RCGC Symposium Set for March 3, 2007

Rosemary Alexander and Tim Boebel are the featured speakers at the Rochester Civic Garden Center's Spring Symposium, March 3. All of the details are here. The RCGC always does a very nice job with these events, so if you're on the fence, we recommend you go and check it out. It's always inspiring. Of special note to area gardeners: Boebel has some radical ideas about hydrangeas, getting them through the winter and making them bloom. It's exciting because he's still experimenting, testing theories and modifying techniques.

Joan Hildebrand Leaves RLTP

Paul Mastrodonato, President of the board, Rochester Landscape Technicians Program, announced in an e-mail last week that executive director Joan (Brandenburg) Hildebrand has vacated her post. I believe she is still working for the public market, handling their PR.

RLTP expects to name an new ED by the end of March.

ETTG wishes the very best to Joan!

Garden Walk Buffalo - The Book & DVD

The team that produces Buffalo's GardenWalk has come out with an illustrative book & DVD on the topic.

This large-format, soft-cover volume runs 120 pages and aims to capture the best of Garden Walk Buffalo with photographs of its 260-plus gardens and interviews with the gardeners responsible.

Frederick Law Olmsted's Delaware Park, community gardens, a list of selected plants grown in Western New York (zone 5), a history of Garden Walk Buffalo and its impact on local urban gardens and how it helps rejuvenate city streets, and even a brief bit on how to start your own garden walk are also addressed.

The DVD, making it all the more real, features an interactive map.

More from the publishers:

The book was photographed by Don Zinteck, of Photographics 2; written by Elizabeth Licata, editor of Buffalo Spree magazine; and designed by Jim Charlier, of JCharlier Communication design. The DVD was produced by Cheryl Jackson and Brian Milbrand. The book and DVD are published by Buffalo Heritage, Inc., the publisher, under the name of Canisius College Press, that published the coffee table book Classic Buffalo.

Garden Walk Buffalo is of the largest garden tours in the U.S. More than 260 private Buffalo gardens open to the public the last week of July each year. Participants in the Walk see some of Buffalo’s most beautiful and creative urban gardens. Garden Walk has become one of Western New York’s most anticipated summer events. Garden Walk Buffalo has also been a major force in neighborhood revitalization, encouraging residents to combat urban blight through grassroots beautification.

The book is $30 and the DVD $10 (plus tax and shipping/handling). Both can be ordered at: www.buffaloheritage.com

For more information on Garden Walk Buffalo, visit
www.gardenwalkbuffalo.com

Herbly Wonderful Makes it Big

Congratulations to Tracy Gaus and Herbly Wonderful. For the first year, the Batavia company has made the Today's Garden Center 100 Revolutionary Garden Centers List. Very cool.

What is Up with Extension and MCC?

We ran out of space in the magazine, so I have a lot to post here at ETTG. I'll do that as soon as I've put out some more of my little smoldering fires here. In the meantime, if anyone is reading this and wants to comment, what do you think is going on with the Monroe County Cornell Cooperative Extension and MCC?

Most people I have talked to about this are perplexed, to say the least. I have not seen a lot of coverage in the D&C (I haven't checked City) and I'm not sure whether or not it's an appropriate column topic for me. I have to discuss this with my editor.

In the meantime, I really want to hear what you, the gardener, thinks about what has gone on.

Here is some background, in case you need it:
Dec 14, 2006: Farm agency loses $175,000; new MCC institute to get funding instead

Dec 16, 2006:

Cornell's King goes to MCC;
County redirects funds to college's new agriculture program

January 13, 2007: Golden Pen: Agricultural Funds are wasted at MCC

January 16, 2007:

New ag center wants to help growth; Education, advocacy will be dual focus

If you follow the links to these pieces, you may find "story chat" areas following a couple of them. I've found the comments posted there to be interesting.

Rochester Resident Featured in National Magazine

Congratulations to Rochester's Mary Coupe! Her garden in spring is featured in the current issue of Garden Ideas & Outdoor Living. Mary has put a lot of effort into overcoming the difficulties caused by clay soil. Now, forget-me-nots and tulips get all the attention.

Working on it

Maria and I are working on getting the Directory out. I just realized I made a scheduling error that puts it a week later than last year...sorry. This crazy weather has made it harder for us to locate our customers, as well. Half the folks who are usually glued to their desks this time of year are out installing landscapes! Good for them. There sure isn't any plowing to be done.