SEED SWAP WITH MARTHA'S VINEYARD SEED LIBRARY

by Ashley Killian

These seeds of Calycanthus floridus were collected at the North Carolina Arboretum (with permission). Photo: Keith Kurman

This cone of Sciadopitys verticillata was collected at the perfect time. Cone-bearing plants are called Gymnosperm which means 'naked seed'. So when the seed is mature the cone opens and the seed just falls out. Here the cone was collected before it lost its 'payload'. Photo: Keith Kurman

January 2020, Vineyard Gardens attended the Martha’s Vineyard Seed Library’s seed talk at the MARTHA’S VINEYARD Agricultural Hall in West Tisbury.

We always take an opportunity to learn and play an active role in our community. The MV seed library is a resource for native seed. Island residents are welcome to collect seed and contribute to the library. It would be great to see native wild flower seed, perennial seed, and woody plant seed contributions. It is always recommended that when you collect seed you should label where you found the seed, when you found the seed, and any other information about the seed. Keep your seed somewhere that is cool and dry. If you did not get a chance to collect seed last fall, you may check out seed from the library as well. It was interesting to see what different seed strains look like. I discovered Garlic seed, Poppy seed, Hypericum seed, Asclepias seed, Turnip seed, and many others in the seed library last year.

Seed stratification on collected marigold seeds demonstrated by MV Seed Library. Photo: Ashley Killian

THIS YEARS Annual Seed Swap is Saturday March 6, 2021

At the seed talk they demonstrated a stratification process on marigold seed that was found after it had experienced a hard frost. Although the seeds did not have as high of a germination percentage as seed that would have been collected in the fall, some seed did sprout! The annual Seed Swap is set for this Saturday March 6th from 10am-12pm on the West Tisbury Library Porch. I am excited to see what seed has been collected on island since I attended last year. I feel lucky to have such a supportive community at my fingertips. Gardening with fedco or botanical interest seed is fun but it’s also really cool to experience the seed library and to check out seed that was grown locally on our beautiful island!

The Martha’s Vineyard seed library. The library is labeled with stickers so we know the difficulty of saving the seed strain. You can check seed into the library and check seed out. Photo: Ashley Killian

The perfect example of how to fill out your collected seed card. More Information is better than less. Photo: Ashley Killian

Organization and labeling is an important step in the process. Keeping track of dates along the way will follow the new plants all the way to to being planted out, and beyond. Photo: Keith Kurman

Here you see Magnolia grandiflora seeds nestled into their peat/pearlite medium, sealed in a ziplok bag. They will receive at least 6 weeks of cold treatment before we bring them out to sow. Photo: Keith Kurman

Seed talk with Vineyard Gardens

When starting plants from seed you must mimic nature’s perfect conditions. Seeds are alive, just not actively growing. They are in a state of dormancy until they can take in air, water and nutrients. Dormancy is a delayed period before sprouting. A chemical reaction within the seed, breaks this period and can be triggered by temperature and light. Germination begins a pants life cycle and without perfect conditions your seed will not grow!

Right plant, right place is a method used by gardeners to get the most out of their property. Gardening can be flexible, the more you learn, the easier it is to work gardening into our everyday schedule. We’ve learned that plants have a unique set of requirements individually and we respect that. These requirements start at the very beginning of their life. Some seeds need a series of freeze and thaw cycles to break dormancy. We could plant them in the fall or we could speed that process up and simulate our natural weather conditions. This act is known as practicing seed stratification. Every seed can be different and might need a different amount of time or method to reach germination. For example, the Purple Top Verbena perennial on the Fedco seed website that recommends a 3-5 week stratification process in order to germinate.

Stratification

If you have seed that you can try experimenting with, then start by dividing it into separate bags. If weather conditions are in your favor put one bag of seeds outside in a mixture of moist soil and peat. Let these seeds experience a freeze and thaw cycle outside. A mix we have had success with is half milled peat moss and half pearlight that is slightly dampened. With the other bag of seeds, slightly dampen some paper towel and place your seed in the moist paper towel. Put that paper towel inside the bag and put it in the back of your fridge. Keep a close eye on this seed. Often seed stratification can lead to fungus and mold because of the wet conditions. If you start to experience this, get a fungicide and start with a new piece of damp paper towel. Some native seed can have a dormancy for up to 2 years, and some seeds have a hard seed coat. Hard seed coats are broken down by the wet conditions of a freeze and thaw cycle. Another way a hard seed coat is broken down naturally is by birds or other wildlife eating and processing the seed. We can simulate natures conditions with the process of stratification. Stratification breaks down the seed coat to allow air and water to get in and allow the seed to grow out through the seed coat to take in light and grow into a plant.

This group of woody plant seeds were collected from various locations in the Fall of '19, cleaned, properly labeled and stored cool and dry wrapped in newspaper. Our medium for stratification is 1/2&1/2 milled peat-moss and pearlite just slightly dampened. Photo: Keith Kurman

Here at Vineyard Gardens we try to offer many plants that are relatively rare from commercial growers. It can take many years to bring them to saleable size but there's no time like the present to start! Here is the charming Stewartia rostrata. Photo: Keith Kurman

Scarification

To scarify a seed you can take a sharp knife and nick the outside shell, then by soaking the seed in room temperature water over night, you can help soften the seed shell and allow light to stimulate growth. Depending on the seed strain, scarification could be enough to plant the seed after soaking. For other seed strains, you may need to process seed stratification, as well, to break the seeds natural dormancy before planting. Often seed is carried over year to year. Germination rates decline each year that seed is stored. Vineyard Gardens always starts left over seed before we start new seed because of this. If your left over seed did not germinate last year it may mean you should try practicing seed stratification or scarification to promote germination rates. Practicing these methods before planting native collected seed can produce better germination results, saving you time and money.

The seeds of some plants can be as showy and ornamental as their flowers. The flowers of this Clematis 'Guernsey Cream' are really beautiful but so are its seeds. Photo: Keith Kurman

Seed collected is stored in bags and organized alphabetically. Photo: Ashley Killian


ON THE RETURN OF THE VICTORY GARDEN

written and photos by Keith D. Kurman

This garden has been growing steadily over many, many years. It’s seen many crop rotations…brilliant success and demoralizing failures. But each spring brings a renewed excitement, to begin again…“This year we’ll get it RIGHT!”

“To free ourselves, we must feed ourselves.”

The quaint “grow your own” aphorism presents us with a challenge regarding a change from our consumerist mindset of being dependent on ‘others’ to becoming more independent.

This recent NY Times article, Food Supply Anxiety Brings Back Victory Gardens, does a wonderful job addressing the need for growing our own garden today during the current pandemic in comparison to the War Garden of 1918 and Victory Garden of 1919.

A garden this size is quite an undertaking! Unless you've grown up on a farm or garden for a living you might want to start a little smaller and build over the years. But it is about the size of one generous front yard! Something to think about!

Times and conditions have changed remarkably since the mid-twentieth century. Now, a quarter of the way into the 21st century, when and how are we going to adapt to these changed conditions and adopt new paradigms for the mid-twenty-first century? Some of these changes and challenges include:

  • Climate Change. This is a new term for something we’ve been aware of and fighting to address since the 1960’s, corresponding with the “back to the land” movement, self-help books and anti-nuke protests. The idea of growing your own food has gone in and out of fashion throughout the ‘modern age’.

  • Sustainability. This was not a consideration or even a word generally used in the mid 20th century but it applies now to everything from product development to agricultural production.

  • Water. There are so many factors applying pressure on our water sources. Just as coronavirus is invisible, so is water and the threat to its availability. Unfortunately, it is not on the forefront of public concern.

    The combination of climate change, sustainability and water shortage brings the priority closer to home.

  • Aesthetics. Aesthetics may seem like a frivolous or academic subject these days but it goes directly to our decisions about what we do to develop and maintain our own properties.

  • The Lawn. A pretense hung over from ‘between the wars’. They are wasteful of water and demand conditioning and fertilizers to keep them viable. They also occupy, usually, the sunniest part of the property. Would that area not be more beautiful providing sustenance for our families rather than exhausting our precious resources to satisfy our ‘aesthetics’? It is not that the philosophical perspective of ‘the lawn’ being beautiful is wrong, but if we were to change our philosophical perspective to value productivity more highly, then we may not feel the same way. If we find it necessary to supplement our food sources with what we grow ourselves wouldn’t the lawn be the first thing to go?

With all that in mind, and a lot of ‘alone time’ on our hands, let’s get to the question of Victory Gardens.

The NY Times article mentions how Victory Gardens started out as a big deal that quickly faded because ‘farming’ is hard work! True, but there are degrees to which we can go to supplement our nutritional needs without turning over our entire property to cultivation.

A Victory Garden can be anything from a potted rosemary on the windowsill to a window box with mixed greens to a raised bed by the kitchen door for growing your essentials. Of course beyond that you can go as far as your imagination and resources will allow.

Here's a small garden that's dedicated to mostly herbs (deer-proof!) a few Tomatoes and some flowers. There are no rules to break, its what works for you!

Let’s look at a few things we can grow that don’t require extensive time and materials to achieve.

I always go to the herbs first because they offer so much return for so little effort. Herbs as a rule don’t require a lot of fuss. They are generally from arid climates and grow under poor conditions. Plants like Thyme, Sage, Tarragon, Oregano and Chives are tough perennials that only require a patch of earth, some sun and occasional watering. But they provide a rich, fresh flavor to common dishes. Try adding them to the oil in your pan when you begin a sauté, it makes a big difference.

Annual herbs: Parsley, Cilantro, Arugula, Dill and Basil. These flavorful plants might require a little more attention to keep them productive but they can easily be grown in a pot as well as a cultivated garden plot. There becomes the question of quantity, if you use them a lot then you’ll need more space. It’s a good idea to stagger their planting so you have a continual crop. There are hundreds of plants that might fall under this category and you can certainly expand your collection as you become more adept at growing and harvesting, but these few selections are a good start and if you’ve checked the prices for fresh herbs at the grocery store you’ll see how this might really save some money.

Leafy greens are the next category of easily grown foods. We may be used to only a few lettuces but there is a dizzying range of possibilities, so again you can go as far as you’re inclined to labor. All are nutritious and most are flavorful! The lettuces, mustards, radicchio, endive, spinach, chard and kales are what we call ‘Early Season’ because they germinate and grow best in cool, lengthening days. They can be done in pots or window boxes or they can take up several rows in a vegetable garden.

Being limited in time and space shouldn’t stop you from growing some of the smaller root vegetables. Easily started from seed, and best when done so, are radishes, carrots and beets. These you would want to seed in succession so you have a continual supply ready for harvest. We may think of beets as just the red, bloody sweet beets but there are so many different varieties that make delicious eating, especially at the smaller size. Carrots don’t need to be the long ‘perfect’ carrots of agriculture, some of the best tasting are the smaller, heirloom selections that can only be gotten from a reputable source (like Vineyard Gardens!) The greens of these delicacies are all edible too and very nutritious.

Of course there are many food crops that require a little more space and attention to their cultivation; potatoes, cabbages, broccoli, the squashes, cucumbers and melons, and to some extent peas and beans. Peas are not that difficult but you do need quite a few plants to reap a meal-sized serving. With the proper tending they will produce a succession of crop but you need several plants to feed a family of two! Beans can be very gratifying, but again you need several plants to produce a family sized yield.

We can’t talk about vegetable gardening without talking about Tomatoes. Tomatoes are THE most popular plant by far of all vegetable crops. There will need to be a post dedicated solely to tomatoes to cover all the different varieties and the growing conditions. Suffice to say. Homegrown tomatoes are delicious and when well grown are a source of pride, but they can also be frustrating. They take a lot of space, time and resources to make them work but again, it’s up to you.

The last two categories of growing that one needs to consider are staples and fruits.

The Staples are mostly all grain plants, like corn, rice, wheat, and barley.. Although you CAN grow these in your back (or front) yard they generally require too much space to harvest a measurable yield.

The Fruits would certainly require a separate post but this will have to do as a placeholder. Growing the woody fruits, stones, pomes and berries (including Grapes) are some of the most frustrating endeavors of humankind! The space, time, materials and skill required to bring in a harvest is probably what doomed the whole Victory Garden Movement. It’s not impossible but it does require commitment, motivation and sophistication.

So there’s a start to it! All the details of ‘How To’ can easily be gleaned from books, online or questions you can ask our expert horticulturists at Vineyard Gardens nursery.

We may not be able to save the world or prevent pandemics by ‘growing our own’ but we might be able to supplement our diets with what we have grown ourselves and that has the added virtue of feeding our souls. It’s also a great way to spend part of a day in quarantine!

“We must cultivate our gardens.” (Voltaire-ish)

Gardening styles and techniques are as varied as there are gardeners. You live, you learn, that the Tao of growing. “What it takes!”

Nothing compares to the delight of discovering that your efforts have borne fruit! Even an acorn squash, sprung up out of the compost, makes all the labors worthwhile.

Raised beds are the most popular way to grow healthy veggies. They're easy to manage and plants seem to thrive in them and produce well. Great for Herbs and Leafy Greens... Tomatoes too!

A spectacular spot with a modest Herb Garden consisting of stepped raised beds and planted with herbs for kitchen use and plenty of leafy greens for salads.... and a few poppies too!

CAMELLIAS, POPPIES AND CLEMATIS

It has been a great year for the gardens on Martha's Vineyard. The winter was cold but not wicked. When spring broke, it didn’t swing back around and hit us again late as it sometimes does. We had some heat in the summer but not brutal nor lasting. And here we are with cool autumn conditions right on schedule. All in all, it’s been a year we can almost count as a control measure for future extremes.

Here are some of the plants that have caught our attention over the past year.

CAMELLIAS:

Camellia japonica "April Remembered"

“April Remembered” is a hardy Camellia developed and introduced at the University of North Carolina and Camellia Forest Nursery in Chapel Hill, NC. Growing Camellia’s on the Vineyard can be frustrating but when successful, very rewarding. There are many species and selections but most often grown are C. japonica and C. sasanqua.  The “April Series” are C. japonica selections that come in a color range from whites to reds to pinks. The plants themselves are reliably hardy outdoors but because they tend to flower in late winter/early spring the flowers are often burnt by freezing temperatures. This doesn’t seem to daunt those who desire their large, formally structured flowers. The plants can become large in time or easily kept trimmed to a neat, tight shrub.

Camellia sasanqua

Camellia sasanqua

Camellia sasanqua. The flowers on the sasanqua’s tend to be smaller and less formal but are produced in abundance in the late autumn. This works in our favor here on the Island since we tend to have a long, languorous fall season. The sasanqua’s flowers also come in a range of colors from red through pink to white in singles and doubles and have the added advantage of being fragrant. Its not sweet or pungent its more a clean, fresh, woodsy scent that is delightful and unexpected.

Both types are evergreen and somewhat resistant to deer browsing. They prefer a rich, woodsy soil, regular water and some afternoon shade.

POPPIES:

Poppies in the mist

The annual or biennial Poppy (Papaver) is a plant we try to encourage people to use in their gardens and get planted in time, so they establish and produce their finest show.

Papaver rhoeas

Papaver somniferum "Lauren's Grape"

There are so many wonderful varieties, especially the big P. somniferum types like, “Lauren’s Grape” or the classic P. rhoeas, the Legionnaire Poppy. Both can be sown in the ground from seed with mixed results, but we start them early at the nursery to help get them started. The important thing is to get them in the ground early so they have a chance to develop strong roots before the warm temperatures. People often come into the nursery in June/July and marvel at the poppies beauty. Unfortunately, at that point it is really too late to plant them for their flowers but they will produce seed that can begin to establish in the garden for the following year.

CLEMATIS:

Clematis "Etoile Violet"

Of all the wonderful Clematis, none performs as well for us here on the Island as Clematis “Étoile Violette”.

Clematis present a real challenge to most gardeners not just the novice. There are about 300 different species of Clematis and hundreds more named varieties. They fall generally into three groups based on habitual flowering time; early, mid-season and late. There are large flowered forms and hybrids and small flowered forms. Some are fragrant, most are not. There are evergreen types but most of them are not hardy here in New England.

The easiest to grow and maintain are the late flowering types like our Clematis paniculata that is festooning the Island with its garlands of fragrant white, starry flowers right now.

The large flowered types are the ones most people want to grow but are also the most challenging and culturally persnickety.

The mid-season types are the easiest to manage in the mixed shrub or flower garden. “Étoile Violette” falls sweetly into this group. It is a selection of C. viticella introduced in 1885. Aside from its beautiful form and color, albeit slightly smaller flowered than others, it is its ease of management that makes it worth growing. It flowers on the top third of its new growth so it can be trimmed back in the spring and allowed to scramble to whatever heights you want. The spring cut back has the advantage of delaying the flowering time to well past the end of June.

There are other C. viticella selections like, “Mme. Julia Corrévon” and “Venosa Violacea” all of which are recommended.

SCREENING FOR NATURAL PRIVACY

CLIENT SCENARIO: Over the winter a client's neighboring property was cleared for construction on a new, two story house, turning the front yard, that had once been a mature oak forest, into a construction job site. The client's reached out to Vineyard Gardens for landscaping help to obtain the same natural privacy that they were once accustomed.  

Before planting new screening

Transplanting giant Arborvitae

SOLUTION: Vineyard Gardens collaborated with Maciel Land and Tree to  bring back the natural privacy barrier. Using their giant 90” diameter tree spade, Maciel Land and Tree transplanted five Vineyard Gardens 20’ Thuja plicata (Western Red Cedar) in that void. This newly planted screening looks like the trees have been there for years.

After planting new screening

SCREENING is one of the most requested landscape functions. From the client’s point of view this is a very simple request however from the grower’s perspective it is much more complex.

BUDGET: Everyone needs screening regardless of pay-grade. How much you have to spend directly correlates to the amount of time it will take to achieve your end goal. The bigger the tree, grass or shrub, the more expensive it is and the more work it is to install. Faster growing plants are not an ideal option either. A fast growing plant can be weak wooded, suffering from high winds or winter damage, or the plant could be invasive and outgrow its location. Even very large transplants can take a couple of years to re-set their supporting root systems. The most economical and hardiest solution is to start your screening "vision" with smaller plants that can quickly establish themselves.

ENVIRONMENT: The Island may be small but it is very diverse in terrain and habitats. What would work for a screen in Vineyard Haven will not necessarily work for screening on the north shore in Chilmark. There are many different soils, exposures and pests that can modify your choices. Deer are a big problem up island and poor, sandy soils are a problem in Oak Bluffs. Some areas have clay soils that cause poor drainage that can slowly kill off new plantings. Some have ample available water that can cause problems for plants like Juniper that are adapted to poor, dry soils. It may help to remember that what you see above ground is only half of the plant, what goes on below is perhaps even more important.

Deer defoliated Holly

Clethra under deer damaged Rhodie

TASTE VS. PRACTICALITY: We are often overwhelmed by the number of plants available at the nurseries. It is important to remember that different plants suit different environments. There may be 15 varieties of evergreens available, but, depending on where the plants are going, there may be only 3 or 4 that will thrive in your location. If there is shade, Juniper will languish for years before it dies. If there is full sun and exposure to high winds, Arborvitae will scorch and become irregular. If you have deer, the native American Hollies, Ilex opaca, will be defoliated up to the “browse line” (4’-5’) over one winter, as will Junipers. Therefore, it is important to not only be observant of your growing conditions but to also be flexible in your expectations. If you have a shady spot that you need screening, Hollies may be your best bet. Although, you may have to pair them with an under planting of Clethra or Winterberry, shade tolerant, deer resistant, deciduous shrubs to fill in where the deer will nibble on the lower branches of the Holly. If you are on Island only in the summer, you may have better luck screening with deciduous plants. The Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus ‘Fastigiata’) is a beautiful, fast growing deciduous tree that will give a dense, natural looking screening in just a few years from a small plant. They transplant well as larger plants as well so there’s a solution for every pocketbook. The native Beech (Fagus grandifolia) is another dependable tree for screening. They hold their lower branches and once leafed out they provide effective screening. They can also tend to hold on to their dried fall foliage through the winter extending its screening season.

Carpinus as a hedge (at Cronig's up-Island)

WHAT'S BLOOMING AROUND THE ISLAND...

This has been a week of awakening on Martha's Vineyard. The Cherry and Pear blossoms, the Daffodils, the early Tulips, the Forsythia and the flowering Quince have been drawing all the attention with their showy explosions of floral bounty. On a more subtle note the Elms, the Maples, the Chestnuts and the Lilacs have been offering their pale greens and ruby toned buds, swelling and beginning to burst with tender foliar froth. Oh how this time of year rejuvenates the soul and the senses!

In the Woodland Garden the crane-necked stems of Solomon's Seal extend daily. The Lily of the Valley is starting to set buds signifying “the return of happiness”, in flower language.

The Woodland Garden

Here are some of our favorite plants that are blooming around the island right now.

DOGWOOD: One of the showiest of our spring flowering trees, the Dogwood, has been the victim of a fungal blight called anthracnose that has been causing die off throughout its range. When Dogwoods first open what may be thought of as petals are actually "bracts". The bracts act like the flower’s winter jacket protecting the flower from our harsh winters. Instead of the bracts falling off when the flowers start to swell, they mutate into petaloid structures reminiscent of petals that attract early season pollinators.The issue that is occurring with the North American Dogwood is that the anthracnose causes a circulatory shutdown, killing off the tree branch by branch. Fortunately, there are resistant forms being introduced and available at the Nursery. The best way to prevent the disease is to plant the Dogwood in part day shade and give it additional water in the dry, hot months of summer.  

DOGWOOD, Cornus florida, bracts surrounding central flower

MAGNOLIA SOULANGEANA: This exotic hybrid selection of Magnolia Soulangeana, called “Elizabeth”,  has exceptional, luminous yellow flowers. The Magnolia is practically a living fossil. It was one of the first of the Angiosperms (flowering plants) to evolve. Science knows this because of the spirally arranged flower parts and there are fossils to confirm it.

MAGNOLIA x "ELIZABETH"

MAGNOLIA x "ELIZABETH"

HORNBEAM: Another old-timer on the evolutionary scale is the Hornbeam, Carpinus betulus. The ‘betulus’ of its name indicates that it is similar to a Birch, seemingly in regards to it's flowers. The catkins are characteristic of wind pollinated trees and shrubs that include a wide range of mostly nut-bearing plants. They serve as examples of the evolutional transition from the earliest plants, Gymnosperms (naked seed, or the cone bearing trees like pines) to the later, more highly evolved, Angiosperms (meaning enclosed seed) or fruit bearing plants.

HORNBEAM, Carpinus betulus

HAZELNUT: Another example of a catkin flowered nut, the Hazelnut, Corylus avellana, “Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick”  has its own special decorative character.

HAZELNUT, Corylus avellana, “Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick”

REDBUD: Just coming into flower is the decorative beauty Redbud, Cercis canadensis. It will fully play out its flowering cycle before it starts to set its leaves. The leaves are somewhat heart shaped and have a beauty all their own. 

REDBUD, Cercis canadensis

This weeping form of Redbud, may be the variety “Lavender Twist”, but there are several named forms with slightly different leaf and flower color.

REDBUD, Cercis canadensis Pendula “Lavender Twist”

VIBURNUM: Another early spring beauty is Viburnum x burkwoodii which is from a group of Viburnums called Korean Spice or Snowball Viburnum. Burkwood Viburnum grows quite large, under ideal conditions 10’ x 10’, and has an insanely delicious fragrance in late April-early May.

VIBURNUM, Viburnum x burkwoodii

VIBURNUM, Viburnum x burkwoodii

ABELIA MOSANENSIS: Another fantastic fragrant spring bloomer is Abelia mosanensis. It's a relative of the later flowering Abelia grandiflora that we use a lot here on the Island because of its stately form and glossy, nearly evergreen foliage. Unlike A. grandiflora, this plant can get quite large but its easy to keep trimmed if you cut it back just as its finishing its flowering. The fragrance is one you’ll never forget and would serve well for summer screening being nearly carefree and very fast growing.

ABELIA MOSANENSIS

JAPANESE SNOWBELL: One of our favorite shrubs, or small tree, is Styrax japonicus, the Japanese Snowbell. A carefree plant that quickly grows 10’-15’. The flowers fully open in May and hang downward from every branch producing a brilliant display. It flowers over a long period and as they drop they are reminiscent of freshly fallen snow. A nice place to plant it is near a path so the branches have the potential to create a canopy where passerby's can appreciate it's glory and slightly sweet/woody scent from the delicate flowers.

JAPANESE SNOWBELL, Styrax japonicus

JAPANESE SNOWBELL, Styrax japonicus

JAPANESE TREE LILAC: A plant that is not used nearly enough here on the Vineyard is the Japanese Tree Lilac, Syringa reticulata. It may be over looked in the nursery but it’s far from undistinguished once it gets going. It can become a multi trunked tree up to about 40’ with beautiful, gleaming, polished bark and 12” panicles of fragrant white flowers in the summertime. It's a distant, noble cousin to the common privet and just about as hardy.

JAPANESE TREE LILAC, Syringa reticulata

JAPANESE TREE LILAC, Syringa reticulata

The list could go on and on! Here’s to hoping your spring is just as stimulating and fragrant as ours is here on Martha’s Vineyard!

kkurman

 

COOL WEATHER VEGETABLE PACKS ARE READY!

We have been busy in our greenhouse planting and germinating seeds since the end of February and our cool weather vegetables packs are now ready! You can either sow your own seedlings or you can buy our packs to get a head start. We recommend planting our seedlings first and then planting a row of seeds 6-8 inches away as your second batch.

You can start planting your cool weather crops now through the end of May.  We have a fabulous selection of cool weather crops including broccoli, cabbage, kale, collards, mustards, Asian greens, Chinese cabbage, tatsoi, bok choy, spinach, lettuce, arugula, micro greens, mesclun greens. asparagus and strawberries.  Asparagus and strawberries are best planted early.

EAT LOCAL, GROW IT IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD!

Vineyard Gardens greenhouse: Our germination process of cool weather crops.