Spring at Bridge Gardens

. . . a note from Rick

Spring is a time of renewal at the gardens . . . while the winter was mild, the early days of Spring have been a bit chilly, and on more than one night we've had to cover the early vegetable crops that have already gone into the soil in the demonstration vegetable beds. In March, we planted peas, arugula, kale, spinach, broccoli rabe, mustards and cilantro, and we've had some nice overwintering greens in the cold frames -- spinach and kale. These overwintered veggies have been harvested for the East End Explorers -- a local group who visit the gardens regularly.

Other plantings for the Spring included Corylopsis spicata or spiky winter hazel which blooms with Tete-a-tet daffodil and Siberian squill. Nothing says Spring like daffodils -- we have many varieties with a blooming season that starts in March and extends into May. Right now is peak daffodil season. If you visit soon, besides Tete-a-tete, you'll be able to check out Bravoure, Las Vegas, Jack Snipe, Suzy, Thalia and many more. Including Leucojum aestivum, also know as summer snowflake.

The flower often begins blooming now in April but continues for at least a month. Beautiful and perennial, the summer snowflakes have been at Bridge Gardens for 5 years and bloomed profusely every year.

Stay tuned: Our next "big" event in the gardens will be poppies and foxglove in late May/early June!

The Community Gardeners Are Back

On April 9, we welcomed back our community gardeners -- now 20 individuals and families will be growing with us this year. A special thank you to Denise Markut, the Trust's North Fork Stewardship Manager, who is working with me on this exciting program. Denise brings many years of experience as a home gardener and organic farmer -- as well as her work in establishing the Trust's community gardens at the Agricultural Center at Charnews Farm: now in its 7th year! We have many returning gardeners and a few new ones too, and I can't wait to see what they grow.

We also hosted our annual Getting Your Vegetable Garden Started workshop on April 9 -- if you weren't able to join us, here are a few tips for your own backyard garden:

Rotate your crops in the beds year to year to reduce disease problems
if you want to test your soil, Cornell Cooperative Extension is a resource available to you: http://ccesuffolk.org/agricult.../horticulture-diagnostic-labs
what is good to plant now: peas, spinach, mustard, kale, arugula, broccoli rabe -- it's also a good time to start broccoli and cauliflower if you are growing from seed
speaking of seed: it's the best way to start all your veggies if you have the time.

Long Island Grown: Thank You!

Special thanks to all the speakers and guests who attended the Long Island Grown series this year -- we had 13 speakers joining our moderator Laura Donnelly in March and April -- farmers, food artisans, winemakers, a brewer and local chefs . . . You can check out Laura Donnelly's column in last week's East Hampton Star on the series and the great food and conversations! We hope you can join us next year.

The Lawn Expert Is In

And come for a visit soon -- for a little free advice. Paul Wagner has returned as our "Lawn Expert" on Wednesdays from 2 to 5 pm. Stop in to the garden to see Paul and get your lawn questions answered -- for FREE.

New this Year: Tasting & a Tour

We have many programs planned for the late Spring, Summer and Fall, including a new series we are calling:
Fridays at Four: Tasting and Tour,

where we will be partnering with local winemakers, brewers and more for a series of tours of the garden accompanied by a local beverage. It's a great way to start the weekend. Our first tour is on Friday, June 24 with Channing Daughters

See below for details.

And on May 6 we will once again be celebrating National Public Gardens Day! We are partnering with our neighboring public gardens -- LongHouse Reserve and Madoo Conservancy -- on a day of free tours. The guided tours are SOLD OUT, but call for the waiting list at 631.283.3195. You can also stop by any of the gardens between 10 am and 4 pm to tour the gardens on your own. Free admission to the gardens all day long.

I look forward to seeing you this Spring, and look forward to beautiful May flowers and delicious vegetables!

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April Showers Bring May Flowers!

This is the perfect time to become a member of the gardens!

Membership to Bridge Gardens is a great way to show your support of all the gardens have to offer: the diverse plantings, the educational programming on horticulture and sustainable landscaping, healthy cooking, and music and art programming throughout the year. Members receive discounted fees for programming, and free admission to our popular Music at Six evenings in July and August.

Join Today and we look forward to seeing you this season . . .

Please make a commitment to support Bridge Gardens today. . . consider making a Donation to help the gardens grow!

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 each 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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Bridge Gardens Notecards

Available for Your Gift-Giving Needs All Year Long!

Throughout 2014, 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.

Upcoming Programs at Bridge Gardens

Visit our online calendar for details.

Friday, May 6: National Public Gardens Day
Saturday: May 14: Steps to a Toxin Free Garden and Landscape with Rick Bogusch, Sean O'Neill of Perfect Earth Project and Paul Wagner of Greener Pastures Organic, 10:00 am
Saturday, June 11: What's a Buffer Garden and Why Should I Care? with Tamson Yeh of Cornell Cooperative Extension, 10:00 am
Friday, June 24: Fridays at Four Tasting and Tour featuring Channing Daughters Winery of Bridgehampton, 4:00 pm

Spring Watercolor Classes Continue!

Lois Bender continues her series of watercolor classes

-- for all skill levels --

individual projects welcome

Saturdays at Bridge Gardens, 12:00 - 3:00 pm

through June.

$50/class, reservation required through Lois' website at www.GardenSpiritsNY.com

Special: Pop Up Art Show and Sale featuring Lois' and her students' work!

Join us over the Memorial Day weekend to view the works produced at Bridge Gardens . . . with the chance to purchase and support the students in their artistic development. Saturday and Sunday, May 28-29 from 11 am to 5 pm. Refreshments will be served. A portion of all sales will be donated to the Peconic Land Trust in support of our conservation mission.

Thank you for your support:

Long Island Grown at Bridge Gardens

Thanks again to everyone who participated in this year's Long Island Grown series! Our wonderful and eloquent panelists were Vaughan Cutillo of Montauk Brewing Co., Michael Kontokosta of Kontokosta Winery, Chef Noah Schwartz of Noah's, Nadia Ernestus of Hamptons Brine, Mirijana Ujkic of Wild Feast Foods, Chef Kevin Penner, Patty Gentry of Early Girl Farm, Richie King of North Sea Farms, Chef Joseph Realmuto of Nick & Toni's, Ed Tuccio of North Quarter Farm, Michael Krummenacker of Duck Walk Vineyard, Patricia DiVello of Patty's Berries and Bunches, and Tom Wickham of Wickham's Fruit Farm.

Very special thanks go to our videographer Geoffrey Wells, who produced last year's video on the Long Island Grown series. He is busily putting together the 2016 recap . . . and is out visiting many of the speakers at their farms, wineries, breweries, and kitchens. If you haven't seen it yet, watch now the video essay of the 2015 series produced by Geoffrey here . . .

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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, Summerhill Nursery and Jackson Dodds 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 practices.

Also, we welcome back

Paul Wagner, of Greener Pastures Organics

for his Free Advice Wednesdays, now through October!

Stop by the Gardens on Wednesday from 2-5 pm to meet Paul

and get answers to your lawn care questions.

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 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,

community garden plots, and much more.

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.