Garden Gab
Join Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden for gardening tips, behind-the-scene views and discussions on everything plant-related
My 8-year-old daughter came home from school this week incredibly excited about a dirt-baby she created. After imagining her sneaking off during recess to the mud pile behind the playground and creating some kind of snowman-like creature out of mud, I realized she was talking about a class project where she got to take old pantyhose, fill them with dirt and grass seed and creates a baby-like form that will spring to life as the sees sprout in a few days.
For her, this is culminating a week of talking about embryos at the breakfast table, dissecting each snow pea pod be fore she eats it at dinner and showing me the cotyledon in her edamame at lunch. And although I’d rather not talk about embryos or watch her dissect her lunch, I am happy for her. I’m happy that her teacher has sparked in her an interest in nature and science and happy that even though her class is not outside, enjoying the nature, her teacher has found a way to bring nature inside to her. Because what better way to learn about nature and seeds and life then to experience the magic of watching it grow right before your eyes? This is a start, and if she can love dissecting a bean in class (and at the dinner table), then when she gets a chance to go to summer camp at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden this summer and spend the entire day outside taking a hands-on approach to nature, then she’ll be in heaven.
Which brings us back to how much children need the outdoors to really value it and learn from it. And the question: what is the value of that hands on learning outdoors? Can it be replaced or substituted with more book knowledge? I bet the founders of our public education system never imagined a time when children would be so removed from farming and the process of growing food that children might not realize exactly where food comes from (other than a box.) Part of what kids need to know to be good stewards of the environment and to know how vital and intertwined our lives are to plants, is how connected all of earth’s ecosystems are.
Yesterday, The Washington Post wrote an article about the No Child Left Inside movement and how many schools in the Washington, D. C. area are incorporating hands-on gardening into the curriculum. Students at Hollins Meadows school in Fairfax County get the added benefit of having their teachers incorporate all sorts of lessons into gardening, being outdoors and nature. If you ask kids, they will tell you—this is the best kind of learning.
Students measure worms in math classes and plant peanuts when learning about Virginia history. Reading time happens in an outdoor courtyard where the walls are painted like library shelves. Cinnamon basil plants are growing hydroponically in the science lab from seeds that astronauts flew into space. The children are growing seedlings to sell on Earth Day, an early lesson in entrepreneurship.
As more children struggle with obesity and awareness grows about global warming, outdoor learning is becoming a popular education concept.
Environmentalists are lobbying Congress to attach a “No Child Left Inside” provision to the No Child Left Behind law when it is reauthorized. The provision would set aside money for opportunities, including gardens, for children to learn about the natural world.
Here at Lewis Ginter, we will continue the conversation with No Child Left Inside: Restoring Nature to Early Childhood (April 28-29). Movement leaders Jane Kirkland author of the award-winning children’s nature series, Take a Walk books Robin Moore >, Director of the Natural Learning Initiative and Professor of Landscape Architecture, North Carolina State University , Yusuf Burgess, environmental educator, State of New York Department of Environmental Conservation and board member, Children and Nature Network and Chip & Ashley Donahue, founders of Kids in the Valley, Adventuring (KIVA) will inform and inspire, teachers and and parents alike on the value of children being in nature. I hope you can join us for this conversation.
As for my daughter, she is most excited that Tracy Kane,the author T Fairy Houses Series™ books will be there to inspire her and her friends to build fairy houses at the hands-on family event, Homespun Fun for Families. I do believe she literally jumped up and down when I told her that Tracy Kane, “the Fairy Lady” was coming to Lewis Ginter. Six months ago, for her 8-year-old birthday, her dad and I took her, her brother and 12 of her friends into the woods to make Fairy houses and it was “her best birthday ever.“ This is a memory that won’t fade for her and her friends. In fact, they speak about it often.
My husband, the preschool teacher, wrote about his experiences guiding the kids (including boys) at the birthday party through this activity. His blog post, The Magic of Childhood & Nature, talks about the experience. This party, incorporating a fairy scavenger hunt, was inspired by Tracy Kane’s work and another book: Childhood and Nature: Design Principles for Educators, by David Sobel.
Meanwhile, as I’m learning more and more about what kids need, I’m sending the kids out in the back yard more often, and keeping the TV off as much as I can. I’ve seen the difference nature can make. Children are drawn to create miniature worlds, mud pies and dirt babies. TV just teaches them to turn off their minds. The amazing thing to me, is that once you get them outside, you don’t have to do much, loving nature comes naturally to them.
Jonah Holland is public relations & marketing coordinator at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.
What do the Obamas and Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden have in common?
Easy—we are both trying to do the right thing—grow vegetables locally to help our communities lead healthier lives. And if we can get folks excited about gardening themselves and educate them about how to do it in the process then we’ll be even happier.
Here at Lewis Ginter, we’ve just embarked on a wonderful new project to plant the Community Kitchen Garden at Lewis Ginter, to grow local fresh vegetables for the Central Virginia Foodbank. The vegetable garden will cover a fifth of an acre (8,000 SF) with a goal to grow 10,000 lbs of vegetables and fruits for Richmonders who depend on the Foodbank for food. Not only is the Central Virginia Foodbank experiencing an unprecedented demand for food in the past year but people are becoming more aware that eating food that is fresh and grown locally is better for the environment (less oil used to truck veggies across the country) and also better for our bodies. The Community Foundation awarded the Garden a $15,000 grant from the Safety Net Fund to help with the project.
Meanwhile last week, the Obamas broke ground on their own 1,100 SF vegetable garden next to Malia and Sasha’s swing set on the South Lawn. Michele Obama stresses that the primary goal of the garden is educating children about healthful, local fruits and vegetables, during a time when childhood obesity and diabetes are so prevalent. Plus, it sounds like there are other life lessons involved too: mom says regardless, the girls will help with the weeding.
The Obamas are definitely trend-setters for America, and they are doing the right thing leading by example by installing both a swing set (for outdoor play and exercise) and a garden in their first few months in office. This New York Times article really gives a good picture of how the Obamas are using what they’ve learned to teach the rest of the country.
The question had taken on political and environmental symbolism, with the Obamas lobbied for months by advocates who believe that growing more food locally, and organically, can lead to more healthful eating and reduce reliance on huge industrial farms that use more oil for transportation and chemicals for fertilizer.
Then, too, promoting healthful eating has become an important part of Mrs. Obama’s own agenda.
The first lady, who said that she had never had a vegetable garden, recalled that the idea for this one came from her experiences as a working mother trying to feed her daughters, Malia and Sasha, a good diet. Eating out three times a week, ordering a pizza, having a sandwich for dinner all took their toll in added weight on the girls, whose pediatrician told Mrs. Obama that she needed to be thinking about nutrition.
“He raised a flag for us,” she said, and within months the girls had lost weight.
Dan Barber, an owner of Blue Hill at Stone Barns, an organic restaurant in Pocantico Hills, N.Y., that grows many of its own ingredients, said: “The power of Michelle Obama and the garden can create a very powerful message about eating healthy and more delicious food. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say it could translate into real change.”
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden’s own executive director, puts the Garden’s goals succinctly: “Our mission is to show how plants are essential to human life. This new garden demonstrates those words in action.”
The Garden’s next two 25th anniversary symposia also focus on many of the same issues:
No Child Left Inside, Restoring Nature to Early Childhood (April 28-29) will focus on how children today, more than ever, need unstructured outdoor play time and the lack of outdoor playtime is associated with a rise in obesity and diabetes in our youth. In addition to the full day symposium and a free dinner in the Garden for Teachers, we’ll host a hands on family event called Homespun Family Fun giving parents and children a chance to try out some of our expert’s great suggestions.
Green Tonic: Urban Gardening for Health and Wholeness (August 4-5) will focus on the healing powers of gardens and gardening. Here’s a short description:
Across the country, neighborhoods, civic associations, community activists and organizers are reclaiming vacant or idle land and transforming these parcels into green oases—gardens that often become a hub of community life, as well as productive, sustainable sources of fresh vegetables, flowers, herbs, fruits, and friendships. Studies of cities that have long supported urban greening initiatives—like Philadelphia, Chicago, and Portland—point to lowered crime and vandalism, higher property values, and increased community pride, in addition to the obvious ecological, health, and wellness benefits.This symposium looks at the best urban greening and community gardening models, the infrastructure and public policies that have helped them succeed, and inspiring examples of neighborhoods becoming whole again through the simple act of gardening.
Which brings us back to the New York Times article:
For urban dwellers who have no backyards, the country’s one million community gardens can also play an important role, Mrs. Obama said.
But the first lady emphasized that she did not want people to feel guilty if they did not have the time for a garden: there are still many changes they can make.
“You can begin in your own cupboard,” she said, “by eliminating processed food, trying to cook a meal a little more often, trying to incorporate more fruits and vegetables.”
And, you might even try the local food bank, where for the first time you’ll be able to pick up your fresh locally grown vegetables. The Community Kitchen Garden will grow carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, radishes, spinach, squash, sweet peppers, zucchini, winter squash, eggplant, sweet potatoes and tomatoes.
Jonah Holland is public relations & marketing coordinator at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.
Two years ago, I saw that one of my favorite bands, Son Volt, was playing an outdoor concert in Richmond at—you guessed it—Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. I’m embarrassed to say, it was my first experience visiting Lewis Ginter. But I immediately fell in love with the place.
We arrived at dusk with the kids and a blanket on a perfect cool spring night. I was enchanted by the beauty of The Sunken Garden, the sloped lawn down the the stage and the lake below and the incredibly beautiful flowers all around. I could tell that this was a special place. Little did I know how special—and that 2 years later they’d offer me my dream job, and it would become a second home to me.
Let me get back to the point. I’ve been anxiously waiting for the return of this very special music series for almost 2 years now. (Last year it took a hiatus for the construction of the new Rose Garden). Groovin’ in the Garden is back and better than ever now with the completion of The Rose Garden and the stone structure that doubles as a stage. You can be sure I’ll be back again this year to hear as many of these concerts as I can. And right now, I’m thinking about how great the Indigo Girls will sound singing from the Garden surrounded by rose bushes.
And what you’ve been waiting for…. here is the line-up:
May 7 Shooter Jennings
May 14 Brandi Carlile
May 21 Old Crow Medicine Show
June 4 Medeski Martin & Wood
June 11 Indigo Girls
Plus more shows will be added, so check back soon!
Jonah Holland is public relations & marketing coordinator at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.
Comments (0)Recently, I’ve been spending alot of time getting the word out about Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden’s next symposium—No Child Left Inside: Restoring Nature to Early Childhood (April 28-29). This is a topic that is really interesting to me, and I think it has piqued alot of people’s interest since congress approved the No Child Left Inside Act of 2008, so that children would have more opportunities to experience nature and the outdoors.
I’m one of those kids that was raised by a nature-lover. Every year my mom would come to my school and take the kids in my class on a field trip—a walk through the woods directly outside our school. We’d stop and identify different types of trees, look at the Jack-in-the-pulpits, and just explore. I’m not sure why our regular teacher didn’t do this or why It wasn’t part of the curriculum, but for my mom, it was the way she gave back to our school, and she loved it. At home, our house backed up to a huge woods and creek and I spent many of my childhood days exploring there.
And then there are the stories my mom never tired of telling about how when she was gardening I would hide her pruning shears from her as a joke —when I was 3. Or how when I was a baby it was not uncommon for her to find dirt from her gardening projects in my diaper because we spent to much time outside in the yard playing in the dirt.
But as a parent myself, feeling comfortable letting my kids explore nature has not come as easily. Our lives are more scheduled, we live in a more urban environment, and there is always something else competing for the time we spend outdoors in nature. Add to that my children’s aversion to mosquitoes and poison ivy and my concerns about safety you get what I call the “easy way out”—pretending that making the effort to go outdoors and stay outdoors long enough to explore and really fall in love with it is just not that important. But it is. And recently, while researching this symposium, I’ve become convinced that getting my kids outdoors and making time for it is the ONLY hard part. Once we get out there, everything is easy—because children have a knack for loving nature, If you just give them a chance, their natural curiosity takes over. Their imaginations come alive and they are full of life and questions about what they see in the natural world. My kids can spend countless hours outside creating a habitat for caterpillars or making a fort out of sticks.
Plus, studies show that children who are exposed to nature at a young age have less stress, better concentration, more creativity and higher self esteem—all things you want for you child. I’ve even heard that exposure to nature connects to children and teenagers being able to delay gratification. By watching trees grow and flowers bloom, children learn that beautiful things take time and are worth the wait.
The Children & Nature Network and Richard Louv have brought the importance of this issue to attention of many of today’s parents, by pointing out that this cultural shift of kids not playing in nature is here already and its affects can be damaging if we don’t fight to counter-balance with outdoor freeplay and nature time. While experts are saying that free play in nature can help combat depression, attention deficit disorder and depression in children—I would argue that it can be equally as effective helping adults as well.
I’m very much looking forward to our speaker’s presentations.
Jane Kirkland, author of the award-winning children’s nature series, Take a Walk books, Robin Moore, Director of the Natural Learning Initiative and Professor of Landscape Architecture, North Carolina State University, and Yusuf Burgess, environmental educator, State of New York Department of Environmental Conservation and board member, Children & Nature Network.
The No Child Left Inside movement is taking off across the country. Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden is not the only group in Richmond that has realized the impact of this movement. On Tuesday, March 11th, at 7 p.m. the Sierra Club of Richmond will host Bill Portlock, from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to speak on CBF’s No Child Left Inside efforts.
In the end, It didn’t take much to convince me to re-prioritize nature as a priority in my children’s life (and in my own). I’ve known all along it was a good thing, but sometimes it just takes some hard facts and numbers to convince me of what my children have known all along. That nature can be a powerful influence and healing force.
And you can bet that I will be at the hands-on family, Homespun Fun for Families, on Wednesday, April 29th at 5:30 p.m. with my kids to get some more great ideas about how to further incorporate nature into my children’s lives.
Jonah Holland is public relations & marketing coordinator at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.
Comments (0)Two years ago, I participated in the Henricopolis free tree giveaway. It was great, I came home with 10 new shrubs and trees and they are doing really well — except for the dogwood my husband killed with the weed whacker. You can be sure I’ll be at the tree give-away again this year, to replace that dogwood and get some more free trees. The volunteers are great, giving planting advice and these are some really good tree and shrub choices for this region (read on for the varieties).
Planting trees helps the environment, helps the James River, and can help lower your heating and cooling bill too. The free trees are available to all Henrico County residents.
Comments (0)The Henricopolis Soil and Water Conservation District (HSWCD) will hold its annual spring tree-seedling giveaway for Henrico County residents on Friday, March 20 at the Hermitage High School parking lot, 8301 Hungary Spring Road. Trees will be given away free of charge beginning at 8:30 a.m. until supplies run out.
HSWCD will offer 13 species of bare-root seedlings, including red bud, white and red osier dogwood, bald cypress, red maple and white oak. Information about individual species and guidelines for planting seedlings are available on the conservation district’s Web site at http://www.co.henrico.va.us/swcd.
The seedling giveaway is part of HSWCD’s ongoing efforts to
protect the James River watershed by reducing runoff and sediment flows into local streams.
What struck me most about Felder Rushing’s presentation last week at our Gardening in an Era of Climate Change symposium was that for him (and for me) gardening is all about nostalgia and doing what you love.
It is about plants that have been grown for generations by our grandparents or great grandparents. It is about remembering people we love through the experience of growing plants together. And it is about doing what we want with our gardens just because we want to and it feels good (even if it means a blue bottle tree that your neighbors might frown upon)
. (photos courtesy of Felder Rushing)
If we are lucky to have someone we love to teach us about plants as Felder had his grandmother, we revel in telling the story of each plant in our garden—and we are able to remember plants as sacred. The redbud tree that came from a volunteer from my mother’s garden. The daffodil and starflower bulbs that I dug up from our old house and brought with me when we moved, despite the huge effort it took to pack “just a few more things.“ The strawberry begonia from my Nana Ruby. The volunteer Magnolia that my father-in-law brought in a 5-gallon paint bucket from Savannah. The corkscrew willow cutting that a vendor gave my 2-year-old daughter at the Maymont Flower and Garden Show 6 years ago, that now stands 25-feet tall. All of these plants have a story. All of these plants are easy reminders of why I garden.
I am incredibly grateful for Felder reminding me that even in today’s world, why it is important to still make time for it, and for reminding how important it is to make time to continue that tradition with my own children. 
(If you are interested in this topic, make sure you check out our next symposium—No Child Left Inside: Restoring Nature to Early Childhood in April)
I still remember the priceless gift my own mother gave me at age 5 when she let me have my own 2-foot by 2-foot triangle section of her big garden. It was better than any sandbox I’d ever seen, and grew the best carrots I’d ever tasted.
If you are looking for inspiration in gardening, look no further. Felder Rushing offers that and much more in this podcast:
http://media.libsyn.com/media/lewisginter/Felder_I.mp3
Comments (0)Everybody seems to have their own favorite pick for the White House Farmer. Mine of course is Charlie Collins, who happens to be a good friend and the farmer at Victory Farms CSA. Secretly, I’m glad he didn’t win (Charlie came in 8th) since I was dreading loosing him to the Obamas.
But, as GardenRant’s Susan Harris points out, the voting for the White House Farmer brought in almost 56,000 votes in 10 days. If nothing else, this speaks to how important the local gardening movement has become and how passionate (and wired) its members are.
Now, all the gardening community has to do is convince Obama that this would be an important first step in setting an example that the whole country could follow. Here are the winner’s statements. Who do you think should farm at the White House?
Carrie Little and Claire Strader write:
It is a great honor for us to be recognized by our communities as potential candidates for the first White House Farmer. We are thrilled by the possibility of converting a portion of the lovely White House lawn into a lively vegetable farm. As vegetable, fruit, and flower growers, we know that a well-managed organic farm can be at least as beautiful as a lawn and certainly more engaging, productive, and inspirational.
The fact that so many farmers were nominated for the White House farmer position and that so many individuals voted in this unique “election” speaks loudly to our combined interest in local, organic agriculture. As is made clear in each farmer’s nomination, there are many skilled growers who contribute significantly to local food movement throughout our country. We are all unique. We all have a somewhat different focus be it Community Supported Agriculture, or emergency food relief, or youth empowerment. Still, we share the common cause of feeding our local communities with the freshest, cleanest, most healthy food we can coax from the soil.
Taking personal responsibility to a new level by addressing the core issues of the Obama administration’s focus, this farm could be the example for the nation. It would clearly address economic insecurity, fuel conservation, climate change, and healthcare issues in a very tangible way. Collectively, this effort could be the center of the cultural shift needed to highlight the imperative that we need to eat locally and think globally.
Together we are working toward a new future of agriculture in our country. We believe that future is grounded in small-scale, organic food production that meets the nutritional needs of people within reach of the farm and is not shipped from coast to coast at great cost of fuel, freshness, and nutritional value.With the support of more and more eaters in our communities, that future is coming nearer. A White House farm and a White House farmer will be powerful symbols for this future of agriculture, not to mention a delicious resource for the DC community. No matter who becomes the first White House farmer we stand in support of the White House farm project and would be honored to bring our spades and worm castings and hula hoes to join in the effort!
Margaret Lloyd’s Statement
Change is here . . . in our backyards, in our communities, and in the White House.
By raising food at the White House, President Obama’s promise of change can include the most fundamental thing to Americans: the food they eat. For the First Family, the White House Farm would provide an opportunity to directly engage in agriculture, a place for inspiration and reflection, and the highest-quality, best-tasting food we the people can grow. To Americans, the White House Farm would show the President’s sincerity in his effort to address the hard issues within our food system, his support for local, organic food, and his openness to innovation. The White House Farm would also acknowledge the tireless work of more than a billion farmers worldwide, renewing America’s commitment to improve their conditions and alleviate hunger.
My farming experience inspired me to develop a system for growing food where people live, which led to my business, training people to become farmers at home, work and school. Now, I’m especially inspired by the surge of support for the White House Farm which has come from every corner – more than 55,000 voices. I’m also glad to learn of assistant Chef Kass’ taste for local produce.
The nominees are impressive and dedicated individuals, and I’m happy to see so many farmers on the same page. Thank you to all the people who participated in this wonderful grassroots movement! President Obama’s own election has reminded us of the potency of commitment and community. It is this commitment and community effort that can revolutionize America’s food system.
Thank you to the 5300 people who have supported me so far. I owe a big thanks to my sister Alex and brother-in-law Tom who really fired up the engines. Also, my brother, parents, family, all my friends and clients, the UC Davis community, and the people of Davis, who put their heart into spreading the word. Yes we did! The work has just begun. I’m ready for the next step.
All this talk of urban gardening is just getting me excited not only for the first vegetables to start coming in from our local CSAs in April, but even more importantly about the urban gardening movement in general. It won’t be long before Lewis Ginter is hosting “Green Tonic: Urban Gardening for Health & Wholeness” a 25th anniversary symposium, August 4-5th.
If we are lucky, the Obama’s garden-farm will at the height of producing summer’s bounty of vegetables—right in the middle of one of the most urban gardens in America.
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I just got off the phone with Allan Armitage, one of our keynote speakers for our anniversary symposium, Gardening in an Era of Climage Change (Feb. 4, 5 & 6). I’m really looking forward to his presentation next Wednesday, but I wanted to get a sense of what he was going to talk about before- hand. I asked him what the biggest changes in the industry have been in the past 10 years. What he told me was very interesting, “People are gardening less. Gardening is a four letter word because gardening is associated with work and landscaping is associated with beauty. The perception of gardening has changed he said, it has had a ripple affect through the garden industry.“
So of course, I had to ask, what is the difference between gardening and landscaping. Gardening is do it yourself, he said and landscaping is hiring someone to do it for you. “Instant landscapes are great, but when there are fewer people gardening than that means fewer people buying plants and fewer people buying plants mean less plants and it goes up and up and up. There is a shift away from gardening and garden centers.“
He also focused on some of the concerns of the gardening industry, “Gardening used to be thought of as recession-proof, you’d at least buy something, but now it’s known it’s not recession proof. The industry is really scared because of the economy,“ he said, “and the industry is worried.“
And of course I had to ask him what plants he’s excited about these days. He says he’ll be talking about quite a few, and he’ll bring some with him, but he gave me a teaser of a low maintained annual and a perennial that he is recommending right now.
Annual: Ornamental Tapioca (yes, as in the the pudding!)
Perennial: Ivory’s Prince Hellebore
Our keynote speaker on Thursday, Felder Rushing, preferred to reply to my questions via email. From his responses I hope you can tell what a colorful and charismatic speaker he is. Tom Brinda and Lynn Kirk, two Lewis Ginter staff members, wrote about him briefly last year and described him this way: “Though trained as a traditional horticulturist, Rushing’s philosophies are far from the norm. Rather than concentrating on the do’s and don’ts of gardening, his focus is rooted in enjoyment. He encourages folks to temporarily throw horticulture’s rules aside “in order to enjoy not the products of, but rather the journey of gardening.“
OK Felder, take it away:
My geekiest garden innovations are my “green roof entry arbor” and my “rain harvester porch roof” - you can see them both at my website (links on the left hand side of the page)... and my new bottle tree link is a KILLER, with history and lore, and over 100 images (including some of my own - i have 11 bottle trees in my own garden).My main tip for new gardeners is to create a SMALL raised bed area - 4 or 5 feet wide by however long - using anything recycled to shore up the sides (reused bricks, broken concrete, old dishes from a garage sale, upended wine bottles from the recycling center), or even pressure-treated boards (the new kinds are SAFE for herbs and vegetables - I am very sure of this), and then partly sinking a large container or two in the centers (even old tires, like at the kids garden at Lewis Ginter), and planting a few culinary herbs, some easy vegetables, and a few flowers. This will build confidence, and if something doesn’t make it, so what? just replant that small area…Another tip is on how to lose part of the lawn without a lot of work: cover the area with a couple or three layers of flattened cardboard (newspaper blows away, cardboard lasts longer), then cover that with leaves, grass clippings, and mulch to make it look nice. throw on some natural fertilizer such as cotton seed meal, which “feeds” worms the protein they need to get big and beefy, and within a few months the area will be completely weed- and grass-free and ready to plant - the worms will have done all the work. really. to make it look better, edge around it with a shovel (a day or two after a rain, when the digging is easiest).
If you want more of a taste of what Felder Rushing will offer, make sure you check out his “Slow Gardening” section of his web page and his Green/Lazy/Cheapskate tips, and of course come to the symposium.
Hope you can make it to our symposium on Feb. 4, 5 & 6 to hear these guys and many other great speakers including James Urban, Richard Bir and Kennon Williams. Registration will close at the end of day on January 30th. The full agenda is here, plus remember Friday will be pesticide recertification day, which is good for 2 years.
In celebration of Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden’s 25th anniversary, join us for Butterflies LIVE!
May 22 – October 11, 2009.
Help spread the word by downloading this Blue Morpho butterfly animation to your blog or Facebook page. The North Wing of the Conservatory will be filled with hundreds of jewel-winged beauties. Walk in the midst of these delicate creatures and learn their life cycle by watching as butterflies emerge from chrysalides and prepare to fly. For a full schedule of 25th anniversary events, including our symposia series, make sure you check out our webpage.
Did you know that you could upload your photos of your visit to Lewis Ginter Botancial Garden and have them featured on our website? It is easy to do! Just click here.
We welcome photo and comments and we love to see your photos whether they are from GardenFest or from A Million Blooms.
Also, if you are on Facebook, make sure you become a fan (and feel free to upload your fan photos) and if you are on Twitter , sign up for Tweets from the Garden!
I am so excited that I already have my New Year’s Eve day planned. I will be spending it here at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, kicking off the celebration of the Garden’s 25 years. And, what makes me even happier is that one of my favorite local bands, the Ululating Mummies, will be performing and leading the kid-friendly celebration.
The New Year’s Eve Family Frolic is Wednesday, December 31st, from 1-4 p.m. and is included with regular Garden admission, or free for members. You won’t even have to get cold, as this event is INSIDE!
Ring in the new year with fun family activities in the afternoon!
Activities include:
- A live concert by the Ululating Mummies (always a favorite with kids and adults!)
- Balloon artists
- Face painters
- The chance to make-and-take a noisemaker
Guests to the New Year’s Eve Family Frolic may stay and enjoy GardenFest of Lights (5 - 10 p.m.) Guests arriving after 4 p.m. will have to purchase a GardenFest ticket. For those interested in dining on New Year’s Eve, the Garden Cafe is open from 10 a.m. - 8:30 p.m. The Garden Shop is also open 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.
As I mentioned he New Year’s Eve Family Frolic kicks off the Garden’s celebration of its 25th anniversary in 2009. And let me tell you, we have some great things planned, including the return of Butterflies LIVE! in May. I’m sure you’ll be hearing much more about those from me in the near future, but if you just can’t wait, you can learn more about 25th anniversary activities here.
Jonah Holland is public relations & marketing coordinator at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.i>
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I’ve got to credit the ladies over at GardenRant for bringing this to my attention. This week the New York Times wrote a short (but amazing) story about how a farm in Colorado opened up their fields for gleaning, a practice of harvesting the leftovers after the workers or machines have harvested what they could from the field. Apparently, the owners of the farm had heard of people stealing food from area churches and felt that in this economy there would be some interest. The result? 40,000 people came to take away the leftovers potatoes, leeks and carrots from the harvest!
The fields of the couple, Joe and Chris Miller, were picked so clean Saturday that a second day of harvesting was canceled Sunday, The Denver Post reported.
“Overwhelmed is putting it mildly,” Ms. Miller said. “People obviously need food.”.....
“Everybody is so depressed about the economy,” said Sandra Justice of Greeley, Colo., who works at a technology company. “This was a pure party. Everybody having a great time getting something for free.”
Ms. Justice and her mother and son picked about 10 bags of vegetables.
Ms. Miller said she and her husband opened the farm for the public harvest for the first time this year after hearing reports of food being stolen from churches. It was meant as a thank-you for customers.
So, perhaps this is a sign of the state of America’s economy, and at this time of Thanksgiving it is important to remember those who are hungry or less fortunate. Gleaning dates back to at least biblical times when farmers were encouraged to leave some produce in the fields for the widowed and the poor. Is the renewed interest in gleaning a sign that America is ready to become less wasteful? Maybe.
Locally, I’ve heard of volunteers gleaning fields to send that food to foodbanks, but in Richmond, perhaps the movement to glean fields is just beginning. Society of St. Andrew, is located in Southwest Virginia, but organizes volunteers in Richmond, and the entire region for volunteers to glean fields and donate that produce to food banks. To be honest, I can’t think of a better way to teach children (and adults) about gardening, food systems, helping those in need, and not being wasteful. And according to Society of St. Andrew’s website, almost anyone can volunteer to glean.
A recent article in the Fredericksburg Freelance-Star on gleaning also points out the huge added benefit of food banks having access to more fresh fruits and vegetables—which in turn helps fight obesity among the poor. In fact, it’s been suggested that lack of fresh vegetables explains the link between poverty and obesity.
The fresh produce helps keep low-income people healthy, said Oya Oliver, director of the Fredericksburg Area Food Bank. Fresh food costs more—apples, pears, tomatoes and green beans sell for about $1.50 per pound at the grocery store. Canned ravioli costs 79 cents per pound and a box of macaroni and cheese, 75 cents. The average food-stamp allotment in Virginia is $220 per month, and the cheaper foods last longer on that budget. With rising fuel costs, many who don’t qualify for food stamps still struggle to buy groceries, Oliver said.
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The outreach efforts help ensure those cherry tomatoes will make it to the tables of the area’s poor. That’s the outcome envisioned by the dozen or so volunteer gleaners who picked those tomatoes last week at Perkins’ farm.
The gleaners, ages 6 to 81, their fingers stained yellow-green from the plucking, filled plastic buckets with the orange cherry tomatoes. A truck from the Central Virginia Food Bank loaded up the buckets and took them to Richmond.
Ladysmith resident Jeanne Campbell brought two of her children and a friend’s kids, too. They had all brought items to a church food pantry before, but gleaning showed them how everyone from the farmer, to the volunteer tomato pickers, to the food bank workers help feed the poor.
“They get a feel for how it can start here and go all the way up,“ Campbell said.
Those buckets will be part of the 30 million pounds of food the Society of St. Andrew will save nationwide this year, Breitinger said. Gleaning “is just good common sense,“ she said. The food that’s wasted every year could more than feed the 37 million Americans who go hungry.
“There is enough food wasted to feed every one of those people every day,“ Breitinger said. “It’s a sin to let it rot in the field when there’s nothing wrong with it.“
Here at Lewis Ginter, we have a similar program to teach children some of the same lessons. The children plant and grow vegetables in the children’s garden, learning all sorts of things in the process. They learn how a plant grows, how humans and plants are interdependent, where our food comes from and why it is important for people to eat vegetables. The Children’s Garden also hosts, Drop in and Dig, on Wednesday afternoons during harvest time, where families can harvest the vegetables together. Throughout the growing season, the freshly picked vegetables are donated to the Central Virginia Foodbank. This year the Lewis Ginter’s Children’s Garden donated 516 lbs. of food, to help feed the hungry. I’m pretty sure those families pick the vegetable patches clean—if they didn’t, then certainly we too would consider gleaning.
Jonah Holland is PR & marketing coordinator at
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.
Comments (0)Susan Harris, one of the bloggers over at Garden Rant, was recently featured in the Baltimore Sun in an article on the prevalence of—you guessed it—garden blogs. Yes, it is true the article points out, that this may seem like a strange match at first, but actually it makes sense. (We already knew this).
I’m glad the Garden Rant is getting some exposure. If you love gardening and haven’t heard of it, check it out. The writing is fun, sassy, smart and interesting. I mean where else are you going to get to read about old bulbs and what happens to them when the season ends and no one has bought them, and have it be interesting? And in the same week get to read about the taboo of a book that is….
the joint effort of a plant geneticist and an organic farmer, who happen to be married so presumably have found some common ground, at least so they’re not going to bed angry every night.
Plus, they just added on one of our Gardening in and Era of Climate Change symposium keynote speakers, to their ranks. Smart folks! Allan Armitage, who will speak here, at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, in February on sustainability and successful plant from his world-famous Trial Gardens at the University of Georgia is now the fifth member of Garden Rant.
Garden blogs are the new sliced bread. Which is great news, because as one person in the Baltimore Sun article points out:
I probably would never have thought about buying worm poop until I read about it on a garden blog.
Jonah Holland is public relations & marketing coordinator at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.
Comments (0)by Frank Robinson, Executive Director, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
You may have noticed an article in the Richmond Times-Dispatch on October 28, about a moratorium on cutting down trees in the City while City Council reviews its current policy on tree removal.
I stepped into this issue last week when I was asked to assist in saving an old Willow Oak on Seminary Avenue. It is a stately tree, but is has a problem – a crack down its trunk. I spoke with some passionate folks who want to save the tree, and I spoke with the City arborists, who were professional, informed and patient in answering my questions. I went home feeling there were no bad guys in this, but that something was amiss.
Much of the explanation about the tree’s removal was about lack of adequate funds and the liability a compromised tree is, once identified, to the City and its taxpayers. Basically, if a tree is compromised – in this case by maturity, a full canopy and the weight of an abundant acorn crop – it becomes a hazard. And, even if treated, should it fall and do property damage or kill someone, the City clearly has a problem. The tree needed to go because of risk management. Inadequate funds will be an issue we are all going to deal with in the near future, but the impact here is that the City arborists are stretched too thin to go back to monitor a doctored tree to see if it is improving or getting worse. Thus, once recognized as a potential risk, it has to go.
What I have been stewing about is the conflict of values between the risk management argument, which has merit, and the tree lovers, who are doing the City a favor by advocating for the trees.
The problem is that there is no discussion about the benefits trees bring to our environment. The policies are about removing trees, not about keeping them. This is the challenge to City leadership – to articulate and measure the value of trees to the City, and to communicate to the community why we want to keep as many as we can, and plant more.
A quick review – trees are important because:
1. They save utility costs and the use of fossil fuels. The air temperature within the shade of a tree can be 10 degrees cooler than ambient air temperature. The shade cast by a mature tree saves air conditioning costs and the demands on the power company to provide electricity. Shade also reduces the amount of absorbed heat on the earth’s surface, thus reducing overall temperature, and re-radiation of the absorbed heat after the sun sets.
2. Trees clean our air. They absorb carbon dioxide (greenhouse gases) and other air pollutants and expel clean oxygen - oxygen we need to breath.
3. Trees save water. They absorb rain water through their roots, and transpire water vapor through their leaves. They are a critical part of the rain cycle, and the creation of rain clouds. Where trees disappear, rain disappears as well. Moreover, the soils under trees are generally more permeable than lawns, and certainly pavement, allowing water to percolate into the local water table, thus restoring our wells, streams, lakes and rivers. Water not percolated into the soil is flushed through storm sewers into our major rivers, full of pollutants, and bypassing the critical process of filling local aquifers.
4. Trees clean our environment. They absorb and metabolize excess nutrients we spread on our lawns and gardens, and they mitigate other chemicals we routinely spread on our lawns, gardens and public spaces.
5. Trees save soils. Their root systems stabilize soils, preventing erosion and particle pollutants in our rivers and bays.
6. Trees are habitats and food supply for entire ecosystems we barely see – birds, insects, mammals, and amphibians.
7. Trees are ecologically efficient. They return their biomass to the earth each fall as they shed their leaves, (and older needles and leaves on evergreens). This material has values in restoring the tilth and nutrient of soils, though we generally fail to use these well.
8. Trees humanize the built environment.
9. Trees are beautiful, and we need beauty in our lives.
I hope there is someone who has measured the output and positive impact of trees, because if we could calculate the oxygen production of the oak on Seminary Avenue, we would probably be stunned.
Risks! Ah, we have so many risks we need to manage! We have all seen the damage caused by trees falling in hurricanes and ice storms. However, this is really the result of another causal agent – wind and heavy ice – rather than caused by trees themselves. And, such storms take both the compromised trees and the apparent healthy ones.
I couldn’t help but do a little research. According to the CDC and the National Vital Statistics Report the leading cause of death in the U.S. is cardiovascular disease - 650,000 people a year – a reflection on our diet and life styles. Influenza kills 65,000 people. Motor vehicle accidents kill 43,000. Firearms kill 28,000. Falls kill about 13,000. Aspirin, ibuprofen, etc. kill 7,600 people and hospitalize 76,000. Deer cause 1.5 million accidents per year, killing 150 people and injuring 10,000.
When it comes to trees, there is almost no data cited. Apparently trees are most dangerous to the arborists who care for them. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says there were 156 fatal accidents in the ornamental shrub and tree service industry in 2003. These were three major – parts of trees falling on coworkers as trees were being removed, workers falling from tree canopies, and contact with electrical current. I found a citation stating 150 people are killed annually around the globe by falling coconuts. Luckily, coconut trees don’t survive in Richmond.
Like everything else, trees age and die – they have a limited life span. They can be hazardous when they are weakened by weather, infested with insects, diseased or genetically inferior, and they should be removed. However, whenever possible, if they can be cabled, have their crowns thinned out, or treated with chemicals, they should be saved, for all the good things they provide.
I found the tree on Seminary to be particularly significant, as just a few blocks to the east we have the lower part of Chamberlayne Avenue, where all the trees have been lost. It is a subjective observation, but I can’t imagine most people wouldn’t prefer the environment on Seminary.
I know if a tree fell and injured someone I love, or crushed my car, I would be asking why. But, I also know that we expose ourselves to much greater risk everyday by driving, overeating, and using firearms.
I hope we will never perceive trees as terrorists lurking along a shaded lane ready to take us out. And, I hope even more that we can objectively identify why we want trees in our environment, and how we can afford and join together to keep them healthy and strong.
Comments (0)I love modern technology. How can you not love it when you can listen to a podcast on Lawn and Leaf Managment: “Leave” Them Alone, from the Virginia Cooperative Extension. Plus get added tips on how to make compost from yard waste. Tidbits such as this might just change your perspective on how to manage your leaves this fall, so go ahead and give a listen. And if you don’t do podcasts, don’t worry, they’ve got it in PDF form too. I mean, who knew that you could just mow instead of rake and bag?
Comments (0)A Purdue University research report entitled “Leaf Mulching Effects on Turf Performance” showed that up to 4,000 lbs of maple leaves per acre could be mulched with no negative effects on turf quality, color, thatch accumulation, soil pH change, weed populations or disease.
With Lewis Ginter gearing up to host “Gardening in an Era of Climate Change: Is the Sky Really Falling?” (Feb. 4, 5, and 6), I’ve been thinking about educating myself on how much has actually changed with the climate. I’m finding some good resources. The New York Botanical Garden, like Lewis Ginter is trying to stay at the forefront of the discussion, and according to their website, is approaching the subject from a similar standpoint:
[The New York Botanical Garden] approaches this important topic in the positive spirit of promoting dialogue on the latest thinking and scientific research about climate change.
And, just as Lewis Ginter is hosting Gardening in an Era of Climate Change, the New York Botanical Garden has hosted similar events to get people thinking. That’s what we want to do. Start discussions, hatch ideas, and find solutions. What exactly is happening and why? Is our environment drastically changing? With weather being so cyclical can we even tell? What are the solutions?
There are some very interesting projects going on. The Union of Concerned Scientists is sponsoring a project, to encourage writers and photographers to share their stories of global warming in order to inspire others to make positive changes in their lives.
Some of my background reading on gardening during an era of climate change includes learning about sustainable gardening with “garden coach” Susan Harris and of course the revised hardiness map of the United States (illustrated above), and put out by the Arbor Day Foundation in 2006.
It looks like solutions based on both adapting to the temperature changes by planting different species, that are more heat tolerant and more draught resistant is part of the solution. But the other part may lie in finding ways individuals and industry alike can reduce their impact on the environment.
One of the best written pieces on the subject is actually from The New York Times, published in 2007. It makes a moving point:
Already, some states are facing the possibility that the cherished local flora that has helped define their identities — the Ohio buckeye, the Kansas sunflower or the Mississippi magnolia — may begin to disappear within their borders and move north.
By the end of the century, the climate will no longer be favorable for the official state tree or flower in 28 states, according to “The Gardener’s Guide to Global Warming,” a report released last month by the National Wildlife Federation.
Also, the article highlights some positive trends:
Nationally, the use of products like organic fertilizer, which requires less energy to produce than conventional fertilizer — and thus results in fewer emissions of heat-trapping gases — is ballooning, with some manufacturers reporting a doubling in demand each year.
Gardening and do-it-yourself magazines have begun to popularize rain gardens, which collect rainwater in barrels or shallow basins that are part of the landscaping. And mainstream publications like Martha Stewart Living and Better Homes and Gardens have advocated cutting back on gasoline-powered lawnmowers and blowers in favor of greener machines like rechargeable or push mowers, which come in sleek new lightweight designs.
I’m really looking forward to what author, plant expert and University of Georgia professor Allan Armitage, Ph.D., will say when he presents The Heat Is On: Helping Green Industries and Gardeners Adapt in a Period of Transition. I wonder what new innovations and challenges urban horticulture specialist and award-winning author Felder Rushing will discus during Challenges Facing “Garden Variety” Gardeners and Pros Alike.
But most of all, I’m interested to see how Armitage, Rushing, and other industry leaders, including James Urban, Richard Bir, Kennon Williams, will help us turn today’s challenges into tomorrow’s opportunities.
Registration for the Gardening in an Era of Climate Change symposium opens in November.
Everyone knows that Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden is full of green plants, but did you know that Lewis Ginter is also always trying to think of new ways that it can be green to the environment? Recently, I’ve found out Lewis Ginter is doing alot of things to help the earth.
Did you know that we now have two new bike racks—one in the east parking lot and one in the west parking lot? Now, it is easier than ever for employees of Lewis Ginter and visitors to ride their bikes here.
What else are we doing that’s green? Well, we’ve got a whole list of things!
Did you know that unlike many gardens that heat their greenhouses, here at Lewis Ginter we heat the soil in our Conservatory because it uses less energy? Hot water circulates through rubber hoses that heat the soil so air temperatures can be held to moderate levels.
Plus, in February, as part of our 25th Anniversary Celebration, we are hosting an entire 3-day symposium on green gardening and sustainablity. Gardening in an Era of Climate Change: Is the Sky Really Falling? will feature nationally-renowned speakers on sustainable practices in gardening and how horticulture is being transformed by environmental, societal, and technological changes in the 21st century. The symposium will address the how the impact of individual and institutional choices affects sustainability and the environment.
Registration will open in November.
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Here are some of my other favorite things we are doing at the Garden to stay green:
Water Management Plan: The Garden recently had a water management plan designed for the purpose of developing and demonstrating best practices and sustainable strategies for water usage. Some good practices are already in place—the Garden collects rainwater from the roofs of its buildings and funnels it into an irrigation lake; the Children’s Garden uses rain barrels. Horticulture carefully monitors and controls water usage. Gardens are being designed with water usage in mind, for instance the new Rose Garden uses underground drip irrigation and includes a constructed wetland at its base for filtration. As part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, the Garden is poised to set an example and be an educational resource.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM): Already practiced in the Children’s Garden, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden is moving toward Integrated Pest Management or IPM. IPM is an effective, environmentally friendly approach to pest management that relies on a combination of commonsense practices. The goal of IPM is to see a reduction of pests to acceptable numbers with the least environmental impact.
Rose Garden: The new rose collection reflects some of the newest and most geneticallysuperior hybrids, bred for disease resistance, rebloom and fragrance. The majority of the cultivars are from nurseries in France, Italy, Germany and England, and most are new to the Virginia region. The selections have been carefully made with concern for environmental responsibility to minimize the need for chemicals to control disease and insects. The location of the Garden, on the hillside, should help in providing natural air movement, which will also aid in minimizing fungal diseases.
Children’s Garden: Staff and young visitor help grow herbs for use in the Café and Tea House. Fruits and vegetables are harvested for theCentral Virginia FoodBank.
The Children’s Garden also uses environmentally friendly materials that are long lasting and do not carry preservatives that would be harmful to children who come in contact with them. For example, the rampway to the Tree House is constructed of a WeatherBest, a recycled plastic product. The shingles on the Tree House are made of recycled rubberGardenFest of Lights: In 2007, staff began replacing incandescent lights with LED holiday lights that are slightly more expensive,yet pay for themselves in the first yearthrough electricity savings. For example, the electrical cost to light a holiday tree with LEDs is 13 to 17 cents per season compared to $6 to $10 for incandescent lights. Already, more than 25 percent of theGardenFest lights have been converted – totaling more than nine miles of LED strands in a 500,000-light display.
Meriwether Godsey (the Garden’s caterer): For group events, the Garden’s caterer has substituted reusable tumblers for disposable plastic cups and uses fully compostable hot cups and napkins made of 100% recycled material. Food containers are made of a corn-based product.
Garden Shop: “Green” merchandise includes Rich Earth and Eco Pots, reusable tote bags and helpful gardening resources. Watch for new arrivals as they become available.
Lora M. Robins Library: Environmental stewardship is covered by a bounty of resources, including books for children.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
In many cities, nearly a third of the volume hauled to the landfill is landscape refuse, such as lawn clippings, leaves, branches and wood chips. Homeowners who compost at home remove some burden off our landfills. The clippings are “free fertilizer”!
Identify bugs before you spray, squash or stomp – most bugs are good bugs, not pests.
Consider planting native trees and plants, especially ones with berries, fruits and flowers to invite birds, butterflies, and other wildlife into your yard.BEST WATERING TECHNIQUES
When you are watering, focus on trees and shrubs – especially newly planted ones. Newly planted trees and shrubs are vulnerable to extremes in heat and moisture and can be expensive to replace if roots are damaged by drought.
It’s good to water established lawns and shrubs about one inch per week, but you can cut that to one quarter of an inch per week during times of extreme drought. (Use a rain gauge to track how much water you are using.)
For newly established plants, water when the root systems are dry.
The best way to tell is to put your finger in the soil about two to three inches deep around the young roots – if the ground feels dry, it is time to water.
Be sure to also look around your yard for signs of stress. If you see wilted leaves or leaves turning yellow, pay attention to these plants. Azaleas, which are shallow-rooted plants, show signs of stress quickly and are a great “indicator” plant.
It is better to water deeply and less frequently. For instance watering once a week, allowing water to drip slowly into the root systems for three to four hours, is more helpful than frequent shallow waterings. Watering deeply helps establish deeper root systems. Be sure to monitor weekly.
The best time to water is early in the morning just before dawn. It’s important to get the soil thoroughly wet. The morning sun will dry off the foliage, which lessens conditions for fungal diseases. Watering in the morning is also good because evaporation loss is minimal – the humidity is higher and the winds are calmer.
The best way to water is to allow water to drip through the hose right into the root system. Gushing water is not good because it washes the soil away and the water often runs into other areas instead of soaking in around the plant’s roots. One easy tip is to build a dam of soil around the base of the newly established plant. The dam holds the water in around the plant, allowing it to seep into the root system.
Jonah Holland is public relations & marketing coordinator at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.
Comments (0)Want to learn more about gardening? If you have Tuesday and Thursday mornings free, here’s the perfect way to become an expert:
The Henrico County Extension Office is looking for gardeners interested in completeing the 2009 Master Gardener training program. The Master Gardener training program is an extensive class that teaches in aspects of horticulture in detail. Topics include lawn care, tree and shrub
maintenance, vegetable gardening, pest management and more and include classroom training as well as a 50-hour internship helping conduct educational programs.
The extension will accept applications through Monday, Nov. 17 and the classes will start Jan. 27th, 2009 and continue through March 26. Classes are 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday. The class costs $120 and will be held in the Henrico Human Services Building
demonstration kitchen, 8600 Dixon Powers Drive.
For more information contact Teddy Martin in the Extension Office, 501-5160.
Jonah Holland is public relations & marketing coordinator at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
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The Garden looked amazing at Rose Fest, but it looked even better with red-and-black-clad tango dancers enjoying it so much. The stone patio made for a perfect dance floor. What an amazing sight, those beautiful dancers with roses all around. The flowers had the most beautiful fragrance and the weather was perfect—just warm enough to enjoy rose gelato, which my 7-year-old gave the thumbs up to. What a great event.
Jonah Holland is public relations & marketing coordinator at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden is hosting the opening celebration for their new Rose Garden this weekend. Have you been to Lewis Ginter recently? We keep adding new things! Also showing during this time-frame is a special art exhibit “Paintings by Louise Cochrane” in Ginter Gallery 2 of the Education and Library Complex (runs September 5 – October 12). These floral paintings celebrate Rose Garden donor Louise Cochrane’s abiding interests in art and gardens.
Jonah Holland is public relations & marketing coordinator at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
The rose garden was finished earlier this spring, but it’s at its peak bloom right now, which is why we’ve chosen this weekend for the grand opening celebration. All sorts of things are planned, with “Feast for the Senses” as the theme. Ever tried Rose flavored ice cream? Now is your chance! Or, be a romantic, grab your sweety, and learn to tango in the Rose Garden.
OK, here are the details, Rose Fest activities are free with Garden admission and will include:
Sight: Enjoy informal tours of the Rose Garden featuring its more than 1,800 roses planted in a colorful scheme. A special display will offer a “photo opportunity” for guests.
Smell: Tables will be set up with rose blossoms in vases to allow “smellings”; fragrances can vary from lemony to musky to spicy.
Taste: Guests will be able to sample rose-flavored gelato (while supplies last). Gelato is a type of Italian ice cream; samples will be in 2 oz. servings and are from Deluca Gelato.
Sound: Saturday, noon - 3 p.m. Learn to tango in the Rose Garden. Tango demonstrations and lessons by The Dance Space.
Sunday, noon - 3 p.m. listen to a strolling classical guitarist in the Rose Garden.
And, join us for a Rose Sale on parking lot side of Garden Shop; all roses $12 (while supplies last); same varieties as in Rose Garden; rose experts offering advice on care.
Also on Saturday only, from Noon - 3 p.m. Join us for an outdoor lunch buffet available for purchase near the Rose Garden. $8 adults; $5 children under age 12. Brunswick stew, black bean chili, pork bbq, chicken tenders, slaw, corn chips, classic spinach salad, fresh fruit, apple cobbler, apple cider, lemonade, ice water.
Please welcome guest blogger, Phyllis Laslett, who is the adult education coordinator at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.
A little about Phyllis? The peaceful West Island Garden is her favorite part of Lewis Ginter, with the sarracenias (pitcher plants), shadbush, and iris offering wonderful color and variety. ....
Once upon a time in my life, I did want a colonial-style herb garden, but I got over that, along with a fondness for straight lines and boxwood. But, I’ve never gotten over book lust. Recently, an advance copy of the book Flowers and Herbs of Early America landed on my desk, and while normally I would give the title—and subject—a pass, the spectacular image of Nigella damascena (Love-in-a-Mist) on the cover convinced me to open it.
Lawrence Griffith, curator of plants for The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, researched contemporary colonial records for references of plants commonly grown in gardens, then he trialed (grew in measured plots, kept detailed notes and collected seed) as many of these plants as possible over several years. He discusses not only classical and European references to these plants, but also includes his own notes from having grown the plants over many seasons. He’s upfront in his observations on the growth habits and appearance of each plant, and entries are generously illustrated with Barbara Temple Lombardi’s exquisite photographs. Even his brief section on ‘also-rans’ is informative.
Griffith will speak Wednesday, October 8 at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden at noon on his research and his book; copies of the book will be available for sale. Pre-registration is required: the lecture includes a light lunch, and costs $18 for Garden members and $28 for non-members. The book is $50—and it’s worth it. As Garden Executive Director Frank Robinson notes “Not only is this a useful work for the garden historian, historic gardener, and cottage gardener, but it has great relevance to twenty-first-century gardening.”
What’s not to like about a book with gorgeous photographs and an author who tosses off lines like: “Though ungainly, coarse, and pedestrian, viper’s bugloss has its charm.”!
Visit Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden’s calendar for details.
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