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Bud ‘n Bloom visits Laurie Ensign’s Dunkirk garden

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The Bud ‘n Bloom Garden Club visited a two-year-old Dunkirk garden owned by Laurie Ensign. From the street, large barrels of assorted annuals welcomed the 17 club members to the garden.

Ensign created a large, curving, asymmetrical garden of flowering perennials and annuals which extends from Central Avenue to the parking area located behind the brick home.

Ensign first cleared the heavy underbrush beneath the tall Mountain Ash and pine trees that were left to afford partial shade for the garden.

A wide variety of garden decor, hanging baskets of annuals, colorful gazing balls and huge boulders add interest, contrast and whimsey to the enchanting gardens.

White cone flowers, red monarda, purple bee balm and foot white oriental lilies were perennial stand-outs.

Purple and pink fushias, yellow and pink trailing petunias and red mandevilla plants spilled over hanging pots supported by gardening hooks of different heights.

Clematis plants crawled up trees and metal supports to add to vertical interest in the garden.

All the landscaping surrounding the residence had been replaced when the home was purchased three years prior. Ensign shared her plans to clear and plant the sloped land behind the parking area, extending her gardens to the creek below. About 20 yards of dark mulch had been wheelbarrowed in each year to provide a thick base for the flower beds to discourage weeds from growing and to retain moisture for the plants to grow quickly.

As the guests circled the home, many interesting areas were noted. One area by the patio had a tree with wide, sprawling branches hanging close to the ground. Tucked in among the hostas was a log covered with hens and chicken succulents and a beautiful ceramic young girl positioned on a bench in the shade.

Near the garden shed a fountain flowed and flower boxes held trailing lime green and purple sweet potato vines.

Ensign generously gave the club members two huge containers of Canna Lily bulbs to share. This particular canna lily variety will boast large green, veined leaves and huge, bright red, tropical-looking blooms this fall.

The tour ended just as a powerful rain storm showered the area. Instead of a picnic at Point Gratiot, the group traveled to the home of Karen and John Ryder in Fredonia.

Lime green ladies mantle, white shasta daisies, golden rudbeckia, old-fashioned roses and pink coneflowers highlighted the Ryder flower gardens. A 7-foot fence enclosed the bountiful vegetable garden at the rear of the property below steps covered with succulents and covered with a rose arbor.

Ryder’s gardening creations included: a colorful, succulent wreath decorating the patio table, a hypertufa flower pot and a leaf-shaped bird bath to create interest, a fountain spraying water in a bed of Florida sea shells near the steps leading into the Victorian home. and a petite arrangement of daisies and lady’s mantle created in an old-fashioned meat grinder attached to the side board.

Ryder served a dinner of assorted pocket sandwiches, cheeses, fruits and homemade peach and red raspberry pie, with fresh-squeezed lemonade and tea and coffee.

The dining tables were covered with linen table cloths and decorated with a line of clear bud vases filled with sprigs of babies’ breath.

President Susan Drag conducted a brief meeting. Drag and Kathy Litz assisted the Ryders.

The next meeting will be a visit to Nass’s Daylily Nursery in Westfield on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. Penny Deakin will be the hostess.

No garden? Don’t despair with these handy tips

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ONE of the downsides to flat living can be the lack of garden to call your own.

You may share a communal garden or be surrounded by green space, but those of us with itchy green fingers can get a little frustrated, especially during these recent sunny weeks we’ve been experiencing.

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During summer we all yearn to be outdoors sat in a cool, well-tended garden.

However for many of us, particularly first and second time flat-dwellers in a city – the best we will get to this dream is by sitting in our flat with the window open.


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However one solution, right under your nose, is to use your window sill.

Become a window box gardener and create a lovely blooming window box.

Here are some tips on creating a mini-Kew Garden on your windowsill.

Choose a container with drainage holes (or make them yourself if there aren’t any holes).

Fill the box with compost and place your plants in without packing them too tightly.

Fill the gaps with more compost, pat down and water.

Place your window box on a deep ledge, or fix brackets on the box, securing it to your window sill (councils and passers-by below take a dim view on falling boxes).

Water to keep the earth moist, but not too damp. As a rule of thumb, once a day in the evening during summer is best.

Add fertiliser once a week to the water if you’re feeling particularly green fingered.

Evergreens like ivy, lavender, heather and hebe are ideal window box choices, perfectly happy in cooped up spaces.

Consider growing veg: according to the National Trust, the equivalent of 344 football pitches’ worth of growing space can be found on our windowsills.

Most veg will want direct sun, but some – such as lettuce, onions, parsley and radishes – like shade. Beans, carrots and herbs are all possible to grow on your windowsill.

The deeper the window box the greater variety of veg you can grow. (Courgettes needs lot of room to grow so possibly best left until you have a garden).

If you have a small balcony, consider laying a small patch of lawn.

And, if you’re looking to branch out of your flat and looking for a property with a garden, make sure you use the keyword search on Zoopla.co.uk

Tips sought about vandalism at three Garden City schools

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Garden City school officials are hoping the public can provide tips about who vandalized three school buildings.

Director of Student Services Stanley Szczotka said he was disappointed to see the damage caused by vandals, during his periodic canvassing of school buildings. He doesn’t know the exact dates that the vandalism occurred and added that it could have been over a repeated time period.

“At the start of the new school year, we want to put on a new face,” Szczotka said. “This is discouraging.”

District officials recently discovered vandalism at three buildings. The Farmington 5/6 Campus was vandalized by paint balls in the rear of the building. The Lathers Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Campus was vandalized with graffiti and excessive litter in the rear courtyard. The Henry Ruff building was spray painted with graffiti on the back of its building.

“Graffiti and vandalism not only brings down the surrounding property values, it also costs the district time, money and resources,” Szczotka said. “This is a serious concern and disappointment to the district.”

Szczotka said the graffiti contained names and appeared to be different at the buildings. He didn’t scrutinize the writing for content.

Complete paint ball cleanup is easier to do than removing spray paint, because spray paint tends to leave a hazy trace behind, Szczotka said.

“This is not the image that we want to give our young children,” Szczotka said.

He added that youths gathering near Lathers has been a repeated problem and the district and the Garden City Police Department have been monitoring the situation.

Garden City Police Chief Robert Muery said that his department works closely with the school district.

“We do work closely with the schools and meet on a regular basis to identify and address problem areas,” said Garden City Police Chief Robert Muery. “The police department has actually gone door to door in certain areas where residents have an unobstructed view of a school building. We have told them of the problems and asked them to be our eyes and ears to help protect those facilities.”

Shou Sugi Ban: The Latest Trend in Fence Design

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Hisao Suzuki

THE GOOD BURN | Shou-sugi-ban wood encloses a courtyard of a house in Carlsbad, Calif., designed by architect Sebastian Mariscal.

AS A GARDEN DESIGNER, I’m a fan of dark fences. Their color provides an emphatic backdrop for plants, but doesn’t compete for attention. Until recently, though, the only ways to achieve a fence in a sophisticated chocolate, gunmetal or charcoal shade were paint (fated to peel) or stain (likely to fade).

No more. The Japanese art of charred wood—known as shou sugi ban—is making inroads in American landscaping. It’s believed that the technique’s Asian roots date to the 1700s, when the Japanese first started subjecting wood siding to fire as a way to preserve it. The charring protects the timber from sun, wind, water, decay and, yes, fire, greatly extending its life.

Recently, American landscape designers and architects have begun playing with this seemingly pyromaniacal technique when it comes to fences, and loving the results. Charred wood is seductive—its appearance ranging from lightly scorched to something resembling dried prehistoric lava or alligator skin, depending on the degree of burning. When shou-sugi-ban boards are used en masse to surround a garden, the effect is elegantly mysterious.

Ithaca, N.Y.-based landscape architect Marc P. Keane, who spent several years in Japan designing gardens, is well-versed in the practice. “As with so many things, the Japanese have refined the process to an art,” he said, noting that they primarily use Japanese cedar. “It’s a clean-grained wood that burns very well. Most lumberyards in Japan sell beautifully wrapped bundles of the shou-sugi-ban boards,” he explained. Mr. Keane is about to enclose a garden at the Cornell Plantations at Cornell University with a charred cedar fence, the first time he’s applying the technique in North America.

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Delta Millworks

A range of scorching options, from mild to extreme, offered by Delta Millworks in Austin, Texas.

Boston-based architect Sebastian Mariscal got a chance to use shou sugi ban for the exterior and surrounding fence of a minimalist house in Carlsbad, Calif. “It’s not often a client allows their architect to experiment with a new technique,” said Mr. Mariscal, who worked with his own crew to get the admittedly challenging, time-consuming process right. Degree of difficulty aside, he said he’d use it again for the right project. “It has a beautiful depth you don’t get from a stain. As the light hits the surface, it can go from silvery to gray to brown,” he said.

This is not a project for the casual DIYer. Fire safety is essential, said Mark Word, a landscape designer in Austin, Texas, who has installed a number of shou-sugi-ban fences for clients. “You don’t want to just take a blowtorch to your fence,” Mr. Word explained. “To get the right look, you really need to control the fire.” Traditionally, boards are burned over an outdoor fire, drenched with water, then brushed to remove excess soot.

Delta Millworks, an Austin-based family business founded in 1985 (
deltamillworks.com
), has perfected the process and can produce large quantities of authentically charred wood and ship it nationwide. The company achieves an array of shou-sugi-ban effects by controlling the degree of burning or applying natural stains and sealers to alter the color. “It’s an increasingly popular item for us,” said owner Robbie Davis, “especially the alligator finish.” Though the price (approximately $8 per foot) and durability of Delta’s product are similar to ipe (Brazilian walnut) and other tropical hardwoods popular for high-end fencing, the mill uses sustainable, domestically harvested softwoods, like southern cypress. While a standard cedar fence can start to decay after about five years, said Mr. Davis, a shou-sugi-ban fence can last up to 30 years with minimal care. And that’s not just blowing smoke.

—Lindsey Taylor

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A version of this article appeared August 3, 2013, on page D10 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: LANDSCAPE DESIGN’S NEW FLAME.

Bohemian garden: Colorful, carefree design is ‘funky fun’

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In a brightly colored purple, pink and white tank top, with a few tiny braids woven through her blond hair, then swept up with a flower, Brooke Downing almost blends into her southeast Lincoln backyard garden.

Turquoise, purple, yellow and pink colors pop from behind the foliage and from unexpected outdoor furnishings.

With her friend, garden designer Sue Wurm, the two took out every blade of grass that grew there and transformed the yard into a unique oasis that meets all of the criteria for a Bohemian-style garden.

You won’t find a definition for that term in any garden book. “It’s funky, fun, colorful and bright,” Wurm said.

But that is only part of the design criteria. The other elements came from repurposing pieces found in the garage, basement, thrift shops, garage sales and just about anywhere else they could salvage things.

And it suits Downing perfectly, she said. After living in the cottage-styled home for more than three decades, she wanted the backyard to reflect her personality.

Technically, the project began last fall when Downing applied a chemical grass kill to her backyard, including an area behind the garage that she referred to as “where the wild things grow.”

After that, she had the surfaces rototilled for a clean slate. Faced with the results, she said, “I looked at it and wondered, ‘What did I do?’”

It wasn’t until the second week in June when she and Wurm really dug in and began implementing the backyard plan, which included a wide path lined with custom-made stepping stones, a potting space, firepit and new seating areas.

For Wurm, it began with pruning foliage and eliminating some overgrown, very thorny, barberry bushes. Then she cut back and trimmed the existing trees.

Next they headed to the basement for a couple of afternoons to create a variety of sizes and shapes of stepping stones. They used plastic plant drip trays and cardboard boxes as molds and poured the concrete mix around colorful broken dishes, ceramic pieces, Mexican tiles and yes, even a couple of beer bottles of Downing’s favorite brews. When it was done, 20-plus very individual stepping stones were ready to be placed on the wide garden path.

Plants came from half-price sales — the beauty of doing this mid-June, they said — and the choices were a mix and match of Wurm’s and Downing’s favorites.

Downing wanted color — so there’s plenty of perennials, such as bright pinkish-orange coneflowers.

Wurm likes a bit of structure — add a few small boxwoods, in a curvy row and some knockout roses, which are traditional, but bloom and bloom and bloom.

In the center of the yard is a fountain Downing had, and it is surrounded with Goldilocks, a variety of Creeping Jenny, a lime green groundcover that was behind the garage. No other plants there, Wurm said; it is a “quiet” space.

“Rearranging” is what Wurm calls the “fun” part of this garden renovation. She and Downing walked through her house, went to the basement and garage and picked up odds and ends they thought might work in the new outside space. Wurm calls her garden business Design Cents, and emphasizes using “found” items whenever possible.

The two women came up with two full-sized wooden doors — one turquoise, one yellow — which form a bright corner in the very back of the yard. An old metal typing stand holds a piece of blue Corian to form a coffee table. And hanging on the fence are some painted birdhouses Downing had collected.

In some cases, it was just a matter of grouping things, Wurm said. One area has several blue-gray pieces of pottery and statues. Another has orange collectibles. And along the garage is a grouping of “rusty” iron pieces — from a vintage child’s wagon to an ornate iron backdrop.

“There must be order,” Wurm said, “or it can look junky.”

A firepit in the far corner of the yard, surrounded by four newly painted park benches — in yellow, purple, turquoise and orange, is a great focal point. Kindling sits in a nearby box, filled with sticks and a couple of bright, painted accent branches.

Bricks and stones, scattered throughout the yard, define spaces and paths as do bags and bags of mulch.

On the existing patio, which is made with pavers, joining Downing’s table and chairs is an abandoned blue-and-cream kitchen cupboard set from the garage that has taken on a new life as a serving piece — or a potting station. Ornate metallic candle holders nailed up behind it provide evening ambiance, as do other candle holders on tree trunks and the privacy fence along the side of the yard.

Downing’s favorite piece is a former wooden porch swing a friend custom-painted several years ago. It sits on the raised bed near the patio, covered with several coats of polyurethane to protect it. A plastic-covered cushion made from a patterned former padded headboard fits neatly on the seat.

Although gardeners rarely consider a site “finished,” Downing is enjoying the completion of the renovation. But if something pops up — at a garage sale or thrift shop — she won’t hesitate to add it to her Boho space, she said.

Galvin brings energy to District 8 race in St. Pete

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  • Photos


Steve Galvin


More Information

Age: 55

Family: Wife, one child not living with him.

Occupation: Sound engineer.

Education: Some college.

Civic Experience: member of North Kenwood Neighborhood Association, St. Petersburg Preservation.

Should the city continue to use red-light cameras? No, unless changes made.

Will you vote to stop The Lens? Yes.

What to do about the Rays? I would be open to allowing the Rays to study potential sites in Pinellas and Hillsborough County in return for compensation. I believe, however, that if we implement Greenlight Pinellas’ light rail component to Tampa, we would see a larger attendance at the games from Tampa fans.

Campaign donations raised through July 19: $15,035

BY Christopher O’Donnell
Tribune staff

Published: August 10, 2013


ST. PETERSBURG — When Steve Galvin moved to his North Kenwood home, he spent five years painstakingly restoring a run-down 85-year-old home with his work featured on the DIY Channel’s “Renovation Realities.”


It wasn’t long after that when the real estate market crashed and his street ended up with seven empty houses, some of which soon attracted drug dealers.


Galvin decided he had to act. He said he broke into his retirement nest egg to buy three of the houses, restoring them and renting them to families. He also approached owners of the other empty houses and encouraged them to take action about the drug dealing.


“From what looked like a blighted area, it became a nice neighborhood,” he said.


Now Galvin wants to bring that same energy to City Council and is running for the District 8 seat. He said his knowledge of construction, preservation of historic buildings and permitting is needed on City Council, which frequently deals with approval of construction projects.


“It’s very important someone on the City Council knows how things are built,” he said.


To create jobs he would like the city to do more outreach to marine, biotech and technology companies. He also would push for more vocational training for students and is backing the development of an apprenticeship program supported by local unions.


He would like the 22nd Avenue North corridor that is home to many building supply stores to be designated as a special district with landscaping and signs to create its own identity, similar to the way the Grand Central District was established.


Galvin’s campaign had a setback recently when campaign manager Johnny Bardine quit after media reports surfaced that he fathered a child out of wedlock in California eight years ago and agreed to pay child support after being named in a paternity suit. Galvin’s wife, Pamela Cichon, left her job as assistant city attorney after she was investigated for sending emails defending her husband from her work email account.


Galvin, who never before has run for office, said the experience has been an eye opener.


Galvin’s background is unusual apprenticeship for a political career. He has worked as a dialogue editor in the film industry, and built up a music store business. The son of a machinist and builder, he has restored motorcycles and likes to work with his hands. An accomplished guitarist, he makes a living by recording songs used by toy manufacturers.


His campaign includes ideas such as installing a carousel in Williams Park with ice cream and hot dog vendors to reclaim the public space that has become a gathering place for homeless people, he said.


“Since we’ve shuttered The Pier, we don’t have a place to take kids downtown,” he said. “We could create a family-friendly environment there for not very much money.”

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My house beautiful: All on deck for family fun

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“Brendan loves to cook and we enjoy entertaining,� says Leah, so an open-air kitchen was a must. Theirs is complete with built-in gas barbecue, a cast-iron smoker, an under-counter fridge and a roll-out garbage container.

Rather than have a dedicated outdoor dining table and chairs, the Fitzgeralds opted for a pivotal rolling counter that can be placed at 90 degrees to the rest of the counter when used for eating or as a bar. It then rolls back into place to extend the counter, offering plenty of space for food prep and presentation. The pivotal counter, which was designed with the help of Joey Ricalton of Creative Steel Concepts, rolls on a wheel made with hospital-grade neoprene, so it won’t mark the deck.

Opposite the outdoor kitchen is a roof-covered area up against the house, with sheltered seating around a smoke-free fire table. Gentle flames lick up through polished glass stones at the centre of the low table, providing heat for relaxing use almost year-round. Next to this is the hot tub, with easy access from the house.

Framing the deck area are custom privacy panels made of boards that were individually ripped on a table saw. The panels are finished above with a pergola-style design. Both functional and esthetically pleasing, the panels were Brad’s idea, says Leah. “He and his dad David (who works with Brad doing carpentry) were great at finding solutions.�

The entire family had input into the design and colours, says Brendan. There’s even a special area for Stella, the dog. Since their small patch of lawn had been removed for the patio, the Fitzgeralds had a section of pet-grade artificial turf installed at the side of the deck.

Sheltering the patio area is a leafy canopy stretching high above the rooftop. “(Having mature trees) is one of the benefits of building a new deck in an old neighbourhood,� says Brendan. And with the discreet low-voltage lighting at the steps and framing the different “room� areas, “It’s a great reason to stay up late,� he adds.

Despite the urban setting, there’s lots of wildlife. Within 24 hours of the deck’s roof overhang being assembled, a family of robins built their nest in the eaves. “We brought four robins into the world while the deck was still under construction,� Brendan beams proudly. Meanwhile squirrels catapulting overhead from tree limb to limb provide “cheap entertainment� almost year-round.

For the busy family of five, it’s become a great place to relax, unwind and socialize. Their California dream works better here than they could have imagined. “It allows us to make use of the backyard in as many months of the year as possible,� says Brendan.

Cost of the overall project, excluding the hot tub, which was already there, will come in around $100,000. For Brendan and Leah, it’s money well spent. “We think of it as an investment in our family,� says Brendan. “Better that than spending it on a luxury car.�

Chris Standring is a freelance writer and former editor of the Journal’s Homes and Gardening sections.

Going native: Indigenous plants are top option for landscaping

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Fall is just around the corner, which happens to be the best time of the year for planting landscape plants here in the High Desert.

Are you thinking about ideas of what to plant in your landscape? Are you trying to conserve water? Do you want your landscape to be an aesthetically pleasing fit with the desert surroundings? All of these questions can be answered with the use of California native plants, specifically those that thrive in the heat of summer and the chill of winter.

Native plants can be used for a number of reasons, including establishing a sense of place, wildlife habitat, biodiversity, conservation of natural resources, less maintenance and their inherent natural beauty.

Using native plants allows the landscape to look uniquely Californian. Many wildlife habitats have been destroyed by progress a n d development; using native plants can help create new habitats that provide food and shelter for many animal species, including native mammals, reptiles, birds and insects.

Because native plants are adapted to the area’s climate and soils, less water and fewer fertilizers are used, thus conserving natural resources. For the most part, native plants require less maintenance than many exotic species. And creatively designed landscapes using

native plants can be even more beautiful than those using traditional plant materials.

The native plant choices are nearly endless — there are multitudes of flower and leaf colors, various textures, groundcovers, grasses, shrubs, trees, annuals, perennials, evergreens and deciduous — and you can have something interesting happening in the landscape all year long. Of course, you don’t have to limit yourself to Mojave Desert natives — there are numerous California species that are easily adaptive to this climate and soil. As long the plant can tolerate alkaline soil, hot and cold temperatures, intense sunlight and some wind, it should do just fine.

Generally, natives’ only requirements are well-drained soil, little to moderate water and a few hours of sunlight. Try to avoid species such as Cottonwood (Populus fremontii), which make an attractive shade tree but are native to wet areas and therefore require abundant amounts of water to thrive. When you go out to purchase the plants, just pay attention to the label or ask a knowledgeable salesperson about the plant’s needs.

This brings me to the subject of where to purchase native plants. Some nurseries carry a huge number of native species and some have only a few. Reliable local sources include Heavenly Growers at the Apple Valley Farmers Market, Cal Herbold’s Nursery in Hesperia, Oak Hills Nursery in Hesperia/Oak Hills, The Tree of Life Nursery in San Juan Capistrano and The Living Desert in Palm Desert, to name just a few. Many of the garden centers such as Lowes and Home Depot sometimes carry a few native selections as well.

Here is a short list of available plants that do quite well in the Victor Valley area: Blue Palo Verde (cercidium floridum), Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis), Deer Grass (Muhlenbergia rigens), Deer Weed (Lotus scoparius), Brittlebush (Encelia farinosa), Quail Bush (Atriplex lentiformis), California Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum), Prince’s Plume (Stanleya pinnata), Woolly Blue Curls (Trichostema lanatum), Chaparral Whitethorn (Ceanothus leucodermis), Western Redbud (Cercis occidentalis), Matilija Poppy (Romneya coulteri), Blue Sage (Salvia clevelandii), Foothill Penstemon (Penstemon heterophyllus), Scented Penstemon (Penstemon palmeri), Desert Verbena (Verbena gooddingii), Desert Sage (Salvia dorii), Beavertail Cactus (Opuntia basilaris), California Flannel Bush (Fremontodendron californicum), Incense Cedar (Calocedrus decurrens) and California Fuchsia (Zauschneria californica). Remember this is only a partial list of beautiful possibilities.

Happy gardening!

High Desert resident Micki Brown is a drought-tolerant plant specialist with an M.S. in Plant Science. Send her questions to be answered in the column, and garden-related events to HorticultureHelp@aol.com  

Associated Garden Clubs keeps city beautiful

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If you go

What: Associated Garden Clubs annual tour

When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday

Tickets: $10, children 11 and younger are free; available at Judy’s Enchanted Garden, 2628 W. Northwest Blvd. and Northwest Seed Pet, 2422 E. Sprague Ave., or at any of the featured gardens during the tour.

Gardens: Gloria and Jim Waggoner/Paulsen House garden and Myrtle White Paulsen Meditation Garden, 245 E. 13th Ave.; Jane and Sam Joseph, 1910 S. Upper Terrace Road; Breck and Elaine Breckenridge, 31 W. 37th Ave.; Barbara and Will Murray, 1004 W. 23rd Ave.; and Norma Norton, 729 E. 23rd Ave.

Call: (509) 448-3037

One thing I’ve always enjoyed about Spokane is the community spirit that is driven by the many social organizations and clubs.

One of the clubs that has been an integral part of Spokane development is the Associated Garden Clubs. The group has its roots with the formation of the Spokane Floral Association in 1896; the first garden club in the state of Washington. This was during City Beautiful era in America when garden clubs and other civic groups promoted beautification through the development of gardens in blighted areas. Spokane was part of this movement and between 1900 and the early 1930s, the city’s many neighborhood garden clubs helped develop green spaces throughout the city.

In 1933, the Associated Garden Clubs, the Spokane Floral Association and six other garden and community clubs came together to have Spokane declared the Lilac City after Portland was designated the Rose City. The City Beautiful efforts did have their competitive side.

In 1938, inspired by the new Portland Rose Festival, the groups held the first Lilac Festival Flower Show that featured displays of French, Persian and Chinese lilacs. On the side there was a small parade. The Davenport Hotel’s lobby was filled with bouquets of lilacs for the occasion. The first Lilac queen and court were selected in 1940, and the parade evolved into our current Armed Forces Torchlight Parade. Today the parade is managed by the independent Lilac Festival Association.

After the Lilac Festival was spun off, the Associated Garden Clubs’ neighborhood-based groups continued their work beautifying the city and creating green spaces and small pocket parks. Many of the small odd triangles of land created by the intersection of streets on Spokane’s South Hill were planted and cared for by various AGC neighborhood garden clubs. Being a member of your neighborhood garden club was an important way for women in the 1940s and ’50s to become involved in the community. Today it is still an important way to engage with like-minded neighbors. Many of the original clubs are still active including Lincoln Heights, Manito, Rockwood and Spokane.

In 1986 the Associated Garden Clubs created their now famous April Plant Sale and held the city’s first garden tour as a way of showing off some of the city’s great private gardens. The sale and tour also helped raise funds to support beautification projects all over the city and scholarships for the Lilac Festival Court.

Some of the places that have benefited from these events include Manito Park, gardens and landscaping around schools, the downtown YWCA, Spokane Civic Theatre, Riverfront Park, Hospice of Spokane, the Turner-Moore Heritage Gardens and Polly Judd Park.

Pat Munts has gardened in Spokane Valley for more than 35 years. She can be reached at pat@inland nwgardening.com.

Timely tips and trivia from the garden

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I am not much of a pack rat except when it comes to trivia. Garden trivia, to be precise. I find it amazing how much stuff is going on in the world of horticulture that often impacts our daily lives and is not widely known.

This column is intended to change that, in some small way.

Medical marvels

Did you, for instance, know that the largest botanical garden in the world, Kew Gardens in London, England, is home not only to the most extensive collection of genetic plant material but that they employ more than 300 full-time staff in a medical research department? The idea of this massive undertaking is based on the fact that more than 30 per cent of the drugs in current use worldwide originally were derived from the world of plants. Today’s dandelion could be tomorrow’s solution to indigestion. Who knows?

As a footnote, this medical mandate at Kew goes all the way back to the original charter of the place more than 350 years ago. Another factoid: our own Royal Botanical Garden in Burlington and the Montreal Botanical Garden have similar mandates, though smaller than Kew. The research staff at Canada’s botanical gardens collaborate with others in the field around the world.

Worm magic

Here is a little bit of news that you should share with your children or grandchildren, as all youngsters either love or hate earth worms and everyone loves worm gossip. An earth worm consumes decomposing material equal to its body weight each day throughout the summer. What comes out the rear end of the worms is called worm castings. When applied to plants as a nutrient-rich fertilizer, worm castings help to dramatically reduce a plants susceptibility to aphids, whiteflies and other bugs. The castings themselves are about seven times more phosphorous-rich, have five times more nitrogen, 1.5 times more calcium and 1,000 times more beneficial bacteria packed than the stuff they consume. Their digestive system, one could argue, is a miracle worker.

Speaking of fascinating facts, Organic Gardening magazine reports that the average fully detached home has about two tonnes of earth worms crawling through the soil in the yard. Sleep well in the knowledge …

Grow Your Own Food, but How Much?

The increasing popularity of growing food plants to feed ourselves is not exclusively a Canadian phenomenon. Based on my own extensive reading on the subject, Europeans are ahead of us on this curve and the Americans are running neck in neck with us. Which raises the question, if you were to raise all of the food that you consume in your own yard, what size would it have to be to feed a family of four? Kevin Hartnett of the Boston Globe quoted One Block-Off the Grid when he stated: “To feed a family of four strictly on a home-grown diet of vegetables, you’d need 1.76 acres. Add meat, dairy, corn and wheat to those vegetables and you’d need more land, but not much more — about two well-organized acres would be enough.� Ready for your move to the country?

Who ARE Gardeners?

I have argued in recent years that gardeners are not mutually exclusive from, say, birders, conservationists, environmentalists or community activists. Very often they are the same people. I was pleased to read Nigel Colborn’s column in The Garden Magazine (Great Britain) wherein he explains: “Responsible garden owners are also wildlife conservators. The plight of bees and other pollinators is widely recognised but most wild species are in decline, largely because of habitat loss. Well-managed gardens can play a strong role in fostering diversity. Small adjustments to management, such as abandoning lawn herbicides or planting for pollinators, can result in dramatic increases in hundreds of species.� This shows how our garden activity contributes in a measurable way to the greater natural environment around us. Again, gardeners do not plant and nurture for their own benefit exclusively. We do it for the greater good of the whole neighbourhood.