Upstate Gardeners' Journal Nov-Dec issue

buffalo - ithaca - rochester - syracuse

Our Annual Gift Guide

FREE

Volume Sixteen, Issue Six November-December 2010

upstate gardeners’ journal - 3200 east avenue - caledonia, new york 14423

SARA’S GARDEN

Another season has come and is nearly gone!

It was an unusual spring fraught with weird weather and followed by some pretty hot days throughout the summer.

Autumn saw many mild temps with plenty of time for fall chores.

Now the Christmas season has come and we are more than ready to go. For us at Sara’s this season is like the icing on the cake!

Handmade Wreaths We gather and cut our own greens for the fullest,freshest, longest-lasting wreaths.

We make them daily, not in November.

You can choose from unique items to decorate your own, including a wonderful selection of ribbon for a custom bow, or choose a hand-decorated wreath ready to display.

Our wreaths come in many sizes and can be ordered from 8” window wreath to our 48” barn wall special.

Sara’s has sold thousands of wreaths over the years; come and see why.

Fresh Cut Trees Hundreds to choose from. Tabletop-sized to cathedral height, we have them. Lots of varieties and types— choose your tree by texture, color, scent— Douglas fir, Frazier fir, Concolor fir, Spruce, Pine.

Gardening Gifts The most popular gift at Sara’s is the Gift Certificate!

Why not give the gift that fills the whole season?

At Sara’s, customers with gift certificates always mention how it’s one of the most enjoyable gifts they receive.

If you know just what they’re looking for, explore our tasteful collection of garden gifts, from pottery to gardening books and more.

Yankee Candles November & December bring our annual Yankee Candle Sale! Bring the warm scents of the season into your home at a great savings....All candles are buy 2 get 1 free!

30+ year Mission!

It is our greatest desire to provide our customers with top quality, well-grown plant material at a fair and honest price. We will strive to provide an unmatched selection of old favorites and underused, hard-to-find items, along with the newest varieties on the market. We will eagerly share our horticultural knowledge gained from years of education and experience. Lastly, we offer all this in a spirit of fun and lightheartedness.

Sara’s Garden Center | 389 East Ave. | Brockport 14420 | 585-637-4745

Contents Ear to the Ground.......................................................4 You ask...the experts answer......................................5 What to do in the garden In November and December..........................................7

Publisher/Editor: Jane F. Milliman Art Direction: Dean S. Milliman Technical Editor: Brian Eshenaur CALENDAR EDITOR: Debbie Eckerson Proofreader: Sarah Koopus Contributing Writers:

Lisa Ballantyne | Michelle Sutton Christina Le Beau | Marion Morse Western New York Sales Representative:

Maria Walczak: 716/432-8688

Plant records, lilacs, and memorial trees (for starters) A behind-the-scenes look with Highland Park Horticulturist Kent Millham.................................... 8-10 Calendar...............................................................12-16 Holiday gift ideas Items inspired by the garden.................................18-21 A storybook garden that isn’t................................. 26 Stewed winter fruit................................................... 26 On the cover: Our 2009-2010 Winter Photo Contest Winners.

Clockwise from top: Overall contest winner Randi Milman-Brown, Ithaca; “Scene” winner Angela Hawk, Tonawanda; “Plant” winner Barry Biddle, Apalachin; “Enhanced” winner Bo Lipari, Alpine. Visit UpstateGardenersJournal.com for more on the photo contest.

3200 East Avenue, Caledonia NY 14423 phone: 585/538-4980; fax: 585/538-9521 e-mail: info@upstategardenersjournal.com upstategardenersjournal.com The Upstate Gardeners’ Journal is published six times a year.

To subscribe, please send $15.00 to the above address.

Magazines will be delivered via U.S. mail and or email (in PDF format). We welcome letters, calls and e-mail from our readers.

Please tell us what you think!

We appreciate your patronage of our advertisers, who enable us to bring you this publication.

All contents copyright 2010, Upstate Gardeners’ Journal.

Never miss another issue! Get the UGJ delivered to your door six times a year for just $15.00. It’s our area’s guide to everything gardeners want to know. To give a gift, simply enclose a note with the gift recipient’s name and address. We’ll send a notice and start the subscription.

Subscribe!

NEW! Subscribe, renew or order back issues using your credit card by phone—585/538-4980—or on our Web site. upstategardenersjournal.com We have back issues! Copies are $2.00 each, which includes 1st class postage.

Name_______________________________________________________________ Address_____________________________________________________________ City___________________________________State______Zip_ _______________ Subscriptions_______________x $12.00=_________________________________ Back issues ________x$2.00=___________________________________________ Check enclosed for____________________________________________________ N-D ‘10 Thank you

3200 East Avenue Caledonia, NY 14423 585/538-4980

Almanac

What to do in the garden In November and December

S

ome people think that by the time November rolls around we have to put away our floppy garden hats and trowels. Some gardeners prefer to end their gardening season as early as possible. In fact, and like it or not, there are still lots of projects to be done in November and December. There is a good chance for comfortable weather in the last weeks of the year. Even though it may look cold out there, throw on a warm jacket, your gloves and boots. You know as well as I do that once you get into it and start moving you will be peeling off layers in no time. So, if you want to stay outside and physically active for as long as possible, keep reading.

Keep the critters at bay: Rabbits, rodents and deer get pretty hungry in cold weather and will head to fruit woods or other plants they find delicious and edible. If you have plants that need protection wrap trunks with hardware cloth or treat with repellants.

Watering: On the off chance we have dry late fall weather, before you put away your garden hose for good, give evergreens and any newly planted trees, shrubs, perennials and bulbs a good last soaking. Winter injury can occur if the roots become dry during freezing temperatures. .

November

Amaryllis and Paper White bulbs: Local garden centers already have these in stock and if you have never grown them, you must!

Amaryllis are large tropical bulbs that produce colorful and sizable flowers in clusters of 3-4 flowers per stem. The plants can be kept and grown from year to year and they are definitely worth the effort.

Paper white bulbs are a type of tropical narcissus.

They are planted either in a dish with stones and water or in a pot with potting soil. Paper Whites are very fast growing, which makes them fun for kids. Their flowers are very fragrant. Both Amaryllis and Paper White bulbs are great to grow indoors for the holidays or during those dark winter months.

Planting: November is just about your last chance to dig, move, or divide your perennials. Whether they are getting too big and need dividing, or just need to be moved to another spot in the garden, get it done now.

This will be your last chance to really see your problem areas and correct them before next spring. The ground will stay warm for awhile yet and new roots will continue to grow until the ground freezes. Be sure to put a heavy layer, 2 inches or more, of good mulch over newly transplanted perennials to protect them from heaving the first winter.

It is not too late to plant spring bulbs. How many of us have purchased beautiful, colorful packages of spring blooming bulbs only to let them dry out in the basement or garage. Find those packages, or look for good deals at local garden centers, and get out there and plant those bulbs. You will love yourself in the spring when all those little harbingers of warm weather pop up to greet you.

Putting the garden to bed: By now most perennials have retreated back to the soil and the tree leaves have dropped. Of course there is the usual raking and composting. Now is the time for your final clean-up. Mulch the last of the leaves and spread on garden beds. Prune roses cautiously. Cut only enough to keep them from getting wind-whipped.

Add topsoil around the base of grafted roses, about 12 inches for each plant. For evergreen shrubs that have suffered from winter scorch in the past, consider using an anti-desiccant spray, according to label directions, to keep them from drying out while their roots are frozen.

Use wooden teepees wrapped with burlap to cover and protect woody plants under house over-hangs from ice damage.

4 | NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2010

December

While it is true there is not much to do outside in December, there are still things a gardener can do.

Materials from your garden can certainly supply you with decorations for the holiday season.

Holly: December is when I trim my holly bushes. I use those trimmings to add texture and color to my holiday wreath and table decorations. You can keep bits of holly in the fridge and use them to freshen your arrangements.

Remember to not prune too much. Holly blooms on old wood. Pruning your bushes too deeply in December will reduce the number of berries you have next year. Also, holly berries can cause digestive problems if consumed ,so be very careful using the berries around pets and small children.

Window boxes and holiday porch pots: Just because the summer is over doesn’t mean you have to put away your window boxes and porch pots.

Winter is a beautiful time of year to create amazing holiday displays. A variety of greens can be purchased at your local nursery. Adding plants like ornamental cabbage and kale and Italian cypress, holly, along with bows, and holiday picks will make your home very festive.

So, you see, there is no reason to just stay inside and wait for winter to be over. At least until New Year’s, you can still enjoy your garden and the gift of nature right in your own backyard.

Lisa Ballantyne of Ballantyne Gardens in Liverpool, NY, is a horticulturist, Master Gardener, a member of the Garden Writers Association and past president of the CNY Nursery and Landscape Association.

Questions & answers

You ask...the experts answer Q: I grew up in Rochester and remember the city setting up mulchers for Christmas trees. One would bring a tree and plastic garbage bag (if one wanted one’s mulch) and it would all be done free of charge by the city. One could also take more mulch free from those who had not wanted all of theirs.

1. Does anyone (private or government) still organize these free mulching sessions in the post-Christmas period?

2. Is there anywhere I can take branches, trees, etc. in the “off season” to get the wood mulched free?

3. Would adding “Christmas tree mulch” to the soil have any negative consequences to plant growth due to the pH? —Dr. Simon Zmuidzinas, Rochester A: We put this question out to our network of “those in the know,” and in no particular order, here are the responses we collected.

Brian Eshenaur, our magazine’s technical editor and a Rochester-based educator with the New York State Integrated Pest Management program says, “There are no negative consequences of using Christmas tree mulch. There might only be slight (possibly undetectable) changes in pH—it will eventually break down and add organic matter to the soil. If it is incorporated into the soil immediately it, like any mulched wood, will consume nitrogen, so it would be best to compost first before working it into the soil.”

Eshenaur has his own way of dealing with his family’s tree each year.

“In early January I take [it] outside and prop it up between some shade tree trunks at the border of the yard. Then for three months in the winter we

have an extra evergreen in our yard. In the spring I take the loppers to it, removing the branches. I line the vegetable garden pathway with them and tuck some of the branches under other evergreens. The smallest ones twigs and branches go into the compost pile. I cut the trunk up into a few logs for the outdoor fire pit.”

Lyn Chimera, a Master Gardener with the Erie County Cornell Cooperative Extension and frequent UGJ contributor, tracked down what several municipalities in western New York do about “used” trees. She didn’t find any place that chips the trees and gives the chips right back, but in most instances, the resulting mulch is available in the spring. East Aurora, West Seneca and Lancaster pick up trees curbside and put the mulch out in spring, free. In Cheektowaga the trees are also picked up at the curb, but they’re incinerated. Clarence has drop off sites throughout the town and free mulch in spring. In Hamburg Village the trees are picked up at the curb, chipped, and sent “elsewhere.”

Patricia Curran, with the Tompkins County Cornell Cooperative Extension, reports: “In the city of Ithaca, Christmas trees will still be picked up for free in January. They are ground up later and put on the city woodchip pile, which is accessible to all city residents.” The chips are free, but one must load them up—into containers, a truck, etc.—oneself. On the pH issue, she adds, “Our compost program here tells us that all finished compost is basically pH neutral. That would include composted woodchips. Incorporating fresh woodchips might tie up the nitrogen for a while, but shouldn’t have a big effect on the pH.”

Everything For the Holidays Christmas Trees • Wreaths • Greens Poinsettias & Other Holiday Plants Delivery Available

CLOVER

NURSERY & GARDEN CENTER

Est. 1927

Monroe County’s Oldest Nursery Located near Ellison Park • Open 7 Days a Week

485 Landing Road North • 482-5372 UPSTATE GARDENERS’ JOURNAL | 5

W E S T E R N

N E W

Y O R K ’ S

P R E M I E R

Garden and Landscape Show

Plantasia Sets The Mood

MARCH 24 - MARCH 27 BLOOMING GARDENS • CHILDREN’S GARDEN GARDEN MARKET • EDUCATIONAL SEMINARS

2011

Beyond Your Expectations!

The Artful Gardener Inspired and Beautiful Gift Selections including the work of

Local Artists and Artisans

jewelry, art pottery, sun-catchers, wind-chimes, birdhouses, art glass, signed/numbered prints by Brian O'Neill

Cut Greens for Decorating Indoors and Out Hand-Made Glass and Porcelain Ornaments Gift Certificates Books, Candle Lanterns, Rain-Gauges, Pottery, Vases, Gazing Balls, Sundials, Statuary including: St. Francis, Angels, Fairies, Animals & more; Birdbaths, Yard Art, Wall Decor

Holiday Open House!

Saturday December 4th - 10:00-5:00 Location: The Fairgrounds Event Center and Expo Hall 5820 South Park Avenue, Hamburg, NY 14075 Admission: $9.00 General Admission $6.00 Senior Citizens (no additional discounts apply)

Free for children 12 and under.

Discount coupon available on website.

716-741-8047 • www.plantasiany.com

One Day Only Specials, Free Prize Drawing Refreshments

Come in and enjoy the beauty and tranquility of our store while you shop this holiday season!

Follow us on Facebook

Extended Store Hours Beginning Nov. 26:

Tues & Thurs: 11 - 8 ; Fri: 11 - 6; Wed, Sat & Sun: 10-5

585-454-2874

727 Mt. Hope Ave., Rochester (Between Robinson and McLean, Parking Lot in Back)

Ear to the ground Keep up-to-date with all the latest green happenings—visit our companion blog at upstategardener.blogspot.com or find us at facebook.com/gardenersjournal

Dear friends, Winter is almost upon us, and that means you can hang up your spade and get caught up on your reading— starting, of course, with back issues of the UGJ. Then check out these three books by local authors.

Mentors in the Garden of Life, by Colleen Plimpton I recently had the pleasure of a chat over coffee with Ms. Plimpton, who was back in the area visiting family and her childhood home (she currently resides in Connecticut). She’s a sweet, intelligent person, and her is a reflection of that. Much of it takes place right here in upstate New York, which adds to its charm. ($16.95, Park East Press. Colleenplimpton.com) The Book of Little Hostas, by Kathy Guest Shadrack and Michael Shadrack Ever since my first encounter with ‘Blue Mouse Ears’, I’ve been fascinated by little hostas, so I can’t wait to get my hands on this book, slated for release by Timber Press (timberpress.com) in November. In addition to cataloging the best little hostas for gardens, it promises plenty of beautiful photography illustrating good places and ways to grow them—containers, rock gardens, stream sides, and so on. ($27.95) Grand Trees at Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion State Historic Park This little volume is the result of a Boy Scouts of America Eagle Scout project completed in 2008

by Joshua Hutchings and John Nichols. It catalogs the park’s most impressive trees, places them on maps, and provides information on identification and the historical significance of some of the more important specimens. (Thomas Edison, for example, planted a white pine there on July 6, 1922.)

Pick it up before taking your walking tour of the grounds, or order online at sonnenberg.org. ($5)

Winter Photo Contest Announcing the Upstate Gardeners’ Journal

Enter today

upstategardenersjournal.com or facebook.com/gardenersjournal

Details are online

UPSTATE GARDENERS’ JOURNAL | 7

Seasonal stakeout

Plant records, lilacs, and memorial trees (for starters) A behind-the-scenes look with Rochester’s Highland Park horticulurist Kent Millham

by Michelle Sutton

ABOVE: Kent Millham

Y

ou know someone is dedicated to lilacs when in his free time, he edits a magazine about lilacs— especially when his day job is (you guessed it) working with lilacs. Such is the case with Kent Millham, horticultural aide with Monroe County Parks.

Kent started out in mathematics at the University of Rochester, but transferred to Cornell in 1973 to earn

8 | NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2010

his Floriculture and Ornamental Horticulture degree.

Shortly after he graduated in 1975, he was hired to work in Highland Park by longtime Parks Director Alvan R. Grant, the man who discovered the whiteflowering, compact ‘Rochester’ lilac that has been used in creating dozens of popular lilac hybrids.

Kent worked closely with Monroe County’s famous lilac hybridizer Richard Fenicchia, mostly out of a lilac testing ground on Smith Road. “On one side was a test garden, on the other was an arboretum of mostly lilacs, conifers, and azaleas. As new lilac hybrids showed promise, I’d dig them out of the test garden and plant them in the arboretum.” That naturally morphed into lilac propagation and pruning responsibilities and a deep, abiding interest in the genus Syringa.

In the 1980s Kent took on additional challenges designing annuals beds (including the beloved pansy bed along Highland Ave) and conservatory displays.

In 2002, he inherited the card catalog of the park’s plant records and began to put the data into BG-Base (see sidebar), mostly in the winter months. During the other three seasons, he continues his design, pruning, and propagating work and manages the Park’s memorial tree and shrub program.

Kent is also the one who provides the anodized brown aluminum plant tags and plastic display labels for all the plants, a massive task in and of itself, considering that trees literally snap their labels off as they grow and vandalism is an ongoing challenge The aluminum tags are a backup for the plastic display labels. The former generally provide the Latin and common names, location number and sometimes the plant source; the latter provide additional information such as the accession number (see photo).

Having been involved in arboretum work and plant records for 35 years now, Kent is a font of horticultural knowledge. Extension Educator Brian Eshenaur says, “Although he is soft spoken, the fact

LEFT: A Millham designed pansy bed at Highland Park

that Kent is an authority with plant nomenclature comes through loud and clear. He is our local go-to guy. If there is a question regarding the identification of a tree or shrub Kent is The Man. Regarding his knowledge and ability to identify lilacs, I’m not sure if there is anyone better—anywhere. He recently pinpointed a lilac cultivar name from a photograph I passed onto him via email. We’re lucky to have him.”

Can you talk about your pruning protocols for the lilac collection?

Kent Millham: We go on a plant-by-plant basis rather than on a set pruning cycle. We have 1200 lilacs so we don’t get to every one every year, but we rejuvenate some of the collection annually. Last year we did a major rejuvenation of some of the older ones and the result was lots of new, more vigorous growth and larger flower clusters—two to three times as large.

In the Rochester area, we can prune as late as July 1st and not jeopardize the following year’s flower buds, but sometimes we go beyond that date because the benefits of the pruning are worth it. Because our collection is so large, there is always plenty of bloom.

I understand you are working on registering a new lilac cultivar.

KM: I’m planning on calling the cultivar ‘Beautiful Susan’, after my wife who died in 2007 from M.S. I’m following the International Cultivar Registration Authority process to register a hybrid that was created here at Highland. The registration application is about 12 pages and you have to include an herbarium (pressed flower and other parts) specimen and do things like an exact flower color match to the Royal Horticultural Society Color Wheel. I’m paying out of my own funds to have the plant tissue-cultured by a woman in Wisconsin. By tissue culture, she can mass produce 200 plants for release to the plant world in 2011. I would like to bring 75 ‘Beautiful Susan’ plants

to the International Lilac Society convention next year in Lombard, Illinois.

Please tell us about your volunteer editorship.

KM: On my own time I edit the quarterly journal of the International Lilac Society, called Lilacs. I do the editing and also lay the publication out, providing many of the photos myself. I’ve been doing it for about four years. I can write articles myself, but I try to get the membership to write as much as possible.

They submit articles about the more technical aspects of propagation, new cultivars, their personal lilac collections, and reports from conventions and tours.

I’ve been involved with the Society since the early 1990s. There are about 400 members around the world.

BG-Base BG-Base is a database created by Mike O’Neal of Topsham, Maine, and Kerry Walters of the Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh, Scotland that allows public gardens like Highland Park to keep track of plants on the grounds.

Data fields are numerous, but the most commonly used ones are Latin and common name, plant source (if bought) or provenance (if wild collected), date of acquisition, planting date, specific garden location, and condition. Users like Kent can export the BG-Base data directly to a label-engraving machine. According to the product website, BG-Base is now used around the world in 184 sites in 28 countries; it has been in use since 1985 when it was commissioned by the Arnold Arboretum in Boston.

This label tells you the plant is Acer saccharum ‘Monumentale’, commonly known as Temple’s Upright Sugar Maple. The tree occupies location number 9642 in Highland Park and the accession number, 1909-0001E, indicates that the plant was the first one from 1909 accessioned, or entered into the database. The “E” indicates that there are at least four other ‘Monumentale’ in the park: 0001A, 0001B, etc.

This label for Japanese zelkova also gives provenance (Japan) and ultimate height. It occupies location number 9618. The accession number, 1899-0011A, indicates that this is the 11th plant entered into the database from 1899, the year it was acquired. The letter “A” indicates that there is more than one specimen of this type in the Park.

UPSTATE GARDENERS’ JOURNAL | 9

What can you tell us about Highland’s memorial tree and shrub program?

KM: We have over 1000 memorial trees and shrubs. I’ve been managing this off and on for 10 years. People can donate $200 to adopt an existing tree or shrub or $350 for a new one. A memorial plaque will accompany either. With new trees there is some flexibility of tree selection but with collections like the lilacs, I have to guide folks’ choices, otherwise we’d have 95% purple lilacs [laughs]. Once I explain that we try to have a diverse collection, people understand.

At one time, a woman donated quite a bit of money, unrestricted. We used it to purchase 28 new dwarf conifers that we didn’t have. Each one has a memorial label to a different person in the donor’s life.

We also have a memorial bench program for a $1500 donation.

What’s one of your duties people might find surprising?

KM: I recently learned how to pour the concrete and set the benches so that I can install memorial benches if need be.

“Everyone knows how knowledgeable about horticulture Kent is.

What they might not know, what I love about working with him on a daily basis, is that he has a sense of humor that is somehow both crazy and dry at the same time. He’s really quite a bird expert and when he does bird calls, he throws his whole body into it, which always makes me laugh.”

ABOVE: A Hophornbeam with a tag installed by Millham

—Noelle Nagel, Horticultural Interpreter, Lamberton Conservatory, Highland Park

Protect Your Landscape Investment with The Shrub Coat® Family of Products

The Burlap way...

The Shrub Coat is an attractive, re-usable alternative to other forms of winter plant protection. The Shrub Coat will help protect plants and shrubbery against damage from snow load, will help prevent browning and dieback due to winds, and will help deter browsing by deer and rabbits.

Best of all, it’s simple to install, attractive, and re-usable each year.

The Ultimate in Winter Plant Protection

Visit www.ShrubCoat.com to see the full line of Shrub Coat products.

1-888-SHRUB-COAT (1-888-747-8226)

Take $15 OFF

or the Shrub Coat way...

YOU DECIDE! 10 | NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2010

Order by December 30, 2010 Web site orders use Promo Code UGJ129 or call 1-888-SHRUB-COAT (1-888-747-8226)

Fresh From Our Greenhouses Poinsettias Huge display of traditional & newer colors in a variety of sizes

Wreaths

Natural or artificial, decorated or undecorated

Christmas Tree Wonderland Displayed inside our greenhouses

Customize

Your Gift Giving this Season with local artists’ creations— - Black Creek Alpacas products (visiting us 11/27, 12/4 & 12/11-12)

- Weather Vanes and other outdoor treasures by Mike O’Connor - Gift Cards by local/international photographer Chris Kogut - Gift Cards by Kuvasz Companies - Holiday & Hydrangea Wreaths

by Emily Webster of Emily’s Garden

Special Order or come in for— - Live & Artificial Trees, Poinsettias, Wreaths, Gift Baskets & Terrariums - Forced Bulb Arrangements for the Holidays and beyond - Custom Engraved Stones - White Hall customized signs - Zoobox photo laser-engraved signs

Beautifully decorated floral gifts

Holiday Open House 12/4 from 9 to 5 Holiday Decorating Seminars 11/27 & 12/11 2722 Clinton Street West Seneca, NY 14224 (716) 822-9298

Open Daily Year-Round

Growing the Highest Quality Plants Since 1922.

124 Pittsford-Palmyra Road, Macedon, NY 14502 (585) 223-1222 www.waysidegardencenter.com

LOWEST PRICES in NEARLY 10 YEARS Four Seasons is rolling back its prices to what they were nearly a decade ago! Now, everyone can afford a beautiful new Four Seasons Sunroom or Home Product. But this sale WILL NOT LAST! Make an Appointment Today.

SPECIAL SAVINGS COUPON

ECONOMIC STIMULUS SALE - up to 15% OFF! On an Elegant Patio Cover, Pergola, Screen Room, Sunroom or Conservatory if you buy before 6/30/10

CALL TODAY! Call for your FREE Essential Guide to Sunrooms.

(585) 377-3330

fitch.fourseasonssunrooms.com Fitch Construction, Inc. 2233 Penfield Road Penfield NY 14526

SUNROOMS - CONSERVATORIES - WINDOWS & DOORS

Calendar BUFFALO REGULAR CLUB MEETINGS 8th District Federated Garden Clubs of New York State Inc. Judy Tucholski-Zon, District Director: 716/836-2573; gardenclubsofwny.com.

African Violet and Gesneriad Society of WNY meets the third Tuesday of each month at 7:30 pm, Depew High School Cafeteria, 5201 Transit Rd., Depew. 716/652-8658. avgswny@verizon.net; gesneriadsociety.org/chapters/WNY. Garden Friends of Clarence meets the second Wednesday of the month at 7 pm, September – June, Town Park Clubhouse, 10405 Main Street, Clarence. gardenfriendsofclarence@hotmail.com.

Hamburg Garden Club meets the second Wednesday of every month at noon, summer garden tours, 3921 Monroe Avenue, Hamburg. 716/648-0275.

Niagara Frontier Pond & Koi Club meets the second Friday of each month at 7 pm, St. Agatha’s Church Maguire Hall, 51 Alamo Place, Buffalo. nfkpc.org.

Western New York Herb Study Group meets the second Wednesday of the month at 7 pm, Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Avenue, Buffalo.

Western NY Hosta Society, contact for meeting dates and location. 716/941-6167; h8staman@aol.com.

Frequent Hosts BECBG: Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14218. $8 adults; $7 seniors & students; $4 kids 3 – 12; free members and kids under 3. 716/827-1584; buffalogardens.com.

LOCK: Lockwood’s Greenhouses, 4484 Clark Street, Hamburg, NY 14075, 716/649-4684; lockwoodsgreenhouses.com.

MENNE: Menne Nursery, 3100 Niagara Falls Blvd., Amherst, NY 14228. 716/693-4444; mennenursery.com.

SEN: Seneca Greenhouses, 2250 Transit Road, West Seneca, NY 14224. 716/677-0681.

• November 6 – 20: Kids’ Watercolor Classes, three Saturdays, 9 – 10:30 am. All abilities; ages 5 – 12.

Supplies included. $30; $11 per class. Registration required. BECBG November 8 – 29: Monday Morning Watercolor, four Mondays, 8:45 – 10:15 am. Classes are designed to meet the needs of novices as well as experienced painters. $54 members, $15 per class; $60 non-members, $16 per class.

Registration required. BECBG

Western NY Rose Society meets the third Wednesday of each month at 7:30 pm, St. Stephens-Bethlehem United Church of Christ, 750 Wehrle Drive, Williamsville. wnyrosesociety.org.

November 9: Pine Cone Wreath, 6 – 8 pm. Welcome the holiday season with an all-natural fall wreath.

Bring hand clippers, scissors, large box to transport finished piece. $35 members; $40 nonmembers. Registration required. BECBG

Williamson Garden Club. On-going community projects; free monthly lectures to educate the community about gardening. Open to all.

315-524-4204. grow14589@gmail.com; growthewilliamsongardenclub.blogspot.com.

November 13: Holiday Open House, 10 am – 4 pm. Homemade treats, warm cider, door prizes, scavenger hunt, preview holiday gifts and decor.

LOCK

WNY Iris Society meets the first Sunday of the month in members’ homes and gardens. Information about growing all types of irises and complimentary perennials. Shows. Sale. Guests welcome. Pat Kluczynski: 716/633-9503; patrizia@roadrunner.com.

Youngstown Garden Club meets the third Wednesday of every month at 7 pm, First Presbyterian Church, 100 Church Street, Youngstown.

CLASSES / EVENTS • Indicates activities especially appropriate for children and families.

Ongoing through November 14: Chrysanthemum Show, 10 am – 5 pm. BECBG November 4 – 7: World of Christmas Open House, Thursday 6:30 – 9 pm; Friday & Saturday 9 am – 9 pm; Sunday 10 am – 6 pm. Holiday decorating ideas, gifts, refreshments. MENNE • November 6: Kids’ Class - Fall Harvest Apple Wreath, 10 am. Kids can make a delicious smelling apple wreath to take home. Age 4 and up. Approx. 1 ½ hours. Snack included. $20.

Registration required. SEN November 6 – 7: Standard Flower Show, 12 – 5 pm.

Theme: “Celebrating Our Town…Orchard Park, New York.” Hosted by the Orchard Park Garden Club. Fox Run, 20A & California Roads, Orchard Park.

12 | NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2010

• November 13: Kids’ Class - Turkey Centerpiece, 10 am. Kids make a Thanksgiving decoration to take home. Age 4 and up. Approx. 1 ½ hours.

Snack included. $20. Registration required. SEN November 14: Perennials and Other Plants for the Landscape, 1:30 pm. Talk given by Dennis James, owner, DJ Nursery in Ohio. Hosted by Western New York Hosta Society. 716/941-6167; h8staman@aol.com. Senior Center, 101 King Street, East Aurora.

November 16: Indoor Gardening 101, 6:30 pm.

Learn how the pros produce plants year ‘round to enjoy plants in your home through the winter months. $10 members; $12 non-members.

Registration required. BECBG November 18: Orchids 102, 6:30 pm. Presented

by Joe DiDominico, President, Niagara Frontier Orchid Society. Visit the orchid growing houses. $10 members; $12 non-members. Registration required. BECBG November 18 – 21: Christmas Open House, 10 am – 5 pm. Chicken Coop Originals, 13245 Clinton St., Alden. 716/937-7837; chickencooporiginals.com.

• November 20: Outdoor Skills, 10:30 am.

Participants will create rope from plants and learn how to build a survival shelter from natural materials. For adults and children age 8 and older.

Free. Registration required. Reinstein Woods, 93 Honorine Drive, Depew. 716/683-5959; dec. ny.gov/education/1837.html November 20: Thanksgiving Centerpiece Workshop, 10:30 am. Join floral designer Mary Trifunovic

to make your own centerpiece from natural materials. $35. Registration required. LOCK November 22: Fresh Floral Thanksgiving Arrangement, 6 – 7:30 pm. Make your own fresh flower arrangement to set off your Thanksgiving table. Bring hand clippers, scissors, large box to transport finished piece. $35 members; $40 nonmembers. Registration required. BECBG November 26 – 28: Christmas Open House, 10 am – 5 pm. Chicken Coop Originals, 13245 Clinton St., Alden. 716/937-7837; chickencooporiginals.com.

November 26 – January 2: Holiday Festival, 10 am – 5 pm; 10 am – 12 pm December 24; 10 am – 2 pm December 31. Poinsettia show, garden railway exhibit. BECBG • November 27 – December 18: Kids’ Watercolor Classes, three Saturdays, 9 – 10:30 am. See description under November 6. $30; $11 per class. Registration required. BECBG November 27: Make a Wreath Workshop, 10:30 am. Make an old-fashioned hand-tied wreath with fresh greens; bow included. Bring clippers/ pruners. $25. Registration required. LOCK • November 28: Sunday Afternoon Kids’ Activities, 12 – 2 pm. Garden-related activities. Ages 3 – 12, must be accompanied by an adult. Free with admission. BECBG December 2: Make a Wreath Workshop, 6 pm. See description under November 27. $25. Registration required. LOCK December 2: Indoor Gardening 102, 6:30 pm. Delve deeper into the various techniques of indoor gardening. $10 members; $12 non-members.

Registration required. BECBG December 3 – 5: Christmas Candlelight Gathering, Friday 6 pm – midnight, Saturday 10 am – 6 pm, Sunday 12 – 6 pm. Visit Santa Saturday 12 – 3 pm.

Wide variety of primitive antiques, garden décor, locally made merchandise. The Olde Steeple, 381 Main Street, Elma. 716/668-2655.

December 4: Decorated Boxwood Tree, 9 am.

Create your own classic boxwood tree. Bring hand clippers, scissors, large box to transport finished piece. $30 members; $35 non-members.

Registration required. BECBG December 4: Making and Decorating Fresh Evergreen Wreaths, 10 am. Part 1: Step-by-step demonstration. Approximately 45 minutes. Free.

Part 2: Hands-on session. Make and decorate your own 20” wreath to take home. Bring pruners, gloves and wire cutters. $18.50, includes materials; decorations extra. Registration required.

MENNE December 4: Festive Planter Workshop, 10:30 am.

Design your own one-of-a-kind outdoor container using natural materials. $35. Registration required.

LOCK December 4: Fresh Greens Wreath, 11:30 am.

Fashion a 14” wreath using fresh greens. Bring hand clippers, scissors, large box to transport finished piece. $30 members; $35 non-members.

Registration required. BECBG December 4: Textured Natural Wreath, 1 pm.

Choose from a variety of coniferous and berrying plants to make a multi-textured wreath. $35.

Registration required. LOCK December 4: Making and Decorating Fresh Evergreen Wreaths, 1 pm. See description under December 4, 10 am. MENNE

Buffalo continued

ITHACA

• December 4 – 18: Kids’ Class – Gingerbread Houses, Saturdays, 10 am & 1 pm. Age 4 and up. Registration required. SEN

REGULAR CLUB MEETINGS

December 4: Fresh Greens Swag, 2 pm. Create a swag using fresh greens. Bring hand clippers, scissors, large box to transport finished piece. $35 members; $40 non-members. Registration required. BECBG • December 5 - 19: Kids’ Class – Gingerbread Houses, Sundays, 10 am & 1pm. Age 4 and up.

Registration required. SEN December 8: Champagne & Herbs – Holiday Brunch, 11 am – 2 pm. Learn about herbs from members of the WNY Herb Study Group. Brunch, basket raffle, holiday gifts. $24 members; $27 non-members. Registration required. BECBG December 9: Mantle or Buffet Arrangement, 6 pm.

Get creative to show off your mantle or buffet; sizes & heights variable, bring measurements of your space. $35. Registration required. LOCK December 10: Gingerbread Houses, 7 pm. Ladies’ night. Registration required. SEN December 11: Boxwood Tree, 10:30 am. Make your own tabletop tree (24 inches) using natural boxwood. $35. Registration required. LOCK • December 11 – 12: Visit Santa, 10 am – 3 pm. Family outing, visit Santa, cut-your-own Christmas tree. Ulbrich’s Garden Center, 11500 Broadway, Alden. 716/937-7742; ulbrichs.com.

• December 12: Santa’s Dogs, 10 am – 3 pm.

The Newfoundland Dogs of Jolly Roger come together once a year at Ulbrich’s to pull sleds, carriages and carts loaded with Christmas trees from the cut-your-own fields. Ulbrich’s Garden Center, 11500 Broadway, Alden. 716/937-7742; ulbrichs.com.

Adirondack Chapter, North American Rock Garden Society (AC/NARGS), usually meets the third Saturday of the month at 1 pm. acnargs.blogspot.com.

CLASSES / EVENTS • Indicates activities especially appropriate for children and families.

• November 13: Worm Composting, 10 am – 12 pm. Learn how to set up and maintain a worm composting bin. Everyone will leave with a starter bin and worms. Children welcome with accompanying adult. $10, includes starter bin & worms. CCE-Tompkins Education Center, 615 Willow Avenue, Ithaca. 607/272-2292.

December 4: Identifying with Trees, 10 am – 12 pm. Enjoy a winter tree identification walk, storytellers, and warm treats. $5 per family or group of up to 4 adults. Registration required.

Cornell Plantations, 1 Plantations Road, Ithaca.

607/255-2400; cornellplantations.org.

• December 4: Holiday Workshop, 11 am – 1 pm. Make your own holiday decoration.

Choose from evergreen wreath, boxwood tree, evergreen center piece, evergreen/boxwood kissing ball or decorated apple basket. $8 adults; $4 children under 12. Materials extra.

Bakers Acres, 1104 Auburn Rd. (Route 34), Groton. 607/533-4653; bakersacres.net.

• December 12: Holiday Workshop, 1 – 3 pm.

See description under December 4. $8 adults; $4 children under 12. Materials extra. Bakers Acres, 1104 Auburn Rd. (Route 34), Groton.

607/533-4653; bakersacres.net.

December 16: The Kissing Ball, 6 pm. Make your own out of natural greens. Intended for outdoor use. $35. Registration required. LOCK

ROCHESTER

• December 18: Natural Rope Making, 10 – 11:30 am. Denise Ashman will teach participants how to make rope from plant fibers. Make a bracelet or book marker. Pre-registration required. $3 members; $5 non-members. Beaver Meadow Audubon Center, 1610 Welch Road, North Java.

585/457-3228; 800/377-1520; buffaloaudubon. com.

REGULAR CLUB MEETINGS

December 18: Holiday Centerpiece, 10:30 am.

Fashion a unique centerpiece for your table using fresh greens and ornaments. $35.

Registration required. LOCK December 22: Fresh Floral Christmas Arrangement, 6 pm. Fresh flowers bring the colors of the season to your table. Bring hand clippers, scissors, large box to transport finished piece. $35 members; $40 non-members.

Registration required. BECBG December 26: Dollar Day, 10 am – 5 pm. $1.

BECBG January 12: Birdseed Wreath Workshop, 7 pm.

Presented by Marge McCollum of Youngstown Garden Club. First Presbyterian Church, 100 Church St., Youngstown. Registration required. lynn.bey795@gmail.com.

African Violet Society of Rochester meets the first Wednesday of each month at 7 pm, St. John’s Home, 150 Highland Avenue, Rochester.

Everyone welcome. Bob or Linda Springer, 585/413-0606; blossoms002@yahoo.com.

Bonsai Society of Upstate New York meets the 4th Tuesday of the month at the Brighton Town Park Lodge, Buckland Park, 1341 Westfall Road, Rochester. 585/426-6548; bonsaisocietyofupstateny.org.

Fairport Garden Club meets the 3rd Thursday evening of each month (except August and January). Accepting new members. fairportgc@ gmail.com; fairportgardenclub.org.

Garden Club of Brockport meets the second Wednesday of every month at Fire Station #3, 191 West Avenue, Brockport. 585/636-4312.

Genesee Region Orchid Society (GROS) meets every month from September through May at the Jewish Community Center, 1200 Edgewood Avenue, Rochester, on the first Monday following the first Sunday of each month (dates sometimes vary due to holidays, etc.). The GROS is an Affiliate of The American Orchid Society (AOS) and of The Orchid Digest

Corporation. geneseeorchid.org.

Genesee Valley Chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society (GVC NARGS) meets the second Wednesday of each month, April - November, at the Rochester Civic Garden Center, 5 Castle Park, Rochester. 585/9241739; kpvansco@rochester.rr.com; gvnargs. blogspot.com.

Genesee Valley Hosta Society meets the second Thursday of January, March, May, September & November at Monroe County’s Cornell Cooperative Extension, 249 Highland Avenue, Rochester. 585/538-2280; sebuckner@ frontiernet.net.

Genesee Valley Pond & Koi Club meets the first Friday of the month at 7 pm, Rochester Civic Garden Center, 5 Castle Park, Rochester. bobwheeler58@gmail.com.

Gesneriad-dicts of Western New York, a chapter of the Gesneriad Society, meets the first Wednesday of each month, September – May, at 6:30 pm, St. John’s Home, 150 Highland Avenue, Rochester. Bob or Linda Springer, 585/413-0606; blossoms002@yahoo.com.

Greater Rochester Iris Society meets Thursdays at 7 pm, Monroe County Cornell Cooperative Extension, 249 Highland Avenue, Rochester.

Greater Rochester Perennial Society (GRPS) meets the first Thursday of each month at 7 pm, Monroe County Cornell Cooperative Extension, 249 Highland Avenue, Rochester, except in summer when it tours members’ gardens. laburt@rochester.rr.com; rochesterperennial.com.

Greater Rochester Rose Society holds monthly meetings at the Rochester Civic Garden Center, 5 Castle Park, Rochester. Public seminars, June rose show, garden adventures.

585/621-8780; info@rocrose.org; rocrose.org.

Henrietta Garden Club meets on the 3rd Wednesday of the month (except July and August) at 7 pm at Henrietta Town Hall (lower level, door facing the library).

Open to all interested in gardens, flowers, and sharing information about plants. henriettagardenclub@gmail.com.

Holley Garden Club meets the second Thursday of the month at 7 pm, Holley Presbyterian Church. 585/638-6973.

Ikebana International Rochester Chapter 53 meets the 3rd Thursday of each month (except December and February) at 10 am, First Baptist Church, Hubbell Hall, 175 Allens Creek Road, Rochester. 585/872-0678; 585/586-0794.

Rochester Dahlia Society meets the second Saturday of most months at 1 pm, Trinity Reformed Church, 909 Landing Road North, Rochester, except in the summer, when it tours members’ gardens. Visitors welcome. 585/2490624; 585/865-2291; gwebster@rochester. rr.com Rochester Water Garden Society meets the third Monday of the month, 7:30 pm, at members’ homes. 585/672-5857; RWGS@rochester. rr.com; sunkissedaquatics.com.

Valentown Garden Club meets the third Tuesday of each month, time alternates between noon or 7 pm. Victor. Kathleen Houser, president: 585/301-6107.

UPSTATE GARDENERS’ JOURNAL | 13

Calendar ROCHESTER continued CLASSES / EVENTS • Indicates activities especially appropriate for children and families.

Ongoing November 3 – May 25: Highland Park Winter Market, Wednesdays, 4 – 7 pm. Cornell Cooperative Extension, 249 Highland Avenue, Rochester. 585/494-2679; 585/350-8295; frasergarlic@rochester.rr.com.

November 4: Old Growth Forest Visit – Trestle Woods, 10 am. Several areas on the original thousand-acre estate of William Pryor Letchworth support forest trees more than 100 feet in height and 150 years in age. Without their cloak of leaves, the forms of these older trees will be easier to appreciate. Brush and steep terrain. Bring lunch.

3 hours, 1 – 2 miles. Meet: Visitor Center, will car pool. Free. LET November 6: Thinking like a Seed – Master Class with Ellen Hornig of Seneca Hill Perennials, 9:30 am – 12:15 pm. Hornig will talk about perennial seeds and their germination strategies. Using an assortment of seed from Hornig’s plants, participants will sow several different perennials to take home. $35. Preregistration required. RCGC November 6: Gourd Birdhouses Workshop, 10 am – 2 pm. Learn hands-on how to turn a gourd into a natural haven for your feathered friends.

Supplies included. Bring lunch. $25 members; $30 non-members. Registration required. Ganondagan State Historic Site, Victor. 585/742-1690; ganondagan.org.

November 13: Old Growth Forest Visit – Museum Woods, 10 am. See description under November 4. Free. LET

Frequent Hosts LET: Letchworth State Park Interpretive Program, 1 Letchworth State Park, Castile, NY 14427; 585/493-3625.

RCGC: Rochester Civic Garden Center, 5 Castle Park, Rochester, NY 14620. 585/473-5130; rcgc.org.

RPM: Rochester Public Market, 280 North Union Street, Rochester, NY. 585/428-6907; cityofrochester.gov; pmarket@cityofrochester.gov.

WAY: Wayside Garden Center, 124 PittsfordPalmyra Road (Route 31), Macedon, NY 14502. 585/223-1222 x 100; trish@waysidegardencenter.com; waysidegardencenter.com.

November 7: Big Tree Tour, 10 am. Two-mile walk to see the park’s largest tree. Brushy areas and uneven terrain. 3 hours. Bring lunch. Meet: Sycamore trailhead (#22). Free. LET November 10: Winter Pruning, 6:30 – 8:30 pm. Lois Dannenberg, IPM specialist with Broccolo Tree & Lawn Care, will discuss the how-to’s of winter pruning: why prune now, correct techniques, which woody plants benefit most from winter pruning, and proper timing. $22 members; $32 nonmembers. Preregistration required. RCGC November 13: Do-It-Yourself Landscape Design, 10 am. Create your own garden design with instruction then determine how much and what to do yourself. Free. Registration required. WAY

November 13: Outdoor Holiday Lighting Workshop, 10:30 am – 12 pm. Michael Hannen will demonstrate how to fix old strings of lights and get them ready to hang. The group will go outside for a hands-on session on how to string lights in the landscape, including tools needed, cord adapters and how to secure them, styles of hanging, and more. $22 members; $32 non-members.

Preregistration required. RCGC November 13: Forever Green Auction, 6:30 pm.

Fundraiser to benefit the Genesee Land Trust.

Silent and live auction; blue grass and jazz music provided by the Eastman School of Music.

Artisanworks, 565 Blossom Road, Rochester.

585/256-2130; geneseelandtrust.org.

November 14: Big Tree Tour, 10 am. Visit some of the park’s oldest forests and many of its largest trees, including several State Champions. Car tour and short walks. Bring lunch. 3 hours, 1 mile. Meet: Castile entrance. Free. LET November 15: Workshop – Creating Extra-Special Gift-Wraps and Packages, 7 – 9 pm. Designer Alana Miller will share how to create extra-special packaging for gifts including how to stack, tower, secure, wrap and decorate. Participants will create a gift basket in class. Bring gift items to fill a medium-size basket. Stuffing, wrap, ribbon and basket provided (or bring a basket of your choice). $27 members; $37 non-members. Preregistration required. RCGC November 17: Create a Low-Fuss Flower Garden, 7 – 9 pm. Author and garden designer Marcella Klein

Cayuga Landscape Ithaca, NY

Visit our 30 Acre Nursery & Garden Center Superior Nursery Stock • Native and Deer Resistant Plants Horticulturally Trained Staff • Planting Service

2712 N. Triphammer Rd. Ithaca, NY 14850 (607) 257-3000 www.cayugalandscape.com 14 | NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2010

will introduce an array of plants that practically thrive on neglect, even under difficult conditions, and suggest ways to simplify gardening to save time and eliminate dreaded chores. Handouts. $22 members; $32 non-members. Preregistration required. RCGC

Hannen demonstrates techniques for lighting a live tree as well as an artificial one plus decorating banisters and adding flair and sparkle indoors for the holidays. Refreshments. $12. Preregistration required. RCGC December 4: Old Growth Forest Visit – Cabin Bank Woods, 10 am. See description under November 4. Free. LET

November 18: Old Growth Forest Visit – Dehgayasoh Valley Woods, 10 am. See description under November 4. Free. LET November 18: Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County 2010 Annual Meeting, 6 – 7:30 pm. Speaker: John M. Ameroso, Agriculture & Gardening in the Big Apple, Cornell University Cooperative Extension, NYC. Registration requested: Monroe@cornell.edu; 585/461-1000 x0. Cornell Cooperative Extension Auditorium, 249 Highland Avenue, Rochester.

December 4: Christmas Greens & Alpacas, 10 am – 5 pm. Holiday greens, alpaca gifts, visit live alpacas.

WAY December 5: Holidays at the Market, 9 am – 3 pm.

Largest selection of holiday trees, wreaths and fresh garlands found in Western New York. Art, crafts, decorations, holiday food delicacies, gift items and stocking stuffers. RPM

December 5: Indoor Ed-Venture – Evergreens, 2 – 4 pm. Dozens of evergreen trees and shrubs inhabit the park, study their boughs and cones by comparison of samples. Meet: Conference room, Visitor Center. Free. LET

November 20: Orchids, 10 am. Trish Gannon will cover basic orchid care and re-potting techniques. Bring your own plants and containers for transplanting. $4 per orchid. Registration required. WAY November 27: Old Growth Forest Visit – Bishop Woods & Dark Woods, 10 am. See description under November 4. Free. LET

December 7: Create a Boxwood Christmas Tree, 7 – 9 pm. Using fresh boxwood, floral designer Alana Miller will guide participants through the construction of a long-lasting boxwood Christmas tree. Materials provided. Bring scissors, small wire cutters and floral knife. $38 members; $48 nonmembers. Preregistration required. RCGC

December 1: Soiree – Deck the Halls, 6:30 – 8:30 pm. Join the tree lighting party as Michael

December 8: Make a Knock-out Holiday Wreath that Lasts All Winter, 6:30 – 8 pm. Horticulturist Nellie

COU TOSS O DS C

December 10 – 12: Holiday Craft Sale. Featuring seasonal fresh floral arrangements and gifts of the season. Hosted by Valentown Garden Club.

Ichabod Town Homestead, Valentown Museum, 267 High St., Victor. valentown.org.

December 11: Holiday & Winter Decorating With Natural Elements, 10 am. Registration required.

WAY

December 5: Candlelight Tour of Homes, 12 – 5 pm.

Fundraiser for the 7th District Federated Garden Clubs. $20, available after November 1, Wayside Garden Center, 585/223-1222.

November 18 & 20: Tree Identification - Conifers, Thursday 6 – 9 pm; Saturday 10 am – 12:30 pm, field trip. Join Naturalist Carol Southby to learn how to distinguish each of the area’s main groups of conifers. Evergreen species that might at first all look alike will reveal their individuality. 3 CNLP Credits available; 5.5 ISA CEU credits available, 3 for lecture, 2.5 for field trip. Preregistration required. RCGC

Gardner, of Flower Fields farm in Ogden, will walk participants through the process of making a long-lasting wreath using an assortment of mixed greens embellished with natural materials including herbs, chili peppers, rose hips, pods, dried flowers and cones. $38 members; $48 non-members.

Preregistration required. RCGC

December 12: Holidays at the Market, 9 am – 3 pm.

See description under December 5. RPM December 19: Holidays at the Market, 9 am – 3 pm.

See description under December 5. RPM January 15: Designing Gardens with Trees & Shrubs – Master Class with Penelope O’Sullivan, 9:30 – 11:45 am. Learn to look at the design process from planning, buying and planting to effective pruning in order to make informed decisions, both practical and aesthetic, about woody plants in this master class with Penelope O’Sullivan, author of The Homeowners Complete Tree & Shrub Handbook: The Essential Guide to Choosing, Planting, and Maintaining Perfect Landscape Plants. Penelope’s second presentation will cover “Fabulous Foliage: Year-Round Color with Trees & Shrubs” where she will explore strategies for adding trees and shrubs of many hues to create interest throughout the year. $35. Preregistration required. RCGC

Come Visit Marilla’s “Best Kept Secret”

OF MARILLA

FLORIST & GIFTS

Winter Days are Ahead...

But the Flowers are Always in Bloom Here!

Featuring:

• Custom Fresh & Silk Arrangements • Home Décor & Gift Items include: • Furniture • Wall Art • Lodge • Jewelry • Primitives • Signs/Stitcheries • Wind & Willow Dips & Soup Mixes

Make sure you save the date CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE Nov. 12th - 14th

Hours: Mon-Fri 9 - 5:30 Saturday 9-3 Sunday 11 - 3

700 Two Rod Rd., Marilla, NY 14102 Corner of Two Rod & Clinton

(716) 937-4407

30 % off Any one regular priced Holiday item

See the benefits of sod at www.BataviaTurf.com

or call today

800-333-1472 For the finest grown Kentucky bluegrass and Tall Fescue sod along with all of your infield needs, call Batavia Turf today 10

Not Your Average Flower Shop...

1 9 60 - 2 0

UPSTATE GARDENERS’ JOURNAL | 15

Calendar SYRACUSE REGULAR CLUB MEETINGS: African Violet Society of Syracuse meets the second Thursday of the month at 7 pm, September – June. Membership open to all interested in the culture, care and propagation of African violets. Visitors welcome. Andrews United Methodist Church, 106 Church Street, North Syracuse. 315/492-2562; jimviolets@msn.com; avsofsyracuse.org.

Central New York Orchid Society meets the first Sunday of the month, September – May, St. Augustine’s Church, 7333 O’Brien Rd., Baldwinsville. Dates may vary due to holidays.

315/633-2437; cnyos.org.

Gardeners in Thyme (a women’s herb club) meets the second Thursday of the month at 7 pm, Beaver Lake Nature Center, Baldwinsville. 315/635-6481; hbaker@twcny.rr.com.

Syracuse Rose Society meets the second Thursday of every month (except December and February) at 7:30 pm. Public welcome. Reformed Church of Syracuse, 1228 Teall Avenue, Syracuse. Enter from Melrose Ave. Club members maintain the E. M. Mills Memorial Rose Garden, Thornden Park, Syracuse. syracuserosesociety.org.

Classes / Events • Indicates activities especially appropriate for children and families.

PINE: Albany Pine Bush Discovery Center, the best remaining example in the world of an inland pine barrens. 195 New Karner Road, Albany, NY. 518/456-0655; albanypinebush. org.

Registration required. PINE

• November 11: Adventure Day Camp, 9 am – 4 pm. Ages 5 – 12. Registration required. Baltimore Woods Nature Center, 4007 Bishop Hill Road, Marcellus. 315/673-1350; baltimorewoods.org.

• November 26: Crafty Corner, 1 – 3 pm. Design your own one-of-a-kind creation using many of the natural elements found in the preserve. $2 per person; $5 per family; children under 5 free.

Registration required. PINE

& BEYOND

November 28: Discover the Pine Bush, 1 – 2 pm.

See description under November 14. $2 per person; $5 per family. Registration required. PINE

Classes / Events

Habitat Gardening Club of CNY (HGCNY) meets the last Sunday of most months at 2 pm. LeMoyne College, Falcone Library, special activities room, Syracuse. 315/487-5742; hgcny.org.

• November 14: Naturalist Hike, 11:30 am. Join a volunteer docent for a 30 minute guided hike to learn about the inland pine barrens landscape. All ages. Free. Registration required. PINE

Koi and Water Garden Society of Central New York usually meets the third Monday of each month at 7 pm. See web site for meeting locations.

315/458-3199; cnykoi.com.

November 14: Discover the Pine Bush, 1 – 2 pm.

Learn about an inland pine barrens. Experts will guide this one mile hike over rolling sand dunes.

Wear sturdy walking shoes, long pants and bring drinking water. $2 per person; $5 per family.

Registration required. PINE

Men’s (and Women’s) Garden Club of Syracuse meets the third Thursday of each month at 7:30 pm. Reformed Church of Syracuse, 1228 Teall Ave., Syracuse. Enter from Melrose Ave. 315/4640051.

Frequent Host

• November 20: Naturalist Hike, 10:30 am. See description under November 14. All ages. Free.

Christm as Trees, Wreaths, Decorations Our Sp ecialty

JEFF KOOPUS Cabinet & Chair Maker

LARGE Trees—up to 18’ tall LARGE Wreaths—us to 13” diam eter reserve them early.

Lilac Hill Nursery

2366 Turk Hill Road, across from Casa Larga Vineyard Victor, New York 14564 www.LilacHillNursery.com • 585-223-4010 16 | NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2010

Period & Original Design Furniture Elegant Kitchens & Built-in Cabinetry jskoopus.com 585/586-1766 • 585/755-7627

ULBRICH’S

GOES TO THE DOGS!

For the Holidays, shop...

Mischler’s Florist and GREENHOUSES

Poinsettias & Cyclamen Grown in our Greenhouses

Floral Arrangements of Fresh Holiday Greens & Flowers Custom Designed Wreaths Gifts for the Gardener • Gift Certificates

Save $5

on Each Poinsettia Delivery in Greater Buffalo (Order by Dec. 11th for delivery by the 15th.)

Sunday, December 12— The famous Newfoundland dogs will help your family haul in the perfect tree.

Join in the tradition!

ULBRICH’S 11500 Broadway, Alden, NY 716.937.7742 www.ulbrichs.com

Order by Phone

(716) 632-1290 or toll-free (877) 363-1879 on the Internet at www.mischlersflorist.com Visit Our Greenhouses at 118 South Forest Road (between Main and Wehrle) Williamsville,

NY 14221

We’re Growing for You

Ebenezer greenhouses FOR THE HOLIDAYS

us

FULL LINE OF POINSETTIAS

”

“

Th

eW orld In Foc

Professional arrangements for independent, escorted, and group tours and cruises to destinations worldwide.

Exploring Bath and The Cotswolds In the footsteps of Jane Austen In this marvelous program we combine everyone’s fascination With Jane Austen with some of the most beautiful scenery, exquisite villages and glorious gardens in England. Follow in Jane Austen’s footsteps and see some of the incredible locations from the film versions of her novels. Visit magnificent gardens big and small with the owners or head gardeners to personally show you around. Full of surprises and special extras!

Optional London extension with the Chelsea Flower Show.

Space is extremely limited for this small group tour.

May 14-22, 2011

Please contact us for details or to arrange a custom itinerary.

Garden and Culinary tours are our specialty.

Trisha and Robert Iannazzi travel@iannazzi.com

585-624-1285

www.iannazzi.com

All sizes from 4” to 10” WE SPECIALIZE IN FRASIER FIR WREATHS 20” to 5 ft.

Featuring 20” Fir Wreath on an Easel for $15.95

AND FROM OUR FLORIST

Ebenezer can fill all of your entertaining and gift needs centerpieces • arrangements—large & small gourmet fruit baskets—all sizes

Holiday open house

10% OFF

Saturday & Sunday December 4th & 5th 1347 Union Rd., W. Seneca, NY 14224 (716) 674-2608 • Open Every Day

Seasonal stakeout

Holiday gift ideas

Items inspired by the garden For our sponsors, the gardening season is alive year-round. We asked them for one great gift idea each, and here’s what they came up with.

A gift of nature is one that lasts forever. Since it’s hard to give actual garden plants as gifts at Christmas time, consider a well-thought-out gift certificate, perfectly tailored to your recipient.

The wildflower lover will appreciate a gift certificate from Springwater’s Amanda’s Garden, specialists in native perennials. 585-750-6288/amandagarden.com.

Is nursery stock more in order? Adams Nursery in Lancaster offers a lifetime guarantee, plus they have all kinds of other good stuff, like mulch, planters, perennials, etc. Gift cards are available online at adamsnurseries.com or by calling 716-683-4885.

There aren’t many places more pleasant to be in the blustery winter months than under glass. For just $30 you can give a membership to the Erie County Botanical Gardens in Buffalo, and that special person can spend unlimited hours basking in the sun and soaking up that rain forest environment. 716-827-1584; buffalogardens.com.

Want to do one simple thing to be green this season? Shop locally and get a real tree and wreath!

Fresh cut Christmas trees are one of the most renewable items on the earth. For every tree harvested, three seedling trees are planted in its place. For the next 10 years or so they cycle your air, provide shelter for assorted creatures and control soil erosion. At Sara’s Garden Center in Brockport, each fresh tree also provides all of the great smelling greens they use to hand craft their own custom wreaths. Each design is unique, and even the branches that aren’t suitable for wreaths are tipped and used for custom designed, green decorations for your home. All of these items are completely biodegradable and can be safely thrown in your own compost to continue the cycle. Bring in your copy of the Upstate Gardeners’ Journal and we will give you $5 off any “living material” purchase valued over $20. 585-637-4745; sarasgc.com.

The expert staff at USA Bird Supply in Clarence can help you design the perfect gift basket for the birder on your gift list. Choose from among hummingbird feeders and accessories, or pamper someone special with a selection of scented nature-themed candles, soaps and teas. You can even let that special techie inside a bird’s life with a nature cam!

716-407-3115; usabirdsupply.com.

Diane Rivers and creates functional, decorative bird houses for sale at her retail store, Cross My Heart, in Wallace, and online at 100birdhouses.com. The bird houses are hand made from recycled lumber scavenged from our local area, and each one has a laminated card that tells where the lumber came from and from whom. Diane makes houses for 14 varieties of our Northeastern birds and there are always 100 of them displayed in the store.

She also hand crafts wind chimes, painted Americana, crosses, earrings, primitive benches and shelving, spindle angels and blackberry jam. 607-566-2219.

18 | NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2010

Know someone whose burlap-wrapped shrubs are absolutely cringeworthy? Give a much better looking alternative, the Shrub Coat.

Available in a variety of sizes and styles, Shrub Coat will help sustain plants’ health—while looking good—through the winter. See their ad in this issue for a special promotional offer. 888-747-8226; shrubcoat.com.

Chicken Coop Originals in Alden specializes in original and one of a kind paintings done by owner Theresa Shriver, garden artwork and country gifts and primitives. Painting and garden workshops are also available. 716-937-7837; chickencooporiginals.com.

Holiday Decorating Tips and Facts:

Love tradition? Complement your treasured family ornaments with décor with Old World (and modern) charm from Country Crossroads, Marilla—wreaths and arrangements, tree trimmings, lamps and wall art. You may also send a fresh arrangement with delivery available. 700 Two Rod Rd., Country Crossroads, Marilla.

716-937-4407.

Just in for the holiday season, the whimsical humor of British artists Abbott and Ellwood of Cornwall captured in this collection of hand printed figurative brooches. With gardening and pet themes, these brooches are made to wear and display and they’re sure to bring a smile.

Abbott and Ellwood trained at the Royal College of Art and their work is featured in museum collections throughout Great Britain. At The Artful Gardener, 727 Mt. Hope Avenue, Rochester. 585-454-2874.

National poinsettia day is December 12th. Brought to the US by Joel Poinsett, ambassador to Mexico, the colorful “flowers” of the poinsettia are actually bracts, a form of leaf—its flower is inconspicuous.

—Ebenezer Greenhouses, 1347 Union Rd., W. Seneca. 716-674-2608 Decorating your home for the holidays doesn’t have to be hard. For a quick holiday centerpiece, use a premade or fresh holiday swag and place lengthwise on your table, enhance with berries, fruit and ribbons.

Add several votive or tall candles tucked into the greens, being careful when lighting them. Afterward, you can hang the swag of greens over a mirror or doorway.

—Elaine’s Flower Shoppe, Cheektowaga. 716-6814688; elainesflowershoppe.com.

To make your Christmas tree last, do a fresh cut from the bottom and place in water as soon as possible.

Use a long funnel to water it, and “ Tree Moist” to reduce watering and hold the water in. Don’t place tree where warm air will blow on it or near a fireplace.

—Pudgie’s, Batavia. 58-/343-8352; pudgieslawnandgarden.com.

Deck your halls—and doors and walls—with live garlands, greens and wreaths. The real, fresh scent makes your décor that much more festive and homey, evoking memories or traditional Christmases past.

—Badding Brothers, 10820 Transit Rd., E. Amherst.

716-636-7824

UPSTATE GARDENERS’ JOURNAL | 19

Live poinsettia plants add a festive touch to Holiday décor and make great gifts to fit any budget. Rudolph Galley & Sons Greenhouses, 2722 Clinton Street, West Seneca, grows thousands of fresh, premium poinsettias.

Whether you enjoy traditional colors or are looking for newer varieties or even something already decorated, you’re covered. Add your own personal touches such as hand-tied bows and novelty picks. Plants are foiled, free, in the color of your choice. 716-822-9298.

Nothing conveys your loving sentiments better than a healthy, living plant.

Ballantyne Gardens in Liverpool has beautiful dish gardens, table top, and holiday plants in a wide variety of prices to suit every gift giving need: house-warming, get well, new baby, holiday, birthday or any other special occasion. 315-453-0621, ballantynegardens.com.

The Best-Kept Secret in North Chili!

Unique & Unusual Bird Feeders & Houses Split Rail Fencing • Railroad Ties Pet/Equine from A - Z • Lawn Fertilizer & Seed Pasture & Plot Mixes • Straw Wood Pellets • Coal

15 OFF %

Family Run for Over 65 Years!

any bird house or feeder

Not valid with any other sales or discounts

Get more coupons! Visit our Web site www.HigbieFarmSupplies.com and register for our mailing list

3440 South Union Street • North Chili, New York Exit 4 off 490 on Rt. 259, under the bridge north of railroad tracks, between Buffalo Rd. & Chili Ave.

585/594-8300 Open year-round. Closed Sundays & Mondays.

20 | NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2010

Birds are one of the delights most gardeners embrace with glee. Goff Creek Pottery offers a selection of artistically crafted, frostproof, all-weather bird houses in a variety of styles - each handmade individually by artists Mary Lynn and Robert Good in their Bath studio.

Made on a potter’s wheel, then hand decorated each with their own adorable features, three different styles are available: the 12 inch wall plaque with bird house in the center, surrounded by a beautiful hand carved scene for $95, the 10 inch hanging bird house which comes in many styles and colors (featured here Frosted Pumpkin and Golden Vine) for $85, and the 6 inch hobbit bird house great for a shelf or to hang, in natural clay with leaves and branches design for $55. Decorations may vary so feel free to inquire about other designs. All are frostproof, designed to remain outdoors year ‘round without the worries associated with terra cotta. Give the gift of fine crafted functional art to the gardeners on your Christmas list. Shipping available to everywhere in the US. 607-661-6617; goffcreekpottery.com.

From Harris Garden Center in Webster, this gift suggestion: How many of us really splurge on ourselves when buying tools for the garden? That someone special would appreciate fine tools by DeWit or Felco, or some really good gloves—Mudd, bamboo, leather, vinyl or winter. 585-872-0120; harrisgardens.com.

Lockwood’s Greenhouses, in Hamburg, carries Felcos too, as well as West Country work gloves and the famous Tilly hat, scarf and hat combinations, a new collection of Enviro sacks, great gardening books and many more unique gifts for the gardener. 716-646-4684; lockwoodsgreenhouses.com.

Looking for Work?

If you love the green world, and are looking for education in a field with lots of opportunity, consider applying to the Rochester Landscape Technicians Program. RLTP is an employment program for men and women in the field of landscaping and horticulture. Job opportunities include work in: tree and lawn care, parks and grounds maintenance, nursery and retail sales, golf course maintenance, interior landscaping, greenhouse maintenance, construction landscaping, and equipment operation Since beginning in 1991, RLTP has achieved a better than 85% job placement rate for graduates of the Landscape Technicians Certificate program.

Our students’ starting wages have averaged 20-25% above minimum wage. RLTP is currently recruiting applicants for its 2011 education program, to begin in early January. The program includes twelve weeks of classroom instruction, field trips, hands-on demonstrations and job placement assistance. There are multiple opportunities for interaction with a variety of employers within the green industry.

For more information on this program call 585/242-7590.

Space is limited.

The Rochester Landscape Technicians Program, Inc. 16 Edmonds Street, Rochester, NY 14607

for your grandkids’ generation...

potted christmas trees

• • • • •

poinsettias pine roping wreaths christmas decor poinsettia garland

great gift ideas!

Wind chimes, Star lights, Penguins, Owls & Ducks, Feather Trees, Spinners, Vases, Feeders & Hooks... So much more Take a Trip to the Country Just 2 1/2 Miles East of Rte 400

11753 East Main St. East Aurora, NY (716) 652-8969 www.johnsonsnurserycenter.com

Landscape Design—2011 Gift Certificates Available

Marci Muller, Executive Director

UPSTATE GARDENERS’ JOURNAL | 21



       

   

              At Harris, we’re stocked up on trees, wreaths, live & artificial greens, ornaments & décor We have many great gift ideas for the gardener in your life!

Monessen Stoves Made in the USA

Visit the Stove Shop on our Web site, harrisgardens.com

Please Visit...

Lockwood’s Greenhouses CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE

Saturday, November 13, 10am-4pm The Tradition is Being Carried on by Rosy.

1349 Nine Mile Point Road, Webster, NY 14580 585/872-0120 www.HarrisGardens.com

28 Varieties of Poinsettias Fresh Wreaths and Trees Gifts and Classes www.lockwoodsgreenhouses.com 4484 Clark St., Hamburg, NY 14075 716-649-4684

Trout Lily

Give a Gift of Nature With a

GIFT CERTIFICATE

Amanda’s Garden Specializing in Woodland Wildflowers

The CobraHead Weeder.

The most versatile weeding tool in your tool box, it scalps, edges, digs, furrows, cultivates, weeds, transplants, de-thatches and harvests with ease. It has a super sharp blade and well balanced shaft for digging out tap-rooted weeds and can scrape off small shallow weed seedlings in the blink of an eye. Made of sharpened steel and with a recycled plastic handle, the CobraHead weeder will last for years. $21.99 at Ballantyne Gardens.

For free catalogue and information, contact: Amanda’s Garden • 8410 Harpers Ferry Road, Springwater, NY 14560 (585) 750-6288 • amandasgarden@frontiernet.net amandagarden.com

4825 Hopkins Road Liverpool, N.Y. 13088 www.ballantynegardens.com - facebook: Ballantyne Gardens 315-453-0621

Seneca Greenhouse

VISIT OUR WEBSITE

Beautiful poinsettias, all sizes & colors Traditional wreaths for a warm welcome Fresh cut Christmas trees • Holiday gift items Stop in!

2250 Transit Rd., near Seneca St. West Seneca, NY 14224 • 716/677-0681

upstategardenersjournal.com • Get current with our blog, Ear to the Ground • Check our calendar for up-to-date event listings • Check our index for articles you may have missed • Subscribe, renew and order back issues using your credit card • Find out where you can pick up a copy THE BEST RESOURCES FOR YOUR GARDEN ONLY AT

upstategardenersjournal.com

Carved Rocks

The Botanical Gardens

Choose from our selection or bring your own design. We will carve it deep into the stone. They are used for doorstops, addresses, garden, pet memorials, and room decor. Smallest $12.50 handsized rocks with one name make excellent gifts.

Photo Contest - Photos Due Dec 31

505 FILLMORE AVENUE TONAWANDA 716-743-8007

Poinsettia Show - Nov 26 - Jan 2 Railway Exhibit - Nov 26 - Jan 2 Holiday Brunch - Dec 8 Holiday Celebration - Dec 11 Dollar Day - Dec 26 Make it Take it Classes - Dec 2655 South Park Ave - Buffalo, NY www.buffalogardens.com - 716.847.1584

Holiday Open House December 4th & 5th Holiday Gifts & Decorating Ideas Door Prizes—refreshments

2365 George Urban Blvd., Depew NY 14043 716-681-4688 • ElainesFlowerShoppe.com Daily delivery to the entire metro Buffalo area

Der Rosenmeister HEIRLOOM & MODERN ROSE NURSERY Leon Ginenthal

6 Miles North of Eastern Hills Mall

607-273-8610

Celebrate the Christmas Season

www.derrosenmeister.com

e r

r

10820 Transit Rd. • E. Amherst, NY 14051 Ph. 716/636-7824

OWNER

190 Seven Mile Drive, Ithaca, NY 14850

d

BADDING BROS. FARM MARKET

o s e n m e i s t e r

100Birdhouses.com Functional and Handmade

by Diane Rivers; adorned with antiques and unusual objects.

The store contains much more than birdhouses.

Antiques, flea market items, handmade purses and aprons. Windchimes, Americana, quality country prints, primitive furnishings and LOTS of angels.

Store Hours: Thu, Fri, Sat 10-5 Weds & Sun Noon-5 Closed Mon & Tues Email: crossmyheart@stny.rr.com 61069 State Route 415 (Bet. Avoca and Cohocton) Wallace, NY • 607-566-2219

Save the Dates!

Fresh Cut Christmas Trees Custom Hand Made Fresh Wreaths Live Potted Christmas Trees Poinsettias, Christmas Cactus & Cyclamen Fresh Made Centerpieces & Boxwood Trees

Pudgie’s Lawn & Garden Center Everything for your Holidays!

Gift Baskets • Fresh Centerpieces Wreaths • Trees Special order holiday decorations welcome!

3646 West Main St., Batavia, NY 14020 585/343-8352 www.pudgieslawnandgarden.com

CLASSIFIEDS DAYLILIES. Daylilies are outstanding, carefree perennials. We grow and sell over 225 top-rated award-winning varieties in many colors and sizes in our Rochester garden. We are also an official national daylily society display garden. We welcome visitors to see the flowers in bloom from June to September. Call 585/461-3317.

STONE. For sale: field stone, medina sandstone, landscape boulders.

Architectural salvage. Stone $60 per ton. Call 585/478-5970.

March 17 - 20, 2011 Rochester’s Dome Arena

Business Opportunity. Vendors wanted for selling garden merchandise e.g., plants, flowers, statuary, gardening books & tools, pots, bird feeders. Plantasia, WNY’s premier landscape/ garden show, March 24-27, 2011 at the Fairgrounds Event Center in Hamburg. Contact 716-741-8047.

Christmas Candlelight Gathering Friday, December 3rd, 6pm-midnight Saturday, December 4th, 10am-6pm Sunday, December 5th, noon - 6pm

Visit with Santa on Saturday, noon-3pm

If you’re makin’ your list and checkin’ it twice, come shop our wide variety of primitive antiques and locally made merchandise.

381 Main St., Elma NY 14059 • 716/668-2655 (1/2 Mile from Clinton & Transit roads)

Regular Store Hours: Weds-Sat 10-5, Thurs. ‘til 8, Sun 12-5

Present this ad to receive your complimentary gift

DAVID L. FRANKE

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT

585 343-8200 Design and Management of Distinctive Landscapes 4423 N. Bennett Heights, Batavia, NY 14020

Chicken Coop Originals

Three country gift, garden & herb shops featuring hand-painted primitives, country artwork, herbal wreaths & holiday arrangements, holiday gifts, oldtiques & collectibles Painting, wreath-making & Christmas table arrangement classes

Christmas Open House Nov 18-21, 26-28—10-5 13245 Clinton St., Rte. 354 Alden, NY 14004

www.chickencooporiginals.com

We are open Thursday-Saturday, 11-5

or by chance or appointment

Open Sundays in November & December 716-937-7837

“As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”—Joshua 24:15

Garden Center • Shrubs • Trees • Perennials

Landscape Design • Planting • Walks/Patios • Maintenance

Country Corners Nursery 6611 Rtes. 5 & 20 Bloomfield (585) 657-7165

Bee in the Garden • GIFT SHOP •

Something for Everyone...

Woodstock Chimes Ibis & Orchid Floral Vases & Candles Garden Tools & Gloves Mailbox Covers & Yard DeSign Grilling Accessories, Cookbooks & Sauces....

Located at

MILEAGE MASTER CENTER “The Grillmaster’s Mecca”

2488 Browncroft Blvd.

586-1870

Assorted Weber Grills now on Display

Rochester’s Only Big Green Egg Dealer Become an EGG head today!

We have a great selection of wood chips & charcoal year ‘round

HOURS: Mon.-Fri. 8:00am-5:00pm; Sat. 9:00am-4:00pm Extended hours for the Holiday Season

Rooted

A storybook garden that isn’t

by Christina Le Beau

M

Christina Le Beau lives in Rochester. She blogs about raising food-literate kids at spoonfedblog.net.

y daughter has spent a lot of time with a picture book called “The Curious Garden,”

by Peter Brown. It’s the story of Liam, a boy who lived in a drab industrial city filled with smokestacks and boarded-up buildings, not a garden or tree or even the tiniest bit of green to break the gray. “Most people spent their time indoors,” the book begins. “As you can imagine, it was a very dreary place.”

Liam, though, craved the outdoors, even in the rain. Maybe even especially in the rain. And it’s on a dark, wet day that he discovers an abandoned railroad track, high above the city. And on this track, in the middle of this drab, dreary place, is a patch of plants.

It’s an accidental garden that Liam embraces and tends and nurtures onward, throughout the city and the seasons until, one day, other people embrace it, too. Before long, there are gardens everywhere. On rooftops, in old cars, covering stairs, climbing walls. It’s quite a sight. A spectacularly illustrated sight.

So when we learned that the book was inspired by a Manhattan railway called the High Line, and it happened that we’d be in New York City in September, we knew we’d be paying a visit.

Built in the 1930s as a freight railway for the city’s many factories and warehouses, the High Line rises 30 feet above the streets of the Meatpacking District, Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen. Its last train ran in 1980, and then it sat, unused, until 1999, when a conservancy formed to rehab it as a greenway, which opened in 2009.

It’s a park, art gallery, performance space and respite-from-the-grit, with sprawling river and street views, movable chaise lounges set on rail tracks, and a landscape of 210 species of mostly native plants that evoke the feel of overgrown tracks. It’s stunning.

It is not, however, spectacularly illustrated. The gardens do not climb walls or dance charmingly across rooftops. There are no whimsical topiaries or carpets of flower-flecked moss.

Tess is 6. She knows that picture books take liberties. Or so I thought. But when we stepped out of the glass elevator that took us to the High Line, she stopped, looked around and declared: “It’s not anything like in the book.”

We might have hyped it a bit too much. We might not have been clear on the difference between “inspired by” and “actual.” We didn’t count on our first-grader getting all literal on us. We were bummed.

She perked up at the public art, and giggled when she got to nudge a chaise lounge along the rail and soak up some rays. But, later, asking Tess to name her favorite thing about the weekend, the High Line didn’t make the top three. (For the record: 1) Statue of Liberty 2) Union Square playground 3) “space stuff” at the American Museum of Natural History.) Heck, I don’t think it cracked her top 10.

The book, though, lives on. In her world, reality and fantasy can bump along together without getting in each other’s way. And I’ll take that as long as I can get it.

Stewed winter fruit Serves 20 or more.

1 pound dried apricots 1 pound pitted dried prunes 1 pound pitted dried dates 1 pound currants 1 pound coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts 4 apples, cored & cubed 4 pears, cored & cubed 3/4 cup maple syrup 1 cup apple cider heavy cream

26 | NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2010

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a large casserole dish, layer dried fruits, nuts and fresh fruit.

3. Pour the maple syrup and apple cider over the fruits.

4. Cover tightly and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the fruit is soft.

5. Serve warm for breakfast with a pitcher of heavy cream or serve warm over vanilla ice cream for an elegant dessert.

Recipe courtesy Marion Morse, Allyn’s Club Garden Club

Bristol’s Garden Center

Saturday and Sunday December 4th & 5th, 11th & 12th From 11am to 4pm each day

Enjoy refreshments while you shop our extensive selection of: Fresh Cut Christmas Trees

Santa will be here 11am to 4pm both weekends, so bring your Christmas wishes and your camera 

Live Christmas Trees Fresh Greens Holiday Plants & Poinsettias Artificial Trees, Wreaths & Garlands

Join us on Facebook for updates and “friend” specials

Shop out of the elements in our weather-protected greenhouses Open 7 days a week, year round 7454 Victor-Pittsford Rd. Victor, NY 14564 (585)924-2274 www.bristolsgardencenter.com