Seeds of Encouragement 2009

The Leffingwell House Museum, 348 Washington Street, Norwich, CT is the proud recipient of a "Seeds of Encouragement" check award from Community Gardens As Appleseeds, of Los Gatos, California dedicated to encouraging community gardens and environmental education across the country. Norwich resident Natali Wall nominated Leffingwell House Museum via communitygardensasappleseeds.info.

"It all fit together." said Natali as she presented the check to Beryl Fishbone, volunteer program chair for the museum. "Seeds of Encouragement wants to promote and educate people with community gardens. The museum does that with its gardens and Saturday programs and the museum grounds are already a certified National Wildlife Federation Backyard Habitat and educational facility."

The Leffingwell House Museum has a variety of native and colonial period flowers, herbs, and vegetables grown for education and demonstration purposes such as food flavoring, healing and cloth dying. The museum gardens uses mulch from its own pile and this year a rain barrel is being used for watering. "Our barrel is plastic rather than wood as it would be in colonial times but it serves the purpose of decreasing the demand for city water to water the garden and when our visitors see it, they realize how easily they can make one for their garden at home." Said Society of the Founders President Jay Deming.

The backyard wildlife program encourages the same colonial practices in the modern setting for historic education and for education and preservation of nature for the future.

The Leffingwell House Museumis open for tours on Saturdays through October 2009 from noon to 4 PM. Visitors to the grounds are asked to please not chase, attempt to pet or feed the woodchuck.