Sunset Celebration Highlights New Holcombe Memorial Garden

By Kendra Bobowick

Amid the foliage and native blossoms is a deeper meaning to the fresh plantings now enlivening the Holcombe Preserve. “It’s mostly in remembrance,” said Newtown Forest Association President Martha Wright. The land at 55 Great Hill Road once belonged to Josephine Holcombe, and is now preserved and maintained by the forest association.

“It has been ten years since we received the property.” Ms Wright said. “We wanted to do something in her memory.” Specifically, the association envisions the Holcombe Memorial Garden — “an exterior landscape project…that will celebrate Ms Holcomb’s legacy,” according to a recent statement from the Stewardship Committee and association board member Robert Eckenrode. More than a memorial, the garden is a living lesson spelled in stems and leaves. “[The garden] will help to share and educate the community as to the benefits of the natural world around us.”

Ms Wright explained, “The plants will show people what can be done with native species,” she said. As stated in the Stewardship Committee’s release, “The garden will become a showcase for the environmental and aesthetic value of landscaping with native plants…” Overall, Mr Eckenrode hopes the garden will help guests become more familiar with their outdoor surroundings. “Our plan is to make the garden an informative experience for all those who visit, denoting native plants and tree species found throughout Newtown — and in your own backyard.”

The Stewardship Committee sought to highlighting both the plantings and the forest association’s efforts. Mr Eckenrode said, “I generated this garden theme and design based on criteria we felt was important in terms of upgrading our exterior landscaping at out headquarters, and most importantly, adding an educational component to share what we have with the public.”

According to the release, “The design is both engaging and accessible, drawing the community in to our properties and all they have to offer.”

The NFA’s properties are permanently preserved acres throughout town. Mr Eckenrode said, “The NFA is committed to sharing the benefit of what open space and the natural world has to offer all of us.”

Get to know both the forest association and decorative native plant species later this month.

A picnic and tour of the new landscaping now forming the Holcombe Memorial Garden will be September 22, at sunset from 4 to 6 pm. Rain date is September 23.

The memorial garden is evolving in phases. The first phase is the nearly completed native landscaping and planting. Phase two will include further plantings to create the informative garden, outdoor patio and pergola, and seating area for meetings and relaxation.

According the association’s website, newtownforestassociation.org, “Newtown Forest Association, Inc. (NFA) is the oldest private land trust in Connecticut. It is a tax-exempt not-for-profit organization dedicated to accumulating and preserving open space and resources for public enjoyment within town. The NFA operates completely independent of the Town of Newtown and we receive no funding from the town’s taxpayers.

“The NFA is dependent upon funds it receives from its generous donors and membership dues. NFA now owns approximately 1,000 acres that are preserved as open space for perpetuity. Some of the properties have been donated to the association with conditions that designate them as wildlife sanctuaries, bird havens or just natural, undisturbed forest. No matter what type of land, wet, dry, meadow or forest, it is held for all time as open space for the benefit of the Newtown community and all nature lovers.”