choosing asters over mums for sustainability

Like clockwork, the mums have hit the store shelves and with the first fallen leaf, gardeners begin feeling the pressure of fall ‘cleanup’. ‘WHY?’, I ask. Year after year, non-native chrysanthemums spend a few weeks on our front porches, only to fade from neglect and ultimately end up in the garbage heap along with tons of other annuals that will soon turn to mush with the onset of cold weather. Whew!

This practice is a prime example of unsustainable gardening and seems to fuel the feelings of ‘oh I must hurry and do something to clean up the mess in the garden’. A more sustainable option is our New England aster. A dozen or more varieties carry color and pollinator support all through the autumn months ~ like this beautiful hot pink aster blooming today at the Community Hospice House gardens. New England asters are perennials and offer a banquet of color and bloom for weeks just as everything else in the garden is fading. The straight species New England aster, Symphyotrichum novae-angliae, is a larval host plant for butterflies and moths, and supports a variety of bees and other beneficials. So, next time, consider skipping the mums and planting asters once for years of enjoyment and wildlife support!

liberation from fall ‘clean-up’

About this time every year, thousands of leaf filled lawn bags appear like magic to line our city streets ~ yet another questionable practice that we Americans seem to hold dear. It’s a bit insane. We remove nature’s ‘mulch’, scooping up thousands of butterfly, moth and firefly eggs and larvae in the process, only to replace it with costly (and frequently dyed) bark mulch in the spring. Meanwhile, our gardens have had their cozy blankets removed and have a harder time surviving the freeze/thaw cycles of a New England winter. Just because this is ‘the way it’s always been done’, doesn’t mean we need to perpetuate the destruction! I highly recommend the Xerces Society as a reference guide for tips that every homeowner can take to help protect beneficial insects!

community hospice house garden transformation update

This summer flew by at the CHH gardens. The last time I wrote, we were busy spreading 50 cu yds of leaf compost throughout the gardens and preparing for our plant sale.

We now enter the final quarter of 2024 with the results of a thousand+ volunteer hours and incredible donor generosity on display.

• Our first ever plant sale was a huge success and we thank all of you who supported us.

• Multiple donors helped fund the transformation of our Tranquility Garden.

• The tricky installation of the 1400 pound, 8 foot tall pinus contorta ‘Hindu Pan’ was donated by Parker Garden Design and will be masterfully pruned and cared for by our arborist Lee Gilman & Associates.

Our hectic pace continued into July and August:

• The patio garden was transformed with help from a generous grant from UNH Master Gardener Alumni Association. Volunteers removed what seemed like a ton of stones and replanted with a beautiful palette of mostly native shrubs, grasses and perennials.

• A new drip irrigation system was funded by grants from Amherst Garden Club and the Cogswell Benevolent Trust. Morin’s Landscaping assisted with the system installation.

• A family of green frogs took up residence in our shady garden. Stay tuned for our plans to help them safely overwinter in the garden.

beautiful & bodacious stars of september & october

With each passing month, volunteers have expanded and renovated more gardens with beautiful tapestries of shrubs, perennials and grasses. Colorful vignettes of bark, berries, flowers, and foliage appear at every turn.

The CHH gardens are designed and implemented to be sustainable and require a minimum of effort. We will leave most things standing through winter months with leaf cover and seed heads to support birds and other wildlife well into next spring. The response to the new and newly renovated gardens has been overwhelming. Patients, family caregivers and staff have been extremely supportive and grateful for the beautiful views and comforting embrace of the immersive gardens.

looking forward

Our efforts will continue for at least another month as we have a cadre of volunteers standing ready to plant a thousand more daffodil, wildflower tulip and allium bulbs. Our meadow continues to develop, showing much promise for a beautiful spring. It has provided life sustaining habitat for dragonflies, birds and other wildlife this summer.

This winter our attention will shift to more fund raising to support our efforts, including meadow management and spring installation of naturalistic plantings in the bioswale. Stay tuned for more information to come next time! To support the volunteer efforts behind the Community Hospice House gardens:

• donations can be sent to HHHC at 7 Executive Park Drive, Merrimack, NH 03054 and be sure to memo your payment ‘to benefit the CHH garden fund’.

• email me at barb@thebiglittlegarden.com if you would like to explore our many garden volunteer opportunities (no experience is necessary ~ just a willingness to help our beautification efforts).

Again, thank you for your encouragement, support and help to spread the word about the CHH gardens!

~ Until next time. Relax and enjoy the Wonder!

Barb