HERB
thymes
THE HERB SOCIETY OF AMERICA
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA UNIT
Volume XLII #6 June, 2016
Editor: Liz DePiero 412-341-8014 [email protected]
plant feature: roses
CHAIRS' LETTER -- GROWING HERBS, GROWING FRIENDSHIPS
The outgrowth of our herb gardening has come through the sharing of herb plants, sharing
knowledge of herb growing and herb usefulness with others. That has led to networking with universities,
institutions, master gardeners, local gardens, and anyone interested in herbs we often meet.
Our small energetic group of Western PA Unit HSA volunteer members tend the Elizabethan Herb
Garden at Mellon Park in Point Breeze. Their efforts have beautified a once neglected garden, gained
members and volunteers, and most importantly have shared knowledge and spread joy to those who travel
through there daily. Our group holds meetings at the Garden Center there 6-7 times a year.
Once or twice a year we hold meetings at Old Economy Village in Ambridge, along Route 65 just
outside of Pittsburgh. Pat Leiphart, a member of OEV and HSA, has been instrumental in keeping us in
partnership with OEV, increasing our membership and friendships by being an educator in both programs.
Many people have benefited by working at the Village with Pat and her dedicated gardeners for years. New
volunteers are always welcome in our gardens. Contact us through our website and we will connect you with
the garden leaders.
Interest in the Pittsburgh Botanical Garden developed when Peggy Trevanion and some W PA
HSA members volunteered and offered their time and plants to fill some gardens of the PBG. Our board is
hoping to do more networking with them.
Over the past five years individual members have participated in herb related events held in the W
PA area such as The Spring Gardening Symposium at Glade Run in Zelienople, PA., The Garden and
Landscape Symposium in Fox Chapel, Gardenfest at the Lauri Ann West Community Center, and again the
upcoming Red, Ripe and Roasted: Tomato and Garlic Festival at the Phipps Conservatory at Schenley Park
on August 28. These events have become part of our effort to meet the public so we can extend our mission
to educate about herbs, meet prospective members, promote our Annual Plant Sale, and interest others in the
products we make by harvesting our herb plants.
For the last several years our unit has reinstated our Annual Herb Plant Sale. Recently it has been
held at Beechwood Farms in Fox Chapel during the weekend before Memorial Day. Since this is the location
of the Audubon Society where they have nature trails, classes, tours and a nursery of native plants we feel we
fit in well with their mission. The possibilities for growing partnerships and friendships have been many for
us there.
Thanks to so many of our unit members and some spouses for all their hard work planning and
presenting our Herb Plant Sale. Especially Peg Campbell and Debbie Clark, the co-chairs so our mission can
continue. Of course there are members like Susan Parker who not only helped with the website for the sale,
but who with other members donated many rare herbs and plants from their private gardens, then shared
The Herb Society of America is dedicated to promoting the knowledge, use and delight of herbs
through educational programs, research, and sharing the experience of its members with the
community. The Western Pennsylvania Unit maintains public herb gardens at Mellon Park, in
Shadyside, and at Old Economy Village, in Ambridge. Monthly meetings, with lunch, are usually
held on third Mondays, at the Garden Center about half the time.
HERB THYMES
JUNE, 2016
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their knowledge of plant characteristics and cultivation during the sale. We see many returning customers so
we know we are supplying many plants that are not easily found for sale in our area. The rainy morning
Saturday did not deter many dedicated gardeners so our sale was very successful this year!
Each year we donate any unsold plants to non-profit community gardens. We have donated to the
Wilkinsburg Youth Project Garden, Burgh Bees Apiary, Round Hill Park, The Pittsburgh Botanical Garden,
Carnegie Library Gardens, and The Garden Table Garden. We have partnered with some of these groups to
share our love and knowledge of herbs. More will follow about how these partnerships worked out in another
newsletter.
Through the Pittsburgh Foundation a scholarship for university students studying in herb related
fields was established in 2011. Our W. PA Unit has networked with Penn State University programs and their
Master Gardeners as well as Chatham University at the Falk School of Sustainability and their programs.
When possible it has been a delight to follow our scholarship recipients as they become employed in herb
related fields. On our national level we have members who work to award grants and scholarships to
Elementary Classrooms for Herb Gardens, Research Grants, and Grants to Educators to develop and deliver
learning experiences to the public. These are explained on our national website: herbsociety.org.
Continuing into 2016-2017, our program co- chairs, Rin Babson, and Alice Fuchs have been
inspirational leaders. No doubt with their committee, they will provide diverse, interesting programs for our
learning and teaching experiences. As always, members input is needed, so when members learn of an
enriching program, please let their committee know about it.
How and why do our Herb Gardens grow? Perhaps it is because of our members with their
nurturing friendships, their networking, their freely given gardening labor, and their joyful sharing of the
harvest with others.
Happy Herbing, Kay Romey and Debbie Clark Unit Co-Chairs
MEETINGS AND EVENTS WE ARE INVOLVED IN:
UNIT MEETING: Monday, June 20th - 10:00 AM (9:00AM - work in OEV Garden)
Annual Meeting and Plant / Tool Exchange Old Economy Village, 270 16th St., Ambridge, PA 15003
Meet in the picnic area, at the south end of the Village, beside the main road. If it is raining, meet in the
visitor's center at 16th Street..
Please bring a mug and a sandwich Hospitality: Team Comfrey - Coordinator: Lynn Walliser
SUMMER UNIT GET-TOGETHER: Tuesday, July 26th -10:00 AM Field Trip to New Botanic
Garden 799 Pinkerton Run Road, Oakdale, PA 15071 Hospitality: Members pack their lunch
Friday - Saturday, July 15-16th The 2016 Great Lakes District Gathering - Frankenmuth, Michigan
Sunday, August 28th -11:00 AM - 5:00 PM Tomato and Garlic Festival To Benefit Food Bank
Front Lawn - Phipps Conservatory, 1 Schenley Park, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 We will have a table at this fun event
We do not have formal meetings in July and August. Members will take small trips to interesting plant places,
and open them up to fellow herbies. When you think of something and it could work, get in touch and more
people may want to come. These could turn into interesting opportunities for many of us!!
GARDEN REPORT -- OLD ECONOMY VILLAGE MEDICINAL AND DYE GARDEN
We will have an opportunity to see the gardens at Old Economy Village as the June
meeting is being held there. Those who come at 9:00 to work in the garden, will be given a plant
for their efforts. Admission is free on Sundays this year, from 12 until 5 pm., thanks to the Jack
Buncher Foundation. We have grown several peppers, Herb of the Year.. Pat Leiphart
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GARDEN REPORT: THE ELIZABETHAN HERB GARDEN IN MELLON
PARK Many, many thanks to my committee, who have been doing a great job in the
garden while I have had more medical treatment than I ever imagined. The garden looks wonderful!! My
favorite plant in bloom now, is sage -- we have both blue and white blooming plants. The Bach, Beethoven
and Brunch concerts start the 3rd week of June on Sundays, 10:30-noon. It is another great time to see the
garden -- and a fun time to work in it. We are planting several peppers, Herb of the Year. Liz DePiero
HERB POP-UP EVENT AT PHIPPS CONSERVATORY, sponsored by their Biophilia Department
On June 2nd, 11 lucky members of our Herb Society were fortunate to attend a great event at Phipps.
Norma Weinberg, past Director of the New England Chapter of the HSA presented a wonderful topic “Herb
Gardening through a Sustainable Lens”. She emphasized low maintenance gardens that conserved resources,
utilized composting and companion planting. She encouraged the planting of native plants and mentioned the
Sweet Fern Bush, (peregrina), a member of the bayberry family, which helped relieve the itching in a poison ivy
rash. She also mentioned the importance of Dandelions as an important source for a bitters tonic in early
spring. Plantain Plantago was another native plant used to relieve the irritation of a bee sting.
She encouraged us to take five herbs and learn everything we can about them as a way for a novice to
start the learning process.
Culinary gardens should be located near the kitchen door and container gardening can add to the
beauty and ease of that area. Once again, add what is natural to your area. Utilize heirloom seeds which will
taste and smell better.
Companion planting has lots of benefits. Planting Basil near the tomatoes enriches the soil. Substitute
beneficial insects for pesticides. When choosing a culinary herb at the nursery, taste the smallest leaf to see if
you like the flavor and do not buy root bound plants. Include fragrant herbs.
As a remedy herb, make unsweetened cranberry juice and fill ice cube trays with it. To use, drop a
cube in a glass of selzer and reap all the benefits. She finished up by discussing the importance of caring for
your hands. How you use them is as important as what you put on them. We can’t wait to hear her speak
Rin Babson
again!
AMY PHIPPS BOOK CLUB: DICKENSON'S INSPIRATIONS GROW ANEW
The Orchards and gardens of a famous poet and avid botanist are being restored
Ferris Jabr, The New York Times: Tuesday, May 17, 2016, Science Times section
I subscribe to the Sunday NY Times, but I try to get a Tuesday edition, too, as it has a section of
science articles every week. They have article about botany, but not every week.
Some keep the Sabbath going to Church -I keep it, staying at Home
With a Bobolink for a Chorister -And a Orchard, for a Home.
Emily Dickenson
You may know that I am interested in historic replications of gardens and historic garden research.
This article inspires me to visit Amherst, Massachusetts, the next time I go East (regretfully, not this summer).
They even did archeological digs to find where her paths were in the original gardens.
Liz DePiero
BIRTHDAYS
JUNE pearl, rose
2 Silloo Kapadia
6 Ruth Rouleau
JULY ruby, larkspur
5 Gibby Johnson 1928-2015
11 Kathryn Giarratani 1954-2010
Why roses? visit one of our gardens and appreciate their lovely flowers! They may inspire you to plant some
for next year.
Upcoming events -- see page 2
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oops -- I find that I have a blank page to fill up. Here are excerpts from a book I can't remember
who gave to me, but I picked things that sound sensible, or quirky.
Larry Maxcy: OLD-FASHIONED GARDEN WISDOM Tips, Lore, and Good Advice for Creating
a Beautiful, Healthy Garden illustrations by JoAnna Roy. Friedman/Fairfax publishers New York, 2000
from page 19-20: HERBAL LORE
Herbs have been used to enhance health and heal bodily ills, and have recently enjoyed a renaissance.
Not surprisingly, their mysterious curative powers have made herbs the center of many legends and folk
beliefs. Following are a few.
Legend has it that basil will not perform properly unless the gardener curses the plant soon after it
sprouts. A tip -- give it to your basil good, and it will reward you!
Lavender rubbed on the head of a young girl is supposed to keep her a virgin until she marries. And
if you have any lavender left, put it in the closet to repel clothes-eating moths.
Mint (Mentha spp.) is the stuff of folklore. It is known to have been used in religious rites by the
Assyrians five thousand yearsa ago. The Greeks tell us that mint is the result of a jealous fit by the goddess
Persephone, wife of Pluto and daughter of Demeter, the grain goddess. Persephone believed her husband
had fallen in love with the beautiful nymph Menthe, and, being a goddess, had the power to take defensive
action. She changed Menthe into a plant that would grow where it would be stepped on and crushed. This
was unlucky for the lovely Menthe, but her loveliness has been preserved for us in the delightful fragrance of
mint.
St. John's wort (Hypericum spp.) has become popular as a natural tranquilizer, and is known to reduce
pain and inflammation. But don't let sheep or cows eat it -- the herb causes a dangerous phototoxic reaction,
especially in light-skinned animals. Some herbalists caution that light-skinned people, too, could be affected.
Wort, by the way, is Old English for "plant."
from pages 144-145 GIFT PLANTS AND THEIR CARE -- AMARYLLIS
Give your anaryllis as much light as you can. it's a warm-weather native, and won't tolerate frost, so
keep the plant indoors until all danger of frost has abated. Once the weather is reliabley warm, move your
amaryllis outside, but take care because the leaves will burn if direct sunlight hits them for any lenth of time at
first. This is true even if you had the plant in a very sunny window indoors. The first day give your amaryllis
half an hour of direct sun, the second day increase the time to an hour; add about half an hour of time in the
sun each day until the plant is able to tolerate a day of full sun after a week or ten days.
Once my amaryllis has become accustomed to being an outdoor plant, and against all conventional
gardening advice, I plant it in the garden, in the richest soil I have. I leave it there until the first hard frost,
which will kill back the leaves. Then I dig it up and bring it indoors, and set in in a cool quiet place. At this
time I trim off any leaves still left, and let the bulb sleep for a month or two. Finally, I shake off any old dirt,
pull away any roots that have gone completely flat and brown , and repot it in the best potting soil I can buy.
It is important to use a pot only slightly larger than the bulb and root mass, since amaryllis blooms best when
crowded.
To repot the plant properly, fill the bottom third of the pot with soil and place the bulb on top of it.
Then fill soil in around the bulb, leavaing a third to a half of the bulb above the potting mix. Be sure to
gently push soil between the roots so that no air holes remain. Tapping the pot sharply on the bench or
ground helps to settle the soil. Water well, and place the plant in a warm, bright room. Don't water again
until growth starts. The flower stalk usually emerges first. If all you get is leaves, the bulb didn't restore
enough energy after it bloomed, and will bloom next year, Just let it grown in as much light as possible, since
good light it the key to future performance.
(coming soon-- how I did all the wrong things to amaryllis this year)
THYME TO GARDEN IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
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Our dear friend and member, Françoise, visited family in France and then went to the Jardin de
Roserarie de Cervantes in Barcelona, in May. Here are some incredible memories from there:
This is the biggest rosemary patch I have ever seen.
I loved the quality of the signs, they don't have to
move them in winter!
That part was a contest planned for the next week
Barcelona roseraie
THYME TO GARDEN IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
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GARDEN JOBS FOR JUNE many
thanks to the Beaver County Master Gardeners
for their lovely calendar
Too bad it is in Catalan!
Almost done.
A more formal part of the garden close to the exit. It was
nice to enter at the top and circulate down thru the garden.
by June 4th: Plant pepper seeds
outdoors; Sow corn outdoors for late
crop; Look for emergence of Mexican
bean beetle and bean aphid and treat;
Sow pumpkin and winter squash
outdoors; Pick June bearing strawberries
after plants are dry in the morning
by June11th: Plant Brussels sprouts
seedlings outdoors; Pinch growing tips
back on black and purple raspberries and
black berries; Begin control measures
for squash vine borer and cucumber
beetle; Plant annual containers; Fertilize
sweet corn when 12-18" tall; Begin
bagworm control; Plant summer squash
for later crop
by June 18th: Look for emergence of
tomato hornworm and cabbage looper
and treat; Remove dead or diseased
branches an suckers from lilac shrubs;
Add plants to water gardens/ponds;
When mowing lawn, never remove more
than 1/3 of new growth; Deadhead
annuals; Remove dead bulb foliage
by June 25th: turn compost; Apply 510-10 fertilizer to annuals every 2-4
weeks; Pinch back garden mums Take
softwood cuttings for propagation.
by June 30th: Check bearded iris for
borer -- destroy infected material and
treat bed; Finish pruning May flowering
shrubs after bloom
THYME TO GARDEN IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
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THE MAY PLANT PURCHASING AND PLANTING TIME IS OVER, AND NOW WE
HAVE TO GET CAUGHT UP WITH THE OLD AND NEW NITTY-GRITTY!
Now that it is late spring/early summer, I can see all the things that I didn't finish last year. I found 2 blueberry
bushes, one with a berry on it, still in the pots I bought them in, waiting patiently. There also is a quite interesting
Monarda, but I can't remember what color it will be. Two black raspberry bushes, really long canes, are waiting for
more than a year, still blooming and bearing fruit for my 5 1/2 year old neighbor to pick before me.
When we bought this house, I decided that if kids wanted to play ball, they could go to the nearby elementary
school playground, and I could have garden wherever I wanted in the back yard. Fred never really did play pick-up
baseball in our back yard, but I have seen our neighbors kids practicing soccer kicks in theirs, which is all grass except
2-foot-wide borders around the edges.
For a while, I had a row of asparagus plants across the width, toward the back, left from the former owner, but
I didn't tend them very well and they gave up. There is a big area, maybe 8 feet front-to-back and 6 feet wide, with too
many native plants spreading to fill the area. It started out as a vegetable garden, too big, but then a groundhog moved
in a few years ago. He enjoyed eating anything, edible or not, which I grew there.
Did you ever meet Paul DiPasquale? His mother-in-law was a member of our Unit when I first joined, and she
is now tending her garden in Heaven. Paul and his wife are the only people I know who got married in our Herb
Garden in Mellon Park. Both the mother-in-law, and Paul's wife, were named Liz, so of course I made friends with her
quickly. Paul came one weekend to do some tree pruning and cutting for me, and I showed him the groundhog's front
and back doors -- or maybe really holes-used-as-entrances-to-his-den. They were in opposite back corners of our yard,
in the borders that turned into ground cover and less grass to mow. I never did see more than one groundhog. He
may have been a bachelor.
Mrs. Know-It-All, Denise Schreiber, Allegheny County's Greenhouse Manager, said that the only way to get rid
of groundhogs is fast-moving lead. I resisted trying that, but Paul decided to stomp on both of the entrances of the
Groundhog's palace underground, and he moved out.
Somehow, I haven't returned to vegetable gardening in any oranized way, since the groundhog. Where the
unsuccessful vegetable garden was, the wild-flower patch, much of which will be taller than me by at least a foot by the
end of the summer, is still waiting for me to get rid of last years' finished-up perennials, with new ones on their way up.
Identifying them from just leaves is a good test, as I am not as good at native plants as I used to be. Brush up on your
skills by joining The Botanical Society of Western Pennsylvania on their walks. You walk all afternoon, but don't get
tired, because they might stop for half and hour to argue about which violet is which, and what is the right botanical
name for this unfamiliar one.
In May my plant purchases are like "eyes-bigger than your stomach" so there are always pots and flats waiting.
The flat of pansies from April were waiting in the back yard, and the deer ate all their flowers. They have finally regrown and are beginning to bloom. Only 4 of them are still waiting to be planted. I did use some up in the containers
beside the front steps. Maybe the celery plants will need to go in a container.
Our son Fred, from California, visited for a week and did quite a few long-deferred home repairs. He spruced
up the front porch quite successfully. It now has a large umbrella to extend the roof, making it less hot in mid-to lateafternoon on the sunny side. Sam enjoys sitting and lying down to nap on the swing, which is on the shady side.
I realized that the old wooden furniture is fine, some in need of sanding and re-varnishing, and its dark green
cushions are ok. I got a new lounge chair which is red, and had 2 red straight outdoor chairs already, that live there in
case of large groups, mostly folded up, ready to be used. A color scheme of red and dark green -- sounds like
Christmas! I got some red ornamental verbenas (not lemon verbenas), with red flowers, and potted them, to carry out
the red. May get the smallest size of flexible bucket, in red, to use as a wastebasket, or ice-bucket for beer when Fred
visits. They are in all the garden catalogs, but our wonderful neighborhood hardware store carries several sizes and
many colors. Next time I go there.....
Liz DePiero
At the final formal dinner of the Herb Society of America in Boston the large banquet hall was already
set to welcome guests. The dinner committee arrived to add their final touch of strewing herbs to
perfume the room. The waiters were horrified, but the guests were delighted.
Strewing herbs could be a future product as a mixture of any fragrant dried herbs to be used in the
ancient way or packaged as SWEEPER SWEETNER since the effect is the same. Amy Core
THYME TO GARDEN IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
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Our long-time members remember Kathryn Giarratani fondly. Newer members may have heard
about her. She lost her battle with cancer 6 years ago. (doesn't seem so long ago) She was a full-time mother
and Girl Scout Leader. The very artistic side of her comes back to me. She was devoted to herbs and loved
everyone in the Herb Society. We can thank her for convincing Katherine Montgomery to join our unit. I
remember when she re-did their kitchen with Ikea cabinets. I was so jealous of her Botanical Garden china!!
She planted many flowers and herbs, of course, in their garden in Regent Square. She always had a little gift
for someone, no matter how small the recipient's efforts had been.
Last year, her husband Frank asked how to fertilize the lavenders Kathryn had planted. I sent him the
directions for a batch of the Mediterranean Mixture we use, and he took it to a garden place, and the
proprieter figured out how much he needed of each of the ingredients, to make a batch the right size for their
lavenders.
Nancy Hanst forwarded this picture to me, with the following information:
Liz, This is because Frank followed your directions to the letter.
Subject: At their peak
The lavender must be at peak bloom. The plants are alive with bees. It's beautiful.
Thanks very much for helping me with this. It's very important and gives me great pleasure. I can't
imagine a better way to bring Kathy here to me every day.
Frank
Western Pennsylvania Unit, The Herb Society of America
Liz DePiero