Endorsements & Reviews

[7-9-24 For Immediate Release]

Columnist Kathy Connolly recently received the 2024 Silver Laurel Medal of Achievement for the newspaper columnist category, presented by GardenComm: Garden Communicators International. This national award recognizes individuals and companies that achieve the highest levels of talent and professionalism in garden communications. 

Connolly received the Silver Laurel Medal of Achievement for her "Green & Growing" column, which has been an ongoing series in The Day and Shore Publishing media since 2013.

"I just wanted to send many thanks for such a thoughtful, informative discussion regarding site prep and meadow development yesterday. I walked away chock full of actionable advice and confidence. Your handouts are incredible and will become a highly used reference, no doubt." 

“Today’s talk by Kathy Connolly was just exceptional.  She has a way of imparting her knowledge in an absorbable form.”

"Kathy is a visionary professional guide on the journey to making outdoor spaces more beautiful, naturally."

“I came from a town where all we planted were marigolds and petunias in straight rows. Until I saw Kathy’s landscape, I didn’t know how to break that mold. Now, I have 80 percent less lawn, which has cut mowing time dramatically. And we have 100 percent more color and more wildlife.”  

"I have received multiple emails sharing how informative your discussion was in helping our commissions care for our town properties."

"Thank you all SO much for this wonderful event. I enjoyed it and learned so much. I started the day wearily and filled up with such energy by 3 o’clock. It was so much good experience  all around."  

“I had the opportunity to pursue many of my Master Gardener outreach hours with Kathy Connolly at the “green” parking lot in Westbrook Center on Route 1. I learned of the design, implementation, and planting of this transformed area from a ragged dirt parking lot to stunning town center quarter-acre meadow plot. My experience with Kathy brought together many of the elements touched on during my formal coursework of the Master Gardener lectures this year.

“What an inspirational day! I am hoping to create meadows at my daughter's home in New Hampshire. The land just calls out for it.”

“Many thanks for a lovely day of visiting meadows in bloom. I have been interested in meadows for a quite long time – mainly reading, a bit of planting – and enjoyed seeing all the examples you included in the tour. I especially enjoyed your talk at Harkness.”

“You have given us a lot of ideas and have inspired us.”

“Kathy is one of those rare people who can guide us to the indescribable relationship between the plant kingdom and our landscape that so many of us hope to nurture and embrace.”

“This is great! Much food for thought!”

"Hi Kathy, I am glad you like the tribute. You deserved it because of all the hard work. We couldn't have done it without you. Thank you again." 

“You did such a great job teaching the deer-resistant landscapes workshop.”

"Kathy gave an interesting and provocative presentation on native plants for the home and community landscape. She discussed the high ecological value of native plants and their role in supporting birds and pollinators. She also discussed approaches to using them in a managed landscape."

Kathy put in countless hours planning and designing the buffer, selecting and ordering plants—all CT natives—and supervising the site preparation and planting by community volunteers. Kathy turned what project partners imagined would be a functional vegetated buffer into a fabulous work of landscape art. 

"I am very pleased. Kathy helped me get the landscape I wanted. She introduced me to native plants I wouldn't have known to look for. Best of all, the new gardens already look as though they have always been there."

"Kathy's research, designs, and plant selections gave us the confidence to restore an area that had been problematic for 20 years. The area we used to call the 'jungle' we now call 'The Park'."

Kathy Connolly did a superb job designing our home's landscape. She took the time to interview us thoroughly, gained much information from her meticulous observations, and had considerable aesthetic and functional insight as to how our property could be improved upon.

Excellent job! Very well thought out and beautifully presented. This will be a great help to us in managing these properties.

"... time and skills beyond requirements ..."

Not only was the final product beyond our expectations, it was such a pleasure to work with you.

I greatly enjoyed all three classes given by Kathy at the Old Saybrook High School in the spring of 2012 as part of the Middletown Adult Education program. Her Power Point presentations were clear and interesting, with good visuals and lots of thorough, detailed information. She offered handouts with lists of helpful websites, and generously shared her presentations electronically with participants after class so that we could use them as ongoing resources.

Kathy Connolly’s warm and engaging teaching style brings her passion for sustainable landscaping directly to the classroom. She brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, and helpful hints that our students have thoroughly enjoyed. Ms. Connolly consistently receives stellar course evaluations and it is a pleasure to have her teaching here at Middlesex Community College.