In 2022, the Garden Club of America launched the National Native Plant Month Initiative. "Native Plant Month" was declared in 2023 by Ned Lamont and other governors across America to promote using plants that naturally evolved in a particular region, ecosystem, or habitat without human introduction. This state-wide declaration is an important step in creating public awareness in the Stonington Borough of the critical role native plants play in supporting a healthy environment, thriving wildlife and pollinator populations, and reducing the use of pesticides and fertilizers.
Stonington Garden Club's Role
The Stonington Garden Club (SGC) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a Partners for Plants (P4P) grant from The Garden Club of America. The Garden Club of America awards grants annually through their P4P program to facilitate hands-on projects between garden clubs and managers on federal, state, local, and other significant public lands. As a first-time recipient, the Stonington Garden Club has been awarded the maximum 1st-year grant of $3,000 to renourish, redesign, and replant the public gardens at the Stonington Borough Post Office and the Wayland’s Wharf Rain Garden.
The club created the Borough Post Office garden from the proceeds of their first garden tour in 1961 and has cared for the garden ever since. As part of the club’s Native Plant Project, the garden will be redesigned and replanted with native plants that absorb toxins and harmful carbon emissions, and feed pollinating birds and bees to support our human food sources. In addition, the grant will be used to expand the Wayland’s Wharf Rain Garden to maximize its capacity to capture contaminated stormwater runoff from the parking area using native plants as filters before the water flows into Stonington Harbor.
Wayland's Wharf Rain Garden
In 2018, the Stonington Garden Club partnered with Stonington Borough, the Long Island Sound Study Group, and the Eastern Connecticut Conservation District (ECCD) to create a rain garden at Wayland's Wharf. The garden's purpose was to filter toxins from the stormwater runoff in the parking area before it flowed into Stonington Harbor. While the garden is currently doing its job, it is too small to serve the entire area. The native plants in the garden filter toxins from the water collected in its bowl-shaped base, but gallons of toxin-infused stormwater still flow directly from the parking area into the harbor during and after rain and wind storms. To expand the garden's positive impact on this coastal location, there is a proposal to increase its size.
Video Presention
Borough Post Office Garden
The Stonington Borough Post Office is a prominent landmark near the Village entrance. The federal land in front of Stonington Borough’s post office is the “gateway” to residents and visitors to this historic seaside town. Since 1964, our members have cared for these two small gardens, pulling out invasives, planting, weeding, watering, and mulching this space to enhance the beauty of the Borough. The gardens must be amended, redesigned, and replanted with attractive native plants that resist the negative elements of climate change.
Winter Sowing Seeds
Winter sowing is an ideal way to germinate native plants. Native seeds are acclimated to the local climate and sprout as days get longer and the weather warms up. The Stonington Garden Club created forty take-home kits for its members to plant seedlings, which will be planted in the gardens we care for this spring. Our club has found project support from the local Wild Ones, Inc. chapter which donated native plant seeds for our winter sowing project. Barbara Duncan, President of the North Stonington Garden Club, guided the project, and Pam Wright led the demonstration.
Progress
The gardening club is currently assessing the quality of the soil, environmental challenges, and other factors that may affect the growth of plants. To ensure they get the best possible results, they have sought the advice of experts from Connecticut and Rhode Island, including the resources from the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and UConn's Connecticut Sea Grant College program. The club has also enlisted the support of Maggie Redfern, the Executive Director of Connecticut College Arboretum. Additionally, Vilma Gregoropoulos, a professional landscaper, has been hired to provide guidance on garden design and plant selection.
Schedule
The Native Plant project has three goals which will be completed by June, 2026. The planned completion date coincides with the beginning of our upcoming Gardens by the Sea walking tour, our club’s primary fundraiser. This project also will coincide with the garden club’s centennial year (founded in 1926) and will be the club’s gift to the community. Our club has found project support from the local Wild Ones, Inc. chapter which donated native plant seeds for winter sowing. We have consulted resources from the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and UConn’s Connecticut Sea Grant College program. We also receive support from Maggie Redfern, the Executive Director of the Connecticut College Arboretum. The club has hired the professional services of a landscaper, Vilma Gregoropoulos, who will consult on garden design and plant selection.
