Help Wanted - Nursery Manager

Established nursery/garden center in a busy and affluent eastern suburb of Rochester seeks an experienced manager for the coming season.

Primary duties will involve buying, maintaining and selling annuals, perennials and a limited number of shrubs. In the near future the nursery will also expand into growing its own material, plus landscape design and installation.

This is a rare opportunity to build your own dream job from the ground up.

Please send résumé and cover letter to jane at janemilliman dot com.

We're in Spree!

OK, so it's not so much "we," it's more "Maria." She was seen out at the Buffalo Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame Awards last month, and her picture—and a line identifying her association with the UGJ—is on page 157 of the new issue. Hey, any way we can get our name in print, we like.

Today's Column...

Thought I'd post some pictures to go along with today's column in the D&C.


Lo & Behold Blue Chip, courtesy Spring Meadow Nurseries

Lantana Luscious Citrus Blend, in my garden

Diamond Frost euphorbia, with poinsettia, courtesy Proven Winners

Mt. Hope in October - wow.

Saturday I visited Mt. Hope Cemetery in Rochester to take pictures for
a story Michelle Buckstrup is working on for a future issue. (Here she
is, above, interviewing Ed Olinger.)

It was actually pretty tough to get good images, as beautiful as it
was, because the shadows were just a little harsh.

If you're looking for great fall foliage, this is the spot.

Chautauqua Country Trip a Big Success

IMG_0297.JPG, originally uploaded by Jane Milliman.

I can't believe I haven't posted to the blog in over two weeks. I didn't realize it had been that long. Well, we've been busy here at the UGJ. Our trip through Chautauqua County was awesome. The trip SOLD OUT and everyone seemed to have a great time despite somewhat cramped quarters! We'll definitely be doing this again—something slightly different for next year, perhaps. If you are interested in seeing the pictures, click here.

Late Breaking Events - The Wild Ones CNY

Submitted by the Habitat Gardening Club of Central New York (www.hgcny.org), the CNY chapter of Wild-Ones (http://www.for-wild.org/aboutsit.html).

Meetings are at 2 pm at the LeMoyne College Falcone Library in the Special Activities room on the following dates and include invited speakers on habitat garden-related topics.

Meetings are free and open to the public!

DATE:Sunday, October 26
TOPIC: Rain gardens and rain barrels
SPEAKER: Amy Samuels from Cornell Cooperative Extension

DATE: Sunday, November 30
TOPIC: Native Plant Jeopardy (a fun way of educating ourselves on CNY native plants)

Submitted by the Habitat Gardening Club of Central New York (www.hgcny.org), the CNY chapter of Wild-Ones (http://www.for-wild.org/aboutsit.html).

Chautauqua Trip is in 2 Weeks

We have just a few seats left on our bus tour of Chautauqua County (leaving from Buffalo) on 9/27/08. It's going to be a great trip—Maria and I visited every stop this spring while planning the tour and we fell in love with the whole area. If you are interested in joining us, please click here for more information.

Have Your Party in a Castle

Here's Warner Castle, home of the Rochester Civic Garden Center. Did you know you can rent out the castle for (adult) parties? You can! Not only is the building gorgeous, the grounds are spectacular—Warner Castle is in Highland Park, right next to the sunken garden. (To rent the sunken garden, i.e. for wedding pictures, you have to go through County Parks: 585/753-7275.) By renting the castle, you get a great venue, and the RCGC, a not-for-profit organization, makes a little money. Everyone wins. 585/473-5130.

Containers for Fall

My photographs will not do them justice, but I was inspired by containers at almost all of my stops last week, and Van Putte's particularly stood out. I loved the textures and color schemes, and when I got home, I realized that several of my backyard containers were similarly styled and looking fine, whereas my big "splashy" container in the front was a little on the side of lame-o. So I switched them. Looks like a whole new front porch, and the ones now in the back can get some TLC 'til frost. Now I'm wondering, why not do this every year?

Below, two of the Van Putte displays. Note mellow colors and mixed-in perennials.

New Apple Tree Gift Shop Open

As I reported here, there's a new garden-themed gift shop, the Potting Shed, open behind the Apple Tree restaurant on Ridge Road in Clarkson. I stopped in recently and met Raquel Torres, one of the store's founders and a decorative artist. She's also a Boston Terrier lover. I liked her right away. 

There are some pretty extensive gardens on the property, but they've gotten a little out of control. Where there's been excavation, new borders and paths are appearing—it's really very cool. Raquel mentioned that if there were a nearby garden club or other group that was interested in helping unearth the pretty garden that lies under a few years' weeds, there might be a way to work a trade...say, for lunch. As I mentioned earlier, I've eaten at the Apple Tree, often, and if I were a local garden club, I would be jumping at this chance. Leave a note here or call 585/637-0220 if you are interested.

Two Upstate Gardeners in National Magazine

Pick up the latest issue of Garden Ideas & Outdoor Living—it's on newsstands now and features Jerry Kral's city garden, with gorgeous photographs by Andreas Trauttmansdorff, and Emily Webster's wonderful dried arrangements. Emily lives in Victor and is well-known for her hydrangeas; her garden was on the RCGC tour last year. I wrote the story on Jerry and worked the shoot, and it was really cold. You can't see the snow in the photographs because Jerry was furiously leaf-blowing the flakes as we set up the shots.

In the story, Kral shares his tips on landscaping smart and creating texture. If you've been to Jerry's garden, you know he's a genius and you'll want to hear what he has to say. If you haven't, here's your introduction. There's scuttlebutt that another national magazine, which shall go unnamed, is shooting there this fall for a story next year.

If you have a local story idea, let me know.

Garden Ideas and Outdoor Living is available on newsstands for $6.99.

Attn Bonsai Lovers

Well! Here's an interesting image. Sometimes my phone does this...it chops pictures up and makes them look like weird little puzzles. But the post did have a point! There's a new place in Avon only open on weekends: Hollow Creek on Rte. 5. I was very surprised by the extensive bonsai gear, especially the container selection. The building doesn't look big enough to house all that. Lots of neat stuff on this round of deliveries -- I'll try to put more up.

Today's Column...

Until I started doing the research for today's column, I had no idea that blueberry cultivation was as complex as it is. I grew up in Maine, in an area where wild lowbush blueberries grow pretty much everywhere. I learned a lot from the Cornell Guide to Growing Fruit at Home, which you can download yourself, in its entirety or by the chapter, in PDF form, here.

Here's a fun fact I didn't have room for: cranberries and blueberries are both members of the genus Vaccinium, but cranberries belong to the subgenus Oxycoccus, which some experts would like to be its own genus. With botanical classification, there's a lot of confusion, contention, and change. Wikipedia has fairly concise treatment of the taxonomy here.

Off Again

I was going to print this in the magazine, but I didn't want to be a downer. That fabulous autumn event in East Aurora, the Fall Garden Faire, will not be happening this year. I understand why -- it must have been a ton of work; there was always so much going on. [sniff]

On a positive note, Lockwood's Greenhouses in Hamburg, where Sally Cunningham now works (she was among the original organizers of the Faire), is hosting what they are refering to as a more modest Fall Garden Fest on 9/20. Looks like fun. Stop by. We'll be there.

Today's Column...

Just wanted to give you some links for today's column:

Old House Gardens
Colorblends
John Scheepers

I hated leaving out Brent & Becky's Bulbs, too. I've never met Becky, but Brent's been to Rochester before and he's a really sweet, wonderful guy in addition to being a bulb genius. Check out their site.

An Announcement from the Plantasia Show:

Business Opportunity
Vendors wanted to sell garden merchandise, i.e.: plants, flowers, statuary, gardening books & tools, pots, bird feeders. Plantasia, WNY’s only landscape/garden show, March 25 - March 29 at the Agri-Center. Contact 716-741-8047.

BudBud the Destroyer

Behold the adorable Redbud. Cute, right? Oh, he's cute alright, until he mercilessly tramples your garden! Here is a picture of what used to be a lovely stand of Solomon's seal backed by what used to be a clump of Acanthus mollis that was just having its first strong year of bloom—after 7 seasons in the ground here at 3200 East Ave. Argh!


IMG_8180.JPG, originally uploaded by Jane Milliman.

Shooting for Garden Ideas and Outdoor Living...

... a Meredith publication, at Betsy Knapp's place in Rochester, today and yesterday, with Andreas Trauttmansdorff. Big Fun! Watch for the story in about a year.

Here's Betsy getting ready to demonstrate how she plants up a trough.



And here's a neat thing - the Japanese painted ferns in her garden just sort of appear anywhere. Very cool.

This is good news!

The Apple Tree Inn, in Brockport, is opening a new gardening-themed gift shop, according to the Democrat & Chronicle (though one day later, I couldn't find the story online). This gives me a great excuse to visit one of my favorite lunch joints ever. I love especially to go in the fall, when there's a fire in the fireplace and everything is apples and winter squash. Also their quiche is amazing.

While you're in the neighborhood, check out Hurd Orchards and their high-end culinary items and dried flowers, arrangements, wreaths and especially swags. Holiday time there is fantastic. Also there are about a billion different kind of apples in the fall -- some don't even have names, just numbers. Experimental.

Don't miss Sara's Garden Center in Brockport. Our longtime friends the Keplers have great plants and Kathy has an incredible eye for container design.

Park Your Car and "LEAF” it Package

This is a straight-up press release, but I thought this was a cool enough package to just post it anyway.

Submitted by The Mirror Lake Inn

Mirror Lake Inn Resort and Spa is pleased to announce the Park Your Car and "LEAF” it Package, especially created for the green-minded foliage seekers this fall. With ever-increasing gas prices as well as a nationwide concern about carbon footprints, guests are encouraged to park their car and leave it, literally, for the weekend.

The inn, which is located directly on picturesque Mirror Lake and five minutes walk from downtown Lake Placid, created the Park Your Car and "LEAF” It Package to encourage guests to enjoy the natural beauty of the Adirondacks authentically, not from the inside of their car. With complimentary canoes and kayaks, walking distance hiking trails, a 2.6 mile sidewalk-lined lake to walk around as well as a lively downtown, guests just have to walk out the inn's front door to participate in a variety of activities. For those preferring to move a little less, take in the view from one of the inn's strategically placed Adirondack chairs, book a massage in the award-winning spa and/or enjoy your meals from one of the three onsite restaurants, all offering delicious cuisine and sweeping views of the lake and Adirondack high peaks.

Enjoy all that the Mirror Lake Inn and Lake Placid has to offer this fall without burning a gallon gas. In addition, for guests who manage to leave their car all weekend (scout's honor) a special thank you will be presented upon departure: a basket filled with the inn's signature chocolate chip cookies and ice cold milk for the ride home. The Park Your Car and "LEAF” it Package is available September 1 through October 30 and is $245 per couple per night. It includes accommodations in a classic room, a hearty Adirondack breakfast and a $50 credit towards a spa treatment or meal at one of the inn's three restaurants.

The resort was recently chosen by Travel+ Leisure magazine as one of the "Top 100 Hotels: Continental U.S. and Canada” in their August 2008 World's Best Awards issue. In January 2008, the resort was named to Conde Nast Traveler's Gold List as one of the "World's Best Places to Stay.” The resort was also chosen as one of 150 hotels in the Northern Hemisphere to be named to National Geographic Traveler's 2008 "Stay List,” in which hotels are recognized for their conscientious approach to resort living and their relationship with the community and the environment. For nine consecutive years, the resort's AAA Four Diamond restaurant, The View, has been awarded Wine Spectator's Dining Guide Award of Excellence, and in 2006, it won the Award of Distinction in Wine Enthusiast's restaurant awards issue. It is a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World. For more information on the inn call (518) 523-2544 or check out www.MirrorLakeInn.com

Submitted by The Mirror Lake Inn

Home Again

I'm back from two weeks in Maine, where I did a lot of...pretty much nothing. I didn't even go to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, which I 'most always do. But I did spot quite a few sea roses, yes sirree! This one was wedged into the tiniest of cracks along the spine at Pemaquid Point—a scary thing you don't really want to walk onto. You can see here I am looking down, not a good idea. The next moment I was crawling back on my hands and knees. Here's a link to someone else's picture of the spine.

The sea rose, Rosa rugosa, is everywhere you look, at least in Mid-Coast Maine. It can survive the harshest storms, gripping tenaciously to even the thinnest layer of soil. Its blooms smell wonderful, and it flowers continuously all season. The hips, only developing in this picture but a lovely red when ripe, just like a cherry tomato, don't taste half bad and—and this was important to those shipwreck survivors off Pemaquid Point—are an excellent source of the anti-scurvy, Vitamin C.

Today's Column...

Is about a Man and his Giant Geranium. For visual reference, here's a picture Karl sent me:

And here are some of the plants I reference that have the big tuberous roots & stems and little tiny leaves. I'm not exactly sure how to point to pictures on another site, and that's what I'm trying to do, and I certainly hope I'm not breaking any copyright laws! They are Pelargonium crassiscaule and P. antidysentericum. I don't talk about this in the column, but traditionally, these plants have been used medicinally as well as for perfumery and flavoring. I have to assume that the latter species was at some point used against dysentery. These pictures are from rareexotics.com.

The column should be up at the Democrat & Chronicle Web site.

A Visit to T'Burg

Several years ago I was lucky enough to make the acquaintance of a woman named Deirdre Cunningham, who was at the time the landscape curator at the George Eastman House here in Rochester. She's done a number of really interesting things since then, including marrying marinepaleomicrogeologist Bill Chaisson (ok, I know what's not what you call it, but it's all I can ever remember), and now the two of them run a funky B&B in Trumansburg, NY, called the McLallen House. Deirdre and Bill the best kind of very smart people: the kind who make you feel smarter, as opposed to dumb and drab by comparison. They're wonderful hosts. I love to visit them when I can, which is not often, but Wednesday night I got my chance: Kieley and I crashed there after a day of delivering magazines in Syracuse and before the Ithaca rounds.

It was the night before the Grassroots Festival opened, and the inn was full. Trumansburg was hopping (I think it's always hopping, actually). We first stopped at the Trumansburg Farmer's Market (I never know where to put the apostrophe in "Farmers Market" so I go with whatever the market itself uses), which Deirdre currently runs. There were violent storms passing through and around the area, so about half of the vendors had packed up, but there was still local comb honey, which I've been looking for for months, and sausages made that same afternoon by The Piggery, and delicious Cuban dinners. I could go on and on about all of this, but Deirdre actually wrote an article that mentions many of these people in the latest UGJ. I hope to post it on the site at some point, but it won't be in the next two weeks, I can say for sure. Please pick one up and read the story; if you can't find a copy, leave a comment here.

After we settled in, we headed down to the Pourhouse, where the entire town seemed to be hanging out. There was music, and a hundred kinds of beer, and they had falafel...paradise. Eventually we straggled off to bed. Our room had a brand new king-sized bed, which Kieley managed to take up entirely herself by sleeping diagonally. Clever! There's a gorgeous new tile shower too, and Kieley kept saying how she just wished she could move the whole unit to our house in Caledonia.

In the morning we evesdropped on the festival-goers while feasting on Deirdre's strawberry-almond French toast, pictured above.

If you're going to be visiting the Ithaca area and are in need of lodging, look no further. I should point out, though, that you don't really need a reason to go to Trumansburg. There's the Cayuga Wine Trail, and there are gorgeous waterfalls and awesome hills for biking. Best of all, maybe 15 miles away is Cornell Plantations, and as a gardener, if you haven't been there, you owe it to yourself.

Late Breaking EVents: Mystic Meadows Open Garden Dates

Submitted by Mystic Meadows

Open Garden, Saturday July 26th from 10 am to 4 pm and Sunday July 27th from 11 am to 4 pm. 

Submitted by Mystic Meadows

Late Breaking Event: Webster Village Garden Tour

Submitted by a reader. 

 

Saturday, August 16, 2008 (1-4 PM)

Enjoy a self-guided tour of eight Webster village gardens.  The tour is free.  Donations may be made to the Webster Museum.  This event is sponsored by the Webster Village Historical Preservation Commission and Webster Village Days.  Visit www.villageofwebster.com and click on Garden Tour 2008 for addresses, photos and garden descriptions.  Maps and tour information will be available at the booth in front of the Webster village hall on August 16.

Submitted by a reader. 

Late Breaking Events: Western New York Herb Study Group

Submitted by the Western New York Herb Study Group

July 19th  Garden Walk @ country Cottage  Darien NY $ 15.95 per person
Lunch will be served @ 12:15 PM

August 14th  Annual Field Trip

1st stop 11:00 Canandaigua Spice Co.
2nd stop Sonnenberg  for Afternoon Tea  meet at the gate @ 12:30 PM
Tea, Scones, Tea Sandwiches, and dessert will be served.
$17.50 per person

Submitted by the Western New York Herb Study Group

Late Breaking Event: Black Rock Riverside Tours

Submitted by Sharon Adler

The Black Rock Riverside 4th Annual Tour of Gardens with 70+ gardens will be held Sat., Aug. 2nd & Sun., Aug. 3rd from 10 am - 4 pm. There is also the popular Starry Night Garden Tour to be held Sat., Aug 2nd from 8 pm - 10 pm at illumined gardens in the area. This is a free event and showcases the best efforts of our historic community. We will also have a free bus ride provided. See our website, www.brrgardenwalk.com for maps or call 716/877.2740 or 716/875.7497 for additional information.

Submitted by Sharon Adler

GRPS Plant Sale July 27

Submitted by the Greater Rochester Perennial Society

Don't Forget Our GRPS Plant Sale!
Sunday, July 27th 10:00 am- 2:00 pm
Tell Family, Friends, Garden Buddies

Please drop off plants by 9:00 a.m. that morning

(no hostas, irises or daylilies for our sale, however, if you have plants or items that the other groups are selling, please bring them, they would welcome the donation!)

Joining us will be the Iris Society (they will sell irises & daylilies), the Hosta Society (hostas), the Rock Garden Society and the Master Gardeners (gently used garden & other items)


If you can not make it to the sale & need to drop off plants beforehand, for plant babysitting there are several of us volunteering, find a plant baby-sitter nearest you!

Plant Baby-sitting:  If unable to deliver plants the morning of the sale (before 9:00), deliver them ahead of time to: Laurie Burtner, 597 Chestnut Ridge Road, Chili, 889-4864, Irene Kusmiez, 40 Brentwood Lane, Fairport, 377-7817 or Sue Magee, 69 Fairview Crescent, Irondequoit, 467-1678.

Submitted by the Greater Rochester Perennial Society

New from Garden Walk Buffalo

Submitted by Garden Walk Buffalo. 

Garden Walk Buffalo introduces Garden Talk Buffalo

Considering Composting? Need the hows of hostas? Rainbarrel requests? Are these the days of whys and roses?

Area gardening groups, plant societies and  "green" non-profits will be on hand, in Bidwell Parkway, across from the Buffalo Seminary Garden Walk headquarters, to answer visitor's questions and share information on gardening, recycling, sustainability, and conservation during Garden Walk Buffalo (Saturday and Sunday, July 26 & 27, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.)

The groups listed below will be offering information, distributing printed materials and presenting demonstrations both days of Garden Walk Buffalo. Also, on Saturday, the Elmwood-Bidwell Farmer's Market will be selling locally-grown produce from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Buffalo Area Daylily Society
Buffalo Niagara River Keeper
Buffalo Reuse
Carvings for a Cause
City of Buffalo/Erie County Recycling & Composting Program
Grassroots Gardens of Buffalo
Wellness Institute of Greater Buffalo
WNY Hosta Society
WNY Land Conservancy
WNY Rose Society
WNY Sustainable Energy Association Trust

For more information on these groups and Garden Talk, please visit the web site.

Garden Walk Buffalo is a free, self-guided tour of more than 300 Buffalo gardens, the largest garden tour in America. Held annually on the last weekend of July (in 2008, Saturday and Sunday, July 26 & 27), Garden Walk has become one of Western New York’s most anticipated summer happenings. Tens of thousands of visitors join us each year, as we show off our city’s beautiful homes and gardens. For more information about Garden Walk Buffalo, please visit www.GardenWalkBuffalo.com.

Submitted by Garden Walk Buffalo.

Chautauqua County Day Trip Planned

I'll have the details up on the site this week (it is hoped).

5th Annual Odyssey to Ithaca Big Success

Kim Burkhart covered it very nicely over on the RCGC blog, so check out her post. My only complaint: It was wicked, wicked hot. Like, so hot I didn't even feel the motivation to shop much. Not so good for a shopping trip. Not so bad for the budget, though.

Happy Birthday: Buffalo's Urban Roots Turns One

Over on Garden Rant yesterday, Elizabeth Licata wrote a nice post about this milestone.

And this?

An Eryngium of some sort, but tiny, and with wonderful cut leaves that almost make it look soft. Megan and I both fell for this one. Here's a close up, and one with Megan in it for scale.

What's this?

Megan Meyer and I saw this in the rock garden at Cornell Plantations Saturday. We were there on the annual Odyssey to Ithaca - always a swell time! Pardon the horrible picture. It was really hot and I wasn't functioning properly. I say it's a violet. Anyone?

mystery tree

I don't know what this tree is. Do you? It's in Chautauqua County, pretty near the lake (Erie), so I'd say zone 6a. The leaves are alternate and it gets pink seed pods in the fall.

Update: OK, so I should have ran these by The Dragon before posting, because as per usual, he has a pretty good guess: Euonymus europea, the spindle tree. See image, below, that I took at Klyn Nurseries in '04 (now that was a trip).

By the way the tree in question lives at Lana's The Little House, Forestville. Have a cup of tea and check it out. We'll be profiling the Little House's garden in the next (July-August) UGJ.

We need help!...and now, we've got it!

I couldn't be more excited to welcome Debbie Eckerson to the UGJ fold.
(That's Debbie, on the left, with former RCGC ED Susan Latoski on one
of our Odyssey to Ithaca tours.) I've seriously been in need of office
help for a while now, but the timing just hasn't been right. Or maybe,
just a little, I was waiting for Deb. Anyway, when I heard she was
resigning her position at the Rochester Civic Garden Center you can be
sure I wasted no time trying - successfully! - to lure her over to the
dark side. I mean, the UGJ. I've known Debbie for fifteen years and
worked fairly closely with her for most of them, in one way or
another, and I'm totally confident she's going to be a HUGE help! Deb
will be taking care of subscriptions and is also our new calendar
editor. Yay!

High Noon

Here is a blossom from the tree peony High Noon, which was a gift from Ruah Donnelly a few years ago when she was our house guest while researching her book The Adventurous Gardener (see sidebar). She bought it at Phoenix Flower Farm. It's totally, terrifically gorgeous.

Event correction - Lavender Festival

Hey, CNY residents - in the latest issue I accidentally listed this event in the Buffalo section, but it should be under the Syracuse header.

• June 28 & 29: Lavender Festival, Ol’factory Farms, 12973 Upton Rd. Red Creek. Check out craft vendors, informational speakers, the “soap shoppe,” the tea room, hands on workshops, plant sales, food and more. Pick your own lavender. $3; free for kids 12 and under.

"New" Ground Covers

OK, so they're not new. But it's new to think of certain plants as ground covers, even though they're very well suited. They're just not vinca, that's all. In today's D&C column that's my topic, and in the July-August UGJ, Brian Eshenaur is going to expand upon it some more.

Here's the link to the fact sheet and the brochure the Cornell IPM team's been working on.

Heuchera 'Peach Flambé' courtesy Terra Nova Nurseries

The Ride for Missing Children

Bear with me, please...this does have something to do with gardening and the magazine, sort of.

Here I am last Friday at the Ride for Missing Children, with my Betty girls Anne and Michele. I am the short one in the middle. (And I'm not even short! They're tall!) This is a wonderful ride because it raises money for a great cause and we get to visit lots of elementary schools where the kids just go wild cheering.

In the next picture I'm riding with my buddy Brent Bivona who owns Sunrise Aquatics. His parents Kathy and Lou actually founded the Center for Missing and Exploited Children that's here in Rochester, and he recruited me for my first ride, in '06. He's verrrry persistent. Nice grin, Brent.

In the seven and a half hours Brent and I had to chat while covering 100 miles on Friday, we came up with what we think is another good way to raise money for the kids. Every year Sunrise Aquatics sponsors a pond tour in August to benefit the Center. This year, we thought perhaps the Upstate Gardeners' Journal would get involved too, and make it into a fun evening motor coach tour with dinner, wine tastings, etc. We're still in planning mode. Stay tuned for further developments.

Check it Out - the RPO Showhouse

The RPO Showhouse is worth visiting this year for several reasons: one is that my dad, Jeff Koopus, designed and built the kitchen; another is that the location is the Ellwanger estate on Mt. Hope Ave. The house is privately owned, but the fabulous garden belongs to the Landmark Society and is overseen by great friend of the UGJ Beverly Gibson.

Here is a shot of the garden, and one of Beverly, and then one of Beverly, in the garden, lighting a gas plant on fire. (Try it at home!)

Late Breaking Event: Ithaca Garden Tour

The Fall Creek Garden Club presents its annual garden tour on Sunday, June 8 from 11:00am-4:00pm, rain or shine, through 10 gardens in the Fall Creek neighborhood. Garden maps will be available at Thompson Park (Cayuga Street at Farm Street).

Help Wanted: Administrative Coordinator for the Rochester Civic Garden Center

Administrative Coordinator for the Rochester Civic Garden Center
Part time, 24 hour per week position. Candidates must have strong computer skills with a financial background and understanding of Quickbooks, Microsoft Office (Excel and Word) and HTML (for website maintenance). Good interpersonal and organizational skills are desirable. Must have some flexibility to work occasional weekends and evenings for special events. Please send cover letter and resume to: Christine Froehlich at rcgccf AT frontiernet DOT net.

Found!

Looking for the giant 'King Tut' papyrus?

You're in luck. Melissa at Hidden Hollow Farm in Webster, rte. 250, across the street from the new YMCA, has a few in stock. (Not for long, I imagine.)

Who's Your Buddy?

Here he is, Mr. Cuteness, the adorable Redbud.

For those who may not know: the redbud, Cercis canadensis, is a diminutive woodland tree, native to our area, that is in bloom right now. It has little purple blossoms that really stand out in the forest understory, especially since the other trees aren't completely leafed out yet.

A very sweet little tree and a very sweet little guy.

Very Big in Buffalo

There's an article about the UGJ in the latest Buffalo Spree, on newsstands now. You can also read it on the Web site. Once there, scroll down through the table of contents, and the link is in the Living section.

I have a feeling Mom might be picking up a few copies of this issue.

Thanks to reporter Ron Ehmke and to fellow blogger, Spree editor Elizabeth Licata. This is very exciting and quite an honor.

In Bloom: Coastal Maine Botanic Garden

Witch Hazel















river of crocus





















Pieris japonica