Notes from Master Gardener meetings, May/August 2010
Meetings with Pete Millier regarding Conley House grounds
HMMG will initially focus on 3 high-visibility flower beds:
1) the flowerbed on the NE corner of the property at the corner of 6th & Conley at the Turner Garage entrance,
2) the flowerbed abutting the north side of the house, and
3) the flowerbed on the south side of the house, between the house and brick driveway.
HMMG will draw up concrete plans, relying primarily on low-maintenance perennials & shrubs, to be submitted to Campus landscape designers.
HMMG intends to make use of existing plants on the grounds by thinning crowded beds, such as iris & lilies, and by drawing on plant donations from HMMG members and Campus Landscaping/Botanic Gardens green houses, as well as starting some plants from seed. HMMG & MU Botanic Garden hope to begin planting donated & thinned bulbs & plants this Fall.
Recommended plants include:
Daylilies
Iris
Daffodils
Asiatic lilies
Columbine
Choral bells
Coneflower
Black-eyed susan
Lithrum
Astilbe
Tiger lilies (MU theme)
Tiger eye sumac (MU theme)
Sedum
after design approval, HMMG will coordinate with Pete regarding planting donated bulbs/plants, and he will schedule bed amendments to ensure beds are amended before planting.
HMMG-Conley House group will begin to design concrete plans at the August 17th, 2010 HMMG meeting.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
Here are the proposed ideas we came up with at our late April meeting:
Mizzou Botanic Garden, Conley House project
Grounds ideas from 4/27 meeting
Summer 2010 plans
• Recommend to remove or relocate the dogwood tree located on the NW corner of the House, between the downspout and the side-porch. It is too close to the building and is not thriving.
• Plant coral bells (or some other full-shade tolerant plant) in the two small beds on either side of the back (east) door.
• Inquire about removing one or both pines on the far-east slope abutting the north-facing drive into Turner Garage. The smaller pine in particular has very few branches.
• Plant shade-tolerant spreading groundcover on the far-east slope abutting the north-facing drive into Turner Garage. Proposed plants: coneflower, English ivy, gooseneck loose strife
• Recommend to trim lilacs on north border of Conley House grounds – trim by 1/3rd. MG volunteers to do trimming.
• Plant flowering vines such as morning glory, hyacinth bean and scarlet runner bean along the chain-link fence on the south border of the property.
• Plant mixed annuals and perennials in the north flowerbed to provide color for summer 2010. Suggested plants: zinnias, phlox, marigolds, hollyhocks, daisies.
• Move the lilies currently located on the bank at the east perimeter of the property between the Turner Ave Garage and the garage sidewalk to a sunnier location, such as along the north-facing entrance to Turner Garage.
Long-Term Plans
• Keep all of the healthy trees.
• Keep the boxwoods.
• Inquire about health and long-term viability of the large tree directly east of the back (east) door.
• In the existing north flowerbed, plant mixed bulbs and perennials, such as hostas, columbine, coral bell, lily-of-the-valley, lamb’s ear, phlox, bleeding heart, and dianthus.
• Request assistance identifying the existing shrubs and trees.
• Plant jonquils, iris, and tulips in the south-facing flowerbed between the house and the driveway (in front of the air conditioning units and basement entrance). Iris can be thinned from the bed of purple iris around the tree on the southwest corner of the yard.
• Move the daylilies on the east-facing wall of the far-east addition to a sunnier location.
• Propose 2 tall arborvitae in front of the 2 blank brick expanses on the north side of the house.
• Place decorative fencing around the air conditioning units to disguise them and prevent plants from growing into units. Allow honeysuckle (?) and spirea to grow out and drape.
• Install a lattice for climbing vines (such as morning glories) on the south edge of the west porch.
• Install a ‘dry creekbed’ drainage leading from the downspout on the northwest corner of the west-facing porch.
• Add a large feature (perhaps a heavy planter) on the small north patio.
• In the east yard, remove the yews and install a memorial bench.
• Propose moving the roses in the west flowerbed in front of the west porch to the rose garden in the north yard, and expand the latter as necessary.
• Propose installing a raised flowerbed in the north yard, approximately where the berm was located historically. Use a rounded edge to facilitate mowing, and fill the bed with low-maintenance multi-flower rose bushes. Place a large white urn with cascading petunias in the center of the bed (to recreate a known 1940s feature of the yard).
• Propose adding a flowerbed border alongside the brick sidewalk that runs north from the east (back) door.
• Inquire about removal of the evergreen hedge on the northwest corner of the property (depending on MU Landscaping plans to open the yard or keep it secluded). Could replace the evergreen hedge with shorter barberry, to increase visibility of yard but continue to discourage use of the yard.
• Suggest installing a wrought-iron fence on the west and north borders of the yard. (This may be cost-prohibitive.)
Mizzou Botanic Garden, Conley House project
Grounds ideas from 4/27 meeting
Summer 2010 plans
• Recommend to remove or relocate the dogwood tree located on the NW corner of the House, between the downspout and the side-porch. It is too close to the building and is not thriving.
• Plant coral bells (or some other full-shade tolerant plant) in the two small beds on either side of the back (east) door.
• Inquire about removing one or both pines on the far-east slope abutting the north-facing drive into Turner Garage. The smaller pine in particular has very few branches.
• Plant shade-tolerant spreading groundcover on the far-east slope abutting the north-facing drive into Turner Garage. Proposed plants: coneflower, English ivy, gooseneck loose strife
• Recommend to trim lilacs on north border of Conley House grounds – trim by 1/3rd. MG volunteers to do trimming.
• Plant flowering vines such as morning glory, hyacinth bean and scarlet runner bean along the chain-link fence on the south border of the property.
• Plant mixed annuals and perennials in the north flowerbed to provide color for summer 2010. Suggested plants: zinnias, phlox, marigolds, hollyhocks, daisies.
• Move the lilies currently located on the bank at the east perimeter of the property between the Turner Ave Garage and the garage sidewalk to a sunnier location, such as along the north-facing entrance to Turner Garage.
Long-Term Plans
• Keep all of the healthy trees.
• Keep the boxwoods.
• Inquire about health and long-term viability of the large tree directly east of the back (east) door.
• In the existing north flowerbed, plant mixed bulbs and perennials, such as hostas, columbine, coral bell, lily-of-the-valley, lamb’s ear, phlox, bleeding heart, and dianthus.
• Request assistance identifying the existing shrubs and trees.
• Plant jonquils, iris, and tulips in the south-facing flowerbed between the house and the driveway (in front of the air conditioning units and basement entrance). Iris can be thinned from the bed of purple iris around the tree on the southwest corner of the yard.
• Move the daylilies on the east-facing wall of the far-east addition to a sunnier location.
• Propose 2 tall arborvitae in front of the 2 blank brick expanses on the north side of the house.
• Place decorative fencing around the air conditioning units to disguise them and prevent plants from growing into units. Allow honeysuckle (?) and spirea to grow out and drape.
• Install a lattice for climbing vines (such as morning glories) on the south edge of the west porch.
• Install a ‘dry creekbed’ drainage leading from the downspout on the northwest corner of the west-facing porch.
• Add a large feature (perhaps a heavy planter) on the small north patio.
• In the east yard, remove the yews and install a memorial bench.
• Propose moving the roses in the west flowerbed in front of the west porch to the rose garden in the north yard, and expand the latter as necessary.
• Propose installing a raised flowerbed in the north yard, approximately where the berm was located historically. Use a rounded edge to facilitate mowing, and fill the bed with low-maintenance multi-flower rose bushes. Place a large white urn with cascading petunias in the center of the bed (to recreate a known 1940s feature of the yard).
• Propose adding a flowerbed border alongside the brick sidewalk that runs north from the east (back) door.
• Inquire about removal of the evergreen hedge on the northwest corner of the property (depending on MU Landscaping plans to open the yard or keep it secluded). Could replace the evergreen hedge with shorter barberry, to increase visibility of yard but continue to discourage use of the yard.
• Suggest installing a wrought-iron fence on the west and north borders of the yard. (This may be cost-prohibitive.)
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Donna's interview with Judge Conley
Here's a copy of Donna's interview notes so that we don't have to dig through emails later:
I had a great visit with Judge Frank Conley, great grandson of Sanford F. Conley on Thursday, April 15th at his home on Glenwood. He was kind enough to give me some hand sketched drawings he and his wife compiled along with various notes about plants he remembered as a child on the Conley property during the 1940’s. He would affectionately refer to his grandmother for most of the conversation, but did have stories about his grandfather, Sanford F. Conley II. I believe his grandmother was Gertrude Broadhead Conley. I will double check all of that family history just to be sure I got it straight. I will be happy to share the sketches if you are interested in seeing them. They kind of hold a key to the preliminary plan I would like to propose for the Conley House.
Basically, most of the plant material Judge Conley remembers as a child include:
~Tulips; couldn’t remember the colors for sure but thinks they may have been red and yellow.
~Lots of Iris; his grandmother was quite proud of her blue iris.
~Jonquils These were along the driveway on the south side of the house.
~Purple lilacs were on the north side and the front of the house.
~Low cedars were in the front yard. The existing very large cedar tree on the northwest corner of the house seems to be one of the original cedar trees Judge Conley is referring to. He remembers when that cedar tree wasn’t even as high as the second floor of the home as a child. There were no trees planted for special occasions i.e., births, weddings, deaths, etc.
~Phlox was on the north side as well as forsythia.
~He remembers, quite vividly, a mound or raised bed of grass (bluegrass) about 3’ high on the north side of the house. There weren’t any trees planted on the north side so it was a very sunny area. The entire yard or area around the house was open and sunny he mentioned. In the middle of this raised area was a white metal urn that stood about 4 to 5’ high. It was a round planter with scalloped edges on top of a pedestal with a square base. Blue/purple petunias were planted in the planter during the summer. There was a second such planter in the back of the house (east side) with the same colored petunias. That garden area displayed old fashioned roses; not hybrid roses.
~The back yard area also had peonies, four o’clocks, and holly hocks by the garage. The drawing indicated a square pattern or symmetrical pattern of gardening with the urn in the middle, and pink and white old-fashioned roses along the sides. There was a walkway all around this garden area. The roses were more of a multi floral rose he remembers. The roses were soft and fell apart in your hands. The drawing will help visualize his words.
~Originally there was a vegetable garden south of the garage where the Turner Avenue Garage currently stands with a pool south of that. This was a small pool for holding fish. His vegetable garden memory of his grandmother was a small plot of weeds. He said she was about 65 years of age at the time and couldn’t garden any more.
~Orange trumpet vine grew along the back side (east) of the house.
~Spirea and honeysuckle were on the south side of the house.
~He remembers a white lattice fence in the back yard area; east side that had something growing/climbing up it; couldn’t remember what it was.
~The very large maple tree on the southwest corner (very close to the driveway) of the house is an original tree to the property. Judge Conley remembers that tree in addition to the cedar tree/s.
I do have more stories he shared with me that will make for some great interesting information to share during a tour of some sorts. I considered most of it oral history of the home and the inhabitants. Judge Conley had scarlet fever at the same time his three brothers had the chicken pox. He is the oldest brother. During that time, he stayed with his grandmother and grandfather for a month or so during that summer.
Judge Conley was quite proud of the fact that the brick for the house was made and burned right there on the property. When I asked him what he would like to see happen to the existing green area around the house he was quick to respond that he wished we could find the two white metal urns his grandmother had. And plant petunias in them. That would make him happy.
I would be more than happy to talk to you about any of this information in finer detail. By copy of this email, I am sharing all of this with other committee members working on the Conley House project. We haven’t had the opportunity to get together in a very long time but hopefully the information given here will prompt a meeting to be scheduled soon. I have a general idea of what I would like the gardens to resemble but I will wait to hear from the other committee members about their thoughts and suggestions before I submit a preliminary plan.
I look forward to hearing from you and/or committee members about my notes and future plans.
Thank you!
Donna J. Puleo
I had a great visit with Judge Frank Conley, great grandson of Sanford F. Conley on Thursday, April 15th at his home on Glenwood. He was kind enough to give me some hand sketched drawings he and his wife compiled along with various notes about plants he remembered as a child on the Conley property during the 1940’s. He would affectionately refer to his grandmother for most of the conversation, but did have stories about his grandfather, Sanford F. Conley II. I believe his grandmother was Gertrude Broadhead Conley. I will double check all of that family history just to be sure I got it straight. I will be happy to share the sketches if you are interested in seeing them. They kind of hold a key to the preliminary plan I would like to propose for the Conley House.
Basically, most of the plant material Judge Conley remembers as a child include:
~Tulips; couldn’t remember the colors for sure but thinks they may have been red and yellow.
~Lots of Iris; his grandmother was quite proud of her blue iris.
~Jonquils These were along the driveway on the south side of the house.
~Purple lilacs were on the north side and the front of the house.
~Low cedars were in the front yard. The existing very large cedar tree on the northwest corner of the house seems to be one of the original cedar trees Judge Conley is referring to. He remembers when that cedar tree wasn’t even as high as the second floor of the home as a child. There were no trees planted for special occasions i.e., births, weddings, deaths, etc.
~Phlox was on the north side as well as forsythia.
~He remembers, quite vividly, a mound or raised bed of grass (bluegrass) about 3’ high on the north side of the house. There weren’t any trees planted on the north side so it was a very sunny area. The entire yard or area around the house was open and sunny he mentioned. In the middle of this raised area was a white metal urn that stood about 4 to 5’ high. It was a round planter with scalloped edges on top of a pedestal with a square base. Blue/purple petunias were planted in the planter during the summer. There was a second such planter in the back of the house (east side) with the same colored petunias. That garden area displayed old fashioned roses; not hybrid roses.
~The back yard area also had peonies, four o’clocks, and holly hocks by the garage. The drawing indicated a square pattern or symmetrical pattern of gardening with the urn in the middle, and pink and white old-fashioned roses along the sides. There was a walkway all around this garden area. The roses were more of a multi floral rose he remembers. The roses were soft and fell apart in your hands. The drawing will help visualize his words.
~Originally there was a vegetable garden south of the garage where the Turner Avenue Garage currently stands with a pool south of that. This was a small pool for holding fish. His vegetable garden memory of his grandmother was a small plot of weeds. He said she was about 65 years of age at the time and couldn’t garden any more.
~Orange trumpet vine grew along the back side (east) of the house.
~Spirea and honeysuckle were on the south side of the house.
~He remembers a white lattice fence in the back yard area; east side that had something growing/climbing up it; couldn’t remember what it was.
~The very large maple tree on the southwest corner (very close to the driveway) of the house is an original tree to the property. Judge Conley remembers that tree in addition to the cedar tree/s.
I do have more stories he shared with me that will make for some great interesting information to share during a tour of some sorts. I considered most of it oral history of the home and the inhabitants. Judge Conley had scarlet fever at the same time his three brothers had the chicken pox. He is the oldest brother. During that time, he stayed with his grandmother and grandfather for a month or so during that summer.
Judge Conley was quite proud of the fact that the brick for the house was made and burned right there on the property. When I asked him what he would like to see happen to the existing green area around the house he was quick to respond that he wished we could find the two white metal urns his grandmother had. And plant petunias in them. That would make him happy.
I would be more than happy to talk to you about any of this information in finer detail. By copy of this email, I am sharing all of this with other committee members working on the Conley House project. We haven’t had the opportunity to get together in a very long time but hopefully the information given here will prompt a meeting to be scheduled soon. I have a general idea of what I would like the gardens to resemble but I will wait to hear from the other committee members about their thoughts and suggestions before I submit a preliminary plan.
I look forward to hearing from you and/or committee members about my notes and future plans.
Thank you!
Donna J. Puleo
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Thanks for the invitation!
Catherine and Mary Jo...this is a test to see if I am on the blog and we are connected. Have some patience with me as this is all new to me.
I am still very much interested in this project and might have another Master Gardener who wants to help. And I have a really neat book about historic gardens that may give us some ideas.
I think we should consider using the upcoming winter months--December, January and February--to complete our research and write a plan. I don't think Pete is houding us for a plan...he wants us to take our time and think about what we, as Master Gardeners, would like to see happen.
I have not contacted Judge Conley but certainly will make the call. I can visit him alone or you are both welcome to join me. I really want to ask him if he has photos of the home from the past.
Will one of you please reply to me through the blog so I know I'm connected? Thank you!
I am still very much interested in this project and might have another Master Gardener who wants to help. And I have a really neat book about historic gardens that may give us some ideas.
I think we should consider using the upcoming winter months--December, January and February--to complete our research and write a plan. I don't think Pete is houding us for a plan...he wants us to take our time and think about what we, as Master Gardeners, would like to see happen.
I have not contacted Judge Conley but certainly will make the call. I can visit him alone or you are both welcome to join me. I really want to ask him if he has photos of the home from the past.
Will one of you please reply to me through the blog so I know I'm connected? Thank you!
Historic homes info
Mary Jo found these a while back - they should give us a good general idea of what to aim for in terms of historical accuracy:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/heirloom/msg03082853383.html
http://www.oldhousegardens.com/
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/heirloom/msg03082853383.html
http://www.oldhousegardens.com/
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Photos of a 19th century garden
Here are some photos I took of Watkins' Woolen Mill's historic garden near Excelsior Springs.
I was surprised - the kitchen garden was completely raised beds, and there were basically no flowerbeds around the house. They had very nice mixed herbs and flowers around the perimeter of the fenced garden, with wooden signs. I don't know whether the potted plants on the back porch are historically accurate. 8-)
I was surprised - the kitchen garden was completely raised beds, and there were basically no flowerbeds around the house. They had very nice mixed herbs and flowers around the perimeter of the fenced garden, with wooden signs. I don't know whether the potted plants on the back porch are historically accurate. 8-)
Time to make a plan!
Ok all, Elizabeth says Pete is asking for the plan, so let's assemble & cook one up.
There was talk of bulbs - who had a line on those or has the opportunity passed? Mary Jo & others have found descriptions of 19th century gardens having separate beds each of a solid color. Do we want to do that?
Another wrinkle: the construction on 6th has moved up the block to the corner with Conley & they've shaved off the shrubs on the corner of the House's yard to make a temporary exit ('til next August) for Turner Garage. Now that the north flowerbed is more visible, do we want to put something colorful there???
I'll email everyone who said they were interested; some haven't signed up as authors on the blog and won't receive this.
There was talk of bulbs - who had a line on those or has the opportunity passed? Mary Jo & others have found descriptions of 19th century gardens having separate beds each of a solid color. Do we want to do that?
Another wrinkle: the construction on 6th has moved up the block to the corner with Conley & they've shaved off the shrubs on the corner of the House's yard to make a temporary exit ('til next August) for Turner Garage. Now that the north flowerbed is more visible, do we want to put something colorful there???
I'll email everyone who said they were interested; some haven't signed up as authors on the blog and won't receive this.
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