A look back at Gardening in 2014

Entryway to our front door, the Rose Trellis 

As Fall of 2014 winds down, I just stashed away my last digging fork and managed to crack my favorite spade shovel in half. At least it was during my last transplant of a native Red Cedar. I only had to use half a shovel for the last scoops of dirt. Such is the life of a gardener, wearing out tools and putting holes in gardening gloves.

One variety of my Grandmother's Peony collection

I seemed to stay around the house a little more this year. This tends to happen as plants get established and regular insect visitors come around more and more. My Grandmother's Peony collection is coming along so nicely that I transplanted (what I hope to be) the white doubles to a new section of my front flowerbed. This bed looked really good this year and pollinators tended to hang out here more than other beds in the yard.

One of our Eastern American Toads on guard for pests

My vegetable garden was a disaster and shockingly the only tomato plants I had success with were in pots or sprung up on their own beside the well fertilized chicken coop. Pepper plants grew and grew producing a lot of fruit this year... I gave up on trying them in the garden and now only grow them in pots on my very hot upper deck. They love to bask in the sun.

Just this year I discovered that Kousa Dogwood bear fruit.

Tiring of planting veggies that never produce or get eaten by critters, I switched my focus to fruit. I now have a nice assortment of Black Raspberries, native Blackberries, and Thornless Blackberry plants. I finally have an Elderberry that has made it past the deer and rabbit nibbling stage and actually saw some berries this year. My lone Blueberry plant is doing very well and I transplanted it to a more open spot, holding my breath that I did not kill another one.  My Fig had a few teeny figs this year as did my favorite grape, the Muscadine. I never have paid attention to the suggestion to dig up old Strawberry plants. I just let them keep laying down new extensions of themselves and seem to have some fruit to enjoy. I even decided to transplant native Strawberries 2 years ago and man have they taken off. I adore them (this is the wild berry that has white blooms - not the yellow blooming tasteless aggressive plant that is most often found in yards).

Freakiest bug of the year, Crowned Slug Moth Caterpillar

The only fruit damages that came about late in the season were to my Sickle Pear tree and my Peach trees. Darn those deer. Obviously someone has been having a good time rubbing their antlers on my young trees. I should have known better to leave them unprotected and alone in the back field - my fault really. They are not dead yet but they might never recover.

Lovely assortment of Dahlia's from Ted's Garden

My friend Ted has an amazing assortment of plants. A collector of Dahlia bulbs, you never know how many or what variety you will discover in late Summer. This is the first year that I noticed he has two Persimmon trees in his yard (the Latin name means, Food for the Gods)! He has been nice to share some fruit with me. In the past I've tried using the fruit in cake and cookies but have never found a pleasing way to use them until this year. They are a great addition to my morning oatmeal and to pancakes! High in Vitamin A & C and found to be a cancer cell killer! Ted's yard bursts with color and variety, I love exploring and each year I seem to find another interesting plant.

Spending Fall on the trails around Monticello

It's always sad to see barren Winter approach but I do love sitting beside the wood stove planning next years gardens and adventures. My garden beds will spring up refreshed full of new grow and energy, I hope to feel the same way!

~ Rebecca

One of the best flowers to grow, Foxgloves

Through the Garden Gate Tour features Vintage Finds

Entryway into the gardens.

Today a fellow gardening friend and I visited the interesting garden and home of The Askew's of Charlottesville, Virginia. It was the featured garden for July in the Piedmont Master Gardeners tour series, Through the Garden Gate. Tours are hosted the 2nd Saturday of the month from 9 - noon, in a different garden each month.

Great mix of herbs and collectibles in the garden.

The Askew's are huge collectors of vintage and have designed their home and gardens around the items they have acquired. Sturdy industrial metals and large ceramics are tastefully woven throughout their garden. I especially enjoyed the collection of old farm equipment, fencing, and building discards that had been artfully placed into select garden spots. It takes a creative mind to find uses for found items that might have otherwise been tossed out.

Re-purposed entry door block A/C Unit. 

For some time I have been scratching my head trying to decide how to put some of my collected items to good use and the Askew's have inspired me to think out of the box. I really liked their placement of an old (but really cool) door to block their air conditioning unit and how they hung an old window frame and shutters on the side of a shed to make it look like a real window.

A quiet place to sip some tea - love the fence!

There were many quaint nooks in the garden in which one could sit and relax, all providing a different view of the grounds. The Askew's love of the garden was obvious, all vistas within the house were really extensions of the garden. The expansive front porch and back sun porch providing panoramic views of the garden.

Rarely Through the Garden Gate tours include the inside of the home but today was one of those days. Throughout the house, walls displayed family photos and memorabilia. I loved the feminine touches like the sweet handkerchief collections dotting the rooms and the cool framed vintage bathing suit along with the historic swim team photo. One would have to return again and again to really digest all the cool finds in the house.

Whimsical shed just for "her", MEN KEEP OUT.

Because I collect and sell vintage, I especially enjoyed this tour. I couldn't get enough of the found and family treasures and wish I had more hours to explore this interesting home.

-Rebecca 

Downtown Cultivate Charlottesville Garden Tour

Casa Alma veggie garden, one of many

Yesterday the Cultivate Cville Urban Farm and Garden Tour was held to bring awareness to the many community gardens operating in downtown Charlottesville, Virginia. The five gardens on the tour ranged from children's educational gardens to open citizen volunteer gardens. There is a true back to the earth movement in Cville and I was happy to see it in full swing. All gardens operate on organic principles with sharing and caring a top priority.

Wall mural a vibrant backdrop to the Buford School garden

I was impressed with the Buford Elementary School garden and the commitment by the Principal and staff to incorporate school curriculum with hands on garden experiments. This garden develops more and more with each passing year.

rustic garden shed Buford Elementary garden

Physical Education classes provide the option for students to work in the garden. Being that I have now gardened for over 25 years, I can attest to the physical requirements necessary to work a garden. Science classes conduct growth experiments with plants growing inside their new hoop house verses outside. It's a darling garden with flowers, herbs, and vegetables.  A handmade shed, sitting ring of logs, and cute garden features make this a joyful garden. All six of the Charlottesville City Schools are now involved with the City Schoolyard Garden program.

Flags representing each garden bed in the 5th Street garden

We headed over to the 5th Street Community garden which was just started this year. It is mainly an immigrant garden with each, of the many, planting beds representing an individual country. Speaking with one of the proud gardeners, it made me think of my move from my family home to Charlottesville and how I tried to bring as many of my plants with me as possible. I couldn't move the house, but I could move my plants! Our gardening friend on the tour showed us his huge squash plants that he was growing on 10' tall bamboo poles. Explaining the seed was from his home in Mexico and that in that country, "this is what people do", meaning GARDEN. He obviously knew what he was doing as his beds were clear of weeds and plants were thriving. I know his garden often reminds him of his homeland and was proud to tell us about his crops and how to prepare them once harvested.

Now you know where the term Goatee comes from

Hopping over to Casa Alma on Nassau Street one finds a little farmstead in a off the beaten track mixed use neighborhood. One of the oldest neighborhoods in Charlottesville seems to operate in harmony mainly due to the ability of it to do its own thing. This is my second visit to Casa Alma as two years ago I visited it while biking on the Tour de Coop Chicken Tour. It has really come along. The houses have been rehabbed and the grounds continue to be worked to provide food for those in need. Darling little goats and chickens greeted us and bee hives a plenty were thriving. Fruit and vegetable plants surround the two residential homes which house low-income and formerly homeless families for 2 years.  

Volunteer at the UACC and u can get a token for Cabbage!

An interesting garden is the Urban Agriculture Collective of Charlottesville (UACC). Anyone can garden here and for every 30 minutes of time, you get a token that you can use to buy crops harvested in the garden. It's a very large garden located in a large residential area in Charlottesville near the busy downtown Mall on 6th Street.

Black Giant Chicken at Casa Alma

Our last stop was to the International Refugee Committee New Roots Garden hidden in a quiet residential section just steps away from the busy intersection of Main and Ridge. A small garden but one that has every bed full of beans and tomatoes ready to harvest. My friend, Cindy, that was with me volunteers with the IRC and sponsors a local family. Charlottesville opens its doors each year to hundreds of refugees that can not return to their homeland due to religious or ethnic division. Refugees often have lived in camps for many years and are relocated to other countries all over the world where they must find employment and housing often without ever living their adult life with a real roof over their head. Can you imagine being in a tent camp for 15 years since the age of 10 and not ever using an air conditioner, stove, washing machine, light switch, or even operating a window! Upon arrival to Charlottesville some refugees can not speak English, drive a car, use a cell phone, or computer. Can you imagine trying to find a place to live without a computer!

IRC chat among the Beans and Tomatoes

The purpose of the IRC is to aid new arrivals in finding a place to live and employment, and help with daily activities... transportation, medical, and the like. Refugees can be dealing with personal sadness from leaving family, friends, and a homeland along with the daily struggle to adjust to a new community, language, and culture. One thing many refugees are familiar with is gardening. In their chaotic new situation, a refugee can touch something familiar, and feel accomplished in their little garden plot.

Purple Echinacea at Buford Elementary School garden

The gardens on this tour offer so much benefit to so many in our community. I can imagine Charlottesville without them and their generous supporters. All of the gardens mentioned in this article are always looking for volunteers and a little financial support and the pay off is BIG in my opinion.

-Rebecca 

Virginia Historic Garden Week is nearly HERE

Maymont in Richmond in the Spring

Virginia Historic Garden Week is fast approaching and occurs April 26 - May 3, 2014.

Conveniently, the Garden Club of Virginia provides a 240 page booklet complete with graphic details about the tour featuring such Spring beauties as flowering Dogwood, Hydrangea, Tulips, and Daffodils. Look for the booklet at your local library or read details online. The tour features homes and gardens, some communities lean more toward gardens, some more to homes.

Historic home on tour in 2012, Ashland, Virginia

Since my relocation to Charlottesville, Virginia in 2009 I have not missed the annual tour and each year scour the booklet with several cups of tea (initially the book was smaller and one cup would suffice) for the perfect location to tour and blog about. I have yet to be disappointed. Each community offers a little something different than the other. I loved the smaller community tours in Staunton and Ashland and was blown away by the tour last year in Richmond.

Arrangement on Ashland Tour, 2012

This year, because of the great number of gardens featured, we have decided to go to Lexington.
Saturday, May 3: The Lexington tour is located within Monroe Park, a subdivision that began construction in the 1920s. This tour features 7 homes and/or gardens.

There are a few communities that have fantastic descriptions but given we limit our driving distance to 2 hours, they are out of reach.

Lynchburg, Richmond, Roanoke, and Petersburg sound really good but were not chosen for various reasons.

Old City Cemetery, Lynchburg, Virginia

Tuesday, April 29: I pass through Lynchburg often and check in on the Anne Spencer's Poet Garden and the Old City Cemetery Gardens so I ruled that out. If you have not been, I highly recommend this tour or go to the Rose Festival May 9th at the Old City Cemetery to choose from hundreds of roses.

Patio on tour in Ashland, Virginia 2012

Tuesday, April 29: If you love history, go to Petersburg. It's farther to drive than Lexington and on the same day so we ruled it out. The garden booklet is dripping with references such as, "symbol of the grandeur that characterized the aristocracy of Virginia in the 19th century".

Home on 2013 Tour, Richmond, Virginia

Wed - Fri, April 30 - May 2: Richmond features three different areas of the city on different days. It's never easy for me to decided which area to pick. If you are fortunate to live in Richmond, you can go to all three! Also don't miss the headquarters located at the Kent-Valentine house, it's amazing!

The Star City of the South, Roanoke, Virginia

Saturday, May 3: Roanoke often offers interesting tours, last year the home on top of Mill Mountain (where the Star is perched) was on the tour. This year the gardens only of the Avenham home of Mary Anne and David Wine are open. The home used to be owned by the Roanoke Council of Garden Clubs and was built in 1911. It is a well known Roanoke landmark and the Wine's have worked on their property since their acquisition in 2003. I rented space in Pulaski, Virginia for my coffee shop, MimiAnne's, from David Wine and the greatest of care always goes into their preservation efforts changing what once was discarded into something magnificent. I would expect the gardens to be beautiful.

I have to shut my eyes and not even dare read Williamsburg, Virginia Beach, Fairfax, Eastern Shore... all too far to travel but I'm sure offering outstanding tours.

Walking trail, at the foothill of Monticello

In Charlottesville:

Monday, April 28th: Free lecture and tour, 2 pm, Kitchen Road Restoration at Monticello (RESERVATIONS REQUIRED - website refers to 10 am but trust me, it's at 2 pm).

Tuesday April 29th: Free lecture, "Expanding Jefferson's Vision, Master Plan for the University of Virginia" will be held at the Albert and Shirley Small Collection Library on campus at 2 pm. I adore this amazing library which by the way, also hosts a wonderful summer lecture series.

If you have not toured the Academical Village Pavilion Gardens near the Rotunda on campus, add that to your list! The gardens are magical.

So much to see and so little time - 8 days, 250 gardens, 2,000 floral arrangements - WOW. 

Where ever you decide to go, you are sure to find beauty and surprises. Proceeds benefit historic garden preservation in Virginia and the list of success stories is quite a lengthy one! Currently nearly 50 gardens in the state are undergoing preservation projects.

-Rebecca

Convicted Felon Gets Jail Time for Animal Cruelty in Albemarle County

Buttons worn be activists picturing one of the poor Pitbulls.

Today I witnessed some amazing testimony by some brave individuals as they faced down a convicted Felon in the Albemarle County General Court. Eric Johnson, a known animal abuser since 2007, was finally told by the Judge he is not to own animals and was sentenced to 12 months in jail. He also had to pay restitution to the Albemarle County SPCA for their care of his three dogs when they were seized on one of the coldest days recorded in this county's history during the Polar Vortex of 2014.

Mr. Johnson is not unfamiliar to law enforcement in Nelson County a Sheriff's Deputy testified that he had previously investigated his residence in 2007 finding short tethers and neglect. Mr. Johnson's current neighbor who coincidentally was a retired Animal Control Officer and is currently employed in the Animal Welfare field was concerned about the neglect of the three dogs tied out in the yard on chains or discarded electrical cords to various devices such as a log and electric meter box. Last year she had offered to help Mr. Johnson by providing him with FREE dog houses constructed by the volunteer agency HOWS (Houses of Wood and Straw). Mr. Johnson declined and therefor his outside dogs were never under shelter. There was no shelter provided at all for these poor dogs. When the polar vortex hit, it was all the neighbor could stand, to see these animal freeze to death so Animal Control was contacted and the dogs were seized. Mr. Johnson was given back a 7 month old pit bull, adult pit bull, and very pregnant pit bull awaiting his appearance at this trial.

Today, the Judge backed the Commonwealth Attorney's argument that the 7 month old pit bull was treated the most cruel, having a chain as a collar that had wrapped around his neck several times (twisted with fishing line and an electrical cord complete with outlet plug) unable to get to an empty water bowl that was out of reach. It was also reported by the Sheriff's Deputy in Nelson County that he found a dog on such a short tether at Mr. Johnson's house in 2007 that the dog had to live standing on his dog house because if he was on the ground it would hang the dog to death.  The SPCA vet testified that the dogs were miraculously in good condition given there was no food or water or shelter provided for the dogs, but that if the very pregnant dog would have given birth to puppies in the 10 degree temperature outside, they would have all died.

This is the first trial that I've witnessed in Albemarle County and I have witnessed many animal cruelty outcomes (in another county in Virginia) resulting in only a slap on the wrist. I was relieved to see a trial where justice was finally served.  I was impressed that this matter was taken seriously and time was spent to review the facts (a 1.5 hour trial with 8 witnesses). The message was clear, DON'T MESS WITH OUR PETS in Albemarle County! Mr. Johnson will spend one month in jail (11 months were suspended), has to reimburse the SPCA $1872.00, incurred penalties of $50.00 X 3 for lack of rabies vaccine and $30.00 X 3 failure to have the dogs licensed, and $250.00 X 2 for failure to give proper care according to VA Section 65-03 X 2, a Class 4 Misdemeanor. All maximum penalties according to state law. One dog (with the chain tether) was deemed the worst treated of the three and landed Mr. Johnson a cruelty conviction with jail term. He is to pay his $2600.00 bill by December or will have to serve his 11 months suspended sentence.

I congratulate Animal Control and the neighbor that had the balls to do what was right and stand up for those that can't speak. It took great strength and guts for her testimony. She is a true hero to me and I hope will inspire others to stand up when they see an injustice and not just turn their head. I was also happy to find at least 15 citizens in protest of his actions in the court room.

On a side note, Mr. Johnson sold the pit puppies on Craigslist between the time the pregnant dog was returned to him and this trial. I hope he made more than $2,600.00 and spending a month in jail was worth it.

-Rebecca