The Garden Club donated money to plant new trees throughout the park and two new gardens at the entrance. The $39,000 donated for the project was raised at the Garden Club's flower show held last October, which raised a total of $44,000.
"We're a not-for-profit, so any money we raise goes into civic projects," said Debbie Bussey of the Garden Club, who co-chaired the project along with Lisa Brickman and Emily D'Andrea. The club wanted to do something to beautify Cherry Lawn Park because it is the most-used park in town and is utilized year-round, she said. Many of the recent big storms have knocked down trees and left stumps in the beautiful spot.
The project included the removal of about 30 stumps from trees that had been knocked down in storms, including Hurricane Sandy. The Garden Club then planted 38 trees. including Weeping Cherry, Kwanzan Cherry, Sugar Maples, as well as flowering Dogwoods and Crabapples. The landscaping work was performed by John Spector Landscaping in Newtown.
"I want to congratulate and thank the Garden Club of Darien who donated the materials, as well as the labor and love of community that made this project possible," said First Selectman Jayme Stevenson. "This is a spectacular garden."
"Wait until spring, it will look so spectacular," said Brickman.
The club also planted about 600 daffodils along Brookside Road and is hoping to plant more. Any community members who would like to donate daffodils for the park can contact D'Andrea at emilydandrea@yahoo.com.
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