Bartlett Arboretum Ambassador Award presented to Ryan Kipp of Westhill High School

Stamford, CT - Today, members of the Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens staff presented Ryan Kipp of Westhill High School in Stamford, CT with its first ever Bartlett Ambassador Award! This award is given to honor exceptional students who have been long-standing advocates of the Bartlett. Ryan has been an active member of the Bartlett community for much of his life; from summer camper, to program participant, to camp counselor, to interning with us this past spring.

In speaking of his experiences at the Bartlett, Ryan said, "Honestly, everyone I've worked with here has been like family". Ryan will be attending the University of South Carolina this fall, majoring in Sports Management. The Bartlett is delighted to honor such a deserving student.

FactSet's Hackathon puts a spotlight on the Bartlett

Norwalk, CT - On Saturday, June 1, the Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens participated in FactSet’s annual Hackathon. The event provided boys and girls, in grades 4-8, the opportunity to team up as problem solvers and innovators to develop Smartphone app prototypes to benefit local nonprofit organization.  Participating nonprofits, including the Bartlett, received the opportunity to present their mission and message to new audiences, independent of fundraising.

A group of 3-4 students along with a FactSet employee mentor learned about the Bartlett’s mission and goals, then brainstormed the type of Smartphone app that might help in those efforts.

Bartlett Arboretum Achievement Award presented to Westhill High School Senior

Stamford, CT - Last night, members of the Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens presented the Bartlett Arboretum Achievement Award to Catherine Caragine, a Westhill High School Senior. The award is presented to students interested in pursuing environmental, botany or other natural sciences at the college level.  The students are chosen by the schools faculty and administration.

Catherine has been an active participant in plant science competitions and will be pursuing a degree in Marine Biology and Conservation. Her passion and enthusiasm for the natural world deeply align with the core values of the Bartlett Arboretum and we are honored to award such a deserving student.

New Tick Research Study at the Bartlett This Summer

Stamford, CT – Dr. Neeta Connally of the Western Connecticut State University Tick Lab will be conducting tick research at the Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens this summer, with the assistance of Arboretum staff and interns.

The team will be collecting ticks throughout the property to learn more about their habitats and populations, including the number of disease-carriers. This data will help inform how much of the tick population carries diseases and what specific diseases they carry, as this changes over time. While this research is being conducted, the team will also learn better methods of managing ticks and preventing tick bites.

Dr. Connally’s research is particularly critical to the southern Connecticut region, which has a high tick population. Ticks are known to carry several diseases that can be transmitted to humans, including Lyme Disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis and many more. The Bartlett was the only site chosen for this research in Fairfield County, due to its unique open land.

For more information, visit the Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens website  www.bartlettarboretum.org

Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens Announces Summer Concert Series

Stamford, CT – Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens is excited to announce its 2019 Summer Concert Series. Each Sunday throughout the summer, the Bartlett will host a band or musical artist on the Great Lawn from 5PM – 7PM. The concert series incorporates a variety of musical genres and will run from June 23 through August 25.

The line-up is as follows:

June 23: Tim Currie’s Motown Review (Motown)

June 30: Sun Kings (Beatles Tribute)

July 7: Abbie Gardner (Americana)

July 14: The Bob Button Band (Big Band)

July 21: The Cutouts (Classic Rock)

July 28: Hiroshi Yamazacki (Jazz Standards)

August 4: Gunsmoke (Country)

August 11: Maria Tiscia & Rio Bound (Brazilian Jazz)

August 18: Richard “Cookie” Thomas (Blues/Jazz)

August 25: Sister Sun (Folk, Pop, Rock)

Tickets can be purchased the day of the event, $5 for members, $10 for non-members and children 12 and under are free. Cash, check or cards accepted. Bring chairs or a blanket, and a picnic dinner! In the event of rain, all concerts except Tim Currie’s Motown Review and The Bob Button Band will be held in the Silver Educational Center. Rain date TBD.

Special thanks to our series sponsor, First County Bank.

For more information about the Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens and how to become a member, please visit our website at www.bartlettarboretum.org or email info@bartlettarboretum.org.

Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens Announces Day of Native Plant Sales & Education

Stamford, CT – May 3, 2019 – Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens and its UConn Extension Master Gardeners will co-host an extraordinary one-day sale of native perennials, shrubs, herbs and vegetables. This public sale will take place Saturday, May 11, from 10 am to 3 pm at the Bartlett Arboretum.

High-quality (and affordable) shrubs, flowers, ferns, vines and grasses will be available for sale to transform home gardens into colorful, welcoming environments that attract butterflies, hummingbirds and other pollinators. Visitors will also find exciting aromatic and culinary herbs and exceptional varieties of fruits and vegetables, along with a selection of Bartlett “Heritage Heirloom Trees”.

Master Gardeners will be on hand throughout the day to guide and educate gardeners, helping them find plants for their specific needs, whether sun, shade, woodlands or wetlands. The featured perennials and shrubs are almost all native to Connecticut and the Northeast. They have been carefully selected to benefit the local ecosystem, while still offering an enormous variety of attractive choices.

The “Bart Boutique” - filled with flower-themed and garden items, new, antique and gently-used - may appeal to even the non-gardener. Select house plants and Mother’s Day gifts will also be available. The Yama Ki Bonsai Society will have a booth selling bonsai plants and Local Troop 11, Crew 9 Boy Scouts will be selling hotdogs, chips, and soda.

Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens members will enjoy a 10% discount and an ‘early bird’ 9 am – 10 am entrance. Information about joining and an inventory of the 2019 plants can be found on the website:   www.bartlettarboretum.org

UConn Extension Program for Master Gardeners:

The UConn Extension Program for Master Gardeners maintains a teaching location at the Bartlett. Master Gardeners volunteer there to care for the gardens and act as public educators. A free, on-site, Master Gardener Plant Clinic provides advice to home gardeners from May through September.  For information about the Master Gardener program: https://mastergardener.uconn.edu/

Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens Seeks Funds to Replace and Improve Greenhouse

Thank you to Stamford Advocate for sharing our story. We are currently seeking funds to replace our old Greenhouse.

STAMFORD ADVOCATE ARTICLE - Orchids and cactuses can’t share a room.

It’s because an orchid loves humidity, and a cactus hates it.

But at the Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens on Brookdale Road, the two live just feet from each other.

“We put up plastic to separate them, and maybe keep some of the humidity away from the cactus,” said Jane von Trapp, CEO of the arboretum.

To read the full story, please click here.

ArborEarth Festival Press Release

Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens to Host Annual ArborEarth
Family Festival on Saturday, April 27

Food, kids’ activities, music, interactive crafts, environmental tips, and more.

Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens is thrilled to announce the ArborEarth Day Family Festival in honor of Arbor Day and Earth Day on Saturday, April 27 (rain or shine) from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens, 151 Brookdale Road in Stamford. Admission is free to all members and ages 12 and under. For non-members and ages 13 and up entry is $5.00 a person.

 “We are excited to continue to give back to the community with a celebration of Arbor Day and Earth Day! Our focus is to educate and foster environmental stewardship in every neighborhood. This year the celebration features new interactive crafts and activities designed to entertain and educate all ages,” said Jane von Trapp, CEO of the Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens.

At noon during the event, Stamford Mayor David Martin will lead a Tree Planting Ceremony to commemorate the value of trees in our community. While enjoying Festival activities, attendees will also learn from Master Gardeners and organization staff how to care about and conserve the earth’s resources.

Families will enjoy listening to music; touring the Bartlett Arboretum’s garden and greenhouse; viewing tree climbing, planting demonstrations and visiting our information booths and learning about gardening, nature, conservation, and sustainability. Sample kids’ activities at the Festival include:

Bee HIve Booth and Demonstration!

Bucket Rides –Hold on tight and see what it feels like to ride up into the sky in a cherry picker!  Kids will delight in this favorite activity.

Bee Hive Demonstration – Observe a beekeeper in action! Have a chance to observe live bees, as well as eggs, larvae, and honey! A buzzing experience!

Make a Seed Ball – Ready to have some fun while making the world a greener, more environmentally-friendly place? Make exploding balls of seeds that are an easy way to grow native wildflowers.

Dog Booth – Visit our friends from OPIN (Outreach to Pets in Need) and pet a dog! They will bring a rescue dog who is ready to find a new home. Also, learn about the free dog training programs at the Bartlett and more!

Audubon Greenwich – Learn about our feathered friends and the role they play in pollination.

In addition, the Festival will have other special activities such as face painting, crafting, gardening, composting, and more. An event not to be missed!

Overflow event parking and van shuttle will be available for guests at The Church of the Holy Spirit on Scofieldtown Road in Stamford. Lunch can also be purchased on site to enjoy a picnic. More information is available on the Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens website at http://www.bartlettarboretum.org/.

This event is sponsored in part by TD Bank, Bartlett Tree Experts, and LaRocca’s Country Market. Thank you to our sponsors!

A special thank you to our partner UConn Extension Master Gardener Program. Several Master Gardeners will be onsite to share their expertise.

The Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens Expands Footprint with the NEW GrowMobile

Community outreach programs to inspire environmental stewards in every neighborhood!

 Stamford, CT, September 28, 2018 – Beep, beep! If you can’t always bring people to the Bartlett, then why not bring the Bartlett to them? This fall the Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens is excited to expand into the community with its new GrowMobile.

The Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens will offer a variety of GrowMobile programs, which will cover everything from plant clinics to hands-on nature technology. The GrowMobile programs and materials can be adapted by age, needs and interest of the audience and will visit schools, hospitals, museums, nursing homes, fairs and festivals, corporations and more.

“We are thrilled to have the GrowMobile ready to go! The van is already out and about in the community,” said CEO Jane von Trapp. “While we continue to offer extensive programming at the Bartlett, our goal is to continue to drive outreach programs and grow environmental stewards in every neighborhood.”

To help keep the GrowMobile program rolling, the Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens is holding its annual fundraising gala at The Landing in Stamford on Thursday, October 11. Proceeds from this event will help fuel educational programs that connect underserved youth, families and members of the greater community to the natural world. The event is also an opportunity for the Bartlett to honor Nestlé Waters North America, a longstanding community partner and congratulate Linda Albanese, a deeply devoted and tireless Bartlett volunteer. Please visit http://www.bartlettarboretum.org to learn how to purchase tickets and/or sponsorship opportunities. Get ready to drive this great initiative!

Need help planning a vegetable garden? Would you like to learn why bees and pollination plants are essential? Have specific plant questions? The Bartlett is taking reservations to have the GrowMobile visit your school, organization, or community event. To learn more, contact the Education Department at 203-883-4035.

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