By Florence Goodman

In July of each year the Wolcott Historical Society holds its Annual Garden Tour. This event funds our yearly scholarship which is given to a graduating senior from Wolcott High School. The July article shares information about the gardens in the tour and adds a bit of history of the land on which these gardens are found. This year information has been added about patriots that might have lived in the area where each garden is found.

The Woodtick Road home of Deb DuBois is filled with glorious gardens throughout the property, indicating that gardening is not new to Deb. Her creative flare for designing floral arrangements for many years at Orchid Florists spills out into her own backyard. Her work with indoor and outdoor plant materials on a regular basis is obvious as you walk around her yard. She has an uncanny ability to arrange flowers and colors while placing them in just the right location while using beautiful statuaries to accent each area. The back of Deb's property borders the "old Woodtick Road" before it was rerouted to its present location and if you look closely, you may still find remains of it back there. I love the way she has used the hundreds of various sized stones to build a stone wall around one of her gardens in the backyard and the height of the wall grows yearly!! You will enjoy meandering through this garden wonderland and viewing the variety of plants and colors found there.! Deb's property is just down the road from where one of our patriots, Judah Frisbie settled. Judah journaled about his time in the Revolution where he served two short enlistments.

The gardens found at the home of Maureen and Jim Andrade are located on Spindle Hill Road. They have been developing their gardens for many years now and their hard work really shows. You will be in awe as you enter their beautiful backyard gardens of daisies, coneflowers, day lilies, liatris and so much more. They use various size containers to display colorful annuals which are placed in and around their perennial gardens. They also have a wonderful, covered patio area and deck.  The land in the back of their home is bordered by Alcott Brook and that adds an interesting feature to their gardens. This property is historically significant because it was part of Peterson's Dairy farm which was originally owned by James Alcott and later Evelyn Upson.  Their house is not far from the James Thomas house; James Thomas served in the Revolution. And just down the road from the house is Wolcott's Constitutional Oak tree which was planted in 1902 by Representative Upson. These gardens and their history won't disappoint you.

The next garden on the tour is located on Center Street and is at the home of Michele Pinette and Karen. These gardens are on the remains of an old farm, so the land has many large rocks jutting out.  It's great to see how they have built their gardens around these boulders or used them as borders. They have a variety of shade and sun plant materials, which include large Hosta, astilbe, a variety of shrubs and day lilies.   There are also beautiful stonewalls bordering one side of the property and the backyard is fenced with a natural wood fence.  Their patio area has a pergola that is adorned with wisteria and many hanging baskets.  One end of the patio also includes a water feature.   As you drive down the driveway you can't miss the fully enclosed raised bed vegetable garden, which is a great way to keep the creatures from eating your produce.  This yard and these gardens are a pleasure to meander through, and you might want to ask Michele about all the plant material that she brought from Michigan. These gardens are probably on some of the property that was originally owned by the Harrison family. Deacon Aaron Harrison, Jabez, John, Daniel, David, Mark, Aaron (son) and Samuel all served in some capacity during the War of the Revolution.

Ellen and Brett Muccino's gardens on Shelton Avenue have gone through some major changes over the past few years, especially the vegetable garden. These gardens are found in the southeast section of town better known as the Hitchcock Lake area. Their road received its name from Shelton Hitchcock who owned a large parcel of land here and whose home was located on Meriden Road near the head of the lakes.  Ellen and Brett's gardens are always a joy to visit because of the many creative gardening ideas and unique plant materials that are found throughout their property.  Entering Ellen and Brett's yard you quickly realize that these gardens were created around an abundance of sun and the slope of the land, which caused soil erosion, they have used this to their advantage by incorporating succulents with other perennials while utilizing river rock for drainage to solve the problem in a beautiful and unique way. They also have an amazing, fenced vegetable garden and a new greenhouse.  You will not be disappointed when you view these wonderful gardens. These gardens are just a short distance from Meriden Road where French General le Comte de Rochambeau and 3000 French and German soldiers marched in 1781 enroute to victory at Yorktown, VA. Two French soldiers died here and are buried in a small cemetery in Waterbury.

The Todd Road home of Sandy Fitzgerald, which is not far from Tyrrell School and Garrigus Court have some interesting gardens. These gardens not only have beautiful plant materials, but some very creative garden features. You will find lilies, iris and some evergreens shrubs throughout the yard.  Sandy's gardens also continue along her driveway to the front door with two large copper frogs climbing up the wall. A giant red hibiscus should be in full bloom, just in time for our tour.  As you enter her backyard gardens you will follow a newly designed path made of various shaped slate stone. Here you will find Hosta, ferns, hydrangeas and daylilies. Her backyard patio is a welcoming and relaxing area, which includes a water feature and several large garden ornaments.  Her use of raised beds in this area really adds to the beauty and is a great way to keep the weeds out.  There's a lot to see in this backyard paradise so you must walk slowly to enjoy it all. Look for the gecko tree that is also found in the backyard. This region of town is filled with a wealth of history. The Todd and Garrigus homesteads are just around the corner. Both families played an important role in the development of early mills in this area.

Lastly, we head north to Long Swamp Road which received its name from the swampland that surrounds it. Here we will visit the gardens of Jan and Ed Tryniszewski whose house is located on the corner of Seery and Long Swamp Roads. When you open their backyard gate, you are drawn into a walled garden filled with a variety of colorful perennials and a backdrop of trumpet vine along their fence. The triangular shaped garden pergola that is supported by a knee-high wall calls out to you to, "sit down, relax and enjoy the view." Several paths guide you to other gardens that are designed around antique artifacts, beautiful statuaries and a garden shed. Their yard includes shade and sun areas that blend into the natural landscape filled with many unique ideas and wonderful plant materials. What they have created in this beautiful corner-lot is truly amazing and ever so charming. Just up the road from these gardens is Beecher Road. Captain Joseph Beecher settled in this area before 1770. He was called Captain because he was probably one of the officers of the first Farmingbury military company and served in the Revolution under Lt. Col. Mead July 29, 1779, until March 1780.

You will not be disappointed with this year's gardens! For a $10 donation you can meander through these six beautiful hidden treasures in our town. Mark your calendar for Saturday, July 11th from noon to 4:00.  Tickets will be sold the day of the tour at the Center School History Museum at 154 Center Street from 11:30-2:00 P.M.  To purchase tickets ahead of time call Flo Goodman at 203-879-9818.

One of the many gardens at the home of Deb DuBois on Woodtick Road.

Gardens at Maureen and Jim Andrade's Spindle Hill home.

Water feature at Karen and Michele's Center Street home.

One of the gardens at Ellen and Brett Muccino's Shelton Ave home.

The new walkway at the home of Sandy Fitzgerald on Todd Road.

Gardens found at the home of Jan and Ed Tryniszewski on Long Swamp Road.

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