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Bonnie Blodgett Mike Nowak October 15 at TBAISD 10 am - 2 pm buy tickets |
email:
info@northwestmichigangarden.org
www.northwestmichigangarden.org
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 It Was a Remarkable Day! Thank you to all the participants and volunteers who made our Open House an overwhelming success. Over 1,000 people visited the Historic Barns Park and Garden on September 17th. We were encouraged and heartened by the outpouring of public support for the Botanic Garden project. People came all day long, lining up in droves to take golf cart tours of the park. Amazement and delight were in the air as people experienced the size and beauty of the Park. A big thank you to the members of Cherry Capital Rose Society who raised over $1,400 for the Botanic Garden with their plant and "garden art" sales. They worked all day at their tent sale and helping out as volunteers for the event. More than 80 other volunteers assisted in a wide range of jobs, including shuttle drivers, welcome table, docents and tour guides, set-up and take-down crews, security, technology, etc. etc. The retired teachers from Old Mission Elementary School ran childrens' events all day long. Kudos to all! At Saturday's Open House the Historic Barns Park and Garden was alive in the way it will be in the future . . . a sneak peek of coming attractions and an inspiration for all of us who are working so hard to make it a reality! An inspiring keynote address by Warren Byrd, Landscape Architect of the Park and the Garden, had folks buzzing about the future. Seminars and educational workshops were going on with hundreds of people attending and learning. Historic preservation of the Cathedral Barn was highlighted through tours and displays. The meadows with their sweeping vistas were enjoyed with hikes, picnics, and tours. Smiling children took part in nature crafts and lawn games. There was music and plants and laughter and learning and sheer enjoyment. And that is what public parks and gardens are all about. That is what WE are all about. Thank you, everyone, for helping to make this such a special day. There is a heightened awareness, excitement and commitment to Historic Barns Park and Botanic Garden because of you and because of this remarkable day. More Photos - and while your their "like" our facebook page.
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 Save the Date
Double Feature Garden Presentation with Bonnie Blodgett and Mike Nowak to Speak October 15, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Join us for a very special "double feature" presenting two outstanding garden speakers for a day of garden inspiration. Bonnie Blodgett, award-winning garden writer (The Garden Letter, Fine Gardening, Garden Design) and author of four books, including a guide to the best plants for Midwestern gardens, will present "In Appreciation of Stone." Her talk will focus on how she discovered (by accident) the special merits of gravel, limestone, bluestone, slate and brick pavers. She will explain how stone, cleverly placed, can make a boulevard strip look like a rock garden and how to cover a cement walk with bluestone flags in a cold climate. She will discuss how to choose plants that look fantastic in these settings.
 You'll also have the wonderful opportunity to laugh and learn with Mike Nowak, Chicago's radio voice of gardening and the environment. Mike is an award-winning columnist for Chicagoland Gardening Magazine and co-founded the Midwest Ecological Landscaping Association. He is also president of the Chicago Recycling Coalition. Mike will keep you laughing while also inspiring and informing. His topic will be "Good Planets are Hard to Find," showing new ways of looking at pests, pathogens and low-impact gardening solutions.
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Invasive Plants: Knotweed
 Insect pests have likely been on your mind most of summer. With cooler weather reducing insect populations, we shift the focus to another lesser known garden pest: invasive plants. Giant knotweed and Japanese knotweed (Polygonum sachalinense & P. cuspidatum), now banned by Michigan state law, were introduced as ornamentals in the early 1900's and are becoming a big problem throughout the state. Knotweed forms a dense thicket and can quickly shade out and out-compete other ornamentals in your garden, not to mention native vegetation along riverbanks, streams, and forest edges, which could potentially reduce songbird and fish populations. It is extremely difficult to control and cutting often increases its vigor. Have you seen this species along roadsides or in your yard? Its distinctive bamboo-like stalk can grow up to 12ft tall. In bloom right now, knotweed's creamy white flowers often give away this invader. A local effort to control knotweed is underway. The Grand Traverse Regional Invasive Species Network (ISN), coordinated by the Grand Traverse Conservation District, is a collaboration of organizations throughout the region to combat knotweed and other invasive species. If you see knotweed while out driving or if you have it in your yard, please report it to the Midwest Invasive Species Information Network, or contact the Grand Traverse Conservation District at 231.941.0960 to learn about control methods and potential cost sharing options for treatment.
Unfortunately, we often can't tell which non-native species will become invasive until after they become a problem, whether to neighbors or to natural areas. Please help us avoid future threats to the Grand Traverse region by avoiding the purchase of any of the invasive landscaping plants still commonly sold or of any newly introduced non-native plant, which could become tomorrow's next invasive threat. Learn more about invasive landscape plants and about the ISN by visiting Natureiscalling.org and clicking on "invasive species." |
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Garden Hero: Aztec Painting
Many thanks to Aztec Painting who volunteered their services and took The Grainery from bleak to spectacular in time for our open house. And thanks to Ken Richmond of Richmond Architects for donating the paint.
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