Our Giving Garden Gets New Friends

The Lower School is next door to the Upper School, separated by a large parking lot and playing fields. Recently a ninth grade advisory led by Upper School teacher, Mrs. Edith Keene, came over to our giving garden to help out during a half-day workday.  They are planning a second work visit in November, which makes all of us hope that this is the beginning of a great new friendship. During their initial workday, the ninth graders did a lot of clearing  and cleaning around the compost bin area. 


Thank you to all the students in Mrs. Keene's Advisory:  Elliot, Zain, John-John, Sabrina, Chelsea, Marie, Caroline, Charles, Amanda, Austin Elizabeth, Andres and Dana. A big thank you also to Mrs. Keene! Please come enjoy the garden any time you want.

The Garden Now Returns to School

Some of the "Garden Care Group" taking a break on a hot summer day.

The refreshing and nourishing rain fell this weekend in our school garden. Earlier in the week I popped over to see how things were going, and it was evident that other hands had weeded here and there. The garden looked weary of such extremely high heat day after day, but the cotton plant had shot up so it's taller than me now. The tomatoes and peppers all had unripe babies just beginning to grow. The figs had been harvested (by birds or by people, I don't know). But this last week in the garden was very peaceful.


Soon the children will be back and the garden will be filled with laughter and giggles and wonder.  The garden thrives on that as much as it does on sun and rain.


For now this blog ends...our task of tending the garden over the summer is finished. Thanks to all for helping it grow so well.

Gardeners Gathering ~ Friday, August 5, 8:30 a.m.

Leaves make us feel so cool...

I had the fortune of seeing Beth Crawford and Betsy Foote this morning when I went into school to set up my room. They will both be joining Lyn Streck on Friday, August 5th at around 8:30 a.m. (unless they decide otherwise) to do some garden watering and tidying up. Unfortunately, I can't be there, but I hope some of you can. The really lovely treat of the morning will be when Betsy's sister plays the flute as everyone works in the garden. Sounds idyllic, doesn't it?

I'm not sure who else is working. I know Katherine and I are not, and I believe there is a yes from Debbie Suggs.

A message from Holly Williams ~ we have cotton growing in our garden. Apparently this has been a bad season for cotton, but ours never fails. I think Lyn and Holly plant only enchanted cotton!  More pictures to come.

The beautiful peeling bark of River Birch trees is a year-round treat.

Middle School, Middle School, How Does Your Garden Grow?

Since our own Lower School garden originated long ago on the Academy Road campus, it was really very exciting to learn that science teacher, Mrs. Barb Kanoy had created a Middle School garden this past year. She very kindly shared pictures from the past school year to let us see what they have done so far. Judging by the beautiful orange zinnias with the butterfly (above), it looks as if the garden has become a great success. We offer our congratulations to Mrs. Kanoy and all the students and teachers who helped create this young garden.

An overview of the new MS garden on Academy Road

Students tending the garden

The harvest! Carrots, potatoes and zucchini

Mrs. Kanoy also sent word that there are some new ideas for the coming year:

"After working with super garden enthusiasts across Durham this summer at the Earth Partnership for Schools at the NCBG, I am all fired up to make some additional garden space at the middle school.  Our little rain garden has really come along and my goal now is to make 4-5 additional habitat gardens.  The best news is, our new MS director, Jon Meredith is 100% behind the idea.  All the little gardeners moving up into the MS from the LS will have LOTS to do!   So, keep your fingers crossed that we can work it all out.  The MS campus could use a little TLC!"

Beautiful scarlet radishes

Middle Schoolers enjoying the spring garden

We hope this will be just the first of several interesting habitat gardens. 

Thanks for sharing with us, Mrs. Kanoy! 

What I Did on My Summer Vacation by Katherine Sherrill

The Water Garden (a work in progress)

A visitor to the roses

The Vegetable Garden

Last of the beets

A wall of cucumbers

Pearl cucumbers

I have to fight off the bees

Okra flower 

Lots of tomatoes!

Sungolds

The day's harvest

Ready for a washing!

A small sampling of the rewards

Figs Revisited

In this blog, we've posted two things on the figs in our school garden--both fig plants dedicated to loved ones.  Figs are beautiful plants and the fig is a luscious fresh fruit. For those who only know figs from dried fig sources such as Fig Newtons, you have such a treat in store when you try them fresh.  I have two figs in my home garden--one has never born any figs and the other has some small, unripe figs right now. I can't wait for the harvest to come.

I'm going to share a poem I published five years ago. I hope you enjoy it:

Ripe Figs

Umbrageous coolness overhead,
treasure quietly hidden
among the shadows.


Branches hold small pendulous figs,
some still hard and green,
others ripe, the color of paper bags.


Inside each, a tracery of seeds
lingers in the soft red flesh
eliciting a quiver of unexpected greed

Mary Kendall

©2006 Aroostook Review

August 1--The Dog Days of Summer Are Here

A touch of color in our garden never fails to inspire.

It's August 1st, and truly the summer heat is taking its toll all around. At my house the air conditioning died (on the weekend, of course!). It's made me realize that it is easy to get out of touch with the "real" world out there when we are always cozy in the airconditioning of cars, buildings and homes. Our gardens, however, aren't spared, and they struggle to stay alive during these big heat spells.

My home garden is suffering from the heat. Tomatoes aren't producing because it's way too hot to set flowers. The beans have shut down, too. Oddly enough, weeds seem to be strong and eager to grow!! Plus the mint I've been battling all summer is back!! I think there are lessons to be learned in this, but other than wanting a mint & weed garden, I'm not sure what those lessons might be.

Katherine Sherrill sent me an email this morning saying she had gotten over to our garden on Friday. She watered it and did what she could (that was a brutally hot day, remember?). She sends us all the message that we will need to do some replanting and some tidying up before school starts.

I will try to get over to the garden this week, but Friday is an appointment with the eye doc, so no group gardening for me.  Is anyone else planning on working there? If you can hit reply, maybe some of us can join you.  Hopefully some rain will fall this week.

Thank you, Katherine, for getting out there and keeping things alive!!

100 F in the Shade: Summer Heat and Our Gardens

It's hovering around 100 degrees F today and over the next couple of days. Has anyone managed to work in our garden this past week? I came back from vacation and found my own garden hard hit by the summer heat, and I am thinking I can only tend it very, very early in the morning. We've had some serious heat advisories, so everyone should take care and work very early and stay well hydrated.

And here's a question:  my cucumbers (in home garden) are very very pale green, almost whitish in color. Anyone know the reason for that and how to correct it?

Let's hear what YOU are doing to save your garden from this intense heat.

Oh, and don't forget to put out water for the birds and garden friends.

Cypriot Gardens 2011

Thanks to Mary for allowing me to share the gardens discovered during my recent summer adventures.  See you soon friends.  Keep cool!  Demetra


 Cavo Greko gives a breathtaking view of the sea and bears witness to the island’s arid climate so Cypriot gardens take many forms.

My cousin Costa’s vegetable garden.  After his son Michalis, it’s his pride and joy.  We enjoyed sweet yellow corn, eggplant, squash, tomatoes, peppers (bell and hot) and cucumbers.  A staple on our menu was fresh arugula salad (Roka or Rocket Salad) picked from the garden.  

,

Costa and his bounty!

A prayer garden outside a tiny hilltop chapel dedicated to the Prophet Elias.  These two trees were decorated with flowers, ribbons, bits of clothing offered by the faithful in memory of loved ones. 

Some of the offerings and letters hanging from the tree branches. Loving messages were scribbled in so many languages. 

Yet another variety of garden.  This is a Sculpture Garden constructed by my cousin Phillipos Yiapanis and displays his extraordinary work. 

Phillipos has become a renowned sculptor in the country and philanthropist.  His sculptures can be found all over the island at public squares, memorials, and sports stadiums. 

Time to Tend the Garden

Garden Friends, it's time to tend the garden this coming Friday, July 22nd.

Rain has been scarce this past week, so some watering will be first on the list. I will be away in the mountains on vacation, so I'll miss our little group. This is a challenging time of summer for gardens. Things start to fade, wither, and often vegetable production is unpredictible. In my home garden, fresh ripe tomatoes are almost nonexistent because of the interminable battle with the squirrels who steal the tomatoes before we can harvest them. On the other hand, cucumbers abound. I guess this is really part of the surprise and fun of gardening.  Our school garden seems to fare better, so please do pick, harvest what's ripe and enjoy!

Blueberries growing in our garden are a lovely treat.

No doubt the Friday group will decide about a cool beverage and treat as they work in the heat. Let's set the time at 8:30 am as we have done all summer. I hope you enjoy the time together telling about what your summer has been like. One more month before we are hard at work in the classroom. Hard to believe, isn't it? Have fun, dear friends. :)

Time to Reflect...

July brings heat, humidity and a great desire to sit back and enjoy the mid-summer beauty the garden offers us. This got me to thinking about adding a link to the website Debbie Suggs and I created two years ago when we published our book, A Giving Garden.  http://www.agivinggarden.com/   If you look at the pictures on that site, you will see the garden in its earlier stages when it was quite new. You can also read "our story" about how our own giving garden came to be.  Here is a small section:

"We feel that the garden reflects how well Durham Academy works together as a community. This garden has at times been planted by second graders, watered by first graders, tended carefully by third and fourth graders, and has had middle and upper school advisories help out. Teachers now comprise the Garden Committee, and it isn’t unusual to see them work in the garden after school, on a Saturday morning, or during the summer. Many hands work together to make our garden grow. At any given moment, you might find someone gently rubbing lavender or rosemary to smell the fragrant herbs or (with permission) pulling out a fresh radish or cherry tomato to eat.  Butterflies flutter from flower to flower. Children come to talk to one another or play games during recess. Even in the dead of winter, it is the symbol of what a school is all about—nurturing growth and helping to put everything in balance. We give to our garden, but it gives back even more."

[Mary Kendall and Debbie Suggs. A Giving Garden ©2009.] 

A quiet place in the garden

Both photographs are by Debbie N. Suggs ©2009

Our Latest Visitors

Lynn Colleen Streck (second from right in the green shirt)
speaking to visitors about our school garden.

Our guests in our garden look happy!

Earth Partnership for Schools Summer Institute

The North Carolina Botanical Garden and the City of Durham Stormwater Services invite teams of teachers to join the Earth Partnership for Schools. This week-long institute will train teams of teachers to create rain gardens, native plant gardens, or restored natural habitats on school grounds.

During the institute, teachers will learn about North Carolina's local flora, native plant gardening, and using the outdoors as a place for learning. Participants will also have the opportunity to visit some unique natural areas in the Triangle as well as some area schools that have schoolyard native plant gardens. 


We were fortunate in having this year's group of teachers come to visit our very own garden. We hope they enjoyed it.

Welcome Earth Partnership for School Visitors to our Giving Garden

On Wednesday, July 13th, Lyn Colleen Streck, our science teacher and garden founder, will join middle school science teacher, Barb Kanoy (who is a new NCBG group Facilitator) in touring our Lower School garden.

This is part of a wonderful project that includes Barb, Lyn and Katherine Sherrill (all from DA), and others who are part of the Earth Partnership for Schools. Last year they were part of the week-long institute and this year they are part of the group of schools being visited.  Here is a summary of the 35-hour course being taught this week:

"The North Carolina Botanical Garden and City of Durham Stormwater Services invite teams of teachers to join the Earth Partnership for Schools.  This week-long institute will train teams of teachers to create rain gardens, native plant gardens, or restored natural habitats on school grounds. During the institute, teachers will learn about North Carolina's local flora, native plant gardening, and using the outdoors as a place for learning. Participants will also have the opportunity to visit some unique natural areas in the Triangle as well as some area schools that have schoolyard native plant gardens."

I know that all the Garden Committee will be looking forward to hearing what the group has to say--what they enjoy about our garden, suggestions they might make, etc.  All gardeners love to talk gardening--it's a passion we share--and getting new ideas, hearing impressions from new visitors is all part of what makes it all worthwhile.

We wish you a great visit, new friends from the Earth Partnership for Schools. A big thank you to Lyn, Katherine and Barb for bringing us new visitors. 

Gardening and Iced-Tea Anyone?

Pink Buddleia is attracting butterflies galore!

This Friday, July 8th will be a garden care group time once again. Gathering time is around 8:30 am or whenever you can make it (this is very, very informal!). Obviously we have had loads of rain so watering won't be necessary. I haven't been out to the garden this week yet, but I would imagine weeds have grown a lot in the past two weeks. I know they sure have in my own garden and probably in yours. Weeds just love the rain and heat.

I'm not sure I can make it. I have an appointment a little later in the day, but I'll do my best to be there. If you think you will be coming, why not reply in the comment section below (you can do this simply with the anonymous url but sign your name in the message so we can tell who is coming and who is not). I've already heard from Elizabeth who might join us. Given that the heat is awful and she is pregnant with twins, we will find a something appropriate for her to do (harvest veggies to share?) :)  It will be great seeing anyone who makes it.

After we work (without watering, this shouldn't take that long), we can go out for iced-tea or morning coffee. Guglhupf was great last time so I vote for Guglhupf once more!  See you soon!

Stories in the Garden, Part 2

"Oh heart, if one should say to you that the soul perishes like the body, answer that the flower withers, but the seed remains."

Kahlil Gibran

Memorial Fig Tree Planting, March 4, 2011

Farnaz and Kambiz Soheili 

and their daughter, 

Kaynaz Soheili (DA, ’19) 

Mrs. Streck and Mrs. Soheili prepare the site.

Kaynaz and her cousin with the newly
planted fig tree.

Many hands help with planting.

Simple stones remember those who were lost.

The Soheili family and the fig tree.

Learning about one’s heritage is important. Durham Academy parents, Farnaz and K.C. Soheili who were born in Iran, wanted to give their daughter, Kaynaz (DA ’19), a chance to know who her family is and to learn the stories of young family members were who were lost to political strife in the 1980’s in Iran. They arranged with science teacher, Lynn Colleen Streck, to plant a memorial fig tree in the Lower School garden where other children would also have the chance to read and learn about four of their beloved relatives who died far too soon.

The tree will be a living remembrance of these brave people who died to uphold their convictions and beliefs. 

In the words of Mrs. Soheli, “We lost our dear cousins, Afsaneh, Hossein, Namvar and Nilofar, but they will always be alive in our hearts.” 

Stories are shared, planting is done,
and new memories are made

Rain

night thunder
parched summer garden
revels in the rain

I was so thrilled to have rain in my own garden this week, that it seemed only fitting to toss in a haiku about it here. Those of you reading this who live in Durham had some rain several days in a row. From my side of the road in Chapel Hill, we had thunder and lightning but no rain until Tuesday when the skies opened and gifted us with much needed rain. How refreshing! The next morning I went into my garden and you could feel that plants were happy. Oddly enough, a bed of mint that I've been patientlly trying to get rid of had revived. I swear the new mint had grown four inches overnight, so now it's back to square one in eradicating this pesky mint.

Because our school garden got ample rain, there is no need to go and water it this week. We will have a group gardening meet up next Friday, July 8th. (Where is the summer going?) Meanwhile, I hope you all enjoy working in your own gardens and taking advantage of the great farmers market offerings.

Should you be interested, blueberries and blackberries are ready for picking locally at Herndon Hills Farms in Durham. Their fields are very kid-friendly and the offer the hospitality of chairs under shade trees and cool water to sip. You can't beat that.