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Three in a series of insights from the farm

We start out in life as a seed. From father to mother is how this type of seed is transferred. I call it placing the seed in the shell. There are many stages of life but we all start as seeds. Seeds are the beginning, this is where everyone starts. The growing of a seed is just like life itself.

So your mother is the pot or ground you grow in. Your father is the air, the rain, and also the wind. The sun is your strength.

The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society with major support from The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage and in partnership with Broad Street Ministry, set out this summer of 2018 to raise awareness about the important and lasting impact provided by Philadelphia’s community gardens and its gardeners by creating a working vegetable farm in the heart of our municipal and business district. Each day, our team of Farmers, Farm Hosts and Program Curator care for the vast array of plants, engage with and listen to those who visit and share insights into the origins, stories and techniques of gardening, plants and their relation to people. In their own words, the team shares their stories from the Farm and its impact on each of them.  

By Marion McParland and Raelie Mulvey, PHS Staff

This fabled fruit was making waves for entire civilizations as far back as 2 million to 10 million years. Today, the crisp, sweet, tart, full-bodied, packed with juicy greatness apple is as popular as ever. And, September is apple time in and around Pennsylvania! From apple picking to planting your own apple tree, now is the time to make your visions of apple-filled orchards, apple pies, and candy apples a reality.

Apple Country:
More than 2500 varieties of apples are grown in the United States with 100 varieties grown commercially. From its origins in Central Asia to its arrival in North America in the 17th century, apples have found a welcome home in Pennsylvania, the country’s third largest producer of fresh apples and apple produce because of its ideal climate and conditions -- a cold winter and plenty of time to chill, with lots of direct summer sun and well-drained, loamy soil. More than 21,000 acres of apple orchards throughout all 67 counties call the Keystone state home. The geographical and elevation differences across Pennsylvania slightly change the ideal autumn or spring months for planting. Mild, prolonged autumns make the month of October good for planting in southeastern Pennsylvania, zones 6 and 7.

Fall is for Planting: 
Although visiting an orchard to pick apples is traditional, apple trees can be grown right at home with a little bit of patience and effort. Container-grown apple trees, Malus pumila, can be planted any time of year if the soil is not frozen. Fall is a great time to plant trees because it allows them to establish root systems before the ground freezes in winter. During the autumn, the tree enjoys the frequent rains and agreeable temperatures that it would not have received in the summer.

By Sally McCabe, PHS Associate Director of Community Education

It's Time to...

Check your roses:
This morning I rode through the drive-through at McDonald's. Often they have neatly planted if not even neatly maintained landscapes around their locations, and many of them are planted up with knockout roses. Knockouts were the answer to all of our rose problems a few years ago, but now the problems have caught up with us. The dreaded fungus of Rose Rosette disease shows itself this time of year with gnarly red new growth and really hairy stems. You can buy a few more years by pruning out to below the ugly stuff, but remember to rinse your pruners in hand sanitizer or rubbing alcohol between cuts. On second thought why bother?-- they all already have it if you're pruning them. This fungus is spread through the roots, so you'll see it go down the line in the landscape from plant to plant. 

By Jenny Rose Carey, Senior Director, PHS Meadowbrook Farm

The garden at PHS Meadowbrook Farm in Abington Township, Pennsylvania is full and colorful in the late summer, especially this year with the copious amount of rain that we have had. The plants that I am featuring this month are personal favorites that are native to the East Coast: two species of perennial Lobelias and the Franklinia tree.

Brighten Your Garden
Lobelia siphilitica and Lobelia cardinalis are two upright plants with bright flowers in the late summer garden. They are both native to Eastern and Midwestern North America and are found in nature in moist to wet spots lining streambanks – so site them at the bottom of a slope, near a birdbath, rain barrel or in a rain garden.

Hummingbird Paradise
Not surprisingly, Lobelia cardinalis usually has bright cardinal red flowers that are a favorite of hummingbirds, although there are some cultivars with white or purple flowers. I was standing by a patch of this Lobelia the other day and a hummingbird came and drank the nectar from every flower on the stem. It was so close I could have reached out to touch it.

Vertical Beauty
Lobelia siphilitica is usually a sky-blue color, but occasionally white. This plant tends to seed around quite profusely, but it is a welcome vertical accent in the late summer garden. It is a great cut flower for arrangements. Pair it with zinnias in a vase and with Begonia grandis – the perennial begonia – in a partly shaded situation in the garden.

Two in a series of insights from the farm

Stan

Reminiscing on a time when I started to comprehend soil with a different understanding from which I thought I knew up until this point. My first thoughtful contact with soil came as I began to experiment with composting techniques at Urban Creator’s Life Do Grow Farm in North Philadelphia where I garden. The farmers at Life Do Grow would collect our neighbor's food scraps to add with wood chips and other brown or woody material. At the time, I didn't understand what was going on or what was actually happening in that compost system. Through relationships built over the seasons with my network of farmers, gardeners, family and friends who knew a lot about composting/soil building-, I learned things like the chemical breakdown of what was actually happening in the soil in order for proper usage and how to identify the different names of creatures doing the work in the soil. While sitting with this reality of other life forms and how they survive and thrive along with us, I was inspired to think differently about all the ways I was disposing of my waste. This prompted me to actively think about what I was calling waste and how I would dispose of it. This created a realization that I was an individual that could help shift the way I manage my waste by programming myself to think in this way.

It was really fun and refreshing learning about soil all this month! I'm excited to be going into the Seed phase of the programs for the coming month. Folks have been inquiring about different knowledge around seeds over the past week. It's gonna feel good bringing this information. I've been especially psyched for folks to come receive this info around germination and proper seeding temperatures. Those have been common questions we’ve received. When it comes to seeds, I can't help but think about what type of seed I would be. As I begin to nurture a thought, I can't help but to relate myself to a beet seed. Reason being- I feel like I am sort of rough on the outside, deeply rooted in growth and full of strength and sweetness.

By Sally McCabe
PHS Associate Director of Community Education

It's Time to ...

Ice your orchids.

Orchids evolved to grow on trees in the rain forest. If you were hanging from a tree, you might notice that you are never actually sitting in water. My friend Holly duplicates this with her houseplants, especially orchids, by using woodchips to mimic the trees, then double-potting the plants. The first pot has drainage, the second doesn't have to, because she actually waters them very little. She allots them three ice cubes once per week.

The cold doesn't seem to hurt the foliage, and water trickles slowly over the plant as the ice cubes melt. If they're in bloom and need a little extra attention, they get four. She keeps them in direct sunlight right in the window, and turns them every few weeks to keep them balanced. Once the flowers drop, she removes the stem at the bottom, and sprinkles cinnamon powder (no sugar) in the wound to promote healing and prevent disease.

By Raelie Mulvey, PHS Staff
 

J. Liddon Pennock, Jr. did not have an herb garden of his own when he was named Honorary President of the National Herb Society back in the 1950’s.  This fact had not posed a problem to him until he invited NHS members to his home in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania.

Realizing how it might look to have the title of honorary president and lack such a garden, Liddon, the late owner of Meadowbrook Farm, figured he better plant one. Today, the gardens of PHS Meadowbrook Farm, bequeathed to the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society in 2004, are a testament to his formal yet whimsical garden design aesthetic. The Herb Garden, framed by hedges and attractive brick walls on all sides, is a treasured addition to the “garden rooms” found throughout the grounds.  Every plant contained within the Herb Garden has a culinary or medicinal use, some are traditional favorites, such as fragrant lemon verbena or lavender while others are significantly more unusual, such as the Buddha’s Hand tree situated next to the little stone path.

Buddha’s Hand is a citrus tree that produces yellow fruit with long, fingerlike tendrils which resemble a human hand. It is closely related to the lemon tree. A favorite of PHS Meadowbrook Farm Estate Gardener Julie Bare, the Buddha’s Hand tree occupies a space to the side of the sitting area, while a small pomegranate tree rests in the center of the garden before being moved into the Meadowbrook greenhouse for the winter. This summer, the pomegranate tree produced seven fruit, delighting Meadowbrook Farm visitors and staff. Situated among the herbs, the trees form a pleasant centerpiece in the cheery walled area.

Meadowbrook visitors will delight in the delicious and intoxicating herbal fragrance that pervades the garden, enticing them to linger in this elegant sitting area. Recently, the garden’s Winter Savory has begun to bloom, creating a full display of delicate white flowers that drift gracefully onto the garden path. Winter Savory is a long-blooming perennial, and its leaves can be used in a variety of meat and bean dishes.

By Raelie Mulvey, PHS Staff

For those who want to admire the fruits of their garden without spending too much time in the heat, cutting flowers for an indoor arrangement is a great option. Friends and family will admire your freshly cut, homegrown bouquet straight from the garden. 

Jenny Rose Carey, Senior Director at PHS Meadowbrook Farm, instructs the popular Garden To Vase floral workshop series, in which participants use Meadowbrook blooms to create stunning arrangements. At a recent event, Carey gave tips for creating an arrangement that looks good and lasts for days.   

The first step is to pick flowers at the right time. Carey suggests cutting flowers in the cool parts of the day -- either in the early morning or evening. Choosing flowers that have started to open but are not fully blooming will make the arrangement last longer. She advises putting the flowers directly into cool-but-not-cold water, making sure the leaves that will be underwater in the final arrangement are stripped off so they don’t rot. Going through this process and subsequently allowing the flowers to fully hydrate before arranging them is called conditioning. 

Carey suggests re-cutting the stems after conditioning the flowers, emphasizing that the bottom of woody stems should be crushed. After this step, you can begin arranging! “You can use Oasis foam, marbles, or chicken wire to hold the stems in place,” Carey advises. Floral arrangements tend to look best when they are about one and a half times the height of the vase, she says, so don’t be afraid to make a dramatic arrangement.

Periodically, stand back and look at the arrangement from afar to see how a guest who just entered the room might view it. You might be surprised by how different it looks from a few feet away! 

When working with floral arrangements, Carey stresses that it’s important to think about intent: from what angles will the arrangement be seen? In what container will the arrangement be held? Arrangements seen from one side can afford to be less polished on the back; those used as centerpieces cannot. When in doubt, she says, “simple is often best.”          

By Alan Jaffe, PHS Staff

The City of Philadelphia and the philanthropic community lost a great friend and champion with the passing this week of H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest.  His support of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society has had a wide-reaching impact on this region and our communities.

In 2008, PHS launched its Legacy Landscapes campaign to raise funds to beautify and maintain Philadelphia’s iconic public landscapes -- including the Azalea Garden, the gardens at Logan Square (pictured), and other green spaces that define Philadelphia – for generations to come.

Legacy Landscapes also honored the decades of leadership of then-PHS President Jane G. Pepper by committing funds to maintain “Keystone” Community Gardens that had been well-established, vital assets to their communities.

Among the earliest, most earnest supporters of Legacy Landscapes was Gerry Lenfest, who energized the campaign with a $2 million challenge grant, the most transformational gift ever received by PHS.

“Gerry Lenfest’s gift to PHS exemplified his love for Philadelphia and his foresight in supporting efforts that have a deep and lasting effect on our communities,” PHS President Matt Rader said. “Each of us can thank him by enjoying these gardens with our families and friends. And we can honor him by following his example and doing our part to keep the city green and our gardens blooming.”

Learn more about PHS Public Landscapes work.

One in a series of insights from the farm

Charlyn

Growing looks different to many people. Like plants, we each must vine, blossom, shoot up or otherwise, live through change in order to fully experience our life cycle. I’m grateful to observe myself, and my community human, creature and plant in the complexity of transformation. I think, as we move through the phases of the project, about a quote from one of my favorite writers, Octavia Butler (from her book Parable of the Sower), ‘there is no end to what a living world will demand of you’ reveals more depth to me. Our team is constantly surprised at the ways we are required to be present and to participate in life making. If soil is about surveying and knowing what a foundation is made from, this next seed phase will be about inserting and spreading the possibility of new ideas and practices.

Through the technical theme of SOIL, I scheduled programs that explored our planet’s topsoil. People who have been thinking for a long time about the topics shared their individual interests. We had projects driven by larger institutions hoping to find citywide solutions, and individuals brought their practices which helped us to understand our individual responsibilities that can help conserve and build new soil. As the program curator, I also wanted to bring a cultural layer to the programs, so, for SOIL, it felt appropriate to focus on the Indigenous people of this region. Unfortunately, due to the first wave of colonial displacement, the Leni Lenape were forced away from this land, and the closest tribal families are in New Jersey and most have been living in Oklahoma for centuries. Thankfully, our Indigenous elders have shared with us wisdom, both for the garden and for a life full of the resilience that our plant and creature kin have mastered.

The past weeks spent at the farm have been joyful. Camaraderie among the farm team and the people that live on the plaza has supported foundations of love and familial relations. As we transition into the SEED phase, we are curious. There are more questions bubbling to the top for each of us about the future. We spent some time reflecting on what has been, in order to imagine what and who we will be.

By Raelie Mulvey, PHS Staff

According to Constance Kirker, it started with deviled eggs. Several years ago, at a Fourth of July barbecue, she decided to switch up her deviled egg recipe by topping the eggs with edible roses. After an initial round of praise and delight from the other partygoers, the eggs remained untouched for the rest of the night. Nobody wanted to defile a flower, no matter how tasty the recipe promised to be.

“It’s because the roses don’t speak to the eggs,” a culinary professor friend of Kirker’s told her. “The garnish has to speak to the dish.” Then what flowers, she wondered, would speak to deviled eggs?

Kirker is a retired Asian art history professor and author of Edible Flowers: A Global History. She wrote the book with her sister Mary Newman, a toxic waste specialist from Ohio, after the curious reaction to the eggs at the Fourth of July party. Kirker and her sister had, upon retiring, decided to pursue an interest in food, and jointly wrote Edible Flowers: A Global History.

Kirker’s passion and expertise has blossomed beyond her book and into workshops, demonstrations, book-signings and, for the past three years, an annual edible flower garden party hosted by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.

The party on July 18 looked like a scene from a fairy tale. Party fare included the infamous deviled eggs topped with begonias, color-changing butterfly-pea flower tea, and lemon elderflower cakes sprinkled with gold. Moroccan chicken with apricots and roses delighted the floral-clad guests, and Kirker kept them entranced with stories of French lavender vendors, hibiscus syrups, and Immanuel Kant’s philosophy on flowers and the senses. Kirker explained the psychological effects of flowers on people and the best places to source edible orchids.

By Raelie Mulvey, PHS Staff

Once upon a time, a former teacher in a North Philadelphia neighborhood decided to start a garden on an elementary school campus. Realizing she had no magic powers to produce raised garden beds and crops by herself, she enlisted the aid of a Lowe’s Toolbox for Education grant and some eager elementary schoolers. Hoping to cast a spell of community and cooperation over her helpers, she created the garden at Thomas M. Peirce School. The crops would turn out to have a magic all their own, inspired by home recipes brought in by the students that allowed them to trace their ancestry through their food.

Barbara Matteucci, the teacher who believed in the magic of gardening, was inspired by the book The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African-American Culinary History in the Old South by Michael Twitty. The use of recipes in Twitty’s book to inspire a love for one’s heritage, gave Matteucci the inspiration that blossomed into a garden full of herbs, fruits, and vegetables for the students’ traditional dishes. Hundreds of teachers, like Matteucci have taken a Green City Teachers course at PHS, to learn the basics and help them start their school gardens.

Matteucci involved the students in garden planning, planting, and harvesting. Students planted their own seeds, supervised them under grow lights and transplanted them outside, carefully monitoring them and keeping journals as part of their science curriculum. “The kids felt a lot of ownership,” says Matteucci. As the crops of peanuts, sunflowers, tomatoes, herbs, watermelons, pumpkins, and more mature, students and their parents take them home to eat. During the summer, various summer camps hosted at Peirce take care of the garden. In the future, Matteucci hopes to put together a cookbook containing all the students’ traditional recipes.