June News from the Garden
|
|
Letter from the Executive Director
|
|
Dear {First Name},
It’s been a full month since I began my new position as Executive Director at the Garden. Starting a new job in the throes of a global pandemic has been interesting, bringing with it considerations I never anticipated having to make. These considerations have been even more acute knowing that we operate a space that would undoubtedly provide our guests much needed solace and relief from the weight of the pandemic. To not be able to meet that need has been disappointing. And yet, we have also realized that we have to keep our staff, volunteers, and guests safe, and that doing our part to "flatten the curve" will hopefully help hasten the end to this prohibitive time and bring us all back to the garden sooner, and for good. So we've opted for the "abundance of caution" route. We are preparing to re-open, sooner rather than later, and we will be sending out an announcement on that soon. We anticipate opening at a limited capacity at first, and hopefully we can incrementally and safely resume normal operations before the end of the year, if not sooner.
Though it's no substitute for being in the garden, until we reopen you can experience it virtually by following our Instagram account @thejfgarden. Our Nursery Manager, Craig Jackson, posts images complete with plant names. I'm afraid my lack of familiarity leaves me no choice but to post images I find compelling. I hope that sharing them will serve as a reminder that despite the turmoil and uncertainty, beauty persists.
Sincerely,
Randy
|
|
Featured Plant for June
Calliandra eriophylla x californica
|
The hazards of planting in June are well-known to experienced gardeners, stultified over the years by drought and heat, but the intrepid gardener who has in hand a well potted calliandra can blithely sink it in a sunny spot and expect prodigious bright red fuzzy flowers in fall that will forcefully grab the attention of his friends and neighbors. We have three species of calliandra growing in display beds and have sold them all over the years, as our frequent nursery customers know so well. The Texas native pink fairy duster (eriophylla) and the southern Mexico native bloody nose plant (as John Fairey so fondly called houstoniana) are colorful and
architecturally impressive plants, but the hybrid eriophylla x californica has the best of both worlds: the larger bright red fuzzy flower of tropical californica (from Baja, Mexico) and the cold hardiness of eriophylla. Offered are plants in well-rooted gallon pots grown from open-pollinated seed, each having the typical red fuzzy stameniferous flowers so loved by pollinators of all types. -
Craig Jackson, Nursery Manager
|
|
Notes from the Nursery Manager
|
Dear Fellow Gardeners,
I've heard through the grapevine that you've been very busy in your garden and wish that The John Fairey Garden could have been your plant partner during the last few difficult months. I've also been very busy here building out an incredible plant selection in the shade houses, so many plants in fact that the place is practically wall to wall green with lots of color. One of the nursery goals at this time is to increase the size of the sales area so you can easily find those perfect plants that hit the spot. Another goal is to have an online plant list again that you can peruse from the comfort of your home before driving out. Lastly, gardeners know that plants speak to us in hushed voices, but in the nursery these voices can be a confusing roar. That's why the third goal is to have colorful printed pot tags that help customers feel the right vibes.
We'll be announcing a reopening date for the garden and nursery soon, but for now, customers may make a reservation, either by phone or by email, to shop in the nursery. And don't worry, we'll have masks available if you forget yours. I've missed you and eagerly anticipate being able to see you purchasing plants again.
On a different note, I would like to tell you about a few exciting TJFG introductions that will soon be available in the nursery for the first time. Rooted out in pots now is a limited number of
Ruellia drushellii
grown from seed collected in the Hill Country along the Frio River in partial shade. The rounded leaves with slightly angled tips are most elegant! It's going to flower any day now. Available now are
Yucca necopina
, collected as seed from a small elusive population in central Texas and a dwarf
Yucca torreya
, collected as seed from west of the Hill Country. We have a really nice
gaillardia
brought to us by Wade Roitsche -- yellow flowers, verdant green foliage. It forms a nice gently expanding rhizomatous clump. It's also available at Tony Avent's Plant Delights nursery. Available in 4 inch pots is a Tagetes lemmonnii -- seed collected in Arizona from plants much smaller than those in cultivation (maybe 2 ft), much more cold hardy (to 15F) and having brown glands on the leaves! Increasingly we have native pollinator plants, such as many penstemon and a milkweed -- seed collected from Eagle Mountains.
Happy Gardening,
Craig Jackson
Nursery Manager
|
|
Head Gardener, Adolfo Silva, his crew Roberto and Augustin, along with Nursery Manager Craig Jackson, recently created a new path from our parking lot to the garden office, creating a much more pleasant arrival experience for our guests. We've got more to do to spruce up the entrance a bit, but we're pleased with the results and hope you are too!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
