Let Us Plant- The American Chestnut

Through a caring donation of four seedling Chinese-American chestnut trees from Dr. Frank and Phyllis Gegwich, of Berwick, PA, Crabtree Gardens will be taking part in a movement to re-populate the American chestnut tree across America. Thank you , Dr. Frank and Phyllis Gegwich for your efforts to bring back the American chestnut.   More….

3-18-2012

Crocus is the earliest of bulbs opening in our gardens. A favorite flower of the pollinators since there is not much available this time of year. This photo shows a happy honey bee gathering up some of the bright yellow-orange pollen from the anthers of this crocus.

3-17-2012

Covered Bridge is now in process!

The construction of our new Covered Bridge has started.  Francis Laskosky, our master woodworker will be constructing it on site this week.  "Franco Polo" as I jokingly call him is very busy getting the structures ready for garden tours and workshops. Covered Bridge progress photos will be added daily until it’s completion.

We are looking forward to another productive and unseasonably warm week filled with anticipation and transformation here at Crabtree Gardens, LLC. 

3-11-2012  Creating Diversity in the Garden

The gardens are starting to show even more signs of life.  Our forsythia are showing some yellow in the flower buds, the hedges are greening up and the elderberry have large swelling buds. We are presently cutting back our Miscanthus grasses because wind damage has caused them to break and lay over the lawn areas.  

Since we follow the naturalized garden mantra, which reduces maintenance by allowing nature to have her way, it’s difficult to stay away from removing the rotting leaves and dried grass fronds that have found their way into the planting areas, however it’s this exact thing, the rotting leaves that will provide the shrubs and perennials with the needed nutrients throughout the coming spring and summer months. Nobody rakes the forest floor do they?

Composting right in-line, there is no easier or natural way. It will add organic matter to the soil, and in turn the soil will remain moist and not need additional water.  It may look unsightly for a few short weeks, but once the perennials start to leaf out, the leaves left in there will continue to blanket the area and keep undesirable plants (weeds) at bay.  Our plight is to help others to move towards this more naturalized approach.

We try to remove the stigma that a beautiful garden is filled with a few plants surrounded by a sea of chemically treated mulch, preventing any diversity from occurring within that garden. However our methods are not easily received by most home gardeners because these methods are not for the faint of heart. As most people prefer the look of mulch to actual plant life, it's our future work to make "natural" the norm with gardeners rather than the exception. Natural doesn't have to be a field filled with "weeds", it can be so much more if given the chance.

"Progress of any kind" is a mantra here at Crabtree Gardens.  Even though the gardens are quite bleak, we are busily readying our grounds for the spring opening. Focus has been placed on garden structures. We’re pleased to report that the infamous old shed has been re-located to its new home. Several other contractors suggested we raze the shed, but its character cannot be replicated. We were very fortunate to have Kulaga Excavating, of Drums, PA take on the challenge of gingerly relocating our precious shed and extending our entrance road thus providing more parking area. Joe Sr. (aka "Big Daddy") skillfully moved the shed to its new home and Joe Jr. and Dan were in charge of the road and building of the Hugelkultur berms (see Feb.12, 2012 below).  They are true professionals and we couldn't be any happier. Heartfelt thanks to the Kulaga Excavating team!

Below is the location the shed was moved from, it will become the Hosta and Shady Glade, with over 20 different hosta cultivars and shade loving plants. A bespoke covered bridge will be constructed next to the Glade. The bridge will transport visitors and guests from our English Cottage guest house to our naturalized American cottage gardens and vise versa. Francis will be constructing the bridge upon completion of the swing.  He's quite the busy man!

Our 14 yr. old Black Lab Marley is surveying the area for any mice that were displaced from the shed. Branches in the background are stockpiled for later rustic trellis construction in the garden. Our new road can be seen just beyond the branches.

It’s Feb. 19, 2012 and these are fresh herbs from the Cottage Herb Garden.  They’ll be chopped and pressed into dough forming the base of Ham Puffs, a savory served at today’s Bad Hatters Tea Club premier meeting.  Most of our herbs have lasted throughout the mild winter and we couldn’t be any happier.  It does help that they are tucked into a warm alcove between the concrete steps, foundation wall and basement stairwell and the fact that we allow blown in leaves to stay providing an extra blanket of protection. Watch for more information on the Herb Spiral Workshop we will be offering this spring at Crabtree Gardens.

2/5/2012

 I'm Feeling Warm and Fuzzy

Finally, after much searching I found the seemingly difficult to locate “Black Cotton” seeds Gossypium herbaceum “Nigrum” from a wonderful generous person named Nan Ondra check out her blog http://hayefield.com/.  The seeds look like little balls of cotton.

It’s still a little early to plant them inside but in the next few weeks, I’m going to give it a try.  I fell in love with the dark leaved plant after seeing a picture in Garden Design Magazine. http://www.gardendesign.com/ideas/garden-design-black-magic.

Speaking of warm and fuzzy, our pussy willow is starting to show some fuzz, it’s really early, but with the extra mild winter we are having; many things are starting to look alive.

Maple sap is even flowing in the trees at the Cottage. I know this because we had a limb removed in early winter, and now it’s bleeding.

1/29/2012 More Progress  

1/22/2012 to 1/28/2012 

I’m So Longing for Spring 

We just received our Pollinator Friendly Garden Certification by Penn State Extension and are so pleased with the news.

See Certificate

Our gardens and meadows are now covered in snow. So rather than post pictures of the pristine beauty of the frozen plants, I’ve decided to make spring come early. I’m enjoying a warm, relaxing cup of tea flavored with some strawberry-blackberry syrup we made this evening. David is playing some tunes on the piano.

Below is a springtime photo of a hollowed out stump of a locust tree near our pond.  I'm told locust will not rot, it has been this way for 5 years now, so I guess it will be around for a while!  Other spring photos-see more...

Enjoy-Sandi

1/15/2012 to 1/21/2012

Why is this tool my favorite?

When the snow halts all of the outdoor progress at our gardens, we make effective use of our time and begin to overhaul our gardening tools.  It is important to keep them in tip-top shape. Unfortunately, during the busy growing season, their condition is not on the top of the list of priorities.....continue

The Craftsman Handi-Cut Utility Cutter

The newly painted-so-I-can-see-it version!

1-8-2012 to 1-14-2012

Winter Temps Above Average

Even though our meadows are covered with dead vegetation, the temperatures are unseasonably warm and it feels like Spring rather than mid-winter, we enjoy walks about the area and the surprises we happen upon. Usually this time of year, our gardens are blanketed with snow.

We have some field art made with discarded black PVC pipe that was left on the Cottage property by the previous owner. Rather than send it to a landfill, we opted to use it for a free-form dynamic sculpture in our upper meadow.  It is constantly moving and changing positions with wind currents.

The pipe sculpture is surrounded by pine logs from a tree that was removed 2 years prior to make way for the road into the gardens. They were placed in the shape of an arc to provide a boundary around the sculpture.  As the logs decay they harbor insects, a tasty meal for the birds. Many times birds use the pipes as perches while surveying the area. Be sure to keep rotting wood a safe distance away from your home, so as not to attract termites.

 With branches exposed, the remnants of birds nests can be seen in the shrubs (lower photo). This bird used some plastic to weave in it's nest. It is such a pleasure to discover things during the dormant season that would be overlooked as the meadows are in growth.

1/1/2012 to 1/7/2012

An Exciting New Year Begins with: The Hedgerow 

We have begun our newest and most exciting project for 2012 here at the gardens. The first stages of our Wildlife Hedgerow are now in process with the removal of several giant evergreens trees which had begun to outgrow their space.  Read More....

(Lower Photo)

Steam can be seen rising due to the composting process in action. Nitrogen rich needles and carbon rich wood chips are being consumed by aerobic bacteria causing a chemical reaction to occur. What a great sight!