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#winter gardening

Garden Awakening…Just BEE…

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Camellia after morning’s mist in my shade garden……
Nandina berries in Ivory glistening in my garden…a gift from a friend many years ago, sharing the newness of Nandina without the red berries.

I love to watch my garden awaken, as I anticipate Spring. Walking through the garden at this time of the year allows one to remember last season, re-consider this season’s options and to consider trying something new. 2016 holds such promise for new cultivars and twists on old cultivars. Oh, the joy of gardening, never grows old!!!Nandina berries in Ivory glistening in my garden…a gift from a friend many years ago, sharing the newness of Nandina without the red berries.

Hellebore bud about to unfurl in my garden. Always a joy to see these blooming as we anticipate snow. One of those foolproof perennials. Sharing from my garden a few seasonal photos to hopefully entice you to go into your garden to see what’s going on.  

Are you new to gardening or considering revisiting this awesome journey? Think about the BEE….  Easy to remember, let it buzz around in your  head. Here we go – just BEE:

B – Be authentic in what you want to see that reflects YOU as you begin this great adventure. It can be daunting, but for the most part, the joy of gardening allows one to have successes and failures at the same time. No worries – just go for it and make sure your garden reflects who YOU are.

E– Engage in your environment. Know what your challenges are gong to be. How?? Read about what you are up against be it zone, lighting conditions, pests to community ordinances. Educating yourself about these things can only increase your chances of a garden you can be proud of.  Walk through your community to see what others are growing and cultivate an ongoing garden conversation.  Sharing is a big part of community engagement. Know and be known at your local garden center, find a garden club or create one. Whatever you do – just get out there and garden,

E – Expect the Unexpected.  Gardening is one of mankind’s greatest adventures.  Whether it be for food or for the enhancement of one’s surroundings, be positive. Expect that if you have problems within your landscape, there is a solution. However, first you must be positive and just get out there and start your own authentic enhancement to your environment.

Looking forward to sharing and perhaps making a few new gardener’s or returning gardener’s comfortable on their journey!

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The Garden Calleth…………………

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I have been inside doing my end of year clean up and I had to walk the dog.  Aminia has been so loyal since I have been inside and under the weather.  When we came out of the house, I was greeted by the most perfect bud……

What a way to start the day!!!!  When I came back from walking her, I realized that I needed to take a walk through my garden….just to see what was going on.  Imagine my excitement when I realized….hmm….December, almost New Year’s and a relatively warm day in winter……..what season is it????  It is Hellebore season of course!!!

Left to her own devices, my Hellebore Heaven has given birth to some wonderfully healthy babies!!!!!  My Hellebores are nestled beneath a Cornus Florida from Biltmore Estates (I need to plan another trip down there.  Their wine is absolutely divine….their plants are wonderful as well!).  I mulch this area in the Spring and use Kelp as a fertilizer a few times over the season and it seems to be the right spot to increase my brood of Hellebore’s.

I seriously anticipate this time every winter.  It is a sign of the season to come and is also more important than the seed catalogs.or the Garden Club first meeting in the new year announcement….yep these things add some kind of excitement to a cold winter day if you are a gardener)!! It is a sign of survival…a sign that my method of xeriscaping has been tried and true for 6 years now…how exciting is this…at least to me it is!!
Since I was outside, I decided to check the pots of pansies, I bought too late, but put them in anyway…..
Yep….still looking good to me.  Which made me think…….what else is gong on out here, while I lay inside nestled under covers with my trusty Aminia by my side……well let me share……………..

(Why is this tree peony singing Donna Summers – I will Survive…..as I always say, disco is not dead!!)

Tree peony buds always seem to say – even if you did not water me, I have been known to live for hundreds of years,,,,just check out the tree peonies at the Woodrow Wilson House in Staunton, Virginia.  A intimate garden at the rear of the house has a substantial stand of tree peonies that have been there for quite some time or take a trip to China and see them growing in the mountains. A Xeric gardeners dream plant!  I won’t tell you about the blooms..wait til Spring!!!.
From the Dutch Iris…
to the German Bearded Iris (this one is a clear sunshine yellow)
to the Sedum “Neon”…..there is a lot of activity in my garden right ow.   uh oh…what s that….I forgot something….drats……I thought I finished ……..oh well…..I have a little more work to do….where is that sot ground when you need it!!!.
Let’s see what happens!!!!  See ya in the garden………….
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Guerilla Gardening with seedballs

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So, bored with the topsy turvy season we are experiencing already?   Take some of your seeds from last season and get busy making some seed balls. Take a look at this video and watch nature happen.  

Think about early season seeds like poppies, calendula and of course winter lettuce. Sprinkle some mini seed balls atop your potted bulbs.  This will add some interactive excitement while the bulb foliage silently creeps upward, reaching towards the sky.  Simply use 4 to 5 parts native clay to 1 part seeds and compost mix (I like to use worm castings), mix together and imagine you are a child again.  It will get messy, but it is just pure fun…so release that inner child, roll those seedballs, then set aside to dry.  While drying, imagine all the places that one could drop some seed balls that would simply and quietly add a smile to an unexpected persons journey.

So if you see some unexpected blooms in unexpected places….just think, someone contributed some seedballs to brighten the day.

No leftover seeds?  Don’t worry, the seed catalogs and garden magazines are on their way!  In the meantime dream, plan and lets get through this winter together!

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Horticultural Heaven in New York………………….

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Well I am finally exhaling after a wonderful day trip to New York to visit and revisit a few spots in my horticultural bucket list.  I am a true believer of visiting gardens in their winter nakedness.  Amazing how structure, plant selection and peacefulness can make a garden seem so magical during the winter months.  I had the New York Botanical Garden, The Highline and a re-visit to my old friend Wave Hill on my list of places to go before the end of 2013.  Well, I just made it and I am glad that I did. 

 
(This is actually the reflecting pool….but the perfect place for a Christmas Tree!)

When I arrived at The New York Botanical Gardens, I saw so many folks carrying their children and pushing strollers as one of the more popular holiday events was taking place.  Inside the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory was the awesome Holiday Train Show featuring trains that flowed past  replicas of NY landmarks that have been created from plant parts.  Yes – plant parts.  You can even get a look at how this was done if you visit the Artist’s Studio onsite.  The smells…oh the smells of the season as well as the smells from the New Holiday Dining Pavillion, appropriately called “Streets of New York.

The Dining Pavillion is in a tent behind the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory where you can wander down tree lined paths to get to the interesting and creative menu stations.  Amongst the Victorian and historical  street scenes, the opportunities for families, groups and couples alike, to pause and grab a bite, take a photo or just take in the feel of Christmas are endless.  From fried chicken (representing Harlem) to homemade cookies and pies (representing Greene Street Sweets) there were options to please most – Arthur Avenue and Chelsea Market were also fantabulously represented.  However….it was not the food that I came for……it was the garden.

Yes……was cold….but with my I do not ski – ski jacket, it was not too cold to deter this avid gardener.  Once I calmed down (like a child on Christmas morning, I was extremely excited to visit this garden of note) I spotted the gift shop…that is always the first thing I do….after all, one must have a momento of the journey. Perennial Garden Way called my name, so that is where I started the journey.  There were placards with poetry referencing nature as well as historical fact boards, that made you think as you walked past not only perennials in their winter state of dormancy, but large evergreens that stood guard over the plants at their feet.  I am an admirer of the natural garden, where plants can reach out to touch you, as if to greet you into their sphere. 

Wandering past the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, I had to pause.  I absolutely love a traditional herb garden with elements that speak to the symmetry of the space.  From seating at the corners to the walkways to the boxwoods that caressed the wrought iron gate, the Luce Herb Garden was simply beautiful.  

I will not spoil it for you BUT….I will share one more area of interest that I just had to visit.  Resisting visiting the native plant area was not in the cards.  I love native plants for their beauty, simplicity and ease of care.   So one might understand how I was captivated by the Red Osier Dogwood ‘Cardinal’ and ‘Artic Fire’……….I just could not get enough of it throughout the different gardens rooms – not only in the Native Plant garden……

 
 
 
 
 
 
There are so many more exciting moments that I experienced while visiting The New York Botanical Garden, but it is one of those places that you must experience for yourself to really enjoy.  When I look at the garden map, I realize that I only covered a small portion of this 250 acre gift to those who enjoy beauty.  It is open year round, Tuesday through Sunday and on Federal Holidays that fall  on a Monday. There is a Tram, most areas are wheelchair accessible and a cell phone tour for those who like to wander and enjoy at their own pace.  Make time to see this garden of note and experience all things beautiful. I shall return as there is so much more to explore, at a different time of the year……..ok…maybe this winter again…….250 acres………..oo lala!
 
 
 
 
 
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Winter at the Wave………….Wave Hill that is………………….

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I could not bear the thought of NOT re-visiting Wave Hill again after seeing it in 2012 with the Cultural Landscape Institute during the late summer months.  After all, who could not resist seeing this

 
or this…….
 
 
I simply love the borrowed view of The Palisades, where Theodore Roosevelt, his friends and family had the opportunity to sit and be surrounded by such privacy, raw nature and create personal beauty along the banks of the Hudson River.  I wish I could personally thank the Perkins and Freeman families for donating such a place of beauty to be shared by all, to the City of New York.  When you visit Wave Hill, the memory of this place will linger in your mind.  Which is why I had to go back and see it in it’s winter nakedness…………….
 
Wave Hill has been a public garden for almost 50 years and a lot has been experienced on it’s grounds from concerts, to artist and gardener workshops as well as art exhibits and educational programs.  With donations from private donors as well as the admission (a mere $8.00), this estate and gardens continue to bring people from near and far to experience the beauty that surrounds us.  Even in the winter, the grounds provide awesome ideas for winter color in the garden, structure in the garden,  as well as unexpected seasonal scents that amaze you.  Observing the different garden rooms and borrowed view, the intimacy of Wave Hill truly makes this gardener appreciate the space. 
 
The first thing that you see upon entering Wave Hill is the Pergola.  Looking through the Pergola provides a window to a view of the Palisades and The Hudson River that will leave you speechless….yet wanting more.     
 
 
From the landscaping around the Gift Shop (I ALWAYS find the gift shop for that little momento of the visit), to the Kerlin Overlook to the Shade border/Woodland walk…every step of the way there is something special to notice.  The last time I visited, I did not venture down the Woodland Walk, so I missed the little gazebo gently nestled in the woods, as well as the awesome composting area.  While the Woodland Walk meanders down hill and then up through the trees, the intoxicating earthy smell guides you as if summoning you to partake in the view of the Hudson amongst the trees. 
 
 
 
 
When I last visited Wave Hill, the Wave Hill House was still under renovation and it was re-opened in July of 2013, to huge crowds and much fanfare. It is absolutely stunning inside.   Knowing that I was walking in the same building that Charles Darwin, where Bashford Dean displayed his vast collection of Arms and Armor and where conductor Arturo Toscanini spent three years, I would  like to think, simply enjoying the view.  Wave Hill House has a state of the art conference center,  a café and new space for programming of all types as well as accessibility for the handicapped.  The program calendar for 2014 is available and I must say, they are diverse in their offerings.  With program offerings such as Mapping Freedom ( in honor of the Underground Railroad) and Papermaking Suites (using cotton and abaca to make personal sheets of paper) to Nature’s Music where Wave Hill has a celebrated artist assist visitors in creating collages and accordion pocket sized books ,while appreciating the presence of Toscanini music….who could NOT want to visit Wave Hill.
 
Open all year round, Tuesday and Saturday mornings are free, courtesy of Target.  There is a free shuttle from the Metro North’s Riverside Station on the #1 New York Subway line.  There is limited parking at Wave ill for $8.00.  The free shuttle leaves the subway at 45 minutes past the hour and departs from Wave Hill at 20 after the hour to take you back to midtown Manhattan. There are group tours available, however just wandering on the grounds offer an experience like none other. Not convinced…..here are a few memories that pop into my mind when I dream about Wave Hill..
 
  
So….will I see you there, during Winter when you can dream of the seasons to come…..?
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