Studiology

Family Days

November turned out to be a great month. A visit to Florida for a sistas vacation turned out to be extraordinary, the weather was gorgeous with an excursion every day to some wonderful sanctuary, bay, or restaurant. We flew into the Tampa airport, where a giant flamingo decorates an interior alcove, and I knew I had to find it even if it meant walking the entire airport. 

My youngest sister has moved to Florida from Virginia, so our time was booked with all sorts of adventures. I will admit to my first time in a kayak, and I could not ask for a better place to be on my maiden voyage. 

Two excursions were to visit the manatees. Since the waters were still warm, they were spread out, but we spotted 10 or so in various locations. 

To end the month, I had plans to finally have my entire family visit for Thanksgiving in our new home. The theme was a pie Thanksgiving, which turned out better than I could have imagined. We had Sheperd's pie (with ground turkey), chicken pot pie (s), quiche (s), and plenty of dessert pies including my favorite, sweet potato and pecan. 

Yep! Pass the pie.

I hope yours was good too.

 

 

Sweet March

With just a week to go before April, March was not bad, mostly sweet on the pulse of weather, no blizzards or severe freezes (at least here in central Virginia).

My new gardens have now reached their one-year anniversary and the daily garden review requires regular walks to see what's coming up. Poking and prodding are part and parcel of March. Thank goodness we think, winter is done. 

Last March was my first visit to the Virginia Daffodil Show at Lewis Ginter Gardens where many notes were taken, orders placed. Any daffodils that were rescued from my old nursery site went to my daughter's house, so this new space was completely void of any sort of bulb.  That was remedied with photographs and notes from the show and a few fall deliveries. 

As the Daffodil Show was scheduled for March of this year, my oldest granddaughter decided to compete with a few stems of those that had been transplanted, she brought a total of 3 and did her homework. In the bustle of labeling, she was expecting to exhibit in the youth division, she was placed in the adult category, which can only mean stiff competition. We were told that it was a good year (dates and weather), and over 1800 stems were entered for judging. There were 2 large rooms full of cut daffodils, it was incredible!

We all arrived for the show to learn that she placed second in her division with another Honorable Mention. The second place was for Daffodil 'Lemon Glow' (my favorite) and honorable with D. 'Delnashaugh', a fragrant double pink and white bloom. She was the day's daffodil rock star with no previous experience!

and her entry looking back at her

Of course, more notes and photographs were taken. There was interest in the orange petal with orange trumpet (like last year), but also the dwarf varieties that fit into nooks and crannies of March but also clean-up well. Here follow some of our favorites, just scroll over the photograph to reveal the name:

This little 'Itsy Bitsy Splitsy' is a seedling of the above - 'Equation'

It's been decided that we will both compete next year and a first for me to try my hand at daffodils on the competition stage. And it takes a few since the date might mean early or late daffodils, depending on the season. Hopefully it will be another sweet March.

Over the Hump

Now that we have reached the winter solstice or most northern zenith for the sun, we can count on another minute of sunlight a day. It will be 182 days before we reach the summer solstice, the longest day of the year and a lovely day at that. For now, and today the sun will shine a bit longer, despite the fact that it is officially winter, and there will be a couple of months before we feel like spring is coming. It's hard to believe but I have moved to this new house and location nearly a year ago. Some days it feels like much less, and vice versa. The location of my move has proven beneficial as I've landed within a few blocks in every direction of some lovely woman my age and we have come together for walks and books (we started our own book club only 5 months ago). Everyone should have such a lovely group of people to hang with, I feel truly blessed.

I miss many things from my old home, a few of which have surprised me more than I expected. The winter flower arranging at Merrifield Garden Center and my companions there are one. It's taken me a long time to find a decent substitute for quality fresh flowers, but that changed last week with this lovely selection of cut flowers from Hedge Fine Blooms .

My farm walks are another thing I miss more than I can describe. Birdie the rescue dog came along before the move and at 8 years of age was full of energy and loved our long, long walks. She is10 now, a bit slower and happy to sleep for long periods.

I considered the first year at this new location a trial of sorts for my vegetable garden. With the help of compost, literally tons of compost moved from the farm, the vegetable garden was excellent. We just finished with the tomato crop of 2023 with huevos rancheros for breakfast only 2 weeks ago. The Christmas pie will be sweet potato pie from the garden and spinach and lettuce are under protective cover, some ready to harvest.

There were also daffodils to plant this fall, including some of those adorable little miniatures. The front meadow will be native plants and this last fall I spread liatris bulbs and lots of seed. That will take a few years to come together which doesn't stop me from checking every day!

As I look back on 2023 and the crazy upheaval that it brought, I can only think positively. I would like to wish you all Happy Holidays, Happy Solstice, and warm family gatherings. 

 

Captain Quinn

Focus has shifted for this 9 year old to nautical things, mostly disasters of the past, namely the Titanic and the Edmund Fitzgerald. This became the theme for his 9th birthday party, where his mom designed a party with sinking ships and maritime themed fare. 

The punch was a sea blue with floating icebergs, cups were filled with blue jello and chocolate twinkies were cut and placed in a froth of whipped cream to resemble a sinking Titanic. 

Props were set out to encourage dress-up, like the grand parties of the Titanic. Of course, the girls were all over it!

All managed to survive the party of sinking ships, humming the tune by Gordon Lightfoot and wondering about the "Gitchee Gumee". One 9 year old can recite just about every detail as to how and why thy sank, if you care to sit a spell and listen. 

Look at how this boy has grown!

Seems like just yesterday when we celebrated his first birthday!

 

 

 

 

A Waffle Party

My oldest granddaughter just turned 12 and decided that a great theme would be waffles. Waffle sandwiches, waffle sundaes, even a waffle relay with multiple toppings. She wore a waffle hat and reigned over 4 waffle makers to act as master waffle chef. It was briliant!

The relay was a race between 2 teams to put all of the toppings on oversized cardboard waffles.

Chuckles all around for her fathers t-shirt.

And Birdie was camped out, waiting for morsels.

Who knew waffles could be so much fun!

 

May and Memorial Day

The busiest time of year for the gardener may be May! And so it went here with marathon plantings and the beginnings of my first harvest in a new garden. Seeds sown on March 2nd were of various cool crops, now almost 3 months to the day, the harvest is tremendous. Only 2 are still growing and may or may not work; cabbage and broccoli aren't ready yet, and so goes my experiment with what might need a low tunnel and earlier sowing next year. 

Salads rule the day and I especially like the nasturtium petals in the mix with just a little bite, but not as strong as the foliage with its strong and spicy mustard taste. The sweet peas rarely make it into the house, note to self - sow more. Collard greens are also something I want to add to my garden for next year, after making collard greens and loving them. 

The meadow planting is filled with about 250 plugs of native plants, the last were planted this past week. All seem to be taking a hold well and there will be plenty of photographs. The bed is on the moist side, so some of my choices were filipendula (Queen of the Prairie), veronicastrum (Culver's Root), monarda (Bee Balm), asclepias (Butterfly Weed), Lobelia cardinalis (Cardinal Flower), and eutochrium (Joe Pye Weed). 

Other small beds are full of perennials that were moved from Aldie, plus a few new ones that will function as pollinator gardens with a mix for cut flowers. I was quick to add Scabiosa 'Fama' for cutting, maybe the most beautiful flower in the world! Even the buds are gorgeous!

Here's just a smattering of others, a real mix of ornament, vegetable, and wildflower;

This was also the month for my granddaughters 6th birthday. As one of her grandmothers, also known as "light haired grandma", it is such a joy to see her more often, we live only an hour away now. My brilliant daughter held another perfect party, I was just lazy with the photographs. To record the day I offer this single photograph as she blew out her candles, and you can see that she is growing into a beautiful little girl with lots of poise (although some days we say "spunk").

Lastly I held another "Sista's Weekend" which was a blast! The house is perfect for these gatherings as I now have enough bedrooms and bathrooms for everyone to have their own. Of course we stayed up late and laughed like crazy. The husband spent the nights in the cabin, the perfect man cave, so all went very well. The youngest sister took the photograph, so she isn't in it, but indeed she was here. 

So May was the month of family, gardens, and fun. There was still time for some art and that will be covered very soon since I have to deliver the new pieces shortly. 

Lastly, I want to remember those that have died, loved ones we knew this Memorial Day Weekend in serving the country. I lost a cousin in Vietnam and my son just found out that another Marine who served with him just committed suicide (the second that he served with). Embrace your family, enjoy your weekend, but take a moment to remember those we have lost.

Spring Anticipation

On March the second I sowed row after row of cool season vegetable seeds. Cabbage, lettuce, carrots, kohlrabi, turnips, lettuce, parsley and beets went directly in the ground, with sugar snap peas and nasturtium inside. There were nights that dipped into the mid-20's, so I fretted. I made it a habit of checking 3 times a day, a number that I felt wasn't too watchful, like the expression "a watched pot never boils". I managed to drift that way more often as seeds began to emerge, 5 became my limit (and that's far from the truth). It took a full 3 weeks for the carrots to sprout, lettuce was up in 3 days, the parsley is still nowhere to be seen, but aside from that tiny green rows are evident from close proximity. The sweet peas have joined them with nasturtiums going in next week. My seed inventory is pretty large, some also very old, but I shuffle through them to remember what I have. It's amazing how much can be grown from seed at such little expense. 

If only that could also be said for the plant orders that have started to trickle in. I've gone mad! Even tho I dug and moved things from my old garden before last year's move, I was worried about moving the dreaded mulberry weed with me. A very keen eye is on the lookout for that nasty weed, which won't be tolerated. The beginnings of a shade garden are underway, and scattered, perimeter spots are dedicated to naturalizing bulbs. Eight fruit trees and shrubs are in the ground with some more fruiting trees on their way. The meadow is waiting for the perennial plugs to arrive, and the sunny flower garden (for cutting and pollinators) hasn't been sited yet, decisions, decisions! Plans are to bring in a 12 x 12 greenhouse, and everything hinges on that.

 

A trip to Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens with my daughter and grandchildren was for the daffodil show. We had fun picking favorites and the most fragrant varieties. Since there is nary a daffodil to be had on this property, and I literally had thousands that had naturalized on the farm at home, I am missing them. My favorite was a variety named "Tom Terrific', and I'm still a big fan of orange perianths. 

Some others of note follow:

The grandchildren know the gardens well, and it's always fun to join them there, especially since I am so much closer now.

I prattle on and on about the plants, and hopefully some of it is sinking in. I want them to be gardeners. 

I have also inherited the hand collection, it's a third-generation hand me down (ha, ha!) Eighteen boxes of hands are here to unpack. Some are exquisite! This small vase was pulled out and filled with small, early flowers:

Aside from the spring anticipation is also the art shows and themes that accompany that. Updates are coming, all for the month of April. Between plant shipments, and planting, April will be a marathon!

 

The Deep Dive

Final arrangements have been made to sell the house and the last 15 acres. The deadline is Thanksgiving, which is 15 days away. Out of necessity I have become an obsessive duster, box seeker, and semi-long-distance driver. We are doing all of the moving ourselves, and I'm not sure why. I think we are 40% in, which means a whole lot is about to happen to finalize this daily insanity. 

In order to move on I have to make a decision about every piece of paper, every photograph, any old packed boxes, whatever is in the attic, under the bed, in the garden, and lastly in my husband's garage (which is like overload paralysis). The emotional part is something that anyone that has moved is familiar with, there are many heart string tugs. A very large part of the "letting go" is from Windy Hill Plant Farm. Knowing how difficult that would be has meant ignoring the entire process as long as possible. There were 2 large "love" boxes, filled with letters from customers, garden club members, Master Gardeners, and happy clients from small design projects. Then there are the catalogs that I refused to let go, and all of the plant farm journals letting me know when to sow what seed, take which cuttings, dates for plugs to arrive, etc... and etc....

In the end I made a bonfire of catalogs, read every letter in the 2 boxes, and became invigorated again on how wonderful but over taxing it was to create and run a nursery. There were some delightful photographs in a few cards. I could see myself age over the years, in the company of thousands and thousands of plants. This photograph was taken at a rock garden society meeting at Green Spring Gardens. I think it's 1987, and I'm standing next to Bill Glowa and Harold Epstein (far right). Mr. Epstein was the preeminent expert on epimediums and a highly respected horticulturalist. Mr. Glowa is a mystery to me, and maybe some of you can help me with his background? Dr. Albert Paulson, the dwarf conifer man, took the photograph and sent me many handwritten letters of encouragement.

Ten years later I have his photograph, taken prior to a lecture with only a date stamp on the back. 

The plant farm was a very small endeavor in the beginning. Spread out around this little house, at its high point there were 2 small greenhouses, one unheated. Perennials were still a priority.

Not too long after our move to Route 50, the nursery was photographed from a plane. The first cold frame was up after clearing of trees and the back field was ready to receive chrysanthemum plugs, and pumpkin seed. There was no heated place to work, although I did use a propane tank to help with winter snow loads. Eventually we added 1 growing house, 1 retail greenhouse and a large shade growing area.

The smaller rows beyond the cold frame were seedling daylilies from Margo Reed's first hybrid crosses. We put hundreds of her hybrids in the ground and I learned a great deal about daylily pluses and minuses in a very short time.

Moving forward I have started on my mini meadow in Scottsville, which will contain native plants. A layer of paper is covered with a small layer of compost. Plugs, bareroot, and small plants will go in but I've been waiting for rain (it's unbelievably dry). 

The paper acts as a weed barrier, blocking out light from any seeds I don't want. If I could burn the whole area, much of the invasives would be killed and the paper barrier might not be needed. I have big intentions for this new space and it's a lot to get excited about. But first there's the final move and forgive me if there is silence for awhile, there are some car parts to deal with.

 

 

The Adventure

With intention and persistence, a plan can come together and so it came and went, almost a week with my sisters at my new house. The plan; before the clutter becomes too much, before the husband is moved in, before the dust settles too thick, before a garden is planted and needs watered, organize time to meet. We ate out, slept in, and spent quality time together. My daughter brought the grandchildren, a couple of which one sister had never met. 

The rustic cabin is our guest house, game room, and bar. There will be a mini meadow out front, which I will start planting next week. A natural slope makes it wet to moist, so it will be a mix of natives that thrive on that. 

The house is near Monticello, so a visit to the house and gardens was required. I knew that Thomas Jefferson loved to garden, but it was still amazing to see so many annuals and tender perennials. 

My favorite section was the sweeping vegetable garden. Plots of chicory, cotton, broom corn, and alternate crops made it super interesting. I was surprised at how much ricinus or castor bean I saw. Even when I sold the plant at the nursery, it scared me to think that people may not know how highly toxic every part of the plant is. Granted it's beautiful, especially this selection known as Ricinus 'Carmencita', but there were no warning signs. A friend was harvesting seed from this selection and held onto the seed pods for longer than she should have (not wearing gloves) and ended up salivating for two days. 

Maybe I should have mentioned it to Thomas, who made a guest appearance. 

The house I'm moving from is very, very small. There is only one bathroom and no living room. To move into this new house is exciting because I have a nice living room, basement, front porch, and back deck and three bathrooms. The living room is almost finished, just missing the art work on the walls, which will probably be last. But it feels good, and Birdie loves it.

On the south side of Charlottsville, the address is Scottsville, a town known for its location at the big bend in the James River. A bridge spans the river and is as popular as the many small shops in town. Kayaks regularly launch into the river here, home of the James River Reeling and Rafting. Naturally we had to make a day of it, although the kayak season was over. 

And so ended a few days of exploration and relaxation. Now back to the monumental task of moving. One day it will be done.

Excellent

Sometimes, after a lot of preparation, things come together. While I am in the thick of reorganizing and moving, the overwhelm is a constant, so any progress in that direction is excellent. Today was one of those days that was just that and more. A meeting with the Aldie Horticultural Society at Oak Hill was a real highlight, not just seeing the gardens, but meeting old friends. We talked horticulture, something I hadn't missed until I was in the thick of it again. 

There was also the matter of giving away furniture, lovely teak pieces that needed a loving home. Also accomplished today, something that has been many days, possibly months, in the making. How do we manage to gather so many things in our lives? 

And last week, in an emergency situation, I had a tooth pulled. A big one, a molar, which did not make for an excellent day. While I'm in the doctor's chair, I notice that he likes photography. Knowing that one of my next chores was to give away some large, framed prints, I asked if he might like them for his office. He is opening a new office and was excited at the prospect, so those were also dropped off today to a very grateful tooth puller. Now a person may not think highly of a visit to get a tooth pulled, but the pain involved in keeping that tooth is far worse, so I was happy to make him happy.

There has also been the making of art to jury into a gallery in Charlottsville. Since it's been many, many years since I've had to jury into a gallery, I was a bit undecided as to how this was going to go. The good news; I'm in! So the beginning of another adventure, something you will hear a lot about. I submitted these as new works and took a few things to Art A La Carte in Occoquan, where I will be keeping a space. 

When fall arrives I always think of masks, so I have 3 finished, and I may keep going. More to come on that topic. 

And lastly, the thing that makes me super happy was just a little thing. As many of you know, I am usually driving my little Volkswagon GTI, a hatchback that works perfectly for loading lots of stuff - plants, tools, framed prints, etc..... I passed another, almost identical to mine on Route 15 and the driver flashed me a peace sign. Without hesitation, I flashed him one back, all in a split second. I know this is of little to no consequence to most of you, but ever since I've been driving this car, I've wanted to reach out to other GTI drivers. I see 1 or 2 in my travels on a regular basis (really not that many). As it turns out, it is expected (google GTI drivers and peace sign), so I will delightfully be peace signing away, just another reason I love my car!

So an excellent day indeed. Next week is party week for me and sisters at the house in Charlottsville. Just a little sista time before the final thrust to really get stuff done. There are enough beds and places to sit, I just have to bring more forks.