What's New at Bridge Gardens: Autumn 2015

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Fall Happenings at Bridge Gardens

. . . a note from Rick

The summer traffic has slowed along Mitchell Lane and Bridge Gardens is in full bloom. Fall is a prolific season for plants of all kinds -- from the mixed border beds to the herb and vegetable gardens, to the grass gardens. All are at their peak. Here are a few things to look out for on your next visit . . . and don't forget, we have many Connections programs planned for Bridge Gardens through early December, click here for details:

On your arrival, in the parking area, you will be

greeted by clover (Lespedeza thunbergii 'Gibraltar') -- its weeping branches and magenta flowers are a bright spot right near the Bridge Gardens entrance. It's hard to believe this shrub-like perennial gets cut down to the ground at the end of every season.

One of your first stops should be up by the Community Garden beds at the top of the Outer Garden. New this year, the Community Gardens have been a great success. Still productive even in October, they have brought a sense of community to Bridge Gardens. Their gardeners visit regularly, work and socialize, and have made all of Bridge Gardens their own.

Nearby, notice the fountain grass and striking foliage of bluestar (Amsonia hubrichtii). Look for 'Sheffield Pink' chrysanthemum, now in bud, but soon to be a non-stop display of salmony pink blooms, beloved by bees, well into November.

You can't miss the tarped area behind the Community Gardens. While not beautiful today, it is planted with delectable raspberries donated by community gardener Rand Stoll and will be ready for snacking by visitors next year. Tarps were used as a non-toxic way to eliminate weeds before planting.

Down the hill, across the "full sun" demonstration turf plots, you'll see the Rose Garden at the peak of its fall display, bringing color and scents to fall breezes.
Standout roses are About Face, Pope John Paul II (heavenly scented!), Neptune, Iceberg, Wild Blue Yonder, Pomponella Fairy Tale and buttery yellow Julia Child.

There are also many fall blooms to enjoy in the Inner Garden. Look for sweet potatoes, okra and cotton flowers in the Vegetable and Herb Gardens and be surprised while checking out the many varieties of peppers we are growing this year.

Eat one of the abundant Shishitos, seeds and all. They are mild, not hot at all, and delicious when grilled simply with olive oil, salt and pepper.

An unexpected surprise this season was our new ever-bearing strawberry patch, which gave the catbirds a wealth of fruit in early summer and now are providing visitors with a few tasty morsels.

Speaking of the Herb Garden, make sure you visit the Textile and Dye bed, where you'll see cotton, Hopi red dye amaranth, purple fennel, dahlias and many other members of the daisy family, all used for centuries to dye cloth and all providing an outstanding fall display.

The Herb Garden's Ornamental bed is always alive with pollinating insects, especially attractive is the catmint which still buzzes with all kinds of bees and wasps months after it first started to bloom. Planted nearby are the beautiful and useful purple garden sage, an ornamental sage with tubular purple flowers often visited by hummingbirds and peppermint geranium with its furry, dew-catching scented leaves.

As you ascend the slope above the Herb Garden, stroll along the grass beds and notice the many varieties of grasses, shrubs and ground covers. The native winterberry 'Winter Gold' is a show-stopper and a favorite source of bird food when its berries are fully ripe, here accompanied by fountain grass and the towering purple moor grass 'Windspiel.'

And, last but not least, at the top of the Inner Garden, the annuals and perennials of the mixed border are teaming with fall flowers and brilliant color. You can't miss the amaranth, known as Love Lies Bleeding, mingling with the surprisingly hardy flowers of Peruvian lily 'Casa Blanca,' Salvia 'Mulberry Jam' and an ageratum we grew from seed. In the shady part of the border, look for the ivory yellow bells and boldly textured leaves of Kirengeshoma palmata.

I hope that you were able to spend time with us at Bridge Gardens this summer and that your fall schedule includes time on the East End. The changing moods and colors of fall are special and not to be missed. I look forward to seeing you!

Wishing you a bountiful fall season,

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Call for Volunteers

Your help is needed:
As the Autumn season progresses, work in the garden intensifies, as we ready the Herb
Garden, planting beds, shrubs and lawn for winter's chill.

If you have time to lend a hand in early October through November, please contact Kathy or me.

We'll be cutting back perennials, doing light pruning, raking areas of the lawn, and disposing of the resulting debris not destined for the compost pile.

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Donate Today to Support the Gardens!

Please consider Bridge Gardens as part of your annual giving this year.

We need help covering the costs involved in changes to the plantings along Mitchell Road, required by the Town of Southampton. If you enjoy your visits to Bridge Gardens, please consider making your donation today to help us cover the balance of these costs, and add Bridge Gardens to your annual giving every year.

For more information on how you can help, please contact Pam Greene at our Southampton office at 631.283.3195 or PGreene@PeconicLandTrust.org.

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On-Going Programs at the Gardens

Community Gardens: The harvest continues!

Our community gardeners couldn't be happier, as all 16 garden beds have had an abundance of vegetables, fruits, flowers, and herbs. Come see the success of their efforts, and consider joining us next year! Plots are limited in number but rich in soil and compost - space will surely fill up fast. To get information on 2016 community garden plots, email Thomas Hobson.

Reminder: Paul Wagner Offers Free Lawn and Landscape Advice every Wednesday at Bridge Gardens

from 2 to 5 pm.

For that extra bit of help, stop in to see Paul of Treewise Organics and Soil Foodweb NY who will help you identify the problem and offer professional advice at Bridge Gardens through October. Can't make it to the Garden on a Wednesday? You can also email him at:

LawnExpert@PeconicLandTrust.org.

Demonstration Lawns: Fall 2015 Update

Last fall, with the assistance Paul Wagner, Sean O'Neill

of Perfect Earth Project and Tamson Yeh of Cornell Cooperative Extension, we installed three demonstration areas for turf -- Full Sun, Part Sun, Shade -- which each featured four seed types and two types of fertilizer.

A Big Thank You to Paul!

This September, Paul almost single-handedly upgraded our turf demonstration plots, providing machinery, seed, compost, muscle and time. He aerated the plots and then overseeded with four different grass seeds: rye, tall fescue, fine fescue and Kentucky blue grass. Thank you to Paul for all he has given to Bridge Gardens!

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Bridge Gardens Notecards

Available for Your Gift-Giving Needs!

Last year, photographer Jeff Heatley spent time each month documenting the changing seasons at Bridge Gardens.

The entire portfolio of images from Jeff is on his website,

Art & Architecture Quarterly, starting with

April 2014 through January 2015.

We've taken 8 of Jeff's beautiful images from the season and created a gorgeous gift set of note cards. What a wonderful way to share Bridge Gardens with your friends and family!

The notecards, $12 for a set of 8 cards, are available on

our website or by calling 631.283.3195.

Fall Connections at the Gardens . . .

October 3: Behind the Bottle: A Reading and Signing with Eileen Duffy. 3:00 pm.

Please come to Bridge Gardens as we host Eileen Duffy, and enjoy stories about our local wine scene and the fabulous winemakers who make it possible! $10/person, free to Bridge Gardens members. Refreshments will be provided, and books will be available for purchase and signing. Reservations requested.

October 17: Bayscaping for the Health of Our Waterways with Sherryll Jones of Peconic Estuary Program.

10:00 am.

Wherever you live on Long Island, you're not far from the water. Please join us to learn landscape techniques designed to reduce pollutants, control runoff, and support our local waters. $10/person, free to Bridge Gardens members. Reservations requested.

October 24: Tree and Shrub Care at Summerhill Nursery, Amagansett with Tom Volk and Declan Blackmore. 10:00 am.

Your trees and shrubs take a beating over the winter, from ice, snow, salt spray and roadside plowing. Join us and learn the basics of tree and shrub care that will help minimize damage caused by winter's chill. $5/person, reservations requested.

October 24: Putting the Garden to Bed: What to Do Now with Rick Bogusch and the Horticultural Alliance of the Hamptons. 2:00 pm.

Plan to join us as Rick demonstrates fall gardening techniques that will ensure your garden is at its best at Springtime! From proper plant division, best time and technique to cut back perennials and shrubs, to preparing plants for winter's cold, you'll leave with information to apply at your garden. $5/person, free to Bridge Gardens or Horticultural Alliance of the Hamptons Members. Space is limited, call HAH to reserve at 631.537.0296 or email Patricia Wood.

November 14: Chocolate: A Workshop with Hampton Chocolate Factory and Rick Bogusch 3:00 pm.

Meet Caroline Gappelberg, Owner of Hampton Chocolate Factory, for a fun workshop about chocolate, including stories and history of it's rise in popularity, then get your hands "dirty" making and enjoying your own chocolate truffles with Rick! HCF chocolates available for purchase to benefit the Trust. $10/person, $5/Bridge Gardens members. Limited space, reservations required.

December 6: Annual Holiday Wreath Workshop with Diana Conklin of Everlastings by Diana. 2:00 pm.

Don't delay - reserve your spot today for this annual workshop that sells out fast. Decorate a plain evergreen wreath to bring home and display for family and friends to admire. $30/person, includes all materials and light refreshments. Limited space available, prepaid reservation required.

Visit our online calendar for details.

Autumn Watercolor Classes Continue!

Lois Bender continues her series of watercolor classes

-- for all skill levels --

Every Friday at Bridge Gardens, 12:00 - 3:00 pm

through November 27

$45/class, reservation required through Lois' website at www.GardenSpiritsNY.com

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Sponsors & Partners

A special thank you to Robert Boyle of

RB Irrigation for his Corporate Sponsorship

of Bridge Gardens this year!

And to Marders
, Mahoney Tree Farm and Summerhill Nursery for their support of Bridge Gardens with the donation of plant materials and landscaping services.

If you'd like to know more about becoming a sponsor

of the Gardens, please contact Kathy Kennedy at 631.283.3195 or KKennedy@PeconicLandTrust.org.

Lawn and Garden Advice

The Peconic Land Trust partners with the

Perfect Earth Project, Peconic Estuary Program, and

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County

to offer advice to homeowners on Sustainable Landscaping.

Visit our Lawn and Landscape advice section

on our website for more tips!

www.PeconicLandTrust.org/turf.html

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About Bridge Gardens and the Peconic land Trust

Bridge Gardens is a unique public and demonstration garden with a focus on sustainable practices in the heart of Bridgehampton, featuring an expansive herb garden, perennial and vegetable beds, an array of specimen trees and shrubs,

and much more. New in 2015: Community Gardens.

Managed by Rick Bogusch, Bridge Gardens is a stewardship project

of the Peconic Land Trust, which conserves Long Island's working farms,

natural lands and heritage. Bridge Gardens supports the Trust's mission

by serving as a multi-purpose, multi-disciplinary outdoor classroom,

demonstration garden and community resource.

For more information, visit our website at

www.PeconicLandTrust.org or call 631.283.3195.

Please help us further reduce our carbon footprint - If you change your address, or would like to receive all (or some) of your communications from the

Peconic Land Trust by email, let us know!

Contact Janet Schutt, Systems Manager, at 631.283.3195 ext. 24 or

email her at JSchutt@PeconicLandTrust.org.

Thank you for all you do in support of conservation in our communities!

Peconic Land Trust conserves Long Island's working farms, natural lands, and heritage for our communities now and in the future.

Financial Disclosure Statement: A copy of the last financial report filed with the New York State Attorney General may be obtained in writing to: New York State Attorney General's Charities Bureau, Attn: FOIL Officer, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271 or Peconic Land Trust, PO Box 1776, Southampton, NY 11969.