On June 21, the N.Y. Unit of the Herb Society of America, a volunteer group that maintains the lovely Herb Garden at John Jay Homestead, had a casual early evening gathering in the garden to celebrate the Summer Solstice. A John Jay High School student, Daniella Acker, was the units first garden intern during the summer of 2010. To show appreciation for her hard work in the garden, Vice-Chairman of the Herb Society Diane Tunney presented Daniella with a scholarship check. Daniella will attend Kenyon College in the fall. Julia Conrad, a senior at John Jay High School, will be this summers intern.
This past weekend marked the beginning of the season for the Farmers Market at John Jay Homestead. Market Manager Jennifer Gordon viewed the event as a great success, noting that We encourage children and we are dog-friendly. Melissa Vail, president of Friends of John Jay Homestead said, The traffic has been steady all day. Its wonderful because people are exploring the Homestead grounds while attending the market. In addition to featuring at least 15 vendors selling fresh, local foods, a local cultural partner will be featured each week. The partner for this premier event was the Katonah Library, which initiated their Summer Reading Game. For more information about the farmers market, visit www.johnjayhomestead.org. To contact the market manager call 232-5651 ext. 108 or email [email protected].
Another must-do activity over the weekend was the Garden Conservancys Open Garden Day at Phillis Wardens garden in Bedford Hills. For those who have not yet seen her masterpiece, try to get there on Sunday, July 31, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. One visitor remarked, It was the best Ive seen. You can tell gardening is her passion. Since my last visit, new pathways were created beyond the tree house by the river, new bridges and walkways were built and several gazebos were added. The ten-acre property contains many habitats, including perennial borders, a formal vegetable garden, koi ponds and fountains, wildflower meadows, shade gardens, marshlands and woodland walks and a formal croquet court. To view the upcoming schedule of Open Garden Days, visit www.gardenconservancy.org. One of Wardens favorite causes is the Native Plant Center at Westchester Community College in Valhalla, which held a fundraising weekend at Perennial Gardens. Customers were educated about and encouraged to buy native plants by NPC members and traffic seemed steady at the nursery last weekend. For more information about the Native Plant Center visit www.nativeplantcenter.org.
To submit information for this column, send an email to Nancy Dexter at nancy[email protected]
Click here to follow Daily Voice and receive free news updates.
