country gardens - early spring 2015

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1Country Gardens Early Spring (January) 2015

ContentsCountry Gardens® Early Spring 2015

Gardens & Plants

46 Furry Stirrings of SpringPussy willows force easily, creating soft and springlike bouquets to celebrate the end of winter.

74 Garden Collectibles: Cigarette CardsContributing editor Marty Ross shares her collection of tiny cards—given away with packs of British cigarettes—from the 1930s. Each one features a colorful graphic and gardening tip.

Decorating & Inspiration

46

58

66

78

30 Crazy for ConifersFollow a winding path through a forest of more than 300 diminutive conifers in the garden of an Ohio couple.

40 Not Your Grandmother’s RhubarbAs one Vermont collector proves, rhubarb can serve as a stunning large-leaved garden accent.

52 Blithe SpiritsAn artist and her husband in Connecticut nestle their home amid an English-style cottage garden, complete with a kitchen garden and rustic shed.

58 Up in the AirAir plants, tillandsias, are hot. Meet the co-owners of an Illinois garden business who grow more than 60 varieties of air plants, and fi nd out how they pair these beauties with antiques.

66 The Great Migration A move to a new house up the street inspires a Michigan homeowner to build a new garden with perennials transplanted from her

beloved former garden.

78 Splendor Without the GrassA few years ago, homeowners in California transformed their struggling lawn into a tapestry of succulents and

drought-tolerant shrubs.

86 Beyond OrganicExplore how a Michigan gardener introduced chickens, bees, fruit trees, and edibles into her backyard, and learn the basics of biodynamics.

94 Scents & SensibilityFrom apricot to apple, lemon, mint, and strawberry, scented geraniums come in many varieties. Get inspired to try your hand with this fragrant fl owering plant—and learn how to decorate linen napkins with the leaves.


11

26

98 Know Your Greens Owners of garden-supported Arrows Restaurant in New England show off their garden and greenhouse—and share recipes for spring greens.

Cooking & Entertaining

Refl ections6 Editor’s Note112 Over the Garden Gate

Shopping110 Resources

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COVER: Photography

by Joseph Keller. See the story on

page 46.

22

98

8 Slow Lane Karen Weir-Jimerson replaces her aging greenhouse with a new potting shed and notes how it changes the way she gardens on her central Iowa farmstead.

11 PlantingsGrape hyacinths off er spikes of welcome spring color along with hardiness, especially when planted to naturally complement the home landscape.

14 Backyard AlmanacOur resident naturalist discusses the emerald ash borer and best options to protect our ash trees from this invasive pest.

16 Weekend Gardener Preserve mementos of your garden with this step-by-step guide to making a garden memory collage with artist Ellen Spector Platt.

20 Trading PostGive your container plants what they really want—good quality potting soil—and fi nd out what makes the best mix.

22 Breaking GroundCheck out what refugees from Africa and Asia are growing for themselves in the Root Down Community Garden in Omaha.

26 Design NotebookA designing couple in North Carolina maximize their small lot while referencing the architecture of their 1927 bungalow.

106 Gardener’s BookshelfDiscover this season’s crop of books of special interest to the country-gardening enthusiast, reviewed by Gary Keim.

108 GrassrootsOur regional garden experts discuss their favorite new plants for 2015.

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Grow with Us

in nearby Omaha inspired by a Kansas City effort we featured in

Country Gardens® (“New Roots for Refugees”), I knew I wanted

to meet these green-hearted recent arrivals and self-sufficient

gardeners. So last summer I made the short drive to Omaha from

Des Moines (135 miles) and met up with Laura Weiss at the first-

of-now-four Root Down Community Gardens she has organized

in a surprisingly short time in the largest city in Nebraska. She’s

an English as a Second Language teacher with a roll-up-your-

sleeves attitude who was inspired by her students to find the

space and organize the resources to launch Omaha’s first Root

Down Community Garden in 2013 in partnership with NorthStar

Foundation. It was midmorning when Laura and I met. Then a

muddy yet cheerful young woman extricated herself from weeding

her allotted plot of kale and introduced herself as May Sweet.

Originally from Burma (she self-identifies by her Chin ethnic

group), 21-year-old May grew up for most of her life with her mother

and father in a refugee camp in Thailand, where she studied and

eventually became fluent in English—an early leg-up for what must

be a daunting and strange new world smack dab in the middle of

the United States. It was just the three of us in the garden until, as

if on cue, colorfully dressed in sarongs and necklaces and carrying

children, other refugee gardeners began to arrive through a hole in

the chain-link fence to begin tending their plots full to overflowing

with sweet corn, green beans, radishes, eggplant, and cabbages.

Here were our most recent Americans—with their own agricultural

history and practices—growing fresh produce on formerly neglected

urban lots and managing to figure out how to sell the excess at

neighborhood farmer’s markets. Humbling, to say the least. Today,

May is not just the only paid staff member at Roots Down, but she’s

also knee-deep in pursuing a degree in nursing. Her undownable

Editor James A. Baggett

Check out BHG.com/EverydayGardeners for my blog.

ABOVE: Root Down Community Garden organizer Laura Weiss gives Country Gardens® editor James A. Baggett a tour of some of the community garden plots in and around Omaha, Nebraska, that are tended by refugees from South Sudan, Burma, Bhutan, Somalia, Burundi, the Congo, Ethiopia, Liberia, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Iran. Find out more on page 24.

“All life’s lessons grow in the garden: birth, nurturing, growth, love, passion, obsession, joy, pain, heartbreak, death.”

—Lee MayIt is with great sorrow I share the news of the passing of our dear friend and Country Gardens contributing editor, Lee May, who passed away at home in Georgia last December. Our beloved friend Lee has gone back to the earth he loved so dearly.

When I heard about a community garden for refugees

Search for Country Gardens® magazine. Tell us about your country garden, share a photo, or just stop by and like our page.

EDITOR’S NOTEWritten by James A. BaggettPhotography by Jacob Fox

Lee May 1941-2014

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Only amateur gardeners are eligible for awards; participants cannot earn their living from gardening, landscaping, or interior design. Gardens that have received other national gardening honors or awards, or have been featured in a national magazine, are ineligible. Please retain an original copy of your complete entry for your records; materials will not be returned. Images from entries may be shared online.

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Country Gardens Early Spring (January) 20158

A small greenhouse on a central Iowa farmstead makes way for the perfect potting shed.

BEFORE WE BUILT the small greenhouse on

our farm, I envisioned benches lined with fl ats of

fresh lettuce, fragrant basil, and peppery arugula.

I was going to raise our entire garden from seed.

Fresh-cut fl ower bouquets in winter bloomed in

my head. And I practiced gracious responses to

gushy compliments at the winter holidays: “Oh,

thank you,” I’d say. “We grew the roses that are

on the table ourselves.” The sage for the turkey

stuffi ng would (of course) have been clipped just

that morning from our herb garden under glass.

But Iowa winters had other plans.

For several months in winter, the snow piled

high around the sides of the glass house, which

SLOW LANEWritten by Karen Weir-Jimerson

Good-bye, Greenhouse

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SLOW LANE

was great for insulation, but drifts

made it difficult to get inside to work

and water every day. I also didn’t

anticipate the hefty electric bills for

running the heater.

One by one, the sweet little fictions

in my head burst: pop, pop, pop!

So I dialed down the dream.

There were no homegrown roses at

Christmas, but we did start seeds.

And the greenhouse helped jump-start

our garden every year. But some years

were more successful than others. One

February ice storm downed the power

lines to our farm. While we stayed

warm and cozy in the house by the

fireplace, those earnest little seedlings

didn’t stand a chance without heat for

several hours. They stood up straight

in their growing trays, so ready, so

willing. But our greenhouse chilled

quickly, and our little hope chest of

green seedlings turned frosty white.

After a few midwinter seed-starting

snafus, our greenhouse became more

of a giant cold frame for our garden-

center purchases. It was also the

summer home of my son Graham’s

African spurred tortoises, Maximus

and Minimus. The “boys” occasionally

yearned for greener pastures and

would dig their way out. They’d

lumber around the barnyard until our

dogs or farm cats surrounded them in

a wide-berth circle, giving them away.

When the persistent fingers of an

early spring wind pried open a vent

and ripped it from the roof, it was time

to rethink the greenhouse. It was old

and falling apart, so it disassembled

quickly, leaving a 9.5×16.5-foot graveled

pad with an electrical outlet at one

end and a water hydrant at the other.

Standing in that footprint, my

husband, Doug, and I envisioned

the building of our dreams.

Our friend Randy designed a

potting shed to fit the space—and our

dreams. It was board-and-batten, like

the old barn that had once graced our

farm, and topped with an old-school

set out plant combos on the potting

bench, fill containers with potting

soil on the ground, then simply pop

in the plants. We planted 20 large

mixed containers in two hours!

We still start seeds, but the potting

shed has become what the greenhouse

never was: a staging area and color

test lab for our beds, borders, and

containers—not to mention a lovely

place in which to hang out. Sometimes

in early spring, I sit in the center aisle,

surrounded by flats of plants, and

just breathe in the fragrance of fresh

herbs, the earthiness of potting soil,

and the boggy scent of sphagnum peat.

They all mingle together to create

the sweet scent of expectation.

I reluctantly said good-bye to our

greenhouse, but we have welcomed

our multipurpose potting shed as

a shiny new tool, a partner in the

progress of our farm and gardens.

aluminum roof. A double stack of

farm-store barn sashes made a wall of

south-facing windows, which flooded

the interior with light. Windows on all

four sides made the shed feel as airy as

the greenhouse—but much more sturdy.

How had we ever gardened without

a potting shed? With overhead storage

for pots, hooks for hanging tools, and

parallel potting tables with storage

underneath, the potting shed feels

twice as large as the greenhouse. And

we use it in ways we never used the

greenhouse. The potting tables give us

a canvas to create color combinations

before we plant. We line up plants

on the benches like we would in the

garden to play with color and texture

combos before we dig into the soil.

And, of course, the potting shed

helps with our potting projects.

Container-garden creation works

like a well-oiled machine. Doug and I

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Written by Ruth Rogers Clausen

Giddy for Grape Hyacinths

PLANTINGS

IMAGINE IF YOU WILL, a

brilliant blue “river” of flowers

with a musky fragrance blooming

in early spring. These are grape

hyacinths (Muscari, from the

Greek moschos or musk), one of the

minor spring bulbs. Along with

others, including crocus, squills

(Scilla spp.), guinea hen flower

(Fritillaria meleagris), and winter

aconites (Eranthis hyemalis), grape

hyacinths are planted in autumn

with daffodils and tulips. As winter

warms toward spring, these under-

appreciated bulbs put on a glorious

display that surely melts cold

hearts with the hope of warmth

and longer days to come.

Southwestern Asia, North

Africa, and the Mediterranean

basin are home to some 30 species

of Muscari, in assorted habitats:

woodlands, rocky slopes of

hills and mountains, and poor

grasslands. In the British Isles

and Europe, grape hyacinths have

escaped and been naturalized for

over 100 years. Look for them

carpeting waste places, woodlands,

and even sand dunes.

Formerly classified with lilies,

grape hyacinths now belong to the

asparagus family (Asparagaceae),

along with glory-of-the-snow

(Chionodoxa), and squills (Scilla).

Their clusters of blossoms look

somewhat like pointed clown

caps, comprised of 30 or more

tiny down-facing florets clustered

in spikes atop leafless stems

(scapes) 6–12 inches tall. Colors

range through all shades of blue,

violet, yellow, pink, and white; M.

latifolium has two-tone flowers of

black-violet and blue. The shape

and density of the spikes varies

by species: those of M. azureum

are stubby and short, elegant M.

latifolium has slimmer spikes, while

those of common grape hyacinth

(M. botryoides) are triangular.

The loose, yellow florets of M.

macrocarpum face outward and are

set wider apart on the stem; those

of feather hyacinth (M. comosum

‘Plumosum’) are fluffy with

threadlike florets. Each floret—

ranging from tubular to rounded

to bell-like—consists of six joined

perianth parts (not delineated

into petals and sepals) and is

constricted at the mouth.

Common grape hyacinth bulbs

produce two or more flower stems;

other species throw just one.

In fall the strap-shape, slightly

succulent leaves emerge from the

bulb and remain evergreen, though

becoming tatty, through winter’s

cold. New leaves appear in spring

just before bloom time. Up to a foot

in length, leaf width depends upon

the species: Tassel hyacinth has

slender leaves ¼ to ¾ inches wide,

while those of M. latifolium might

reach 2 inches across.

These diminutive bulbs are hardy, easy to grow, and have long-lasting blossoms—which is why no

garden should be without them.

Muscari ‘Lady Blue’


If you want to naturalize with

grape hyacinths, choose a spot in your

garden that receives full or part sun

during the day; the bulbs grow fine

under deciduous trees and shrubs or

in the half shade of structures. An

informal spot where they can spread

without causing trouble is ideal. Grape

hyacinths are very easy to please—to

the point where they can become

invasive. Provide fertile, well-drained

soil and avoid overly wet or heavily

shaded sites. First clear the area and

get rid of deep-rooted perennials

(greedy pachysandra, and the like);

clear the worst of the rocks. Loosen

soil to 6 inches or more deep, and plant

the small 2-inch tall bulbs about 3–4

inches deep, nose up. Set them 2–4

inches apart; that works out to about

two dozen bulbs per square foot. For a

large area, as for a “river,” open up the

area to be planted and put the soil to

one side. Then place the bulbs over the

whole area before replacing and firming

the soil. Some people incorporate bulb

food at planting time, but it is not really

necessary except in very poor soil. A

blue “pond” is planted the same way;

in rock gardens you might consider

“pools” of bulbs situated at differing

heights to suggest a waterfall. Firm and

water thoroughly after planting, then

mulch; keep an eye on the weather and

water if there is little rainfall. In a few

weeks after planting, don’t be surprised

to see foliage poking through. This

is normal, and leaves should not be

removed. More leaves and the flower

buds start to emerge in a few months.

After bloom, snap off the spent spikes

to curtail seed formation, and conserve

the bulbs’ energy for the following

spring. Leave foliage to ripen and

yellow naturally before removing it.

Whether you outline an island bed,

line a pathway, or plant a skirt for a

tree, or just tuck some bulbs into an

intimate corner, deer-resistant grape

hyacinths are one of the joys of spring.

Forcing Hyacinths

Forcing bulbs indoors is not complicated and is rewarding, but you need to plan ahead for your target bloom times. Here’s how:

1. Select a container or bulb pan about 6 inches deep, preferably with a hole for drainage in the bottom. Dress up garden pots by inserting them later in a cachepot (a decorative container), or by wrapping pots in foil (pierce at the drain hole).

2. Choose the plumpest, best-quality bulbs you can find, either from a local nursery or garden center, or by mail order from a reliable source.

3. Fill the pot about three-fourths full with free-draining container potting soil. Some gardeners mix about half orchid potting mix to improve drainage; others find perlite works well. Don’t use garden dirt, which is too dense. Tamp the soil lightly and set the bulbs nose up and almost touching each other, nestling them gently. Cover with more soil, leaving the bulb tips showing.

4. Water from the top with a fine spray until water runs out the bottom, or set in a water bath for an hour and allow the soil to take up moisture. Drain.

5. Chill the pots in a dark, cool (35–45°F) spot in a basement, cool garage, or refrigerator for about 10 weeks. Unless the soil surface remains moist, water lightly. Check the pots from time to time to see if they are sprouting and/or white roots are starting to grow out the bottom.

6. Move the pots to a cool, out-of-the-sun spot in the house for a couple of weeks to acclimate, before displaying them in brighter light. Once buds are showing, flowers will open in a week or so. The cooler you keep them, the longer the flowers will last.

7. When the flowers are past, continue to water the pots but remove them to a cooler out-of-the-way spot. The bulbs will not force reliably another year but can be planted in the garden as soon as spring comes.

Muscari armeniacum ‘Blue Spike’

Muscari latifolium ‘Close Up’

Muscari ‘Golden Fragrance’

Muscari ‘Mount Hood’

For more information, see Resources on page 110.

For forcing indoors:• ‘Blue Spike’ has double flowers that form a bright blue, chubby, egg-shape spike. • ‘Dark Eyes’ is a hybrid with deep blue flowers, each trimmed with white noses. • ‘Early Giant’ produces tepee-shape spikes of large, white-rim, cobalt-blue flowers.• ‘Fantasy Creation’, a relatively new introduction, displays chunky cone-shape, double, bright blue flowers that mature greenish. • ‘Album’ is more delicate with

shorter spikes. Its pure white flowers are dainty. For naturalizing:• Muscari armeniacum is the best-known of the grape hyacinths. The species and all its cultivars work well in the landscape. This group is tops for naturalizing, especially if you plant plenty. They seldom grow more than 8 inches tall and can be planted about 6 inches apart. Very fragrant and deer-resistant.• M. azureum and M. azureum ’Album’ are both excellent in

gardens and the wider landscape; spread freely. 6–8 inches tall.Novelties:• M. comosum (syn. Leopoldia comosa) is sometimes called “tassel hyacinth” due to its showy topknot of deep lavender flowers held above fertile, deep purple, grapelike ones. • M. comosum ‘Plumosum’, aka feather hyacinth, is more like a mini feather duster than a bunch of grapes. Somewhat later to bloom, light purple feather hyacinth is good for cut flowers

but lacks fragrance. May be marketed as ‘Cotton Candy’.• M. macrocarpum ‘Golden Fragrance’ is quite new to the marketplace. Topped with purple florets, its loose spikes of sweet-smelling, tubby golden florets, each purple-tipped, are certainly eye-catching.

Plant at a Glance: Grape Hyacinths Common names: Grape hyacinth, baby’s breath, bluebell, starch lilyBotanical name: Muscari species, hybrids, and cultivarsUSDA hardiness: Zones 3 to 9Conditions: Grape hyacinths do best in average to good, well-drained soil in a sunny spot. They bloom early in the year before the trees leaf out, so they are also happy beneath high-pruned trees and shrubs and in light woodlands. Bloom time: Midspring to late springHeight: 6–12 inches tall; 4–6 inches wideBest feature: Loose spikes of small, urn-shape flowers open from the bottom up on leafless succulent stems in spring. Colors range through many hues of blue as well as white, yellow, and pink. Flowers are usually quite fragrant with a light sweet scent. Foliage is strap-shape and appears in fall and again in spring with the flowers. Deer-resistant.

A Selection of Grape Hyacinths for Special Uses

Muscari armeniacum

2

3

4 5 6

7

9

8 10

1

BELOW: 1. Muscari ‘Blue Magic’. 2. ‘White Magic’. 3. Muscari armeniacum. 4. ‘Fantasy Creation’. 5. ‘Valerie Finnis’. 6. Muscari paradoxum. 7. ‘Mount Hood’. 8. ‘Blue Spike’. 9. ‘Pink Sunrise’. 10. ‘Big Smile’.


Written by Anne Raver

This wood-boring beetle is wreaking havoc on North American ash trees. Here’s what you should know.

Emerald Ash Borer

BACKYARD ALMANAC

THERE IS A GROVE OF fi ve white ash

trees (Fraxinus americana) in Druid Hill

Park in Baltimore that casts beautiful

shade on a hot summer’s day. In winter,

they show off their beautiful trunks—

the oldest are 5 feet in diameter—

with deeply ridged bark and elegant

branching. One old soul has a wide arm

that reaches up like a saguaro cactus.

Another leans slightly, its big branches

like a dancer’s arms.

I visited these trees last fall, as they

were turning purplish red, because the

emerald ash borer is killing millions of

these native trees—and I didn’t even

know what the trees look like. I kept

confusing them with black walnut trees.

But once I stood looking up at these old

white ash trees, I could see that their

leaves were more satiny and smooth

than those of a black walnut. The bark

had a corkier quality and diamondlike

patterns. And the trunks were wider,

with thick branches arching overhead.

The family of ash trees comprises 16

diff erent species, numbering more than

8.7 billion trees in the lower 48 states.

I wanted to know because the

emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis),

a beautiful shiny green insect, no more

than half an inch long, is wiping out

millions of ash trees. Since hitching a

ride from northern Asia to Michigan

sometime in the 1990s, the Asian

insect has spread across 21 states,

from Wisconsin to Maine south to

Georgia and Missouri, as well as into

Ontario and Quebec.

“It might be worse than Dutch elm

disease,” says Deborah McCullough,

an entomologist at Michigan State

University, who has been researching

the emerald ash borer since it fi rst

showed up in her state 12 years ago.

“It looks like all 16 species [of ash

trees] can be colonized and killed.”

The emerald ash borer was fi rst

spotted in Detroit in 2002 and was

found soon after in nearby Windsor,

Ontario. By 2003, at least 5–7 million

ash trees were dead or dying in

southeast Michigan, and the beetle

had spread to Ohio. Even though the

“IT LITERALLY GOES COAST TO COAST, BOTH IN THE LANDSCAPE AND THE FOREST. IT LOOKS

LIKE ALL 16 SPECIES [OF ASH TREES] CAN BE

COLONIZED AND KILLED.”


USDA quarantined nursery stock

in Michigan, the borer showed up

on contaminated trees shipped to

Maryland in 2003. The beetle larvae

is also tucked into fi rewood and then

transported long distances.

By 2013, McCullough says, 99

percent of the ash trees in southeast

Michigan were dead. That’s 60

million ash trees, dominated by green

ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), white

ash, and black ash (Fraxinus nigra),

which thrives in wetlands. Ironically,

white ash and green ash have been

widely planted as street trees and

in suburban landscapes because of

their relative resistance to insects.

But emerald ash borers can kill a tree

within a few years of infestation.

Thought to have been introduced

by means of wood packing crates,

the emerald-green beetles nibble

on ash leaves for a few weeks before

they mate. The females lay their

eggs in the crevices and cracks of

the bark; the tiny white larvae hatch

by midsummer to chew their way

through the bark into the cambium

and then the phloem, where

nutrients are fl owing down from the

canopy to the roots, and fi nally the

inner sapwood, where water rises

from the roots up to the leaves. The

larvae’s tunnels are eerily beautiful

serpentine galleries, hidden from

view, unless the bark is removed

or the tree cut down. “They start

feeding way up in the canopy, so

that’s part of why they are hard to

detect,” McCullough says.

If enough larvae eat their way

through the cambium, they literally

starve the tree of nutrients and

water. The canopy begins to die

back, and woodpeckers show up to

eat the insects. But by the time you

see such signs of stress, including

suckering along the trunk, it’s almost

too late. “If the canopy has half as

many leaves as it should, it’s too late

to treat the tree,” says McCullough,

who urges communities to learn to

identify the tree and look for the pests.

If woodpeckers are busy pecking at

the trunks, feasting on the larvae, you

are likely to see the D-shape exit holes,

just 3–4 millimeters in diameter, of the

adults emerging to mate. If the bark

has fallen away, look for the serpentine

galleries in the cambium. Such trees

are doomed, but they signal the need

to treat specimen trees in the area.

Most adult emerald ash borers stay

within a half mile from where they

emerge, but some females can fl y as far

as three miles.

Ash trees are key to our culture

and economy. Black ash is at the

center of creation myths in some

Native American tribes; many use its

malleable wood to make baskets. The

legendary Louisville slugger is made

of white ash. Both white and green

ash are widely used for furniture and

paper. Saw timber on the East Coast

alone is valued at more $25 billion.

Its potential loss to the urban canopy

could be as high as $60 billion.

Stricken trees call for hard

decisions. Wholesale cutting of

trees has been abandoned by most

communities, because it is not only

ineff ective and expensive but removes

ecological benefi ts in one fell swoop.

Even infested trees hold storm water,

transform CO2 to oxygen, fi lter air

pollution, and cool the environment.

A few pesticides have been found to

be eff ective in controlling the insect,

but one, a broad-spectrum systemic

pesticide commonly sold as Merit, is a

neurotoxin that contains imidacloprid,

a neonicotinoid toxic to bees and other

benefi cial insects. It is also water-

soluble, so it is easily transported to

streams and water bodies, like my

own beloved Chesapeake Bay.

The city of Baltimore has used

emamectin benzoate, the active

ingredient in TREE-age, to treat

large-specimen ash trees that are still

in healthy condition. It contains no

neonicotinoids, and one application

is eff ective for three years. “It can

be the most cost-eff ective and least

damaging to the environment,” says

Erik Dihle, Baltimore’s chief arborist.

“But it’s still a broad-spectrum

pesticide that harms benefi cials.

There are no great options.”

Scientists can’t predict the

outcome of this ecological disaster.

And yet, federal funding for research

has been cut each year, McCullough

says. “It’s the most destructive

forest pest that has invaded us since

chestnut blight, and federal agencies

that have funding are more or less

walking away from it,” she says.

So for now, McCullough

encourages concerned

communities to educate themselves

(emeraldashborer.info is a great

place to start) and to treat

valuable ash trees while gradually

replacing infested trees with a

variety of diff erent species. “Some

communities have organized

neighborhood associations. They

put ribbons around the ash trees, so

people understand what’s at risk,”

she says. “Then you see them pooling

their resources to treat the trees.”

BY 2013, 99 PERCENT OF THE ASH TREES IN

SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN WERE DEAD. THAT’S 60

MILLION ASH TREES

SEE THE D-SHAPE EXIT HOLES, JUST

3–4 MILLIMETERS IN DIAMETER, OF THE

ADULTS EMERGING TO MATE. IF THE BARK HAS

FALLEN AWAY, LOOK FOR THE SERPENTINE

GALLERIES IN THE CAMBIUM. SUCH TREES

ARE DOOMED


Written and produced by Ellen Spector PlattPhotography by Bryan McCay

WEEKEND GARDENER

A collage artist shares her secrets to creating garden-theme collages by repurposing keepsakes.

Preserve Your Garden Memories

RE-CREATE A BELOVED GARDEN, A SPECIAL TREE, OR MEMORY FROM

CHILDHOOD. Honor a favorite fl ower, even a wedding bouquet. It’s easy—even if

you have no experience in art—by making a memory collage. Collage means pasting,

and all the collages shown here have elements pasted on a background board. These

collages represent my memories, formed with items I collected. Preserve your own

memories using these suggestions and instructions.

Getting started• Gather materials you might want to use for your collage. Part of the fun of creation is in the hunt. Elements might include photos; colored papers cut from magazines or newspapers; packaging; seed packs; keepsakes; leftover crafts materials from other projects such as bits of fabric, yarn, ribbon, beads, or wire; and stuff from your junk drawer (I know you have one). You also can use pressed or air-dried fl owers, petals, leaves, pods, cones, and twigs—just about anything that isn’t too heavy to attach.• For the background, use corrugated cardboard cut from a box, foam core of diff erent colors, stretched canvas, or any other art boards readily available in an art supply or crafts store.• You’ll also need scissors and white glue, a permanent glue stick, an acrylic soft gel, a glue gun, gorilla glue, or epoxy for heavier elements. Sometimes I even punch two small holes in the cardboard and tie an element to the board with wire.

Assembling your collage1. If necessary, cut background board to desired size. 2. Cut or tear paper and other elements, then lay them out on your board. Papers also can be folded, fringed, shredded, crunched, pleated, or otherwise mistreated to grand eff ect.3. Move the pieces around until the layout is pleasing; don’t glue until you’re satisfi ed; ripping up leaves a mess of uneven debris on the collage. If you’re unhappy with something that is pasted down, cover it up.4. Brush glue on the paper with a paintbrush. Small bits require a small brush; with larger pieces, a 2-inch brush is more eff ective. If you’re using colored tissue paper, spread the glue on the board fi rst and put the tissue paper on top of the glue. Use the same technique if you want to glue down small seeds, tiny beads, or fragile leaves: Spread glue on the board, sprinkle tiny things, and pat down carefully to adhere.5. As you paste down the paper, start on the center of the paper and press to the edges, squeezing out any air.

Continued on page 18

OPPOSITE: A completed garden memory collage composed of repurposed keepsakes. ABOVE: Ellen Spector Platt shows the details of her work and of her work in process. She is the author of Artful Collage from Found Objects (Stackpole Books; $19.95).


TRADITIONAL CANTERBURY

My daughter, Jen, lives and gardens in Canterbury, New Hampshire, where she has been a multiple blue-ribbon winner at the New Hampshire State Fair. During the years I lived in New York City, I got my weeding fi x by pulling and composting bushel upon bushel of weeds pulled from Jen’s vegetable and fl ower gardens. This collage honors the town, including the Canterbury Shaker Village, with photos I took in diff erent seasons. Note that in this collage the New Hampshire state fl ower, the lilac, blooms alongside summer daylilies and amaranth. With art you can do anything, including mixing bloom times; no rules are part of the fun. Featured near the upper right-hand corner is the solar-collecting farm that the citizens of the town approved to serve the needs of the public buildings.

Collage Elements• Corrugated cardboard cut from a carton for the background board• Purple and dark-blue tissue paper for the sky• Cut pieces of about 20 photos I shot in the town• Birch twigs and bark• Copper wire• Soft gel glue and hot-glue sticks

What I Did� I started with the sky and worked my way down, so pieces overlap and help to give an illusion of depth.� To add three-dimensional elements, I wired the twigs to the board and scrunched some photos. � I attached the bark using a hot-glue gun.

THE HIGH LINE

The High Line, a linear public garden created on a historic freight rail line elevated above the streets in the Meatpacking District of Manhattan, has become a popular tourist attraction in the city. If you go, go early in the day to hear birds singing in the birch trees, before the throngs start strolling. About 50 percent of the plants are native species.

Collage Elements• Stretched canvas board• Shades of blue and white acrylic paint • Cut pieces of 25 images taken in diff erent seasons; I shot most of them while walking on the High Line, but a few were shot from underneath or around the corner looking up• Scrunched photos glued into a clump• Pressed leaves of Northern sea oats

What I Did� Of course, never pluck leaves or fl owers from a public or private garden without permission. I chose a plant grown in the High Line that I also grew on my rooftop. I could press a few of my leaves and still have the collage be authentic.� I dabbed the paint at the top of the canvas with a handful of crumpled paper towels to represent the sky.� To enhance the feeling of depth in the collage, I pasted smaller buildings near the top of the canvas and chose images of the tracks that move away from the viewer. � I repeated my use of crumpled and glued photos.� Because there are no rules, I mingled spring-blooming fl owers with summer fl owers and took pleasure in designing my own version of this garden.

WEEKEND GARDENER

Continued from page 17

19

NORTH OF SANTA FE

This was my fi rst collage, made in my fi rst-ever art class four years ago. I had brought with me, as per instructions, a piece cut from a corrugated cardboard box for the board and two other elements: some tan handmade paper that I had been saving for years and some green foxtail (a local weed). The teacher provided tissue and construction paper and showed us how layering tissue paper produced diff erent color eff ects depending on whether the dark colors were on the bottom or the top. I went to work. I honestly had no idea that I was producing a desert scene until after I was fi nished. Was it a coincidence that I had just returned from a trip to Santa Fe with dear friends?

Collage Elements• Corrugated cardboard• Colored tissue paper• Green construction paper• Dried weeds and seed heads• White glue

What I Did� I spread glue on the cardboard, then laid down torn pieces of deep blue, light blue, pink, purple, brown, and yellow tissue paper. That took up more than two-thirds of the scene.� I added torn pieces of the tan and green papers.� By then I realized that a scene was forming, so I added the brown-tissue path and dried weeds.�

without glass. That was a good thing, because some monthslater I decided to add the brown seed heads from some summersweet I had grown and more foxtail, and bring them off the board, fl owing down onto the mat.

Tips for Pressing Flowers

4. To get the best results and keep colors brightest, after about four days, carefully remove the fl owers and leaves with tweezers and lay them on dry paper to continue the pressing process. Use the tip of a small paring knife to loosen if necessary. If you’re using a book as your press, change pages of the book.

Tips for Air-drying Flowers1. Bunch together a small cluster of stems with a rubber band. Hang upside down in a warm, dark, dry place.2. For small items, such as marigolds or rosebuds, place them on a cooling rack on a tray on top of your refrigerator. The warmth usually fl ows up from the back of the fridge and over the fl owers to dry them quickly.



Give your plants a stunning start with these top-shelf potting soils, and fi nd out why ingredients matter.

EVERY GOOD GARDENER KNOWS that plants

only perform as well as the soil in which they grow.

Container plants, especially, demand even more

from their commercial potting soil: nutrition,

aeration, and water retention.

Sandra Gerdes, head gardener of the Better

Homes and Gardens Test Garden®, has two

recommendations for shopping for potting soil.

First, use a potting mix that contains slow-release

fertilizer, which is especially good for forgetful

gardeners. Second, look for a potting mix with

water-holding capacity, ideal for unglazed pottery

or smaller containers located in full sun.

Another consideration for a good-quality

potting soil is the fl uff factor. “Any potting soil

also should be nice and fl uff y (even after getting

watered), so roots can pass through it when

searching for nutrients and water,” says Mark

Highland, president of Organic Mechanics, a

supplier of organic potting soil. He adds that

he also looks for the Organic Materials Review

Institute (OMRI) logo, which assures ingredient

quality and purity.

Finally, benefi cial microbes such as mycorrhizae

are the new “it” ingredient, but be aware:

Microbes expire. According to Veronique Michaud,

spokesperson for the garden-soil company

Pro-Mix, “We strongly suggest using our product

within two years for optimal results. The product

should be stored properly in order to maximize its

eff ects.” John Harrison at The Espoma Co., which

sells potting mixes and plant foods, echoed that

concern. “For best results we recommend that

the potting mix be used within fi ve years of the

production date we print on the bags. After that,

the viability of mycorrhizae may be reduced.”

Leave the precious bag of soil in the shed to

bake all summer, and you might just degrade your

investment. And that bag sitting in the back of the

garage since you stocked up in 1999 might do better

on the compost heap than in your hanging basket.

20

TRADING POSTWritten and produced by Risa Quade

Photography by Karla Conrad

FAFARD ULTRA POTTING MIX WITH EXTENDED FEEDPrice: $11.50 per 1.5 cubic feet Contains Canadian sphagnum peat moss, pine bark, perlite, and an organic wetting agent. Extended-release fertilizer provides nutrients for up to six months.Fafard (Sun Gro Horticulture); 800/732-8667; fafard.com to fi nd local vendor

PRO-MIX ULTIMATE POTTING MIXPrice: $11.88 per cubic footContains Pro-Mix biofungicide plus mycorrhizae, MycoActive Growth Enhancer, Canadian sphagnum peat moss, perlite, and limestone. Special benefi ts: water-saving gel for hot conditions; feeds up to nine months, protects against common diseases.Pro-Mix; 855/867-5407; promixgardening.com

ECOSCRAPS NATURAL AND ORGANIC MOISTURE RETAINING POTTING MIXPrice: $6.99 per 8-quart bagContains pine bark or wood fi nes, coir, perlite, composted yard trimmings, and food scraps. Special benefi t: Food waste becomes a benefi cial gardening product rather than landfi ll. Ecoscraps; 800/537-4815;

SCHULTZ PREMIUM POTTING SOIL PLUSPrice: $8.98 per 2 cubic feet Contains reed-sedge peat, composted forest products, composted rice hulls, sphagnum peat moss, perlite, dolomitic limestone, wetting agent, and time-release fertilizer.Schultz/Infi nity Lawn and Garden; 888/832-8812; menards.com

http://fafard.com

http://promixgardening.com

http://menards.com

http://ecoscraps.com

INGREDIENTS THAT

HELP RETAIN WATER: • Forest humus—remnants of decaying wood, such as pine bark, that improve soil structure• Coir—coconut husk fi bers, which are carbon-rich and provide ideal pH; it’s renewable so it gets the thumbs-up from environmentalists• Black peat• Canadian sphagnum peat moss—decomposed moss that has accumulated in bogs over millennia retains moisture well and gives air space to roots; controversial due to the environmental impact of its harvesting as well as its sustainability• Yucca and aloe vera

INGREDIENTS THAT

GIVE ROOM TO GROW:• Perlite—a lightweight type of volcanic glass that improves air porosity, drainage, and helps prevent compaction• Pumice—light volcanic stones• Sandy loam—soil with a high percentage of sand• Vermiculite—a mineral ore with high porosity that also retains nutrients• Rice hulls—aids drainage

INGREDIENTS

THAT NOURISH:• Mycorrhizae—fungi that enhance natural root growth and resistance to disease and stress• Earthworm castings (manure)—enrich soil condition; help with water retention• Compost—decomposed organic matter, such as leaves, that conditions soil• Bat guano—fertilizer with high levels of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium• Fish and crab meal—dried and ground bones and trimmings • Composted food waste—vegetables and fruits• Beneficial microbes• Horse and cow manure• Time-release plant food

What Roots Need

POTTING MIX WITH WATER CONSERVEPrice: $7.99 per 16-quart bagContains sphagnum peat moss, composted forest products, yucca, coir, and poultry litter. Special benefi ts: OMRI-listed and feeds plants up to two months.Miracle-Gro Nature’s Care; 888/295-6902; miraclegro.com

BLACK GOLD NATURAL & ORGANIC POTTING SOIL PLUS FERTILIZERPrice: $8.49–$8.99 per cubic footContains Canadian sphagnum peat moss, compost (including peanut hulls, rice hulls, and forest products), pumice or cinders, perlite, and worm castings.Black Gold (Sun Gro Horticulture); 800/732-8667; blackgold.bz

DR. EARTH POT OF GOLD PREMIUM SOILPrice: $14.99 per 1.5 cubic feetContains aloe vera and yucca extracts, probiotic soil microbes plus mycorrhizae, forest humus, peat moss, pumice, earthworm castings, kelp meal, alfalfa meal, soybean meal, microactive seaweed, oyster shell, and dolomitic lime. Special benefi t: compost tea.Dr. Earth Company; 707/448-4676; drearth.net

ORGANIC MECHANICS PREMIUM BLEND POTTING SOILPrice: $9.99 per 16-quart bagContains pine bark, coconut coir, worm castings, perlite, and compost. Special benefi ts: organic, sustainably produced, peat-free, OMRI-listed.Organic Mechanics Soil Company; 610/380-4598; organicmechanicsoil.com

ESPOMA ORGANIC POTTING MIXPrice: $10.39 per cubic footContains earthworm castings, Myco-tone (a proprietary blend of 11 diff erent strains of mycorrhizae), sphagnum peat moss, peat humus, perlite, and dolomitic lime.The Espoma Company; 888/ESPOMA-1; espoma.com

FOXFARM OCEAN FOREST POTTING SOILPrice: $14.99 per 1.5 cubic feetContains composted forest humus, sphagnum peat moss, fi sh emulsion, crab and shrimp meal, earthworm castings, sandy loam, perlite, bat guano, granite dust, kelp meal, and oyster shells.FoxFarm Fertilizer LLC; 800/436-9327; foxfarmfertilizer.com

http://miraclegro.com

http://drearth.net

http://organicmechanicsoil.com

http://organicmechanicsoil.com

http://espoma.com

http://foxfarmfertilizer.com

http://foxfarmfertilizer.com

http://blackgold.bz


Written and produced by James A. BaggettPhotography by Jacob Fox

Inspired by a community gardening program for refugees in nearby Kansas City, refugees in Omaha grow their own fruits and vegetables.

Putting Down Roots

BREAKING GROUND

OMAHA IS HOME TO THOUSANDS

of refugees from South Sudan, Burma,

Bhutan, Somalia, Burundi, the Congo,

Ethiopia, Liberia, Afghanistan, even

Iraq and Iran. So it was no surprise

that Laura Weiss, an Omaha native and

volunteer English as a Second Language

teacher, was especially moved by her

students’ stories of the lives they left

behind—as well as their hopes for a

better life here in the United States.

She noticed one common thread:

Many of the refugees she worked with

confided that they missed gardening

and farming.

Two years ago, with borrowed land

just west of the Creighton University

campus and a small grant from a

local foundation—and inspired by the

New Roots for Refugees program in

nearby Kansas City—Weiss started

the Root Down Community Garden

to provide recent arrivals a way to

literally and figuratively put down new

roots in Nebraska by growing their

own healthy fruits and vegetables and

herbs. While Weiss originally intended

to encourage her students to pursue

a familiar hobby—and to give them a

taste of home—she also knew that the

economic hardships refugees face often

restrict their access to fresh fruits

and vegetables.

“This project is bigger than Omaha,

bigger than the individual people, and

bigger than simply the beauty of a

community garden,” Weiss says. “This

project will change the lives of people

who have struggled and suffered for

far too long. Refugees arrive in the

United States and immediately enter

the poverty level. With these economic

dynamics, access to nourishing foods

is extremely restricted. Root Down

promotes compassion, community

health, self-sustainability, and cultural

understanding.”

On the morning I visited one of

Omaha’s four Root Down garden

locations with Weiss, our unofficial

interpreter was 21-year-old May Sweet,

a native of Burma who spent most of

her life in a refugee camp with her

parents in Thailand, where she was

taught English.

“When I stayed in the refugee

camp, I went to school and helped my

OPPOSITE: The Root Down Community Gardens allow refugees to grow their own food in four neighborhoods of Omaha; here they welcome organizer Laura Weiss and Country Gardens® editor James A. Baggett. ABOVE LEFT: Ler Htoo, a refugee from Burma, keeps up with watering chores. ABOVE MIDDLE: Sunflowers greet visitors and pollinators alike. ABOVE RIGHT: Ta Aye, May Sweet’s father, is proud of his daughter as well as his stand of sweet corn. LEFT: The first Root Down location in Omaha is shared by Karen and Chin refugees from Burma on donated land. BELOW LEFT: Buddhi Maya Rai works in a plot shared by Bhutanese and Kachin refugees, who sell their produce at the neighborhood’s weekly farmer’s market. BELOW MIDDLE: Pretty yellow wax beans are found in dishes from many cultures. BELOW: Organizer Laura Weiss (left) with garden coordinator May Sweet. “She probably doesn’t even know it,” says Weiss, “because she is just so humble, but May Sweet is an incredibly important person in my life. She’s a genuine inspiration and I’m thankful for the impact she has had.”

BREAKING GROUND

ABOVE LEFT: Lalita Gurung rolls up her sleeves for garden cleanup duty. ABOVE MIDDLE: Besides edibles, the community garden plots include some flowers, including this yarrow, plus nasturtiums and zinnias. ABOVE RIGHT: Guri Gurung and Kabi Rai Gurung examine gardening publications donated to the refugee gardeners by our editorial team at Better Homes and Gardens®. RIGHT: Kaw Kaw shares his agricultural experience with the next generation of Nebraska gardeners. BELOW LEFT: Winter squash will be roasted and added to stir-fry dishes. BELOW MIDDLE: Bolted radish flower stalks are harvested by the fistful and served steamed. BELOW RIGHT: Curly and dramatic, Scottish kale is a bit more time-consuming to wash than the flat leaves of other types of kale. OPPOSITE TOP: Dependable, nutritious, and delicious raw or cooked, green cabbage is one of the most productive cool-season crops. Smaller varieties can be grown closer together. This patch of cabbages is destined for the local neighborhood farmer’s market.


parents,” May explains. “We got some

food, but not enough for our family.

Therefore I helped my parents to have

some income growing vegetables,

fruits, chickens, pigs, and ducks. I also

helped going to the forest to cut thatch

for roofing.”

After settling in Omaha with her

family only a few months earlier, May

attended a jobs class and expressed

an interest in gardening. Today, she is

not only the Root Down Community

Garden coordinator (a paid position),

but she also tends her own garden plot

alongside her father. “By seeing the

garden and how gardeners grow food,

I also want to do as them,” she says. “I

grow peas, mustard greens, tomatoes,

sweet potatoes, and flowers for

everyone. If I also grow, I’m able to get

some food. In addition, I also get more

ideas to make the soil better to grow

food in the future.”

Weiss recalls mentioning the idea of

a community garden to May. “She came

into my office the next morning with a

handmade spreadsheet with the names

of interested gardeners, their addresses,

phone numbers, and their seed orders,”

she says. “That’s pretty much May

Sweet in a nutshell.”

What started as an 11-plot garden

in 2013 has now grown to multiple

community gardens scattered

throughout Omaha. “The gardeners in

this program are able to save significant

amounts of money on food during

the growing season,” Weiss says. “It’s

changed the amount of physical activity

those involved get each day. It provides

a space and an activity for neighbors

to spend time on together every day. It

gets children and their parents working

together and has created something

positive for them to be involved in and

excited about. These gardeners are

creating a big and positive name in their

communities.”

Ultimately, Weiss hopes that the

gardeners will be able to sell their

produce at summer farmer’s markets

or use it to teach cooking classes

representing their traditional cuisines.

In the meantime, the gardeners are

getting to know each other—and

improving their new community—one

community garden plot at a time.



Green Evolution

DESIGN NOTEBOOKWritten by Jason Miller

Produced by Andrea CaugheyPhotography by Brie Williams

WHEN RIC AND KRIS SOLOW moved

into their 1927 bungalow 21 years

ago, they did what they do best: They

turned their focus outside. A landscape

architect and an artist, respectively,

they found “a blank slate with a couple

of trees and the opportunity to create a

garden,” Ric says.

Thus began a 20-year evolution that

has allowed new ideas and new green

growing things to fl ourish in the lush

gardens that surround and fl ank the

Solow home.

To maximize their small lot in the

Elizabeth neighborhood near Charlotte,

North Carolina, the Solows fi rst cleared

out everything but potential anchors.

In the backyard they kept only two

trees—evergreen magnolias—which

have grown into 80-foot sentinels that

Ric calls “the backbone of the yard.”

Hardscape choices were designed to

increase living areas while referencing

the home’s architecture. The couple

added a deck to the back of the house,

rebuilding on an existing deck footprint

and forgoing handrails to visually draw

the landscape toward the deck. They

graded the yard slightly to eliminate

any step-down from the deck and create

a seamless transition.

Ric extended the living space

even more by adding a small patio

just beyond the deck. The stamped-

concrete patio reaches farther out into

the yard and ties into planting beds

that surround the deck. Low stone

walls curve and weave throughout

the backyard, defi ning more planting

areas that complement the main-house

foundation.

At the back of the property, the

couple tore down an unstable garage

and built a studio in the same footprint,

deepening it a bit and adding a second

story, where Kris paints. The structure

repeats the colors and detailing from

the house, and it rests on a natural-

Two decades in the making, this backyard garden embraces change.

The front yard of Ric and Kris Solow’s 1927 bungalow near Charlotte, North Carolina, mimics the backyard with a

grassy area and vibrant plantings.


CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: One of the original Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) trees towers over the backyard deck, made of pressure-treated pine; pretty pots line the front porch; a “conversation window” in the treated-pine fence encourages friendly exchanges; the backyard deck wraps around the left side of the house and leads into the kitchen; varying fence levels and finishing treatments create visual interest (here, treated pine and cedar stain are combined, and the copper fixture is low-voltage lighting); a custom gate designed by Ric (with a painted faux bamboo grill) punctuates the fenceline; an outdoor shower cozies up to the studio; the two-story studio has a playroom on the main floor and Kris’s studio on the upper floor.

DESIGN NOTEBOOK


stone foundation—another echo of the

stonework in the yard and house. With

three sets of sliding glass doors facing

another small, stamped-concrete patio,

“it’s really a garden room,” Ric says.

Tucked behind the studio building

lies an outdoor shower—a small,

private space that, in Charlotte’s balmy

Zone 7 weather, gets used eight to nine

months of the year. A 6-foot fence along

the property line aims to delineate the

space, not create privacy. “It doesn’t

have a front or a back; it works equally

well for us and our neighbors,” Ric says.

The green elements in the backyard

focus more on plants than grass. The

lawn is small, with simple lines and a

long arc. The simplicity of the bedline

allows for an expression of plant

material, says Ric, who describes the

backyard planting combinations as

a series of ongoing projects. “We’re

constantly looking for new colors,

new textures, a hot new plant to try,”

he says. “This would defi nitely be

considered a plant-collector’s yard. We

have lots of groups of one.”

Even with frequent additions, the

backyard garden is mature—a peaceful,

intimate space. Low-voltage lighting

makes the landscape come alive at

night. “It feels private,” Ric says. “It’s a

great place for entertaining, but it’s also

great for two people to hang out. We

literally live in our backyard.”

The couple enjoy breakfast and

dinner outside most of the time. Social

gatherings are usually small, but

between the deck, the two patios, and

the studio space, “it holds a large group

pretty well,” Ric says. “We’ve had up to

150 people here.”

He adds, “People love visiting this

yard. They feel comfortable here.

People who aren’t even gardeners love

the feel of the space. It’s comfortable

and serene; it has an ‘I want to be there’

feeling to it.”

Two stamped concrete patios—one off the deck and one against the

studio—complement each other and provide quiet places for Ric and Kris to

relax. The bust is a found treasure.

1. Shed2. Chicken coop3. ‘Pink Ruffl e’ azalea4. ‘Trident’ maple tree5. Carolina allspice (Calycanthus fl oridus)6. Physocaropus ‘Summer Wine’7. Chamaecyparis fi lifera aurea 8. Siberian iris ‘Caesar’s Brother’9. Stamped concrete patio 10. Juniper chinensis ‘Torulosa’11. Crape myrtle ‘Powhatan’12. Bamboo ‘Green Panda’13. Japanese blood grass14. Magnolia grandifl ora15. Fatsia japonica16. Epimedium ‘Sulfureum’17. Gardenia jasminoides ‘Radicans’18. Corkscrew willow19. Euonymus alatus20. Deck

Garden

Small lot

Features� A side-yard garden lies in full sun, with an entirely diff erent palette of plants.� The front garden has its own theme, populated only with white-blooming plants.� A deck and patio extend the living space of the house well into the backyard.� Low stone borders—15–17 inches tall—separate the lawn and planting beds.� A see-through fence is less about privacy than about defi ning the property line.� A two-story studio doubles as a painting room and conservatory.� A backyard shower gets used every day for much of the year.


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Downsizing the Forest


Explore a magical garden in Ohio that’s a miniature forest of more than 300 conifers in a breathtaking array of textures, forms, and hues.

Written and produced by Teresa WoodardPhotography by Bob Stefko

OPPOSITE, ABOVE LEFT: Conifer collectors Tom and Carol Plank with their Standard Poodle, Kobe. OPPOSITE, ABOVE RIGHT: At their home in German Village near downtown Columbus, Ohio, the Planks have created a four-season, nonstop-color garden with more than 300 dwarf and slow-growing conifers. OPPOSITE LEFT: When the Planks maxed out their 1¼-acre lot with conifers, they began collecting miniature ones to plant in containers. OPPOSITE RIGHT: Rich texture and subtle color variations shine in the couple’s choice of spruces, pines, and Japanese maples. THIS PHOTO: Miniature varieties like this Scotch pine become sculptural art when grown and trained in bonsai containers.


TOM PLANK FIRST CAME TO APPRECIATE

conifers as a college student trimming trees

for a state park. Little did he know his budding

affection would evolve into such a passion—

friends even say obsession.

“I don’t like two of anything,” says Tom, who

together with his wife, Carol, has collected some

300 conifers over the past 35 years.

That wouldn’t be a problem, except the couple

lives on a ¼-acre lot just blocks from downtown

Columbus, Ohio. Thankfully, the Planks

discovered dwarf and miniature conifers to tuck

among the towering blue spruce and columnar

Scotch pines in their pint-size urban backyard.

“We knew we had limited space, so we tried to

lean toward dwarf varieties or slow-growing

ones,” Carol says. “We tried others, but nature

won every time.”

Today, step through the iron gate along the

brick-clad street of the Planks’ charming German

Village home, and it’s clear why the two are such

conifer fanatics. Here, their Grimm’s fairy-tale

TOP LEFT: While most conifers have needles that stay green throughout the year, this Gingko biloba (paired with a Japanese white pine) is a deciduous conifer that sheds its fan-shape leaves. TOP RIGHT: A columnar yew draws visitors to this residential wonderland down a stone path lined with short-needled yews and hemlocks. ABOVE LEFT: A weeping European larch with its soft, long needles stands out among dwarf Oriental and Norway spruces. ABOVE RIGHT: Japanese maples are colorful and neighborly companions for conifers like this white pine, weeping blue spruce, and fir.

Conifers are equally loved for their variety of forms—weeping, upright, conical, and round, to name just a few. Here, a 30-year-old weeping white pine joins two upright hollies, a globe blue spruce, and dwarf white ‘Sea Urchin’ pines.


Lush with shades of green in summer, covered with snow in winter, or fresh with chartreuse new growth in spring, the Planks’ conifer garden off ers year-round color and interest. No wonder the couple turned a straight garden path into this winding brick one to make room for even more conifers. The urban birds and butterfl ies also reward them with their presence, because the conifers off er continual shelter, nesting, food, and water.


forest beckons with striking golden yews, silvery

blue cedars, graceful long-needle pines, and

lacy cypress. In the quiet shade of their wooded

backyard, the Planks seem miles from the nearby

interstate. The trickle of a waterfall further

muffles the sounds of the city. In this enchanted

setting, one might expect to find elves tiptoeing

down the winding stone and brick paths; instead,

frogs and birds delight.

Decades earlier as newlyweds, the couple

discovered the magic of conifers when their

conifer-loving landscaper friend presented them

with a front yard design plan as a wedding gift.

The plan called for several evergreen favorites,

including a slow-growing Fat Albert blue spruce.

Captivated, Tom and Carol began seeking out

more conifers as they visited local arboretums and

attended nursery shows. At one show, Tom met

Patrick Moredock, a sales representative with Iseli

Nursery in Oregon, and learned the two shared

common interests in sports as well as conifers.

They hit it off, and Patrick often visits Tom at his

ABOVE: Crossing over the wooden foot bridge, visitors must duck to pass beneath the branches of a weeping Norway spruce (Picea abies ‘Pendula’). Pass back across the stream on a different stone foot bridge, and there’s a decades-old Austrian pine bonsai (Pinus nigra) to sidestep. It’s all part of the adventure allowed to unfold for visitors to this enchanting garden. The backyard stream and its gurgling waterfall muffle the sounds of downtown traffic. Carol says the dense conifer landscape “really takes the temperatures down and gives us plenty of clean air.”

Get to Know Your Dwarf ConifersDwarf conifers are slow growers, averaging about one-twentieth their species’ typical size. Most grow 1–6 inches annually and reach less than 6 feet after 10 years. Still, they continue growing slowly as long as the plant is alive. Many dwarfs are produced from cuttings of witches’ brooms or sports that have dwarf characteristics.

Common dwarf golden Japanese yew (Taxus cuspidata ‘Nana Aurescens’)

Japanese white pine (Pinus parviflora ‘Aoi’)

Hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Fernspray Gold’)

Dwarf Korean fir (Abies koreana ‘Cis’)

Tigertail spruce (Picea bicolor ‘Howell’s Dwarf Tiger Tail’)

Dwarf staghorn cedar (Thujopsis dolabrata ‘Nana’)

Dwarf weeping blue Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca Pendula’ Dwarf)

Dwarf English yew (Taxus baccata)

Himalayan pine (Pinus wallichiana)


landmark sports pub, Planks Café, when he’s in

town. “The reason Tom and so many others like

conifers is they’re the backbone of the garden,”

Patrick says. “They provide a variety of color

24/7, 12 months of the year.”

Conifers ended up being a great choice as

the Planks expanded beyond their initial front

yard plans to transform their entire backyard.

Tom became the collector, researching different

varieties, and Carol became the planter and

caretaker. They created raised beds with amended

soil for the acid-loving evergreens. Thankfully,

their conifer selections were slow growers, and

many offered columnar or mounding forms that

fit in tight spaces. Carol says the mounded soil

also helped maximize space, creating additional

opportunities for planting on the sloped hillsides.

Still, as Tom ordered more trees, they gradually

ran out of space, so the Planks purchased the

property beside them for more room.

When “coneheads” from the International

Conifer Society toured the garden in 2009, their

upbeat journal recap reported, “Well, we have all

heard the expression ‘a quart into a pint pot,’ but

this was two gallons into an eggcup.” Once the

Planks packed every inch of their “eggcup,” they

turned to container gardening with miniature

conifers in troughs. Carol says they now have 30

miniatures with several varieties that have lived

up to seven years by overwintering the containers

outdoors along the side of the garage.

Forever the consummate collector, Tom

continues to acquire and save new conifers in a

holding area at the back of the property. He’s well-

stocked to replace any fallen trees. Record-low

temperatures in their area last winter caused

several trees to perish and opened spaces for new

acquisitions. Collect on, Tom.

ABOVE: The Planks’ conifer collection extends to miniatures—ones that grow less than 1 inch per year and charmingly retain the characteristics of their 100-foot cousins. Several good container candidates include miniature Norway spruce, front two, European larch, back left, Japanese maple, back middle, and Mugo pine, back right. The Planks overwinter these specimens outdoors in a protected area along the east side of their home.


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Step 1: Add a few drops of liquid fertilizer to the bowl of water, and soak the conifers’ roots for five minutes.

Step 2: Cover the container’s holes with a fine screen to retain the soil and prevent clogging.

Step 3: Fill the bottom of the container with a layer of the bonsai soil mix.

Step 4: Spread the roots of the conifer and place the plant on the soil.

Step 6: Add a decorative rock.

Step 5: Continue adding plants, and cover the roots with more soil. Use a chopstick to gently tap around the plants’ roots to fill pockets with soil.

Step 7: Cover the soil with gravel and sheet moss to keep water from evaporating.

Dwarf and miniature conifers make great container plants. Pot them as a single specimen or combine them to create a miniature landscape. Try mixing a few in varying forms, colors, and textures.

How to Plant a Miniature Conifer Garden

• Bowl of water� Liquid fertilizer• Shallow container with drainage holes• Fine screen� Bonsai soil mix (good drainage mix)• Chopstick• A decorative rock� Gravel and sheet moss � Sheet moss

� Miniature conifers in varying forms: dwarf Alberta spruce (Picea glauca ‘Jean’s Dilly’) on the left and Tsukumodwarf Sawara cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Tsukumo’) on the right.� Small perennial (we used a chartreuse Heuchera)

Materials

Written and produced by Tovah MartinPhotography by Kindra Clineff

Not Your Grandmother’s

RhubarbOther people see rhubarb and think pie. But Vermont-based collector Bill Noble sees an ornamental perennial garden

plant that’s worth preserving.


BILL NOBLE KNOWS ALL ABOUT sustainable

landscapes. Having served as the director of

preservation at the Garden Conservancy in

Cold Spring, New York, for 15 years, he’s now a

consultant for anybody seeking advice on the

long-term sustainability of their landscape. When

it comes to his own landscape in the snowy,

craggy Upper Connecticut River Valley region of

Vermont, it’s all about a plant that’s sustainable,

hardy, and somewhat unusual for center stage:

the humble rhubarb.

Working with the preserved landscapes at

The Fells and Saint-Gaudens National Historic

Site, both in New Hampshire, is what originally

brought him up to this chilly (verging on brutal)

region back in the 1970s. He had only one

request when house-hunting with his partner,

Jim Tatum—he wanted an old farmhouse. Jim

didn’t have strong feelings about the house;

he was looking for a view. The property they

found offered the best of both worlds: an 1830s

farmhouse of the right vintage in Norwich,

Vermont, plus a priceless panorama of the White

Mountains foothills. Then came the challenge—

how to create a garden to counterbalance such a

breathtaking backdrop?

Bill took his cue from the rhubarb that came

with the property. Besides the rhubarb, not much

remained of the garden that Betty McKenzie

tended for 70 years prior to Bill and Jim’s tenure.

After hauling off the usual snarl of brambles,

barbed wire, and buried pie plates inherent to

all properties of a certain age, the ghosts of farm

foundations emerged together with the traces

of Betty’s former gardens. Vestiges of the layout

were apparent, but only a few stalwart plants

survived. Some lilacs still stood (including

Syringa ‘President Lincoln’), as well as the usual

OPPOSITE: Betty McKenzie’s original pie rhubarb, Rheum rhabarbarum ‘Victoria’, was all that remained of her vegetable garden. ABOVE RIGHT: The strands of pebbly flowers that crown Rheum australe in midsummer are part of its performance. RIGHT: Bill Noble is dwarfed beside his supersize Rheum australe.


litany of beauty bushes, quinces, mystery roses,

ironclad irises, and daylilies. In what was once the

vegetable garden, only the rhubarb remained.“It

was all witchgrass,” Bill says, “except for this one

big, beautiful rhubarb.” He left that voluptuously

ruffled specimen of what he later identified as

Rheum rhabarbarum ‘Victoria’ in place and gained

a new respect for rhubarb.

Rhubarbs beyond the farmhouse version

weren’t really on his radar until he happened to

tour the Boston-area garden of longtime Harvard

arboretum volunteer Sheila Magullion in 2000.

He was handed a seed flat of exotic rhubarbs from

the Beijing Botanical Garden with the challenge

to experiment with them in his “tough love”

landscape. The seedlings were Rheum australe,

and they quickly made an impression. “It was

such a pleasant surprise; the leaves quickly

bulked up to become really large,” Bill says. Not

only did they make haste to gain the substantial

proportions necessary to compete against the wild

blue yonder, they gave the garden diversity. The

mature plants of the Himalayan native displayed

an exquisite range of blush-red stem coloration

and more-or-less heart-shape leaf forms. There

was only one consistency—the end results were

invariably big and bold. From then on, Bill was

on the lookout for anything hardy and plus-size,

such as rodgersia, darmera (umbrella plant), and

astilboides— as well as for more rhubarbs.

Bill’s job requires extensive travel, and he

began noticing rhubarbs all over—he spotted

them in Britain, at Heronswood, at Quarryhill

Botanical Garden, and various other ports of call.

Whenever possible, he brought them back to his

Vermont hillside, where they thrive thanks to

the deep loamy soil with a neutral pH, full sun,

and generous rainfall (swampy soil and too much

shade can be killers). Those are the only requisites

for making more exotic relatives of the intrepid

barnyard rhubarb feel at home, in addition to a

ABOVE LEFT: The hardy ‘William Baffin’ rose forms an entryway arbor into the billowing perennial border. LEFT: As a study in textural contrasts, Bill sandwiched Rheum ‘Ace of Hearts’ between Acanthus spinosus and Carex grayi. OPPOSITE ABOVE: The Lombardy poplars form a series of exclamation points to define the borders. OPPOSITE BELOW: After rhubarb got Bill started with plus-size leaves he went on a binge, planting Diphylleia cymosa (beside the bench) and Rodgersia aesculifolia (above the wall).


willingness to pick off Japanese beetles and being

an upbeat, resilient-type of gardener who can take

a tattering hailstorm in stride.

Meanwhile, Bill was developing his garden

with a respectful eye toward the past. Rather than

erase all vestiges of the farm, he employed the

former milking parlor’s foundation as staging for

his saxifrage collection. Bill installed seven tall,

pencil-thin Lombardy poplars to stand sentinel

like a series of exclamation points before the land

drops off into farm fields and rolling hillsides.

Those poplars serve as windbreaks but also define

the perennial/shrub beds and vegetable gardens

snuggled close to the farmhouse. Into that

configuration, Bill instilled a sense of timeless

intimacy by training roses up arbors and buffeting

his axes in plants with XXXL footprints. To

cushion the contours of the land, he fit his newly

found rhubarbs, letting them excel at presenting

their strong architectural statement. He celebrates

their broad range of forms, including leaves that

can be deeply pleated and glossy emerald-

green with sleek ruffled edges or felted with

silky burgundy undersides against a pointed

perimeter like a gigantic maple leaf. Not all are

immense. Rheum alexandrae, native to Tibet and

Yunnan, is the runt of the litter and more like

a slender sorrel in its dimensions. However, all

rhubarbs flower similarly with plumes of pearl-

like grains held above the leaves.

For the record, Bill and Jim don’t eat their

rhubarb. Fortunately, deer don’t pester rhubarb

either. The only edible portion of Rheum

rhabarbarum, the rhubarb so often cooked

into pie, is the stem—other plant parts are

poisonous. And the stems are not edible in the

raw state. As for ornamental rhubarbs, most

have no edible parts. But that’s no concern to

Bill and Jim. Any suggestion of consuming the

anchoring majesty of their garden strikes as

sacrilege. Instead, they sit back and enjoy the

view—framed in rhubarb.

With just the two gigantic spaceholders of Rheum palmatum

‘Red Herald’ (left) and Darmera peltata, Bill has filled 17 feet of a

border in his Vermont garden.

Rhubarbs at a Glance Conditions: Rich garden soil and adequate moisture (but not soggy soil). Full sun or dappled shade is optimal for most varieties.Hardiness: Zones 3–7; not appropriate for hot regions of the country. Planting: Divide and transplant in the spring. Rhubarbs will thrive from a single shoot with a good root system.Watering: Drought-tolerant; water only to keep the foliage robust in a severe drought.Fertilizing: Rhubarbs are hungry plants. Rhubarb collector Bill Noble suggests top-dressing with compost to keep up with their appetite.Leaves: Usually large, they can span 2–3 feet in width. Ornamental rhubarbs tend to renew new foliage throughout the season. Texture ranges from shiny to velveteen. Often heart-shape, but Rheum palmatum has pointed, maple-shape leaves.Flowers: Clusters of pearl-like blossoms ranging from white to red in late June or early July. Cutting off the fl owers encourages more robust foliage throughout the season.Height: 2½ to 9 feet.Problems: Excessive heat and humidity can stress the large leaves. Nutrient defi ciencies can be a cosmetic issue for rhubarbs, but hail is a rhubarb’s biggest foe. Japanese beetles are a major pest.

Rheum rhabarbarum ‘Victoria’The original pie-fi lling rhubarb that came with Bill’s property is robustly hardy and long-lived with crinkly leaves and 3–5 foot multiple fl ower stems. The fl owers are creamy white and abundant.

Rheum alexandrae Native to Yunnan and Tibet, this sorrel look-alike is much smaller than its fellow rhubarbs and has glossy, light green leaves with brilliant autumn color. It’s shy to fl ower in this country and hasn’t blossomed yet for Bill, but the fl ower bracts are reputed to be uniquely creamy white.

Rheum australe

Coarser and more felted than its glossier brethren, the immense leaves of this humongous Himalayan species are held horizontally. “They appear to almost fl oat around the plant,” Bill says. This species senesces with spectacular autumn color tinged with red, orange, and yellow.

Rheum palmatum var. tanguticum

Selected from a group of seedlings by Don Avery of Cady’s Falls Nursery, the maple-shape leaves of this variety are not as blush red as ‘Red Herald’. Despite their immense size, they are remarkably durable, and this stately, ornamental rhubarb is extremely hardy.

Rheum ‘Ace of Hearts’Although ‘Ace of Hearts’ is not edible, the 3–5 foot tall ornamental rhubarb holds its heart-shape leaves upright so you can see the red veining to best advantage.

Rheum rhabarbarum ‘Canada Red’With bright red stalks, this pie-quality rhubarb holds its fl avor best throughout the summer. Collector Bill Noble has noticed that the tough leaves are not as susceptible to insect and disease damage compared with other edible varieties.

Rheum palmatum ‘Red Herald’With new leaves that emerge deep crimson, ‘Red Herald’ retains a slight blush on the underside through the summer with colorful new leaves held above the more mature foliage. Each leaf of this strong grower is large and maple-shape, with fl ower stalks stretching 8–9 feet into the sky.


Written by Debra PrinzingPhotography by Joseph Keller

Produced by Karin Lidbeck-BrentFloral designs by Karin Lidbeck-Brent

a season of beauty and charm.

Furry Stirrings

of Spring

The common pussy willow is instantly recognizable, but there are so many other unique varieties for the landscape and the vase. Mixing several cultivars in one large arrangement makes a dramatic impact—and showcases Mother Nature’s botanical diversity. Here, the large galvanized jug holds four diff erent types of the branches, while heritage pussy willow stems fi ll a small accent vase.


Japanese fantail willow (Salix udensis ‘Sekka’): Uncommonly beautiful, this cinnamon-hue pussy willow is distinguished by its flat, flared tips dotted by tiny catkins. Rosemary Neville has been propagating her plants from cuttings that local missionaries were said to have brought home from China in the 1930s. “These branches are so fascinating,” she says.

Heritage pussy willow: This unknown variety is one of the season’s earliest to bloom, with a more vertical habit and a yellowish bark. The tiny catkins and thin branches make the heritage willow ideal for smaller, more delicate designs.

French pussy willow (Salix caprea): This is the classic pussy willow and perhaps the most versatile. “We bend it and make trellises, wreaths, and swags from it. This form incorporates into all sorts of designs,” Neville says.

Giant pussy willow (Salix chaenomeloides): With soft, velvety catkins the size of your thumbnail, this variety has a lot of appeal for larger designs. “The branches are thicker; the growth habit is bigger—and this form produces healthy catkins all along the stem,” Neville says.

Black pussy willow (Salix gracilistyla ‘Melanostachys’): A multibranched pussy willow, this distinctive variety has small black catkins that seem to dance along the thin, reddish twigs. Black pussy willow contrasts beautifully with the pastel palette of other spring flowers.


BRINGING PUSSY WILLOWS INDOORS to enjoy their

character and charm is one of spring’s most familiar

rituals—a symbol of a verdant new season in the garden. The

pussy willow is the common name used to identify willows

that bear soft, fuzzy buds, also called catkins, on bare twigs

in late winter or very early spring. Belonging to the genus

Salix, willows are favored for their catkins that shimmer in

the landscape and are appealing in fl oral arrangements.

Like many woody ornamental shrubs that bloom early in

the season, willows can easily be forced indoors. During the

dormant winter months when we eagerly await the colors,

forms, and scents of spring, pussy willows give us a sense of

the season just around the corner.

Most varieties are hardy to Zones 5–8. While the pussy

willow looks delicate as its slender, young branches emerge,

in the landscape this shrub can grow to almost treelike

proportions. If you have the space—and a low, damp area

of your property—the pussy willow will thrive.

According to grower Rosemary Neville, owner

of Rosemary’s Pussy Willow Ranch in Montoursville,

Pennsylvania, you should carefully select where you plant

any member of the Salix family. “They need a cool climate

to bloom, and they defi nitely require water,” she says. “They

can become invasive, so don’t plant willows too close to a

septic system. If you have an area near a stream or with a

high water table, that’s where they’re happiest.”

Neville is a fl oral designer, fl ower farmer, and pussy

willow connoisseur who propagates and grows decorative

varieties. For the past 15 years, Rosemary’s Pussy Willow

Ranch has supplied branches to the fl oral trade and to home

designers eager to incorporate the natural, woodland-

inspired branches into their own fl oral arrangements.

If you can’t grow your own, look for cut branches in late

winter or early spring from fl orists, garden centers, and

supermarket fl oral departments. Make sure the branches you

purchase are freshly harvested (with some green appearing

beneath the bark) rather than dried out. “Pussy willows

practically arrange themselves,” Neville says.

plum-hue tulips, grape fritillaria, and ruffl ed columbine foliage. Begin by crisscrossing the willow branches to form a “nest” through which all the other stems can be inserted, weaving each fl ower just where you want it in the design. Notice how the dark centers of the tulips echo the black catkins.

Welcome spring’s arrival with an array of cool-tone hues accented with sprigs of black pussy willow. A tin bowl and saucer display an arrangement of purple hyacinth, blue grape hyacinth,

A shallow concrete birdbath can hold just enough soil to make a pretty display of moss, spring-fl owering bulbs, and pussy willow branches. It’s the perfect miniature garden to enjoy indoors before your outdoor landscape blooms.

Purchase pots of favorite spring primroses, pansies, alyssum, grape hyacinth, or tête-à-tête daff odils. Place a grouping of these plants in the saucer or dish. You might need to remove some of the excess soil and roots from the annuals or separate

individual bulbs from their clump.

Fill the container with potting soil, mounding it in the center. Cover the top of the soil with sheet moss. Add short stems of pussy willows, grouped informally as in nature. Keep the plantings fresh by lightly watering the moss surface. Do not overwater if the container lacks a drainage hole.


Cover a small galvanized bucket with fresh-cut French pussy willow branches for a lovely “living” vase. To create this look, wrap two rubber bands around the outside of the pot, approximately one-third from the top and bottom rims.

Cut enough pussy willow stalks to embellish the container’s exterior. Mix the lengths so some willows are the same height as the container and others are 1–3 inches taller. Attach in a vertical arrangement, keeping the branches very close together by slipping them behind the rubber bands.

When most of the container is covered, add short branches behind only the lower rubber band, hiding any gaps. Use a glue gun to add individual catkins, or wrap decorative twine to hide the rubber bands.

Fill your container with cheerful spring flowers, such as a mix of dark and light pink tulips.

Harvesting: Cut pussy willows when they have reached the stage you fi nd most attractive, before the catkins have fully emerged. Use clean, sharp pruners and cut at a 45-degree angle. Cut branches can be shaped into wreaths or other decorative forms when they are young and pliable.

Forcing: If the branches are underdeveloped, they can be “forced” indoors. Place cut stems in a vase fi lled with water, ideally in a sunny window. Warm interior temperatures will trigger the catkin buds to slowly open.

Propagation: Because of the water-loving nature of all forms of Salix, you can take fresh pussy willow cuttings and create more plants. Cuttings can be rooted in water before planting or placed directly into wet garden soil after the last frost.

Pussy Willows 101Display: Fully developed pussy willows should be displayed in containers with no water; otherwise the stems will blacken and catkins will begin to shatter and fall.

Gathered from the garden, an alluring clutch of golden, cream, and apricot-hue daff odils plays nicely with twigs of yellowish heritage pussy willow. Arranged in a vintage metal container, the fl owers and branches evoke a woodland meadow in bloom. Select several daff odil varieties for more interest. Keep the pussy willow branches long, so they emerge playfully above the mound of fl owers. For a long-lasting bouquet, cut the daff odils before their buds have opened. You’ll enjoy watching their forms change, and the pussy willows will last just as long.


Written by Penelope O’SullivanProduced by Karin Lidbeck-Brent Photography by Andre Baranowski

Blithe Spirits

A couple creates carefree cottage gardens around their Connecticut home.


THIS PHOTO: A table and chairs beckon visitors to sit down and enjoy the garden views in Dan Whalen and Cynthia Ognelia’s English-style cottage garden in Litchfi eld County, Connecticut.


CYNTHIA OGNELIA AND HER HUSBAND,

Dan Whalen, are proof that dreams can change

and still come true. Before they met, Cynthia had

bought some land and designed a home for it.

When the couple became engaged, she thought

they could start afresh by building a house there.

“But Dan said to me, ‘I can’t live in your dream.

We have to create one of our own,’” Cynthia says.

They began their search in 2001, envisioning a

home that would sit on just the right piece of land.

They looked at 62 houses before fi nding what they

sought in Litchfi eld County, Connecticut—a small

stone- and vinyl-sided Cape Cod on a 6.3-acre lot.

THIS PHOTO: A Bradford pear tree grows in the cottage garden. This is the second pear tree in the garden. The fi rst was ravaged by a storm. LEFT: Cynthia Ognelia inspects the wisteria vine growing on the potting shed.

‘Cinco de Mayo’ shrub rose

(Rosa fl oribunda)

is a repeat bloomer.


When they first saw the house, it was in

disrepair with no landscaping and no barn—

only an unusable garage, a beat-up swimming

pool, and a forest of trees. Today it has the same

footprint but is reborn. The exterior veneer is

now stone and barn board, bringing to life one

of Cynthia’s dreams: She had wanted to live in a

stone house since she was a child. And there are

gardens galore: two lavish English-style cottage

gardens, a rose garden, and a potager, along with

luxuriant lawns, stone walls, and handsome yet

functional outbuildings. Cynthia and Dan keep

3 acres wooded and live on the rest. In addition,

they have beautiful borrowed views of 55 acres of

conservation land, a large field next to the house

that is protected in perpetuity by the state. Dan

and Cynthia collaborated on styling the landscape.

“My husband sees the property as Adirondack

lodge or early New England Colonial, and I see it

as English Cotswold style,” she says. “In different

areas we express the different styles.”

Her style is expressed in front of the house

with a classic English cottage garden. “I like the

wildness of it, but there’s also order because the

stone paths and stone walls provide definition and

a sense of formality,” she says.


The flagstone entry path where the large

patio begins accommodates a table and chairs,

encouraging visitors to sit and enjoy the 50-foot

cottage and rose gardens. Another cottage garden

between the house and the potting shed/garage

features a small patio with a French blue bistro

table and matching chairs.

Volunteers—plants grown from seeds sown

by other plants—flourish in the cottage gardens.

“I let them grow where they want as long as they

perform well,” Cynthia says. “We have so many

mutations of these plants, resulting in flowers of

purple, lavender, and coral, none of which I’ve

planted. I’m surprised by the garden every year

and by the unexpected combinations I wouldn’t

have thought of myself.”

Manicured boxwoods in the foundation

planting and the potager, or kitchen garden, give a

feeling of permanence and green color during the

long winter months. “I’m an ocean and summer

girl,” Cynthia says. “Green feeds my soul in

winter.” The liberal use of architectural elements

and garden ornaments also lends visual weight

and interest to the gardens year-round.

Both Dan and Cynthia draw inspiration from

an old sugar maple they kept next to the house.

“We named the tree after the lady who built the

house in 1935 and lived here into her 90s,” Cynthia

says. “We know the tree was here before we were

and will be here a lot longer than we will, and we

humbly ask it what will be compatible with the

landscape. The lady had definite opinions about

not over-improving property, and whenever we

want to do something, we always invoke her:

‘If you don’t like what we’re saying, then drop a

branch.’” Around the tree, they planted ferns and

hostas to create a warm blanket in her honor.

Dan and Cynthia’s evolving cottage gardens

reflect the couple’s sensitivity to the character of

their landscape. “They have heart,” Cynthia says.

“They’re a cheerful mix of plants and flowers and

architectural pieces—a happy environment rich

in texture and color. If I were a flower, I’d love to

live here.”

ABOVE LEFT: Manicured boxwood surrounds the center focal point of the potager, or kitchen garden, complete with pretty brick pathways and wrought-iron fencing. In the distance is the barn that Dan Whalen designed to accommodate his woodworking shop and Cynthia’s art studio. ABOVE RIGHT: Cynthia purchased this container, set near a planting of catmint, from antiques dealer Michael Trapp; the stanchions came from Paris.

1. Romantic pink peonies and

purple catmint make the perfect

combination in the cottage garden.

2. Dan built this wooden bench, on

which Cynthia keeps flowerpots and

the watering cans she collects.

3. Knock Out rose is a relable

bloomer. 4. Garden implements

hang on the entrance door to the

potting shed. 5. Graham Thomas

is an English shrub rose that grows

in the rose garden. 6. Dan bought

the iron sink in the potting shed on

eBay from a man in Ohio. 7. ‘Betty

Boop’ floribunda rose has a lovely

fragrance. 8. Blue agapanthus grows

in the cottage garden. 9. Cynthia

uses these striking ornaments to

stake tall plants, such as hollyhocks,

in the cottage gardens. 10. The

couple planted a shade-loving hosta

garden under this sugar maple,

which they named Marion in honor

of the woman who built the house

in 1935. 11. This handsome millstone

rests outside the barn door.

10 Steps to a Perfect Cottage GardenCynthia Ognelia’s cottage garden charms visitors with its cheery, carefree informality. Give your garden a similar look by following these guidelines:� Site a traditional cottage garden near the house in a mostly sunny area with rich, well-drained soil. � Make a flexible plan to create underlying order in the seeming chaos of flowers and plants.� Enclose at least part of the garden with fencing or walls.� Work with traditional materials such as wood, stone, or local brick for hardscaping.� Combine fruit trees, herbs, and other practical edibles with ornamentals for a historical cottage garden. In her modern interpretation, Cynthia uses a mix of evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs, flowers, edibles, and architectural pieces.� Add sheared boxwood to give your cottage garden structure and winter color.� Cultivate self-sowing annuals, biennials, and perennials such as foxglove, lady’s mantle, cosmos, marigolds, and Brazilian verbena (Verbena bonariensis) for spontaneous plant combinations.� Plant perennials in irregular sweeps and groups to simulate nature.� Use see-through fillers, such as gaura and baby’s breath, in empty spaces for a full, lush look. � Create the classic cottage garden look with roses.

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Up in the AirTillandsias fl y through the air with the greatest of ease.

Written by Tovah MartinProduced by Nick Crow

Photography by Jacob Fox

OPPOSITE: A wooden harvest basket makes a dramatic living

“bouquet” when fi lled with spiky, tall Tillandsia fasciculata hemmed by a

necklace of T. ‘Houston’ (T. stricta x recurvifolia).

THIS PHOTO: Drought-tolerant Tillandsia xerographica takes

low-maintenance to another level, requiring water only once a week.


but lax on little details like watering and repotting?

Try an air plant. Tillandsias are adapted to

survival without frequent drinks or plunging

their roots into earth. Instead, these botanical

Tarzans spend their lives swinging from trees in

the wild, quenching their thirst during drenching

storms. But they also thrive in settings other

than rain forests. The fact that air plants can

make the leap into the average home with the

greatest of ease has won these spiky, wispy plants

an avid following —perhaps none more avid than

Allan Smessaert and Hugh Sollo, co-owners of

Acorn Markets, a garden business in Illinois.

Allan has been growing tillandsias for more

than a decade, and he grows more than 60

varieties. Displaying them artfully, such as by

pairing them with handsome antiques, and

sharing his passion with fellow collectors has

become a profession bordering on obsession.

As a teenager, Allan was the type of kid who

built a propagation chamber so he could root the

throwaways his mother brought home from her job

at a greenhouse. “They were just ordinary plants,”

he remembers, “but they were magical to me.” From

there, he enrolled in an ornamental horticulture

class and did stints in retail plant sales and rooftop

garden installations before taking a job in store

design with clients including Crate & Barrel and

Marshall Field’s. That’s when he befriended Hugh,

a fellow designer/plant geek. They merged their

talents to open a landscape installation company.

Meanwhile, Allan had a revelation. While driving

through the jungle in Mexico, he saw Tillandsia

caput-medusae with its puff y, shimmering silver

foliage forming twisting sea-urchinlike bundles.

But what really caused him to slam on the brakes

was the fact that those plants were balanced

in the branches of tropical trees. Allan was so

captivated that he smuggled a plant home—only

to kill it within eight months. “I didn’t understand

about watering,” he says. Failure only spurred his

motivation. At one point, he went to California

to confer with other collectors. “It was almost

a religious experience,” he says. In a genus with

approximately 550 species displaying a diversity

of oddball forms, there’s plenty to explore.

The beauty of tillandsias is that they prefer

hands-off relationships. Perfect for indoor gardeners

who lack time to fuss with houseplants and fi nd

repotting slightly unnerving, tillandsias thrive

without water and require no soil to quench their

roots. In their native jungles, they wedge in tree

limbs where the hairs (trichomes) on their leaves

wick nutrition from the fl otsam in the forest.

Crave something botanical in your home,

ABOVE LEFT: Anything goes for plants that require no soil. Hugh Solo of Illinois-based Acorn Markets hunts up all manner of stools, buckets, and whatnot to create funky vignettes. ABOVE MIDDLE: Hugh, left, and co-owner Allan Smessaert, right, stand in their booth at the Des Moines Junk Jubilee. The garlands strung above are made of crumpled Yellow Pages. ABOVE RIGHT: A metal fi le cabinet becomes staging for Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides) in its thick-leaf and extra-fi ne forms as well as T. duratii, T. brachycaulos ‘Abdita’, and T. ‘Houston’.

Where other people see castoff s, Hugh enlists vintage wooden spools to complement the fl uff y T. andreana, which will someday sprout a tomato-red fl ower. In a wood burl, he tucked T. straminea with its price tag held in place by a vintage dart.


They do no harm to their host, merely using

the tree as a place to rest and dine. And their

nourishment-gathering apparatus is part of the

reason why these plants are so intriguingly clad.

Plus, the fact that they’re not grounded frees them

from the need for a traditional container. In the

home, that translates into all sorts of creative

presentations. Not only can air plants dangle from

wherever you want them, but you could pair them

with any sort of presentation that strikes your

aesthetic fancy. Anything works from tree burls

to the drawers in a fi ling cabinet. “You can bring

them into places where you didn’t think it was

possible to grow plants,” Hugh tells customers.

For Allan and Hugh, displaying air plants with

panache while selling their wares has segued into an

occupation. On any given weekend, they take to the

road, bringing their collection to entice the crowds

at pop-up markets and vintage venues throughout

the Midwest. “I’m always thinking: ‘How can I

make these plants more appealing?’” says Hugh,

who masterminds the staging. Tillandsias provide

plenty of opportunity to play. Spanish moss (T.

usneoides) is probably the highest-profi le family

member, and Acorn Markets always has some on

hand as a starting point to lure potential converts.

But Spanish moss is just the beginning. With 70

varieties at home, they can generally rally ravishing

specimens of 35 varieties to accompany them on

the road. Some bristle like botanical porcupines

(without the bite); others form soft curlicues at

their tips. Many produce colorful and bizarre fl ower

spikes that remain prime for months. Each rosette

sends up only one set of fl owers in a lifetime, but it

lives on to nurture off spring, adding to its intrigue.

Artfully exhibiting their motley crew is what

Hugh does best, enlisting sponges, tree bark,

produce crates, tool chests, fi ling cabinets,

cracker tins, buckets, and other sundry antiques

of every shape and vintage to make their air

plant collection sparkle. Of course, if customers

want to purchase the props, that’s groovy with

them—they can just pull from their overfl owing

supply at home to stage the next sale.

Beyond selling their plants, Allan and Hugh see

themselves as educators, decoding the mystery

behind this resourceful group of plants and

revealing its diversity. If you thought you knew air

plants, try talking to these air-plant afi cionados.

“We don’t deal with the commonplace,” Hugh

says. It’s true—nothing they do is down to earth.

ABOVE LEFT: For Acorn Markets, it’s all about the display. Tucked into the drawers of stackable 1950s metal tool fi les, Hugh staged Tillandsia andreana and the sea-urchinlike T. caput-medusae with T. straminea sitting on top. ABOVE RIGHT: Hugh often uses hollow cork logs (“A totally natural, renewable, sustainable resource”) to hold a display of T. ‘Eric Knobloch’ (T. brachycaulos x streptophylla).


Demystifying Tillandsias

If an air plant grows without soil, how do you water it? It’s easy. Simply immerse the plant in a bucket of water for three seconds, swish it around lightly, and then let it drain. Turning the plant upside down to drain will ensure that water isn’t lodged in its crevices. Most air plants prefer water twice a week. However, some tillandsias from drier regions—such as T. xerographica—require water only once a week.

How much light does an air plant need? If you’re growing an air plant with available light, find a place with indirect sunlight. If you’re growing under fluorescent lights, eight hours of light daily will do the trick.

Air plants come from the jungle; do they need high humidity in a home? No, these amazingly adaptable plants will thrive in a normal home atmosphere.

Do air plants need fertilizer?Allan and Hugh wait until a tillandsia has drained, and then they give the air plant a spritz with a diluted ammonia-based (check the label) fertilizer after each watering.

Will a tillandsia die after flowering? No. Although each rosette produces only one flower spike, it continues to live and produce progenies, which take over when it eventually withers.

When air plants form pups, what then? The most dramatic specimens result from leaving the progeny together with the mother plant. However, feel free to dislodge progenies and display them separately.

Can air plants go outdoors in summer? Absolutely, feel free to display them outdoors in indirect sun in summer. Remember to immerse them in water during a drought. And be sure to bring them safely back inside before frost. You won’t want to lose your easiest houseplant ever.

How do you grow air plants from seed? Watch for a very small, milkweedlike pod. Wait for it to mature (it can take months). When it begins to explode like a milkweed, shake it onto a dampened window screen and mist the screen often until the plantlets form. The whole process can take a year before the seedling resembles its parent.

No wonder potential customers have questions when they meet their first air plant—growing a plant that needs no soil and isn’t watered conventionally can be a conundrum. Tillandsia collectors Hugh Sollo and Allan Smessaert, owners of the Acorn Markets garden business in Kankakee, Illinois, have fielded many queries about these unconventional plants.

Watering a tillandsia

Tillandsia duratii

Tillandsia tectorum

Tillandsia ehlersiana

Tillandsia streptophylla

Tillandsia seleriana

Tillandsia ‘Eric Knobloch’

Tillandsia diaguitensis


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Written by Nancy SzerlagProduced by Nick Crow

Photography by Andreas Trauttmansdorff

THIS PHOTO: Tracy Van Volkinburg’s garden shed in Byron Center, Michigan—flanked by drifts of black-eyed Susans and brilliant pink monarda—was constructed by her husband, Clayton, and placed in the garden for handy tool storage. OPPOSITE: Tracy and granddaughter Molly begin another great garden adventure together by feeding the “fishies.”

A move to a new house just up the street inspires a Michigan gardener

to start dividing her perennials to homestead a new garden.


a move

can be heartbreaking, but for Tracy Van Volkinburg

of Byron Center, Michigan, it was the beginning of a

magical horticultural adventure.

Tracy’s new yard was barren, an expansive sea

of grass located just up the street from her former

house. Undaunted and determined to create the

garden of her dreams, she began by carving out

an area at the edge of the 3½-acre lawn to use as a

holding bed to house the perennials she carefully

dug and divided from her old digs and carted up the

road in a wagon. “The new owner was a nongardener,

and she told me I could take whatever I wanted,”

Tracy says. “It was like newfound treasure and the

beginning of one long labor of love.”

Year after year Tracy dug and planted one garden

after another: a welcome garden at the front door to

greet her friends and family, and a salon garden for

her clients to enjoy when they visit her home-based

beauty salon, Fresh Cuts. “My clients love to sit

out in my garden and read. That really makes me

happy,” Tracy says. Thirteen years later, colorful

flower-filled borders, beds, and islands with soft

flowing edges fill the landscape. Tracy added niches

and nooks she calls sweet spaces in which to tuck

benches, birdhouses, fountains, and fences, the

Having to leave a garden because of

Bee balm (Monarda didyma)

OPPOSITE, FAR LEFT: “Nana” Tracy and granddaughter Molly share precious moments in the garden. LEFT: Dappled sun peeking through the shrubs and trees, drenching the lovely water garden with golden rays, presents a warm welcome. The beautiful arbor built by Clayton forms an inviting entryway from the water garden to the expansive and colorful mixed border. The arbor also holds special meaning for Tracy, having served as the backdrop for the garden wedding of her sister. Dividing her expansive yard into rooms and niches allows Tracy to develop a variety of themed gardens while imparting the feeling of a much larger space. BELOW: A colorful, long flowing border is filled with annuals, perennials, and fabulous flowering shrubs.

Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

Zinnia elegans


special accessories collected over the years that give

the garden a personality of its own.

Next came her husband Clayton’s handiwork,

including the inviting stone pathways that beckon

visitors to explore the garden and take in its beauty

as well as hunt for hidden treasures.

Tracy uses a combination of perennial and

annual flowers to provide the bold blocks of color

that attract two-legged guests as well as the winged

visitors she adores. The bulk of the flowerbeds

are packed with her careful selection of what she

terms powerhouse perennials that pump out color

and thrive in her USDA Zone 5 garden. Nonstop

flowering annuals, such zinnias and dahlias, add

additional pops of color to the edges of the beds.

Once the perennial beds were planted, flowering

shrubs including hydrangeas (Hydrangea arborescens

‘Annabelle’), bush cinquefoil (Potentilla fruiticosa),

and Pink Knock Out roses were added for height

and additional season-long display. The leaves of

smokebush (Cotinus coggygria ‘Golden Spirit’),

dappled willow (Salix integra ‘Hakuro-nishiki’), and

purple ninebark (Physocarpus ‘Diabolo’) also add

texture as well as color to the mix.

Yearly projects, such as a stone-edged pond, an

oasis next to the pool featuring a patio framing a

gorgeous fireplace, and stone planters—all built by

Clayton—add to the ambience, as have all manner of

wooden structures he created, including her mint-

green garden shed.

Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) Cleome

1. Wildlife feeder2. Compost bins3. Wood pile4. Clothesline5. Fire pit6. Pumpkin patch7. Split-rail fencing

8. Stone-edged pond9. Arbor10. Swimming pool11. Shed12. Fireplace13. Driveway14. Wildfl ower fi eld

Garden at a Glance Van Volkinburg

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OPPOSITE, ABOVE MIDDLE: When the Van Volkinburgs remodeled their home, they added a charming pillared porch to the plain-sided garage, creating a delightful shaded seating area. ABOVE: One of Tracy’s signatures is fresh-cut fl owers. A perky polka-dot sap bucket, fi lled with a bouquet, hangs from a split-rail fence to welcome visitors to her orchard and pumpkin patch. OPPOSITE: The fabulous mixed border that gracefully meanders along the property showcases Tracy’s passion for color and obsession for detail. Sharply edged beds frame the fl uid curving necklace of bedding annuals, which sets the stage for the more dramatic blooming perennials and shrubs. BELOW: Tucked in a shaded area and curtained from the sun by shrubs and small trees and canopied under a tall evergreen, is a delightful garden swing that beckons the child in all of us.


Sharing her beautiful garden with friends, clients,

and touring guests brings Tracy great joy. But her

favorite visitor has been her beloved 3-year-old

granddaughter, Molly. On “Nana Day,” Molly knows

the fun begins when she slips on her gardening

boots, so she immediately runs to get them upon

arrival. Feeding the “fishies” is followed by watering

the flowers and a lesson or two in deadheading. As

they tour the garden, Molly makes a point to sit on

every bench and rock in the garden swing.

This summer a new member of the family,

Molly’s brother, 3-year-old Jotham, adopted from

Uganda, joined the fun. Molly is teaching him the

art of deadheading. Otherwise, Tracy does most of

the gardening herself. “My passion for gardening

is more of an obsession,” she says. “I love to prune

and deadhead.” In spring a young man helps spread

mulch and haul the heavy stuff.

Blessed with good soil, Tracy’s fertilizing and

amending is limited to scattering a bit of Milorganite

and a couple of cubic yards of compost in spring. To

prevent the dreaded powdery mildew from infecting

the leaves of zinnias, monarda, lilacs, and other

vulnerable plants, Tracy sprays the garden every

four weeks with an organic fungicide.

Future planting projects include a garden around

the new patio, and then there is the open space along

the front drive and walkway. On Tracy’s wish list is a

gazebo. “I’d love a little greenhouse,” she says, “so I

can happily dig away throughout the winter.”

Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida) Spotted deadnettle (Lamium maculatum)

Blue salvia (Salvia guaranitica)

OPPOSITE, ABOVE RIGHT: With garden tools carefully stowed in closets and cupboards, the shed becomes a refuge to rest and enjoy a cool drink. OPPOSITE LEFT: There’s something about a window box overflowing with vibrant flowering annuals that always steals the show, and the side garden of Tracy’s garden shed with beds engulfed in flowers is a perfect example. RIGHT: In Molly’s delightful little fairy garden there is always an element of surprise. One day she found a clothesline of tiny tutus hanging out to dry. BELOW: Overseeing this bed of bombastic bloomers is a gigantic stand of Helianthus, a native giant sunflower given to Tracy several years ago by a friend. Passalong plants are a favorite tradition she continues. Along with perennials and bedding annuals, Tracy finds great pleasure in plants that reseed in her gardens, such as poppies, cosmos, cleome, and oxeye daisies.

Joe Pye weed (Eupatorium fistulosum) Bellflower (Campanula latifolia)

Perennial sunflower (Helianthus sp.)

Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)


Written by Marty RossPhotography by Jason Donnelly

Cigarette CardsGarden Collectibles:

THERE WAS A TIME when tobacco

companies were in the business of

dispensing gardening advice.

In the late 19th and early 20th

centuries, colorful cigarette cards—

precursors of bubblegum baseball

cards—were tucked into packs of

cigarettes. The cards, each illustrating a

popular theme, were originally intended

simply to keep cigarettes from being

crushed in their flimsy paper packages,

but they became instant collectibles.

The diminutive cards, typically issued

in sets of 25 or 50, were saved and

swapped, and the tobacco companies

were well aware that they encouraged

brand loyalty for Woodbines, Capstans,

Gold Flakes, Players, and other

cigarette brands of the day.

Smokers’ interests were broad: The

cards showed lighthouses, flags, movie

stars, castles, kings, flowers, birds,

butterflies, and bugs. The assortment

was practically encyclopedic. The

illustrations were quite detailed, and a

caption of a few sentences was printed

on the back of each card.

Two of the sets in the 1930s—the

golden age of cigarette cards—offered

gardening tips: When customers bought

a pack of smokes, they also picked up

advice on pruning a rose bush, growing

water lilies in a tub, or how to properly

edge a flowerbed.

In the days before television, when

newspapers were densely printed black-

and-white broadsheets, the colorful

and informative little cards piqued

customers’ curiosity and sparked many

a conversation over a leisurely smoke.

Even people who did not collect them

might tuck a useful card into a pocket

as a reminder. They could be passed

along to a friend or to a child working

on a collection.

These days, garden-theme cigarette

cards aren’t so much treasured for

the authority of their horticultural

advice as for their charm, which is

unmistakable. On cards illustrating

“Garden Hints,” produced by the

British company Wills’s Cigarettes in

the 1930s, well-dressed gardeners—in

woolen caps or straw hats, jackets,

ties, and, occasionally, white aprons—

demonstrate common gardening

techniques. Closeup drawings of hands

Tobacco companies gave gardening and garden life good play in richly illustrated sets of tiny cards tucked into packs of smokes.


OPPOSITE: Cigarette cards are pocket-size collectibles: each card is just 1½ by 2½ inches. The artists who illustrated these charming cards were undaunted by the tiny format, and the writers who described gardening techniques on the back of each card distilled their instructions down to fewer than 125 words. THIS PHOTO: Like antique seed packets, cigarette cards are tiny windows back into a time before plastic pots and power tools. Gardeners taking a break could read the punchy little descriptions of how to stake snapdragons or pluck seedlings.


Cigarette cards are not hard to fi nd. Anyone, if they’re not careful—for the little cards are mysteriously compelling—can become a cartophile. Internet auctioneers frequently off er complete sets of cards, neatly preserved in plastic sleeves. Some rare cards and rare sets might require the resources of a tobacco industrialist to purchase, but the prices for garden-theme cards in good condition generally will not break a gardener’s budget.

Recent eBay auction prices for rare sets of cigarette cards depicting butterfl ies and fi sh have run as high as $4,000. Wills’s Cigarettes Garden Hints cards are far more accessible, with recent

prices from $125 for a full set of 50 cards in excellent condition to less than $10 for a set with slightly dog-eared corners but otherwise in good shape. A set of 50 Garden Life cards from the Lambert & Butler tobacco company, illustrating bugs, slugs, fl ies, beetles, and spiders, was recently listed for $40. Partial sets and single cards can be found for a fraction of these prices.

Back in the heyday of cigarette cards, collectors sometimes mounted their cards in specially designed albums with cutouts in the pages so the text on the back of the cards could be read simply by turning the page. A mounted set of Garden Hints cards can be found for less than $20.

Before buying an album full of cards, make sure the cards are not glued down; if you can’t read the backs, you’re missing half the fun.

show a gardener shaking tiny seeds

gently from a seed packet, potting a

young plant, and dividing dahlia tubers.

The cards anticipate a gardener’s

needs, illustrating the art of staking

a sunfl ower and the proper way to

propagate fancy begonias.

The information on the back of the

cards (in tiny print; you might need

reading glasses) is generally sound but

distinctly dated. When storing apples,

an unknown expert advises, “the ideal

place is a shed having a thatched roof

and an earth fl oor.” But some things

never change: In hint number 20,

gardeners are reminded that weeds in

the lawn are a nuisance, and “frequent

attention is necessary in spring and

summer to prevent their spreading.”

More than 300 cigarette companies

issued cards in the early 20th century,

but paper rationing during World War

I limited their production. Between the

wars, the cards returned to popularity,

but during World War II, according

to British researcher Ben Johnson,

the British government banned their

production as “a waste of vital raw

materials.” After the wars, gum and

candy companies stepped in, and the

bubblegum trading-card era began.

Cigarette-card collecting, dubbed

cartophily, has lately captured the fancy

of a dedicated following on the Internet.

Expert cartophiles have published

books, compiled comprehensive lists,

and written biographies of famous

cartophiles and their collections. The

British Museum holds an extensive

collection of cigarette cards, said to

be the largest in the world amassed

by a single collector. In the United

States, curators at the New York Public

Library began buying cigarette cards in

the 1960s to supplement the library’s

collection of literature and art on the

subject of tobacco. The collection

(which you can view online in the

library’s digital database) includes more

than 125,000 cards. Smoking is getting

to be taboo, but these little cards have

not lost their glow.

Playing Your Cards Right

OPPOSITE: In the 1930s, the cigarette company W.D. & H.O. Wills issued two 50-card sets of cigarette cards depicting “Garden Hints,” many of them showing dapper gardeners demonstrating basic techniques. THIS PHOTO: The illustration of shovels (third row from top, far left) shows how to divide rhubarb, which, according to the succinct instructions on the back, may then “be left undisturbed for several years until its vigorous growth has impoverished the soil and the plants have become weakly.” The cards off ered tips on how to braid onions, water seedlings, propagate dahlias, and cultivate seed potatoes. Gardening and the beauties of nature were popular cigarette-card themes, particularly during the 1930s. Smokers collected them, and children hoarded them avidly. Some of these cards are very valuable today, but most garden cards are aff ordable. The outfi ts and the tools are old-fashioned, but the information remains perfectly sound.


Written and produced by Debra Lee BaldwinPhotography by Ed Gohlich

Succulents drink responsibly

in a colorful, low-water landscape

in Southern California.


BECAUSE OF THE ONGOING DROUGHT

in Southern California, it’s considered

OK—even commendable—for residents

to let their water-guzzling lawns die. Of

course, this causes another dilemma.

A crisp, brown expanse where a 50×75-

foot carpet of green once had been was not

acceptable to Bo and Elisabeth Matthys,

Belgian-born residents of Poway, California,

near San Diego. “We’re garden putterers,”

Elisabeth says, referring to their casual,

serendipitous approach to planting and tending.

Their property has sweeping views of a golf

course and chaparral-covered hills. Though

the setting is idyllic, late-summer Santa Ana

winds sometimes propel backcountry wildfires

dangerously close. Selecting low-water plants

that don’t catch fire easily was a priority.

Fortunately, in Poway’s frost-free, Zone 10b

climate, succulents—plants that store moisture

in their leaves—thrive. Yet Bo and Elisabeth

were uncertain how to arrange those they had

accumulated, still in nursery pots: pinwheel-shape

aeoniums, sculptural agaves, orange firesticks, and

more. Says Bo, a retired engineer: “We realized

we couldn’t do it ourselves. We needed a plan.”

Local garden designer Linda Bresler, a

Philadelphia transplant who specializes in

waterwise gardens, proposed meandering

pathways leading to view-encompassing sitting

areas, plus berms planted with succulents in a

variety of shapes, sizes, textures, and colors.

OPPOSITE: A snail snoozes in the center of an Aeonium ‘Sunburst’ rosette. ABOVE: Red stands out in a garden and makes this dining area a festive destination. The cushions are removed when not in use, “not because of the sun so much as bird droppings,” homeowner Elisabeth Matthys says.


TOP: Bo and Elisabeth Matthys take a break to enjoy the surrounding view. ABOVE LEFT: Flagstone pathways provide access to sitting areas and

garden beds. ABOVE RIGHT: Agave desmettiana with blue Senecio mandraliscae. OPPOSITE, TOP LEFT: Aloe saponaria’s bold shape stands

out amid finer foliage. OPPOSITE, TOP RIGHT: Crassula tetragona blooms in a birdbath beset by ghost plant (Graptopetalum paraguayense).

OPPOSITE, BOTTOM LEFT: Variegated society garlic. OPPOSITE, BOTTOM RIGHT: Aeonium ‘Sunburst’ is striped with cream and light green.

Typical of the region, existing soil is primarily

decomposed granite. “It offers the excellent

drainage that succulents need,” Bresler says. “It’s

nutrient-poor, but these are not fussy plants.”

Although many landscape designers prefer

inorganic mulch such as gravel for succulents,

Bresler often specifies shredded hardwood. “It

breaks down and adds organic material to the

soil, so there’s no need to fertilize,” she says.

“There’s also no need to remulch, because in

six months the plants will have filled in.”

Three years after installation, the garden is

full, lush, and inviting. Hummingbirds dart into

tubular aloe flowers and bell-shape cotyledon

blooms, flashing iridescent red and making a chit-

chit sound. And ever since a wildfire destroyed

their habitat several years ago, “wild turkeys

come pecking with their babies,” Elisabeth says.

In spring, low-growing, spreading ice

plants produce masses of neon-hue, daisylike

flowers. Year-round, sky blue swaths of

Because they provide shade, Canary Island date palms make it possible to grow many succulents—such as echeverias—that need protection from the scorching summer sun. This curious mix of succulents creates an underwater effect like a coral reef.



ABOVE: The garden’s textural layers include succulent shrubs, upthrusting aloes and agaves, and slender-leaved palm fronds. Blue Senecio mandraliscae, middle, suggests rippling water. Contrasting with it are orange Euphorbia tirucalli ‘Sticks on Fire’ and yellow Aloe vera flowers.

Senecio mandraliscae illustrate the plant’s

common name: blue chalk fingers.

Midsize succulents include several kinds of

jade plant; cotyledons and kalanchoes, many of

which have pancakelike leaves; and firesticks

(Euphorbia tirucalli ‘Sticks on Fire’) with

orange-red, upright, pencil-thin branches.

Aloes, which like many succulents are native

to South Africa, range in size from less than a

foot in diameter to the largest succulent in the

garden: a 10-foot-tall Aloe bainesii (syn. Aloe

barbarae) tree. Clusters of thick, crescent-shape

leaves at branch tips give it a Seussian silhouette.

Because the garden “is hot and sunny for much

of the day,” Elisabeth says, feathery pygmy palms

and broad, arching Canary Island date palms

provide welcome shade. The larger trees get by

on rainfall, which averages 12 inches a year and

occurs mostly between December and March.

Although large succulents (especially agaves

and cacti) can survive months without rain as

well as daily temperatures that exceed 80°F,

such environmental stress can cause plant

growth to cease and leaves to become dull

and wrinkled. Consequently, Bo and Elisabeth

consider automatic irrigation essential, especially

during heat waves that are accompanied by

high winds and low humidity. Even so, “the

garden uses on average 40 percent less water

than the former lawn,” Elisabeth says.

“We credit the ice plant on our back bank

for saving our house from a fire that took three

houses above us,” she says. “Some ice plant burned

around the edges and a few embers affected our

patio furniture, but our house was spared.”

“Which prompted us to put in

more succulents,” Bo adds.

When asked about the plants’ surging

popularity in coastal and Southern

California, Bresler says, “You change one

garden, and the neighbors follow.”

1. Aeoniums suggest large green daisies. The plants are well-suited to Southern California’s wet winters and dry summers—similar to their native Madagascar.

2. The burgundy-tip rosettes of Aeonium hybrid glow in slanted morning sun.

3. Euphorbia tirucalli ‘Sticks on Fire’ lives up to its name. This succulent is grown for its colorful branches; the leaves and flowers are insignificant.

4. Aeonium ‘Cabernet’ flowers are big, bold, and yellow. The rosettes elongate into bloom, then die. Fortunately, not all rosettes in a colony bloom at once.

5. Callistemon ‘Little John’ bottlebrush forms a compact shrub and blooms nearly nonstop.

6. Cotyledon orbiculata leaves have red margins.

7. The crimson flowers of Aloe striata resemble fireworks.

8. Agave attenuata, the only trunk-forming agave, has soft leaves and lacks the sharp points that make most other agaves treacherous. On the downside, it’s less cold-tolerant than others.

Prominent Low-Water PlayersConsider one of these attractive alternatives to thirstier plants.

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5

3

6

10

2

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7

9. Aeonium ‘Sunburst’ blossoms in waxy golden hues.

10. Ghost plant (Graptopetalum) rosettes grow on the ends of ever-lengthening stems. The weight of the rosettes makes the stems droop downward, but the plant’s requirement to photosynthesize causes them to grow sunward.



Eileen Dickinson’s backyard came to life when she became a biodynamic gardener. Bees and chickens are part of the philosophy. Flowers, vegetables, and herbs share space in large beds.

Written by Marty RossProduced by James A. BaggettPhotography by Karla Conrad

A basic backyard in Michigan becomes a biodynamic garden, in tune with the seasons and infused with good vibrations.

Beyond Organic


an easy peacefulness that comes from collaborating

with her environment. In her garden, the flowers

and vegetables, bees, birds, butterflies, and seasons

all have their role. She works with and alongside

them all, observing carefully.

Eileen’s garden in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is a

biodynamic garden. She raises chickens, keeps bees,

and grows vegetables and fruit as well as trees,

shrubs, and flowers. Biodynamic gardening “fits

with my way of being in the world,” she says. “It is

very respectful of nature.”

Biodynamic gardeners are organic gardeners,

but there’s more to it than that. The concept was

developed in the early 1920s by Rudolf Steiner, an

Austrian who combined organic practices, an ethical

philosophy, and spiritual awareness. The Biodynamic

Association, based in Milwaukee, describes it as a

“spiritual-ethical-ecological approach to agriculture,

food production, and nutrition.” When Eileen

turned to biodynamic gardening, she says, “I liked

that it was complicated, but you don’t have to do the

complicated part.”

Eileen has lived in her house—on a standard

city lot 66 feet wide and 120 feet deep—since 1987.

For many years, although she grew a few vegetables

and flowers, the area where her garden is today was

mainly a place for her two children to play. Six years

ago, she says, “I really wanted to make it mine.”

There’s a certain rhythm in Eileen Dickinson’s garden,

BELOW LEFT: The patio is just outside the back door, under a shade tree and with flowers all around. BELOW RIGHT: Eileen and her dog, Brie, enjoy the view from the patio. “I can sit on my patio and be endlessly entertained by what’s going on in my garden,” Eileen says. “There’s a lot to observe.”

TOP LEFT: Eileen’s chicken coop was made from a plan she found online; the design is called the playhouse coop. It’s just the right size for four chickens and is attractive to the eye. TOP RIGHT: Two Buff Orpington hens in their playhouse. Eileen can watch them from her kitchen window. ABOVE LEFT: Pink Phlomis tuberosa, blooming in midsummer. ABOVE RIGHT: A comfortable bench among the beds invites lingering in the garden.


So she jumped into biodynamic gardening, joining

a local study group. The group meets at a local

bookstore through the winter, and, the first summer

after she joined, they made biodynamic compost

together, studied green manures to improve soil

fertility, and made biodynamic potting soil. “I had

lots of learning happening,” she says.

As she learned, she started changing her garden.

A designer helped her redesign the space, defining

an area for a patio and a place for cold frames, and

making room for beehives and a chicken coop.

Mature walnut and maple trees shade the perimeter

of the property, but the design takes advantage of

sunny spots for vegetables and flowers. Eileen did

most of the work herself.

The gardening season in Ann Arbor begins in

late March or early April, when Eileen sows seeds of

peas and other cool-season crops. She grows lettuce

around the edges of some beds and plants vegetables

among the plants in her cutting garden. In early

spring and late fall, she also sprays her soil with

biodynamic preparations to encourage microbes in

the soil and improve photosynthesis in her plants.

The preparations “are like homeopathy in medicine,”

she says. They’re made with nettles, dandelion, oak

bark, and other natural materials. “You have to be a

little bit open-minded. Some of the stuff seems off

the wall,” she admits, “but if it works, it works.”

The biodynamic gardening calendar prescribes

times for sowing seeds, cultivating, and harvesting,

according to the phases of the moon and the

positions of the constellations. Eileen uses the

calendar to make decisions about what to do in

her garden, and when to do it, “but I’m not totally

strict,” she says. “Sometimes I have to go with what

works for me.” Keeping up with the tasks doesn’t

amount to much extra work. Eileen says that using

biodynamic preparations might add up to about

ABOVE LEFT: A length of burlap over the top helps retain moisture in this compost pile, one of two in Eileen’s garden. She never turns her compost pile; she just lets her garden trimmings and vegetable scraps from the kitchen decompose naturally. ABOVE RIGHT: By summer’s end, climbing nasturtiums, pole beans, and hyacinth beans cover the obelisks, adding even more texture and beautiful pops of color to the garden.

Biodynamic basicsEileen Dickinson describes biodynamic gardening as a self-sustaining cycle. In her garden, chickens eat kitchen scraps, forage for bugs, and produce eggs for her kitchen and manure that goes back into the garden. With her chickens and her gardening practices, she puts more back into the earth than she takes out. “That’s what I like about it,” she says.

Biodynamic gardening has a distinct spiritual element. Good organic gardening practices are at the heart of biodynamics, but biodynamic gardeners also talk about cosmic forces and the ways that plants, humans, and animals depend on each other. The founder of biodynamics, Rudolf Steiner, who died in 1925, “was able to develop an understanding of how the unseen forces of the universe aff ect the health and growth of plants and animals, and, most importantly, the vitality of the soil,” according to the Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Bio-Dynamics in Floyd, Virginia.

Cosmic gardening might be a little too grandiose a concept for some people, but biodynamic gardening practices are designed to encourage healthy gardens that do not depend on herbicides and pesticides and that replenish the soil. Central to the practice is the use of preparations made of plants and minerals, mixed a certain way and applied at specifi c times. Adherents of the techniques regard these not as chemical substances, like nitrogen or potassium, but as forces that restore vitality to the soil and the garden.

The biodynamic gardening calendar depends on the moon and the constellations, but Eileen says you don’t have to follow the calendar or the other principles of biodynamics to the letter to get the benefi ts. “My garden is completely a better place because of the way I garden,” she says. “It defi nitely feels balanced.”

Bees are important in the biodynamic philosophy. Eileen doesn’t keep the

bees for their honey; only honey that is considered

excess is harvested.


three extra days in the garden during the course of

a year, but she never turns her compost pile, and she

doesn’t waste time, money, or energy on herbicides

or pesticides. The intent of biodynamics is to make

gardens self-sustaining. Eileen’s garden seems to

have a balance that she never felt before she started

employing biodynamic practices, she says. The

garden also produces lots of vegetables, the bees

make plenty of honey, and when the chickens are

laying, Eileen has 24 eggs a week.

On a recent garden tour, one visitor was so moved

by the experience of Eileen’s garden that she burst

into tears. When people ask her how much time she

spends taking care of it, she says she tells them, “As

much as possible. My garden provides nutrition,

exercise, beauty, and entertainment. It doesn’t feel

like work for me—it’s meditation, it’s therapeutic,

and it’s creative.”

ABOVE: The cold frames are made from cedar, colored with a water-based stain. Eileen starts seeds in the cold frames in spring, then uses them to propagate perennial flowers. LEFT: A Kenyan top-bar beehive rests on a sawbuck. Bees in these hives develop a natural, free-form honeycomb. Eileen only harvests the honey once a year after the dandelions bloom.


1. Shed2. Redbud tree3. Birdbath4. Patio5. Compost bins6. Cold frames7. Herbs and vegetables8. Cutting garden9. Beehives

10. Rock garden11. Chicken coop12. White pine tree13. Canadian hemlock14. Witch hazel15. Amelanchier16. ‘Blue Prince & Girl’ holly17. Cranberry viburnum

Garden at a GlanceBiodynamic garden

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Written and produced by Kate Carter FrederickPhotography by Jason Donnelly

Scented geraniums inspire a plant

collector’s lifetime of learning and endless pleasures.

Scented geraniums grow easily in the compost-enriched soil of beds and potting mix in pots. The plants thrive in full sun or up to a half day of shade. Front pot: ‘Orange Fizz’. Middle pot: ‘Peacock’, ‘Skeleton Rose’. Back pot, clockwise from top left: ‘Lime’, ‘Frosted’, and ‘Snowfl ake’.


BETTY MATHERS HAS BEEN an art teacher in Iowa

throughout her adult life, but she will gladly give you a

lesson in botany and tell you all about the scented-leaf

plants in the genus Pelargonium. Their flowery cousins,

grown widely as annuals, include varieties known

as zonals and regals or Martha Washingtons. These

showy geraniums might have fancy leaves, too. But the

scented varieties’ pretty little flowers are “insignificant”

compared to their “oh-so-wonderful leaves,” Betty says.

After decades of growing scented geraniums,

Betty’s knowledge of her favorite plants is voluminous.

Stroll with her among the plants and she will show

you how their textured leaves—fuzzy, velvety, or

crinkly—release delicious scents of fruits, spices,

citrus, and more when gently rubbed. The name of

each scratch-and-sniff variety reflects its fragrance,

including ‘Apricot Scented’, ‘Nutmeg’, ‘Lime’, ‘Chocolate

Mint’, and dozens of other hybridized options.

Newer varieties of Pelargonium might be neither as

fragrant nor as hardy as scented species, such as rose

geranium (P. ‘Graveolens’), ‘Coconut Scented’ (P.

grossularioides), ‘Apple Scented’ (P. odoratissimum),

and peppermint geranium (P. tomentosum).

Native to South Africa, scented geraniums have

been shared and savored by gardeners since Victorian

times. “Over 50 years ago, I was given my first scented

geranium by my husband’s Aunt Marie,” Betty says.

“Every time I would go visit, she would give me plants,

and I learned so much from her.” Betty was initially

attracted to scented geraniums for their beguiling

fragrances. Now she appreciates the leaves’ shapes and

hues, from ruffled to serrated and from gray-green to

white-variegated. The leaves’ sizes prove fascinating,

too. “‘French Lace’ is the size of a little fingernail, and

‘Pheasant’s Foot’ is bigger than my hand,” she says.

As a member of the Des Moines Herb Study Group,

Betty was asked to be in charge of the scented geranium

unit. She started reading and learning more about the

fragrant herbs. Her collection of plants—currently 75

varieties—has grown along with her interest in them.

Prior to the Internet, Betty’s search for information

began with magazines and books, and the search

expanded as she joined the Herb Society of America and

received its publications.

Betty Mather’s collection of scented geraniums flourishes in raised beds at Terrace Hill, Iowa’s Historic Governor’s Mansion in Des Moines. Betty multiplies her collection from cuttings of the plants taken each September.

96

“I started sending

for plants from diff erent

places,” she says. “Then I

started to correspond with

people who collected and

sold scented geraniums. I

became acquainted with

them and learned from

them.” As she found other

afi cionados from West

Virginia to Oregon, they

have traded plants, tips,

and even gifts made with

scented geraniums. “It’s been fun,” Betty says. “Scented geraniums

make great friends.” And it’s satisfying to receive knowledge and

pass it along. “The plants are out there to enjoy, to share, and to

inspire the next generation,” she says.

Over the years, Betty has grown scented geraniums where she

could—at home and in public gardens. Her present home garden,

carved out of a woodland slope, features a few small planting beds

and multiple pots, where clearings between the trees allow just

enough sun to reach the collector’s precious plants during the

summer. Each September, Betty takes cuttings and pots up new

generations of her collection. She nurtures them over the winter in

an 8×10-foot hobby greenhouse. To ensure her plants’ viability and

to share them with a broader audience, Betty has donated copies of

the collection to the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, Terrace

Hill (Iowa’s Historic Governor’s Mansion), and the Dallas County

Fairgrounds (in her hometown of Adel, Iowa). She has voluntarily

planted, tended, and propagated the collections for 15 years.

“One of my missions is to tell people about scented geraniums,”

Betty says. She speaks regularly to people of all ages in clubs,

classes, and other groups, telling them about the plants’ multitude of

uses. Betty divides the information into three categories and shares

her favorite tips for using scented geraniums.

Landscaping: The plants add variety to a garden and fi ll gaps in

beds without growing too tall. They’re perfect for pots. Try scented

geraniums in hanging baskets or train plants into standards. Potted

Pelargoniums move readily indoors to a sunny windowsill. Bring

plants indoors before a frost; they are hardy only to Zone 10 (30°F).

Plant in compost-enriched soil and water when the soil feels dry.

Cooking: Use candied fl owers to decorate cakes and tarts. (Fresh

blossoms can be candied by brushing the petals with diluted egg

white, dusting with super-fi ne sugar, and setting them aside to

dry for several days.) Add fresh fl owers to salads. Betty created a

cookbook, The Scented Leaf: A Collection of Recipes Using Scented-

leaf Geraniums, to encourage people to use leaves to fl avor cakes,

cookies, custards, butter, cream cheese, syrup, drinks, and more.

Crafting: Follow Betty’s lead and use the leaves to print cards,

clothing, table linens, quilt blocks, and Easter eggs. Dry leaves for

fragrant potpourri and add fresh leaves to bouquets. “I just keep

fi guring out something new to do with them,” Betty says.

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ROSE-SCENTED GERANIUMS:

1. ‘Chicago Rose’2. ‘Skeleton Rose’

3. Old-fashioned rose (P. ‘Graveolens’)

UNUSUAL SCENTED GERANIUMS:4. ‘Little Jim’

5. ‘Radula’ (crowfoot)6. ‘Charity’

7. ‘Eucalyptus’8. ‘Old Spice’

MINT-SCENTED GERANIUMS: 9. Peppermint

(P. tomentosum)10. ‘Pungent

Peppermint’11. ‘Joy Lucille’

FRUIT- & NUT-SCENTED GERANIUMS:

12. ‘Apple Scented’ (P. odoratissimum)

13. ‘Coconut Scented’ (P. grossularioides)

14. ‘Filbert’

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Step 1: Mix blue and yellow textile paint to make a desirable hue of green. Mix equal parts textile paint and extender. Place a spoonful of the green textile paint on the plate. Dab the sponge in the paint and evenly coat one side of the sponge’s surface. Blot any excess paint onto newsprint.

Step 2: Work on a fi rm, smooth, clean surface. Spread out a linen napkin and smooth any wrinkles. Choose a leaf for printing and place it on newsprint. Use the sponge to apply paint to the back of the leaf, holding the leaf by its stem.

Step 3: Practice printing leaf impressions on paper before moving on to printing on fabric. Then place the leaf paint-side down on the napkin, positioning it where you want to make an impression and being careful not to move the leaf once it is in place.

Step 4: Fold a paper towel in half; cover the leaf.

Step 6: Lift the paper towel and peel the leaf off the fabric.

Step 5: Use one hand to hold the leaf and paper towel in place; use the other hand to rub fi rmly on the leaf—back and forth from top to bottom, then from side to side. Repeat to make multiple leaf impressions, using a diff erent leaf each time.

Step 7: Allow the paint to dry overnight. Heat set the leaf print using a dry iron on the high or cotton setting. Cover the print with a piece of muslin or similar plain cotton fabric and press for two minutes to make the pigment permanent and washable.

How to Print Linen Napkins with Scented Geranium Leaves

� Scented geranium leaves (Good leaves for printing have distinct raised veins on their back side, such as ‘Pungent Peppermint’, ‘Shrubland Rose’, ‘Skeleton Rose’, ‘Mabel Grey’, or any oakleaf variety.) � Textile paint (opaque blue; opaque yellow)

� Textile extender base� Spoon� Disposable plate� Sponge� Newsprint paper� Smooth 100-percent linen or cotton napkins� Paper towels� Unbleached muslin � Iron

Materials

Win this set of napkins!See below.

Go to BHG.com/winleafon January 30, 2015

to win a set of the napkins featured in this story.

Daily Sweeps entry details on page 111.

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Written and produced by Tovah MartinLocation photography by Kindra Clineff

Food photography by Blaine Moats


Know Your Greens

In the yin and yang of your palate, Asian greens are a perfect foil for many entrées. Chefs Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier discovered that growing your own is the freshest, tastiest balancing act.

Spicy Greens and Asparagus with Roasted Garlic Dressing

Recipe on page 104

ABOVE LEFT: Chefs Clark Frasier and Mark Gaier take a “no fear” approach to tossing greens together. “Let your imagination run wild,” says Frasier, who notes that Asian greens can lighten a dish. “Let the garden guide your recipes. Improvise. Adapt.”

ABOVE RIGHT: The two chefs grow their Asian greens in numerous cold frames in Ogunquit, Maine. “Growing them in your own garden is key,” Frasier says. His advice for keeping Asian greens spritely: “Harvest early in the morning to late in the afternoon. They wilt in a blink and they bruise easily—don’t handle the greens with tongs. Use a delicate spinner and lay them out on a dampened towel.”

‘Scarlet Frills’ mustard ‘Golden Frills’ and ‘Scarlet Frills’ mustard

Ho Mi Z mustard ‘Ruby Streaks’ mustard Senposai


Knowing that it’s all about balance, they ponder

their menu pairings carefully before pulling

together a plate. When serving fish, for example,

something with zing and crunch might be called

for. Many restaurants would turn to salsa. Instead,

Gaier and Frasier toss a few zesty Asian greens

into the picture. What Ruby Streaks mustard does

for trout is remarkable.

Savoring Asian greens is one thing, but finding

them is another issue entirely. Have you ever seen

Ho Mi Z (aka dragon-tongue mustard) on the

supermarket shelves? These two restaurateurs

would be stymied in their mission to expand the

American palate if they didn’t produce their own.

Not only are they trailblazers in the farm-to-

table movement, but they make sure their fresh

greens are grown ultralocally—preferably within

footsteps of their restaurants.

For these two chefs, Asian greens were a

natural. Long before Frasier found his inner

foodie, the California native was studying

Mandarin Chinese at the Monterey Institute of

International Studies. To polish his language

skills, he went to Taiwan and then Beijing. “There

was no refrigeration. So we preserved cabbage

in summer, and that’s what we ate all winter

long. In spring, we were desperate to enjoy fresh

vegetables again. It drove home the concept of

seasonality. Your body really wants these things

in season,” he says. Throughout his schooling,

Frasier moonlighted in restaurants. Gradually, his

Restaurateurs Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier take taste buds seriously.

ABOVE LEFT: Although the chefs have moved on from Arrows Restaurant in Maine, represented by this makeshift bow and arrow in their garden, they remain dedicated to growing fresh greens for their other restaurants. ABOVE RIGHT: In Zone 4 Maine, greens are best grown in cold frames to extend the harvest into early spring and late fall. Plexiglass lids raise the bed temperatures by 8-10°F. In summer, row covers keep bugs out and filter harsh sun.

Asian Greens and Apple Salad with Creamy Horseradish DressingPrep: 15 minutes

1 tablespoon grated fresh horseradish

2 tablespoons champagne vinegar

1 tablespoon silken tofu, drained

1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

2 tablespoons canola oil

Salt and pepper

6 ounces mixed greens, such as tatsoi,

mizuna, and Thai basil

2 Jonagold or Braeburn apples, cored and chopped

½ cup walnut pieces, toasted

1. In a food processor combine horseradish, vinegar,

tofu, ginger, and the water in bowl of food processor,

and pulse until combined. With motor running, add

oil, and blend until smooth. Season with salt and

pepper. Cover and chill until serving time.

2. In a salad bowl combine greens and apple; add

dressing. Toss to coat. Divide among salad plates.

Top with toasted walnuts.


orientation began to swivel away from political

science and toward the culinary traditions of the

countries he found fascinating. And that’s how

he ended up at Stars restaurant in San Francisco,

working as chef tournant for celebrity chef

Jeremiah Tower.

Meanwhile, Gaier grew up in Amish country

on the outskirts of Dayton, Ohio—as he calls it,

“the land of ice cream and cheese.” Living in an

agricultural region, he couldn’t help but develop

a keen sense of seasonality. When he moved

to Maine, the aspiring chef took a job at The

Whistling Oyster in Ogunquit before moving to

San Francisco and working for Tower at Stars,

where he met Frasier.

What the two chefs really wanted was a

restaurant of their own. Knowing that Maine

was hungry for serious dining, the two headed

back to the East Coast in 1988 to open Arrows

Restaurant in Gaier’s old haunt, Ogunquit. Both

were sold on seasonal fare. “But getting good

produce was challenging,” Frasier says. “Farmers

in the area were growing standard-issue crops. We

were already making our own breads and our own

ice cream. When a young lady offered to garden

for us, we said, ‘Go ahead and till up the soil.’”

Arrows was one of the first restaurants to try

the groundbreaking concept of growing its own

garden produce. “We did it because we had to, but

it became our mantra,” he says. Ultimately, their

¾-acre garden provided 90 percent of the produce

for the now-closed Arrows as well as nearby M.C.

Perkins Cove, another eatery that the two opened.

They recently spearheaded M.C. Spiedo (Italian

for “spit-roasted”) in Boston and have plans for a

restaurant in Portland, Maine. No matter where

they serve food, a garden is always part of the

configuration and infuses every menu they create.

The only thing that kept the two from growing

Asian greens intensively for their restaurants

ABOVE LEFT: Celery root (Apium graveolens var. rapaceum), also called turnip-rooted celery or know celery, lends a distinctive herbal flavor to traditional mashed potatoes, “or just shave it and serve raw with some crème fraîche,” Frasier says. ABOVE RIGHT: Tomatoes are the traditional pairing for greens in salads, especially tastey heirlooms. Frasier suggests sliced tomatoes with vinaigrette, bacon, fried okra, and parsley pesto.

Spicy Ginger-Carrot SlawPrep: 25 minutes Chill: Up to 24 hours

5 cups shredded mustard greens

2 medium red sweet peppers, cut into

bite-size strips

4 medium carrots, shredded

2 pink grapefruits, peeled and sectioned

4 green onions, sliced

Lime peel

1 recipe Lime Dressing

LIME DRESSING

¼ cup canola oil

Juice and peel from 1 lime

(about 2 tablespoons juice)

½ inch section of fresh ginger,

peeled and finely chopped

1 tablespoon honey

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper or

1 small jalapeño, seeded and diced

1. In a large glass bowl layer mustard

greens, sweet peppers, carrots, and

grapefruit. Can be made up to one

day ahead.

2. Just before serving, add green onions

and lime peel. Add about half the

dressing; toss. Pass remaining dressing.

LIME DRESSING

In a small screw-top jar combine canola

oil, lime juice and peel, ginger, honey, and

red pepper. Cover and shake to combine.

Allow to stand at least 1 hour before

serving. Shake again just before serving.


was the lack of seeds available. When seed

catalogs began to expand their Asian offerings,

tatsoi, bok choy, mizuna, boutique mustards, and

amaranth became prime players in the raised

beds and window boxes that supply Gaier and

Frasier’s restaurants. In the process, the two also

discovered another advantage to growing Asian

greens, especially in northern New England:

They are harvestable early in spring and are

impressively productive in a small space. “The

growing time for baby greens is usually 30–45

days from germination,” Frasier says. With a

steady turnover of succession plantings, he

can keep his raised beds pumping out the fresh

salad ingredients. By extending the season in a

greenhouse when the weather turns cold, followed

by cold frames for spring, and then by using

protective row covers to turn down the heat of

summer, they can serve their favorite side without

skipping a beat.

On these chefs’ plates, greens are much more

than just garnishes. Beyond salads, they often

sauté mustards, senposai, or tatsoi in a little

canola oil (“Never use olive oil; the thing about

Asian greens is that they have enough flavor on

their own,” Frasier says). Or they might make a

dipping sauce using red amaranth or tatsoi, while

Thai basil often serves as a dip for the Asian

cucumbers they grow. They often enlist Asian

greens to balance flavor profiles on their menus.

Knowing that the average American probably

cannot handle the spicy heat of Thai cooking, their

menus give a nod toward zesty with senposai in

lieu of a blazing hot curry. “You need something to

pull out the flavors,” Frasier says, “but you don’t

want to blow anybody’s palate out. For that, we

work with Asian herbs and greens.” They deliver

tang for the taste buds of a beginner.

The big eureka for anybody who sits down

to dine in one of Gaier and Frasier’s eateries is

discovering that greens have rich nuances in

flavor. Accustomed to bland leafy vegetables that

require dressings to add punch, diners are in for

a treat when Asian greens are snuggled beside the

entrée. When you dine with these chefs, nobody

needs to be urged to eat their greens.

Spicy Greens and Asparagus with Roasted Garlic DressingPictured on page 98

Prep: 45 minutes Start to Finish: 1 hour 30 minutes

1 head garlic

5 tablespoons canola oil, divided

Juice of 1 lime (3 tablespoons)

2 tablespoons rice-wine vinegar

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut

into 1-inch pieces

¼ teaspoon salt and pepper

4 cups baby mizuna or Asian salad mix

1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Using a sharp

knife, cut off the top half-inch of the

garlic bulb to expose the ends of the

individual cloves. Leaving the garlic

bulb whole, remove any loose, papery

outer layers.

2. Place the bulb, cut end up, in a custard

cup or small baking dish. Drizzle bulb

with 1 tablespoon canola oil. Cover

with foil. Roast 25 minutes; cool.

3. Squeeze the garlic pulp into a blender

or food processor (discard the skins).

Add 3 tablespoons of the canola oil, lime

juice, vinegar, ginger, and soy sauce;

blend or process until smooth. Set aside.

4. In a 15×10× 1-inch baking sheet, toss

asparagus with the remaining canola

oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast

for 10 minutes or until crisp-tender and

lightly browned, stirring once.

5. In a large salad bowl combine greens.

Tear any large leaves into bite-size

pieces. Pour ¼ cup of the dressing over

the greens. (Cover and refrigerate the

remaining ½ cup dressing for up to three

days.) Add asparagus and sesame seeds;

toss and serve.

Tip: To toast sesame seeds, cook in a

small dry skillet over medium-low heat,

stirring constantly, until fragrant and

lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.

Make-Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate

dressing for up to 3 days.

Note: Check the stems on your mustard

greens. If they are tough, remove the

stems before adding to your salad.

1. ‘Golden Frills’ mustard (Brassica juncea): A bright companion to pair with the darker mustards, this flavorful green also can be sautéed. When sautéing, Frasier suggests flash-stir-frying the greens.

2. Senposai (Brassica

rapa x B. oleracea): This cross between mustard and cabbage is sweeter than most mustards. Frasier suggests serving it in salad with soy sauce and rice wine vinegar.

3. ‘Scarlet Frills’ mustard (Brassica juncea): “All these mustards have some heat,” Frasier says. With a scarlet edging along its ruffled perimeter, Scarlet Frills has a peppery flavor.

4. Thai basil (Ocimum

basilicum ‘Horapha’): When these chefs serve cucumbers, they often provide a dipping sauce of Thai basil. “And it’s awesome in tea sandwiches with tomatoes,” Frasier says.

5. Tatsoi (Brassica rapa

subsp. narinosa): The leaves of tatsoi have more body than the mustards. In taste, they are similar to bok choy but with a sweet tinge, plus tatsoi is sufficiently sturdy for dipping.

6. Mizuna ‘Altor’ (Brassica rapa subsp. nipposinica): Although it is a milder spin on mustard, mizuna still has a kick.

7. Mizuna (Brassica rapa

subsp. nipposinica): Mizuna’s chill resistance makes it an ideal cool-season crop. With more body than ‘Altor’ and a slightly peppery taste, it is milder than arugula.

8. Red amaranth (Amaranthus sp.): Although amaranths are heat-tolerant in the garden, they should be picked young for tossing into salads or in dipping sauces.

9. ‘Ruby Streaks’ mustard (Brassica juncea): As summer progresses into autumn, this mustard blushes to burgundy, but the leaves are always mildly pungent.

10. Yu Mai Tsai: Although the sword-shape leaves are an interesting visual variation, this is one Asian green that Frasier finds slightly disappointing. “It has a strange texture,” he says.

11. Ho Mi Z mustard (Brassica juncea): With rounded leaves more like baby lettuce, Frasier describes the taste of this green as somewhere between an escarole and a cabbage. Ho Mi Z is slow to bolt in hot weather.

12. Purple mizuna (Brassica rapa subsp. nipposinica): Valued for its mild flavor, this mizuna is slightly spicy and dramatically colored. “You eat with your eyes first,” Frasier says.

A Dozen GreensWith lots of hungry mouths to feed, restaurateurs and gardeners Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier must keep their Asian greens coming throughout the season. As soon as a crop is harvested and whisked into the kitchen, that space is sown with another packet of seeds. In their quest to explore all the nuances of taste, the two grow a wide range of greens and monitor their performance in their Maine garden. Here are some observations gleaned from harvesting season after season of crops.

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Reviewed by Gary KeimPhotography by Jacob Fox

Check out our roundup of recent garden titles.

Required Reading

GARDENER’S BOOKSHELF

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8. The Plant Lover’s Guide to Snowdrops

by Naomi Slade; Timber Press; $25.95Among plant collectors in the U.S., snowdrop fever has been running rampant the past two decades. This rage for amassing a great variety of these late-winter-blooming bulbs began in the United Kingdom, where eagle-eyed plants people have been spotting variants of the garden cultivars and naming them, adding to the plenitude. It’s no wonder they enchant: They are one of the first flowers to bloom in the new gardening-year cycle, often starting to show blooms among the melting snows of midwinter in America. In this book, Naomi Slade dives into this fecund world. This title is one of a series of plant-genus-theme books produced by Timber Press in association with Kew, Royal Botanic Gardens, England. Here we meet “galanthophiles,” obsessed souls who build up as many variants of the genus Galanthus as they can get their hands on. There’s also much practical information on how to grow and increase snowdrops, because one can never have too many of these bulbous wonders.

2. Sissinghurst: Vita Sackville-West

and the Creation of a Garden

by Vita Sackville-West and Sarah Raven; St. Martin’s Press; $34.99Of the multitude of gardens that have been created, very few will ever reach iconic status. Sissinghurst, in Kent, England, is one of those vaunted gardens. Sarah Raven, an English garden writer who is married to a grandson of the makers of this famous garden, Vita Sackville-West and diplomat Harold Nicolson, is well-placed to walk us through its creation. Drawing on the family archives, personal experience, and the trove of writing Vita produced over the years, Raven walks us from the romantic yet disheveled site the couple encountered, Sissinghurst’s long prior history, and the evolution of Vita’s garden style. Clearly, it was a garden of two complementary minds, with Harold laying out the structure and Vita the infill of plants. Vita set out to create her own vision of paradise with a luscious planting style, color-theme gardens, and spaces filled with fragrance and light.

7. Groundbreaking Food Gardens: 73 Plans That

Will Change the Way You Grow Your Garden

by Niki Jabbour; Storey Publishing; $19.95Another voice from Canada, Niki Jabbour, call-in radio host and author of The Year-Round Vegetable Garden, continues her passion for edible gardens with her latest effort, Groundbreaking Food Gardens. Here, Niki has rounded up more than 70 foodies who love to grow, write, and talk about edibles. Acting as ringmaster, she asked these experts to conceptualize 73 different gardens that run the gamut from small-space gardens on a balcony to rooftop gardens to a biodynamic farm for those with higher ambitions. All are described by an essay and are depicted in plan view. The designs are illustrated by colored renderings or views of the gardens by Anne Smith, Elayne Sears, and Mary Ellen Carsley. There is something here for everyone: neophyte veggie gardeners looking for their first foray into edible gardening to accomplished pros who need some new ideas to jump-start them out of the doldrums.

4. Seven Flowers and

How They Shaped Our World

by Jennifer Potter; The Overlook Press; $26.00Humans have an undying affinity for flowers. Since ancient times, writers have documented their herbal use, religious symbolism, beauty, and garden value. Jennifer Potter delves into the history of seven well-known, iconic blossoms: the sacred lotus and lily, the bright and cheerful sunflower, the decadent opium poppy, the ubiquitous rose, the many-colored tulip, and the vaunted, rarefied orchid. She trawls the written histories on a global scale, describing how a flower is esteemed by one culture or revered by another in a completely new context. As people expanded their domain and cultures collided by trade or invasion, they brought their favorite flowers with them. For many collectors of rare varieties, wild monetary speculation and high values brought more mystique to some types. This book, densely filled with historical references, is not light reading but will educate the reader with much garden-party trivia.

6. Pleasures of the Garden: A Literary Anthology

Selected by Christina Hardyment; The British Library; $30.00Author Christina Hardyment handpicked this collection of writings from the vast collection in the holdings of the British Library in London. She includes essays, poems, articles, and letters that all tie into the central theme of the garden. Colored illustrations culled from the library’s archive accompany many of the entries. There are familiar names here (Gertrude Jekyll and Thomas Jefferson), along with the more obscure (Tao Yuan Ming and Diodorus Siculus). Most garden literature from past centuries was written by a ruling class, elites with the time and money to indulge in what to the average person was pure folly. Food cultivation was the most the masses could focus on. Yet one entry by 17-century English writer John Evelyn, in which he lays out task lists for the months of May, June, and July, rings familiar to modern ears. Although the language may be outdated, it shows that the rhythms of the garden remain the same.

3. The Sugar Season: A Year in the Life of

Maple Syrup, and One Family’s Quest

for the Sweet Harvest

by Douglas Whynott; Da Capo Press; $24.99 Our brains are wired to derive great satisfaction from sweetness. Sugar in its many forms has motivated man to go to great lengths to achieve a constant supply of this most pleasurable of tastes. Douglas Whynott, associate professor in the Writing, Literature, and Publishing program at Emerson College in Boston, plunges himself into the maple syrup industry of the rural northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. He reveals that the seemingly quaint and old-fashioned business is a multimillion-dollar industry fraught with deals and uncertainty. He befriends a maple syrup leader from New Hampshire and is introduced to a branching network of associates that covers all regions where Acer saccharum, the sugar maple, flourishes as a forest tree. Along the way we meet many hardy people who are stewards of the tradition in this most palatable of stories.

1. Heart & Soil:

The Revolutionary Good of Gardens

by Des Kennedy; Harbour Publishing Co. Ltd.; $24.95Many garden-essay books originate from England and migrate overseas to America. Here’s a refreshing change. Like the brisk winds that blow south from our neighbor to the north, now comes Des Kennedy’s collection of garden musings and writings. Kennedy has been creating his garden on Denman Island off Victoria, British Columbia, for more than 30 years, so he has ample experience to convey to readers. He’s well-known in Canada as a columnist for The Globe and Mail and a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation presenter. It’s apparent from the outset that these writings are forged by a man who is intimate with hands-on gardening. He’s embracing change, happy to rethink parts of the garden or ways to make the garden more sustainable and sympathetic to its surrounding environment. All the while his relaxed writing style is infused with humor and a self-effacing attitude.

9. The Living Landscape: Designing for Beauty

and Biodiversity in the Home Garden

by Rick Darke and Doug Tallamy; Timber Press; $39.95The gardens and landscapes we create around our homes are unique to each garden maker. As an expression of our thoughts and desires, it’s a subjective show of creativity. This first collaboration by well-known garden authors Rick Darke and Doug Tallamy is a paean to creating landscapes that are influenced by, informed by, and in tune with the “natural” world. Using many examples of natural landscapes from the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S., and featuring the wildlife that dovetail into those environments, the authors depict the interconnected web of life. Beautiful photography enlightens the text. Darke and Tallamy advocate a paradigm shift in how we garden, modeling our gardens and new landscapes upon the layering aspect of nature’s template and incorporating more native plants into our home’s surroundings to provide necessary food and refuge for wildlife.

5. A History of the Garden in Fifty Tools

by Bill Laws; The University of Chicago Press; $25.00Every gardener has a favorite garden tool. The gardening world today is filled with a seemingly endless selection of gadgets, tools, and devices that are supposed to make our work easier and more efficient. A striking aspect of Bill Laws’ list of 50 tools is how many of them have been around for centuries and how simple their designs are. In fact, most of these tools are the workhorses of garden labor. The author organized the tools by themes linked to parts of the garden, such as the flower garden or orchard. Laws not only describes the origins—some ancient—of these objects but includes anecdotal stories pertaining to the tools. He illuminates many corners of garden history, giving thumbnail sketches of important horticultural figures, landscape movements, plant hybrids, and gardening techniques, enlightening the reader to the roles these inventions played in moving the art of the garden forward through the ages.


GRASSROOTS

Marty Ross lives in Kansas City, Missouri, and writes a monthly gardening column for Universal Uclick.

Lauren Springer Ogden of Fort Collins, Colorado, is coauthor of Waterwise

Plants for Sustainable

Gardens (Timber Press).

Tom Christopher gardens and consults on sustainable lawns and landscapes in central Connecticut.

Our region’s Plant Select program trials

and picks plants adapted to the rigors of the

interior West’s climate and soils. I’ve grown

all of this year’s selections and have favorites.

• A long-term performer is the columnar

Rocky Mountain juniper, Juniperus

scopulorum ‘Woodward’. Three specimens

block views of my neighbors, their gray-

green foliage is an antidote to suburbia as it

evokes the colors of the natural landscape.

In their 12 years, my 15-foot-tall trees have

only suffered a few splayed branches from

heavy snowloads and remain barely 2 feet in

diameter. Hardiness includes harsh Zone 3.

• Windwalker big bluestem is also one of the

best picks this year. This strongly upright

selection of native prairie grass Andropogon

gerardii has flowers that can reach 6

feet, but its foliage is the main attraction:

a turquoise 2-foot mound that turns

opalescent pink, rose, and purple in autumn.

Full sun and moderate water are best, and

the grass is hardy to Zone 5a at least.

• Of the crowded penstemon clan, one of

the longest-lived and longest-blooming

is magenta-flowered stunner Penstemon

pseudospectabilis, above. I grew this

beardtongue from seed; now as an

official selection, plants will be available.

Hummingbirds can’t resist the thigh-high

flowers. It is xeric and hardy to Zone 5a.

• Tiny Arenaria ‘Wallowa Mountain’ has

many design possibilities. I named it desert

moss for its bright evergreen ½-inch-tall

slowly spreading hummocks that grow on as

little moisture as cacti. Desert moss tolerates

some shade and is hardy into Zone 4.

Midwest Mountain NortheastAfter a long winter shoveling snow, that

first jolt of color in the garden in spring

brings Midwestern gardeners back to life.

Many gardeners rely on groundcover phlox

to brighten the early spring landscape,

and a new hybrid from the Chicagoland

Grows program sounds like a winner.

‘Violet Pinwheels’ phlox is a cross between

the Midwestern native Phlox bifida and a

western species, P. kelseyi, native to Idaho

and Montana. This hardy (to Zone 4) and

handsome moss phlox starts blooming in

mid-April in northern Illinois and keeps going

for up to six weeks. It thrives in full sun and

tolerates exposure to deicing salts, so you

can grow it along the front walk.

Chicagoland Grows is a cooperative

program of the Chicago Botanic Garden, the

Morton Arboretum, and the Ornamental

Growers Association of Northern Illinois.

In addition to ‘Violet Pinwheels’, the

program this year is introducing a compact

spiderwort (Tradescantia) called ‘Tough

Love’, a prairie hybrid that flourishes in sun.

It has flashy, bright-purple flowers from mid-

May into June. It is drought-tolerant, hardy

to Zone 4, grows to just 9 inches tall.

I’m excited about a couple of new plants

from Proven Winners, too. Yuki Cherry

Blossom Deutzia is a charming little Deutzia

with pink flowers in spring and burgundy fall

foliage. It is hardy to Zone 5 and only grows

to about 12–24 inches tall. Little Quick Fire

hydrangea, above, is a new, miniature version

of Quick Fire—perfect for a pot on the patio

or a spot where you don’t want a 9-foot

shrub. They are both hardy to Zone 3.

When I look at the gnawed branch tips

in my garden, I know that here in the

Northeast we have, like it or not, a new

gardening partner. Deer have become the

ruthless editors of our landscapes over the

last generation; it is their taste, or perhaps I

should say distaste, that directs my planting.

• Fortunately, at least one of the most

glorious innovations of recent years is also

reliably deer-resistant. Digiplexis, a cross

between foxglove and a subtropical relative

from the Canary Islands, burst onto the

scene in 2014 as ‘Illumination Flame’; this

plant blooms with pink lipstick mouths that

look most kissable to me, but not to deer. I’m

looking forward to trying the new digiplexis,

‘Illumination Raspberry’, this year.

• Buddlejas have, alas, proven invasive in

North America. But recently, I learned of

a strain of nearly sterile hybrids, the Buzz

series from Thompson & Morgan, that won’t

jump the fence. Already available with sky

blue, magenta, and ivory flowers, this series

is being joined by a true blue, a dark blue, a

dark pink, and a soft pink this year.

• Chris Hansen of Great Garden Plants has

seen hoofprints in the nursery fields where

he has been growing SunSparkler sedums

for six years—but never so much as a

single nibbled shoot. In 2009 he introduced

‘Dazzleberry’, a hardy mound of blue-gray

fleshy leaves that bears 6–8-inch raspberry

flowers (Zones 4–9). ‘Firecracker’, above,

bears hot-pink flowers on ruby-red stems

over a cushion of red leaves. ‘Jade Tuffet’

bears tonguelike green leaves on 14-inch red

stems and large trusses of dark pink flowers.

What are your favorite new plants for 2015?

Little Quick Fire hydrangea Penstemon pseudospectabilis Sedum ‘Firecracker’


Marty Wingate writes and gardens in Seattle, when she isn’t leading a gardentour to European or North American destinations.

Garden writer Helen Yoest is owner of Gardening With Confidence and caregiver to her own wildlife habitat in Raleigh.

Scott Calhoun, a fourth-generation Arizonan, is a garden designer and writer living in Tucson.�

A year of new plant introductions is just

as good as Christmas morning to a gardener.

Dig into these selections especially well-

suited to the Northwest.

• Tiny Towers arborvitae (Thuja x ‘MonRig’):

The evergreen usefulness and beauty of

arborvitae can now be included in a balcony

garden, in a large pot, or even as a tabletop

arrangement. At only 3 feet high and 10

inches wide, you will have room for several.

• Crimson Kisses weigela (Weigela ‘Slingco

1’): In the Northwest climate, weigelas do

more than show off with an abundance of

flowers in spring—they pop out enough to

make a good show later in the summer, too.

At 3 feet high and wide, this tidy mound with

dark red flowers and a white eye can add a

spark to the border in a container garden.

• Little Ragu sweet bay (Laurus nobilis

‘Monrik’): Even in cool regions of the

Northwest, bay trees can outgrow their

space. Keep yours in hand by growing Little

Ragu, which makes it to only 8 feet high.

• Marie Gold New Jersey tea (Ceanothus

‘Minmadore’): The early summer pink

flowers pop out against chartreuse foliage

of this tidy mounding plant.

• Oso Easy Double Red (Rosa ‘Meipeporia’):

Any rose that can share the garden with

shrubs and perennials is a winner, and the

bright pink-red flowers will stand out on any

gray Northwest day. No need to deadhead

this 4-foot-tall winner, above.

• Infinity Red New Guinea impatiens

(Impatiens hawkeri Infinity Red): Its shocking

red flowers grab you by the lapels. Plant it in

full sun in the Northwest.

When plant catalogs arrive in the midst

of winter, I’m often too vulnerable to make

good decisions. My list grows with each

turning page. So this time I went straight

to the source for each new plant I wanted

to grow and was fortunate enough to trial

them. Here are my phenomenal favorites:

• Speaking of phenomenal, that is literally my

first pick. Wet winters plus hot and humid

summers make it hard to grow lavender in

the Southeast, but there is a new kid on the

block: Lavandula × intermedia ‘Phenomenal’,

above. If you’ve not had success with

lavender, give this new introduction,

developed by Peace Tree Farms, a try.

• Ball Horticulture has introduced a few

new petunias under their Easy Wave Velour

collection. In sultry lipstick reds, these

petunias are the perfect paint of color

to add in containers or to even use as a

groundcover. I’ll add several around the feet

of my mixed-border evergreens.

• To add some clever color through openly

branched evergreen shrubs, I’ll add a new

clematis called ‘Scented Clem’ Sugar-Sweet

Blue. It’s a pale lavender-blue that will trellis

nicely with a star-shape bloom, reaching

6–9 feet. ‘Scented Clem’ can be ordered

from Brushwood Nursery.

• And finally one that I’ve not tried yet, but

it’s going home with me as soon as I spot

one: the new pink Styrax called Marleys Pink

Parasol Japanese Snowbell. I’m not sure yet

if it will go into a container or in my mixed

border. Reaching 8–10 feet high and 4–5 feet

wide, this weeper will make a great accent to

any garden. Available through JLPN, Inc.

Forget about delicate pastels; gardens

here in the Southwest are better with bold

color! Hues such as magenta, red, and deep

gold are strong enough to compete with our

intense sunlight, blue skies, and prominent

geological features. The following native

cultivars, listed by height from short to tall,

are up to the task:

• Dark violet skullcap (Scutellaria ‘Dark

Violet’): The longer I garden, the more I

appreciate small plants that can be wedged

into nooks and crannies without fear. Dark

violet skullcap is one of my favorites for

pathway edging. This low-growing cultivar

loves heat, is drought- and rabbit-tolerant,

and grows into a tidy 6-inch high mound that

is covered with small but numerous dark

purple flowers; Zones 5–9.

• Perky Sue (Hymenoxys scaposa): An

excellent native companion for dark violet

skullcap, Perky Sue’s vibrant gold flowers

and grasslike foliage make it stand out. Like

dark violet skullcap, long-blooming Perky Sue

is petite in size, loves heat and well-drained

soil, and is superb when grown in gravel

mulch with plants such as agave, cacti, and

penstemon; Zones 4–9.

• Firecracker penstemon (Penstemon

eatonii ‘Richfield Selection’): This Idaho-bred

version of longtime favorite is exceptional

for its profuse flowering, cold-hardiness,

and range of adaptability. It will perform in

low-desert yards as well as in 8,000-foot

mountaintop gardens. Expect 2–3-foot-tall

hot-red flower stalks in spring (or summer at

higher elevations). Plant behind dark violet

skullcap and Perky Sue; Zones 4–9.

Northwest Southeast Southwest


Oso Easy Double Red rose Lavender ‘Phenomenal’ Perky Sue (Hymenoxys scaposa)


RESOURCESCompiled by Renee Freemon Mulvihill

Plantings: Grape HyacinthsPages 11–13Sources for Muscari include: Breck’s Bulbs; 513/354-1511; brecks.com. Brent and Becky’s Bulbs; 877/661-2852; brentandbeckysbulbs.com.John Scheepers; 860/567-0838; johnscheepers.com.McClure & Zimmerman; 800/546-4053; mzbulb.com.K. Van Bourgondien & Sons; 800/552-9916; dutchbulbs.com.

Weekend Gardener Pages 16–19Ellen Spector Platt is the author of 10 flower, herb, and crafts books, including her newest, Artful Collage from Found Objects; Stackpole Books; 2012; 128 pages. Visit her blog at gardenbytes.com.

White liquid glue—Elmer’s; available at crafts stores and office supply stores. Acrylic soft glue—Golden’s; available at art or crafts stores.

Breaking Ground Pages 22–25For more information about the Root Down Community Garden, visit rootdowncommunitygarden.tumblr.com or facebook.com/RootDownCommunityGarden. For more information about the Southern Sudan Community Association (SSCA), visit sscaomaha.info.

Design Notebook Pages 26–29Landscape architect—Ric Solow, ASLA, Solow Design Group, 2008 Chesterfield Ave., Charlotte, NC 28205; 704/906-1967; solowdesigngroup.com.Gate design—Solow Design Group; 2008 Chesterfield Ave., Charlotte, NC 28205; 704/906-1967; solowdesigngroup.com. Gate construction—Nathan Rose, Rose Woodworks; 6325 W. Wilkinson Blvd., Ste. D, Belmont, NC 28012; 704/829-5059; nathanrosefurniture.com. Patio construction—Carolina Bomanite Corporation; carolinabomanite.com. Stonework—Jeremy Webb, Riverwalk Hardscapes, Inc.; Huntersville, North Carolina; 980/721-3934; search for Riverwalk Hardscapes, Inc. page on Facebook and Allgeier Custom Masonry, Inc.; Mount Pleasant, North Carolina; 704/491-6631. Dining table and chairs—Oxford Garden; to find an authorized dealer in your area, visit oxfordgarden.com. Chairs on deck—Kingsley-Bate; 703/361-7000; kingsleybate.com.

Downsizing the Forest Pages 30–39 Sources for conifers include: Arrowhead Alpines; 517/223-3581; arrowheadalpines.com.Greer Gardens; 800/548-0111; greergardens.com.Blue Sterling Nursery (wholesale only); to find a list of

retailers near you, visit bluesterlingnursery.com.Iseli Nursery; for more information, visit iselinursery.com (order through independent garden centers).

Not Your Grandmother’s RhubarbPages 40–45Sources for rhubarb include: For Rheum ‘Ace of Hearts’, Rheum alexandrae, and Rheum palmatum var. tanguticum: Digging Dog Nursery; diggingdog.com.

For Rheum rhubarbarum ‘Victoria’: Park Seed; 800/845-3369; parkseed.com.

Furry Stirrings of Spring Pages 46–51Pussy willow can be ordered through Nevill’s Flowers/Rosemary’s Pussy Willow Ranch. For more information, call 570/368-5001 or e-mail [email protected].

Galvanized French Flower Bucket—Save On Crafts; 831/768-8428; save-on-crafts.com.

Blithe Spirits Pages 52–57Sources for plants include: White Flower Farm; 800/503-9624; whiteflowerfarm.com. Cricket Hill Garden; 860/283-1042; treepeony.com.K. Van Bourgondien & Sons; 800/552-9916; dutchbulbs.com.

Up in the Air Pages 58–64Tillandsias are available via mail order through Acorn Markets; visit acorndesignsource.com. You also can find Acorn Markets at the Randolph Street Market in Chicago each month; visit randolphstreetmarket.com for more information.

For more information about tillandsias, consider: Air Plants: The Curious World of Tillandsias by Zenaida Sengo; Timber Press; 2014; 224 pages.

Garden Collectibles Pages 74–77To see the variety of cigarette cards, check the New York Public Library’s digital database: http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/explore/dgexplore.cfm?col_id=161. Cigarette cards of every description can be found on the Internet. A search for “cigarette cards” on eBay is a good place to start.

Splendor Without the GrassPages 78–85Landscape designer—Linda Bresler, Living Designs by Linda, Poway, CA; 858/486-8733 or 858/735-7000; livingdesignsbylinda.com; [email protected].

Succulent sources for this garden include: Oasis Water Efficient Gardens; 10816 Reidy Canyon Trail, Escondido, CA 92026; 760/277-0214; oasis-plants.com.Waterwise Botanicals Nursery; 32183 Old Hwy. 395, Escondido, CA 92026; 760/728-2641; waterwisebotanicals.com.

30

40

Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation(All Periodicals Publications Except Requester Publications) 1. Publication Title: Country Gardens. 2. Publication Number: 011-787. 3. Filing Date: 10/1/14. 4. Issue Frequency: January, March, May, August. 5. Number of Issues Published Annually: 4. 6. Annual Subscription Price: $19.97. 7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: 1716 Locust Street, Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa 50309-3023. 8. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher: 1716 Locust Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50309-3023. 9. Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of Publisher, Editor, and Managing Editor: Publisher: James Carr, 805 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022-7141; Editor: James A. Baggett, 1716 Locust Street, Des Moines, IA 50309-3023; Managing Editor: Doug Kouma, 1716 Locust Street, Des Moines, IA 50309-3023. 10. Owner: Meredith Corporation, 1716 Locust Street, Des Moines, IA 50309-3023. The names and addresses of all stockholders owning or holding 1 percent or more of the total amount of stock: Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. (0010), Attn: Jerry Travers, 525 Washing Blvd., Jersey City, NJ 07310; Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (0015), Attn: David Safran, Asst. Vice President, 200 Westchester Ave., Purchase, NY 10577; First Clearing LLC (0141), Attn: Matt Buettner, 2801 Market St., H0006-09B, St. Louis, MO 63103; Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (0164), Attn: Mimi O’Sullivan, 2423 E. Lincoln Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85016-1215; National Financial Services, LLC (0226), Attn: Sean Cole, 499 Washington Blvd., Jersey City, NJ 07310; Bank of New York Mellon (The) (0901), Attn: Jennifer May, 525 William Penn Place, Suite 153-0400, Pittsburgh, PA 15259; JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association (0902), Attn: Philip Roy, Vice President, 14201 Dallas Parkway, Floor 12, Dallas, TX 75254; Bank of New York (The)/Mellon Trust (0954), Attn: Jennifer May, 525 William Penn Place, Suite 153-0400, Pittsburgh, PA 15259; State Street Bank and Trust Company (0997), Attn: Christine Sullivan, 1776 Heritage Dr., North Quincy, MA 02171; Bank of New York Mellon (The) – Mid Cap (2209), Attn: Jennifer May, Vice President, 525 William Penn Place, Pittsburgh, PA 15259; JPMorgan Chase Bank/IA (2357), Attn: Philip Roy, Vice President, 14201 Dallas Parkway, Floor 12, Dallas, TX 75254; Northern Trust Company (The) (2669), 801 S Canal Street, Attn: Capital Structures-C1N, Chicago, IL 60607; Comerica Bank (2108), Attn: Gloria Imhoff, 411 West Lafayette, Detroit, MI 48275. Through some of the nominees listed above, the E. T. Meredith and Bohen families and family foundations own, directly or beneficially, approximately 19% of the issued and outstanding stock of the corporation. Each nominee listed above holds stock for one or more stockholders. 11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities: None. 12. Tax Status (For completion by nonprofit organizations authorized to mail at nonprofit rates) (Check one): The purpose, function, and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status for federal income tax purposes: __ Has Not Changed During Preceding 12 Months __ Has Changed During Preceding 12 Months (Publisher must submit explanation of change with this statement) Not applicable.13. Publication Title: Country Gardens 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: Early Spring 201515. Extent and Nature of Circulation Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months:

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Other succulent sources include: The Succulent Source; 760/749-1086; thesucculentsource.com.Garden America; gardenamerica.com.

To learn more about succulents and their design uses, visit debraleebaldwin.com.

Beyond Organic Pages 86–93For more information about biodynamic gardening, visit the Biodynamic Association’s website at biodynamics.com or the Josephine Porter Institute, jpibiodynamics.org.

Scents & Sensibility Pages 94–97For more about scented geraniums, consider: The Scented Leaf: A Collection of Recipes Using Scented-leaf Geraniums by Betty Mathers. For information about the book, write to Betty Mathers at 32880 K. Ave., Adel, IA 50003.

Sources for the scented geraniums pictured include: Harvey’s Greenhouse & Garden Center, 611 Nile Kinnick Dr. S., Adel, IA 50003; 515/993-3916; harveyfloral.com.

Other sources for scented geraniums include: Goodwin Creek Gardens; 800/846-7359; goodwincreekgardens.com.Mountain Valley Growers; 559/338-2775; mountainvalleygrowers.com.Richters Herbs; 800/668-4372 (or 905/640-6677 in Canada); richters.com.

Linen unbleached muslin—JoAnn Fabric and Craft Stores; 888/739-4120; joann.com. Textile paint Jacquard Textile Colors—Dharma Trading Co.; 800/542-5227; dharmatrading.com. Textile paint extender base—Pro Chemical & Dye; 508/676-3838; prochemicalanddye.com.

Know Your Greens Pages 98–105For information about Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier’s restaurants, visit markandclarkrestaurants.com.

For more from Clark Frasier and Mark Gaier consider: The Arrows Cookbook: Cooking and Gardening From Maine’s Most Beautiful Farmhouse

Restaurant by Clark Frasier and Mark Gaier with Max Alexander; Scribner; 2010; 400 pages.

Grassroots Pages 108–109Sources for the Midwest include: These introductions will be available at many garden shops. For more information about the Chicagoland Grows plant introduction program, visit chicagolandgrows.org. For more information about Proven Winners plants, visit provenwinners.com.

Sources for the Mountain West include: For more information about the Plant Select program and plants, visit plantselect.org.

Sources for the Northeast include: For Digiplexis ‘Illumination Flame’: W. Atlee Burpee & Co.; 800/888-1447; burpee.com.For Buddleja Buzz Collection—Jackson & Perkins; 800/292-4769; jacksonandperkins.com.For SunSparkler sedums—Great Garden Plants; 877/447-4769; greatgardenplants.com.

Sources for the Northwest include: For Tiny Towers arborvitae, Crimson Kisses weigela, and Little Ragu sweet bay—Monrovia; monrovia.com. For Oso Easy Double Red, Marie Gold New Jersey tea, and Infinity Red New Guinea impatiens—Proven Winners; to find a local retailer, visit provenwinners.com.

Sources for the Southeast include: For Lavandula × intermedia ‘Phenomenal’—Peace Tree Farm; for local retailers, visit peacetreefarm.com.For Easy Wave Velour Collection—Ball Horticulture; to find a local retailer, visit wave-rave.com/findwave. For clematis Sugar-Sweet Blue—Brushwood Nursery; gardenvines.com.

Sources for the Southwest include: For dark violet skullcap, Perky Sue, and Firecracker penstemon—High Country Gardens; 800/925-9387; highcountrygardens.com.

Over the Garden Gate Page 112The Missouri Botanical Garden is among the oldest botanical gardens in the country and a National Historic Landmark. For more information, call 314/577-5100 or visit mobot.org.

Jason Delaney’s favorite bulb sources include: John Scheepers; 860/567-0838; johnscheepers.com.Colorblends; 888-847-8637; colorblends.com (minimum $60 order required). Living Gardens; 855/584-4736; livinggardens.com..

112

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OVER THE GARDEN GATE

Interview by James A. BaggettPhotography by Natalie Pelafos

Jason DelaneyJason Delaney is celebrating his 19th year with the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, currently as the North Gardens Supervisor and Bulb Collections Specialist. In addition to his usual garden responsibilities, Jason has participated in conservation-focused plant-collecting expeditions to the Caucasus and Altai Mountains in east-central Asia and in northeastern China. He also owns and operates Professional Horticultural Services, specializing in estate garden design and maintenance. In the off -season, he raises daff odils. Jason’s hobby-turned-obsession daff odils are situated on nearly 3 acres in Flora, Illinois, where about 3,000 varieties grow for production, preservation, breeding, and evaluation. He has been breeding daff odils off and on since 2002. His fi nest exhibition seedling to date is ‘Orpha’, named after his cat.

What gives you the most pleasure in the garden?Lots of things! Finding seedlings from plants grown years ago that germinate from out of the blue, providing a welcome reunion from a forgotten friend. Discovering that pair of lost pruners or a weeder—or, more frequently and as importantly, my sunglasses and coff ee cup—when least expected. Feeling accomplished after a long day’s work of weeding and deadheading. Seeing very young children take notice of a bright, colorful fl ower, thoroughly inspecting it, smelling it, and smiling toward their parent as if to give their approval.

When did you start gardening?I was for a brief period, around the age of 4, strangely obsessed with the tulips ‘Apeldoorn’s Elite’ and any that had blue bases—‘Pink Supreme’ and ‘Bleu Aimable’ in particular. So my mother enabled me to purchase my very fi rst bulb order, with my grandfather’s supervision. I scribbled big stars on the images in the 1980 Burpee Fall Bulb catalog, and lo and behold, the bulbs arrived and were planted, including an ‘Apeldoorn’s Elite’ look-alike, ‘Dawnglow’, which I forced in a fl owerpot on our console TV. I still have that catalog and a photo of the tulip fl owering in its aluminum foil-wrapped pot. ‘Attila’, one of the tulips from that same order, still fl owers some 34 years later in the same location.

Do you currently have a favorite plant? Whatever is fl owering in my home garden on a weekend morning to enable a small tableside arrangement—currently cosmos, salvia, lycoris, phlox, allium, a blue rose of Sharon, and a Mister Lincoln rose—is my favorite plant/fl ower. And who can resist the lustful entrancement of tuberoses? On a wintry day, a pot of amaryllises blooming indoors connects the seasons and reminds me that spring will return. Our wonderfully fragrant native Phlox maculata immediately transports me to childhood—so I have them planted throughout my home garden.

Tell us about some of your recent eff orts in plant breeding.Daff odil breeding is my primary focus, with most emphasis being on orange/red trumpet and split-corona breeding. My fi rst cross was in 1997; I started in earnest in 2002. I have two registered varieties and more in the pipeline (‘Orpha’ and ‘Copacabana’—you can view them on daff seek.org). It takes fi ve to seven years from the day the seed is planted until the very fi rst fl ower appears. Then another three to fi ve years before that bulb matures and maintains a consistent profi le. By then there may only be 10 bulbs, so more time is required to build up the supply. A long life is required to see anything reach fruition. Here’s hoping I’ve at least another 38 years to go!

Do you have a favorite garden tool?A post-gardening Old Fashioned or a jigger of bourbon, neat. A homemade weeding tool fashioned from a sharpened golf club, welded to a long steel handle. It was a gift from a volunteer who found it at a garage sale for $1. It requires virtually no eff ort to eff ectively deliver the garden from weeds. Any old, well-used gardening book discovered online or in a used bookstore, fi lled with handwritten notes of its former owner’s gardening trials, tribulations, and successes. A long-handled all-steel spade. I’m prone to snapping in half even the toughest wood or fi berglass handles on shovels and spades. Did I mention bourbon?

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http://daffseek.org

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A: Agastache ‘Blue Fortune B: Liatris ‘Alba’

C: Coreopsis ‘ Moonbeam D: Echinacea PowWow® Wild Berry

E: Salvia ‘May Nighttune F: Phlox ‘Blue Paradise

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country gardens - early spring 2015

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