Gardening update: Natick Report co-editor’s philodendron

September 20, 2020 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Thanks to all for your comments and concerns about Phil the Philodendron, the once sad little rescue houseplant with an indomitable will to live. I wrote last month about the big lug and how after a few short years he’s grown into a handsome specimen with confidence and swagger to spare.

We just moved him upstairs after his summer spa vacation on the front steps of our house. Fall is coming, and Phil is cold-sensitive. Uncle Jerry from Dorchester, gardener extraordinaire says so, and when Uncle Jerry says get that plant inside, I don’t argue.

Here are his new digs. Please wish Phil well as he readjusts to life on the inside.

Phil the Wellesley Philodendron enjoys a sunny corner.

Here’s Phil on his yearly front-step spa vacation:

Gardening essay: Natick Report co-editor’s philodendron goes wild

August 24, 2020 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Every year around Memorial Day I lug my tree philodendron from its sunny corner indoors to its summer spa location outside my front door. There, the huge houseplant enjoys a three-month revel of fresh air, sunlight, daily watering, and the attention of passers-by.

Natick editor's philodendron — Phil the philodendron looking very handsome, indeed. I tucked a few impatiens into a corner of his pot, just so he could have a little summer fling. The inevitable break-up is scheduled for the end of August. Impatiens don’t do well indoors, and Phil can’t stay outside indefinitely. That’s the way it goes with these opposites-attract summertime things.

Phil looks fabulous now, but only a few short years ago he was the saddest thing you ever did see. A rescue plant, I scooped him up from a “take me, I’m yours” table where he had been left for practically dead. Poor Phil had been abandoned by someone who was at least kind enough to keep him out of the trash. He was a pathetic sight, indeed, living in squalor in a cracked plastic pot with no drainage holes. The whole of Phil was made up of just four ratty leaves and a hangdog posture, yet he possessed a tenacious will to live. In fact, with just a little care Phil has thrived and is now my most indispensable house plant.

Unlike some plants that complain when you move them from outside to inside and vice versa, Phil lives happily wherever he lands. Weekly watering when inside (daily when outside), a corner that gets plenty of bright, indirect sunlight, and he’s good to go. And after his monthly treat of fertilizer he generally goes gangbusters, sending up at least one new leaf shoot when indoors, and upping that to several new leaf shoots per month when outdoors. I just mix one tablespoon of Miracle Grow into one gallon of water, decant that mixture into a wine bottle (the gallon milk container is so unwieldy when watering plants) and do the usual watering. That’s about a quarter of a wine bottle of fertilizer/water mix when Phil is inside, and about a half bottle when he’s outside and living it up a bit because, well, summer. Any more than that and Phil gets tipsy, so I’m sure not to let this monthly happy hour get out of hand. As for straight water, he gets as much of that as he wants. Translation: about 1/4 of a wine bottle of water 1x/week when inside, and about 1/2 wine bottle of water per day when outside.

Natick Report editor's philodendron — Phil is ready for his close-up.

Over the years I’ve repotted Phil a couple of times, most recently last May into his current handsome bullet pot sourced from Home Depot. Phil and I dig the pot’s mid-century modern lines and appreciate the way it harmonizes with our 150-year old cottage. Also, I feel very smug when I wander the pricey garden stores and see a pot just like Phil’s for triple what good old Home Depot thought was fair.

Hard to believe, but in just a few weeks it will be Labor Day and thus time to move Phil inside until next spring. Even though he’s not the fussy type, everyone deserves to be eased gently out of summer. For a couple of weeks I bring him onto the front porch, an uninsulated and cheerful room filled with birds nests, board games, and disreputable running shoes. Part mudroom, part pandemic office space, the porch is a pretty good spot for a big old houseplant to get used to the idea of change. After that Phil will probably decamp to the main bedroom, like last year. Or maybe he’ll be open to giving the family room a try this year. We’ll see.

For now, Phil and I will hold onto this good summer living. Me, watering Phil from a wine bottle, causing neighborhood talk. Phil, throwing green shoots up into the air like he just doesn’t care. Both of us living life without an abundance of caution, here at the little cottage that has enough room for a big plant.

Natick issues mandatory water use restriction: Don’t blame us

August 11, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

The Town of Natick has announced a mandatory non-essential outdoor water use restriction in light of the light rainfall totals so far this summer. In other words, turn off the sprinklers to help ensure there’s enough water left for public health and safety needs, such as fire protection.

As you can see, we’ve been doing our part, with our two-tone lawn of fading green and crispy brown.

Here are the specific rules:

Watering Schedule

Residents and businesses occupying a building with an odd number street address will limit non-essential water use including lawn and garden watering to Monday and Thursday from the hours of 5:00 pm on the select day until 9:00 am the following day.
Residents and businesses occupying a building with an even number street address will limit non-essential water use including lawn and garden watering to Tuesday and Friday from the hours of 5:00 pm on the select day until 9:00 am the following day.
No non-essential outdoor water use Wednesday, Saturday or Sunday.

Non-Essential Outdoor Water Use Recommendation

Water lawns only when necessary. Please be aware that a healthy lawn only requires a maximum of one (1) inch of water per week.
Maintain your lawn at a height of at least two (2) inches. This practice will protect roots and retain soil moisture.
Water is lost to evaporation when watering during hot days
Visit https://www.epa.gov/watersense/watering-tips for additional watering tips.

Essential Outdoor Water Use Definition

Essential Outdoor Water Use shall mean those uses that are required for the following:

For health or safety reasons;
By regulation;
For the production of food and fiber;
For the maintenance of livestock;
To meet the core functions of a business (for example, irrigation by golf courses as necessary to maintain tees and greens, and limited fairway watering);
Irrigation by Plant nurseries;
Agricultural operations as necessary to maintain stock or establish new plantings;
Pest management;
Wash equipment to prevent damage and/or maintain performance;
Irrigation of parks and recreation fields

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Natick Community Organic Farm flower operation is in full bloom

July 31, 2020 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

The first message you get when driving up to the Natick Community Organic Farm (NCOF) is to slow down. If the sign isn’t enough to convince you, the pot holes should do the trick. They’re deep, wide, and will swallow your vehicle whole if you don’t navigate the driveway just right. So be warned. But don’t let that minor challenge scare you off from visiting the 30-acre certified-organic farm that has operated on Town-owned land since 1975.

I stopped by recently for a tour of the farm’s quarter-acre flower fields, led by Heather Livingstone, the farm’s flower manager. Although her domain may not be large in size, sales from flowers bring in a sizable income for the non-profit organization. Livingstone, along with assistant Jen Campos and a crew of volunteers, sees to it that the the farm stand is kept stocked daily with bouquets. In addition, they keep running the Community Supported Agriculture subscriptions that range from five-weeks of spring blooms for $100, to a 20-week vase subscription delivered to your home or business for 20 weeks for $600, and other options in between. The NCOF has a table at the Natick Farmers Market every Saturday, and also sells to local Whole Foods markets and specialty grocery stores. Putting together arrangements for weddings and events is a regular part of what they do, as well.

The flower gardens are planted in tidy rows and in full bloom right now with zinnias, dahlias, cosmos, statice, celosia, viburnum, dahlias, rudbeckia, snapdragons, sunflowers, asters, and more, all organic, and all bursting with color. Pollinators such as bees, wasps, and butterflies crowd the gardens throughout the April through late-October growing season, taking advantage of the abundance.

Weeds also compete for space in the rows. Livingstone says they manage to keep unwanted plants at bay by laying down organic weed mats in some spots and humble cardboard in other areas. Still, invasive species do experience a measure of success. In their quest for world domination, weeds creep in and try to crowd out their floral cousins, who prefer to stay in their lanes and focus on looking amazing. Livingstone is philosophical about the realities of gardening without the use of herbicides. “We’re an organic farm, so we use only sustainable farming practices. Sometimes, when you’re farming organically, you have to let go a little.”

The flower operation is a decidedly low-tech concern. Workers get the job done using trowels, hoes, and other hand tools. No big machinery is used. And although the farm is on town water, the farmers try to use sprinklers sparingly. This year, they’re experimenting with a no-till system in an effort to improve soil structure, reduce erosion, and minimize the compaction of soil in the planting area. At other farms, there have been some reports that using a no-till system makes weed control a losing game. Still, Livingstone is interested in seeing what the results will be at the NCOF.

The NCOF is open to visitors, but there are several protocols in place right now to keep workers, visitors, and summer camp participants safe from COVID-19. The picnic tables, barn, and buildings are closed, though the outdoor composting toilet is open and the barn-side sink is operational. Bring your own hand sanitizer.

In addition, the outdoor barn-side stand is open for purchases. The stand is stocked with eggs, maple syrup, woolen yarn, vegetables, and floral bouquets. The selection changes throughout the day based on what’s harvested. Note: eggs are in limited supply until the farm get more hens. Meat may be purchased online.

There’s something about a working farm in the middle of a suburban community that brings in people and keeps them coming. “I started volunteering when I was 15-years old,” says Livingstone, a Franklin High School graduate. “I came to work for a summer, and now I’m out of college and I work here. This place fulfills me and makes me happy.”

Over 20,000 visitors that come annually to the farm agree. They find their own happiness and fulfillment whether it’s in picking up a bouquet of flowers, or fresh lettuce for dinner, or dropping off their kids for a Budding Farmers program. In a location where farming has been part of the landscape continuously for over 350 years, agriculture at the NCOF spot feels like it should be a permanent part of South Natick. The town agrees, and in 2009 the NCOF’s acreage was preserved forever as conservation land by the people of Natick.

Its future secured, the NCOF is busy teaching the next generation about stewardship, land use, community service and, of course, organic agriculture.

Natick Community Organic Farm
117 Eliot St, Natick, MA 01760
(508) 655-2204

Admission is free.
The NCOF is open for you to explore on your own from sunup to sundown, every day, year-round.

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Elm Bank Garden Tour, free for a lucky 15 Natick residents

July 8, 2020 by Admin Leave a Comment

Enough already of touring the world virtually. Massachusetts Horticulture Society, The Gardens at Elm Bank, is offering a free, in-person tour, limited to 15 participants. Join this lovely garden tour to admire shrubs, trees, flowers and learn about the history of this fascinating estate as well as horticultural plant identification and background stories. Highlights include the Bressingham Garden, Weezie’s Garden for children (including pollinator plants), the seed-to-table vegetable garden, and the show-stopping Italianate Garden by the Manor House. Some seats available throughout the gardens, but be prepared to stand and walk. Please wear comfortable shoes, hat etc. Bathrooms are NOT available on-site.

DATE: Tuesday, July 14, 2020

TIME: 9:30am – 11am

ADMISSION: Free

RSVP REQUIRED: skirby@natickma.org

MEETING PLACE: the main parking lot of Elm Bank, 900 Washington St., Wellesley

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