A few weeks ago, as part of my negotiation with turning 60, I attended an inspiring talk at the Western Massachusetts Master Gardeners Association spring symposium titled “Gardening Well Into Your Future.”
The presenter was Lilian Jackman, an professional gardener and owner of Wilder Hill Gardens in Conway.
Jackman designed her talk for older gardeners who wish to scale back their ambitions so that they can enjoy their gardens rather than feel overwhelmed and defeated by them. But it was equally apt for anyone who, for whatever reason, wants to simplify and reduce.
She had several suggestions for minimizing effort and maximizing pleasure in our gardens. Her primary advice was to focus on areas closest to the house and let go of outlying beds. She also offered ideas for decreasing hard labor: low-maintenance shrubs of appropriate sizes; hardy ground covers to choke out weeds and replace grassy areas; hardscaping to define spaces and add variety to the landscape.
I pondered Jackman’s advice when I got home. When we moved into our house six years ago, I planted a bed of day lilies outside my husband’s study at the far end of the house. On a rocky slope that’s visible only to my neighbors, I planted creeping phlox, candytuft and a variety of colorful sedums. And I planted a shady bed I can only see when I stand at the edge of the patio. In other words, I put all my gardening energy into places I don’t see from the house.
The view I see most frequently, from the kitchen, is not especially pretty. In fact, it’s an eyesore. The windows look out to a flat patch of yard surrounding a battered old bird feeder that I’ve patched in a couple of places with duct tape. I’ve never properly installed the post it sits on, so it tends to lean when the ground gets soggy. To make matters worse, our dog — chasing birds and nibbling spilled birdseed — destroys whatever bits of grass the sunflower seed shells don’t kill.
This dreary space is flanked on one side by a stepped terrace that holds a small swimming pool built by the previous owners of the house. The bare retaining wall made of gray landscaping blocks is unattractive. There are a few randomly placed flagstones near the kitchen door. At the far end is a sturdy outcropping of granite that could be a brilliant focal point. But a tangled mess of tenacious grasses and volunteer vines obscure its charms. I see this forlorn landscape so often I no longer see it.
Discouraged by my view from the kitchen, I invited Jackman to come for a garden consult. She brought the same enthusiasm, practicality and humor I had admired in her lecture. When I directed her attention to the view from the kitchen she groaned and said, “Ooh, you need to do something about that.”
We discussed a variety of low-maintenance, low-cost solutions. These included consolidating the flagstones into a tighter, more coherent grouping; planting a border of shrubs to soften the retaining wall and clearing the granite boulders and replanting them with appropriate rock-garden plants.
She also suggested replacing the bedraggled grass with hardy vinca. I happen to have several large patches of vinca in a wooded area behind the house that I can repurpose, something that pleases the thrifty gardener in me.
I have always resisted seeking professional help in the garden. I can hear my mother’s indignant response: “You’re paying someone to do that?” But I have hushed that scolding voice. Unlike some landscapers who prefer to be left alone, Jackman is happy to work with clients collaboratively. (I’m reminded of the sign at my mechanic’s shop: “Labor: $50 an hour. $60 if you help.”) That means she will let me do what I can — dig vinca, pull weeds, fetch tools, while she tackles the heavy lifting and strategic planning.
This investment in know-how and muscle seems like the perfect birthday present for myself as I round the 60-year mark. I might even spring for a more eye-pleasing bird feeder!
The mild winter we’ve had in New England means we’re already seeing deer ticks, those dreaded carriers of Lyme disease. For gardeners, nature enthusiasts, and anyone concerned with knowing the latest about Lyme disease and the protocols to help minimize infection, Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge is hosting a lecture titled “The Current State of Research and Prevention of Lyme Disease” Saturday from 10 a.m. until noon.
The speaker is Dr. Brian Fallon, an internationally renowned specialist on the neurological and neuropsychiatric aspects of Lyme disease. He will provide an overview of Lyme disease and an update on the latest advances in research and strategies for prevention that are now helping to resolve controversies and improve public health.
Fallon is the director of the Center for Neuroinflammatory Disorders and Biobehavioral Medicine at Columbia University and director of the Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases Research Center at Columbia University Medical Center.
The talk is free and will be held at BBG’s Education Center. For more information, go to: Berkshirebotanical.org.
Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston is hosting a daily series of kid-friendly activities during April school vacation week beginning Saturday. There will be a different garden-themed craft every day from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m., with a special emphasis on recycling on Earth Day, April 22. The activities will be appropriate for toddlers through middle schoolers.
The cost is included with admission. Free for members. For more information, email thbg@towerhillbg.org, or telephone 508-869-6111.
San Francisco-based architect Catherine Armsden, author of the novel “Dream House” will discuss how we shape and are shaped by our houses, with University of Massachusetts professors Kathleen Lugosch and Ray Kinoshita Mann Tuesday. The lecture takes place at 5:30 p.m. at the Integrated Learning Center S211. The discussion is part of the university’s Spring 2016 Women in Design Lecture Series, and is free and open to the public.
For more information about the series, go to:
www.umass.edu/architecture/content/join-us-spring-2016-women-design-lecture-series
Sad but true, our landscape is under continual attack by invasive plants that can choke out natural native growers. Bittersweet and purple loosestrife are some of the many thugs that threaten the health and stability of the ecosystem.
The UMass Stockbridge School of Agriculture and the UMass Center for Agriculture are offering a workshop that will explain what makes a plant “invasive” and where these plants are considered to be troublesome in New England. The workshop will also give suggestions for effective management of some of the most common invasive culprits. The workshop will take place April 23, 10 a.m. until noon at French Hall, 230 Stockbridge Road, on the UMass-Amherst campus. The cost is $25.
For registration information, go to:
https://ag.umass.edu/fruit/mass-aggie-seminars-2016
Mickey Rathbun can be reached at foxglover8@gmail.com.