For our March meeting we welcomed Master Wildlife Conservationist, Ginny Apple.

Ginny Apple and Club Vice President Jennifer Lombard

She is Chair of the Barkhamsted Conservation Commission and also on the Town Economic Development Commission, on the Boards of the Farmington River Watershed Association, the Friends of American Legion and Peoples State Forests (FALPS), the Litchfield Hills Audubon Society, the Northwoods Land Conservancy, the Friends
of Connecticut State Parks and she volunteers regularly with the Barkhamsted Historical Society (BHS).

Ginny included a brief natural history of Connecticut, addressing the current state of wildlife, she also discussed the major species and the things that affect their habitats. Continue reading →

We are celebrating our 50th year anniversary!

The Olde Ripton Garden Club will have their annual Plant and Bake sale on Saturday, May 16, 2026, from 9 AM to 1 PM, rain or shine, held at St. Paul’s Church parking lot.

Visit our 50th Anniversary Table with a Rain Barrel giveaway and Glove and Seed Giveaway.  There will be a large selection of perennials, annuals, herbs and tomato plants, many member-grown plants will be available.  We will also have a bake sale and once again our famous gift cards will be available.

A master gardener will be available to answer your gardening questions.

The proceeds from our non-profit organization event benefit community projects, scholarships, youth gardening, senior garden therapy and beautifying city gardens.

Plant and Bake sale information is available at (203) 209-6762 or Info@OldeRiptonGardenClub.org

Founded in 1976, the Olde Ripton Garden Club (ORGC) of Shelton, Connecticut is a community of garden enthusiasts committed to sharing the love of gardening and conservation.  We provide education in horticulture and assist in beautifying the grounds around public buildings.

Meetings are held March through December (no meetings in January and February.)  They are on the first Monday of the month (except for holidays) and start at 10 a.m.

Dues are $35 per year, guests are welcome to attend, there is a $5 Visitor Fee for non-members.

For our March 2nd meeting we welcome Ginny Apple.

Landscapes are dynamic ecosystems and Connecticut’s landscape has changed through the centuries from almost completely forested in the 1600s to cleared land by the mid-1800s. Presently, the state is almost 60 percent forested. As the landscape changed in Connecticut so did the wildlife populations that depend on the land for habitat.

Join us for what looks to be an interesting and informative presentation.

Meetings are held March through December (no meetings in January and February) at  the Shelton Community Center in the lower level Multi-Purpose room. They are on the first Monday of the month (except for holidays) and start promptly at 10 a.m.

Meetings may be cancelled due to inclement weather and road conditions.  Check Facebook for information:  https://www.facebook.com/SheltonORGC

Dues are $35 per year, guests are welcome to attend, there is a $5 Visitor Fee for non-members.

The first meeting of the Olde Ripton Garden Club in 2026 will be Monday, March 2nd.  We will welcome Ginny Apple who will share a presentation on how wildlife species have changed with the land throughout the years from colonial times.

Meetings are held March through December (no meetings in January and February) at  the Shelton Community Center in the lower level Multi-Purpose room. They are on the first Monday of the month (except for holidays) and start promptly at 10 a.m.

Meetings may be cancelled due to inclement weather and road conditions.  Check Facebook for information:  https://www.facebook.com/SheltonORGC

Dues are $35 per year, guests are welcome to attend, there is a $5 Visitor Fee for non-members.

On Saturday, February 14th, Club members Lisa DiNardo, Linda Hooper and Susan Wabuda attended the Kokedama workshop at the Kellogg Environment Center in Derby, CT.

Proudly showing their Kokedama are Club President Lisa DiNardo, Linda Hooper and Susan Wabuda.

Kokedama is a centuries old Japanese form of garden art that is closely tied to the practice of bonsai.  Kokedamas are attractive decorative balls of moss from which various plants grow.

For our November 2021 meeting we welcomed Debbie Semonich who led us in a workshop of “Winter Sowing.”   Members learned how to make their own miniature greenhouses from recycled plastic containers.  After planting the seeds, containers were wintered outdoors and in the spring seedlings appeared.

Club member Linda Hooper set up her miniature greenhouses this month.  We will be interested to see these seeds grow into seedlings and then into the plants of spring and summer.

On Friday, January 30th some of the Olde Ripton Garden Club members met at Panera’s for coffee and a friendly chat.  A big thank you to club President Lisa DiNardo for organizing what turned out to be a fun morning for those who attended.

Club President Lisa DiNardo, Joan Mauri, Jean Hirsch, Laura Lucas, Michelle Bernier, Linda Tura, Lori Hansen, Carla Loxsom and Holly Secskas

Pat Robik, Irmina Grabarz, Alfreda Mozdzer, Martha Nosal, Lori Kniffin, Diana Wehger, June Chiodo and Judy Pavone

Founded in 1976, the Olde Ripton Garden Club (ORGC) of Shelton, Connecticut is a community of garden enthusiasts committed to sharing the love of gardening and conservation.  We provide education in horticulture and assist in beautifying the grounds around public buildings.

Meetings are held March through December (no meetings in January and February) at  the Shelton Community Center in the lower level Multi-Purpose room. They are on the first Monday of the month (except for holidays) and start promptly at 10 a.m.

Meetings may be cancelled due to inclement weather and road conditions.  Check Facebook for information:  https://www.facebook.com/SheltonORGC

Dues are $35 per year, guests are welcome to attend, there is a $5 Visitor Fee for non-members.

This December members of the Olde Ripton Garden Club worked with residents of Crosby Commons painting Christmas posters.

Residents enjoyed painting their choice of Christmas posters.

Club Members Lee Stolzman, Judy Pavone, June Chiodo and Jan Gallagher are shown with residents of Crosby Commons who proudly showed their individually painted Christmas posters.

On Tuesday, December 9th members of the Olde Ripton Garden Club and Dancers from the Huntington Chapel entertained residents of Wesley Heights with a night of dancing and caroling.

Caroling members of the Olde Ripton Garden Club:  President Lisa DiNardo, Judy Pavone, June Chiodo, Pat Robik, Joanne Brunelle and Lori Hansen.

Members of the Huntington Chapel dance group.

Olde Ripton Garden Club along with members of the Huntington Chapel sang Christmas carols for the residents of Wesley Heights.

The members of the Olde Ripton Garden Club wish everyone a safe, healthy, happy holiday season.  Pictured are some of the wreaths around town that were created by members of the Olde Ripton Garden Club.

The front door of the Shelton Historical Society on Ripton Road in Shelton.

Originally a farmhouse built around 1840, the Osborne Homestead Museum is now one of fifteen distinctive historic sites in Connecticut.  Frances Eliza Osborne (1876-1956) was the last of the Osborne family children and deeded the 350-acre property to Connecticut to preserve it as a state park for future generations.

Every December for more than 30 years, local clubs have prepared lavish holiday decorations following an annually chosen theme.  The theme for the 2025 Holiday Season is “A Derby Holiday.”  The Olde Ripton Garden Club decorated the Dining Room with the topic of the “Sterling Opera House and Women’s Club Guests.”

The holiday tours will run from November 28 through December 20, 2025. Tours will be offered Thursdays through Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. On Fridays, December 5, 12, and 19, the museum will present “Twilight Tours” to display the amber glow of the decorations from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Continue reading →

For our December meeting members decorated wreaths to be delivered to Civic buildings, Civic gardens and schools around Shelton.

Rich with history, symbolism, and aesthetic beauty, the wreath is a favorite decoration year-round.  The beginning of December welcomes boughs of fir, spruce, and holly to the wreath form — since ancient times, evergreens have served as symbols of life and strength against the bitter cold, snow, and ice.

Members of the Olde Ripton Garden Club

Continue reading →