Submitted by Terry Twigg.
(April 29, 2022)—The Haddam Garden Club’s Annual Plant Sale will be held this year on Saturday, May 7,2022 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in front of the former Haddam Elementary School in Higganum. The sale usually coincides with the Town-Wide Tag Sale, but this year’s tag sale is scheduled a bit late for gardeners, so the plant sale will be going it alone, at the ideal time for planting, and just in time for Mother’s Day gifts. There will be rows and rows of plants lovingly dug from members’ gardens, all at bargain prices. In addition, the sale will feature dahlia tubers for the easiest, most gorgeous summer bouquets ever. Plus, the fabulous and friendly Dan Natusch from Bartlett Tree Service will be on hand to give away free tree seedlings and answer all your tree-related questions. Proceeds from the sale will support the club’s many civic projects.
What makes a beautiful New England town even better? In Haddam, one answer is the many gardens the club maintains all over town. Just a few days after the plant sale, the club will set to work. Each member is assigned to a garden, and all take turns weeding, watering and deadheading throughout the hot months, then putting the gardens to bed for the winter. Where to find them:
The Gardens:
The Greens: Have you ever wondered who takes care of the Higganum Green and the smaller green around the flagpole at the bottom of Walkley Hill? Both are planted and maintained by the club, and kept watered through the hottest parts of summer, without the benefit of any on-site water source.
The Library: Without the Garden Club’s efforts, the entrance to the Library would be nothing but a parking lot. Instead, it welcomes visitors with a succession of flowers from early spring until the first frost. On the opposite side of the building, accessible from the Children’s Department, a pollinator garden with whimsical statues entices children to learn more about the natural world.
The Transfer Station: Even this, arguably the dreariest public space, offers a garden overflowing with native plants, flowering shrubs, and bulbs. Sandwiched between two paved areas, it’s a dry, challenging location, but the crew takes it in stride.
Town Office Building: A visit here is rarely fun, but the small garden near the pillars and those at both the front and side entrances make time spent on town business so much more pleasant.
But the gardens are only part of the club’s contribution to Haddam:
The Welcome Signs: Seven handsome signs welcome visitors to our town. The signs are placed by the Garden Club (and sometimes replaced, when time or traffic accidents take their toll), with cheerful flowers planted underneath. All the signs get decorated for the holidays.
Golden Days: Every year the club plants hundreds of daffodils in public spaces, from the cemetery in Shailerville to the Higganum Green to the flagpole on the Haddam Green. You’ve probably seen the cheerful yellow flowers brightening the Transfer Station, and may have noticed this year’s newest addition, at Beaver Meadow Cemetery.
Holiday Decorations: Early in the holiday season, club members gather greens of every description to make holiday decorations to distribute around town. Every town office, the library, the welcome signs, the Senior Center, the transfer station, and the town garage–each gets a festive arrangement.
Haddam Neck Fair: A few years ago, the club accepted responsibility for the flowers and floral design section of the Fair. The club chooses a theme, oversees entries (no bugs or diseases, please!) and then judges the exhibits.
Lectures: Periodically, the club sponsors speakers on horticultural topics. Covid-19 put a temporary hold on plans, but the club expects to book new speakers in the near future.
The Haddam Garden Club is a service organization that manages to have a lot of fun along the way. New members are always welcome, and will find the group meeting at the Community Center on the second Wednesday of every month at 10:00 a.m. Or come talk to us at the Plant Sale!
