Stony Brook Garden Club

September 11, 2018
Silvia Wei and The Art of Ikebana

Ikebana is the ancient Japanese art of flower arranging that emphasizes form and balance and is seen as more than just decorative. The arrangement itself is considered a spiritual process to develop closeness with nature, merging the indoor and outdoor.
Sylvia Wei is a prominent expert in the art of Ikebana, having studied and instructed on this unique form of floral arranging for many years and has exhibited her work internationally. Sylvia will speak about the centuries old history of Ikebana and create an arrangement as part of her presentation.


October 09, 2018
SBGC Members Take Center Stage

We have all seen the cooking shows where three chefs are given the same ingredients and watched while three very different meals are produced. Imagine this concept but with flowers! Incredibly talented club members Suky Bracken, Katherine Toland and Anastazja Panek-Tobin will each receive identical floral material and we will be able to watch their individual design processes take place! As emceed by our own B.J. Booth, this “live” demonstration promises to be educational and entertaining. Following this portion of our meeting, and in response to so many requests, there will be an opportunity for members to try their hand at working with the same flowers used by our experts and with their guidance!


November 13, 2018
She Sheds: A Room of Your Own

In the preface to her book, “She Sheds: A Room of Your Own,” author Erika Kotite writes “Have you ever dreamed of a quiet place where you can get away from it all? Would you like to surround yourself with special things [and] believe the best things come in small packages?” With these questions in mind, Erika’s beautifully written and photographed book came to life. The author will speak about the process of creating your own special space, and in a power point presentation, share examples of the vast array of outdoor spaces that have been remade into a woman’s private oasis!


December 11, 2018
Happiest Holidays!

Always a highlight, our December business meeting will be followed by a delicious brunch! In addition to great food and friendship, our amazing fundraising committee will host a Holiday Boutique, offering a great array of specialty items that will help to round out your seasonal gift giving needs, while supporting our club!

January 08, 2019
Cindy Zipf

Cindy has been at the helm as Executive Director of Clean Ocean Action since 1984; the lean, green, ocean pollution fighting machine that is the only full-time ocean advocacy organization dedicated exclusively to the NY and NJ region. Zipf uses her passion for science and advocacy to create campaigns and programs to drive public policy and reduce pollution.
In 1984 the waters off the NY/NJ coasts were known as the “Ocean Dumping Capitol of the World”, and in response, the COAlition was formed and consisted of 20 organizations. As a founder and only staff member of one of those member groups, Cindy has expanded the COAlition to over 120 organizations and a professional staff of eight full-time employees.


February 12, 2019
Caroline Seebohm

Caroline Seebohm has had a very long, diverse and successful career in journalism. She is a writer, novelist, journalist, biographer, and researcher. Caroline has worked for BBC, Hollywood film directors, advertising agencies and countless magazines as a freelance writer. She is the author of many books including the biographies No Regrets: The Life of Marietta Tree and The Man Who Was Vogue: The Life and Times of Conde Nast, as well as her own memoir, The Last Romantics, in which Seebohm describes the glamorous world in which she and her friends moved in Oxford at the end of the 1950s and what happened to them in the swinging 1960s. Her most recent book focuses in depth on the on the Untermyer Gardens in Yonkers. Much of Seebohm's success stems from her ability to have access to the private archives of her subjects and the ability to interview people who normally lead very private lives.
Caroline was born and raised in the UK and graduated from Oxford University with honors. She resides in Titusville NJ.



April 09, 2019
Andrea J. Filippone

Andrea Filippone is President of AJF Design, an all-encompassing design firm that blends Landscape Architecture, Interior Design, and Architecture to create cohesive indoor and outdoor spaces that transcend time and place. Her designs consist of the finest European and American elements brought together to create environments that look as though they have always belonged there. Andrea designs utilizing ecologically sound scientific practice to enhance the health and beauty of the environment.
Andrea is also a Boxwood specialist and her boxwood nursery contains more than 50 cultivars nourished by an organic closed loop composting system and glass greenhouses that are powered by solar voltaic and thermal panels. Andrea’s home, Jardin Des Buis, in Pottersville, NJ includes various gardens, boxwood nursery, main house and an events barn and has been featured in many regional and national magazines, newspapers and advertisements.
Andrea has a background in Architecture from Colgate, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, and the Institute of Architecture and Urban Studies. www.ajfdesign.com


May 14, 2019
It's a Wrap!

Join fellow club members as the busy and productive year comes to a close! A fabulous hort show, Annual Meeting, club awards, group photo and a delicious lunch will comprise the May meeting. Enjoy this opportunity to socialize with dear friends before the summer break!