Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Real Gardeners of New Jersey

Last night Bravo premiered Real Housewives of New Jersey, a reality TV series featuring big hair, bigger boobs and biggest houses.  Shall we subtitle it, "Channelling Carmella Soprano"? As an alternate take on the Garden State, allow me to offer some real gardeners:

Cheryl weeding at the Cross Estate Garden.

Mary and Frank helping at the Watnong Plant Sale.


Kay visiting Leonard J. Buck Garden.


Jonne promoting "Trash into Treasures" at Van Vleck House & Gardens' Springfest.


The Garden Club of Morristown in front of the restoration of Miss Caroline Foster's Cottage Garden at Fosterfields Living Historical Farm, which they helped to fund (and I designed and, with lots of assistance, planted.)


And yours truly, in Yolanda's photo of the plant sale which she titled, "Old McDowell Had a Farm."  Dad McDowell would have said "Grinnin' like a mule eatin' briars."


And what have Jersey gardeners been doing this season? This one has been teaching, doing designs for clients, madly working on various projects, and, as Mom McDowell would have said, "Burning the candle at both ends."  Lucky the days are getting longer!  In my own garden I have been growing on heirloom tomato seedlings. (They've now graduated to gallon pots on the patio.) Surely you've heard of Jersey tomatoes...

Capturing a few early bulbs for the kitchen table.


Inhaling the scent of Narcissus 'Geranium.'


Enjoying the bubbling over of Spring, including the first bloom of Epimedium x warleyense 'Orange Queen' tucked next to a piece of Jersey's own red sandstone.


And already thinking about the daffodils to order for the fall, a hazard of volunteering at the Regional Daffodil Show at Frelinghuysen Arboretum.

Real gardeners of New Jersey may have too many plants, but they never have enough.









Related Posts Widget for Blogs by LinkWithin