Photo Attribution Below

Hi Everyone,

It occurred to me one day as I was walking around my yard with my sister in law how many little tidbits we shared with each other about plants and gardening just in general conversation. The same situation occurred when I was at my sister’s house recently checking out how she was starting her vegetable garden again for the season.  And of course, walking and talking about plants happens when visiting friends’ homes too.

So many of us, whether new to gardening or experienced, have ideas and tips to share when we feel open to do so and are having spontaneous conversations about what we have done in our yards and with our gardens or container gardens.

So this spring season of 2014, I’m kicking off an “informal, no pressure” type of group for anyone interested to “Walk & Talk Home Gardens.”

And I’m happy to report, two volunteers have already offered to have an hour at their home, which I’m internally grateful!

The Kickoff Dates:

• First date is June 7, Saturday, 2:30 pm (Wethersfield, CT)
• Second date is July 26, Saturday, 10:00 am (Enfield, CT)
• Third date — to be announced — the theme will be “A Shady Nook”.
• See Garden Club Talks for information on these two kickoff dates.

The Ground Rules:

We want to keep this simple and no pressure – so we are instituting some ground rules, and here they are:

#1 – Perfect or Pathetic

We truly don’t care if you have a showcase garden or one that is small and untidy – SERIOUSLY.

There are way too many times when I’ve met homeowners, gardeners, or professional gardeners, where people instinctively criticize their gardens.  It is a gardener’s bad habit.  They see a little fault and point it out. I do it too!

So please, if you have even the smallest of space, don’t hesitate to offer an hour at your home.  And if you have an exceptional garden, don’t think you have to spruce it up – which is what I’ve seen done so many times for professional garden tours, when in my opinion, their gardens are already perfect.

“This group is not a garden tour – it is a walk & talk chat opportunity.”

Maybe you have a recommendation on where to get seeds you have tried in your garden, perhaps you came up with some trick in the garden no one has seen before, or you tried a new plant.

We all have techniques we’ve tried out – and it is fun to talk about it. So much can be learned in one statement of something said while walking around with no pressure!!

Oh by the way, this group is for any type of gardening and of course, container gardening too.

Maybe you had some recent work done to your yard.

For example, last year a friend told me how she removed huge boulders with the help of her uncle and they totally cleared her yard which is now open.  Some of the cool things they did was create stone furniture with the salvaged boulders – and she had such an experience to share because she worked on the project with her hired help.  Any type of situation is doable for this group – even those “under construction” or not finished.  And if you do have an amazing wonderful garden, these are on the list too.

#2 – Only One Hour

As a host – you only need to commit one hour of time – and we are even going to go as far to say, if you have an emergency, a scheduling dilemma, or whatever – you have the right to change or cancel your hour.  Of course, we want to avoid changes to the schedule because there are only 5.5 months of gardening to enjoy – but we want this to be flexible and no pressure.  We all have very busy schedules and understand that sometimes things come up we can not control.

#3 – No Food Required

If you are a host – you do not need to put out lemonade or anything during your hour – we don’t want any pressure on your part – you are already showing us a part of your world and that is enough.  Let’s keep this informal and simple. No work on your part – I know how hard this is to do because I like to put out goodies when I have people at my home, but we don’t want any kind of expense on your part, or pressure. It’s optional.

#5 – Confidentiality & Respect

A confidentiality form will be signed by attendees – Just Kidding!  But because this is for enjoyment, not for “expertise” or “judgement,” we ask that you respect the homeowner’s property and keep in mind these walk and talks are not about someone showing you a perfect situation, but to have a nice time and see some tips.

To Attend:

There are no fees, but we would like to know a count of who plans to attend.

So to sign up:

• Visit Cathy T’s Garden Talks page and fill out the contact form below the listing of events.
• Email containercathy@gmail.com
  
• Click Join on Cathy T’s Landscape Designs Facebook page.
• Note: A group page will be established at a later date for convenience too.

Once you have indicated you would like to join the hour, the Walk & Talk home address will be sent to you.

To Volunteer:

Call me at 860-977-9473 and I can explain more – please do not hesitate to do so.

It’s a great way to meet friends and share for fun.

Thank you so much,

Cathy Testa
www.cathytesta.com
ContainerCrazyCT.com
860-977-9473
containercathy@gmail.com

Photo Attribution:  “Garden Gate with Flowers” by debspoons, courtesy of FreeDigitalImages.net