I don’t remember how it started. A forlorn patch of dry shade straddling the border between our next-door neighbors’ property and ours. Maybe the inspiration came from the towering maple tree and the picturesque, tumbled down stone wall that ran behind the 15-foot square patch of dirt that wasn’t even home to many weeds. It seemed like a place that wanted some attention.
One autumn three or four years ago, my neighbors planted a bunch of daffodil bulbs there, and the following spring an array of sunny yellow flowers emerged. I was pleased that they had taken the trouble to brighten up the space. I happened to have an overgrown bed of hostas that desperately needed to be divided, but nowhere to replant the divisions.
Suddenly it dawned on me that there was a perfect spot for them next to the fading daffodils. I hauled in a lot of compost and dug it into the rooty, rocky dirt, hoping to transform it into something resembling garden soil. It took a few hours of hauling and digging, but eventually I created a place where the hostas might have half a chance of surviving.
My neighbors, Jacob and Christine, had a hose hooked up by their garage that just reached our patch. With their blessing, I gave the hostas intermittent waterings over the summer. One day, I noticed that my hostas — plain green, nothing special — had attracted some more colorful friends. My neighbors had divided some of their variegated green and ivory hostas and added them to our growing, work-in-progress garden.
A few days later I was walking our dog past the new garden and I noticed that a straggly leucothoe had appeared there. It looked like it might give up the ghost, but after a few weeks it perked up. Our peculiar communal garden plot was beginning to look respectable.
Last spring, a year ago, I was happy to see the daffodils and the hostas return. The leucothoe had also made it through the winter and was sporting some shiny new foliage. Emboldened by this returning life, I dug up some yellow and pink epimediums from a shady spot behind my house and relocated them to the new garden. Again, I added copious amounts of compost. A few earthworms here and there made me feel I was making progress in transforming this unpromising piece of earth.
Last summer, of course, a devastating drought descended on the Pioneer Valley. Amherst was hit especially hard and instituted a ban on watering. The hostas and epimediums wilted and turned brown. The leucothoe drooped and lost its leaves. Weeds thrived. I knew that they were stealing whatever tiny bit of moisture remained in the ground but I was too depressed by the situation to pull them out.
This past spring I wondered what, if anything, would emerge in the once hopeful neighborly garden. I was delighted to see the green daffodil leaves peeking through the soil. A few weeks later, I pulled away the dead leaves of the epimediums and saw fresh new growth underneath. Then the hostas began to nose their way out of the earth. It was a joyous sight.
A few weeks ago a twisting blue juniper took up residence in the back corner of the garden. When I saw Jacob over Memorial Day weekend, I asked him what it was, but he didn’t know. He said that the previous owner of the house, a landscape designer, had planted it, so he figured it was a significant specimen. “We’ll see how it does,” he said.
Over the weekend, we did some raking and filled in empty spaces with a few more strays, including some pink cranesbill geraniums that had overgrown their place in my shade border. We haven’t done any planning or consultation, just added when we have the impulse and energy. But it’s a garden that gives me more pleasure than any other. I can’t wait to see what shows up next.
Ten designers and builders interpret play house structures for Berkshire Botanical Garden’s summer exhibition, “PlayDate: Playhouses in the Garden.” The PlayDate structures vary in size and theme, from a medieval fortress-style house, to an outdoor transparent “play room” and an English-style timber framed cottage.
Other designs include a tree trunk transformed into a hobbit house, a 19th-century shepherd’s wagon, a teepee-style structure, a sanctuary and an antique aviary tea party.
A permanent installation at the garden, the Martha Stewart Cottage, will receive a makeover for the exhibition, transforming the traditional garden cottage into a wild themed jungle room of ferns and other plants. A total of 12 structures will be included in the exhibition which is free with garden admission. PlayDate will remain on display through Sept. 24.
The 2017 Garden Tour of the Amherst Historical Society and Museum will take place June 24, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This year’s tour includes the Southwest Concourse Garden and Permaculture Garden at the University of Massachusetts, Sunset Farm, the gardens of the Hospice of the Fisher Home, Emily Dickinson Museum and Amherst Historical Society, and the private gardens of Carol Pope, Bryan Harvey and Lynn Griesemer.
Tickets are $20 for members of the Historical Society and $25 for non-members, and they may be purchased online at www.amhersthistory.org or at A. J. Hastings, Andrews Greenhouse and Hadley Garden Center. On the day of the tour, tickets may be purchased at the Historical Society at 67 Amity St.
Participation in the tour supports the Amherst Historical Society, now in its 114th year. The society is dedicated to the mission of connecting people to the Town of Amherst, its history and culture.
On June 24 from 8:30 to 11 a.m., Valley artists are invited to bring their canvasses and participate in Kestrel Land Trust’s 2nd Open Air Studio at the Mount Holyoke Summit.
The morning will begin with an introduction about the how the land conservation movement and plein air painting have influenced each other.
Artists will have the option of being profiled on Kestrel Land Trust’s website if they choose. Painters may also choose to be “demo” artists and speak about their work in progress.
Artist Robert Masla, who will be starting a demo at the Summit that morning, will be continuing his plein air demonstration from 2 to 5 p.m., at the R. Michelson Galleries in Northampton.
There is no charge for artists to participate, other than the standard state park entry fee. Bring your own materials and equipment for painting. Light refreshments will be provided.
Space is limited to 20 participants, so registering soon is recommended.
If the beauty of the Valley inspires you, or you’re a lover of art, you can participate in an exclusive Art Hike during the Paint Out. Renowned plein air artist Lewis Bryden will give a guided tour of the history of artists on the land as you hike to the Summit House on the Mount Holyoke Range.
The rain date is June 25. For more information and to register, go to: www.kestreltrust.org.
Mickey Rathbun can be reached at foxglover8@gmail.com.