Inside this issue . . . Click on the title below to read the entire article, or scroll down to sample the issue.
Click the poster for more information!
From the Garden: Weed Suppression Tips to Stay Chemical Free
- Erin Breglia, Garden Manager Spring in the Arboretum’s Van Loveland Perennial Garden is a time of dramatic display, featuring an array of early spring flowering aconite, chionodoxa, crocus, and scilla, followed by a stunning variety of narcissus, snowdrops, and fritillaria. It is also a time to tidy up the beds by raking away the past year’s die back and leaves as well as edging and fertilizing to prepare for the coming months. Spring is also the time many gardeners find it “helpful” to use chemicals for garden upkeep. Rather than risk the loss of their plants by nuisances, especially weeds, a chemical product is applied. Though chemicals are necessary at times, using them as a first resort is irresponsible to both our backyard ecosystem and ourselves. [Read more] From the Meeting House Deck: An Astronomer's View -Alan French
Landis’ dark skies draw amateur astronomers and guests to star parties for telescopic views of celestial sights. The Meeting House deck provides a fine vantage point, even to the naked eye. It has a great view over the Schoharie Valley to the east and southeast, perfect for watching sun and moon rises. Stargazers embrace moonless nights as dark skies reveal the stars in all their glory. Learning the sky is fun and has never been easier. Planetarium apps showing and identifying the stars, asterisms, and constellations, are widely available and inexpensive. (Casual sky watchers don’t need the bells and whistles of the expensive versions.) [Read more] Landis Portraits: The People Behind the Plants at the Arboretum
- Nolan Marciniec Bill and Roberta Winsman both lead busy professional lives. Bill is vice president of Key Investment Services, and Roberta is senior vice president at NBT Bank. While their careers demand a lot of time, often more than fifty hours a week, visiting the Landis Arboretum has made a qualitative difference in their lives. Bill admitted that, for 25 years, he had driven by the sign for the Arboretum and wondered about the place. “It was always a huge unknown,” he said, until Karl Gustafson, a member of the Landis Board of Trustees, extended an invitation to visit. Both Bill and Roberta were immediately attracted to the hiking trails, the sculptures, and, of course, the view from the Meeting House deck. Roberta’s interest in photography found plenty of subject matter, and some of her photos can be seen on the Arboretum’s Facebook page. [Read more] “There’s a Place”: Intern Produces Landis Video
-Louise Polli When someone hears about Landis Arboretum for the first time, they typically ask, “What is an arboretum?” We may respond with a brief definition -- a collection of trees -- but more often than not elaborate on some of the many attributes of the place we have come to know and love. Now, there is a new and beautiful way to show everyone what we are talking about. And seeing, they say, is believing. Landis is proud to announce the launch of a locally-produced video illustrating the year-round wonders of the Arboretum. You can find it on the homepage of our website, landisarboretum.org, as “Landis Arboretum: Who We Are,” and below this article. [Read more] |
From the Director's Desk:
Landis Announces the Great Oak Hunt! - Fred Breglia, Executive Director My love of big trees began when I was a child growing up in the hills of Beard’s Hollow. My childhood was filled with adventure exploring hundreds of acres on rolling hillsides and in seemingly endless creek bottoms. Along these bottomlands and ridges grew some very large oaks, the first of which I met at the ripe old age of five. My family explained that most of the land was cleared over the years, and that only a handful of these ancient trees still existed, relics of a distant past. These memories have played an important role in shaping the course of my life. As a teenager, I visited Landis’ Great Oak and again as a college student, volunteer, and, still later, as a member of the Arboretum’s staff. I was appointed as Director of Horticulture in 1998 and served as a steward of the Great Oak for many years. Despite its being an old tree with structural defects, this venerable oak was a rather healthy specimen, considering its age of more than 400 years. In 2011, Hurricane Irene was the force that ended the Great Oak’s life, but as with all of nature, death brings rebirth. A new oak has been planted to replace the Great Oak. As the massive and ancient Great Oak has deteriorated, many visitors have asked us where we think the next “Great Oak” is hiding. [Read more] Click poster for more information.
To Puddle or Not To Puddle
- Anita Sanchez Ah, spring! The time of birds singing, wildflowers blooming . . . and mud puddles. I used to think of mud puddles as the price we pay for warmer weather. Wet shoes and muddy boots seem a small matter, as long as warm sunshine comes along with them. Puddles are fun for kids to splash in, but what else could a mud puddle possibly be good for? One day I happened to notice a puddle on the edge of a dirt road. The water of the puddle appeared to be moving in some strange way, with rippling wavelets like a miniature ocean. On closer inspection I discovered it was filled with wriggling black tadpoles, each about half-inch long. And hopping around the margins of the puddle were hordes of little toads, so tiny you could fit several of them on a quarter. [Read more] We Appreciate: Greenhouse Restoration
The Arboretum’s greenhouse, familiar to Arboretum plant sale patrons as a source of “Landis Grown” plants, is currently undergoing an extensive renovation, thanks to the efforts of Arboretum supporters Jim Murphy, Steve Perog, and Jeff Schworm, along with those of Landis Board President Jim Paley and Executive Director Fred Breglia. [Read more]
Carrot-Ginger Soup
- Nolan Marciniec This soup has been a favorite at Arboretum gatherings. Ginger is great for calming the digestion. The color of the soup is cheerful, optimistic. [Read more} Spotlight on Sponsors: Delaware Engineering, DPC
- Gail Browning On November 11th, the Arboretum held its 8th annual New York State Wine Tasting at Grapevine Farms in Cobleskill. It was a huge success, one made possible by our sponsor, Delaware Engineering, D.P.C. Delaware Engineering is a professional engineering firm with great respect for its clients and community. The main office is located in Albany, but the firm’s services extend throughout the Hudson Valley, the Adirondacks, and the Catskill regions.
The firm’s expertise includes project planning, permits, grants, and developing customized solutions to a variety of projects including water, wastewater, and storm water programs. Since its founding in 1987 in New York’s Delaware River Watershed, the company has pledged to sustain communities while protecting the environment. [Read more] |
Not Yet a Member of the Arboretum?
We invite you to consider joining us. You will be doing your part in ensuring the continued existence of the George Landis Arboretum, hidden gem of the Schoharie Valley. For more information, visit our website, call us at 518-875-6935, or email us at [email protected].
We invite you to consider joining us. You will be doing your part in ensuring the continued existence of the George Landis Arboretum, hidden gem of the Schoharie Valley. For more information, visit our website, call us at 518-875-6935, or email us at [email protected].
Amazon Smile donates a percentage of your sale to Landis when you click on this icon to shop!
Our Business Members, Sponsors, and Allies
We have good friends in the community that help the Arboretum in a number of ways.
Please consider patronizing our Business Members, Sponsors, and Allies!
We have good friends in the community that help the Arboretum in a number of ways.
Please consider patronizing our Business Members, Sponsors, and Allies!
THE LANDIS ARBORETUM NEWSLETTER is published quarterly for its members.
The Arboretum’s mission is to foster the appreciation of trees and other plants and their importance in our environment.
EDITORIAL BOARD
Erin Breglia; Chandra Burkhardt; Wilma Jozwiak; Lee Lattimer; Nolan Marciniec, chair; Louise Polli; and Ambika Sambasivan
CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE
Erin Breglia, Fred Breglia, Gail Browning, Alan French, Nolan Marciniec, Louise Polli, and Anita Sanchez
NEWSLETTER WEBSITE MANAGER
Wilma Jozwiak
PRINTER
Miller Printing and Litho, Amsterdam, NY
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Jim Paley, President; Wilma Jozwiak, Vice President; Nolan Marciniec, Secretary; Carolyn Edwards, Treasurer; Louise Polli, At Large; Ann Bevins; Karl Gufstason; Lee Lattimer; Jeanne Post-Sourmail; Ed Radle; and Earl VanWormer
ARBORETUM STAFF
Fred Breglia, Executive Director; Nancy Stuebner, Office Manager; Erin Breglia, Garden Manager; Corey Haynes & Eric Roberts, Groundskeepers
We value your input. Please address correspondence to:
Newsletter Editor, Landis Arboretum, P.O. Box 186, Esperance, NY 12066.
Phone: 518-875-6935, Fax: 518-875-6394
The Arboretum’s mission is to foster the appreciation of trees and other plants and their importance in our environment.
EDITORIAL BOARD
Erin Breglia; Chandra Burkhardt; Wilma Jozwiak; Lee Lattimer; Nolan Marciniec, chair; Louise Polli; and Ambika Sambasivan
CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE
Erin Breglia, Fred Breglia, Gail Browning, Alan French, Nolan Marciniec, Louise Polli, and Anita Sanchez
NEWSLETTER WEBSITE MANAGER
Wilma Jozwiak
PRINTER
Miller Printing and Litho, Amsterdam, NY
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Jim Paley, President; Wilma Jozwiak, Vice President; Nolan Marciniec, Secretary; Carolyn Edwards, Treasurer; Louise Polli, At Large; Ann Bevins; Karl Gufstason; Lee Lattimer; Jeanne Post-Sourmail; Ed Radle; and Earl VanWormer
ARBORETUM STAFF
Fred Breglia, Executive Director; Nancy Stuebner, Office Manager; Erin Breglia, Garden Manager; Corey Haynes & Eric Roberts, Groundskeepers
We value your input. Please address correspondence to:
Newsletter Editor, Landis Arboretum, P.O. Box 186, Esperance, NY 12066.
Phone: 518-875-6935, Fax: 518-875-6394