Five years have passed; five summers, with the length
Of five long winters! And again I hear
These waters, rolling from their mountain-spring
With a soft inland murmur. – Once again
Do I behold these steep and lofty cliffs,
That on a wild secluded scene impress
Thoughts of more deep seclusion; and connect
The landscape with the quiet of the sky.
-William Wordsworth, “Tintern Abbey”
Reminded by our Monday speaker, Ronda Brands, I turned to Wordsworth’s poem in which, with simplicity and forthrightness, he describes the tranquil scenery on the banks of the Wye River and delights in the memory of the beauty of the landscape. This memory has stayed with him during his absence, has restored his mind, has influenced his deeds, and has lightened his burdens. How many of us might share his pleasure as, after a long winter, we reconnect with our own gardens or visit a beloved park and are lead “from joy to joy” – from a blooming crocus to an emerging fern; from an explosion of forsythia to a bud on our elm seedling. The warmth of spring is just on the doorstep, and I know that we all are ready to welcome it in!
Ronda Brands provided us with a wonderful program on civic horticulture, accompanied by gorgeous slides and inspired planting solutions. She encouraged us all to address the question: what constitutes a successful public space? and to think about the mix of elements that go into creating public designs – good soil; four seasons of interest; contrasts in form and texture; interesting hardscape; on-going, high-quality maintenance… All of this information will be valuable to us as we continue to examine, plant, and maintain Phelps Triangle and will allow us, as we have for many years, to provide an oasis in the heart of the city where one (such as Wordsworth’s ‘speaker’) can commune with nature and take away a memory of beauty.
It is with great delight that we learned on Monday that Kelly O’Leary, the Principal of St. Martin de Porres Academy whom we proposed for the 2011 Elizabeth Abernathy Hull Award, has been selected as one of the recipients by the GCA Scholarship Committee. This award is given “to recognize an individual who, through working with children under 16 years of age in horticulture and the environment, has inspired their appreciation of beauty and the fragility of our planet.” The committee was impressed with Kelly’s innovative and inspiration work! I want to thank Vickie DiSesa and her committee for all of the work that they did to identify such an impressive candidate and to shepherd the application through the process. I hope that Kelly will be able to join us at our Annual Meeting so that we can present the award to her in person and share with her our enthusiasm for everything that she is doing to further an interest in our environment.
There must be an old adage that says something about longer days and fuller calendars. At any rate, our committees are running in high gear with flower design workshops, clean-up and planting days at Phelps, project tree meetings, tours of gardens, and trips to museums and flower shows. Please check the blog frequently for reminders of events and dates for springtime activities. AND, mark your calendar now for our fund-raising wine tasting event on Thursday, May 26th from 6-8 pm!
Finally, I had an opportunity at our general meeting to share with all of you the work and ideas of the planning committee for the GCA Zone II Meeting which we will host in October. I have included the schedule in the blog and encourage everyone to sign-up to help. If you can accommodate an overnight guest or host a dinner party (no need to cook, as a caterer will provide the food!) on Wednesday, October 26th, it would be wonderful! If you can serve on a committee (or two), it would be fabulous! If you can create floral arrangements for all of these events, it would be incredible! And, of course, we will all take part in the flower show that is one of the important components of this event.
Carol
April 2011
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