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Travel: Boothbay Harbor, Maine, June 20-22, 2011

Boothbay Harbor, Maine

* Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

* Portland Museum of Art

* Harbor Cruise & Lobster Dinner

* Plainview Farm & Nursery

Monday, June 20-Wednesday, June 22, 2011

All photos: B. H. Freeman/CMBG

Join us for a wonderful early-summer trip to coastal Maine,  where we stay at the charming Boothbay Harbor Inn.

Day 1: Our deluxe motorcoach whisks us northward, where our first stop is picturesque Portland and our first highlight is a docent-led tour of the Portland Museum of Art, which offers works of art and architecture that span three centuries. The art collection includes Winslow Homer masterpieces, as well as works by John Singer Sargent, Andrew Wyeth and major European artists.

Portland juts into gorgeous, island-studded Casco Bay. We enjoy lunch aboard Dimillo’s Floating Restaurant, where every table offers spectacular views of the harbor. Menu: broiled haddock or chicken parmesan; fresh vegetables; breads; homemade bread pudding; beverage.

We’ll have time to wander among the galleries and boutiques that line Portland’s waterfront while enjoying the Old World ambiance of lobstermen at work along the wharves.

Then we continue along the coast to Boothbay Harbor to spend two nights at the Boothbay Harbor Inn and its lovely rooms at the harbor’s edge. We'll enjoy the around-town trolley, full breakfast and welcome dinner in the waterfront restaurant.

Day 2: We visit the amazing Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens where Bill Cullina, director of horticulture, welcomes us. A guide tours us through the new children’s garden, fragrance garden and fairy houses. There will be time to explore the gardens, well-groomed trails and the gift shop.

We freshen up at our hotel before embarking on a narrated cruise of Boothbay Harbor, whose sights include lighthouses, sea life, the rocky shoreline, boats and working shipyards.

A lobster dinner awaits us at McSeagulls Restaurant on the water. Menu: clam chowder, steamers and mussels, lobster, corn on the cob, potatoes, beverage and, if you still have room, pie! 

Day 3: Wake up to a delicious breakfast overlooking the harbor before we head south for a treat: a visit to Plainview Farm Nursery and Garden Center. This outstanding nursery features over 25 gardens (the nursery grows more than 95 percent of the plants it sells), and discounts will be offered to CHS shoppers.

We stop for lunch in Kittery at the Weathervane restaurant before heading for home with memories of our delightful Maine vacation.

Cost: $489 per twin member based on 30-45 passengers; $589 per single member; plus $40 per nonmember. Includes: deluxe motorcoach, two nights hotel; two full breakfasts, one lunch, welcome dinner and Maine lobster dinner; sightseeing; driver gratuity; $35 per person donation to CHS. Escorted by Lois Isaacson. Deposit: $100 per person with reservation by March 18, 2011. Final payment by May 5, 2011.

Good Advice

Spring Infusion: CT Flower Show, Feb. 24-27, 2011

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Imagine the scene: A center courtyard beautifully abloom with more than 600 spring bulbs, 200 perennials and 35 shrubs, accented with trellising and an original sculpture by renowned artist and CHS member David Hayes.

That vision will greet attendees to the 2011 Connecticut Flower and Garden Show, as the CHS landscape display again will be located near the show’s entrance at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford.

The show’s theme is “Capture the Magic,” and CHS is inviting everyone to do just that by becoming a member of the society. The exhibit invites show-goers to learn, grow and travel with CHS, not just at flower-show time but year round.

“We've combined a membership message with our landscape, and we think it will be our most engaging display yet,” says Flower Show Chair Nancy Brennick. “We've also volunteered for the first time to introduce seminar speakers, which serves to make attendees who are interested in learning aware of CHS and its offerings.”

CHS members scheduled to lead seminars during the show include Nancy DuBrule-Clemente, Colleen Plimpton and Rob Townsend. Nationally known seminar speakers include Roger Swain and Stephanie Cohen.

CHS has been a premier exhibitor in the landscape section of the flower show for more than 30 years. From the start, CHS volunteers have brought to the annual event a diversity of design experience and plant knowledge generally without equal. The judges have agreed: Over the years, CHS has won awards in a range of categories.

The society welcomes gardeners of all ages and interest levels, from novice to knowledgeable, and anyone else who enjoys horticulture.

The Connecticut Flower and Garden Show will be held Feb. 24-27 at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford. Hours are 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. Buy tickets at CHS meetings through Feb. 17 and save $5 off the adult admission price of $14. For flower show vendors, seminar speakers and other details, visit www.ctflowershow.com.

Photo: Lea Anne Moran
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Flower Show Handout

Bring Spring into Your Home – By Forcing Daffodils

by David Smith and Elaine Widmer

During the cold winter months, when the world turns white, gray and dark, gardeners yearn for the color of spring flowers and the sweet smell of spring.  The good news is each of us can bring spring in our home each winter if we learn the skill of bulb forcing.

David Smith, the propagator and director of horticulture at White Flower Farm from 1954 to 1990, defines forcing bulbs as “getting them to flower at the time you want them to rather than allowing them to flower at their natural time.”  His expertise in forcing bulbs, shrubs and perennials allowed him to earn numerous awards for White Flower Farm at the Boston flower shows.  The Connecticut Horticultural Society is fortunate to have David assisting us with our flower show exhibit. He not only takes the responsibility for the forcing of our daffodils, primrose and grasses but also shares his 70 years of knowledge with members of CHS.

To learn how to have a ‘breath of spring’ in your home next winter, follow David’s 10 steps to forcing daffodils.

1.        BULB SELECTION – David has found the following daffodil varieties to be most reliable:  Paperwhites*, Soleil d’Or*, Ice Follies, King Alfred, and the miniature daffodils Tele a tete, Jack Snipe, and Topolino.  You’ll find these in your bulb catalogues and local nurseries.  Study the description of the various bulb varieties and their flowering times.  In general they will bloom early, mid-season or late. (*Both paperwhites and Soleil D’Or are cooled ahead of time by the growers.  Therefore, these bulbs will be ready for your windowsill 2-3 weeks after potting and can be used for the holiday season.)  

2.       BULB PURCHASE – Buy your bulbs in September.  Look for a plump bulb that is firm to the touch.  Remove any loose scales and tear off old dried out roots from the bottom of the bulb.  If the bulb is sprouting you can still use it if all the other characteristics are fine.

3.        CONTAINERS – If you’re using a plastic pot, clean and dry it.  If you’re using a new clay pot, soak it in water overnight.  Clay pots can be dry after firing.  Soaking ensures that the pot doesn’t rob moisture from the soil.  Make sure the clay pot is DRY before planting your bulbs because a wet pot may retain a dark or dirty look on the exterior of the pot.

4.        SOIL – Buy a soilless mix of perlite or vermiculite, peat, and loamy soil.  There’s no need to fertilize the bulb as it contains all the food it needs for the first season.  If you want to plant the bulbs after forcing, use a 20/20/20 fertilizer to provide the bulb’s required nutrients for the next year.  (If you use Paperwhites, fertilizer can be eliminated as they should be discarded after blooming).

5.       PLANTING – Plant in early October.  The tip (nose) of the bulb should extend ¼” above the top of the pot.  David uses a 6” plastic pot and puts 5-6 single bulbs in the pot, depending on the bulb’s variety and size. (TIP: If the bulbs are double or triples, known as double or triple nosed, do not break them apart unless they are loose since the smaller bulb is getting nutrients from the larger one).  Once the bulbs are planted, use the very tips of your fingers to gently push the soil down around the bulbs.  The soil should not be firmly packed.  Water the pot thoroughly but do not allow it to sit in the water. (Clay pots will require more frequent watering as they dry out more quickly than plastic).

6.       COOLING PERIOD - Leave your pot of bulbs (water as necessary), outside until Thanksgiving or until night temperatures approach a low of 34 degrees.  From the potting time until the time that you place the pot in a sunny window, you will need to provide the bulbs 8 to 12 weeks of cold temperatures.  So, when you bring the bulbs in the house, put the pot in a root cellar or a cool room with a maximum temperature of 50 degrees and a minimum temperature of 40 until you’ve accounted for 8 to 12 weeks from the original potting date.  The lower the temperature the more gradually your daffodils will grow.  If the temperature is more than 60 to 65 degrees your plants will get leggy and may flop when in bloom.

7.       MAINTENANCE – While the bulbs are in their ‘cooling off’ period, keep the soil moist.  Water the pot until the water runs out but don’t let the pot sit in the water.  One tip for determining whether your bulbs need water is to pick up the pot and feel its weight.  If it’s very light, give it some water.  If heavy, it’s probably OK.  If you notice the bulbs pushing the soil up out of the pot while rooting, add water to the pot.  The water will filter the loose soil down and around the bulbs.  If necessary push the soil down again using the tips of your fingers. 

8.       BLOOM TIME – When you see growth appearing, the bulbs have developed a solid root system.  It is time to move the pot to a sunny window with a temperature of around 65 degrees.  Turn the pot regularly so the daffodils get an equal amount of sun on all sides.  This ensures the plants grow straight.  Continue watering as described above.  In about 4 weeks your daffodils will begin to bloom, depending upon a couple variables – the bulb variety and the weather.  There can be a difference in bloom time of 4 to 5 weeks between an early and late flowering variety.  The weather also impacts the flowering timeframe.  In cloudy weather, the daffodils will stay at a lower temperature when placed by the window.  If the sun shines, a temperature of 55 degrees can rise to 75 degrees within an hour resulting in a much quicker bloom time.

9.       ENJOY THE BLOOMS – Once the daffodils are in bloom, move them to a cooler place in your house. You will have ‘spring’ in your home for a longer period.

10.   PLANTING THE FORCED BULBS – Once the daffodils finish blooming and reasonably good weather comes along, put the pot of bulbs on the north side of the house or in the shade.  Leave the pot there until the leaves die back (June or July).  Plant the bulbs while they are dormant.  Pull the bulbs apart before planting and place them 3 to 4 inches apart with the nose 5 to 6 inches below the top of the soil.  Sprinkle bulb fertilizer in the hole before planting and on top of the soil to increase the probability of bloom the following year.

To have daffodils in bloom over a long period, David suggests staggering the planting of your bulbs for forcing.  Between early October and Thanksgiving plant 4 to 6 pots of daffodils.  Bring one pot of daffodils into a sunny window each week, once growth begins to occur.  You’ll be rewarded by being able to have spring flowers in your home during the cold winter months.

David Smith has over 70 years experience propagating shrubs, perennials, and forcing bulbs.  His career began in England.  In 1954 he relocated to the United States after being recruited to join White Flower Farm.  Since David’s retirement in 1990 he has continued to assist CHS by sharing his knowledge and expertise with its members.

Elaine Widmer is a member of the Connecticut Horticultural Society’s Education Committee, an avid gardener and photographer in Connecticut.

2011 Flower Show: CHS Bulb List

The CHS display at the 2011 Connecticut Flower and Garden Show includes the following bulbs:

Really short bulbs (4-6")
Chinodoxa luciliae
Crocus chrysanthus 'Cream Beauty'

Short bulbs (8-10")
Narcissus 'Bantam'
N. 'Minnow'

N. 'Tete-a-tete'
Muscari 'Valerie Finnis'
M. armeniacum

Medium bulbs (12-14")
Narcissus 'Galactic Star'
N. 'Rijnveld's Early Sensation'
N. 'Thalia'

Medium tall bulbs (14-18")

Narcissus 'Safina' 

N. 'Tahiti'

N. 'Pappy George'

N. 'Queen of the North'

N. 'Sunny Side Up'

N. 'Tickled Pink'

N. 'Pink Charm'

Tall bulbs (16-48")

Allium 'Globemaster'

Leucojum aestivum

Narcissus 'Dutch Master'

N. 'Acropolis'

N. 'Fortissimo'

N. 'Ice Follies'

N. 'Sagitta'

N. 'Sound' 

Tulipa 'Marilyn'

Upper photo: Lea Anne Moran
Left: C. Fitzpatrick Michelson

Discounted Flower Show Tickets

Take advantage of a benefit of CHS membership and pay just $9 to attend the 2011 flower show (Feb. 24-27, at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford). That's a savings of $5 off the adult admission price of $14. Buy tickets at our Feb. 17 program meeting, or send your order and payment by Thursday, Feb. 17, to CHS, 2433 Main St., Rocky Hill, CT 06067. Discounted tickets must be bought in advance; only full-price tickets will be sold at the show. More info: 860-529-8713.

May 19: Speaker Adam Wheeler: Plant Geeks Are Us: Oddball Plants for Oddball People

To Adam Wheeler, the oddball plants of his talk title are plants that aren’t found in most nurseries, garden centers and catalogs. They may be rare cultivars of common plants, or have unusual variegated or multicolored foliage, or be contorted and funky, plants only a mother could love.

And oddball people? By that he means “not your generic gardener—a step more obsessed than your average gardener.” A fanatic, he says.

Adam is a plant fanatic. As propagation and plant development manager for Broken Arrow Nursery in Hamden, he oversees the woody plants and is responsible for acquiring and developing new plants.

He also is an adjunct lecturer at Naugatuck Valley Community College, teaching classes in plant propagation and woody plant identification.

Within CHS, he is perhaps best known as an auctioneer; for years at the spring and fall CHS plant auctions, Adam has generously helped to sell beautiful trees and shrubs donated by Broken Arrow and other nurseries to raise money for the CHS scholarship fund that supports students at NVCC and the University of Connecticut.

Adam was born and raised in Morris. His parents and both sets of grandparents were gardeners who grew mainly fruits and vegetables but also tended substantial ornamental gardens. He earned his bachelor’s degree in urban forestry and landscape horticulture at the University of Vermont in 2003, and returned to Morris to begin his career.

In his spare time he enjoys collecting rare and unusual plants, rock climbing and competitive giant pumpkin growing. 

Adam will explore in his talk the fascinating world of woody plants, showing three dozen slides of some of the tree and shrub oddities available to gardeners. “People probably won’t find these plants in but a handful of nurseries across the country,” he says.

He hopes to show how flexible gardening can be, given the selection of intriguing plants that exists. Mainly, he says, he hopes people leave his talk with a renewed sense of just how fun gardening is.

Everyone is welcome to attend Adam Wheeler's talk on Thursday, May 19, 2011. The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. (7 p.m. for socializing) at Emanuel Synagogue, 160 Mohegan Dr., West Hartford, Conn. The fee for non-CHS members is $10. Full-time students with valid ID attend for free. Contact: 860-529-8713.

April 21: Douglas Tallamy, Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens

Douglas Tallamy might be considered this century’s leading “tree hugger,” without the derisive connotation and with a sustainability spin.

Tallamy, a professor and chair of the entomology and wildlife ecology department at the University of Delaware, believes that biodiversity is an essential, non-renewable natural resource that people are forcing to extinction. It should be protected, just as air and water are, he says.

His argument, which he will share with an audience of the Connecticut Horticultural Society on April 21 in West Hartford, goes like this:

Consider plants and animals as the rivets that hold together the ecosystems that sustain life. Evidence shows that the richer the biodiversity, the more stable the ecosystem is. Ninety percent of herbivorous insects are species-specific, meaning they survive by eating a particular native plant. When native plants disappear, so do food sources for the insects, birds and other animals that co-evolved with the plants.

When, on a grand scale, we obliterate swaths of habitat or, on a minute scale, plant the newest cultivar from Asia or Costa Rica, we do our part to continue to imperil the estimated 33,000 species that are threatened or endangered in the United States, Tallamy argues. Thus, he says, gardening is about choices that carry moral and ecological responsibilities.

His views, expressed in his book “Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants” (Timber Press, 2007, 2009), have gained him an impassioned following. Some people say his message is as seminal as Rachel Carson’s in “Silent Spring.” Her 1962 book about the use of chemical pesticides is credited with helping to start that era’s environmental movement (when tree hugger took root in the lexicon and laws were enacted to clean up the air and water).

Tammar Stein, writing for the St. Petersburg Times, called Tallamy’s book “a call to arms. There is not much ordinary citizens can do to create large new preserves. But we can make better use of the small green spaces we have around our houses. While the situation in the United States is quite serious, Tallamy offers options that anyone with a garden, even a postage-stamp-sized one like mine, can do to help.”

Tallamy challenges audiences to add more native plants and trees to their landscapes and to help restore open spaces by, for example, ridding them of invasive plants.

"The way we garden...and landscape today is going to determine what life looks like tomorrow," he told Lawn & Landscape magazine. "Let's not give up on aesthetics, but let's not give up on function." 

Everyone is welcome to attend Doug Tallamy's talk on Thursday, April 21, 2011. The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. (7 p.m. for socializing) at Emanuel Synagogue, 160 Mohegan Dr., West Hartford, Conn. The fee for non-CHS members is $10; free for full-time students with identification. Contact: 860-529-8713. Copies of “Bringing Nature Home” will be sold at the meeting for $15 ($3 off the list price). 

Copies of The Garden Conservancy's national directory of 2011 Open Days gardens will also be sold at the meeting.  The price is $15 -- significantly less than the $21.95 price if ordered online.


Native Plant Resources

- Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group

- Invasive Plant Atlas of New England

- New England Wild Flower Society

- Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

- USDA National Invasive Species Information Center

March 17: Charlie Nardozzi: "Edible Landscaping"

With interest in home vegetable gardening rising as fast as Jack’s beanstalk, few topics in horticulture are as timely as edible landscaping. And when it comes to the twin arts of cultivating edible plants and communicating about them, few people have as much experience as Charlie Nardozzi, who will be our program speaker March 17.

Charlie was a spokesman and horticulturalist with the National Gardening Association (NGA) for nearly two decades. He earned a reputation as a dynamic, accessible communicator with a passion for horticulture, appealing to gardeners of all levels. For 12 years, he was an editor with NGA’s magazine, National Gardening, and he continues to write a monthly newsletter, Edible Landscaping, for the association.

Charlie also has written two books, “Vegetable Gardening for Dummies” (2009, Wiley Publishing, Inc.) and “The Ultimate Gardener” (2009, Health Communications, Inc.), and contributed to several others.

His talents as a communicator go beyond the printed word. He was the host of PBS’ “Garden Smart” in 2005, and has been a guest on nationally syndicated television shows. In Vermont, he has had a call-in radio show on an AM station, been a commentator with Vermont Public Radio’s “Vermont Garden Journal” and produced gardening tips for local television.

A native of Waterbury, Conn., Charlie grew up in a big Italian-American family whose many members lived in the shadow of his grandfather’s “old-fashioned, diversified farm.” Rocco Gagliardi raised chickens, cows and pigs, and grew apples, pears and vegetables.

Graduating from Holy Cross High School in the Brass City, Charlie went to the University of Vermont, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in horticulture and master’s degree in education. He is based in Shelburne, Vt., and since leaving the NGA last year, he has worked as a garden coach and consultant.

In his talk, Charlie will briefly address the principles of growing food and the concepts of landscape design. He’ll talk about how and where to incorporate food plants in the landscape and show photos of “whole landscapes” that illustrate his points.

He’ll also describe some unusual edibles, such as the purple ‘Graffiti’ cauliflower and the ‘Chinese Red Noodle’ asparagus bean. He’ll explore the blueberry-like fruits of some types of shadblow and share a recipe for preparing sunflower heads. He’ll talk about growing figs, pawpaws and miniature apple trees that have no branches but plenty of apples.

And, in a nod to St. Patrick’s Day perhaps, he’ll describe how to gather and cook the tender shoots of the hops plant. It’s as close as he’s likely to get to green beer, he says.

To learn more about Charlie, visit his website. To read about some of his gardening tips, visit Vermont Public Radio's "Vermont Garden Journal." 


Everyone is welcome to attend Charlie Nardozzi's talk on Thursday, March 17, 2011. The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. (7 p.m. for socializing) at Emanuel Synagogue, 160 Mohegan Dr., West Hartford, Conn. The fee for non-CHS members is $10. Contact: 860-529-8713

Feb. 17: Speaker Stefan Cover, 'Great New Magnolias for New England Gardens'

Magnolia x soulangeana (saucer magnolia)         Photo: Stefan Cover

Our February program meeting features Stefan Cover of the Magnolia Society International.

Stefan traces his love of magnolias to a tour he took long ago to the home of magnolia expert Harry Heineman in Scituate, Mass. “I felt like I died and went to heaven,” Stefan says.

The genus’ hold on him is due to the sheer flamboyance of blooms, their range of colors and the power of the displays. With their smoke-gray bark and appealing architecture, magnolias are good four-season trees, he adds.

Unfortunately, New England gardens mainly sport the pinkish saucer magnolias and white star magnolias, which “barely scratches the surface of the variety people here can grow and never do grow,” he says. “It’s sort of like a hidden world. People don’t even know what their options are.”

During his presentation, Stefan will discuss different kinds of magnolias and how to cultivate them successfully in Connecticut. He'll also identify some new varieties, including tender Chinese species, hybrids from New Zealand and outstanding red varieties from a Wisconsin hybridizer.

“Come and learn why you should knock down your house, live in a refrigerator box, turn all your property into a garden and plant tons of magnolias,” he invites.

Everyone is welcome to attend Stefan Cover’s talk on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2011. The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. (7 p.m. for socializing) at Emanuel Synagogue, 160 Mohegan Dr., West Hartford, Conn. The fee for non-CHS members is $10. Contact: 860-529-8713