




​The Haddam Garden Club, Inc.

Haddam Garden Club Meetings
The Haddam Garden Club typically meets at 10:00 a.m. on the Second Wednesday of the month from September through June at either the Haddam Community Center or the Haddam Firehouse Complex. Exceptions to this are in November for our annual meeting which begins at 11:00 a.m., December when we meet on the first Wednesday to make holiday arrangements, and for field trips which sometimes can't be scheduled on our regular meeting day. Some meetings may be open to the public. A small donation is greatly appreciated. We do not meet in July and August. Scroll to the bottom of the page for directions.
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January 2025 Program/Topic: "Birds: Their Side of the Story"
Wednesday
January 8, 2025
11:00 am Meeting
1:00 pm Presentation
Haddam Firehouse Complex
439 Saybrook Road, Higganum
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Guest Speaker: John Himmelman
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John Himmelman is an author, illustrator, naturalist, and popular lecturer. He is a co-founder and president of the CT Butterfly Association and has served as past president of the New Haven Bird Club, The Nature Connection and the Killingworth Land Conservation Trust. He will share light-hearted stories of birds and bird watching - from cuisine to cartoons, ornaments to icons, murmurs to murders, and many of their habits and legends in between.
Guests are welcome to arrive at 12:45. For planning purposes, we are requiring a $10 advance purchase. Enjoy delicious baked goods prepared by HGC chefs. RSVP by January 3rd to llcooper13@comcast.net
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Hostesses: Terry Twigg, Rogene Gillmor, Donna Vaccaro, Barbara Smith
February 2025 Program/Topic: "Magical Witches of Winter"
Wednesday
February 12, 2025
11:00 am Meeting
1:00 pm Presentation
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Haddam Firehouse Complex
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439 Saybrook Rd, Higganum
Guest Speaker: Adam Wheeler from Broken Arrow Nurseries
Think you know witch hazel? Think again! Join us and discover the magical and ornamental side of witch hazel. Adam will present a slide lecture that touches on the storied history, ornamental appeal and noted selections of these underutilized shrubs. Broken Arrow has one of the Northeast’s premier collections of this outstanding genus and he can’t wait to show you the amazing diversity now available.
Guests are welcome to arrive at 12:45. For planning purposes, we are requiring a $10 advance purchase. Enjoy delicious baked goods prepared by HGC chefs. RSVP by February 7th to llcooper13@comcast.net
​Poster/Flier
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Hostesses: Myra Aronow, Elizabeth Adams, Kate Hull, Gail Christie,
Susan Segal
March 2025 Program/Topic: "Starting Plants from Seeds"
Wednesday
March 12, 2025
10:00 am
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Haddam Community Center
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7 Candlewood Hill Rd.
Higganum
Guest Speaker: Gini Mita
Geared to the home gardener, Gini will cover pre-sprouting seeds, newspaper pots, found materials for mini greenhouses, propagating your favorite plants and much more! This meeting is limited to Members and Membership Applicants Only.
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Hostesses: Linda Rigono, Caroline Gold, Bob Waller, Robyn Toms
April 2025 Program/Topic: "Food, Friends and Gardening"
Wednesday
April 9, 2025
10:00
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​Ballek's Garden Center
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91 Maple Ave,
East Haddam
Guest Speaker: Nancy McKinnon from Ballek’s Garden Center
This meeting will find us at Ballek’s Garden Center enjoying “Food, Friends and Gardening” presented by Nancy McKinnon. The final topic is under discussion, but since we will be approaching spring, rest assured it will be filled with promise, fun, interesting information and a yummy lunch provided by Simon’s of Chester. This meeting is limited to Members and Membership Applicants Only.​
Hostesses: Since lunch will be catered, no hostesses will be required for this meeting.
May 2025 Program/Topic: Civic Project Day
Wednesday
May 14, 2025
Time TBD by Team Captains
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Haddam Community Center
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7 Candlewood Hill
Road, Higganum
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This is the HGC’s major work day which is dedicated to the maintenance and enhancement of Haddam’s civic gardens and welcome signs. Team captains will designate a start time and assignments. A well-earned lunch is provided at the Community Center after the projects are completed. This meeting is limited to Members and Membership Applicants Only.
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​Hostesses: Lorraine Riess, Nancy Prue, Barbara Monahan, Lori Munson
June 2025 Program/Topic: Annual Pot-Luck Lunch and Plant Auction
Wednesday
June 11, 2025
10:00 am
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At the home of an
HGC Member TBD
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Members share the wealth of their gardens by providing cuttings, divisions and seedlings for a group auction/fundraiser. This meeting is limited to Members and Membership Applicants Only.
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Hostesses: Celeste Benoit, Pat Gill, Lori Chadwick, Deb Karpf
July and August 2025 Program/Topic:
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​There are no meetings planned for July and August at this time. Any changes will be posted here as they become available.
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September 2025 Program/Topic: TBD
Wednesday
September 10, 2025
10:00 am
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Haddam Community Center
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7 Candlewood Hill Rd.
Higganum
Guest Speaker: TBD
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Hostesses: Susan Thompson, Debbie Fowler, Lynn Kentoffio,
Anne-Marie English
October 2025 Program/Topic: TBD
Wednesday
October 8, 2025
10:00 am
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Haddam Community Center
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7 Candlewood Hill Road, Higganum
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Guest Speaker:
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Hostesses: Sharon Bailey, Elaine Wilson, Wendy Walsh, Marge Supple,
Dodi Ruimerman
November 2025 Program/Topic: Annual Meeting and Luncheon
Wednesday
November 12, 2025
11:00 am
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Location TBD
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This is HGC’s annual meeting and luncheon which celebrates our achievements throughout the year. Member recognition and the election of officers for the next year are followed by a festive lunch at a local restaurant. This meeting is limited to Members and Membership Applicants Only. Location TBD.
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Hostesses: Since we are dining off-site, no hostesses will be required for this meeting.
December 2025 Program/Topic: Making Civic Holiday Arrangements
Wednesday
December 3, 2025
10:00 am
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Haddam Community Center
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7 Candlewood Hill Road, Higganum
This is the day we make festive arrangements for the municipal buildings of our town. Members are asked to bring holiday containers, decorations and ribbons as well as fresh cut greens from their yards. This is a festive and fun meeting which includes lunch, and often a Christmas Carol serenade by a ukulele playing elf! This meeting is limited to Members and Membership Applicants Only.
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Hostesses: Lynda Birch, Kate Renwick, K.C. Alexander,
Margaret Adams, Donna Brinckerhoff
Meeting Venues
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Directions & Map to the Haddam Community Center
Street Address: 7 Candlewood Hill Road, Higganum, CT 06441
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NOTE: CT Dept. of Transportation is in the process of changing all the exit numbers on CT interstate highways, and it may be a while before your GPS system catches up with the changes! Please double-check your route before leaving home!
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Take the Interstate Highways to CT Route 9. From I-95, Route 9 North is Exit #69 in Old Saybrook. From I-91, Route 9 South is Exit #22S in Cromwell.
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From Route 9 heading North, take Exit #15 (old exit #9) (Rt. 81/Killingworth/Clinton). Make a left at the end of the ramp onto Route 81 North. Go 1.9 miles to the first traffic light and turn left onto Rt. 154 North (Saybrook Road). Take an immediate left onto Candlewood Hill Road. The Community Center will be the 4th building on your left set-back off the road. It is red with a cupola.
From Route 9 heading South, take Exit #19 (old exit #10) (Rt 154 South/Aircraft Road). Make a right at the end of the ramp onto Route 154 South (Say. Go 3.5 miles. Just BEFORE the traffic light, make a hairpin right-turn onto Candlewood Hill Road. The Community Center will be the 4th building on your left set-back off the road. It is red and white with a cupola.
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Directions & Map to the Haddam Firehouse Complex
Street Address: 439 Saybrook Road (Rt. 154), Higganum, CT 06441
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NOTE: CT Dept. of Transportation is in the process of changing all the exit numbers on CT interstate highways, and it may be a while before your GPS system catches up with the changes! Please double-check your route before leaving home!
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Take the Interstate Highways to CT Route 9. From I-95, Route 9 North is Exit #69 in Old Saybrook. From I-91, Route 9 South is Exit #22S in Cromwell.
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From Route 9 heading North or South, take Exit #15 (old exit #9) (Rt. 81/Killingworth/Clinton). Make a left at the end of the ramp onto Route 81 North. Go approximately 1.9 miles to the first traffic light and turn right onto Route 154 South (Saybrook Road). Proceed approximately 3/4 of a mile, passing a blinking yellow traffic light along the way. The driveway to the Haddam Firehouse will be on your right. It has a red street sign.
Click HERE or on the map for a Link to the Google Map





