Community Outreach
The Connecticut Unit is involved in many activities and programs that focus on the cultivation of herbs and the study of their history and uses, both past and present.
Our outreach programs include educational tours of the Herb Garden in Elizabeth Park, a spring lecture and plant sale, and a fall herb symposium. Proceeds from the sale of the plants, handicrafts, and herbal delights at our annual herb symposium support the Connecticut Unit’s education programs and the maintenance of the Herb Garden in Elizabeth Park.
Elizabeth Park Herb Garden
In 1998, the Connecticut Unit designed and planted the signature Herb Garden, with its gravel paths, linear beds, and low stonewalls at Elizabeth Park in West Hartford, Connecticut. Since then, many members have contributed their time and hard work to its ongoing care and maintenance. A irrigation system was installed in 2018 with the support of a private donor, and additional capital improvements are in the offing as part of the Elizabeth Park Master Plan. Members of the Connecticut Unit, along with other volunteers, can generally be found working in the Herb Garden on Wednesday mornings from early spring to fall.
The Herb Garden is open to the public 365 days of the year, from dawn to dusk. We regularly encounter visitors sitting on the benches simply taking in the peacefulness of the garden. Please stop by and enjoy our lovely, traditional herb garden.
We use SignUpGenius to schedule to schedule volunteer hours and welcome your help.
Annual Herb Symposium
The first annual herb symposium of the Connecticut Unit took place in 1985 and was held in locations around the state until 2003, when it moved to the Pond House Cafe Garden Room in Elizabeth Park. Today, the symposium offers an herb-infused morning snack, a delicious lunch prepared by the Pond House that features the herbs chosen by the guest speaker and an Herbal Cottage Boutique.
Tussie Mussies
Every August, members of the Connecticut Unit harvest herbs and flowers from their own gardens and bring them to the monthly meeting to make into small Tussie Mussie bouquets for the patients of the Connecticut Hospice in Branford, CT. Aromatherapy can be beneficial in symptom management and enhance the quality of life for patients and the language of flowers speaks to all of us!
York Prison Garden Project
Since 1988, volunteers from the Connecticut Unit have supported the female inmates of the York Correctional Facility in Niantic Connecticut in building herb and vegetable gardens to provide inmates with satisfying work and fresh, healthy food to eat. Our member volunteers, affectionately names the “Spice Girls” by the incarcerated women, guide the planting and maintenance of herb, vegetable, and pollinator gardens, provide horticultural education, donate books and plant materials, and inspire arts expression. The Connecticut Unit’s volunteer work centers on developing skills useful in the outside world post-incarceration and normalizing prison life. Most recently, the unit’s activities have focused on helping women ages 18-24 develop the life skills necessary to avoid returning to prison in the future through the W.O.R.T.H program (Women Overcoming Recidivism Through Hard Work).
Afternoon Tea Group
Started by the Duchess of Bedford in the 1400’s as an interim refreshment between luncheon and dinner, the Afternoon Tea continues to be enjoyed around the world. The Connecticut Unit has its own tradition of sharing a cup of tea and having a good chat. Each month, members of the Tea Group meet in a host home to taste and learn about many different teas, cold brews and infusions. Delicious sweets, delightful savory dishes and fresh scones with lashings of clotted cream and preserves round out the Afternoon Teas experience.
Craft Workshops
For the crafters among us, this group meets their creative needs, using herbs to make lovely items that they take home, use for gifts, or offer to sell at our symposium so other members and guests can purchase and raise funds. Typically, the group meets in members homes. All items are related to herbs in some fashion.
