Hey everybody. We had a great time last night at Bobbi and Dave's house. Got through the business meeting without too much pain--being the great leader I am, I forgot to have us vote in the bylaws. Ooops. Well--we will do it next time. The feedback I have gotten so far is that they are fine with people. Low turnout due to holiday traveling and misc. things--Happy Birthday to Ronnie from everybody. Sue, hope you had a good trip. Mary Ann--hope you managed to rest up after your busy day with the kiddies, Marianne, hope everything got planted before the morning rain washed it all in. Ruth, we missed you, and Patrick too. Cindy--well--she is having the time of her life, we can't wait to hear all about it.
Okay--so we had a fabulous time. The weather was fine--and Bobbi even had cookies and lemonade--bless her heart. Maggie came with news of an incredible flower tip she saw MARTHA THE MAGNIFICENT do--she will look into it more for next time. Basically it involved cutting peonies when in the bud stage--after they have shed their waxy green outer coating. These are then wrapped in the cellophane florist sleeves, then in newspaper and put in the refrigerator (in a vase of water or just plain???? I forget now). According to MARTHA--these blooms can be stored in this stage of bloom for up to SIX MONTHS!!!!!!!!!!! How amazing is that?????????? Peonies flowering in October or November? Who wouldn't want that???
Of course now we all have to go out and buy ourselves a walk in cooler so we can participate in this miracle. Or for those poor slobs like me that can't grow peonies worth a darn, we first have to learn to grow the plants. Or go to Bobbi's house and cut some of the amazing heirloom varieties they grow there.
And speaking of Bobbi's--she and Dave gave us a wonderfully informative tour of their gardens. The two of them are simply mad about nature and the outdoors and it shows in every step you take. Bobbi's collections of watering cans, antique garden planters, nautical memorabilia, garden art, and everything else underscore her deep love for family and history and her strong commitment to living a beautiful life in every way she can. Dave's knowledge about all the plants and his obvious affection for them all show how plants can preserve and continue family memories and traditions, while at the same time building new ones. He has a large plot of family peonies that have come through several generations and will continue forward from him. Bobbi has a large planting in the front yard of plants from her father. Its amazing how such deep affection for someone can be preserved in a garden. The plants are a constant reminder of the person you loved so much. These plants that were watched by their eyes and touched by their hands now in turn add Bobbi and Dave's eyes and hands to the collective memory they hold within their leaves and flowers.
And that was just the beginning. Bobbi and Dave have a fascinating collection of trees, which showcase the interests and expertise of their son, Michael, who is the curator of the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard. And everywhere there are plantings, the hand of their son, Jamie, is in evidence, since he is a constant source of help to them. Two species of Katsura tree, an amazing Striped Maple, two types of Golden Rain tree along with Bottlebrush Buckeye, and other assorted Buckeyes, pagoda dogwoods all over the place, a Dawn Redwood of beautiful proportion, a wide ranging collection of viburnums, numerous St. John'sWorts that were amazing to me for their huge size, simply gorgeous plicata Viburnums, native Witch Hazels and "Arnold's Promise" Witch Hazel, Serviceberry, Hydrangeas I can't begin to remember the names of--"Nikko Blue" among others, a gorgeous climbing hydrangea--and what may have been the highlight--an amazing Kousa dogwood in full bloom. Woody plants are often something that we forget about in our mad rush to have flowers. But Bobbi and Dave's garden is a perfect example of why these plants matter and what they bring to an area. I know I haven't mentioned everything we saw--there were so many to see. For those of us that live in more suburban or urban areas, it is possible to include some of these exceptional plants because there are dwarf forms available. I know I have several dwarf viburnums, and there are numerous dwarf conifers, and dwarf forms of dogwoods, as well as weeping or contorted forms of several other species that would fit very well in a smaller setting. Dave and Bobbi's house is also a wonderful lesson about overstory development and how a garden changes over time under the influence of large maturing trees. Planning for size is an important part of landscape design, and seeing so many beautifully grown specimens really helps visualize the impact these plants would have in one's own yard. We thank Dave and Bobbi for their generosity of spirit both in planting these gardens in the first place, and for sharing them with us.
Hail to the dirt--and WOOOOOT! for trees! (the image is not from Bobbi's--its a photo of my Kousa Dogwood. If Bobbi can get some photos to me of her own garden I will change this--just wanted some "pretty" to put in the post).
Okay--so we had a fabulous time. The weather was fine--and Bobbi even had cookies and lemonade--bless her heart. Maggie came with news of an incredible flower tip she saw MARTHA THE MAGNIFICENT do--she will look into it more for next time. Basically it involved cutting peonies when in the bud stage--after they have shed their waxy green outer coating. These are then wrapped in the cellophane florist sleeves, then in newspaper and put in the refrigerator (in a vase of water or just plain???? I forget now). According to MARTHA--these blooms can be stored in this stage of bloom for up to SIX MONTHS!!!!!!!!!!! How amazing is that?????????? Peonies flowering in October or November? Who wouldn't want that???
Of course now we all have to go out and buy ourselves a walk in cooler so we can participate in this miracle. Or for those poor slobs like me that can't grow peonies worth a darn, we first have to learn to grow the plants. Or go to Bobbi's house and cut some of the amazing heirloom varieties they grow there.
And speaking of Bobbi's--she and Dave gave us a wonderfully informative tour of their gardens. The two of them are simply mad about nature and the outdoors and it shows in every step you take. Bobbi's collections of watering cans, antique garden planters, nautical memorabilia, garden art, and everything else underscore her deep love for family and history and her strong commitment to living a beautiful life in every way she can. Dave's knowledge about all the plants and his obvious affection for them all show how plants can preserve and continue family memories and traditions, while at the same time building new ones. He has a large plot of family peonies that have come through several generations and will continue forward from him. Bobbi has a large planting in the front yard of plants from her father. Its amazing how such deep affection for someone can be preserved in a garden. The plants are a constant reminder of the person you loved so much. These plants that were watched by their eyes and touched by their hands now in turn add Bobbi and Dave's eyes and hands to the collective memory they hold within their leaves and flowers.
And that was just the beginning. Bobbi and Dave have a fascinating collection of trees, which showcase the interests and expertise of their son, Michael, who is the curator of the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard. And everywhere there are plantings, the hand of their son, Jamie, is in evidence, since he is a constant source of help to them. Two species of Katsura tree, an amazing Striped Maple, two types of Golden Rain tree along with Bottlebrush Buckeye, and other assorted Buckeyes, pagoda dogwoods all over the place, a Dawn Redwood of beautiful proportion, a wide ranging collection of viburnums, numerous St. John'sWorts that were amazing to me for their huge size, simply gorgeous plicata Viburnums, native Witch Hazels and "Arnold's Promise" Witch Hazel, Serviceberry, Hydrangeas I can't begin to remember the names of--"Nikko Blue" among others, a gorgeous climbing hydrangea--and what may have been the highlight--an amazing Kousa dogwood in full bloom. Woody plants are often something that we forget about in our mad rush to have flowers. But Bobbi and Dave's garden is a perfect example of why these plants matter and what they bring to an area. I know I haven't mentioned everything we saw--there were so many to see. For those of us that live in more suburban or urban areas, it is possible to include some of these exceptional plants because there are dwarf forms available. I know I have several dwarf viburnums, and there are numerous dwarf conifers, and dwarf forms of dogwoods, as well as weeping or contorted forms of several other species that would fit very well in a smaller setting. Dave and Bobbi's house is also a wonderful lesson about overstory development and how a garden changes over time under the influence of large maturing trees. Planning for size is an important part of landscape design, and seeing so many beautifully grown specimens really helps visualize the impact these plants would have in one's own yard. We thank Dave and Bobbi for their generosity of spirit both in planting these gardens in the first place, and for sharing them with us.
Hail to the dirt--and WOOOOOT! for trees! (the image is not from Bobbi's--its a photo of my Kousa Dogwood. If Bobbi can get some photos to me of her own garden I will change this--just wanted some "pretty" to put in the post).
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