Gaston Alive Magazine

In the Garden with Cindy

The smell and taste of onion and garlic chives in my cream cheese turn my whole wheat bagel into a treat. For lunch I’ll have a salad of fresh butter crunch lettuce, spring onions, sliced radishes, boiled eggs, feta cheese and crisp bacon.

I pick a new branch of lavender and complete a bouquet—the smells and sight of these lovely blooms and tender green leaves transport me to times in the past and recent experiences in the garden. My vegetables, the summer squash, eggplants, peppers, and tomatoes, all suffer from shock since being transplanted but I have faith that they will recover, especially with a healthy dose of liquid plant food and water. Some mornings, very early, I go to my garden and pull or hoe out weeds until the sweat and sun drive me into the shade garden. There I divide and replant hostas and daylilies until I’m exhausted. Gardens, like children, grow best when well-tended, so I am pushing myself to put down landscape fabric and mulch to subdue those wretched weeds and grasses and to conserve moisture.

True, there is much to be done in May, but all the rewards in taste, sight, and smell are a strong incentive. I love making my container gardens on my deck. This year I’ve already planted broccoli in two long narrow planters. I’ve also planted several pots of basil, lemon thyme, parsley, and sage in containers to supplement my small herb garden to the side of the deck which contains more parsley, chives, oregano, dill and rosemary. I plan to put two pots of small salad tomatoes on the sunny side of the deck. As for flowers, I’ve already planted two planters of purple and pink “Wave” petunias and attached them to the top railing of the deck. I plan to have the usual pots of plants dripping with plants, cascading down the deck steps. In these I will plant sweet potato vines in bright colors and sun coleuses with yellow, burgundy, purple and reddish orange colors to contrast with the lovely hues of “Million Bells” petunias.

Yes, to be alive in the springtime is to be dazzled by the diverse colors and forms of plants. Garden friends of mine have described this feeling of being driven to plant and weed as “Plant Fever” and I am a victim of this disease. I am truly humbled by all I see and this reminds me of the following song I learned as a small child in bible school:

Oh, who can make a flower? I’m sure I can’t, can you? Oh, who can make a flower? No one but God, ’tis true.

Please take time to plant even a small container of flowers this spring. Better yet, help a small child plant some flowers—the time you spend will be rewarded in planting the “gardening seed” in that child. That is our highest goal, our greatest contribution, to pave the way for another generation of gardeners. If we can do that we’ve given the Earth a brighter future.

In the Garden with Cindy

As a Master Gardener, I have many opportunities to help many organizations and individuals. Very often these experiences result in a greater gift to me than the effort I’ve given to the particular group. Such has been the experience with my work with Holy Angels’ horticultural therapy program. After all, spending time in a greenhouse in February cannot be compared the cold weather we’ve suffered through this winter.

The horticulture therapy program at Holy Angels was started with the building of a greenhouse on September 30, 2000. Original funding of this project included Auto Carolinas Chapter, Gaston Christian School, Knights of Columbus, Pilot, Harley Owners of Gaston County, and Power of the Past Tractor Club. In fact the Power of the Past Tractor has sold tickets each year for the chance to win a refurbished antique tractor and this year appeared at the Southern Spring Show with the “Angel Tractor” to provide funds to the Holy Angels program.

If you haven’t been in this area for long, you may not know that Holy Angels provides care and enrichment for individuals with mental and physical disabilities. These individuals are often medically fragile and require constant attention from highly qualified care takers. Horticulture therapy provides the residents with a different venue and sensory experiences only to be gotten through interaction with plants. Residents participant according to the level of activity each can experience. Sometimes the residents participate through a “hand over hand” method, having the care takers place their hands over the resident’s to fill pots with soil and add plants to each. Other sensory experience may include smelling herbs as they are transplanted or to touch and hear the bubbling water of the fish pond in the greenhouse.

Gaye Dimmick is the person supervising the horticultural therapy at Holy Angels. She explained that residents are a part of the whole process of the gardens from the transplanting of seedlings to the planting of the plants in the square foot garden system to harvesting the plants, and on to the serving of the vegetables at the Cherub Restaurant on  main street in Belmont. Extra produce goes to other group homes in the area so there is no waste.

The square foot garden is in its third season of operation and have just this year installed the “Green Waves” water management system. This is a timed system whose purpose is to use water efficiently through a series of emissions.

In talking with Sister Nancy, Public Relations Director, and Gaye Dimmick I become aware that the connection between the residents of Holy Angels and plants is greater than just the mere exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen gases. As all gardeners, these individuals at Holy Angels love the smell of soil and fragrance of herbs and vegetables.
Each person places that small plant into the “good earth” and waits for the harvest in the form of a ripe red tomato to be picked and eaten with joy.

Holy Angels is holding their plant sale, open to the public on May 6 and 7, 2010. Proceeds from this sale go back into the horticultural therapy program. The Master Gardeners Group in Gaston County and the herbal garden group, Rosemary and Thyme have been busily transplanting hundreds of plants into pots to sell at the this plant sale so I can attest to the vigor and variety of the plants available. The Master Gardeners’ Plant Sale is the week before on Saturday, May 1, 2010 and any left over plants (if any are left!) will be donated to Holy Angels Plant Sale

As usual, arrive early at these plants sales (8:00 am) to get your pick of the varieties available. Purchasing plants at these two sales is a perfect way to begin adding flowers, vegetables, and herbs to your own garden at a reduced price and support these worthy causes which provide such a positive impact on our community. Please go buy some plants at both of these plant sales and feel the sunshine of spring both on your face and your heart.

In the Garden with Cindy

March is finally here and with the truly wretched winter we’ve had all gardeners I know are feeling a surge of hope and anticipation. I’m fortunate to have access to an active greenhouse so I’ve been soaking up the warmth generated by the sun and the heating system. I’ve also planted hundreds of seed in tiny flats to begin germination. I’ve separated the resulting seedlings with surgical gloves on my hands in an attempt to avoid crushing them with clumsy gardening gloves. At this time of year even experienced gardener’s hearts are filled with wonder over the potential of a tiny seed. Just to ponder over the tiny roma tomato plants barely two inches tall producing luscious fruit to bring pasta to life is to marvel over the promise and reward for hard work.

I’m also busy in my own rose garden pruning back dead and damaged canes from my collection of English and old roses. I’m careful to remember which roses bloom on old wood as to prevent the Dreaded Spring of No Roses I’ve experienced in the past. I’ve planned and planted romantic sounding annuals like “love in the mist” and “love lies bleeding” for my rose garden. I’m also going to plant some “zebrina” named for their multitude of purple striped flowers on heavy sprays of stalks. However, I don’t want a “prissy” little rose garden, I also plan to have zinnias in the bright colors of purple, scarlet, pink, and even a gorgeous shade of green, named “envy”. My irises have once again multiplied along with the tiny beginning blades of leaves from my day lilies. Every day I check my gardens to see what miracles are presenting themselves despite the sometimes cruel winds of March.

Right now my daffodils are blooming intense yellow amid the hundreds of grape hyacinths that were planted by the gardener who had my bungalow before me. I often think of her in the spring as I discover the sedums she planted that have endured beyond the confines of her own human life. I take these plants as gifts from her and I can’t help but to find a metaphor for my own life. I’m currently helping the Art Center in my hometown design a garden of native plants. Since the building once was a train depot, we thought we would take a cue from the plants that were already thriving on the sides of the rail road tracks and plant some of these in our native plant garden. Though this seems to be an arduous task to change out the tired old shrubs that were planted long ago for native plants, I think of this as a legacy for the future, it’s very reassuring to know I have left a garden for the next generation to enjoy. It’s a way of giving back the gifts of plants that have been left for me to enjoy. Do yourself a favor and volunteer to help with a public garden such as Daniel Stowe or any of the offerings in communities and churches. Plants are truly the gifts that keep on giving.

It’s February and once again many small miracles are happening just under the surface of the soil. Daffodils are already pushing through the dirt and beginning to show off their buds. Winter hardy succulents are emerging as tiny miniatures of their former selves, ready to spring forth with new growth. My birdbaths that I planted in the fall with succulents are emerging with the promise of a new year. My hellebores or Lenten Roses are right on schedule, plump buds seeking the sun with shinny green leaves along side.

Every year I plan a new project for my little gardens and this year I hope to develop a better butterfly garden and decided that February would be a good time to remind all my fellow gardeners of the pleasure that butterflies give to a garden. Butterflies are like living ornaments or jewels that flutter down to sip nectar from the flowers.

First I’ve researched some fun butterflies facts. If you want to impress your friends, start referring to butterflies as “leps”, short for lepidoptera, the Greek word coined by Aristotle meaning scaled wings. Surprisingly, Alaska has 78 species of leps compared to 17 species living in Hawaii. Reason being is that leps follow their favorite plants along coastlines, mountain ranges and river valleys while leps have a “hit or miss” journey over the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii. A butterfly’s feet contain taste buds so when they touch nectar plants, the proboscis uncoils its two long tubes to sip nectar. The lep enthusiast handles a butterfly by grasping it by the wings just above the body and as close as possible to its shoulders. Make sure your hands are dry to avoid loss of scales. If the lep struggles too hard, turn it upside down to induce a calming effect. .

In my butterfly garden, I will have to choose both nectar plants for the mature flyers and host plants for egg laying and for feeding the caterpillars. In choosing flowers, colors matter. Yellow and purple are best, followed by white, then blue, then red. The following are some great plants for nectar feeders: Joe-Pye weed, butterfly bush, fire bush, heliotrope, lantana, pentas, asters, purple coneflowers, and cosmos. Host plants include the following: carrot, dill fennel, parsley, passionflowers, milkweed, and pipevine, I compared websites and several books to compile these lists as those deemed best for the southeast. Another bit of information all sources agreed was the need to have something blooming through out the year to keep your winged beauties in your garden space up until the time for laying of eggs.

I urge each interested gardener to plan his or her on graph paper to help allow for space for each of the plant selections. Buy seeds for annuals early and plant inside to get a jump start and buy perennial plants to have flowering plants the first year. To create a watering area, purchase a shallow saucer and fill it with stones or gravel—fill the dish with a small amount of water. The butterflies will rest on the stones and sip water from the spaces between.

I hope each of you enjoy planning your butterfly gardens as much as I have. The afternoons I drew out my garden was a pleasant way to divert my attention from the cold and bleak days of February.

It’s January and we are soon to experience longer days and shorter nights. Mother Nature has been generous with precipitation so my hellebores or Lenten and Christmas roses are in good form and the fleshy buds are beginning to swell in preparation to bloom. Instead of specific resolutions, this year I plan to garden more mindfully—to plan more and enjoy gardening in the current moment. Most good gardens owe their beauty and efficiency to proper planning. I love the process of planting so much that often my planning is more of a fleeting thought as I plop a new plant into its new home. Such impulsive planting leads to regrets and replanting. Much time, aggravation, and physical work is incurred when a minute or two of planning could have resulted in the completion of a satisfying task.

I believe good gardening practices begin not in the soil but in the mind of the gardener. The next stage is to put the plan to paper—it’s much easier to draw out the garden plan on graphing paper and evaluate the options than to be in effect a mindless gopher digging holes with abandon. Sure, such planning requires patience, commitment, and effort but planning needs to be considered as important to the act of gardening as planting the seeds and setting the plants.

Gardening is nothing if it’s not considered a process—the plans made in the cold winter with good gardening books and those beautifully printed mail order catalogs can be as fun and rewarding as actually working in the soil. I really enjoy shopping online for specific plants and doing a little “window shopping” without the guilt of knowing trees were sacrificed to bring me a printed page. I have learned that it is important to read the descriptions for matching colors than to rely on the highly variable “screen colors”. Winter is also a great time to view instructive videos made possible by our state’s extension service and presented online. I find that the videos on pruning have been invaluable and a pleasure to view. Just search under a request such as “how to plant a fruit tree” or “how to prune roses” and the extension services of many states can be accessed. Just be careful to evaluate the information as it relates to the southeast region. Some to the measures necessary to protect plants in Maine are not necessary for our warmer climate.

Winter is also a great time to make some purchases of new garden books. The prices are great at this time of year and time spent on gardening in summer months can be spent reading in a comfortable chair and in front of a warm fire (or gas logs). Reading about gardening can revive the passion of gardening as we could possibly discover a new collection of plants. I fell in love with succulents after reading Gwen Moore Kelaidis’s book titled Hardy Succulents, and am currently reading Taylor’s Guide to Ornamental Grasses edited by Roger Holmes.

I hope all of you, gardeners and non-gardeners alike have a productive and positive New Year. Remember that a little gardening with your mind will save you over working your back and hands.

December is holiday time for many of us despite our differences in religion and culture. If you are a gardener or are buying gifts for gardeners; your gift could mean more than just an obligation; it could be a challenge to recycle, beautify your neighborhood, give someone hope or delight the senses.

The obvious choice for giving to gardeners is finding the perfect tool. Such a tool that becomes an extension of the hand is more personal. Rose gardeners will love to receive leather gloves that extend to the elbow protect hands and arms. Atlas makes a wonderful small gift for any gardener since they come in various sizes. Consider tools that are ergonomic—that is designed for the human body, especially the hands.
A quality sharp set of clippers or loppers can make a difficult job manageable and aid painful joints due to arthritis. I love my hand tools with plastic handles—digging is much easier and a lot less painful.

Another favorite of mine is the gift of a plant. Please research to make sure the person you’re giving the plant to is not allergic to it and that the plant is not poisonous to small children and pets. Think small, useful, or the unexpected. My favorite plant gift is bulbs because they renew the soul and provide a gift that lasts a period of time. I give amaryllis bulbs with a nice container and instructions for growing. Try “Apple Blossom “ for a beautiful bloom in the bleak mid-winter. Herbs are a welcome addition to a kitchen-themed gift. Often you can find rosemary plants trimmed into the shape of Christmas trees during the holidays. Combine this gift with a Master Gardener cookbook and you have a great gift for the aspiring chef. Give a fresh wreath for a special friend’s door—a busy mom will thank you for relieving her of the chore of decorating.

One year I received a compost bin and a bag of compost activator. It was the gift that has kept on giving since I just recently filled it full of fallen leaves. I also have a covered compose bucket that encourages me to collect my vegetable scrapes for the compost bin. Either item would make a great gift for a young couple with a new house since it could inspire the two to do their part to make for a cleaner and more beautiful environment.

Perhaps the very best gift a gardener could either give or receive is the gift of knowledge and time. Offer to rake an elderly or disabled person’s yard. Help a new or current homeowner design a theme garden such as a butterfly or hummingbird garden. Purchase a gardening book for that special gardener that will help him or her identify existing plants in the yard. A great resource is Allan M. Armitage’s book, Herbaceous Perennial Plants. Not only does this book offer a vast amount of information, it has great photographs.

I certainly hope all you gardeners and non-gardeners have a happy holiday season full of fellowship and hope for the upcoming year. May dreams of unusual plants, tools, and books “dance in your heads” the way sugar plums dance in the heads of children. Use the patience and inner reflection winter brings to make the world a kinder, more peaceful place.

When I look out my window on this November afternoon I see the misty rain falling gently on the leaves I haven’t finished raking into my compost heap, making them slick and shiny in red, gold, and brown on the still green grass. I’m finally at peace with the change of season and ready to plan my spring bulb garden. I receive the brightly colored catalogs through the mail and over the internet. I browse and take notes as I enjoy the task.

I remember other bulb gardens of my past. The fall my beloved mother-in-law planted old heirloom daffodils from her own yard, among the trees in my then front lawn. I was pregnant with my first child and was so nauseas I couldn’t bend over to help her. The daffodils bloomed in provision and I, round and proud, gave birth to my son, Miles, in April. I fondly remember the fall after my second son, Ryan, turned one in August. I taught my two toddlers how to plant bulbs with the root end down and stem up. The next spring, my little ones ran to the red tulips and gently touched each one, huge smiles on their faces. Both sons are college graduates now. I recall the fall I helped thirty juniors and seniors after school one day plant two hundred bulbs in the Shakespearian garden I designed in the high school court yard. Most of those students didn’t know the right end of a bulb to plant; however; some of them I told me that years later they planted bulbs with their own children.

Bulb planting itself is the perfect metaphor describing the leap of faith gardeners take every time they plant something in the dirt. It’s amazing that a bunch of round roots with a papery brown husk can suffer the cold and wet of winter and emerge into the fresh green leaves and brilliant hues of daffodils, crocuses, and hyacinths.

A wonderful couple I know just celebrated their fiftieth anniversary and used two bulbs to illustrate the investment of time in their lives together and the result of three daughters and four grandchildren. The bulbs were tied in a golden burlap and tied with a scroll bearing the following hymn called “The Promise”:

“In the bulb there is a flower;
In the seed, an apple tree;
In cocoons, a hidden promise:
Butterflies will soon be free!
In the cold and snow of winter
There’s a spring that waits to be,
Unrevealed until its season,
Something God alone can see.”

Please share the delight of planting bulbs in the fall with someone you love. I have and I have memories of happy times and I plan to create more in the future.