Wolcott History
Wolcott Historical Society

Wolcott Historical Society News - August 2009
 

By Florence Goodman

On Saturday, July 11th, the weathermen must have known the Historical Society was hosting their Fourth Garden Tour because the weather was perfect and so were the gardens. For a $10 donation, visitors could leisurely stroll through five hidden treasures located around town. Each garden had a specialty, yet each had a common thread: beauty, peace, and relaxation.

As you entered the gardens of Deb DuBois on Woodtick Road, you were drawn into little garden rooms with many creative ideas blooming around you. There were a variety of perennials blooming in each of these areas, such as coneflowers, astilbe, black-eyed Susans, and different varieties of lilies. Several arbors, fences, and trellises featured clematis, roses, and trumpet vines. The focal point in her yard featured a beautiful red smoke bush that received comments from most visitors on the tour. There was also a patch of red bee Baum that bordered her property, but belonged to her neighbor that was impressive and received many accolades. Deb's vegetable garden was very impressive and loaded with many vegetables ready to pick; I was very envious.

As you headed over to Anita Terrace, you entered the gardens of Sandy and Chris Ricchezza. Sandy's love for lilies and iris was obvious as you entered their yard. Visitors were overwhelmed with so many of these perennials in bloom, with color combinations as magnificent as the flowers. You were also able to see how many other plant materials such as, astilbe, hosta, ferns and ornamental grasses were integrated into this garden wonderland. Sandy has been able to enhance her above-the-ground pool and decking by working her gardens around them. She has utilized her garden space to the fullest in a very impressive way. Sandy's gardens were wonderful to visit.

Next we moved on to Brooks Hill Road to the gardens of Carla, Ray, and Jonathan Rogozinski. These gardens are part of an old historic home that once served as the Parsonage for the Congregational Church and was built in 1854. As you entered their yard you could feel that historical presence in the first garden you observed, which was offset by a fieldstone patio and walkway. Next, you walked through a beautiful arched arbor that Ray designed and built, and were drawn into their vegetable garden on one side and an enormous perennial garden on the other side. Their vegetable garden was bordered with huge sunflowers that were starting to bloom. There were also little garden rooms where you could sit and relax or just stroll through the many grass-lined paths where you might even observe the bunnies skirting about or Jillian and Jonathan serving cookies and a cold drink.

Our next stop was at the home of Linda and Mike Bruce on Bound Line Road. These gardens, which have been in the making for many years, gave the viewer the feeling of country elegance. They covered an extremely vast area that blended into the natural landscape. Their driveway, which was bordered with a variety of plant materials, guided you into this natural wonderland. You could enter their gardens in several ways. A shade garden with a water feature under their high decking along one side of the house guided you into the backyard or a sloped ledge area lead you around to the side of the house and then into the backyard. It was interesting to see the way they worked their gardens into the slope of the land and used the rocks and native plant material to further enhance their gardens. When you entered the backyard, you were drawn into a separate garden that was bordered by a picket fence. You entered this beautiful garden through an arbor that was covered with established wisteria vines. Inside the garden, you wound your way though a perennial maze until you reached a welcoming bench where you could sit and enjoy the view.

Our last garden was at the home of Flo and Terry Goodman on Peterson Lane. This house was built in 1776 and is the birthplace of the famous clockmaker, Seth Thomas. As you drove down this quaint little dead end road, you were greeted by stonewalls bordering the front yard gardens. Daisies, which are a favorite of the gardener, can be found throughout these gardens along with a variety of other perennials. The gardens created throughout the property were designed to give you the feeling of an endless country garden with perennials blooming all summer long. As you meandered through these gracious gardens, it was amazing to see so many flowers in bloom. The use of many small stonewalls help to accentuate some of these many gardens found on this property.

Each of these beautiful gardens was a delight to visit. It is very obvious that these are serious gardeners who find working in their gardens a rewarding and enjoyable experience. If you had the pleasure of viewing these gardens, I'm sure that you would agree that it was well worth the donation to do so. We are hoping to make this an annual event, so if you are interested in allowing your garden to be part of our Tour next year, please let us know.


We are always looking for new members; please consider joining our organization. You can obtain a membership application on the "Membership" page of this Web site. Our meetings are held on the first Thursday of each month at the Old Stone Schoolhouse on Nichols Road at 6:30 PM. If you arrive at 6:00 PM, Carl Hotkowski will appraise one antique article for free.

Our Schoolhouse Museum is open on Sunday afternoons from 1-3 during the summer and fall months. Anyone interested in visiting the Museum at a different time, please call Loretta Leonard at 879-4310 or Flo Goodman 879-9818.


Jillian Lanese and Jonathan Rogozinski

Jillian Lanese and Jonathan Rogozinski helping out at the Garden Tour.


DuBois

Viewing the gardens at the home of Deb DuBois.


Ricchezza

Japanese iris at the gardens of Sandy and Chris Ricchezza.


Bruce

Country elegance found at Linda and Mike BruceÕs gardens.


Goodman

Many daisies found in the gardens of Flo and Terry Goodman.


Rogozinski

A relaxing spot in the gardens of Carla and Ray Rogozinski.


To view past installments of the Wolcott Historical Society News, click here.

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