Patience
While Our Garden Grows

Suzanne Cherney (August 2014)

 

Some cooperators are wondering why the semicircular bed behind building 8 looks so sparse. If we’re using shrubs and perennials instead of annual flowers like begonias, why aren’t they filling up the bed?

One reason is that many shrubs and other plants called for in our design haven’t been added yet. Some are best planted while they’re dormant (leafless), such as spring-flowering bulbs (tulips, crocus, etc.), so we’re waiting for them to be delivered around mid-October 2014. Others, such as roses, will be planted in the spring of 2015.

As for the shrubs and perennials that have already been installed, please bear in mind that these are “babies”. Buying fully mature plants would have broken our budget. But babies grow. Next year the garden will look much lusher and more colorful. A few years from now most if not all of the plants will reach adult size.

Do we reject babies because they can’t talk or walk yet? No, we wait patiently for that first word, that first step. Our baby plants need patience too. So please bear with us while our garden grows.

A New Design for the Semicircle

Suzanne Cherney (August 2014)

 

Many cooperators have expressed their delight with the new design of the semicircular garden bed in back of Building 8, even at this early stage of its development. Other cooperators are asking:  Why did the Garden Committee decide to change the design? The bed looked so pretty with its red begonias planted between the dark-leaved coral bells (Heuchera).

Here’s the answer – in three parts.

First, those begonias are bedding plants - annuals that flower only in the summer and early fall. They can’t tolerate NYC winters and they’ll never bloom again. So Queensview had to buy and plant out new begonias every spring – enough of them to make our 40’ x 70’ flower bed look attractive – then dig them out every fall, and on and on.

The new design calls for a few annuals but relies mainly on shrubs and perennial flowers that will come back to rebloom year after year.

Second, the old bed had colorful flowers from late spring through early fall. Then – nothing!  Our new design incorporates flowers or plants that will bloom or otherwise delight passers-by throughout the year, including from November right through April.

Third, the new design will ultimately benefit other areas of the Queensview landscape. How? Many of the perennials we are planting in the semicircular bed expand in size over time. When they get big enough, we can split them into two, three or even more plants which can then be distributed around Queensview to beautify our buildings and commons.

We are already harvesting and distributing our hostas and coral bells (Heuchera) – see Toni Ceaser’s article entitled “Queensview’s Grounds are Growing Lusher”.