NORWICH- The Leffingwell House Museum , 348 Washington Street , Norwich , 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 the museum after reading about the organization on-line at www . communitygardensasappleseeds . info .

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 yeara rain barrel is being used for watering . 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 Museum is open for tours on Saturdays through October 2009 from noon to 4 p . m . Visitors to the grounds are asked to please not chase , attempt to pet or feed the woodchuck .