Connecticut College Arboretum Programs
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Fall, 2003

CELEBRATING A CENTURY OF CONNECTICUT FLORA
An All-Day Symposium sponsored by the Connecticut Botanical Society and co-sponsored by the Arboretum
Sunday, September 13, 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Registration, continental breakfast, and keynote speaker at Oliva Hall; Blaustein Humanities Center for workshops and lunch. $60 for CBS and Arboretum members and $70 for non- members. CALL PROMPTLY TO REGISTER

This all-day symposium sponsored by the Connecticut Botanical Society and co-sponsored by the Arboretum, is a celebration of the 100th birthday of the Connecticut Botanical Society (www.ct-botanical.society.org). . Michael Donoghue, the keynote speaker, is a Yale Professor and Director of the Peabody Museum. The seventeen workshops for which you can choose three, include workshops on herbs, notable tress, identifying wildflowers in winter, unraveling grass identification, moss gardens, and many more. Sign up on Saturday for Sunday field trips.

 

A TREE ID WORKSHOP
A Walk with Jim Luce, Supervisor of Grounds, Saturday, September 27th from 10 a.m. to noon. Meet at New London Hall, Room 112. $12 for members and $15 for non-members. Registration is required and covers the cost of book.

Although there are several ways to identify trees, the focus of this workshop with Jim Luce is identifying trees by their leaves. Often people are not aware that most trees have alternate leaves, but a few groups have opposite leaves, and only rarely are the leaves whorled. Is a leaf smooth, wavy, serrated, doubly serrated, or lobed? This workshop will give answers to all of these questions, and participants wil leave with the ability to go out and readily identify the various trees they "meet." The registration fee includes a tree identification book, Trees of the Eastern and Central United States and Canada by William M. Harlow, which participants will take home. If you already own this book, you may deduct $7 from your registration fee. The book is essential for participation in the class.

ANNUAL FALL FOLIAGE WALK
"Now is the time of illuminated woods . . . every leaf glows like a tiny lamp; one walks through their lighted halls with a curious enjoyment." John Burrows
A Noonday Walk with Glenn Dreyer, Arboretum Director, Saturday, October 18th, noon to 1 p.m. Meet at the main entrance of the Native Plant Collection on Williams Street. Registration suggested. FREE.

Join Glenn Dreyer on this noontime walk to enjoy nature's spectacular display of color this autumn. In addition to pointing out the species with the most colorful foliage, Glenn will discuss the chemical process behind this phonomena.

10th Annual Fall Plant Sale
Saturday October 18, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Harkness Chapel Green (Across from Harkness Chapel and adjacent to the college entrance on Williams Street)

If you want to give your newly acquired plants a chance to establish themselves and develop a healthy root system, FALL PLANTING can help you do just that. A wide selection of trees, shrubs, perennials, bulbs, ferns, and ornamental grasses will be offered this year at the Arboretum Fall Plant Sale, including shadbush, roses, fringetree, holly, lilac, mountain laurel, viburnum, and many more. (Click here for plants being offered.) Pumpkin Corner will return this year with an artist available to paint a face on the pumpkin of your choice to brighten up your home for the fall season. Also back will be Volunteer Corner containing plants donated by Arboretum volunteers and members. Volunteer Corner gives people a chance to spruce up their home landscape at minimal prices. Be sure to take a chance on the Weeping Chinese Dogwood that will be raffled off. No need to be present at the time of the drawing to win this beautiful specimen. Need help selecting the appropriate plants for your site? Advisors will be on hand to give you advice on the choosing, planting and care of your new selections. All plants are of the finest quality, and many are difficult to find at retail nurseries.

A Bonsai Demonstration by Tom Lee, of the China Trade Bonsai Society, will be presented at 11:00 a.m. at the site of the sale. Using a Rhododendron, Mr. Lee will create an outstanding Bonsai, for which a silent auction will be held, starting with a price of $25.00. You do not have to be present to win. There will also be a bonsai table with creations by the Society on display.

This sale is a public service and fundraiser, operated and organized by the Arboretum volunteers and staff. It provides a means for people to acquire native and non-native choice plants used in and promoted by the Arboretum.

 

ARCHAEOLOGY IN THE ARBORETUM
A walk/lecture with Harold Juli, Professor of Anthropology
Sunday, October 19, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Meet in front of the Athletic Center. Registration suggested. FREE.

The rich array of clues left behind by Native Americans are a window through which we may glimpse the lifestyles of former occupants of the land. Professor Juli will lead participants to several sites and give brief on-site lectures about Native American pre-history in the Arboretum and in this region in general. Since the early 1970's, the Anthropology Department has used the Arboretum for archaeological field studies. Participants will have the opportunity to purchase the Arboretum bulletin, Archaeology in the Connecticut College Arboretum, written by Dr. Juli. Wear comfortable shoes and clothing appropriate for walking in the woods.

 

IN HARMONY WITH NATURE . . . SALT
SALT (Smaller American Lawns Today) - An all-day Seminar
Saturday, November 8, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Olin Auditorium
$49 for members and $58 for non-members
Registration fee includes buffet lunch, breaks, and handouts. Books will be available for purchase.

This "In Hamony with Nature" seminar will demonstrate how to cut back on the size of your lawn, while retaining and increasing its natural beauty. Whatever your reason for wanting to cut back on the size of your lawn, this all-day seminar will give you the tips needed to get started. Speakers include Mike Nadeau, designer and building of ecological landscapes, who will speak on "Going Natural: Exploring the Links Between our Gardens and the Earth;" Ruth Parnall, landscape architect and environmental educator, who will demonstrate how to turn your one acre lot into a naturalistic landscape; Sally Taylor, Professor Emeritus of Botany, who will demonstrate how flowering shrubs can be used to shrink the size of your lawn; Stepanie Cohen, Director of the Landscape Arboretum at Temple Ambler and garden writer, who will speak on the best selections of perennials for giving your garden native appeal; and Sheila Wertheimer, landscape historian and designers, who will show how to make native ornamental grasses part of your naturalistic home grounds.

The SALT movement was conceived by the late Dr. William A. Niering, internationally reknowned enviornmentalist and botany professor at Connecticut College, and was named by his wife, Catherine Niering. SALT promotes the practice of designing environmentally sound landscapes that encourage biodiversity.

 

A Holiday Nature Boutique
A Holiday Gift-Buying Opportunity
Friday, December 5th
8 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Olin Lounge

Do you dread shopping at the malls during the holiday season? The Arboretum offers an alternative way of finding outstanding quality gifts for your nature-loving friends and family. Stewart Nye hand-wrought jewelry; Buttermilk Lane jewelry, handcrafted from real flowers; Arboretum-made wreaths; books galore; botanical skin care products; terrariums, decorative vinegars and oils; bonsai; t-shirts; cards; air plants; photography; both decorative and functional hand-made birdhouses; holiday plants; bowls and bookends; educational toys; stocking stuffers, and much much more--everything offered is of the finest quality and is either from nature or about nature. The line of Usborne children's books and kits will be back this year. These books are an outstanding educational tools for teaching children of all ages about nature. Many are linked to internet sources, giving your child the opportunity to further explore his/her topic of interest. (Click here to view our ever-growing list of items available.) Shop leisurely in a friendly, festive environment with advisors available to help you make the "perfect" selections. Rest and enjoy some holiday refreshments before leaving to go home and wrap your holiday gifts!. You may find that for your nature-loving family and friends, you will not even need to go to the crowded malls this holiday season.. Cash, check, Visa, and MasterCard are accepted.

The Holiday Nature Boutique is a fundraiser, and is organized and operated by Arboretum staff and volunteers.

LET'S TRIM A NATURALISTIC HOLIDAY TREE!
A Celebratory Event with the Arboretum Staff
Friday, December 5, 1 to 3 p.m. in Olin Lounge. FREE.

Drop by the Olin Lounge to hang your naturalistic ornament on the Holiday Tree place in Olin Lounge in celebration of nature's bounty and diversity. Bring berries, shells, conifer cones, flowers, or anything else from the natural world to beautify the tree. At the same time, you ar welcome to shop at the Holiday Nature Boutique which will be in full swing in the lounge at this time. Enjoy a cup of mulled cider and some holiday refreshments before departing. Naturalistic tree-trimming is a celebration of the diversity of nature and a reminder of the need to conserve natural resources. The tree will be later planted on the campus.

CREATING HOLIDAY WREATHS
A Worshop with Jeff Smith, Arboretum Horticulturist
Saturday, December 6, 9 a.m. to noon; New London Hall, Greenhouse
$23 for members and $27 for non-members
Registration required.

This is not just a workshop, but rather a festive Arboretum event that takes place each year during the holiday season. Seasonal music will be playing, and Jeff Smith, Arboretum Horticlturist, will have a kettle of mulled cider brewing. After a brief demonstration, Jeff will teach you the art of wreath-making. Everyone goes home, not with just an ordinary wreath, but one of great beauty, to adorn your home throughout the Holiday Season. If you want to be a part of this workshop, be sure and register NOW as the enrollment is limited. Bring prunig shears if you have some and any special ribbon or ornament you may want to add to your wereath. Everything else will be provided.

 

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Arboretum Autumn 2002 Program Schedule

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September

4 Connecticut Forest and Park Association - A Field Day  

21  An Equinox Walk at Gungywamp - A Swamp Walk

28  A Tree ID Workshop - A Walk

October

5 9th Annual Fall Plant Sale

19 Annual Fall Foliage - A Walk

23 Art in Nature - A Lecture/Demonstration

26 Perfect Botanical Arrangement - A Workshop

November

9  Let's Go Natural - A SALT Seminar

December

6  Let's Trim a Holiday Tree - A celebratory event with Arboretum staff

6 Botanical Boutique - Canceled for this season.

7 Creating Holiday Wreaths - A Workshop

 

 

New Directions in the American Landscape

January 9th & 10th, 2003

This seminar, designed for landscaping professionals, will be held at Connecticut College. Although conceived for the professional , non-professionals may also attend. For further information, call the Arboretum office at (860) 439-5020.

"Capturing the Beauty of Nature 2003" - a photography contest. If you start shooting now, you will be able to capture the beauty of nature in all of the seasons, and have something wonderful to enter in our annual photography contest.

May 14, 2003 is the deadline for entering.

 

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The Connecticut College Arboretum Programs

"It was a morning in early summer. a silver haze shimmered and trembled over the lime trees. The air was laden with their fragrance. The temperature was like a caress. I remember - I need not recall - that I climbed up a tree stump and felt suddenly immersed in Itness. I did not call it by that name. I had no need for words. It and I were one." -- (Bernard Berenson)

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Connecticut Forest and Park Association

Saturday, September 14, 2002

Start your morning off with a cup of coffee and pastry at Buck Lodge. Then join Dr. Chrtistine Small Assistant Professor of Botany, and Dr. Robert Askins, Professor of Zoology, for brief reports of the status of long-range vegetation and the bird census studies. These studies have been ongoing at the Arboretum since the 1950's. A guided tour of the Native Plant Collection and a tour of the Natural Area will be given. Bring a bag lunch, if desired, and eat in the Outdoor Theater at noon with other participants. Remember to wear comfortable walking shoes. This field day is being co-sponsored by the CFPA and the Arboretum.

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An Equinox Walk at Gungywamp Swamp

A Swamp Walk with Stan Gaby, local geologist

Saturday, September 21st, 2002

 

Gungywamp Swamp is characterized by dramatic rock outcroppings and north-south cliff walls; relics of the ice age of the Thames River. Join Stan Gaby for this walk when he will discuss the significant geology and astronomy in the enigmatic stone structures of this famous site. Hike various trails around Latham Lake. Enjoy, explore and see geological and archaeological features of the Gungywamp. View the path of water torrents as the ice cap receded 12,000 years ago and evidence of astronomy in some of the stone structures. Wear comfortable walking shoes.

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A Tree ID Workshop

A Walk with Jim Luc, Supervisor of Grounds

Saturday, September 28th, 2002

 

There are several ways to distingish between a sugar maple and a Norway maple or a pin oak and a white oak. The focus of this workshop, however, is to learn to identify trees by their leaves. Are you aware that most trees have alternate leaves, but a few have opposite leaves, and only rarely are the leaves whorled? Is a leaf smooth, wavy, serrated, double serrated, or lobed? You will leave this class knowing the answers to all of these questions and much more. This workshop/walk will give you a greater appreciation for every tree you "meet". Jim will start the class inside with a brief lecture, and then you will go outside to experiment with your newly acquired knowledge. The registration fee includes a tree identification book, Trees of the Eastern and Central United States and Canada by William M. Harlow that participants will take home. If you already own this book, you may deduct $7.00 from your registration fee, but the book is essential for participation in the class.

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9th Annual Fall Plant Sale Saturday,

October 5, 2002

 

If you want to give your newly acquired plants a chance to establish themselves and get a start on the next growing season, planting in the fall can do just that. A wide selection of trees, shrubs, perennials, and bulbs will be available this year at the Arboretum Annual Fall Plant Sale. Pumpkin Corner will be back again this year with our artists waiting to paint a special face on the pumpkin of your choice to brighten up your home this fall. Also back again this year is the Volunteer Corner containing plants that have been donated by Arboretum volunteers and members. This year these plants will be offered at prices that everyone can afford. If you are on a limited budget this year, Volunteer Corner gives you a great opportunity to spruce up your home landscape at very little cost to you. The volunteers are happy when their "extra" plants find good homes. Be sure and take a chance on the Paperbark Maple tree that is raffled off the day of the sale. If you need advice on planting and caring for you selections, Arboretum staff and volunteers will be on hand to give you the information that you need. All of the plants offered are of the finest quality, and many are difficult to find at retail nurseries.

This sale is a public service and fundraiser, as is organized and operated by Arboretum volunteers and staff. It provides a means for people to acquire native and non-native plants found in the arboretum.

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Annual Fall Foliage Walk

A Walk with Glenn Dryer, Arboretum Director

"Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn." -- Elizabeth Lawrence

You must take time to watch the leaves turn, and this walk with Glenn Dreyer is the opportune time to do so. Not only will you have the opportunity to view a spectacular display of color, but Glenn will describe to you the chemical process behind this great phenomenon. During the walk, he will point out species with the most colorful foliage.

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Art in Nature

A lecture/demonstration with Charles Chu,

Artist and Professor emeritus of Chinese.

This evening with Charles Chu is one you will not want to miss. Dr. Chu, an accomplished painter, calligrapher, and teacher, will be with us for an informal evening of discussion in the Charles Chu Asian Art Reading Room in the Shain Library. He will have some of his artistic works with him, and the audience will be given the opportunity to discuss various works with him and to ask questions. Chu's paintings, exhibitions, and public demonstrations are well known in New London and beyond. In 1985 Charles' friend, Tobby Griffis, proposed that they build a collection of East Asian art for the college. The Chu-Griffis Asian Art collection is housed in the Shain Library (more that 140 items). The collection has been shown at the Lyman Allyn Museum, New London Art Society Gallery, Wesleyan, Eastern Connecticut State University and Florida State University.

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The Perfect Botanical Arrangement

A Workshop with Carol King,garden writer and lecturer

Did you ever want that "perfect floral arrangement" for complementing the exact period of your home decor? To purchase such an arrangement is not an easy task.

Now you can create one for yourself. Join Carol King for this workshop and learn to design a flower arrangement to complement a specific space in you own home, using readily available materials. Need a bouquet for a mantle, coffee table, hall table, or a dining room table? Your arrangement will coordinate perfectly with the style, color, and size of the space you want to fill.

Best of all, once you learn the technique, you will be able to adapt it to different seasons and to whatever flowers are available. You will learn the importance of proportion, good foliage, and how to make flowers last longer.

Please bring: the dimensions of your table top or mantle, and a simple, opaque wide mouth container that coordinates with your decor and that fits the space you have in mind. It could be a bowl that matches your china, a mixing bowl or a basket with a liner. Let your imagination soar! The only requirements are that it has to hold water and have a fairly wide opening at the top. No tall vases. Solid colors usually work better than busy patterns. Every thing else will be provided.

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Let's Go Natural

SALT - Smaller American Lawns Today

A SALT* Backyard Landscaping Seminar for Homeowners

Since we have entered the 21st century, a new paradigm has been emerging, involving a critical look at our outdated mode of maintaining lawns larger than needed. There is a move toward smaller lawns, or even the elimination of lawns. *The SALT (Smaller american Lawns Today) movement was conceived by the late Dr. William Niering to promote the concept of designing environmnetally sound laowns that encourage biodiversity, rather than wiping it out.

This seminar is designed for the homeowner who wants to have amore naturalistic home landscape, but is not sure where or how to start. Our seakers include Laura Eisner '77 Landscape Designer and President of Horticultural Resources, speaking on "Why Go Natural? Tips from one Landscape Designer"; Glenn Dreyer, Arboretum Director, "Rooting out those Invasive Exotics"; Heater Crawford, CT Sea Grant, Coastal Resources educator, speaking on "Clean Waters: Starting in Your Home and Yard"; Lisa Gould, Executive director of the Rhode Island Natural History Survey,on "Creating Backyard Habitat for Wildlife: Making Room for diversity"; and Larry Weaner, principal of Larry Weaner Landscape Design and developer of New Directions in the American Landscape, speaking on "Why Use Native Plants?". The program will be followed by guided walks in the Native Plant Collection of the Arboretum. Books relevant to the topics will be on sale during breaks.

This program is being co-sponsored by the New London county Soil and Water Conservation District.

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Let's Trim a Holiday Tree

A Celebratory event with the Arboretum Staff

 

Drop by Olin Lounge to hang your naturalistic ornament on the Holiday Tree placed in the lounge in celebration of nature's bounty. Bring berries,conifer cones, flowers, shells or anything else from the natural world to make our tree festive. At the same time, the Botanical Boutique will be in full swing, and you are welcome to shop if you wish. Before leaving, be sure and have a sip of mulled cider and some holiday refreshment. Tree-trimming is a celebration of the diversity of nature and a reminder of our need to conserve natural resources.

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Botanical Boutique

Unfortunately, this event is canceled for this year.

Everyone has family or friends for whom they want to find a unique Holiday gift. If that person loves nature, you probably can find that perfict gift right here at the Arboretum Botanical Boutique. You will find items that simpl;y are not available anywhere else. Books, games, artwork, posters, stationary, terrariums, air plants wreaths botanical jewelry, and much more will be in stock. New selections will be added this year. This Holiday Botanical Boutique is a fundraiser, and is organized and operated by Arboretum staff and volunteers.

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Creating Holiday Wreaths

A workshop with Jeff Smith, Arboretum Horticulturist

Each holiday season, members and friends of the Arboretum gather in the Greenhouse in New London Hall and begin to celebrate the holidays. Festive music plays, and Jeff Smith, Arboretum Horticulturist, has a kettle of mulled cider brewing. Then the fun begins. After giving a brief demonstration, Jeff teaches the participants the art of wreath-making. Everyone goes home, not with just an ordinary wreath, but rather one of great beauty to grace their home throughout the Holiday Season. If you want to be part of this festive occasion, be sure to register early as there is limited enrollment. Bring with you pruning shears if you have them. Everything you need will be provided, but if you would like to add a special ribbon or ornament to your wreath, just bring it with you.

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