Flanders Nature Center Botany Walks

Members of the Pomperaug Valley Garden Club will be offering the public guided strolls along Flanders’ award winning Botany Trail on the three Sunday afternoons of May 3, 10 and 17^th.  Each program will begin at 2 PM.

The Botany Trail at Flanders Nature Center and Land Trust was developed and is maintained by the Pomperaug Valley Garden Club since 1965. The trail is a refuge for wildflowers and native plants that have been rescued from area development. The trail is approximately one mile in length and features gentle terrain suitable for any age level.  Since its inception, this Botany Trail had taken many awards and has delighted wild flowers enthusiasts. Flanders Botany Trail meanders through woodlands and fields and features more than 250 species of native perennials, trees, shrubs and ferns. It is at one of its loveliest times in the spring when there are over 150 wildflowers on the trail blooming at different times.

The walks are offered free of charge to the public but donations are welcomed. The group will meet in the Flanders Sugar House parking lot, which is located off Church Hill Road, approximately 1/4 mile from the intersection of Flanders and Church Hill Roads in Woodbury.  In the event of rain that day’s walk will be cancelled. For further information, call Flanders at 203-263-3711, ext. 10 or at www.flandersnaturecenter.org

For area information www.litchfieldhills.com.

Journey to a Magical Cloud Forest at Oliver Wolcott Library & White Flower Farm

The Oliver Wolcott Library on 160 South Street in Litchfield is hosting the photographs of Sue Kennedy through April 25 in the Gallery of this lovely library.

Twenty years ago Sue Kennedy was in Texas working on a Kinesiology and Adapted Physical Education PhD. If anyone had told her that photographing and raising orchids was what she would be doing today, she wouldn't have believed them. She is here to share her journey, and hopes you will smile, find joy, and most of all, peace from these images of her quiet and powerful children of the Magical Cloud Forest.

Sue's father was a pediatrician in the Torrington/Litchfield area, but he always had a second great passion...orchids. Before medical school he earned a PhD in Botany from Cornell and dreamed of discovering and naming a new orchid. 

After retiring from medicine and armed with a U.S. Department of Agriculture permit, he and his wife took many collecting excursions including the Amazon, Peru, Ecuador, Mexico, Venezuela, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. Plants were brought home, potted or mounted, and treasured in his "quiet place," the greenhouse he had built.

When her father passed away and her mother became ill, Sue was forced with a dilemma - let the orchids die, sell them off or give it a go. She dove in and never looked back. With each blossom she began to see and photograph the unique character of each plant. She shared her images with friends and would see their eyes light up with a kind of childish wonder, peace and joy. Sue continues to capture how light is reflected and penetrates; how it enlightens; how each bloom is a fascination.

After visiting the Library, stop by White Flower Farm to look at the fabulous selection of plants to be found there. White Flower Farm is located on Rte. 63, 167 Litchfield Rd. a few miles south of the center of Litchfield.  Visitors to White Flower Farm will offers a wide array of plants for sale.  The shop at White Flower Farm opens in April.  Visitors may also explore several beautiful display gardens that are adjacent to the shop. A special deal only available at the Farm is to earn one Pettingill Dollar for every $10 spent on plants and accessories.  Bonus dollars can be redeemed from July 1 - August 31 -- gift certificates are not included in this offer. For more information about White Flower Farm visit  www.whiteflowerfarm.com.

For more information on programs at the Oliver Wolcott Library call 860-567-8030 or visit www.owlibrary.org. For information about the Litchfield Hills visit www.litchfieldhills.com

Lilac Walk & Tea at Bellamy Ferriday House and Garden

On Sunday, May 19 from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Bethlehem’s Bellamy Ferriday House and Garden is hosting a Lilac Walk and Tea party.  Participants attending this event will learn the history, care and culture of lilacs with Bellamy- Ferriday Site Horticulturist, George McCleary.  A tea in the historic garden will follow the program on lilacs.  Admission for the event is $12 for adults and $10 for members of the Connecticut Landmarks Association, $5 children, and $25 for families.

Guests will learn about the 14 varieties of lilacs in the Ferriday collection and their various colors, fragrances, flower and leaf size.  One discussion will focus on ways to get your lilacs to bloom this will be especially helpful if you are having trouble getting them to blossom.  Participants will also learn how to increase flower growth and to protect lilacs from powdery mildew organically. You can even take some lilacs home because lilacs from the Bellamy-Ferriday collection will be for sale.

Running concurrently with the adult lilac program is another program about lilacs for children ages 5 and up.  Children will learn about these beautiful purple flowers through games and crafts. 

About Bellamy Ferriday House and Garden

The house embodies the dramatically different passions of two extraordinary individuals, Rev. Joseph Bellamy (1719-1790) and Miss Caroline Ferriday (1902-1990).  Today this 1754 home of Bethlehem's First Minister transformed into a 20th century country estate with antiques, a formal garden of historic roses, lilacs, and peonies and an orchard.  http://www.ctlandmarks.org/?page=bellamy-ferriday-house-garden.

For area information www.litchfieldhills.com.