.
The Club plans to do more field trips of this kind going forward. In addition, of course, are the monthly meetings where various speakers present ideas on gardening, horticulture and design.
Of course, the members also present their own lovely horticulture specimens grown locally in their gardens as well as creating beautiful floral design pieces for display at meetings.
“This is a great Club with a lot to offer,” said Debbie Krautheim, the Club’s new VP. “We are looking forward to a great year when we meet again in September.”
Looking forward to the 2022-23 season, club members will kick off the year with a field trip to Sleepy Cat Farm and conclude the year with a field trip to the rose gardens of Elizabeth Park in West Hartford.
Those interested in joining the Riverside Garden Club can send an email to [email protected]. To learn more about the Club, go to riversidectgardenclub.org or view them on Facebook at https://facebook.com/Riversidectgardenclub/