People – Places – Products (GreenYankee Travel)

ClicknClack from CarTalk

I recently called Ray Magliozzi, one half of the National Public Radio duo that produces “Car Talk” every week. Ray is an enthusiastic organic gardener, and he filled me in on some of his gardening endeavors since our last chat.

I had primarily called Ray to ask about the Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) he had growing in his house outside of Boston. Boston is at the northern edge of where the southern magnolia will grow, and he reported that he finally cut it down because “it was rather tormented.” But he has had great luck with another one that he planted at their vacation home on Cape Cod.

Ray’s Southern Magnolia

Ray’s magnolia on the Cape is a dozen years old or so, and at least 25 feet tall with a trunk about 8 inches across at the base. “It’s absolutely magnificent,” he told me. He said it keeps its leaves all winter –they are a leathery brown – and they drop off as the new leaves come on in the spring and summer. The new leaves are “soft, supple and luxuriant,” according to Ray. It’s best feature, however, are the flowers: they are large, beautiful, and fragrant. “The aroma is magnificent,” he said.  It flowers every day for six weeks in June and July, and sometimes even produces a few bonus blossoms in August.

According to my reference texts, Southern Magnolias are hardy to Zone 7 (zero to 10 degrees above), or Zone 6 (minus 10 to zero) if protected. Ray reports that they see zero on the Cape most winters. His magnolia is a variety called ‘Edith Bogue’, which issaid to be the hardiest of all southern magnolias. It wouldn’t grow here in Cornish Flat, but I have a different species of magnolia (Magnolia x loebneri) that does do well – a magnolia hybrid known as ‘Merrill’, which blooms each for me in late April.  Ray’s magnolia is protected from the harsh winter winds by their house, which creates a microclimate.

mimosa tree

In place of the now-defunct southern magnolia at their Boston area home, Ray has planted a mimosa tree (Albizia julibrissin). I have only seen these in Portugal and California, so I looked it up. It’s a small tree, growing 20-35 feet in height and spread. It has delicate leaves and pink, fragrant flowers with clusters of delicate stamens – but no petals. It survives droughts, soil salinity and high winds. It sound like a great street tree – but my reference books tell me it is damaged by temperatures colder than minus 5 degrees. Ray does seem to like to push the limits of what he can grow.

What else is Ray growing now? “I’ve taken to growing a lot of annuals – especially giant dahlias. I love the colors,” he said. “It’s nice to have something that blooms all summer.” Instead of digging the dahlia tubers each fall and replanting them in the spring, he buys new, full-sized plants at the nursery each year. He figures that it’s better to have someone else do the work of getting them to bloom size so that he can start enjoying them right away. And why not? Our summers are short enough that we deserve as many blooms as we can get.

grapes

Ray has also started growing grapes on the Cape. He has 2 Concord grapes and a seedless red. He has them growing on a pergola that provides shade in the heat of the summer, and the vines are loaded with grapes when we spoke in M. mid-September. “They are picture textbook grapes”, he said. “Every bunch is beautiful.” In my 2002 interview Ray told me that his grandmother grew grapes in Boston and made wine in the cellar of their house, but Ray hasn’t gotten into wine making – at least not yet. But he loves growing them, commenting that they make him feel like they have “a little slice of Europe.” Concord grapes are very hardy – I grow them in my Zone 4 garden (temperatures to minus 30 degrees).

mulch and dirt

What else? Ray and I talked about mulch volcanoes – mulch heaped up against tree trunks to keep down weeds. He knows that mulch volcanoes can be deadly to trees because mulch can cause bark rot. The bark of a tree that is above ground should never get soil or mulch pushed up against it. Ray figures that wood chips have been promoted heavily as a labor saver, but in fact are just a way for the pulp wood industry to get rid of otherwise useless bark and wood chips. “It does make your property all dressed up,” he noted, but still he is not a fan.

I still chuckle when I remember asking Ray in 2002 if there was a common thread between his two passions, working on cars and growing things. Without missing a beat he said “Dirt. But garden dirt washes off more easily.” He laughed. “The reason I love gardening is that I love getting my hands dirty. “ And one reason I love writing this column is that it allows me to talk to gardeners like Ray Magliozzi.

Henry Homeyer can be reached at henry.homeyer@comcast.net. His Web site is www.Gardening-Guy.com.

Crafts on Deer Isle

When you find yourself on Deer Isle, Maine–Whaaat?? You haven’t been? Go there and please do visit the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. Founded in 1950, the school offers intensive studio-based workshops in a variety of craft media including clay, glass, metals, paper, blacksmithing, weaving, and woodworking. They have guided tours of the campus, studios and store on Wednesdays and offer a FREE Evening Program Series, which features lectures and performances by faculty and visiting artists. Whether you’re a practicing artisan or simply appreciate the finer things in life, Haystack is a diamond in the rough for learning about (and shopping for) fine crafts.

In their own words

“The unique experience to be found at Haystack is owed to the combination of internationally-renowned instructors, intensive and focused studio time, the exploration of other art forms including music, poetry and dance, a diverse student body, and an award-winning campus. Students live, eat and work at the school, and studios remain open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Over the past 50 years, the school has created international workshops and conferences, innovative sessions for high school students and local residents, a visiting artist’s program, scholarship opportunities, and more. Haystack continues to evolve with the interests and ideas of those who visit here.”

Here’s directions. Here’s more info. Phone: 207-348-2306. And send us pictures of your trip!

Go Everywhere Tote

The Greengrocer Tote insists that carry-alls don’t have to be drab or flimsy. Made of reclaimed upholstery fabrics, each canvas tote is one-of-a-kind with 2 customized side pockets large enough for all your beach essentials and 2 liter-sized bottles.

Yes, it’s shameless self-promotion for one of our products, but hey, we think you’ll use it everyday, especially with farmers’ markets and the beach on your horizon. See details in our Store.

NH Seacoast Greenway

What a cool organization this is! The NH Seacoast Greenway is an on-road bike route that follows the beautiful NH Coastal Scenic Byway on U.S. Routes 1A and 1B.  It meanders along the Atlantic ocean, and includes beautiful views of the historic Isles of Shoals among many other wonderful sites. It is one of the few sections of the East Coast Greenway that has views of the ocean.