Branford Garden Club

Petunia, the Club's Flower

Daffodil Plantings at the High School

Kindergardeners' Mother's Day Arrangements

Summer Baskets on the Green

Plant Sale on the Green

Scarecrows on the Green

Wreaths for the Library

The Branford Garden Club has two sections – Daytime, and Evening which best accommodates people who work. The monthly speaker/topic is different for each group and members are welcome to attend all the meetings. All meetings are open so that members may include guests. Programs are selected for their relevance to our mission, are appealing to members, and offer diversity in topics. Speakers may come from experts within our membership or external expert speakers, or programs may include demonstrations, field trips and civic projects.

DAYTIME MEETINGS are held at 11:45 AM on the first Thursday of the month. There are no meetings in January, July and August. A light lunch of finger sandwiches and salads is served at noon, followed by a business meeting and program speaker. We are delighted to include members guests. We do not serve drinks in Styrofoam cups, so everyone must bring their own cup. Thank you!

EVENING MEETINGS are held on the first Tuesday of the month, beginning at 6:30 PM. A short business meeting precedes the speaker who normally starts at 6:45 PM.

Meetings are at the Joe Trapasso Community House, 46 Church Street, Branford unless noted.

The Trapasso Community House, 46 Church Street

CLUB PROGRAMS for 2025

A summary of our day and evening program topics and dates are listed below. To view a pdf of all current year programs & activities click here.

TUESDAY OCTOBER 7TH, Evening Meeting, 6:30 pm

Heather Kordula - Beautiful, Mysterious Owls Heather is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of education programs at the RTP Estuary Center of The Connecticut Audubon Society.

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 6TH, Daytime Meeting, 11:45 am

Larry Huzi - Holiday Elegance with Glitz & Baubles Larry is an NGC Accredited Judge and a member of Creative Arrangers of CT. Larry has also conducted workshops and demonstrations for many garden clubs. A holiday design program will push the boundaries of floral art while embracing natural and retro alternatives to floral foam. There will be a prize drawing for the designs Larry creates in this presentation.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11TH, Evening Meeting, 6:30 pm

Kathy Connolly - Site Preparation for Landscape Transformation Kathy is a landscape designer, writer, and speaker who emphasizes earth-friendly designs, native plants, and low-impact land care techniques. For more details and to sign up for her newsletter, visit https://www.speakingoflandscapes.com.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4TH, Holiday Social, 5:30 pm

This is our holiday social gathering for daytime and evening members at Pine Orchard Yacht Club. Please join us for our wonderful holiday party when we can all mingle with old and new friends. Dinner choices and cost will be announced in Scattered Seeds. Cash bar.

CLUB PROGRAMS for 2026

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3rd, Evening Meeting, 6:30 pm

Margery Winter - Gardening Under the Stars: Saving our Nocturnal Pollinators

The presentation discusses the harmful impact of outdoor lighting on nocturnal pollinators like moths and suggests ways to reduce light pollution around homes. Key aspects - nighttime plant adaptations and creating a moon garden

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5TH, Daytime Meeting, 11:45 am

Our newest 25 year qualifying members will be celebrated!

Margery Winter - Compassionate Gardening: How to Make Your Garden More Accessible, Enabling & Ecological

Margery is the Asst Director Roaring at Brook Nature Center and will speak in how Gardening can be beneficial and therapeutic for people of all abilities. Learn how to make your garden more accessible and easier to maintain as you age, and why we need to make our gardens more ecologically functional for the wildlife around us

TUESDAY, MARCH 3RD, Evening Meeting, 6:30 pm

Paula Inglese - Our Design Chair, Paula, will share a special design crafted for the evening meeting. Learn a new way to make a unique and beautiful centerpiece with edible materials.

THURSDAY, MARCH 5TH, Daytime Meeting, 11:45 am

Lisa Turoczi - Earth Tones – one of Connecticut’s “Best New England Nurseries & Garden Centers”, NewEngland.com. Kyle and Lisa Turoczi, founders of Earth Tones Native Plant Nursery and Landscaping, have been working in the horticultural field and landscape development business for over 35 years. They have always held the natural world around them in high regard, trying to treat it with the respect it deserves.

Thursday, April 2ND, Daytime Meeting, 11:45 am

Leslie Martino - Enhancing existing Gardens

Lesli a Branford Garden Club member, a Natureworks Landscape designer,a Federated Garden Club’s Landscape Design School Instructor, and Designer of several historic gardens and world gardens traveler will use the space of a garden club member, we will explore how we can enhance existing gardens with additional plants, with a focus on native plant choices. We will talk about various native categories and resources for making selections.

Tuesday, April 7, Evening Meeting, 6:30 pm

Adam Wheeler - Underutilized Exceptional Native Trees and Shrubs

Adam Wheeler, Plants Manager, Broken Arrow Nursery returns by popular demand! He never fails to introduce us to new varieties and make his audience want to purchase every single one!

TUESDAY, MAY 5TH, Evening Meeting, 6:30 pm

Program: How to make your yard a firefly sanctuary.

THURSDAY, MAY 7th Daytime Meeting, 11:45 am

Eric Larson - Raised Beds – Why? How? Where?

Eric Larson, Coordinator Master Gardener Program, New Haven County Are raised beds something you have been considering? Join us for Eric’s presentation and learn about this most interesting gardening option.

TUESDAY, JUNE 2ND 6:30PM

“Garden Party” get together at the historic Harrison House garden. An update about the gardens, newly designed by Leslie Martino, installed and maintained by BGC.

THURSDAY, JUNE 4TH 11:00 AM Annual Meeting