Approaching Spring

March 1, 2016

     Despite this having been one of the warmest Winters on record, for weeks now, it has been too cold to spend any more time than necessary outside.  Thus, the time required to walk the dog is the longest one spends in the open air, in stark contrast to the hours spent out of doors during the growing season. Understandably, those of us who prefer the atmosphere of a garden, assuage our longing by creating interior garden-scapes, or at least having some house-plants or cut flowers close at hand.

    Now, the last remnants of this Winter’s one major snowstorm, that dumped over thirty inches of snow in one fell swoop, are reluctantly melting away. Where the snow has melted, the ground is spongy with moisture, making it easier for the Crocuses, 

and Snow Drops, the Winter Aconite and the Daffodils to push forth for blossoming. Encouraged by the steadily warming temperatures, the Titmice and other local birds are trilling their most seductive songs in hopes of finding a partner to build a nest with, staking out territory in the trees and shrubs before they leaf out. In the basement “Limonaia,” the tender plants, vines and shrubs that Wintered over indoors have already begun sending out tender green shoots and leaves to greet the new season. Even our Irish Terrier, Champion Redbranch Mystic Druid, is getting in on the act, responding to Nature’s subtle hints, by waking earlier than ever to go outside, anticipating the change of clocks that occurs at 2:00 AM on Sunday, March 13. Today, he came to the bedside, whimpering to be taken out despite the fact that it was not yet five AM and still pitch black outside! We humans have responded to the increasing minutes of daylight by visiting the local Agway store – no doubt, the first of many visits this season – to get an early jump on the competition for the most desired seeds. So far, we have acquired seeds for:

Larkspur Sublime Blend, Consolida ambigua

Larkspur, Shades of Blue

Baby’s Breath, (Gypsophila) Early Snowball

Canterbury Bells

Penstemon, Rocky Mountain Blue, (Penstemon strictus)

Delphinium, Fantasia Mix

Four O’Clocks

Cleome, Color Fountain Mix

Batchelor’s Button, Blue Boy, (Centaurea cyanus)

Snapdragon, Tall Maximum Blend, (Antirrhinum majus)

Coreopsis, Early Sunrise

By way of flowers, and:

Beans, Blue Lake 274

Lettuce, Rouge d’Hiver

Italian Lacinato KALE, Nero Toscano (Brassica oleracea)

Beets, (Beta vulgaris)

Swiss Chard, Bright Lights

Carrots, Red Cored Chantenay

These, just to get us started.  Meantime, yet more snow is forecast for this weekend.

Recommendations for Combating the Mid-Winter Blues!

Dear Gardening Friends,

     In bleak mid-winter, (now, in other words), it isn’t just a lack of vitamin D, caused by insufficient sunshine, with its attendant risk of weakened bones that one must take measures to rectify. Another seasonal debilitating ailment, is one I refer to as a vitamin “G” (as in “G”arden) deficiency, wherein a lack of greenery and the absence of color, among other things, induces a sense of spiritual lethargy manifested by indifference to ones surroundings, disdain for the political process and a weakening of ones ability to resist bad TV. The urban dweller and the suburbanite are both equally vulnerable to this condition. If a visit to tropical climes isn’t on ones agenda, one might be tempted to despair. But, fear not! Effective remedies are at hand, and accessible to every budget.

     For a lucky few, from January 22cnd until the 31st, at the Park Avenue Armory in New York, the 62cnd annual Winter Antiques Show, A Benefit for Eastside House Settlement, is underway. There, seventy vetted dealers have scoured the globe to present the most rare and beautiful antiques, art and decorative furnishings one can imagine. Among them, Barbara Israel has once again assembled an inspiring selection of garden furnishings to suit every landscape, grand or intimate. I did hear one visitor complain as she left, that “Years ago, it was possible for a middle-class person (like me) to actually afford to buy something.” “Now,” she continued, “these are all museum pieces.”

     A favorite remedy for the Winter Blues, also sometimes referred to as Seasonal Affective Disorder, that is so simple as to seem obvious, is a bouquet of fresh flowers. These days, even the neighborhood grocery is likely to have a supply of flowers on hand.  In these parts, along Broadway on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, we are fortunate to have vendors whose open-air displays of flowers are by themselves, a tonic for the neighborhood. Just to view them as one walks past has an edifying effect on ones psyche.  For just twelve dollars – less than the price of a packet of cigarettes, and infinitely better for ones health – one can acquire a bouquet of twenty roses in the color of ones choice, from pure white to the deepest red, and nearly every hue in between. I encourage those with a slightly larger budget to visit the newest iteration of Surroundings, flowers and event planners, recently opened at 2675 Broadway at 102cnd street, on the southwest corner. There, Stephen Buchwald and the friendly staff, monitored by canine companion Katie, the Bischon Frise, bring their years of experience to creating delightful floral arrangements for every occasion – or, no occasion at all. They pride themselves on having one of the largest selections of cut flowers to be found anywhere in town, and welcome browsers, no purchase required.

     There is more. Chances are, if you live in the country, you already have a birdfeeder. If not, I urge you to consider investing in one. The dividend will be untold hours of entertainment by your local avian community - as long as you keep the feeder filled! Especially when the ground is snow-covered, and other sources of food are unavailable, a feeder is a lifeline to the birds, just as their aerial acrobatics will be an endless source of fascination for you. What is more, if they learn to associate you with food now, the birds will continue to return in the Spring and Summer when their songs will be the soundtrack of your landscape, and their presence can be an aid in pollination. Even urbanites can undertake to support a birdfeeder, though you may find that the birds must compete with other, undesirable creatures for the seed!

     If there is anyone who still needs to consult a seed catalogue, here are links to a few of the dozens of catalogues and online sites that I enjoy:

www.StokeSeeds.com

www.territorialSeed.com

www.Johnnyseeds.com

www.burpee.com

www.prairiemoon.com

www.reneesgarden.com

www.davesgarden.com

www.jungseed.com

www.whiteflowerfarm.com

Keep gardening!

( All photographs copyright Everett H. Scott, 2016. All rights reserved. No image may be used or reproduced without express written permisssion from Everett H. Scott.)

What's On Your 2016 Gardening Agenda?

     So, Gardening Friends, what is on your gardening agenda for 2016? Although we have only just passed the middle of January, already I can sense the increasing minutes of sunlight that will eventually fuel the coming seasons growth. Though there is snow and cold ahead of us, it isn’t too soon to begin planning for the coming gardening season, however you choose to engage with it.

     Perhaps you are perusing the seed catalogues that have begun to arrive, in search of the varieties of vegetables and/or flowers you want to grow? Will you select old favorites or opt for new, untried varieties? Perhaps you are planning a visit to some admired garden(s), that you want to experience in person, first-hand? Will this be a “Day trip,” or are overnight accommodations required? Be mindful of any change in growing zones, if you want to bring home ideas that you pick up on the road.  If Santa didn’t arrange it, perhaps you want to put getting a copy of the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days guide to public and private gardens on your “to do” list?

     When not browsing through seed catalogues, I have been enjoying reading Andrea Wulf’s engaging book, Founding Gardeners, The Revolutionary Generation, Nature, and the Shaping of the American Nation, published by Alfred A. Knopf in 2011. She writes of the relationship that Washington, Jefferson, Madison and (John) Adams had to their surrounding landscapes in the newly independent United States, and the impact of that relationship on their ideas about government and politics. Especially in this, an election year, this book has made for particularly interesting, informative reading. Also, one of the frequently mentioned locations in the book, Bartram’s garden in Philadelphia, Americas oldest botanical garden, which supplied many of the native plants these men cultivated, is now on my list as a “must-see” garden destination.

    

One of our Fall garden activities the results of which will extend into the Spring, was the Wrapping-of-the-Fig-Tree, (a Vern’s Brown Turkey variety), now about five years old. For the first three years of its life, it was grown in a large cast stone pot. It was brought into the basement “Limonaia” for the Winter, where it grew well enough, but never produced much fruit. Then, encouraged by stories of them surviving the local (zone 7a) Winters, I un-potted it, and planted it in the ground on the south side of the house, where I hoped that the combination of the southern exposure and radiant heat from the bricks would help it to survive. Last Spring, as the garden began to “green up,” we watched each day for some indication of the fig returning to life. And we watched. And we watched. And we watched some more. When nearly everything else had begun to produce fresh growth, there was still no sign of life from the fig.

     I had about given up on it, and was preparing to dig out the stump, when, brushing away leaves from the very center of the tree at ground level, I finally discovered a tender new green leaf, right at the heart of the plant! Over the course of the season, the tree did indeed thrive, doubling in size AND producing fruit, despite having endured one of the coldest, snowiest Winters on record. But, could we avoid almost losing the tree again? I remember, as a child, watching over our back fence in the Fall, as our Sicilian neighbor Charlie, would bend his fig tree over until it was prone with the ground, then mound it over with soil and tar paper, effectively burying the tree. It was always miraculous to me, when in the Spring, the tree was uncovered and filled with budding green leaves. I wondered if now, I could devise an alternative way to protect our tree?

     Last Fall, we decided to take no chances this Winter, and came up with a plan for increasing the trees protection.  Four eight-foot metal stakes were driven into the ground close to the tree’s roots to form a rectangle. We opened the bottom of a thick-sided cardboard box and pulled it over the trees stalks, down to ground level, then, using the four stakes as support, pulled another open-bottomed box over the upper portion of the tree stalks. We used straw as insulation, to fill in the open space between the trees branches and the cardboard boxes. Then, we used two heavy-duty black plastic trash bags, one with its bottom cut open so that it could be pulled down to the ground over the stakes, to enclose the straw-filled boxes. The other plastic bag fit over the top of the stakes and covered the exposed upper portion of the tree, providing a wrapping for the tree. The black plastic trash bags overlap, allowing air to circulate, but the tree is protected from the worst of the chill winds, ice and snow. Come Spring this year, we will see if our efforts to protect the tree are successful.

     Keep gardening!

     

Presenting the Potager at Penrose Bungalow 2016 Calendar!

Greetings gardening friends! I hope the excitement that accompanies the beginning of the year will be yours throughout all twelve months. To aid in reaching this goal, once again I present the Potager at Penrose Bungalow (2016) calendar. In it, are depicted a series of images of the garden at Penrose Bungalow, throughout the seasons, with broad views and close-ups, showing a range of the edible plants as well as the ornamentals that together make for a "little slice of heaven." I hope these images will whet your appetites for digging in the dirt, no matter what you grow. Anyone interested in having their own hard copy of the calendar is encouraged to write to me through the comments section of this blog, or at toonmoose@gmail.com.  Click on the link below to view the calendar, and give the pictures a minute to upload. Good luck with your garden this year, wherever it is!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9UG6P0OCwVIYTFHWndJck9sM1k/view

The last garden bouquet of the 2015 growing season,…….

     October 17, 2015

     If the temperature plunges below 30 degrees tonight, as forecast, this will be the last fresh bouquet of the 2015 growing season. It was fun while it lasted. Time to plan for next year.  It is composed of:

Japanese Anemones (Andria Atkins)
Buddleia
Coreopsis (Moonbeam)
Cosmos
Gomphrey (Fireworks)
Leonotus Leonurus
Snapdragons
Verbena Bonariensis
Zinnias


Photograph copyright Everett H. Scott 2015. All rights reserved. This image may not be reproduced without express written persission of the photographer. 

Appreciating the Autumn Garden

     The honking of Canadian Geese, winging their way southward, draws one’s gaze overhead. The geese are joined by Great Blue Herons, gliding above the treetops.

     The leaves have begun to fall. Where they still cling to the branches, they are changing color from lush green to shades of rust, gold red and orange. Nearer the ground, feral bees work the dwindling supply of blossoms, seeing that no grains of pollen escape their baskets.

     The same flowers that once enchanted us with their pastel color and soft petals, have transformed into dried brown seed-heads; a botanical interpretation of sea urchins, held aloft on wiry stems. Entire flocks of migrating birds – Goldfinches, and “confusing Fall Warblers” – alight in the garden to partake of the free buffet. There is a seed shaped to accommodate every beak shape and size.

     In the potager, Cherry tomatoes continue to form and ripen, as though unaware that their season has passed. The last of the (Bartlett) pears has been harvested and shared with appreciative friends.  The Collard Greens, Brussels Sprouts and other brassicas are flourishing in the cooler weather, and will extend our edible harvest into November, at least.

     That same cooler weather alerts us to the need to find space indoors for the tender, potted sub-tropicals whose sojourn in the open air is coming to an end – for this year. “The ferns’ swan-song is the mosses reveille,” as a poet once said. 

All text and photographs copyright Everett H. Scott, 2015. All rights reserved. No part of this blog or any of its contents may be reproduced without express written permission of the author or his designated representative. 

I am missing the garden something awful!

     I am missing the garden something awful! For weeks now, it has been necessary for me to be here in the city, without a break, and even though I am blessed to live on a park and have spectacular river views, I miss being in the garden that I have helped to create. Just before coming into town, I was working on a blog entry that was to have been all about the importance of “ditzing about” in the garden, with no agenda other than to absorb its atmosphere. This was motivated by a comment I received from another gardener in reaction to a photograph I posted of tea being served in the garden. As a gardener, in high season, she asked “How can you find time for tea?” And in response, I thought “Now, is when it is needed most. One must make time for tea, and to enjoy the garden, not just labor away in it.” It is O.K. to put down one’s trowel and watch a bee scour the flowers for pollen. That said, I miss the gardens “life-affirming green-ness.” It is the welcoming interface between us and the Natural world. I miss its colors, and sounds and the wildlife that it attracts.  The city is such a hard, paved,

manufactured environment, with each surface one encounters designed to withstand the imprint of millions of handprints and footfalls. The garden on the other hand, consists of thousands of fresh tender leaves, curling tendrils, silken flowers and blades of grass each day. These elements cushion ones steps and stimulate ones senses. The environment literally grows before ones eyes, and by observing it one is renewed. Our connection to Nature’s cosmic rhythms is reinforced.

     Don’t get me wrong. I love the city. The talents and skills that it attracts make for a dynamic environment where extraordinary things become possible. It is a privilege to have access to the intellectual accomplishments on display here, say on the 21^st floor of any given building in midtown, come rain or shine. Without leaving the neighborhood, I continue to make fresh discoveries about buildings that I have looked at for years. And, there is a lot of Nature, right under our urban noses, when we take the time to sniff it out. For some things, you don’t want to be anywhere else.

     Still, I am missing the garden. I miss its surprises. I miss separating stalks of Echinacia to discover that a Delphinium is asserting itself among them. I miss the feel, in my nitrile-gloved hand, of a weed relinquishing its roots’ grip on the soil. I miss having the leaves of the Collard Greens brush up against my pants legs when I am wading through the potager. I certainly miss eating and tasting the produce from the garden. What a far away dream it is here, to think of a freshly dug carrot, washed clean, its creamy crispness giving way to my bite! I miss being “in” Nature, not just looking out “at” it.  

     City life is all about collaboration and scheduling. Once you have managed to arrange to see – or be seen – by a highly skilled urban professional, you don’t want to miss the appointment. This alone usually requires several weeks. Then, when you have devised a course of action with said professional, there is nothing to do but see it through. So, if that means sitting tight in the city, that is what you do. Of course, there is a lot to do in the city. There are concerts and performances for every taste. All of the movies are playing. There are even bookstores, that endangered species. The museums are the best. Just taking a walk down Broadway can inform one’s view of the current world order.

     All I can do is think of the garden that awaits me. That there will be tons of weeds to extract, goes without saying. Meanwhile, everything needs to be watered: The North and South borders of mixed perennials and annuals, The potted Farfugium, and Lemon tree. The“Deborah Gregory Memorial” Lespedeza and our Leonotus Leonurus, all of them need a good soaking. Likewise, everything in the potager. Lets not forget the strategically placed Pink Crepe Myrtle that has just been introduced to the garden. We hope that it will provide additional screening between us and our neighbors to the North. Then, what are the vines doing? Is the Thumbergia continuing to climb up the leg of the swing? I guess the date palm, grown from seed, is surviving the sunny dry weather safely. I hope that I haven’t lost anything.

    

Country Mouse reports that the pears are ripe and falling off the tree. These need to be gathered up, stored and cooked in every way imaginable. In the potager, the Brussels Sprouts, Cabbages and Carrots are all thriving, as is the Basil, the Kale, and Squashes. So, despite arriving at the last big holiday of summer, there is yet another seasons worth of produce to nurture along, until a chill November frost finally cuts everything down. Which reminds me, will there be enough grapes to make jam this year?

     The city is about rapid, if not instant gratification. The garden is about patience and imperceptible progress. Evolution. These days, as I wait to cross the Hudson, I am challenged to summon patience, in an environment that is celebrated for only having 45 seconds per minute. I am missing the garden something awful!  

All images and text copyright Everett H. Scott. All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be copied reproduced or used in any way without express written permission from the author.