The Mystic Garden Club approved donations to a number of local organizations this year.
Donations have been made to
Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center – to help fund a butterfly garden;
Federated Garden Clubs
The Connecticut Science Center, Hartford for a Roof top garden
Lower Mystic Cemetery
The Riverfront Childrens’ Center, Groton
Friends of The Mystic & Noank Library
In addition to supporting local non-profit organizations the garden club has been working a project to replace all of the flower bloxes in downtown Mystic.
Tropical plants are really a delightful addition to your summer patio. In recent years they have become more prevalent and affordable. Hybiscus, mandevilla, bougainvilla and brugsmansia certainly are a mouthful! But they are stunningly beautiful. The flowers tend to be very bright and profuse. They grow well in pots and are easy to care for. Last year, on a trip to Logees I bought a brugmansia among other things. I am thrilled to report this year that I was able to winter over my patio tropicals and they are growing profusely outside once again.
Brugmansia on my patio last July
Brugmansia Blossoms
There are a couple ways that I know of to winter over these gems. The first way is to just bring them inside and treat them like a house plant. These are very large house plants so you must have a lot of indoor plant space and they tend to be messy, losing lots of leaves. It is also important to thoroughly clean them before bringing them indoors so you will not inadvertently bring in insects. I have done this before with hybiscus plants but it was a lot of work.
Mandevilla in bloom
Mandevilla flowers
The alternative is to make the plant go dormant. Traditional advice is to cut the plant down to about 8 inches or a foot and bring it into a cool spot in your basement. Add a cup of water a month throughout the winter. I confess to trying this but failing because my basement was not cool enough and I didn’t remember to get to that back corner to water enough. But last winter I decided to try my garage here in Mystic. I cut down my precious brugmansia and mandevilla plants and used a dolly to roll them into the garage, placing them right next to the house wall and back door. I walked by them every day and easily remembered the occasional watering. At the beginning of May I started a more generous watering and put them outside after the danger of frost was over. Though one unsually cold night I threw towels over them. I am now rewarded with lush growing plants. Next year I think I will start my awakening process earlier, probably early April indoors. For me this was the easiest method of wintering over and the rewards are terrific.
Over 1,200 visitors toured the 13 properties highlighted in the Rooms and Blooms: A Mystic House and Garden Tour on June 20. Despite the fog blanketing the river during the morning hours, the 13 gardens and 7 homes were at their loveliest. The tour was an eclectic mix of large and small, old and new, professional and non-professional gardens: there was something for everyone.
A striking color of lilies
An estimated 100 volunteers provided visitors with a welcoming smile and friendly greeting. The Mystic Garden Club and the Mystic River Historical Society are grateful for the support of our visitors and our community.
The easiest way to get to downtown Mystic is to take Exit 89 off I 95 (Allyn Street), and go south towards Mystic (I don’t know which direction you’re coming from, so it’s either a left or a right!). You’ll go through a blinking red light to a stop light, which is Rte. 1. Take a left onto Rte. 1 towards Mystic. There is parking at the Union Baptist Church which will be the second left, or further down the hill into Mystic at St. Marks Church on Pearl Street (the 4th left after you get onto Rte. 1). We’ll have signs pointing the way. You may also park along the road, but be sure to follow parking signs. Finally, there is a field we’ll be using on River Road, north of the tour route, and we’ll have jitney’s driving folks back and forth to the tour area.
Those who have prepurchased tickets, may start at any property and pick up your tour booklet. They will be clearly marked with a large decorated planter on the road. The tour is along Gravel Street, Pearl Street, Clift Street, Grove Street and Starr Street. It’s a walking tour, and we expect it to take around 3 hours if you go to every property.
We are looking forward to a beautiful day. All of this rain is great for the gardens!
31 Gravel Street - Colorful Low Maintenance Perennials
Mystic “Rooms and Blooms” Tour. Appears in June 2009 issue of Cape Cod Life
by Susan Dewey
Mystic, Connecticut, attracts visitors to the world-renowned Mystic Seaport and Mystic Aquarium. People are also drawn to the picturesque village center, which is filled with quaint shops, eclectic places to eat, and sea captains’ homes on quiet river-view and hillside streets.
On June 20 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., visitors will have a rare opportunity to trace Mystic’s development from a remote 16th-century agricultural community to an influential seaport when the Mystic River Historical Society joins forces with the Mystic Garden Club to host “Rooms and Blooms: A Mystic House and Garden Tour.” The walking tour will showcase some of Mystic’s historic and most unusual homes as well as some lovely seaside gardens. “Since this is a walking tour, people will have a chance to soak up the unique flavor and wonderful river views that are part of the reason why so many sea captains, artists, and early entrepreneurs chose to live in this magical area,” says Cynthia Mason, a garden club spokesperson. All proceeds from the tour will benefit the Mystic community.
The tour, held rain or shine, will wind along five closely located streets in Mystic village. Parking will be available at several convenient locations, and transportation will be provided for those in need. Visitors can start at any one of the featured homes or gardens. Many of the tour sites have an interesting historical connection. All are located on the west side of Mystic River (on the opposite side from Mystic Seaport) and are part of a centuries-old land grant. In 1654, John Winthrop, Jr. of Pequot Plantation (now New London, Conn.) gave a man named Robert Burrows a grant of 300 acres on Mystic River’s west bank. Following the War of 1812, a lucky fellow named Amos Clift acquired much of the Burrows property and began to lay out streets and house lots, developing the property into the seaside village that it is today.
A good place to begin the tour is at 15 Gravel Street, once the home of a cabinetmaker. This classic Greek Revival home with Italian Villa-style elements was built in 1835 and features colorful gardens filled with 19th-century plants chosen for tolerance to tidal river climate, including hydrangeas, inkberry holly, daylilies, beach grass, and Shasta daisies. Gardeners will also enjoy the homeowners’ efforts to give Mother Nature a boost by planting their vegetables and herbs in raised beds.
Further along on Gravel Street, several attractive gardens have been planted and continue to evolve. At #31, built in 1845 by local sea captain Thomas Eldredge, the Mystic River View Garden was planted with an eye to maximizing the peaceful view. Sturdy New England garden favorites such as shrub roses, peonies, catmint, and hydrangeas are flourishing in this demanding microclimate that is subject to saltwater and air. On the Eldredge Street side, there are three unusual, monochromatic gardens creating a dramatic montage in blue, yellow, and white.
Beautiful Interior
There are several more highlights among the tour’s 13 homes and gardens. Visit the charming home of Karin Soderberg, daughter of famous Mystic artist Yngve Edward Soderberg, at 5 Eldredge Street, and be sure to notice the small cutting garden started by her mother, Nancy, with donations from friends’ gardens. Admire a three-in-one garden montage on Pearl Street and Park Place that includes a low-maintenance shrub garden of heaths and dwarf conifers, a bountiful perennial garden, and a swath of eco-friendly grasses. The grape-arbor garden at 13 Grove Avenue features tough—but colorful—rock-garden plants such as alpine perennials and bright annuals. In the barn adjacent to this elegant 1853 home there will be a Garden Boutique where plants and garden accessories will be for sale and local landscape designers will share advice. The Mystic River Historical Society and the Mystic Garden Club will also have boutique items to purchase.
Finish the “Rooms and Blooms” tour with a flourish at 85 Clift Street, where a hard-working homeowner has spent years creating a National Wildlife Habitat—certified in 2008—for flora and fauna, including praying mantis, bees, butterflies, and birds. The owner has learned to provide individual microclimates for various species in carefully maintained planting beds around the property.
“Rooms and Blooms” tickets are available for $22 prior to June 19; tickets purchased on the day of the tour will be $30. Tickets will include a booklet showing house and garden locations and other interesting tour highlights. For more information, or to purchase tickets in advance, go towww.mystichistory.orgorwww.mysticgardenclub.org, or call 860-271-3980.
Susan Dewey is managing editor at Cape Cod Life Publications.
The Plum Beach Garden Club was started in 1927, and continues to support civic beautification projects such as the garden at the Gilbert Stuart Birthplace and Museum.
This event starts at 10:30 AM
Space is limited, and as in past years, often sells out quickly.
Reservations are confirmed with a $40.00 check made payable to THE PLUM BEACH GARDEN CLUB.
Please confirm your reservation with a check before June 10
LECTURE & LUNCHEON
WEDNESDAY, June 17, 2009
The Dunes Club
The Dunes Club, 137 Boston Neck Rd, Narragansett, RI 02882
Speaker: Steve Silk
The Crazy,Mixed-up border: an eclectic approach to design
We have some wonderful local farmer markets in the area and they have begun to be open for the season. People from all over come to the Saturday morning Stonington borough’s Farmers’ Market with it’s fresh produce, pottery and local seafood.
Local Farmers Markets:
Denison Farm Market – Sundays noon to 3 PM – (through late October)
Tri-Town Ledyard Farm Market – Fridays, 3 to 6 PM (opens June 5)
Stonington Burough – Saturdays, 9 AM to noon
Groton Farmer’s Market – Wed’s 2 to 6 PM (opens July 15)
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