Hey everyone--The place for the next meeting has been changed. Ben is going to do a powerpoint presentation for us, and he has secured the North Liberty Library Meeting Room for us. Meeting time is the same--7 pm--just the place is different.
Hail to the dirt! See you then!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Something ever so fascinating
Hey everybody--Here is something for all the junior scientists.
My friend, Susan, who is a dedicated gardener north of Chicago, sent me an article that a friend of hers had mailed to her. It seems this friend is a Botany chair at the University of Iowa or someplace (I will have to verify his exact title so I don't seem too ignorant or disrespectful). Of course in my usual lame attempt to be organized I put it someplace and now it's evaporated into thin air. But I can at least pass along the gist of the content, because it is truly remarkable.
The article was about plant evolution and genetics; how flowering plants evolved and the impact the "act" of flowering as a behavior had on the earth and everything that came after. In explaining this concept, the article delved into the science of plant genetics. Did you know that plants are genetically much more intricate than we are? Their genes are subject to mutation and adaptation at significantly higher rates than ours. The belief is that plants evolved to be this way for a very simple reason--they can't (for the most part) move. The junior scientist term for this is "sessile". If they are in a bad spot, they can't get up and go somewhere else. But what they can do over time is set seeds which will contain babies that have a higher rate of mutation than animate creatures do. This increases the probability that a baby with altered genetics will sprout and be able to tolerate the poor conditions, or the seeds are designed in a way that allows them to be moved to a better spot--either by birds, the wind, the fur on our dogs or our pantlegs. Plants can't physically change locations, so they compensate by changing THEMSELVES to better exploit the location they find themselves in.
Now don't get confused by the semantics here and think this is a conscious process--it's not. Plants don't stand around and say "I have a headache--I think I will mutate into a plant that grows aspirin in its head so that doesn't happen". Its more of a numbers game. When the plant reproduces, the genes get shuffled and copied into the new seeds, and the probability that the copying process will get a glitch in it that causes an innacurate copy to result in a seed is higher. So the chance of a seed having a spontaneous mutation is fairly high (the term "fairly high" is relative--one in a few thousand maybe). And in a certain number of cases, the mutation will be one that gives that particular baby an advantage, so it will thrive in the site where it happens to land and sprout. The other babies that landed in that spot will be less happy, so over time they will die out and the thriving baby will be left to rule over the space. As it reproduces, the altered gene will be copied into its babies, and they in turn will be successful. And on and on it goes; all because they don't have the ability to have a tantrum and storm out of the room.
Is there a lesson for people here too?
Just like Dorothy said--"Theres no place like home".
My friend, Susan, who is a dedicated gardener north of Chicago, sent me an article that a friend of hers had mailed to her. It seems this friend is a Botany chair at the University of Iowa or someplace (I will have to verify his exact title so I don't seem too ignorant or disrespectful). Of course in my usual lame attempt to be organized I put it someplace and now it's evaporated into thin air. But I can at least pass along the gist of the content, because it is truly remarkable.
The article was about plant evolution and genetics; how flowering plants evolved and the impact the "act" of flowering as a behavior had on the earth and everything that came after. In explaining this concept, the article delved into the science of plant genetics. Did you know that plants are genetically much more intricate than we are? Their genes are subject to mutation and adaptation at significantly higher rates than ours. The belief is that plants evolved to be this way for a very simple reason--they can't (for the most part) move. The junior scientist term for this is "sessile". If they are in a bad spot, they can't get up and go somewhere else. But what they can do over time is set seeds which will contain babies that have a higher rate of mutation than animate creatures do. This increases the probability that a baby with altered genetics will sprout and be able to tolerate the poor conditions, or the seeds are designed in a way that allows them to be moved to a better spot--either by birds, the wind, the fur on our dogs or our pantlegs. Plants can't physically change locations, so they compensate by changing THEMSELVES to better exploit the location they find themselves in.
Now don't get confused by the semantics here and think this is a conscious process--it's not. Plants don't stand around and say "I have a headache--I think I will mutate into a plant that grows aspirin in its head so that doesn't happen". Its more of a numbers game. When the plant reproduces, the genes get shuffled and copied into the new seeds, and the probability that the copying process will get a glitch in it that causes an innacurate copy to result in a seed is higher. So the chance of a seed having a spontaneous mutation is fairly high (the term "fairly high" is relative--one in a few thousand maybe). And in a certain number of cases, the mutation will be one that gives that particular baby an advantage, so it will thrive in the site where it happens to land and sprout. The other babies that landed in that spot will be less happy, so over time they will die out and the thriving baby will be left to rule over the space. As it reproduces, the altered gene will be copied into its babies, and they in turn will be successful. And on and on it goes; all because they don't have the ability to have a tantrum and storm out of the room.
Is there a lesson for people here too?
Just like Dorothy said--"Theres no place like home".
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
A perfect use for a garden
Hey everybody--last night's meeting was just terrific--and it reminded me that I wanted to post about the week before. A fellow garden club, the Iris Elm Garden Club of Winimac came to visit the garden. I sat next to Darlene Fritz, the club president, at the board meeting, and we hit it off immediately. Darlene is a wonderful down to earth person--you don't have to be around her long to KNOW she is a gardener deep in her soul. She remembered me from several years ago when Mary Ann McG and I attended a garden show in Winimac, and asked about coming to spend some time at our house. Of course they were more than welcome, so on a very fine Thursday morning, they arrived. Darlene and 4 other members spent several hours here, looking at the gardens and flowers. Then they unpacked a picnic lunch and we all ate together in front of the little house. The weather was simply perfect, the flowers were blooming beautifully and we had such a terrific visit. One of the members was Edna, who is in her 90's. I want to be Edna when I grow up. She walked most of the garden with the help of her trusty cane, and enjoyed every inch of it. Her love of gardens flowed from her like a river--she asked questions and made notes about daylily eyezones so she could pass on what she learned to the club, and told me all about her daughters, who it sounds like were also passionate gardeners. Meeting Edna was a vivid reminder of how important it is for us to impart our love of gardens by mentoring others. After spending time with her I don't know how anyone could restrain themselves from heading to the nearest garden center!
Our lunch on the lawn was delicious--Darlene had prepared it and brought enough for everyone--the friendship these ladies feel for one another is so infectious I felt like I had been a part of the group for years. When they left there were hugs all around, and a firm desire to see each other again. It is my hope that we can spend some time doing a fun activity with this terrific bunch in the future.
The more dirt, the merrier!
Our lunch on the lawn was delicious--Darlene had prepared it and brought enough for everyone--the friendship these ladies feel for one another is so infectious I felt like I had been a part of the group for years. When they left there were hugs all around, and a firm desire to see each other again. It is my hope that we can spend some time doing a fun activity with this terrific bunch in the future.
The more dirt, the merrier!
Wavecrest and Crane's hours
Okay everybody--here are the hours for the places we are going to visit in Michigan on Aug. 15th.
Wavecrest is open 12 to 5
Crane's Pie Pantry is open 11 to 8. Just think about all the plants you can buy and all the pie you can eat in that length of time!
If you look back through the blog archive you will find a post that is titled "Mark your calenders (sort of)". The links to both places are listed there. Check them out.
Hail to the dirt!
Wavecrest is open 12 to 5
Crane's Pie Pantry is open 11 to 8. Just think about all the plants you can buy and all the pie you can eat in that length of time!
If you look back through the blog archive you will find a post that is titled "Mark your calenders (sort of)". The links to both places are listed there. Check them out.
Hail to the dirt!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Riding the Rails with Rob
Hey folks! We had a great time at the meeting. Thanks so much to everyone who attended, the daylilies were nice enough to put on a lovely show. It seems like peak bloom officially started just today and I am so glad you all got to see it. We were lucky enough to have two guests, who became new members--a nice big dirty handshake and a sweaty hug to Hayden and Rosie. You will get your membership packets in due time--just like Maggie said--wait about a month. That will give me time to loose and find the papers and stuff at least twice. We send best wishes to Marianne for a quick recovery from her summer bug. There was a lot of business to cover and thanks to the fact that nobody is real big on being ultra businesslike, it didn't hurt too much. We voted in our bylaws, so now that is taken care of and I don't have to keep trying to remember not to forget it. We didn't have a Secretary's report thanks to the fact that I am a complete spacehead, and Shirley didn't have anything to report as Treasurer either, except to say that next week she and I will have a conflab and get our club its own bank acct. I attended my first ever board meeting, now that we are officially federated, and tried to impart what I learned there in a manner that approaches coherence. Sue asked that I post the dates of the upcoming district and state meeting, and suggested that we make an effort to attend these events so we can begin to learn about how our club fits into the overall group. So the dates are as follows (I will also put them in the "upcoming events" section in the left sidebar): The North West District is hosting the State Convention in 2011. This will be held in Merrilville on April 6 and 7 of 2011. Joan Stone (our District Director--North Central District) would like as many people as possible to attend this meeting so that when our district hosts this event in 2012 we will begin the process with a good idea of what has been done in the past. I did forget to say that the initial idea for location of this (2012) event is to have it at "Das Essenhaus", although the exploratory process is still ongoing.
The Annual District meeting (the one our group is slated to host in 2016) will be held in Middlebury on Oct. 20 of this year. This is another meeting that we should make an effort to attend--the people I have met so far are really just wonderful. Dirty Hands Happy Souls doesn't describe only us. And if we are going to have a positive impact as a club, we need to start making these connections, so we can learn how to effectively contribute to the organization in the way that suits our group's personality. The link to the state club's event calender is:
http://www.gardenclubofindiana.org/stateeventsgarden_club_of_indiana.htm
There isn't a lot there yet that is specific--as the dates draw nearer, there will be more information about each event.
We also talked in brief about ideas for future meetings, and Sue came up with some great ones: a visit to an Amish garden in Rentown (hopefully one of this fascinating sounding family will attend a meeting so we can get to know her) a haywagon tour of Mckinley Nursery's Production fields, a trip to a Christmas tree farm, like Hunzikers,visiting another perennial grower in the Plymouth area. Other ideas that floated about were a possible travelogue from Cindy about her recent FABULOSO trip to Alaska, where she smuggled rocks and probably made friends with all the squirrels and bunnies in the far north, maybe a trip to Lurie Gardens for a tour of the area, a night time walk at Fernwood, and a trip to Nelson's Herb Farm. And now that Rosie is a member, I see programs from her in our future too! Keep the ideas coming! This group is filled with intensely interesting, creative people and the more everyone throws in the pot, the more fascinating the stew becomes. Think about what you can contribute yourself too--we are all friends here and nobody could care less about acting snooty and official than us. If you know something fun or interesting--we all want to hear about it. And we want you to tell it in your own way--with your own personality shining through.
We also decided on the date of Sunday, Aug. 15th for our Wavecrest trip. We will meet once more before that time and we will firm up the travel times and exchange cell phone numbers and get transportation sorted out then. Right now the plan is to leave here at 10 am and converge either at Wavecrest or Cranes Pie Pantry. I need to get a firm grip on the hours of both places--which I will do and post it here. Then when we meet next we will get it all figured out.
Sue asked about posting pictures to the blog--its fairly simple--if you can send me jpeg files, please do that--I can probably manage if you send something else, but jpegs make my head hurt the least. Just send the files as attachments to robfraney@aol.com and I will take it from there. If you send me pet pictures, please label the pic with your pet's name so I can put it with the pic.
Patrick--Betty and Betty are pets, so take their pictures pleeze:-)
And Bobbi reminded us that we should be thinking about making up a bulk order for bulbs--if you haven't gotten catalogs yet--check for a previous blog post with the links to Van Engelen and Scheepers, and come to the next meeting with anything you want to order figured out. Come bearing funds so we can place and pay for the order as a group and save shipping.
I think I am going to have to get someone to "volunteer" to coordinate this--if I think abou
t handling this myself, very bad pictures come into my head.
After all that--my brain was exhausted and I was very glad to have Rob take over so he could tell you all about the Clumberton and Lilyfield Railway. Rob has wanted to do this project for a very long time, and it pleases me no end to see his dream realized. Its also great for him to be able to tell his friends about it and have them be interested and appreciative. A lot of thought and hard work has gone into the little world he is building--and its always good for people to see the evolution of a project like this. Any time you listen to how someone made something, you celebrate their creative spirit and further your own. The train brings movement and sound to the garden in a way that is different from moving water or rustling grasses. Its just another layer of interest that can be added--and you can be as simple or intricate as you like with it. A garden should be the fulfillment of one's spirit--and while all of our gardens are expressions of both of our spirits, the train is the most significant to Rob. It represents a lot of things about who he is and how he has come to this point in his life. When I look at that train, that is what I see--just like when all of you look at your gardens you see that part of yourselves that was speaking when you made it. Its what makes our souls HAPPY (that and fingernail grime, which is also a necessary ingredient).
Hail to the dirt! THANKS TO SUE F AND BOBBI D FOR THE PICS!!!!
The Annual District meeting (the one our group is slated to host in 2016) will be held in Middlebury on Oct. 20 of this year. This is another meeting that we should make an effort to attend--the people I have met so far are really just wonderful. Dirty Hands Happy Souls doesn't describe only us. And if we are going to have a positive impact as a club, we need to start making these connections, so we can learn how to effectively contribute to the organization in the way that suits our group's personality. The link to the state club's event calender is:
http://www.gardenclubofindiana.org/stateeventsgarden_club_of_indiana.htm
There isn't a lot there yet that is specific--as the dates draw nearer, there will be more information about each event.
We also talked in brief about ideas for future meetings, and Sue came up with some great ones: a visit to an Amish garden in Rentown (hopefully one of this fascinating sounding family will attend a meeting so we can get to know her) a haywagon tour of Mckinley Nursery's Production fields, a trip to a Christmas tree farm, like Hunzikers,visiting another perennial grower in the Plymouth area. Other ideas that floated about were a possible travelogue from Cindy about her recent FABULOSO trip to Alaska, where she smuggled rocks and probably made friends with all the squirrels and bunnies in the far north, maybe a trip to Lurie Gardens for a tour of the area, a night time walk at Fernwood, and a trip to Nelson's Herb Farm. And now that Rosie is a member, I see programs from her in our future too! Keep the ideas coming! This group is filled with intensely interesting, creative people and the more everyone throws in the pot, the more fascinating the stew becomes. Think about what you can contribute yourself too--we are all friends here and nobody could care less about acting snooty and official than us. If you know something fun or interesting--we all want to hear about it. And we want you to tell it in your own way--with your own personality shining through.
We also decided on the date of Sunday, Aug. 15th for our Wavecrest trip. We will meet once more before that time and we will firm up the travel times and exchange cell phone numbers and get transportation sorted out then. Right now the plan is to leave here at 10 am and converge either at Wavecrest or Cranes Pie Pantry. I need to get a firm grip on the hours of both places--which I will do and post it here. Then when we meet next we will get it all figured out.
Sue asked about posting pictures to the blog--its fairly simple--if you can send me jpeg files, please do that--I can probably manage if you send something else, but jpegs make my head hurt the least. Just send the files as attachments to robfraney@aol.com and I will take it from there. If you send me pet pictures, please label the pic with your pet's name so I can put it with the pic.
Patrick--Betty and Betty are pets, so take their pictures pleeze:-)
And Bobbi reminded us that we should be thinking about making up a bulk order for bulbs--if you haven't gotten catalogs yet--check for a previous blog post with the links to Van Engelen and Scheepers, and come to the next meeting with anything you want to order figured out. Come bearing funds so we can place and pay for the order as a group and save shipping.
I think I am going to have to get someone to "volunteer" to coordinate this--if I think abou
t handling this myself, very bad pictures come into my head. After all that--my brain was exhausted and I was very glad to have Rob take over so he could tell you all about the Clumberton and Lilyfield Railway. Rob has wanted to do this project for a very long time, and it pleases me no end to see his dream realized. Its also great for him to be able to tell his friends about it and have them be interested and appreciative. A lot of thought and hard work has gone into the little world he is building--and its always good for people to see the evolution of a project like this. Any time you listen to how someone made something, you celebrate their creative spirit and further your own. The train brings movement and sound to the garden in a way that is different from moving water or rustling grasses. Its just another layer of interest that can be added--and you can be as simple or intricate as you like with it. A garden should be the fulfillment of one's spirit--and while all of our gardens are expressions of both of our spirits, the train is the most significant to Rob. It represents a lot of things about who he is and how he has come to this point in his life. When I look at that train, that is what I see--just like when all of you look at your gardens you see that part of yourselves that was speaking when you made it. Its what makes our souls HAPPY (that and fingernail grime, which is also a necessary ingredient).
Hail to the dirt! THANKS TO SUE F AND BOBBI D FOR THE PICS!!!!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Just a quickie--Garden Walk in Porter County
Hi folks--Yesterday I got this email about an upcoming garden walk in Porter County. The date is July 17, tickets are 6 bucks each in advance. You can follow the link for more information. This is a very active chapter of Master Gardeners, and the events of theirs that I have attended have been very nice.
http://www.pcgarden.info/
If someone wants to coordinate a road trip--Have at it! Get in touch with me and I can post the particulars here. If there is a group that wants to go, I can get to Valpo and buy tickets.
Hail to the dirt!
http://www.pcgarden.info/
If someone wants to coordinate a road trip--Have at it! Get in touch with me and I can post the particulars here. If there is a group that wants to go, I can get to Valpo and buy tickets.
Hail to the dirt!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
GET READY FOR AUGUST
Hey everybody--mark your calenders for the August meeting--it will be Tues. Aug 3. Ben Futa will be home then and he is going to come and talk to us about the wonderful, amazing, and world famous Lurie Gardens in Chicago. Ben did his summer internship with them last year, and it has carved a space out in his heart that will remain there always. He is going to give us an overview of the History of the garden, explain the symbolism and structure of the garden and introduce us to some of the people who conceived the design and made it happen. Its my hope that in the future we can all climb aboard the South Shore, which conveniently stops right at the garden, and take a guided tour so we can see everything Ben tells us about in real life. And if all the stars align right, our Tour Guide (Ben) can take us to the Art Institute to see the beautiful plantings that inhabit it as well.
Sounds like a whole lot of learning and a ton of fun in our future!
LINK TO LURIE GARDENS:
http://luriegarden.org/
Hail to the dirt!
Sounds like a whole lot of learning and a ton of fun in our future!
LINK TO LURIE GARDENS:
http://luriegarden.org/
Hail to the dirt!
Friday, June 11, 2010
New link
Hey folks--There is a new link in the list to "Tree Help.com". I stumbled across this site while trying to diagnose a problem on Rob's new baby fir tree. This a commercial site--they sell stuff--but there is also a LOT of good information here about trees, so I am including it in the link list. If you have a tree with a problem or want information about a specific tree ailment, this would be a good place to start.
Hail to the dirt!
Hail to the dirt!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
ANOTHER plant sale--KEWWWWWLLLLL!
Hey folks--here is a heads up to another plant auction put on by a fellow garden club. The Michiana Garden club has a fundraiser auction and here are the particulars:
This is from an email sent to me by Val Bartels:
We would love if you attended our plant auction on Wednesday, June 23, starting at 10:30 a.m.
It will be held at the home of Sue Loughridge, 17484 Green Oaks Court in Granger. Her phone number is 272-9241. You can also call me at 271-3637.
If you'd like to contribute plants to our auction, that would be OK with us too, but you don't don't need to do that. We serve home-made cookies and iced tea and lemonade and have a wonderful time bidding on all the wonderful plants that our members donate.
I hope some folks can get together and attend this--it sounds like a great time!
Hail to the dirt!
This is from an email sent to me by Val Bartels:
We would love if you attended our plant auction on Wednesday, June 23, starting at 10:30 a.m.
It will be held at the home of Sue Loughridge, 17484 Green Oaks Court in Granger. Her phone number is 272-9241. You can also call me at 271-3637.
If you'd like to contribute plants to our auction, that would be OK with us too, but you don't don't need to do that. We serve home-made cookies and iced tea and lemonade and have a wonderful time bidding on all the wonderful plants that our members donate.
I hope some folks can get together and attend this--it sounds like a great time!
Hail to the dirt!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
ONE SMALL STEP FOR DIRTKIND
WOOT! We're Federated!
We are now part of a group of the nicest, most fun folks it has been my pleasure to meet in a long time (with the exception of US of course!)
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Ahhhhhhh--Spring Bulbs
Okay guys--make sure you know where your bulb augers are. If we all band together we can get some serious bulbs for our gardens. Last night Bobbi had her copy of the John Scheepers and Van Engelen catalogs; otherwise known as the "drool books". You can request your own catalogs by going to :
http://www.johnscheepers.com/
or call 860-567-0838.
If there are some bulbs that several people want; and we can come up with enough quantity, we can place one order with either entity for all of us, and get a bunch of bulbs for a very good price. The quality of bulbs these places ship is extremely high--so its a very good value, and with a single shipping address, the cost of that should be cheaper too.
If you think this sounds like a good idea, email me to let me know you want to participate. Get yourself a copy of the catalog and we can hash out the particulars at the next meeting. This is something else I would like to develop as a benefit of being a club member--to expand and increase our buying power by purchasing larger orders as a group.
Think about it and let me know if you are interested.
Hail to the dirt!
http://www.johnscheepers.com/
or call 860-567-0838.
If there are some bulbs that several people want; and we can come up with enough quantity, we can place one order with either entity for all of us, and get a bunch of bulbs for a very good price. The quality of bulbs these places ship is extremely high--so its a very good value, and with a single shipping address, the cost of that should be cheaper too.
If you think this sounds like a good idea, email me to let me know you want to participate. Get yourself a copy of the catalog and we can hash out the particulars at the next meeting. This is something else I would like to develop as a benefit of being a club member--to expand and increase our buying power by purchasing larger orders as a group.
Think about it and let me know if you are interested.
Hail to the dirt!
MAGGIE FOUND THE PEONY LINK!
PINK is for Peonies.
Maggie found a couple links about the storage tip she was telling us about at Bobbi's. This link actually will take you to the other link she sent me, as well as to the TV segment where Maggie saw this. And hopefully the gal that posted this will update with her results, so we can find out how well this works.
THANKS MAGGIE!!!! (her husband may not be happy about this, since his beer fridge will have to help out with the research)
http://sweetchicevents.com/blog/storing-peonies-in-the-fridge-an-experiment/
HAIL TO THE (pink) DIRT
Maggie found a couple links about the storage tip she was telling us about at Bobbi's. This link actually will take you to the other link she sent me, as well as to the TV segment where Maggie saw this. And hopefully the gal that posted this will update with her results, so we can find out how well this works.
THANKS MAGGIE!!!! (her husband may not be happy about this, since his beer fridge will have to help out with the research)
http://sweetchicevents.com/blog/storing-peonies-in-the-fridge-an-experiment/
HAIL TO THE (pink) DIRT
MARK YOUR CALENDERS (SORT OF)
Hey folks--at the meeting last night we decided we are going to take a trip to Wavecrest Nursery one of the last two weekends in August. We will be going on a Sunday. We will talk about this more later at the next meeting and firm up the dates and get carpools figured out and stuff. This will be a 90 minute to 2 hr. drive, and we will have lunch up there at Crane's Pie Pantry.
Here is a link to Wavecrest:
http://www.wavecrestnursery.com/
and one to Crane's:
http://cranespiepantry.com/
get ready for some serious PIE. Lots of fun shopping ahead!
Here is a link to Wavecrest:
http://www.wavecrestnursery.com/
and one to Crane's:
http://cranespiepantry.com/
get ready for some serious PIE. Lots of fun shopping ahead!
Bobbi and Dave's Tree Paradise
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).
Monday, May 31, 2010
Okay folks--lets see your gardens!
Finally I have gotten around to figuring out a way to let everyone share garden photos. Its kind of clumsy, but it will work. It seems I can't create a second album the way I would like to in Picasa--one that will link into the slideshow. I have come up with what I am certain Rob would call a "klugey" workaround (programmer lingo for--"well it works but it stinks"). If you go to the "Handy Links for Dirty Hands" section (lower left--scroll down) you will see a new link there that says "Member Gardens on Parade". If you click on this link it will take you to a new Picasa album.
Here's what you will need to do to get photos up on here. Send me Jpeg files of your photos--please Jpegs. I know that sounds like a broken record, but it makes the process go faster, and therefore more likely to get done in a timely manner. If you want the caption to say something specific, just tell me what. I will at least captionate them with your name, so people will know whose garden it is. My hope is to organize everyone's garden into sort of mini files within the album--we'll see how long it takes me to beat that idea into submission. Anyway--then I can copy some of the pictures into the other album, so some of them will show up in the slideshow.
Hope this idea works--I want this blog to be something fun that everyone can participate in. Just need some photos from you all now.
Hail to the dirt!
Here's what you will need to do to get photos up on here. Send me Jpeg files of your photos--please Jpegs. I know that sounds like a broken record, but it makes the process go faster, and therefore more likely to get done in a timely manner. If you want the caption to say something specific, just tell me what. I will at least captionate them with your name, so people will know whose garden it is. My hope is to organize everyone's garden into sort of mini files within the album--we'll see how long it takes me to beat that idea into submission. Anyway--then I can copy some of the pictures into the other album, so some of them will show up in the slideshow.
Hope this idea works--I want this blog to be something fun that everyone can participate in. Just need some photos from you all now.
Hail to the dirt!
Monday, May 17, 2010
REDNECKS AND BLUE LUPINES
For those that couldn't attend, you missed a lovely day at Mary Ann and Blackie's house. The weather was perfect, the company amazing and the lupines were incredible. Upon arriving, everybody had a chance to admire Mary Ann's beautiful yard and garden, which is full of Asian influences. The tranquil beauty of it put us all in the mood to relax and enjoy the day. All the recent interior work they have done on their house was much admired as well.
Ebbie, the bassett, escorted us all around, baying her commentary as we went along.
Then everybody rode back through the woods in the old hay wagon--pulled by our tour guide, Blackie and his vintage Allis-Chalmers tractor. Saw many wonderful things--beautiful old trees and woodland understory, lots of low hanging branches :-) ,the uncommonly complex ecosystem that is home to the lupines, and a fern bog where Cinnamon Ferns make their homes at the top of tall hummocks. Still in the fiddlehead stage, Blackie told us that by summers' end the ferns will be towering very tall overhead.
Bobbie got some starts of skunk cabbage, so she was a very happy camper, and we all got to smell it (lucky us--UGH). Fortunately the lupine was filling the air with its very gentle perfume nearby. There was hawkweed beginning to flower among the lupine, studding the lavender blue carpet with points of brilliant yellow. Then we piled back into the wagon and headed for the campfire, where the carnivores among us roasted hot dogs on sticks, and everyone enjoyed veggies and dip, chips and queso and a wide assortment of cookies and goodies. Then we all bombed around the pond for awhile, examining the plant life and looking for the elusive turtles. All in all, a wonderful way to enjoy the spring time.
Many thanks to Mary Ann and Blackie for this terrific idea to share the beauty of their home and land with us. Maybe it can become an annual event--what a wonderful way to begin the summer!
Hail to the dirt!
Thanks to Bobbi D. for the pics!
Then everybody rode back through the woods in the old hay wagon--pulled by our tour guide, Blackie and his vintage Allis-Chalmers tractor. Saw many wonderful things--beautiful old trees and woodland understory, lots of low hanging branches :-) ,the uncommonly complex ecosystem that is home to the lupines, and a fern bog where Cinnamon Ferns make their homes at the top of tall hummocks. Still in the fiddlehead stage, Blackie told us that by summers' end the ferns will be towering very tall overhead.
Bobbie got some starts of skunk cabbage, so she was a very happy camper, and we all got to smell it (lucky us--UGH). Fortunately the lupine was filling the air with its very gentle perfume nearby. There was hawkweed beginning to flower among the lupine, studding the lavender blue carpet with points of brilliant yellow. Then we piled back into the wagon and headed for the campfire, where the carnivores among us roasted hot dogs on sticks, and everyone enjoyed veggies and dip, chips and queso and a wide assortment of cookies and goodies. Then we all bombed around the pond for awhile, examining the plant life and looking for the elusive turtles. All in all, a wonderful way to enjoy the spring time.
Many thanks to Mary Ann and Blackie for this terrific idea to share the beauty of their home and land with us. Maybe it can become an annual event--what a wonderful way to begin the summer!
Hail to the dirt!
Thanks to Bobbi D. for the pics!
Saturday, May 15, 2010
NEW FRIENDS IN LAPORTE!
Hey everybody--thanks to all of you that attended breakfast here and the plant sale in Laporte. For those of you that weren't able to make it, you missed some WONDERFUL instant coffee (yes I am being sarcastic). At any rate--it was a fun way to spend the morning and we all came home with some nice bargains to boot. I really appreciate your going to help me show our appreciation to the Four Seasons Gardeners, which is our sponsoring club. They have been really welcoming and positive, and it was great to be able to give them some of the same back. All our new babies are planted, and hopefully they will get nice and big so when the time comes we will be able to share them and keep the circle going.
And on the way home we found a nice new place to buy plants--Rosenbaum's nursery off of Joliet Rd. in Door Village. For club members of the hosta persuasion, she has about 300 cultivars total; not all are for sale yet, but she had some excellent crowns in 5 dollar pots, and some other nicely grown stock. She is not open Monday and Tues. except for wholesale orders, but the rest of the week is okay.
And we had two guests go along--Hayden and Sherri, both of whom we hope will join the club at some point.
Didn't take any photos--someone needs to get on the ball and start taking pics for me to post--of course you would think that someone would be ME, but since I can't be counted on to remember my own name, much less to carry a camera, its not surprising that nothing has happened yet. If nothing else I could have taken a photo of the KILLER house we saw on the way! Hayden already has dibs on the barn, and Rob and I will rent a room from him. The rest of you can fight over the house!
Hail to the dirt! See you tomorrow at Mary Ann McG's. Anyone needing direction can stop here on the way and follow us.
And on the way home we found a nice new place to buy plants--Rosenbaum's nursery off of Joliet Rd. in Door Village. For club members of the hosta persuasion, she has about 300 cultivars total; not all are for sale yet, but she had some excellent crowns in 5 dollar pots, and some other nicely grown stock. She is not open Monday and Tues. except for wholesale orders, but the rest of the week is okay.
And we had two guests go along--Hayden and Sherri, both of whom we hope will join the club at some point.
Didn't take any photos--someone needs to get on the ball and start taking pics for me to post--of course you would think that someone would be ME, but since I can't be counted on to remember my own name, much less to carry a camera, its not surprising that nothing has happened yet. If nothing else I could have taken a photo of the KILLER house we saw on the way! Hayden already has dibs on the barn, and Rob and I will rent a room from him. The rest of you can fight over the house!
Hail to the dirt! See you tomorrow at Mary Ann McG's. Anyone needing direction can stop here on the way and follow us.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Added TWO Links
Hi folks--Its raining and I am putzing around in the house. Was hunting for some information for Ben about clay soil and came across this excellent website. This gentleman is in Canada, so he is familar with COLD winters, and he has run a nursery and used organic practices for a long time. There is a ton of free information here--it looks like you can subscribe as well and get even more. Just look in the links for "Dougs Garden Site".
And Ben just sent me an update to his new site, Plan-T so the link to it is here too. Be sure to check out what Ben has to say--his interest in sustainability and biodiversity in the garden is an important message. The fact that a garden is created by human hands doesn't make it any less of an ecosystem over time. This is an important aspect of gardening that should be considered, and Ben is passionate about it! So click on over there and see what he has to say.
Hail to the dirt!
And Ben just sent me an update to his new site, Plan-T so the link to it is here too. Be sure to check out what Ben has to say--his interest in sustainability and biodiversity in the garden is an important message. The fact that a garden is created by human hands doesn't make it any less of an ecosystem over time. This is an important aspect of gardening that should be considered, and Ben is passionate about it! So click on over there and see what he has to say.
Hail to the dirt!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
WE ROCK!!!!
Hi everybody! We had a great meeting last night. Applause to everybody for sticking with the workload and contributing so much. We have a good, workable, sensible set of by-laws now and that is thanks to all of you. I have rewritten the by-laws and standing rules and emailed copies to everybody. Please get in touch with me if you didn't get yours. They are attached to your email and will open in Microsoft Word.
And way to go with the "Show and Tell"--Sue it was great of you to bring a plant and give it as a gift. This sets a great precedent for an ongoing climate of friendship and sharing--one of the many benefits of being a member of this terrific group.
Buscia--thank you so much for helping with the dues. You have no idea how much that helped me. I really am all at sea when finances are involved.
The "favorite nursery" portion of the meeting was terrific--I think we all learned about at least one new place to add to our shopping itinerary. For me--I can't wait to get up to Sawyer and check them out.
As reminders--be thinking about when you want to go to Mary Ann McG and Blackie's house for the redneck garden party and hayride. The field of lupine really is a sight worth seeing. And Mary Ann has lots of other garden treasures to check out as well. Her 'goddess of the garage wall' (my disrespectful name--not hers) is exquisite.
Some other things to keep in mind:
We need a volunteer to take charge of the "Retailers Roundup" page of the blog. Remember the hope is that we can build good will with area nurseries to benefit both the nurseries as well as club members.
If my guidelines for getting photos to me for the blog were unclear--please communicate this with me so I can clarify them. We all want to see your beloved BABIES.
We will discuss in more detail our possible trip to Fennville in August.
The subject for our next meeting will be TREES. Bring something that shows what trees mean to you--either some leaves or a branch off a favorite tree, a picture of a tree you love, a poem, whatever. If you have experience with certain types of trees, come prepared to contribute. Bobbi is going to see if she can line up a speaker, but even if she can't we have enough interesting ideas between us to entertain ourselves.
Guess thats all for now--watch your email and let me know if there is anything you want posted here or if you have any suggestions.
as always--hail to the dirt!
And way to go with the "Show and Tell"--Sue it was great of you to bring a plant and give it as a gift. This sets a great precedent for an ongoing climate of friendship and sharing--one of the many benefits of being a member of this terrific group.
Buscia--thank you so much for helping with the dues. You have no idea how much that helped me. I really am all at sea when finances are involved.
The "favorite nursery" portion of the meeting was terrific--I think we all learned about at least one new place to add to our shopping itinerary. For me--I can't wait to get up to Sawyer and check them out.
As reminders--be thinking about when you want to go to Mary Ann McG and Blackie's house for the redneck garden party and hayride. The field of lupine really is a sight worth seeing. And Mary Ann has lots of other garden treasures to check out as well. Her 'goddess of the garage wall' (my disrespectful name--not hers) is exquisite.
Some other things to keep in mind:
We need a volunteer to take charge of the "Retailers Roundup" page of the blog. Remember the hope is that we can build good will with area nurseries to benefit both the nurseries as well as club members.
If my guidelines for getting photos to me for the blog were unclear--please communicate this with me so I can clarify them. We all want to see your beloved BABIES.
We will discuss in more detail our possible trip to Fennville in August.
The subject for our next meeting will be TREES. Bring something that shows what trees mean to you--either some leaves or a branch off a favorite tree, a picture of a tree you love, a poem, whatever. If you have experience with certain types of trees, come prepared to contribute. Bobbi is going to see if she can line up a speaker, but even if she can't we have enough interesting ideas between us to entertain ourselves.
Guess thats all for now--watch your email and let me know if there is anything you want posted here or if you have any suggestions.
as always--hail to the dirt!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Get your Bird Eyes On
Hey dirty handers! We are right now on the threshold of a very special event in our spring season--the onset of the "warbler wave". Every spring, thousands of these chickadee size birds move north to their nesting grounds and we are along the migratory path. The "wave" refers to the fact that these birds move in multi species groups in large numbers. Often flying at night for thousands of miles, many of them come to rest and refuel in our area. A few species stay here and nest, but a great many of them continue on northward after a short stopover to eat everything they can get ahold of to replenish their energy.
Warblers are attracted to areas with very high insect populations and can usually be found in mature forests, especially if water is nearby. Many species are drawn to moving water like streams or rivers. They often stay high up in the tree canopy, and can be difficult to spot or identify for this reason. Birders often complain of "warbler neck" which refers to the many hours spent with your head cocked back as far as it can go while you scan the treetops for these little flying jewels. Fortunately, since nesting time is near, these birds are tricked out in their brilliant plumage, and usually sing like crazy. Often they can be spotted as their bright colors flash among the trees, or located and identified by their songs. Binoculars with the largest lenses are best for viewing this quick little birds--they let in more light and make it easier to get your eye "on the bird".
While places like Potato Creek attract huge numbers of warblers (and people to watch them), we can make our own gardens hospitable to them. If there are a number of mature trees in your yard and surrounding neighborhood, you can sometimes attract them with a source of moving water, like a gently flowing fountain. The first fountain we ever built (a watering can that spilled into a basin) was up and running for about an hour when a Scarlet Tanager came down from the trees to see it and get a drink. Suet--especially the kind with dead bugs in it--will sometimes attract a hungry Pine Warbler. Some warblers have a real affinity for certain conifers--the Bay Breasted Warbler is closely associated with Norway Spruce--and we have seen them in exactly those trees at our house.
So keep these beautiful little birds in mind at this time of year--and if you see a small bird moving quickly through the trees, get some bino's out and spend some time looking. When conditions are just right you will be treated to something you will never forget. We have seen as many as 10 different species in our yard in active years, and more than that at Potato Creek.
And did you know that cell phone towers are taking a very hard toll on migratory bird populations? Its something to think about.
Warblers are attracted to areas with very high insect populations and can usually be found in mature forests, especially if water is nearby. Many species are drawn to moving water like streams or rivers. They often stay high up in the tree canopy, and can be difficult to spot or identify for this reason. Birders often complain of "warbler neck" which refers to the many hours spent with your head cocked back as far as it can go while you scan the treetops for these little flying jewels. Fortunately, since nesting time is near, these birds are tricked out in their brilliant plumage, and usually sing like crazy. Often they can be spotted as their bright colors flash among the trees, or located and identified by their songs. Binoculars with the largest lenses are best for viewing this quick little birds--they let in more light and make it easier to get your eye "on the bird".
While places like Potato Creek attract huge numbers of warblers (and people to watch them), we can make our own gardens hospitable to them. If there are a number of mature trees in your yard and surrounding neighborhood, you can sometimes attract them with a source of moving water, like a gently flowing fountain. The first fountain we ever built (a watering can that spilled into a basin) was up and running for about an hour when a Scarlet Tanager came down from the trees to see it and get a drink. Suet--especially the kind with dead bugs in it--will sometimes attract a hungry Pine Warbler. Some warblers have a real affinity for certain conifers--the Bay Breasted Warbler is closely associated with Norway Spruce--and we have seen them in exactly those trees at our house.
So keep these beautiful little birds in mind at this time of year--and if you see a small bird moving quickly through the trees, get some bino's out and spend some time looking. When conditions are just right you will be treated to something you will never forget. We have seen as many as 10 different species in our yard in active years, and more than that at Potato Creek.
And did you know that cell phone towers are taking a very hard toll on migratory bird populations? Its something to think about.
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