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Quakers and GardeningQuakers have always had an extraordinary connection with nature, dating back to George Fox, the first Quaker, who was considered a naturalist, often promoting the study of nature to youth. In 1675, Fox suggested that a school be founded in England where the nature of herbs, roots, plants and trees would be taught. Credited with bringing the idea of the botanical garden to America, Fox bequeathed sixteen acres of land to the Quaker Meeting in Philadelphia, some of which was devoted to gardening. William Penn also planned to use a grant of land from Charles II to develop Philadelphia into a "city of horticultural beauty," creating five city parks placed on public squares. In addition, he emphasized the importance of building houses surrounded by gardens. The first Quaker designated as a botanist was Thomas Lawson (1630-1691), who, influenced by Fox's naturalist message, recorded between 400 and 500 species of plants in his travels for Friends in England. However,hen Tom Hart got ready to replace some aged yews in front of his Glenview home this fall, he knew he wanted to start with some ever- green shrubs. They would provide year-round structure in a bed that, come next spring, also will get a lot of perennials and give the front yard a more cur-rent look. Tired of the ordinary evergreen varieties sold everywhere, Hart drove a little more than 30 miles to a semi-rural spot that Chicago plant connoisseurs have come to know as the garden-conifer capital of Illinois, if not the Midwest. At Rich's Foxwillow Pines, 6 acres in Woodstock that house an enormous variety of evergreen trees and shrubs, Hart found the key to making a distinctive statement with garden conifers; one-on-one time with the proprietor and conifer lover Rich Eyre. Eyre laid a garden hose out in the dirt to stand in for the bed Hart had back home. He asked the horticulturist's standard questions about sun, soil, and sizes, then started hauling plants from all GardeningBy Ted Teppo, 10-year Georgetown resident When I first moved to Georgetown it was spring. My love of old homes prompted me to explore, and I began to notice the gardens, some overf lowing onto sidewalks, and some partially hidden from the street. I began to meet other neighbors at community meetings. Never good with names, I would connect them mentally with their gardens. "Oh, you're in the house with the purple wist eria," or " You have that beautiful rose next to the house." I was the with the camel-lias in the yard, and not much else. I never really considered myself a gardener, as I wasn't too enthusiastic about digging, or making the huge time commitment needed to have a beautiful garden. I met other "gardeners," and was invited to be part of the annual Georgetown Arts and Garden Tour.Twin Cities Boulevard GardeningNothing makes a walk down the street more pleasant than the color, texture, and fragrance of a beautiful garden. More and more Twin Cities residents are pulling their back yard gardens to the front. "Up front" gardening is becoming popular as people realize they can get great sun, more space, and the chance to share their gardens with the neighborhood. Boulevards, the area between the curb and the street, are a perfect spot for a garden. However, gardening on the boulevard is also more challenging. In particular, gardeners need to keep plants low enough so they don't block people's ability to see at intersections. Boulevard gardeners need to be aware of two things. Second, gardeners are responsible to know and follow the ordinances that pertain to boulevard planting in their city. Every spring, annual gardeners need to select and plant a whole new garden.178 Gardening.pmTherapeutic benefits of gardening are numerous at all ages, however, balance, strength, and agility often diminish as we age (Relf, 1982). With the increased likelihood of arthritis and rheumatism, gardening can become quite painful. Digging and repeat-motion activities can aggravate physical problems, causing many gardeners to quit what should be a healthy activity. For many older adults, gardening is an activity that can assist in maintaining health. Beyond being relaxing and healthy, gardening can be therapeutic in treating physical, emotional, cognitive, and social changes in the lives of seniors. Many modifications in gardening prac-tices and tools exist to aid older adults who may have physical limitations. - Gardening in raised beds filled with easily worked soil can allow older gardeners to continue gardening activi-ties. - Gardeners should wear lightweight, loose fitting clothes during the heat of summer.Home Gardening Workshop Brochure.pubFor information contact: Metzler Horticulture Educator Penn State Cooperative Extension (724) 548-3447 Penn State encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please call Metzler at 724-548-3447 in advance of your participation or visit. This publication is available in alternate media upon request. The Pennsylvania State University is commit-ted to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to programs, facilities, admission, and employment without regard to personal characteristics not related to ability, perform-ance, or qualifications as determined by Uni-versity policy or by state or federal authorities. Q and A with Master Gardeners and the Horticulture Educator Find out more at the Home Gardening Workshop. Home Gardening Master Gardeners 2005 SPRING GARDENING2ndWW Gardening Risk AssesmentRisk Assessment for Second World War Gardening at the Imperial War Museum Duxford. Hazards: 1. Visitors tripping over bags in the area. 2. Piercing by fork or spade. 3. Strain by lifting or digging. 4. Injury to fingers in lawn-mower. 5. Impact by mower handle. 2. Experienced adult gardeners will be supervising the activity and children will work in small groups.Gardening tipsGrow Chemical-Free: Believe or not about 90 percent of the insects in your lawn and garden are not harmful. Many insect species actually prey on garden pests and by using too many pesticides, these beneficial insects are also killed. Rather than using pesticides, which also contribute to water pollution, try using the following predators f or y our garden pest problems: L a d y b u gs : Pa rt i c u la r ly g o od a t controlling aphid populations, they can also be used for problems with whiteflies, spider mites, mealy bugs and other soft-bodied insects. Green lacewings: While also the natural predator of aphids and whiteflies, green lacewings additionally feast on small worms and insect eggs. Decolate snails and toads: Both these species prey on pest garden snails and slugs which eat our garden plants. Further more, be careful n ot to over-fertilize your garden. If you would like additional information about chemical-free gardening, log-onIntensive Vegetable GardeningIntensive Vegetable Gardening Intensive planting techniques are those intended to maximize yields of a given planting area over the growing season. Besides increasing production, intensive gardening can save time, space, energy, fertilizer and water. Intensive techniques can solve drainage problems, enable use of inhospitable sites, minimize soil compaction, eliminate the need for power equipment and expand the length of the grow-ing season. Intensive growing techniques also transfer well to raised beds or containers adapted to disabled gardeners. Planning Careful planning is essential for successful intensive gardening, which relies on high yield practices such as wide-row planting, staggered planting, succession planting, interplanting and growing upward. Pay careful attention to crop rotation, since any given area will produce two or three crops in a single grow-ing season. Because early damage may not be noticed as quickly in dense plantings, intensive gardeners shouldMaster Gardener Program is a volunteer educational program designed to meet the horticultural needs of the citizens of Ohio. Its purpose is to train volunteers and utilize their expertise to teach people more about plants, their culture, their importance to the environ-ment and to our quality of life. Master Gar-dener volunteers provide technical assistance to their county Extension office in order that consumer horticulture activities and programs can be more effectively and efficiently carried out. Master Gardener trainees receive formal training from their county Extension office covering a wide range of pertinent horticultural topics. To become a Master Gardener, the trainee must complete the train-ing program and volunteer a specified number of hours to Extension. OSU Extension embraces human diversity and is committed to ensuring that all educational programs conducted by Ohio State University Extension are available to clientele Wildlife Gardening WebsitesWildlife Gardening Websites http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/wildbritain/wildinyourgarden/gardens/ http://www.english-nature.org.uk/Nature_In_The_Garden/ (includes a guide in PDF format - follow the link at the bottom of the page) http://www.english-nature.org.uk/pubs/publication/PDF/Wildlifegardening2 http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/index.php?section=about:publications:free (includes a guide in PDF format - follow the link at the bottom of the page) http://www.overthegardengate.net/wildlife/ http://www.wildlife-gardening.co.uk/gettingstarted.htm http://www.rspb.org.uk/gardens/guide/habitats/index.asp (read about different wildlife garden habitats and how to create them by clicking the links)Gardening Crossword by Eddie James http://website.lineone.net/~eddiexword/garden.html (gardening theme with a mixture of straight and easyish cryptic clues) Across 6 A winter flowerer, which, we hear, has green-brown hue (10) 8/24 Engaged girl's popular summer bedder (4,6) 10 This weed can irritate the unwary gardener! (6) 11 Down-to-earth propagation technique? (8) 12 AA Travel can supply shrub with hollyhock-like flowers (8) 15 One sign of a worm and the French build a fortification! (6) 16 Half-hardy annual held by Jane, me, Sian (7) 17 White powdery coating of fungi, harmful to plants (7) 19 Hilda a variety of this showy perennial! (6) 21 Collection of stony figures in a formal garden (8) 22 Tool for the pushy sort of weeder? (5,3) 24 See 8 26 Small island hidden by arabis leaves (4) 27 Like leaves of e.g. Euonymus fortunei 'Silver Queen' (10) Down"Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders." Gardening is one of the most popular leisure time activities. With many different types and degrees of gardening activity, there is something for every interest and ability level. Whether you prefer indoor or outdoor, large or small scale, there are some common considerations when getting started: Increases Concentration Your local botanical garden, Cooperative Extension Program, Master Gardener, or community college may have general gardening classes to help you get started. If you need adapted gardening tools , first locate your local garden center. Many manufactures sell light weight tools with extended handles and enlarged grips to make gardening easier for individuals with different abilities. This is a volunteer position responsible for supporting the Land Stewardship Department by planting and maintaining the vegetation around the Visitor Center. The principles of ecological gardening will be used to create mini habitats of indigenous plants so visitors can see examples of plant communities that they may encounter when they walk on the land. Volunteers will become acquainted with following: Visitor Center landscape design; basic plant identification and community composition; techniques for transplanting, planting, seed collection and propagation; weeding and weed suppression; and watering. Learn to identify plants, transplant vegetation, and collect and propagate seeds. Assist with formulating the annual planting plan. Help prepare the garden sites. Desire to work on the land. Interest in plants and gardening. Ability to perform physical work.Container Vegetable GardeningMany vegetables can be grown successfully in containers. People who live in apartments or condominiums can grow vegetables in containers on a balcony, windowsill, or doorstep. Those with a poor site for a garden--one that is too shady or drains poorly--would probably be more successful by switching to container gardening. A container vegetable garden can provide enjoyment as well as fresh vegetables. In order for the garden to be produc-tive, a well-drained growing medium, adequate water and fertilizer, and plenty of sunlight are essential. Containers Select a container large enough to hold the plants and accommodate their root systems. Soilless potting mixes are best for container vegetable gardening. One advantage of container gardening is mobility. | |
