Around Town

‘Come In and Enjoy’: Public Welcome to Spectacular Lee Garden on Chichester Road

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A vast and unique garden in New Canaan that’s open to the public recently finished its final bloom, inviting visitors to a spectacular experience. Located off of Chichester Road, the New Canaan Beautification League’s Lee Garden is a publicly accessible place for residents to enjoy in the warm weather. The garden was founded after George Lee moved to New Canaan in the 1940s, longtime NCBL member Faith Kerchoff said. “Goerge asked if he could leave it to us, and we said ‘yes,’ ” Kerchoff said. “So we’ve had the garden since 1978.”

Several features of the Lee Garden are most enjoyable in the summer, following the widely anticipated azalea bloom within, Kerchoff said.

Around Town

New Canaan Beautification League Dedicates ‘Carol West Seldin Barn’ at Lee Garden

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The New Canaan Beautification League’s plan to convert a shed in the Lee Garden—itself constructed using parts of the Lees’ family home, including the fireplace and the hardwood floors—into a barn for the organization’s volunteers began as Carol Seldin’s vision, according to NCBL President Nancy Malling. Yet as the plan stood in 2019, “our budget only allowed for a bare bones renovation,” Malling told more than 75 people gathered Saturday at the 2.7-acre garden on Chichester Road on a clear, sunny afternoon. 

“Last June, Carol made her final wish,” Malling said during a dedication of the lovingly renovated shed as the ‘Carol West Seldin Barn.’

Malling continued: “She asked that all donations in her memory be given to the organization that she loved. As I thought about the best way to honor her deep commitment to NCBL, my focus was to make some renovations or improvements to the Lee shed—to go the last mile for Carol. When I brought this idea to Peter Seldin, he asked me to think bigger … As he said, ‘If Carol’s name is attached to this project, it should be done right.’ Carol’s vision and Peter’s unqualified support created the Carol West Seldin Barn that we dedicate in her honor today. On behalf of all of the New Canaan Beautification League volunteers, we are very grateful to have a home.”

A certified master gardener and past president of the NCBL whose motto, “Gardens are for sharing,” is printed on a plaque inside the renovated barn, Seldin died June 6, 2024 following a courageous battle with lymphoma.

Board of Selectmen

NCBL, Public Works To Plant 150 New Trees along South Avenue

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A major gateway to downtown New Canaan is getting a big upgrade. South Avenue will see dozens of young trees planted next month as part of an effort led by the nonprofit New Canaan Beautification League in partnership with the town. An initiative that’s been planned for several years, the “South Avenue Re-Leaf Project” will see 150 trees planted between Cherry Street and Surrey Road providing a “nice mix of color and size and shape,” New Canaan Public Works Director Tiger Mann told the Board of Selectmen during its regular meeting Tuesday. Members of the League joined local firm Keith Simpson Associates as well as DPW officials in placing orange-capped stakes along South Avenue (which doubles as state Route 124) in finding “the locations for each tree, find the best tree for the best location [and completing the] process of getting an encroachment permit with the state,” Mann said. “Our tree warden is hopeful that we can have them in before the dogwoods bloom, which is around April 15th,” he said during the meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference.

Around Town

Op-Ed: A New Canaan Treasure

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For three years, a team from the Department of Public Works and New Canaan Beautification League volunteers have been working to transform the New Canaan train station. The NCBL had overseen landscape design for the station in 2000, but many of the plants had been overgrown or covered by invasive weeds. The town was slated to install new sidewalks and fencing, so the DPW and NCBL’s own Faith Kerchoff came together for a redesign today. 

Landscape designer Ty Tan and landscape architect Barbara Wilson, both members, contributed their professional expertise to the renovation plans. While Wilson produced the hardscape drawings, Tan chose the plantings. Tiger Mann, director of Public Works, organized our amazing DPW team led by Highway Superintendent Mose Saccary. 

The window for planting was hindered by six consecutive rainy Saturdays. The team was able to get 600 1-gallon perennials and 34 trees in the ground despite all the weather interruptions.