Fall 2007 the Gardener Newsletter, Delaware Center for Horticulture

8/9/2019 Fall 2007 the Gardener Newsletter, Delaware Center for Horticulture

1/8

Beautiful Public Landsc

apes

areRooted in Partne

rships

GardenerThe

Delaware Center for Horticulture

VOL. 30, NO. 3 FALL 2007

As you pass along Delawares highways and byways, you may notice that plants and treesand container gardens are sprouting up in public right-of-way areas where only scraggyturf, hard-packed dirt or concrete existed before. The Delaware Center for Horticultures

Public Landscapes Program is often the source of these attractive roadside enhancements.

Gardens along public roadways improve our quality of life and make our region a morebeautiful place to work, visit and live in. Of course the transformation of these spaces frombare to beautiful requires adequate funding for installation and on-going maintenance.Consequentially, the success of our many Public Landscape projects depends on importantpartnerships with corporations, civic associations and government agencies.

A New Green GatewayOne of our recent Public Landscapes projects with a corporate partner is located rightdown the middle of one of the major gateways to Wilmingtons business district. Shortly

continued on page 4

What's bloomingin this issue...

The secret to a longand happy life ________

Welcome to newboard members _______

Podcast nowavailable _____________

Annual volunteerawards _______________

Staff plant pick poppies _______________

Designed and maintained byDCH, this median along MartinLuther King Boulevard welcomespeople to Wilmington.


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This year represents our 30th year of service to the community.Many of you have been part of that journey and we thankyou for many contributions over the last three decades ofyour time, of valuable goods and services and, of course,your financial support.

Another significant anniversary was the 25th anniversaryof the City Gardens Contest, celebrated with a tour ofaward-winning gardens enjoyed by

hundreds of visitors. There is anabundance of garden jewels inWilmington. We applaud all cur-rent, past, and future City Gardencontestants. They serve as inspira-tion to us all.

Our biggest source of pride waswinning the National Award forExcellence in Community Treesand Urban Forestry awarded byThe Home Depot Foundation in

the Small City category at theNational Conference of Mayors inLos Angeles. This $75,000 award will help us continue toimprove Wilmingtons urban forest. For instance, we areleading the Trees for Wilmington subcommittee group ofthe Wilmington Beautification Commission in conductingresearch to establish a tree canopy goal and developingstrategies on how to reach that goal. We look forward to

implementing actions that will increase Wilmingtons 18percent tree canopy cover to a percentage more in linewith other progressive municipalities.

We are also working with city and state government toimprove municipal codes and procedures regarding urbanbeautification. In the next few months, look for newinformation about the value of trees on the DCH and the

City of Wilmington websites. In 2008 we

will be working with the Delaware ForestService to develop tree canopy goalsfor other municipalities throughoutthe state.

As the year draws to a close we extend ourheartfelt thanks to the 350 volunteers whocontribute to our goal of Cultivating aGreener Community. We also appreciatethe nearly 800 donors who supported theDelaware Center for Horticulture in this30th Anniversary year. Your gifts help us

improve our environment through horti-culture, education and conservation. We

know that you value our work and hope that you will helpcontinue to make our efforts possible with a generous gift tothe Annual Giving campaign.

Invite a friend to join DCH before December 31, 2007and you and your friend will each receive a couponto one of our popular Help for the Home Gardener

lecture series.

Programs are held at DCH in Trolley Square, each Thursday in February.

Possible topics in 2008 include: Perennials, Conifers, Roses. Past topics

have included: vegetable cultivars, non-invasive plants, designing for

small gardens, rhododendrons, foliage plants, native wildflowers, great

local gardens Coupons allow you to attend the lecture of your choice

Join online at www.dehort.org or call DCH at 652-6262, ext.103.

Dont Delay this offer ends December 31st!

The great French Marshall Lyautey once asked his gardener to plant a tree. The gardener

objected that the tree was slow growing and would not reach maturity for 100 years. The

Marshall replied, In that case, there is no time to lose; plant it this afternoon!

John F. Kennedy, from his address to the Centennial Convocationof the National Academy of Sciences, 1963

National Award for Excellence in Community

Trees and Urban Forestry.

Tell a friend, youll both be glad you did!

2 The Gardener Fall 2007

Patrice

Sheehan

FireflyPhotography


3/8

At 90-years-old Anna Wisneiwski, one ofour 2007 City Gardens Contest winners,

shares her thoughts on gardening,

volunteering and fresh homemade soups.

I was 10 years old in 1927 when my grandmother died andmy Polish grandfather came to live with us. Our lot wassmall and paved, but my grandfather immediately set towork, pulling up bricks, and creating a small herb garden. Iwas one of eight children, but I was the only kid interested

in the garden. I remember feeling so proud when mygrandfather would tell people that I was a good helper.

When I was young everyone was poor, so you didnt thinkanything of it. We didnt have much money to buy gardeningsupplies, so my grandfather taught me how to grow thingsthe old fashioned way, starting many plants from cuttingsand making compost from every scrap. Wherever I go Ibring little cuttings and seeds back home. My garden isfull of plants that have a story of where they came from.

Ive always had a garden and I love to start new plants

and then give them away. My husband was introducedto gardening when we planted a climbing rose to coveran ugly wall along our back alley. Forever after, hisfavorite flowers were roses although he wanted themall to be red.

I love to cook my own veggies from the garden. Especiallysoup. I make soup at least once a week. Every September Imake big pots of soups to sell at the Polish Festival. Thisyear I got terribly hoarse from explaining to hundreds ofpeople how the soups are made, but I pushed myselfbecause younger people dont seem to have the time to

cook, and the old people who still know how to maketraditional dishes are dying out. Its hard to believe howmany young people dont know about fresh vegetablesand how to cook them.

Im happiest when Im busy all day. So when I retiredfrom NVF Company after 36 years, I started doing lotsof volunteer work. Every Wednesday I hand out food toneedy families at the New Castle County Food Closet.At St. Hedwigs I volunteer for lots of things, and I stillwalk up the hill every day to go to Mass there.

Ive been involved with DCH since the early days whentheir offices were down on Market Street. All the peopleIve met through DCH have been wonderful and Ivelearned so much over the years. Through my volunteeringIve learned how to transplant and in what seasons to doit, how to split perennials, how to prune and which plantsneed a little vinegar water for acid. I helped create thegardens and containers along Market Street Mall, RodneySquare and the Riverfront. I especially like taking care ofKosciuszko Park because its in the neighborhood where Igrew up. Now whenever I see those places blooming, Imreminded how Im a part of that.

Ive entered the City Garden Contest every year sincethey started 25 years ago. For five years I was even oneof the judges. I keep saying that this year Im going toquit, but at my age theres no time to sit back.

I didnt get my drivers license until I was 70 after myhusband developed cataracts, but now I take the wholeneighborhood to doctors appointments and shoppingtrips. Theyre all younger than I am and its amazing howmany of them have broken bones and joint replacements.Ive got strong bones. Maybe its all the soup.

Whats the Secret to a Long and Healthy Life?

The Gardener Fall 2007 3


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after moving into their newly refurbishedoffice building on Delaware Avenue,INGDirect contacted us about beautifi-cation of the neglected traffic medianbetween their building and the historicWilmington and Brandywine Cemetery.

The DCH staff has significant experiencewith challenging urban planting sites.The role of Public Landscapes in thisproject was to design and develop theplans, prepare cost estimates and,after a site analysis, install plants thatwould thrive there under severeconditions. Plants were selected to beattractive, sustainable and non-invasive.INGDirect also requested that someof the plants be orange, to coordinatewith their corporate colors.

Some advance work on the site wasneeded to prepare the median forplanting. Right-of-way permittingfrom DelDOT was required beforeany construction could begin. Weremoved excess soil to ensure thatmulch would stay put between the

concrete curbs and, more importantly,so that maximal water could becaptured to percolate into the plant-ing bed. We then rototilled the siteto break up the compacted soil. Thehighlight of the garden installation

was the day that several INGDirectemployees volunteered their time tohelp us plant the orange-colored plants.

INGDirect has also been an importantpartner in two other Public Landscapesprojects. The company has been acorporate sponsor of the stretch ofgardens and containers enjoyed bythousands of people everyday alongMartin Luther King Boulevard nearthe train station. This summer tenINGDirect employees helped weedand clean up the 9/11 MemorialGarden located along the CSX railroadembankment at 14th and Scott Streetsin advance of the 2007 anniversary.Two of our government partners, CityCouncilman Gerald Brady andSenator Harris McDowell, are helpingto fund this public memorial.

Other recent PublicLandscapes projectsand partnersThis summer has been a busy season forthe Public Landscapes crew. Severalneighborhood organizations helped usimprove the median along NortheastBoulevard, another Wilmington gateway

Public Landscapes continued from page 1

Brilliant full-color 2008 wallcalendars now on sale

Featuring photos of this years City GardensContest winners. A perfect gift for yourfavorite plant lover!

We can ship to you or directly to your gift recipients.Your purchase supports DCH programs throughout the

year. Send a check

to DCH or call302-658-6262, ext.100 to order with acredit card. Cost:$15 per calendar.Shipping andhandling: $5for the firstcalendar, plus$2 for each

additional calendar.

DELAWARE CE

NTERFORH

ORTICULTURE

Featuring Garde

ns fromthe 200

7 Wilmington

City Gardens C

ontest

2008

Calendar

Did you miss the AnnualMeeting in October?

Here's your chance to hear

Peter Harniks informative lecture.

Listen to DCHs first-ever podcast! Our guest

speakers presentation about

vibrant city parks around

the country and theireconomic value is now

available on our website.

Go to www.dehort.org

and click on the podcast

icon to download.

This program was partly funded by a grant from the

Delaware Humanities Forum, a state program of the

National Endowment for the Humanities.


Traffic island in the center of DelawareAvenue before planting by DCH Public

Landscapes team.


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Our partners in this project includethe civic associations of East 28th

Street, 11th Street Bridge andVandever as well as the NortheastCommunity Family for Change.

The traffic islands along WashingtonStreet Extension were improved with

help from the Brandywine Hills

Neighborhood Association and, aftera community planning process, a newpark is being created at 22nd and LamotteStreets. This new area will be calledVillage Green and our partner inthis project is Greater BrandywineVillage Revitalization, a local non-profit. As part of the Blue Ball DairyBarn restoration, six Rotary clubsjoined forces to create a new Can Doplayground for children of all abilities.

The playground features 26,000square feet of play space and islocated just off of WeldinRoad, near the entrance toRock Manor Golf Course.

Benefits available forPublic Landscapepartners

None of these great projectswould have been possible withoutthe support of corporate, communityand governmental partners. TheDelaware Center for Horticultureoffers a variety of benefits to oursponsors. Group volunteer workdaysare always welcome and are great for

team-building with your employees.

Our annual corporate breakfast is avaluable networking event. Ourgardens and meeting facilities in TrolleySquare are truly an oasis in the city.Consider hosting your next event here.Our knowledgeable staff is availableto discuss sponsorship of roadwaybeautification projects and how yourcompany can be publicly recognizedfor your participation.

We extend a sincere thank you to allof our sponsors and partners who havesupported the work of our PublicLandscapes program. In addition toINGDirect, our corporate sponsorsinclude DuPont, Patterson SchwartzReal Estate, ABHA Architects,Kentmere Nursing Home, BancroftConstruction, Delmarva Power,

Hercules, and Gordon, Fournaris &Mammarella, P.A. We appreciatetheir commitment to the communityand to urban beautification. We inviteother businesses and organizations toexplore partnerships with us in thefuture. Together we can make adifference in Wilmington andthroughout Delaware.

Welcome to Our New Board Members


A new garden installation transforms themedian in front of INGDirect, June 2007.

PatriceSheehan

PatriceSheehan

Pa

triceSheehan

Photoby

Photo by

Wanda S. DavisWanda is the current Presidentof the Delaware Federation ofGarden Clubs, Mayor of HenlopenAcres, a member of SussexCounty Master Gardeners, and theTreasurer for DE Association ofParliamentarians. She is also aRealtor with Jack Lingo RealEstate in Rehoboth Beach.

Keri LeymasterKeri is a Fellow with the LongwoodGraduate Program at the Universityof Delaware. She has experiencewith other non-profit horticultureorganizations and is serving on ourBoard Advocacy Committee.

M. William LowerBill serves as Director forEnvironmental and PoliticalAffairs at Harvey, Hanna &Associates, Inc. He was a DCHboard member from 1997-2000.We are pleased to welcomehim back.

William H. LungerWill is an attorney with Martin& Lunger, P.A. He specializes inestate planning, estate and trustadministration, and family businessplanning. Hes a former Chair ofthe Estates & Trusts Section of theDelaware State Bar Association,member of the Estate PlanningCouncil of Delaware, Inc., andon the board of Preservation

Delaware, Inc.


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Emily du Pont AwardPurpose: Outstanding service to DCHRecipient: Ann Schutt

Ann has been involved with DCHfrom the very beginning and currentlyserves on our Council of Advisors.She was instrumental in developingour research library and educationalprograms, she contributed to plantsales, particularly the Rare PlantAuction, and supported communityplantings. In many ways, Ann helped

to steer the direction of our organizationas we know it today.

Mary Marsh AwardPurpose: Horticultural excellence and

service to the community

Recipient: Alberta MelloyBert is the currentPresident of theGarden Club ofWilmingtonand an active

volunteer withthe PhiladelphiaFlower Show. AtWinterthur she was Head FlowerArranger and published Flower

Arranging the Winterthur Way. Herleadership has ensured the success ofevents such the Antiques in Bloom forWinterthurs Garden Fair, the Art inBloom exhibit at the Delaware ArtMuseum and the DCH Rare Plant

Auction

. Bert also serves as Presidentof Goodstay Gardens and is an activeboard member of DCH.

Community Service AwardPurpose: Outstanding personalcommitment to the greening of

Wilmington Recipient: Stanley KozickiAs Projects Manager for the City ofWilmington Parks and RecreationDepartment, Stan plays an integral rolein the work of the Mayors Beautification

Commission. Hesupports parksFriends Groups,comes out to helpwith plantings onSaturdays, andmakes timeto listen toneighborhoodresidents andvolunteers. He isa public servant

who leads byexample, pushing wheelbarrows,planting bulbs and planting trees atcommunity events.

Volunteer Service AwardPurpose: Outstanding time and talentgiven to DCH projects

Recipient:Jeff Jabco

Jeff first began volunteering for DCH15 years ago when he joined the PlantSelection Committee for the Rare

Plant Auction. He now serves as anofficial Plant Expert for the event andclearly enjoys sharing his extraordinaryhorticultural expertise with other rareplant enthusiasts. Over the years, Jeffhas presented several lectures andworkshops at DCH and currentlyserves on the Landscape AdvisoryCommittee for the DCH Gardens.

The Greening Education Award

Purpose: Outstanding dedication tohorticultural education and greening

Recipient: Thianda Manzara

Thianda is the inspiration and elbowgrease behind the Healthy Foods forHealthy Kids initiative at SpringerMiddle School in Brandywine Hundred.Her interest in getting children tounderstand and connect with healthy

foods has led to building two largeraised bed gardens on the school

grounds. Students and their teachersare enjoying hands-on gardening spacto learn about plant science and foodcrops, as well as how to prepare andeat delicious healthy foods.

The Youth Volunteer AwardPurpose: Outstanding dedication tohorticulture in the community by

youth under 18Recipients: Saleana, Shaina, and

Sheena CopelandThese three sisters have been enthusiastparticipants of our Shearman StreetIntergenerational Childrens Gardenprogram since 2005. Each week about10 kids, two community gardeners andcouple of DCH staff meet to tend tworaised vegetable beds and learn aboutplants, bugs and horticultural techniqueAfter several seasons the girls gardeninexperience and their ability to leadother children by example have helped

this project flourish.

2007 Volunteer AwardsThe 2007 Volunteer Awards were given out at the Annual Meeting onOctober 10th. Eight volunteers were recognized for their contributions.

Left to right: Stanley Kozicki, Ann Schutt, Thianda Manzara, Jeff Jabco.


PatriceSheehan

yPatriceSheehan

AnnMattingly


7/8

I have been obsessed withpoppies for years. Visiting

England in 1997, I was captivated by a hillside dotted withbright red-orange Papaver orientale, their paper-machflowers gently swaying in the breeze. My infatuation con-tinued with Patty's Plum, another Oriental poppy and

Meconopsis grandis, a blue poppy. I actually crawled into anEnglish flowerbed to perch next to a breathtaking bluespecimen, just to get a photo.

After returning from that trip, I planted three Patty'sPlum poppies which promptly died. I was living in Bostonat the time, so maybe they didnt like the winter there.Heck, I barely liked the winter there. Then I tried growingfrom seed: Meconopsis grandis, of course, as well as theannual Eschscholzia californica, and the biennial Papavernudicale. I am proud to say I actually got the Meconopsis

grandis to germinate, although it too died after transplantingto my garden. But the other two varieties survived andmy obsession with poppies grew with them. Despite theshort-lived blooms, I always want poppies in my garden.Perhaps their ephemeral quality makes them even moreintriguing and desirable.

Eventually my plant obsession became the motivation toreturn to school and take my gardening hobby to the nextlevel. I enrolled in the University of Delawares horticulturedegree program with a focus in urban affairs. Along the

way I became a member and volunteer of the DelawareCenter for Horticulture. Shortly after graduating in 2002,I was hired full-time.

In the meantime I worked with a small group of myneighbors to convert an empty city lot into a community

garden. Sometimes when we were working on the garden, local girls would wander in and ask if they could help.The kids in my area of Wilmington face drugs, violenceand lack of supervision every day. I began to noticethat it wasnt just the flowers that blossomed: the girlsself-esteem also grew as a result of their gardening.The time they spent in the garden kept them safeand off the streets, and the work gave them a proudsense of accomplishment.

I eventually decided to develop a more structured program

to teach these girls the basics of horticulture. Thanks to a$5,000 grant from Avons Hello Tomorrow Fund Iverecently been able to purchase educational materials,plants, seeds, bird feeders and gardening tools. My fellowvolunteers, several Master Gardeners, and I have alsotaken the kids on a field trip to Tyler Arboretum andparticipated in other neighborhood improvement projectsas part of the Wilmington Beautification Commission.Im hopeful that the seeds were planting in the heartsand minds of these girls will continue to thrive as theygrow older.

Staff Plant PicksMarcia Stephenson, Special Events Coordinator

Mesmerized by Poppies andMentoring At-risk Girls


Michiel Thomas

FireflyPhotography


8/8

30Anniversary

1810 N. Dupont StreetWilmington, DE 19806

d h

NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDWILMINGTON, DE

PERMIT No. 371

Staff: Pam Sapko, Executive Director Jen Bruhler, Community OutreachCoordinator Chris Canning, Landscapes Project Manager Sarah Bruce Deacle,Assistant Director of Programs Anita Jimerson, Office Manager Joe Matassino,Director of Development Ann Mattingly, Community Gardens Manager AndreaMosher, Urban Forestry VISTA Andrew Olson, Landscape Maintenance Supervis Michael Ray, Information Technology Manager Adira Riben, Tree ProgramVISTA Gary Schwetz, Director of Programs Wendy Scott, CommunicationsManager Patrice Sheehan, Tree Program Manager Marcia Stephenson,Special Events Coordinator Lenny Wilson, Horticulture and Facilities ManagerContributors to this issue: Lehman Design Inc, Layout. All photos courtesy ofDCH unless otherwise indicated.

The Delaware Center for Horticulture, Inc.1810 N. Dupont Street, Wilmington, DE302-658-6262 www.dehort.org

The Delaware Center for Horticulturecultivates a greener community; inspiringappreciation and improvement of ourenvironment through horticulture,education and conservation.

Printed on recycled paper, 10% post-consumer wasteand certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Help ensure the future of a greener

community! Your planned gift of

support will be the seed that blossom

season after season, year after year.

Talk to your attorney or financial advisor about plannedgiving options. Some bequests may provide significant taadvantages and yield future income.

If youve already included DCH in yourestate plans

Let us know so that we may include you as a member inthe Helen Ayers Detchon Society. Please contact

Joe Matassino at (302) 658-6262, ext. 103

The Helen Ayers Detchon Society was formed to recogniz

those individuals who are helping to perpetuate our goo

work by remembering the Delaware Center for Horticultu

in their will or other estate plans.

Create a lasting legacy

Fall 2007 the Gardener Newsletter, Delaware Center for Horticulture

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