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Health & Fitness

Bridget's Garden Blog

Buttonwood Farm in Griswold has just concluded its annual Sunflower fundraiser to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Connecticut, a non-profit organization devoted to making wishes possible for children with life-threatening medical conditions.  They cut bouquets of sunflowers and give them to you in exchange for a $5.00 donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. 100% of all proceeds go directly to Make-A-Wish.  Approximately 300,000 blooms populate the 14 acres and people come for miles around to take pictures, to sample the wide variety of premium ice cream and to enjoy a hayride.  Checkhttp://www.buttonwoodfarmicecream.com/ for more information.

Anyone looking to volunteer to work in a garden by the sea?  The Friends of Harkness Memorial State Park, Inc is an all-volunteer organization formed in 1992 to help preserve and restore the estate of Edward and Mary Harkness which was given to the people of the State of Connecticut in 1950.  Sunday, August 5 is the membership picnic and you can get information about volunteering from Gladys Stadnick at (860) 739-8780.  If volunteering is too much of a commitment perhaps you want to plan on the 19th Annual Harkness Family Day on Sunday, September 9th, 2013 from 11:00 to 4:00 pm.  DEEP is waving the parking fee for the day.  Donations of non-perishable items for the local Food Banks or books for the Whales Tale Book Bank for Kids will be accepted at the park entrance.  Of course, you may want to visit the park sooner to visit the magnificient garden and tour the mansion!Connecticut College offers free Sundayafternoon tours of the Arboretum at 2:00 pm.  If you like Hydrangeas you will enjoy the Arboretum’s featured plant.  They are changing from white to a purplish-pink color and are in full bloom now.  A wide variety of native trees and shrubs as well as wild flowers is also on display.  Go tohttp://www.conncoll.edu/the-arboretum/ for more information.

According to http://conngardener.com/calendar.html the following events are on the horizon:

August 1 (Thursday) 9 am to 3 pmA Naturalistic Landscaping Workshop with Larry Weaner will take place at Aton Forest in Norfolk. Many gardeners and land managers find themselves constantly fighting Nature to maintain the aesthetic appeal they desire. Another approach is to work with naturally occurring events and plants to achieve a landscape that is sensually, intellectually, and emotionally satisfying. This workshop continues that discussion and demonstration of ecologically-based naturalistic landscaping and its benefits. There will be information presented for both those familiar with this form of wild landscaping and those new to it. With an understanding of natural processes you will learn how to work with the land to develop an attractive and healthy landscape. Weather permitting, most of the time will be spent walking the woods and fields of Aton Forest observing managed and natural habitats. There will also be time to discuss participants' land management issues. The workshop is limited to 15. Advance registration and payment of $30 is required. More info athttp://afworkshops.blogspot.com

August 5 (Monday) 5 to 7 pmA Plant Disease Management Seminar will be led by Joan Allen at Community Farm of Simsbury. $20/$30. www.ctnofa.org

August 6 (Tuesday) 6:30 to 8 pmEasy Care Roses with Marci Martin will be held at Prosser Public Library in Bloomfield. There are new roses that have been bred to be disease resistant and are now available to the home gardener. Come to find out what roses need to be happy. Learn about sun and watering requirements, proper planting and pruning, as well as fertilization techniques. Call or register online: 860.243.9721, x3558 orhttp://prosserlibrary.evanced.info/signup/eventcalendar.aspx

August 7 (Wednesday) 10 am to 4 pmPlant Science Day is at Lockwood Farm, 890 Evergreen Ave., Hamden. This annual event features talks, demos, exhibits and field experiments. It is sponsored by The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. Guest speaker, Michael McLaughlin, will discuss national food safety. Rain or shine. Gates open at 9:30 am. Admission is free and there's plenty of free parking. Info (877) 855-2237 or www.ct.gov/caes

As always, we are looking for pictures of gardens in the area.  The pictures are from my garden in Ledyard.  To have your garden photos featured in the Patch blog send them tomystichomes@live.com.  

And remember, “Gardens are not made by singing 'Oh, how beautiful,' and sitting in the shade”.  Rudyard Kipling 

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