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This Month at Mass Hort | |
OCTOBER EVENTS LINE UP
Garden Tours: Tuesdays, 10am through October
The Gardens at Elm Bank are vibrant with color, and our weekly Tuesday tours at 10am will continue through October. Enjoy walking the property and get some good exercise too!
Fine Wine and Fine Chocolate: the Perfect Pairing
Wednesday, October 16, 7:00 pm-9:00 pm
 Taste for yourself why wine and chocolate are a match made in heaven! You will learn to use your 5 senses to taste chocolate, view truffle making demonstrations, learn how to pair these two superfoods and sample 5 specially created wine and chocolate pairings created by the award-winning team at Chocolate Therapy in Framingham and Dedham.
Register Now
114th Honorary Medals Dinner
Thursday, October 17th
7:00 pm-10:00 pm
Please join us for an evening of cocktails and dinner when we welcome our keynote speaker
William Cullina, Executive Director of the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens,
the 2013 George Robert White Medal of Honor Awardee
on Thursday, October 17, 2013
7:00 p.m.
Hunnewell Building
Carriage House
900 Washington Street
Wellesley, MA 02482
Click here to learn more and order tickets
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| Volunteers | |
Volunteer today! Mass Hort is looking for volunteers to help run programs, events, and join committees. Use your management, marketing, and people skills to help Mass Hort deliver its mission.
Learn more about volunteering at Mass Hort
Sign up today to volunteer! |
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Book Review
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America's Romance with the English Garden by Thomas J. Mickey (Ohio University Press: Athens, Ohio, 2013) The gardening season has barely ended when they arrive in the mail - seed and nursery catalogues touting tantalizing descriptions and images of new and improved plant varieties. Within every page lies a promise for the coming year of an improved and possibly perfect garden, enhanced by the latest wonders of the horticultural industry. If you are seduced by the photos of amazing plants in miraculous shades of transcendent color and mesmerized by the graceful prose and practical advice that the seed and nursery catalogues contain don't fret. They have been enticing American gardeners for more than a hundred years. In America's Romance with the English Garden, Thomas J. Mickey traces the evolution of the American garden style through the lens of the nursery and seed industries and the associated publications they developed, including catalogues, books and gardening magazines. Their profound influence on the American public had an impact on all levels of garden fashion, from the seeds and plants that were planted to the landscape designs that graced suburban homes. These designs, based upon the English Garden style, with its verdant lawns, artfully sited trees and shrubs and planting beds adorned with native and exotic species, the seed and nursery industry remain popular today. The book is divided into four thematic sections beginning with an overview of British influences on American horticultural practices, from the colonial period through the mid-nineteenth century. From the onset, Americans adopted British practices and lacking professional gardeners relied upon their European counterparts. British horticultural societies, parks, rural cemeteries, botanic gardens and publications provided additional models for American interpretation. What America lacked in gardening expertise was overcome by the entrepreneurship of the seed and nursery companies who, aided by advances in printing techniques, transportation and mass-marketing, transformed gardening from an act of utility to a social activity attractive to an emerging middle class. A well kept garden added value to the home and an aura of respectability. Everyone wanted one. America's Romance with the English Garden provides an insightful overview of an aspect of American garden history that is under-appreciated. Today, it is difficult to imagine the profound influence that the seed and nursery industry wielded in defining gardening tastes for mainstream culture. The companies, mostly family run, were intensely personal endeavors and the catalogues with their anecdotes, testimonials and stories were both literary masterpieces and practical guides. The book concludes with a chapter titled "Landscape Design According to the Catalogues" in which detailed landscape instructions and American home landscape examples, including those based upon the English precedent are explored. A more critical question posed by Mickey on the very last page concerns American's continued infatuation with the English Gardening style, an unsustainable model that continues to be promoted by the horticultural industry. At 230 pages in length, America's Romance with the English Garden is a thoughtful book with appeal for the gardener and historian alike. For those wishing to learn more there are extensive notations and a comprehensive bibliography. Generously illustrated, each chapter concludes with a bonus - a "featured plant" from Mickey's own garden chosen based upon its relationship to the chapter's contents and available to the home gardener. Patrice Todisco writes about parks, gardens and the public realm at www.landscapenotes.com. |
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Letter from the President
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Kathy Macdonald, President of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society
Photo by Andy Caulfield
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The gardening season is wrapping up and I would like to thank our hard working gardens and grounds team: Clark Bryan, David Fiske, and Charlie Harris, for all they do to make the Gardens at Elm Bank look great and welcoming for our members and guests.
A hearty thank you to our volunteer garden keepers: Betty Sanders and Susan Hammond in The Garden to Table Garden; Lisa Feldman and Kathi Gariepy in Weezies; Jeff Rozen in the Crocket Garden; Beth Gray-Nix in the Italianate; Suzanne Higham in Bressingham; Carolyn Mathews, Education Center Garden; and Stephen Shaw in the Hosta Garden; and the many, many hours of Master Gardener and other volunteers--thank you.
Mass Hort welcomes volunteers of all skills and interest in the gardens, in the office, and with planning and running events. Festival of Trees and its Gardeners Gift Boutique are in the planning stages now. Come join in and help if you would like to volunteer.
Now it's time to focus on planning for 2014 and Mass Hort at the Flower Show. As you may know, Mass Hort manages the amateur competitions of the Boston Flower & Garden Show. This year's theme is Romance in the Garden. The volunteer chairs of the 2014 amateur committees include: Joan Butler, Division I Floral Design; Jill Malcolm, Division II Floral Design; Beth Hume, Photography; Martha Clouse, Amateur Horticulture; Debi Hogan, Miniature Gardens; Joanne Caccavale, Ikebana; Suzanne Higham, Mass Hort Exhibit Garden; and staff member, April Daley, Children's Exhibit. We are looking for additional management help and volunteers during this important planning stage. Please give us a call if you want to join the fun!
I hope to see many of you at The Honorary Medals Dinner, October 17th. We have a wonderful group of people and institutions who have made horticulture and the love of plants, gardening and agriculture accessible to people of all backgrounds.
Thank you for being members, donors, volunteers, trustees, overseers, and friends of Mass Hort.
Warm regards,
Kathy
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Honorary Medals Dinner, Thursday, October 17th, Honors Twelve Distinguished Awardees
William Cullina, George Robet White Medal Winner and Keynote Speaker
On Thursday, October 17, 2013, at 7:00 p.m., the Massachusetts Horticultural Society will celebrate the achievements of outstanding gardeners, writers, volunteers and institutions at its annual Honorary Awards Dinner. In the Hunnewell Carriage House at Elm Bank, twelve honorees will be surrounded by friends and colleagues gathered to congratulate them and admire their beautiful medals.
The Gold Medal was designed in 1845 and for more than fifty years after that, the medals were presented to worthy recipients at various times throughout the year. Then, in 1901, they were awarded at a gala feast. And so, the tradition continues. The public is invited to enjoy a sumptuous meal and to be inspired by the stories of those who have achieved excellence in horticulture. | |
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William Cullina, Executive Director of the Coastal Maine Botanic Gardens |
THE GEORGE ROBERT WHITE MEDAL OF HONOR
William Cullina
Executive Director of the Coastal Maine Botanic Gardens
Keynote Speech: Gardening On the Edge of the Continent
Gardening in Coastal Maine has more than its share of challenges and opportunities. Close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean buffers the coast from the worst of winter cold, and as importantly, summer's heat. Still, winter is long and snow-cover unreliable. Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is trying out many, many perennial species and cultivars for suitability and adaptability. In this talk, William Cullina will detail some of the Gardens' triumphs, failures, and "too soon to tells" in an informative, humorous, and visually rich presentation about gardening on the edge of the Continent.
Mary Ann Streeter, The Thomas Roland Medal is an experienced horticulturalist and long-time volunteer, at many horticultural non-profits during her career.
This year's GOLD MEDAL winners are:
Allandale Farm is Boston 's last working farm located in the Boston/Brookline area. Mass Hort is honoring its general manager, John Lee, and owners: Martina Lee Albright, Edward Lawrence, Robert Lawrence, and James Lawrence.
Art Scarpa
Experienced grower of Cacti and Succulents, and long-time Mass Hort volunteer.
Garden Club of America
Celebrates its100 Year anniversary of working to promote a greater understanding of the importance of horticulture, environmental protection, and community improvement across the United States.
Stockbridge School of Agriculture
Members of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society helped to found the Massachusetts Agriculture College at Amherst. In 2013 the University of Massachusetts celebrates 150 years of agriculture education.
2013 SILVER MEDAL winners are:
Katherine Tracey and Avant Gardens
Now more than 25 years have passed since her career started and Katherine is nationally known as an accomplished plantswoman and horticultural lecturer, as well as a garden writer, photographer and landscape designer.
Avant Gardens has earned a distinctive reputation not only as an exciting micro nursery with an ever evolving plant list, but as an innovative garden design build firm.
David Epstein
Local meteorologist, writer, and gardener, David's web site offers both weather and gardening wisdom to help both new and advanced gardeners.
Please join us for a wonderful evening! Please RSVP by Sunday, October 13th
114th Honorary Medals Dinner
Thursday, October 17, 2013, 7:00 p.m.
Hunnewell Building, Carriage House
900 Washington Street
Wellesley, MA 02482
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Massachusetts Horticultural Society's beautiful gardens grace the Cover of Fine Gardening Magazine!
Weezie's Children's Garden, designed by Julie Moir Messervy, is featured on the cover of Fine Gardening Magazine. 
On the back cover, an image from the Bressingham Garden, designed by Adrian Bloom.
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Little White Lies
By Neil Sanders
Leaflet Contributor
Do you want to hear someone tell a whopper? Just ask any gardener how much time they spend maintaining their garden. You can be absolutely certain that the answer they give - no matter how large or small the number - will be understated. The actual time may be ten percent longer or twice as much as they tell you, but it will never be less than what they say.
Gardeners tell these fibs for three reasons. First, they may genuinely think that gardening takes less than, say, five hours a week. That's because the gardener is thinking about March or November when chores are light. Or, they may be averaging in the winter months when, at least in New Engla
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nd, the only gardening is indoors.
The second reason is that gardeners aren't looking for pity, brownie points, or convoluted looks when the honest answer is, "Oh, twenty hours a week in season, five or six at the beginning and the tag end." The gardeners I know are proud of their work and they don't want to be seen as having some form of mental illness for devoting so much time to making things look really good.
The third reason - and the one that causes me to write this - is that gardeners forget about the 'big push' activities that come at the beginning and end of the season.
The list above is not contrived. It has been posted to our refrigerator door since September 21. On that date, Betty and I did a walk through the property and she called out things that need to be done as we get toward the end of the season (there will be a separate, longer season-end list after we've had a hard frost). I was the scribe and, because my handwriting is barely legible under the best of cases, I typed up her notes after the walk.
New England gardens at the end of September show their age. Most annuals are shot, as are perennials like hosta and daylilies. There are also plants we put up with during the growing season - such as allowing milkweed to run rampant in places - that now look like poor gardening practices now that the birds, bees and butterflies that fed on them have decamped for warmer climates. Performing an end-of-September cleanup greatly improves the look of the garden and extends its season by several weeks.
The list consists of both things that can be done in a few minutes ('cut hosta flowers in white garden') and tasks that are backbreaking ('turn 5-bin composter'). There are chores that can be done in pieces, such as taking apart those leggy containers, and ones that are best done in one fell swoop, like cutting down daylilies.
Some of the chores are Trojan Horses. I cut the dozen or so branches that overhung our forest pansy redbud (cercis canadendis) and a Rose of Sharon (hibiscus syriacus). But taking down those tree limbs brought to light a similar number of 'problem' branches that were heretofore hidden and must now be dealt with separately. And, allowing those two cultivars to get adequate light started me thinking about the fate of the shrubs in out Long Island bed that are starting to 'lean out' because the copse of trees behind the bed is also sending out intruding branches.
And, some chores only seem simple. Our 'butterfly bed' had both bee balm (monarda) and black-eyed susans (rudbeckia) to be cut down. But the monarda is prone to diseases. It must all be taken out at once and clippers cleaned with bleach afterward to prevent the spread of the powdery mildew that affects it. Only when the monarda was cut and bagged could the balance of that bed be worked on.
I am hardly doing this alone; Betty is dividing hostas and moving grasses. She'll also take on the 'skilled' work on the list like pruning back a prized chamaecyparis 'Snow'. But it is the undergardener's job (i.e. mine) to plow into the stands of daylilies and get rid of their now-yellowing foliage, and to turn those composter bins.
So, all in all, how long will it take to complete this list? I don't know, probably half a day.
Neal's next mystery, No Good Deed, will be published in October. You can learn more about it here . That book, plus his six other mysteries, can be ordered through Amazon.com.
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Massachusetts Horticultural Society Participates in Marathon Daffodils Grassroots Project
Marathon Daffodils is a grassroots project to plant 100,000 daffodils along the Boston Marathon Route, from Hopkinton to Boston. Marathon Daffodils is a collaborative project to strengthen our community by bringing beauty to where there was unfathomable loss, mayhem and sadness.
Mass Hort is helping to organanize Natick and Wellesley. For information on the project, please visit: What does 10,000 daffodil bulbs look like! The entire bed of our dump truck! |
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October Horticultural Hints
by Betty Sanders
BettyOnGardening.com
It has been a very dry September for most of eastern Massachusetts. Trees and shrubs need to store water in their branches and roots during the autumn to make it through the winter when they cannot access the water in the frozen ground. So, pull out the soaker hoses and give them a couple of drenching - unless it starts raining next week. Perennials, once they have gone dormant, do not need additional water.
Never rake a new lawn! If you planted a new lawn this fall, the roots are still very small and not very strong. Raking the lawn will pull up the grass with the leaves. But if leaves are left there, they could smother the new grass. So just mow it. The chopped-up leaves will decompose over the winter adding nutrients to the soil to feed your grass. Old lawns also benefit from mowing rather than raking.
If you absolutely must remove the leaves, mow them into a grass catcher.  The chopped leaves make an excellent winter covering for garden beds and especially around newly planted trees and shrubs.
How long should you continue to mow? Keep mowing all lawns until the ground begins to freeze, probably later November based on recent years.
Cleanup time. Vegetables, flowers and, shrubs all need a thorough clean-up now. Remove all old foliage. Bag any diseased or insect-infested material and send it to the dump. Taking these actions now allows your plants to get a fresh start next spring, without the risk of infection from this year's problems. 'Clean' foliage should go into your compost bin or to your town's compost center.
Containers need to be taken apart, cleaned and stored for the winter. The  exceptions are containers that can withstand freezing weather - usually metal, wood and certain plastic and foam containers. Once cleaned, winter-hardy containers can be replanted for fall and winter color with small evergreens, ornamental kale, colorful grasses and perennials such as Heuchera. Remember that containers will need to be watered even into the winter because the soil in the pot will dry out on sunny days.
In the vegetable garden. Some vegetables will survive light to moderate frosts. Lettuce and spinach can tolerate a light frost. Members of the cabbage family such as kale and Brussels sprouts taste sweeter after expose to frost. Root crops including parsnips, salsify and even carrots and turnips can be left in the ground for later harvests.
If you have a cold frame, lettuce, spinach, beets, kale and other cold-tolerant vegetables can be grown into the winter. Cold frame can consist of nothing more than a well secured tent of clear plastic or a fancy unit with heat sensors that automatically raise the lid when the sun or warm days make it too hot inside. Either way, it makes a special meal when some of your Christmas dinner can be picked fresh that morning.
Spring Bulbs now! If you haven't purchased your bulbs yet, get to gardens centers while the selection is still good and supply plentiful. Plant tulips now, and daffodils at the end of the month when the soil is cooler. If you have a problem with deer or rabbits eating your bulbs, keep in mind that hyacinths, like daffodils, have an irritating sap that convinces most browsers that one bite is more than enough.
Plant small bulbs - chinodoxia, crocus, grape hyacinths and others - in clusters along sidewalks or driveways where they can appreciated up close. Some of the small bulbs such as galanthus (snowdrops) and scilla (squill) will naturalize in grassy areas providing a colorful early spring. Larger bulbs make a wonderful start to many beds where they bloom before the perennial flowers come up and deciduous shrubs leaf out. Their yellowing foliage will later be hidden under the new foliage of the perennials.
Last call for houseplants. It has been cold outside and your houseplants are not happy. Clean them up, repot (if they have outgrown their old container over the summer) and check for any uninvited occupants. It is also a good time to prune them back into shape if they have been growing too vigorously, or to divide them and share with friends.
Remember houseplants will be unhappy as they adjust to the lower light and dryer conditions of your home. While they need water, be careful not to overwater them, and hold off on fertilizer until they no longer are dropping leaves.
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Look for more gardening tips at BettyOnGardening.com.
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Massachusetts Horticultural Society celebrated its Fifteenth Anniversary at Elm Bank, September 22nd
Jeanne Leszczynski, Chair of Mass Hort's Board of Trustees, and Kevin Whalen, Deputy Director, DCC cut the cake!
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State Legislators and DCR Deputy Commissioner joined Massachusetts Horticultural Society on September 22 to celebrate Mass Hort's Fifteenth Anniversary of establishing its gardens and horticultural center at Elm Bank. Pictured left to right, Senator Michael Rush and his daughter Ciara, Representative Alice Peisch, Representative Denise Garlick, Jeanne Leszczynski, Chair of Mass Hort Board of Trustees, Kevin Whalen, Deputy Director of DCR, and Katherine Macdonald, President of Massachusetts Horticultural Society. The community event included children's activities, cake and ice cream for all, an art show by the Wellesley Society of Artists, and an afternoon reception sponsored by the First Republic Bank of Wellesley.
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Thank You for Supporting the Garden to Table Program
 | Photo courtesy of Jen Owen
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Our Downton Abbey-inspired Garden Party was a great success. With your help, we raised more than $20,000 for the Garden to Table program. Guests arrived dressed in their best Downton-era attire, ready to enjoy a splendid end of summer celebration featuring antique cars, a vintage fashion exhibit, an official cricket match, croquet games, garden tours, tea on the green, classical music, delicious food and cocktails, and a best costume contest. We are so thankful to all the volunteers, staff, sponsors, performers, and community at large who helped create such a special day. The funds raised will help the Garden to Table program to continue to flourish -- and expand the gardens beyond Elm Bank Reservation. In addition to providing organic produce to the Natick and Wellesley Food Pantries, we're excited to announce our new partnership with the Tufts University Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging. We built an organic garden in their sun-filled lobby, with the vegetables from the garden being donated to the Greater Boston Food Bank. In the coming weeks, we're also hosting many fun programs, including a Fine Wine & Chocolate tasting with Chocolate Therapy and a Talk & Taste Cooking series with Whole Foods in Cambridge. To learn about upcoming Garden to Table events and/or volunteer opportunities, please visit www.masshort.org or contact Lisa Kamer at lkamer@masshort.org or 617-933-4900 x4943. |
Notes from the Vegetable Garden
Susan Hammond
 | | Lunchbox Peppers, Tomatoberry and Indigo Rose tomatoes, and Flower Sprouts fresh from the garden. |
September has brought more beautiful harvests in the Garden to Table garden, such as this day's pickings from our "new and unusual" bed. September looked like it might bring an early frost, but despite a few close calls we haven't gotten to that magic 32 degrees yet, so the garden is still producing many of our favorite summer crops including tomatoes and summer squash. We use many different growing techniques in this garden, and some of them are a bit uncommon. For instance, did you know that blue painter's tape can be a big help in a vegetable garden? This year we have been under heavy attack by squash bugs, which hide on the underside of squash leaves and lay eggs there. Sometime it can be difficult to get the small bugs or eggs off without causing damage to the plant. Blue tape to the rescue! A piece of tape can be lightly pressed onto the bugs or eggs and will lift off of the leaf cleanly; then it can be folded over and tossed into the trash. We've also been sabotaged by our own success this year. We grew our kale plants under a large, custom-made netting to exclude cabbage moths, which eat large holes in the leaves. Our netting was fitted with zippers to make it easy to harvest twice a week for the food pantries we serve. But our kale has grown so well this year that it's over 4 feet tall and actually ripped through the netting. The weather is the biggest factor in determining when we will wind the garden down for the season, but right now we hope to go into mid-October. Please stop by and visit the garden on Monday and Thursday mornings (except holidays) to see what's growing now. |
Volunteer Spotlight: Susan Hammond
 | | Susan Hammond (far left) gives tours of the vegetable garden during the Downton Abbey-themed event on Sept. 15. Photo courtesy of J.W. Owen Photography |
Susan is a natural to occupy our spotlight this month because the results of her work can be seen in so many outreach efforts of the Society. And they can be heard! The hammering of her structures for this past year's flower show echoed throughout the Education Building. The Leaflet editor had some questions for her. How long have you been volunteering at Mass Hort? What was you first project and what inspired you to become involved? Just two years - I was a student in the Master Gardener class in the Fall of 2011. My first work session at MHS was on September 30, 2011, where I helped with fall clean-up in the vegetable garden. What volunteer responsibility have you concentrated on during the past year? This year I've been the co-keeper of the Garden to Table Vegetable garden with Betty Sanders. For the last few months I've been the primary hands-on person in the garden, but this garden is really a team effort and we've spent lots of time educating new volunteers about vegetable gardening. What are your other interests outside of Mass Hort? I'm a volunteer ski patroller at Blue Hills, and am also an American Heart Association certified CPR instructor. And I love to cook and preserve food. At this time of year I always have a dehydrator running or a batch of pickles going on the stove, while I am studying for the upcoming ski season and writing an article about the vegetable garden - all at the same time! Will you be volunteering through the winter? On what projects? Well, the vegetable garden is really a year-round commitment; the planning never stops, and even in the winter you need to check on how the cover crops are doing or if there are other issues up in the garden. Some of the crops we plant have to be started quite early in a greenhouse, so I coordinate with David on that. Winter is also a good time to catch up on some of the record keeping, we have up to three spreadsheets and several text documents to help us keep up with the vegetable garden. I also volunteer for setup and teardown at the flower show, since I'm equally happy to work with plants or power tools. How do you see your present volunteer job (in the vegetable garden) continuing or changing? Next year I expect to be the primary person in charge of the garden instead of splitting the responsibilities, as Betty is planning to step back to an advisory role. I hope to be able to continue to educate other volunteers in this garden, so that there will be other people who know and love this garden as much as I do! |
Limited Edition Guy Wolff Massachusetts Horticultural Society Pot and Amaryllis for the Holidays
This beautiful pot and amaryllis is offered only to Massachusetts Horticultural Society members. White Flower Farm, Guy Wolff, and Massachusetts Horticultural Society have teamed up to develop this unique gift. To order, please visit: http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/86496-product.html |
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