Behind the Scenes of a Quilt Garden

By Len Harms Michiana Master Gardener

Here is the order for one garden: 70 flats of euphorbia, nine flats each of three kinds of begonias, 28 flats of two kinds of impatiens, three flats of parsley, and 18 flats of hypoestes. On a separate pickup is a cubic yard of mulch picked up locally to cover the paths which are essential for weeding.

There are no errors in any of the orders delivered from the grower in Michigan, so the members of the committee for each garden could load their orders on a transport vehicle from the carts and deliver them to their garden.

That day or soon after volunteers arrived to plant the flowers into the quilt design laid out ahead of time with stakes and string or painted on the soil. At the garden mentioned above nine volunteers are waiting to begin planting that day, which can often be accomplished in four to five hours depending on the number of helpers that show up.

A design is chosen on a first come first served basis, meaning some committees may not get their first or even their second, choice.

Once the design is selected and approved the garden committees create the design to fit the particular size and shape of their garden. These designs drawn to scale with square feet calculated for each section are submitted to the quilt design committee who check it for accuracy and the required ratio of at least 80 percent flowers to 20 percent paths.

The approved designs are returned to the individual committees to begin selecting the number and kinds of flowers that they wish to use to create their pattern. Though the list of accepted flowers and herbs is quite varied, the committee needs to consider their growing conditions, the height of plants in relationship to each other, the colors that will complete the design, and experience to know what has worked or not worked in the past.

A large box truck arrived at the Elkhart County Fairgrounds on May 19 loaded with four-level rolling carts of flats and flats of flowers for the quilt gardens. The carts labeled with the names of each quilt garden were lowered from the truck, and helpers from the quilt committee with flower lists in hand counted the flats to be sure each garden is receiving the number and kinds of flowers their garden has ordered.

Over the next 15 weeks volunteers tend the garden by weeding, pruning, trimming and watering to present a well-cared-for garden to the public and to satisfy the eyes of the garden inspectors.

All of this work is built on careful plans laid out during August, September, October and November of the previous fall. In August the various quilt committees receive colored drawings of the quilt designs that have been selected by the design committee.

A CAD design with the correct colors, a list of plants to be used and an estimated number of flowers needed for each section of the pattern are resubmitted for final approval or modifications. From that point on the Elkhart County Convention and Visitors Bureau takes over the ordering and planning for the expected date of delivery the next May.

With the gardens presently at their peak the viewer can appreciate the design with insight into the planning and work that has culminated in this unique county-wide project. n

Nutty Orzo

By Liz Rucker, Virginia

Curtain Call: A Collection of Favorite Recipes, Copyright 1996

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 pound orzo or very small pasta

2 tablespoons pine nuts

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup chopped red onion, very fine

1/4 pound spinach leaves, rinsed and chopped

2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped

3 oz. crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Fresh ground pepper

Directions:

In a 4 quart pan, cook orzo until al dente (about 5 minutes).

Drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking and drain again.

In a skillet, cook pine nuts over medium heat, stirring until golden (about 3 minutes) and remove.

Heat oil in the skillet, add onion, cook about 5 minutes

Add spinach and cook 2 minutes more or until wilted

In a large bowl, combine orzo, pine nuts and spinach mixture.

Toss well

Add tomatoes, feta and parsley

Season with pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature

Marinade for Sliced Tomatoes

By Chris Mallin

Call:

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon minced oregano

Directions:

Peel and slice tomatoes

Mix remaining ingredients together and pour over tomatoes. Cover and let sit one hour. n

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