Club History

The theme for 2002 was "Learning From the Ground Up."

Our founding board members were Sylvia Foster, President; Mary Vosburgh, Vice President; Sally Leed, Secretary; and Kathy Grizzle, Treasurer. There were eleven Standing Committees and the By-Laws for the new group were written by Mary Vosburgh and Marie McConnell. We had forty-five members.

Staff from the University of Connecticut and the Connecticut Agricultural Station provided the early programs of the club. The programs from our first year included: "Pests in the Garden", "Disease Control", and "Beneficial Insects." We didn’t grow any flowers, but we sure knew our bugs and soil!

Our first projects were the “Welcome to Enfield” signs at the town borders, the Flagpole Garden at the Enfield Central Library, the Historical Society at the Old Town Hall, and St. Joseph’s Residence.

“From Our Own Hands” was the theme of 2003.

Our board members in 2003 were: Gail Miller, President; Mary Vosburgh, Vice President; Marie McConnell, Secretary; and Joanne Tait, Treasurer. 

We learned how to put all that good dirt from last year to use. Our programs were about how to use a plant’s color and texture in landscaping. We also learned how to build a water garden.

We added the Town Green and the WWII Memorial as well as the Enfield Senior Center to our project list. Now the town was in full bloom!

We won the first of our many awards from the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut: a silver tray for Civic Projects, and a Certificate of Recognition for our Program Series.

The theme of 2004 was “Watch us Grow!”

Our officers were Mary Vosburgh, President; Marie McConnell, Vice President; Joanne Kneiss, Secretary; and Gail Miller, Treasurer. We had fifty-nine members.

We agreed to support a Youth Gardening Program that was underway at the Angelo Lamanga Center, taught by one of our members, Deb Millikin, as part of her Master Gardener program. This project was recognized by the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut for using good design for public benefit.

“See us Bloom” was the theme for 2005

Our officers were Mary Vosburgh, President; Marie McConnell, Vice President; Joanne Kneiss, Secretary; and Natalie George, Treasurer. 

Some of the 2005 programs were about flower arranging, growing roses, and container gardening. We had lots of fun with blooms this year!

This was the year that we completed the Rose Garden at the new Enfield Senior Center. It was a huge project, spearheaded by Joanne Kneiss, which turned a huge patch of dirt into a magnificent garden complete with benches and a sundial to frame the entrance to the building.

For the Enfield Senior Center Rose Garden, we were awarded the Award of Excellence: Silver Tray, for Community Landscape Design.

For developing a Youth Community Garden at the Angelo Lamanga Center, we won the Virginia F. Thurston Landscape Design Award from the National Garden Clubs in the New England Region.

The gardens at St. Joseph’s Residence won an award from the National Garden Clubs in the New England Region but also was awarded a Certificate of Excellence from the National Garden Club on a national level.

The theme for 2013 was "Here We Grow-Again!"

Our 2013 board members Betsy Pillitteri, President; Joanne Kneiss, Vice President; Joanne Tait, Treasurer; and Stephanie Nelson, Secretary. We had thirty-two members.

Some of the 2013 programs included the following topics:

• Birding in Your Backyard presented by Ford Parker of Northwest Park in Windsor

• Ferns and Friends presented by Diane Tapp of Encore Landscaping

• Herbal Teas for Health presented by Gayle Nogas, Master Herbalist.

Our Youth Program was The Buzz About Bees for kids aged four with Cathy Wolko, Beekeeper, Watertown, CT and our co-sponsor, Friends of the Enfield Library. In this program we weren’t only educating people about pollinators but also teaching the community about the honeybee collapse disorder through a public showing of a documentary film and distributing homegrown seeds to children.

In 2013, 124 homes received our Curb Appeal recognition for their efforts in the beautification of our community. They were sent postcards recognizing their contribution along with a note inviting them to join the Enfield Garden Club.

Member Garden Tours included Jackie Davis’s garden, Debbie Climan's garden and Kathe Lomenzo's garden.

"Digging In" was the theme for 2014.

And boy, did our members dig in!

Our 2014 board members were Betsy Pillitteri, President; Joanne Kneiss, Vice President; Joanne Tait, Treasurer; Jean Lucas, Secretary; and Jo Ann Swift, Corresponding Secretary.

It was a busy year of lectures, workshops, garden design, and garden tours. Meeting programs included Connecticut Native Plants with Katherine Neville and Wild Foraging: Eat Your Yard with Barbara Austin. In March, we gathered at Home Depot to learn how to construct Mason Bee Houses.

To celebrate the Centennial Anniversary of the Pearl Street Library, the Club created Pearl Street Centennial Garden Project. Members of the landscape design committee included: Betsy Pillitteri, Alex Buzzoto, Susanne Giwoyna, Kathe Lomenzo, Diane Tapp, Joanne Kneiss, Jackie Davis, and Jo Ann Swift. They designed a garden of native plants for the 100th Anniversary of the library. The community effort was initiated and facilitated by Betsy Pillitteri who worked with Henry Dutcher, library director, from start to finish. 

In 2014, 143 homes received our Curb Appeal recognition.

2014 was a busy year for garden tours:

• Tea, House, and Garden Tour, Wistariahurst Museum, Holyoke, MA, (May 12, 2014) 

• Garden Tour, Home of Dr. Phil Seidels, Enfield, CT (May 20, 2014)

• Wickham Park, Manchester, CT (June 18, 2014)

• Hartford Blooms, Elizabeth Park, Governor's Mansion, Hartford, CT (June 23, 2014)

• Garden Tour, Home of Henry Dutcher, Longmeadow, MA (July 8, 2014)

• Member Garden Tour, Home of Elsie Flugel, Enfield, CT (July 29, 2014)

• Member Garden Tour, Home of Gail Miller, Enfield, CT (July 29, 2014)

In 2014, the Enfield Garden Club was honored with two major awards from the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut. The Marie E. Lewis Conservation of Natural Resources Award. This was a New England Regional Award. 

We also won the Environmental Award for our "Buzz and Bees" program and following up with a free workshop to build Mason Bee houses. Participants were provided with instructions and necessary information. Mason Bee fact sheets were made available on two Earth Days.

Our Theme for 2015 was "Planting New Seeds"

2015 Board Members included Betsy Pillitteri, President; Jeannie Newman, Vice President; Joanne Tait, Treasurer; and Jean Lucas Secretary. We had 33 members.

Some of our programs included Landscaping for Wildlife with Jane Seymour and Connecticut Native Butterflies with Pam Cooper. In November 2015, we had a Members' Ornament Workshop.

In 2015, 14 homes received our Curb Appeal recognition. This year, each member was limited to nominating two addresses.

Garden tours included: Hartford Blooms, Hartford, CT and Garden in the Woods, Framingham, MA. We also visited some members’ gardens: Mary Ann Turner, Alex Bozzuto, and Diane Tapp welcomed us into their gardens.

Our Theme for 2016 was "To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow" - Audrey Hepburn

The 2016 Board Members were Alex Buzzoto, Co-President; Joanne Kneiss Co-President; Kathe Lomenzo, Vice President; Jean Lucas, Treasurer; Terry Reed, Secretary; and Natalie George, Corresponding Secretary. We had thirty-three members.

Some of our programs and workshops included:

• Butterflies are for the Birds, Margery Winters, Assistant Director of Roaring Brook Nature Center, Canton  

• Weather Myths and Mysteries, Folklore and Rhymes, Art Horn, TV weatherman for 25 years.

• We had a workshop on Making Mini-Gardens/Fairy Gardens, as well as our annual Holiday Floral Arrangement workshop. 

We toured the Smith College Greenhouse and the UCONN Greenhouse.

Our 2017 theme was "The love of gardening is a seed that once sown never dies." - Gertrude Jekyll

2017 Board Members were Jackie Davis, President; Kathe Lomenzo, Vice President; Jean Lucas, Treasurer; Terry Reed, Secretary; and Natalie George, Corresponding Secretary. We had thirty members.

Some of our programs and workshops included:

• Hummingbirds: Jeweled Acrobats in the Garden with Sally Brocket

• Wildlife and Connecticut's Changing Landscape with Paul Colburn

• Important Plant Diseases of North America with Dr. Robert E. Marra, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station.

• We had a Floral Workshop in the spring and a Holiday Workshop in the fall. Both workshops were led by Trish Manfredi.

Garden Club members worked with the students to plant a native plant garden at the Montessori School in Enfield. Kathy Vose, Youth Programs Chair, led students in planting native plants and educating them as to why native plants were preferred.

2017 Garden Tours included Forest Park Neighborhood Garden, Springfield, MA and the New York Botanical Garden. Also, Elsie Flugel opened her beautiful garden for members to tour.

Our Theme for 2018 was "Gardens are the result of collaboration between art and nature." - Penelope Hobhouse

The 2018 Board Members were Jackie Davis, President; Kathe Lomenzo, Vice President; Jean Lucas, Treasurer; Terry Reed, Secretary, and Nancy Wyzga, Corresponding Secretary. We had thirty-one members.

Some of our programs and workshops for 2018 included:

• Connecticut's Historic Gardens with Laurie Masciandaro, founding member of Rosalind Cottage

• Ecological Garden Maintenance with Award-winning horticulturalist and author, Thomas Christopher.

• We had a Floral Arrangement workshop with Trish Manfredi.

Our Youth Program in 2018 was Sunflower Growing Contest in partnership with the Enfield Library. The kick-off of the contest included Storytime, pot decorating, and planting seeds at the library. Nancy Wyzga organized this program.

In 2018, the Enfield Garden Club was awarded the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut Club Certificate of Achievement. The Club was recognized for its work with first and second graders and teaching them about native perennials and planting a flower garden.

2018 Garden Tours included Troutlily Farm in Guilford, CT.

Our 2019 Theme was "I like gardening - it's a place where I find myself when I need to lose myself." - Alice Sebold

Board Members for 2019 were Nancy Wyzga, President; Leah Jackson, Vice President; Jean Lucas, Treasurer; Terry Reed, Secretary, and Linda Connolly, Corresponding Secretary. We had twenty-two members.

Some of our programs and workshops for 2019 included:

• Bats and Owls: Creature of the Night with Maureen Heidtmann.

• Mountain Meadow Daylilies in Somers with Nancy Smith.

• Mountain Meadow Daylilies and Hydrangeas with Rich Bartoes. 

• In June, Betsy Pillitteri led a Hypertufa workshop.

• We had our Floral Arrangement workshop in the fall.

The Club helped to spruce up the Martha A. Parsons House gardens by planting hostas. This project was requested from the Enfield Historical Society. Betsy Pillitteri, April Sinnock, Elsie Flugel, and Diane Pizzo had a great time planting in the rain! April supplied the hostas and did much of the heavy digging.

Our youth program Butterfly Storytime, for kids ages 3 and up, provided stories and an opportunity to learn about butterflies. The children created butterfly art and planted parsley, which attracts Tiger Swallowtail butterflies.

Books worth $800 were donated to town school libraries, grades 3-5, and two Parochial schools. Kathy Vose worked with the Head Librarian of the Enfield School System to develop a list of titles. The town had no funding for new library books, so our donation was the sole source of funding for new library books for the school year.

Our tours included Harkness Memorial State Park and Carolyn Surdel opened her home and garden to a gathering of friends.

In 2019, the Enfield Garden Club received the Enfield Beautification Committee Award.

Our 2020 Theme was "Let us walk softly on the earth" - Native American blessing.

2020 Board Members were Nancy Wyzga, President; Carolyn Surdel, Vice President; Jean Lucas, Treasurer; Terry Reed, Secretary, and Linda Connolly, Corresponding Secretary. We had twenty-two members.

On March 4th we held an Open House and Membership Information session. A presentation was given to highlight ongoing club projects, trips, and special events. We attracted some new faces to the Open House, but just a few weeks afterward life as we knew it came to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Due to the pandemic, our Annual Plant Sale became a "Pop-up" Plant Sale. It was staged in Betsy Pillitteri's backyard. This was an exclusive "word-of-mouth" event. Enfield Garden Club members were able to accompany a plant-loving friend, relative, or neighbor to the sale. Social distancing was required. Payments were contactless - and on the honor system - placed in a box. The sale ran from June 19 to July 3rd.

2020 Youth Program: Books worth $800 were donated to school libraries for grades 3-5 and two Parochial schools. The Club members worked with the Head Librarian of the Enfield School System to develop a list of titles. The town had no funding for new library books so our donation was the sole source of funding for new library books for the 2020 school year.

Despite the pandemic, members planted, weeded, and maintained all of our community gardens.

2020 workshops, community events, and garden tours were cancelled.

Diane Pizzo remembers: 

I was working at the Enfield Senior Center Garden with April Sinnock, Linda Connolly, and Jo Ann Swift. We were digging up and separating plants for the plant sale on Friday, March 20th, just days before the total shutdown of society. As we gardened, April had Elvis playing from her pick-up truck radio. She was dancing to the music as the truck was loaded with plants. The dance party continued at Betsy Pillitteri's house as we unloaded the plants in her garden. Little did we know what would be happening so soon. 

Taking great care of social distancing, we were able to plant and maintain our community gardens during the pandemic. Actually, with people working from home, our businesses just plain closed and interest in gardening was renewed. It was a safe activity. Membership meetings were canceled. We had no speakers in 2020. Our President, Nancy Wyzga, held Board Meetings outside in the gazebo at the Enfield Senior Center. These meetings were a good opportunity to touch base, keep each other informed, and gather safely. In an article in the Journal Inquirer on November 2, 2020, "the work of the Enfield Garden Club to plant and maintain public garden areas was not curtailed by COVID-19." Nancy Wyzga kept us on track despite the total shutdown.

The theme for 2021 was “Bloom Wherever Life Plants You.”

Board Members were Nancy Wyzga, President; Carolyn Surdel, Vice President; Jean Lucas, Treasurer; Terry Reed, Secretary; and Linda Connolly, Corresponding Secretary. We had thirty-eight members

We had our first meeting in our new home at the Town Hall Annex.  Due to town offices being closed due to the pandemic, our programs did not start until May. We were able to have four programs and one workshop in 2021:

• Gordon Kenneson spoke on Early Medicinal Plants. 

• Jane Seymour spoke on Invasive Plants. 

• Joseph Maciaszek spoke about Orchids.

• John Root spoke about Butterflies. 

• A Floral Holiday workshop in December.

The Garden Club was awarded a $500 mini-grant from the Hartford Audubon Society for a project called “Blue Birds for Enfield”.  During the pandemic shutdown, Nancy Wyzga applied for this grant that will further our goal “to aid in the protection of the environment”. 

A group of us visited O’Brien Nurserymen in Granby, CT.  The grounds were spectacular.  

Due to the pandemic, our annual plant sale was difficult to organize. But we staged the sale in Betsy Pillitteri’s garden.  The turnout was great, and the sale was a success! The community was eager to get back into the swing and missed our sale last year. 

The theme in 2022 was “No Rain, No Flowers."

Board Members are Diane Pizzo, President; Carolyn Surdel, Vice President; Carolyn Surdel; Laurie Spruill, Treasurer; Muriel Bruton, Secretary; and Linda Connolly, Corresponding Secretary. We have thirty-nine members.

In 2022, our programs were back in full swing. Our presentations included: 

• What’s Going on with Birds, and Landscaping for Birds with Catie Resor of the Connecticut Audubon Society

• It’s all about the Bees, with Kim Skyrm, Massachusetts Chief Apiary Inspector. 

The Greenhouse was an exciting new project in 2022.  The Enfield Garden Club was given permission to use The Greenhouse located at the Town Hall Annex, the former Fermi High School.  Starting in February 2022, the Greenhouse Committee Co-Chairs: Cheryl Grieco and Betsy Pillitteri as well as the Committee Members: Terry Reed, April Sinnock, Carolyn Surdel, Nancy Wyzga, and Diane Pizzo worked hard to clean, plant seeds, water, repot and nurture plants for our Annual Plant Sale. It was a year full of learning and great fun.

Nancy McCafferty

• During 2005 our successes were tempered with sadness as we lost a charter member to cancer, Nancy McCafferty who was the leader of the planting and maintaining the nine gardens at St. Joseph’s Residence. 

Mary Byron

• In 2005 we lost Mary Byron, a charter member, to cancer. She was an involved member of the club since it began and was a very wonderful person.

Joanne Tait

• In 2018, the club lost a dedicated and long-time member, Joanne Tait. Joanne served as Treasurer for many years and was active in every garden, and all ventures. She was always there when needed, especially to conduct our Christmas Yankee Swap.

Marie McConnell

• On April 7th, 2019 we lost Marie Mcconnell. She was a great member and advocate for the club and was the author of a newspaper column. She wrote our first history for the club and our by-laws with Mary Vosburgh.

Joanne Kneiss

• On August 9th, 2019, we lost a friend and fellow gardener, Joanne Kneiss, an active member of the Club since 2004. She was also a member of the Inland Wetlands Commission and the Berkshire Botanical Gardens. Joanne designed and nurtured the Enfield Senior Center rose garden 

Mary Vosburgh

• On November 19th, 2019, we lost a major figure in our club. Mary Vosburgh was Vice President in 2002 and 2003. She was President in 2004 and 2005. Together with Marie McConnell, Mary wrote our original Club By-Laws.