"Garden Open Today": Daffodil Days

It is that time of year when the Daffodils are beginning to peek through the earth. I have been diligently planting Daffodils or Narcissus here at the M.H. Merchant Stone House now for 3 years and have planted thousands of them. Not only Daffodils but other bulbs such as Muscari, Allium, Scillia, and others.

So the "Garden Open Today" events will be a series of open garden days in which one can personally explore the gardens here and get a little tour.


Daffodil Days will be held on two weekends in April and early May from 1 p.m. till 6 p.m.

April 9th and 10th. Which will feature early Daffodil varieties and minor bulbs.

April 30th and May 1st. Which will feature late blooming varieties and other flowering perennials and shrubs.



Please make note that these dates are firm and depending on the weather you will see many different plants or perhaps none at all. Please feel free to contact me closer to the dates so I can inform you to what is happening in the gardens.

This is an organic experiment I am trying out and would truly love for all of you to make it out here and see the gardens in person as well as shake my hand, say hi, and have a garden chat.


I am also planning a mid-summer and late summer/early fall "Garden Open Today" program. Mid-summer will focus on my Hemerocallis collection as well as other great summer perennials. The late summer session will be geared towards the large gigantic perennials I covet as well as my "on-growing" collection of unusual tropicals. Dates will be announced soon.

I hope to see you all at some point at one of these "Open Garden Today" events.

The First Day of Spring in Cornwallville

It's not the only the first day of spring in Cornwallville, but the first day of spring everywhere, and boy it was a great one. After missing last weekend up at the house and gardens due to some personal commitments I was greeted by the first blooms to lay my eyes on after a long and snowy winter.


The Crocus were popping up, and the ones I planted a few years back in the kitchen landing were blooming like crazy. This variety which is actually a mix called 'Hocus Crocus' never disappoints. I have I.D.'d one of the Crocus with the pale white petals and purple streaks as Crocus 'Pickwick'. I will do a posting on the Crocus here in the near future as there is another variety or two still waiting to bloom. Stay tuned.


I spent the whole day cleaning out beds. Raking, cutting back perennials and planting early spring annuals were the tasks of the day and it was glorious!
To be out again in the gardens felt invigorating and humble at the same time. By 7 p.m. I was still outside working, tired and aching I crawled into the house and fell asleep to awaken to a disappointing spring snow.


Damn! I said to myself. Come-On! I could not believe it. I quickly calmed myself down and took in the situation. I knew that tomorrow would be 45 degrees and the dusting of snow would be long gone. There was so much more to be done but it would just have to wait for another day. The Crocus were still beautiful folded up from the lack of sun and the pansies planted in similar matching tones were perking up through the snow.


Spring is officially here and the time has come for winter to pass as much as Mother Nature sometimes wants to hold onto her seasons. They will always change, season by season, day by day.

Arrangement: February

There is not much going on here in the gardens at this point. Dreaming of Daffodils and Crocus is all one can do as well as going through garden books and seed catalogs. But there is one plant who one might think is associated with the holidays is in full glory at the moment.


Yes, an Amaryllis is the plant I am talking about. I plant these "holiday bulbs" every November, though I have learned over time that with the house being much cooler than most what might bloom in late December now blooms in February. So it is in this trial and error we now grow either white varieties or now this new favorite Amaryllis 'Moonlight' a soft warm white flower with a deep green throat.
Perfect for the onset of spring these white colored big beauties light up our home.


If you can find 'Moonlight' I suggest you try this variety. I can vision this plant in many decors and styles. I am definitely going to try to keep this one over for next season. It's a keeper!

Arrangement: January

It's January and I can't help but think of spring. The decorations are away and the earliest of branches are being forced to bloom. I think the little bird above I created that states at his base Vernal, sums it up.



Above and below are some porcelain vessels that I made at my studio and forced some Forsythia in. Forsythia although, not loved by most professional gardeners is a bloom you can count on. I love that you can force it in December and continue all through the winter months to give you that cheery yellow as bright as a spring day.



The other winter show stopper here is Salix chaenomeloides or the giant Japanese Pussy Willow. These few small stems were picked from the mother plant in the shrub border out front and forced in one of my vessels with a flower frog attached.


This is just a taste of things to come folks. Old Man Winter, your days are numbered!

A Most Beautiful Snowfall

It was one of those snowfalls that you dream about. You drift to sleep on a calm winter night to wake up to the most magnificent fluffy snow that has blanketed the earth.



It stuck to everything in the garden from seed-heads to grasses and evergreens. This is the importance in my opinion in leaving plant skeletons for the winter.

There are two schools of thought on this. Some gardeners like a cleaned-up fresh look for the cold months, relying on evergreens for structure. While others like myself love the winter interest not only from evergreens but from all the bones that are left in the gardens. You can make your own decision for which side of the fence you sit on.



But then you would miss out on snow clinging to Panicum seed-heads above and perched on Echinacea below.




Although, there is no denying the winter power of evergreens. The Norway Spruce above was planted as a seedling by the former owner of the house. Now it stands as a major focal point in our winter landscape.

Below are a trio of Gold Cone Junipers I planted this fall in the main perennial bed. Though covered in snow they still stand out as winter figures.




So this coming fall when you are cutting back plants and getting ready for the next winter just remember by leaving some key plants standing in your beds you are gaining a ton of interest in a fairly bare landscape.

Wreath Making and Future Workshops

I have been making winter and holiday wreaths for years. I was first taught the craft by my mother who taught me to use natural materials and to be creative with them. Later on she taught me bow making in which I really later explored while making wreaths at the farm I worked at years ago. Both are simple skills that anyone can learn and expand on.


I now make all the wreaths here in Cornwallville from scratch using pre-made forms and as well as ones I compose myself. I gather greens and materials from different sources and have my "secret places" as my mother and I refer to them (and as does she to her own).




They are an absolute joy to create and the techniques and creativity you can express are endless. Back in the day when I was being paid to make wreaths for a couple of years, I realized that they were in high demand but also wanted to teach people how to make them as well. I think they are short lived works of botanical art, much like a floral arrangement but lasting well over a month or so. Creating them together in a group for me is also part of the process (think a sewing circle, but a bit more fun).





So it is in this idea of using creativity and crossing it with botanical materials, in which I want to inform you that during the holiday season of 2011 I will be offering a few wreath making workshops. They will take place here at the M.H. Merchant Stone House, and possibly one in Northern New Jersey and will provide all the materials needed. The details will come most likely in October.

The final wreath below is not one I created but one I received as a gift from my good gardening friend Heather Grimes. It just goes to show how creative one can be. Instead of using evergreen plant material, Heather composed an absolutely charming wreath for me out of dried herbs and seed heads. Now that's being a true gardening wreath maker!


I hope you enjoyed this quick glance at some wreaths here in Cornwallville and that it inspires you to get creative with your holiday decor.

Happy Holidays from the Cornwallville Gardens!

Hoarfrosted

These images are of the first hoarfrost here in Cornwallville. Hoarfrost is a crystalline deposit of frozen water vapor on vegetation and other outdoor surfaces. It is also one of my favorite works by my partner Stephen.


It can be one of the most magical things to happen to the winter garden. It looks as if sugar has been sprinkled from the clouds and everything it lands on shimmers with sweetness.






For S.