May has been a frenzy of activity and long days as the final large garden installation of my career ~ now in its second year ~ is rounding third base. At the same time, the Community Hospice House garden volunteers have been juggling the distribution of 50 cubic yards of leaf compost (our new mulch product), preparations for our first ever plant sale in two days, and installation of an 8’ tall, 1400 pound Hindu Pan tree that will be the centerpiece of our new Tranquility Garden (more on that next time!) Yikes!

do the chelsea chop!

With everything happening away from my garden, there’s barely been any time to relax and tend to my own plants. Luckily, most of the beds are quite sustainable and don’t need much intervention from me at this time. Although I can already see some pushing and shoving going on in the sunny beds that will require some ‘editing’ before long. The one easy care item that I highly recommend for end of May is the 'Chelsea Chop. This British technique helps to control growth of plants that tend to get a bit too tall for their own good and then require staking. The Chelsea Chop is as simple as reducing a plant by 1/3 or 1/2, cutting just above a set of leaves. The affect is to improve the plant’s branching structure and minimize the need for staking later in the summer. I like to stagger my cuts to encourage a more natural look. Plants that benefit: aster, echinacea, goldenrod, tall phlox (like ‘Jeanna’ that grows quite tall), rudbeckia and veronicastrum. Yes, this technique will delay bloom time a week or so (assuming you cut all of the stems), but plants will be less spindly and more easy care for the gardener! For my ‘Jeana’ phlox shown above, chopping prevents the plants from blocking our line of sight while sitting on the patio. The phlox on the corner was not chopped, but the plants to the left were cut back.

capstone project ~ Lakeside Luxury

Dozens of trees, shrubs and perennials (and of course, plenty of funky conifers and massive boulders) are all finding the perfect home in the landscape of this stunning new home overlooking Baboosic Lake in Merrimack, NH. As usual, this project has been made possible with the muscle, heavy machinery and a truck load of patience from Parker Garden Design. We hope to be ‘done’ with the bulk of the tree, shrub and perennial planting by end of June.

Community Hospice House gardens are bursting with life!

Renovation of the original 23+ year old gardens and expansion of the planting areas around the new wing completed in the fall of 2023 will continue through summer and fall. The thousands of flower bulbs that we planted last November have been blooming for weeks, with daffodils and tulips transitioning to allium. Soon, perennials take center stage. We have bluebirds nesting in donated bird houses and bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects feasting on pollen and nectar!

The gardens are 100% the responsibility of volunteers, and their collective commitment of time, energy and love is truly inspiring. We have continued BIG dreams for the gardens and trees. We welcome any and all volunteer and financial contributions to make it all possible. (Please note that any donation to Home Health & Hospice Care needs to have specific instructions on the form of payment if it is to be earmarked for the Community Hospice House gardens.)

Plant Sale to Benefit Community Hospice House Gardens - June 1st

This Saturday, June 1st, we will be holding our first ever plant sale in the parking lot of St. John Neumann Catholic Parish at 708 Milford Road, Merrimack, NH. NOTE: this is directly across from Pennichuck Square and the VW dealer where Continental Blvd. meets 101A/Amherst Street. Enter between Little Sprouts and Friendly’s.

Our sale is made possible with stunning plant and gift certificate donations from my incredible wholesale nurseries including Van Berkum Nursery, and Stonepost Nursery. Volunteers have also gathered donations from Bagley Pond Perennials, Mason Hollow Nursery, Amherst Garden Center, Hosta Amour, County Stores of Milford, Depot Farm Stand, Frizzhome Gardens. Fulchino Vineyard and Lowe’s Home Improvement. Gift certificates have been donated by Country Brook Farms, Mahoney’s Garden Center, The House by the Side of the Road, Nashua Farmers’ Exchange and Ocean State Job Lot.

Individual donations include beautiful dahlia tubers: ‘Gitt’s Crazy’, ‘I’m a Hottie’ and ‘Tootles’ which retail for $5 per tuber. We are offering bags of 5 tubers for only $10! These are plump and large and ready for planting in your garden or in a large container.

Our lead garden volunteer, Jean Abramson, has donated gorgeous canna lilies from her own gardens! These cannas will lend structure, tropical interest and a long bloom time to your summer garden!

In addition to discounted gift certificates, we will have a 50/50 raffle and a silent auction for garden consultations from both Parker Garden Design and me!

We hope to see you all Saturday morning ready to shop. Thank you for supporting this incredible organization.

~ Barb