White Henryi lily

Last year I bought 3 golden Henryi lilies and 3 white Henryi lilies from Old House Gardens. The reason is obvious. My husband’s name is Henry.  When I was in Buffalo I saw a golden Henryi in Elizabeth Licata’s garden – but I didn’t recognize it because it was at least 6 feet tall!  I guess I have a lot of work to do on my  soil.  My lilies are barely three feet tall and the stems are not very sturdy. So far only the white Henryi is blooming; I can’t wait to see the gold.

When we begin to grow perennials most of us are happy to have a little spring tableau, and maybe a summer tableau, and maybe we’ll bring in a couple of pots of mums in the fall. As we become more experienced, and more greedy for more plants we begin to lust after a garden that is in bloom, or at least really really interesting for most of the year. This goal can seems elusive.

To help us achieve this goal experienced gardener and writer Stephanie Cohen , along with Jennifer Benner, have put together The Nonstop Garden: A Step-by-Step Guide to Smart Plant Choices and Four-Season Designs (Timber Press $19.95). Cohen and Benner make the point that a non-stop garden can “require less maintenance . . . allow more creativity and encourage diversity.”

Some of us, like me, stumble into the concept of breaking our garden down into ‘rooms’ by accident. The idea of creating a whole coherent garden plan at once can be overwhelming, and for me it has been impossible. I was glad to see Cohen and Benner talk about breaking the garden and the plan into manageable pieces. I never thought of the Lawn Beds, or the Shed Bed or the Herb Bed as ‘rooms’ but they are discrete elements and it is easier to think about having some non-stop attractions in each one than thinking about the garden as a whole.

Some of their advice is useful in the most general and practical sense.  First, put the right plant in the right spot. Shade plants will not do well in bright sun – and vice versa.  Hardiness has to be considered, but who can blame us for pushing the limits. Gardeners like to gamble as much as anyone and while losses are disappointing, they are not ruinous.

Cohen and Benner make a point that has become more and more important to me recently. Think about layering, that is, planting trees, shrubs, and flowers or groundcovers together as they would appear in a natural setting.  I did suggest shrubs to a friend who was dissatisfied with the lack of definition in her garden, but she wailed that she was ‘too young for shrubs!”

I admit to getting older every day, but trees and shrubs are not for the elderly. They can provide, color, form and texture in a garden with less work for the young, too.

Rules and general information are easy to come by, but what makes this book especially useful are the lists of plants in every category that can be used over most of the county, and ten planting schemes for a variety of needs. Do you want a garden that attracts those beautiful denizens of the air, birds and butterflies?

Have your trees grown up so that you now have a shade garden, but no shade loving plants? Conversely, has a storm taken down your trees and now you need to plan for sunny plantings. The Nonstop Garden provides ten garden designs with lists of plants that will do well in different areas or to meet different desires of the gardener.

Gardens are more than plants. Cohen and Benner recognize that vines need supports, and our senses of beauty, humor or whimsy may demand a few ornaments in the garden. One trend I have noticed as I’ve walked around the urban gardens of Buffalo, is the placing of mirrors in the garden, hung on walls, but encircled with vines or half hidden by other foliage. They reflect the light and provide a moment of surprise when you realize what that bit of brightness is.

Buffalo gnome

Of course, there are more familiar ornaments, statuary (including gnomes), pots, and fountains.

I’ve been a non-stop garden visitor as I’ve spent three days previewing some of the Buffalo Garden Walk gardens, and botanical institutions. All I ever knew about Buffalo is that it gets a lot of snow in winter, but I have learned about its other charms. It has beautiful turn of the twentieth century architecture, some of which is very grand. Frederick Law Olmstead laid out parks and parkways here.  Because of the Erie Canal and the city’s location on Lake Erie Buffalo was one of the richest, most important cities in the U.S. at the end of the nineteenth century.

It must be admitted that the city did go into a period of decline, but because of the imagination of seven gardeners 15 years ago, it is gardens and gardeners who have been a big part of its resurgence as a beautiful place to live. Over 350 gardens are on this year’s free Buffalo Garden Walk tour the weekend of July 24-25. Whole neighborhoods have been revitalized, businesses have been inspired, and the city has joined the show.  Hooray for gardeners!

Once at home I had to become a non-stop gardener.  This is a busy time in the garden. Watering the vegetable garden and all the containers is important this dry month. Why is it that weeds never seem to mind drought times?  Doesn’t seem fair.

Correction: I gave incorrect address for the Plant a Row for the Hungry website last week. For information about donating some of your extra garden produce to a food pantry logon to www.parwmass.blogspot.com. And don’t forget, Community Harvest at Ev Hatch’s field on Plain Road.  Call Mark Maloni at Community Action 413-376-1181, to sign up to help harvest on Monday, Wednesday or Friday mornings.

Between the Rows  July 17, 2010

Ev Hatch's tomatoes for a Community Harvest

Ev Hatch will never forget the seed salesman who talked to him about his upcoming retirement.  Instead of selling seeds, he was  going to plant a lot of vegetable seeds, tend the plot and donate all the vegetables to food pantries.

Over his career Hatch has planted a lot of seeds, in the ground, and in the community as he worked for the Cooperative Extension Service and 4-H. After his  retirement in 1977 from these agricultural state enterprises  he began farming out on Plain Road in Greenfield.  At first he grew a little bit of everything including strawberries, but eventually he focused on strawberries. Hatch’s Patch supplied beautiful berries to the cooks and happy eaters of the area for many years.

Four years ago he gave up farming, but continues to grow his own garden. His land is rented to Kyle Bostrom who uses Hatch’s greenhouses to grow and sell vegetable starts and bedding plants. A new sign for The Patch still welcomes gardeners in the spring.

With his farming days finished the words of that seed salesman came back to Hatch.  He had land available, and he had labor available at his church, First Congregational Church in Greenfield, as they planned their Feet, Hands and Voices to Faith project.

He plowed up a quarter acre and he had a flashback.  When the tiller broke he remembered that what he hated most about farming was equipment that broke down just when you needed it. Everything had to stop while you figured out how to repair it. Nothing was broken in the hearts or hands of a crew from the church who helped with planting the field on May16th.

He speaks with such passion about the aggravation of farm equipment that I had to ask what he liked about farming. That was easy, he laughed. “I like the independence. You can do what you want.”

I allowed as how Mother Nature had something to say about what you needed to do at any given moment, and he agreed that was true. “But a farmer can figure out what the market wants, and how he can fit into the system. There is always a challenge, and you figure out how to meet the challenge yourself. No one is telling you what to do.”

If fixing equipment is his least favorite farm chore, he said his favorite is hoeing. “I love to hoe. I just stand there and zonk out.”

However, we have come to the season where there is no time for zonking out.  When I first  talked to Hatch about the field of tomatoes, summer squash, cucumbers, winter squash and broccoli I asked how could he ever manage the harvest and get the produce to the food pantries. He said he would need help.

Help is being organized now, as the harvest season officially begins on July 12.  Mark Maloni, Projects Coordinator at Community Action is scheduling volunteers on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from 9 to 11.  You don’t have to be an experienced gardener who has been picking vegetables for years, but you do need to call Maloni and let him know when you can come, or when he needs volunteers. He hopes that most volunteers will be able to commit to two or three (or more) sessions,  but if you can only come once, any help is welcomed.

Packing crates will be located in the greenhouse. When filled they should be moved across the street to the Hatch home where they can rest in the shade.  The Franklin Area Survival Center will pick up the harvest one day a week, the Center for Self Reliance will pick it up another day, and the Orange Food Pantry will take the harvest on the third day. Volunteers should bring their own drinking water, hats, and sunscreen.

If you cannot help harvest Hatch’s field, but have a productive garden, you can donate any extra produce to any one of the area food pantries or meal sites. Open hours and coordinators’ names for at least 11 food sites are listed on the Plant a Row website: www.parwwmass.blogspot.com.

The number of families in our area who are enduring food insecurity continues to grow. An indication of the severity of this problem is the growth in the Eat 4 Free program. This federal program for communities with more than 50% of children eligible for free and reduced meals in the schools has been operating for 20 years. “The number of children being served has tripled in the last eight years,” said Bernie Novack, Director of Food and Nutrition Services for the Greenfield Schools.

Novack said that after the long Fourth of July weekend 750 breakfasts were served, and 1250 lunches. “Many of these children hadn’t had a good meal since Friday,”

I have seen Eat 4 Free signs posted at some of the meal sites as I’ve driven around town, at Federal Street School, Greenfield Gardens, Greenfield Swimming Pool and 10 other sites. Depending on the site, the program will run for between six to nine weeks. All a child has to do is walk in. No questions asked.

*********************

The only question asked at local daylily sales this weekend and next is “How many do you want?” Lorraine Brennan on Rt 10 in Northfield is selling daylilies July 10, 11, 17 and 18 from 9-1 pm.  Richard Willard at Silver Garden Daylilies on Glenbrook Road is digging daylilies on July 10 from 9 am – 4 pm, and on July 17 he is holding the Annual Daylily Festival with edible daylily treats. Logon to www.silvergardendaylilies.com for full information.

Between the Rows   July 10, 2010

One of the gardens on the Buffalo Garden Walk had many dahlias – familiar varieties in familiar colors. But this dahlia is a doozy!  I’m going to have to research a source.  Has anyone seen this in a catalog?

The second  mirror in the garden I saw was in Gordon’s rain drenched paradise. You have to look close to see the mirror because it is reflecting the variegated hostas.  There were other mirrors in this garden as well.

This is one of a series of three mirrors against a vine covered wall in Jim Charlier’s garden.  He said the mirrors are inexpensive so he doesn’t mind that they will rot away in the rain.  He has also built a kind of soffit out from the wall, which not only holds some of the vines, it hides a rope light (light rope?) which makes for a delightful effect at night – as do the three tiki lights reflecting in each mirror.  We garden bloggers were invited to lunch at Jim’s and we couldn’t see this effect, but everyone who has a copy of the current issue of Fine Gardening can see it in the Spice up the Night feature.

There is a saying that if you see three unusual things, or hear about the same odd thing three times in a row you are seeing the birth of a trend. I like this trend and I am going to look for a suitable wall.

Of course, if you happen to take a trip to the famous Buffalo Garden Walk, the country’s largest free garden tour, the last week in July, you might be able to notice other trends.  Have you noticed any new trends in your neighborhood gardens?

Field of greens at Pen and Plow Farm

Who would not like to live on Pudding Hollow Road? It is clearly a road steeped in the history of Hawley, a town settled in 1760, and a unique pudding contest which took place in the late 1770s.  Farms and food have always been important parts of Hawley’s history and culture so I could not resist the opportunity to visit the newest farm and an old established garden, both on Pudding Hollow Road, and both a part of Hawley’s annual Artisan’s and Garden Tour which will be held on Saturday, July 10 from 10 am until 4 pm.

When you turn off Route 8A and cross over the new bridge you are on Pudding Hollow Road, Right across from the tiny town hall is the two year old Pen and Plow Farm, so called because the Velazquez family, Sheila, her son Jason and his wife have all been in the publishing/editorial business , but since early last spring have been turning their creative energies to sustainable farming.

Merlot lettuce at Pen and Plow farm

Sheila, who said she had farmed many years ago and has had varied careers since then, was delighted that her son gave her the nudge (push?) to go back into farming. The family found 21 acres, wooded and clear, with a year round stream. They have planted a large market garden, currently boasting ‘greens’ including reds like Merlot, Red Fire and Red Sails lettuces. These can be purchased among other places, at the new Charlemont Farmer’s Market held on Saturdays at the Hawlemont School.

In addition to the mangelwurzel (for animal feed) corn, squash, and other vegetable fields, they have two Scottish Highland Cows. “They are a good breed for the country,” Sheila said. “ They are hardy and eat brush, poison ivy and wild raspberries.”  I can see that would save on feed bills. They also have chickens and recently added a Jersey milk cow to their holdings.

Jason Velazquez

Jason took time out from his chores to show me how to sharpen and use a scythe, and to talk about his pleasure in being able to return to farming. “Values you learn in a rural childhood are applicable to many walks of life,” and this is one of the reasons he wanted to leave Boston and bring his wife and children to Hawley and to make a farm.

As he showed me all the projects, he explained that they want to learn to do more with less. “Everything we do is rooted in sustainability – what the land can sustain, and the amount of labor we can sustain as a family. We wan to provide our own food, but we plan to farm to a living. We have a commitment to being part of a community that sustains itself.”

As they move towards making a living on the farm they are paying attention to the vegetables that customers prefer. They also sell fresh eggs that have the brilliant yellow yolks that are typical of free range chickens.

Paul Cooper

Paul Cooper, retired neurosurgeon and serious cook, and his wife Leslie have been summering in Hawley since 1981, enjoying the magnificent views of the hills, and tending their gardens.

Cooper toured me around his hillside, showing me new fruit trees, apples, pears, a greengage plum, peaches, and quince. Several years ago they planted two copper beech trees which are still young, but already show signs that they will grow into majestic old trees. There is a special thanks due to people like the Coopers who plant trees that will not come into their noble maturity until they themselves are no longer walking the earth.

There are colorful flower gardens that Leslie tends, daylily borders, and pink honeysuckle vines, not an invasive variety. But Cooper’s favorite garden is the fenced vegetable garden which hints at his passion for cooking.  He grows several kinds of tomatoes, Big Boy, Sun Gold, Early Girl, Celebrity and Donna. Yukon Gold, Corolla and Kennebec potatoes, Fava beans, shallots, leeks, garlic, asparagus and eggplant, “but no peppers, because I hate them,” he said.

Mint is grown in its own circular garden where the lawn mower can keep it under control.  A small herb garden supplies much of the common herbs Cooper needs.

The lettuce was lush and Cooper sighed when he said, “It’s been a lettuce summer,” which is to say cool and damp.

Paul Cooper's lambs

Cooper hasn’t forgotten the main course, He also raises lambs – and he has a large collection of lamb recipes.

The blueberry, raspberry and red currant patches suggest that diners at his table do not leave until there has been a luscious dessert.  Maybe he will find one in The Pudding Hollow Cookbook, written by Tinky Weisblat, another Hawley resident.

Akebia covered pergola at the Cooper's

The Hawley tour includes visits to other farms, gardens and a lunch at one of Hawley’s Great Houses, also on Pudding Hollow Road.

This tour, A Collage of Arts and Gardens Throughout the Town of Hawley is sponsored by the Sons and Daughters of Hawley. Proceeds will help fund restoration of East Hawley Meeting House and the Grove Building. It is hoped that the new bathrooms in the Grove Building will be completed by tour day. For more information about tickets for the  tour call Cyndie Stetson 413- 339-4231.

Betweenthe Rows  June 26, 2010

When I crossed the Bridge of Flowers the other day I was surprised by the number of roses – now in glorious bloom. I did not remember there were so many.  There are pink roses . . .

and red roses . . .

and pale pink roses . . .

and yellow roses.  There are many shades of pink and red roses, and white roses and  . . .

peachy apricot roses, a particular favorite color of mine.  Unfortunately, I do not have the names of these roses and I am going to have to search for the name labels. Most of the plants on the Bridge are labeled, but the growth is so lush right now that I couldn’t find them. I will go back.

Of course there are many more flowers than just roses. Pink poppies . . .

and pink astilbe. I think this is ‘Rhineland.’  Spring certainly is a pink season – or maybe pink  is what I particularly notice. I don’t trust myself.  The Bridge does have yellow daisies, and purple foxgloves and iris and many more flowers including . .

the flowers of our heart – children.  The kindergarten class was visiting the Bridge to learn a little about plants and to decide where to plant some coleus. They were told coleus like shade, and given a plant to put in a pretty spot.

This boy and girl were very happy with their choices, and one little girl is still fine tuning the location for her plant. I didn’t even see her there when I took the photo. The Bridge is a joy for the whole community. If you go to the Bridge of Flowers website you will find out how you can become a Friend of the Bridge. We all need friends in this life.

William Baffin

This is not my William Baffin rose! Alas!  I visited Deirdre Bonifaz whose garden is on the Franklin Land Trust Garden tour on June 26 & 27. Her garden has everything – blooming trees, blooming shrubs, fruit trees, perennials, vegetables, herbs, AND roses!

We went around identifying the roses when we could, and admiring them always.  Deirdre could hardly believe that I had managed to kill a William Baffin rose.  You can see what hers looks like. When Nina Newington was living here and helping Deirdre she insisted on building a sturdy support to hold the William Baffin. It looks kind of like a ’short’ pergola, but I should point out that the rose is at least  ten feet tall.  The support was about as tall as I am.

I have never seen a rose like this, even though William Baffin, one of the Canadian Explorer hybrids, is known for being a vigorous grower. Deirdre bought hers from the Pickering Nursery in Canada and said their is no problem with the plants crossing the border.

This year’s Franklin Land Trust tour focuses on gardens and farms in Conway and Whately. Please contact the office at 413.625.9151 to purchase tickets or email: lalvord@verizon.net

There are other roses in this beautiful garden including climbing roses on a pergola.

White climber

Based on its size and fierce thorns we think this pink mystery rose might be Jens Munk.

The  roses are spectacular, but there are more subtle beauties as well. I loved this little yellow columbine.

Columbine

Planting the Squash Patch at CFC

Ev Hatch, now retired from farming, is a member of the Hunger Task Force and a member of the First Congregational Church of Greenfield. When the First Church began planning a special day of service they called ‘Feet, Hands and Voices to Faith’ he knew just what to do.  He donated a half acre of his farmland, and his services to prepare the field. On May 16^th he and a crew, that included Luella McLaughlin (aged 93), set off to plant summer and winter squash, cucumbers, and 350 tomatoes that will be donated to the Survival Center in Turners Falls as the harvest comes in.

Reverend Judith Kinley said her husband Don who loves to garden was part of that crew and he was amazed at Luella’s energy.

Hatch, who is familiar to many because his years working for Cooperative Extension and the 4-H, as well as because of Hatch’s Patch Strawberries, said that when he went out to till the field he remembered the aggravation that farming sometimes brought. “I’d barely started when a bearing on the tiller broke and I suddenly remembered that’s the thing I hated most. There was always something broken and you had figure out a fix, or find a new part.” He laughed and shook his head, but he has also promised to keep his eye on the field.

“I’ll putter around every morning for a couple of hours – before it gets hot. I’ve started to put in stakes for the tomatoes. The crunch will come with the harvest,” Hatch said.

Hatch told me that the Reverend Sue Bowman, another member of the congregation, “who really gets things going,” helped to organize this day of service.

When I spoke to the Reverend Kinley she said that after a short worship service the congregation split up to “live out our worship.” Everyone got to choose how to put their own interests and talents to work whether singing for nursing home residents, or putting their hands to any number of projects including working at the Survival Center in Turners Falls.

I am also a member of the Hunger Task Force. When I brought news of the Task Force to the Federated Church of Charlemont (CFC) last year the Reverend Cara Hochhalter agreed that we could plant a Squash Patch on the south eastern side of the church.  We had an adult work crew consisting of the Reverend Hochhalter and her husband Jeff, Erwin Reynolds who brought composted manure from his farm, Sheila Litchfield and me. We used the ‘lasagna method’ of putting in a new bed with  a cardboard and  woodchip mulch between the planting hills.

You may recall that last summer was quite cool and rainy.  Our harvest was modest, but went to the church’s Good Neighbor’s program.

This year, on Sunday, May 23^rd, it was hot and the Sunday School gathered to plant squash seeds.  The bright sun gave us hope that there would be a greater harvest this year.

Reverend Hochhalter said “We believe there is abundance from God’s earth that has not been tapped to meet the needs of others.  This is just a small way that our church members can use a piece of our property to grow some food, our young people can plant seeds and join others to tend the patch, and then we share the produce through the Good Neighbors Food distribution program.  Some of the crop last year was shared through making squash soup and bread.  It is a wonderful whole-church effort that reminds us of the gifts of our earth and the joys of sharing with others.”

I want to remind every  one that any of us gardeners can plant our own extra row, or give any extra garden produce to the food pantry of our choice.

Local churches and other organizations recognize how these hard economic times make life difficult for many families and meet the need in numerous ways. But they also recognize that there is not only hunger of the body. People hunger for friendship and for feeling a part of the larger community. They hunger for hope and for celebration.

Free Harvest Meal 2009

That need is met in some measure by Community Dinners that are held throughout the area. The most celebratory of these dinners is the Annual Free Harvest Supper that will celebrate its 6^th Anniversary this year.

The meal is absolutely free, but donations collected go to buy Farmer’s Market Coupons for low-income people. Last year $3000 was raised.

I attended last year for the first time and was moved and amazed by the bounty of our fields, the good will of farmers who donated produce, and the benevolence of the restaurateurs who cooked and prepared beautiful healthful dishes that were set before 600 hungry people who listened to good music and visited with old friends – or the new friends who sat beside them at long tables on the Green.

It is no surprise that it takes a many volunteers to put on a celebratory free meal. Every year a hundred or more people work that weekend to make it go smoothly and deliciously. But those volunteers depend on good planning beforehand.

Linda Slattery, Volunteer Coordinator, said that new members for the Organizing Committee are needed.  This committee meets about twice a month at Greenfields Market until the dinner on August 22. The first meeting is on June 9^th from 6 to 7:30 pm. Email Linda at linslatt@comcast.net for more information.

Between the Rows   May 29, 2010

Someone is dining out in the garden. Not slugs. The lettuce has been pulled out of the ground and eaten. Some has been eaten down to the ground.

This row was attacked differently, but still, the lettuce is gone. I’ve never had bunny damage before, but this looks like what I imagine bunnies would do. Who has experience to share?

On that assumption I took out the sample bottle of Deer and Rabbit Deterrent that Liquid Fence sent me and sprayed it around the lettuce, and the cauliflower. All six cauliflower starts were eaten down to a tiny nubbin, but five of them seem to be sending out a new shoot.  I planted two more starts yesterday, before spraying with Liquid Fence, and all the plants seem to be undisturbed this morning.  The mystery is that the cauliflowers are right near big healthy Brussels sprouts which were not touched. The spinach hasn’t been touched. These must be very particular creatures.

The mystery is in the vegetable beds, but there is no mystery about who makes mischief in the Shed Bed. Hens! I’ve already written about the fence wire barrier to protect the cosmos that will occupy the bare space left by Mrs. Doreen Pike in the rose bed when she migrated to the back row.  The fencing will remain in place as the cosmos grow.  Every year I edge this bed with annual salvia which looks very pretty in front of the the roses in shades of pink.  However, the adventurous hens who fly the coop during the day love to dig in this bed and take dust baths, especially when it is freshly weeded – or mulched. They inevitably dig up the salvias. Last year and this,  I found that I could lay out tomato cages horizontally to keep the hens out of the salvia until they are more firmly and lushly growing. The cages will not stay in the Shed Bed.

happily, there are beauties in the garden, not only problems.

Pink Grootendorst rugosa

Last year I planted this Pink Grootendorst rugosa on our new Rose Bank. It is doing very well with lots and lots of new growth this spring. It has just started to bloom, with pretty pinked edges in a lovely shade of pink. However . . .

Pink Grootendorst

on Sunday, in between rain showers and torrents, I visited Kathy Puckett’s garden and admired her Pink Grootendorst. It is much bigger than mine.  Actually, most of Kathy’s plants are very big which she attributes to the benefits of having a hayfield up the slope from her large gardens. The farmer manures that field twice a year, and has for many years. According to Kathy their soil is beautifully fertile because of the years of runoff from that field.  Kathy’s garden is only about 7 years old, but it is magnificent. Here is the mystery, aside from her more established plant being bigger than mine, the color is much deeper. This is a reminder to me that we cannot always be sure what plants will look like in every aspect. Color and size are affected by soil, but not always predictably.

I guess there will always be mysteries in the garden.