A Note from Rick | Moving Forward at Bridge Gardens
April 9, 2020
By Rick Bogusch
Feeling stressed and worried? Sometimes, the best remedy for anxious times is right outside your door. Gardens and natural areas provide a welcome respite from troubling times, a great way to escape the constant stream of worrying news we're receiving every day from many sources while maintaining social distance. Now is the perfect time to work in your own garden, get some "soil time," or explore local beaches and wander woodland trails.
Now is also the perfect time to visit Bridge Gardens. We're open every day from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm, with free admission year-round. Just the other day, even though the weather was brisk, a couple brought their two small children for a stroll around the grounds. All were happy to be outside. I hope you'll consider a visit soon.
Please note that our Information Center and restrooms are closed until further notice.
When you visit, you'll see plenty of signs that spring is indeed here. Early spring bulbs provide splashes of color with their annual show. Though the snowdrops are fading, crocus, and the first daffodils are taking their place and joining hellebores and winter hazels in a cheering display of blue, purple, and shades of yellow, from pale to sunny. They will surely lift your spirits now and continue well into May.
Now that winter pruning and garden clean-up are just about completed, the community garden plots and display vegetable garden readied for planting, and the roses uncovered from their winter mulch, my attention is focused on starting seeds indoors. In addition, I'll be sowing early crops like arugula, spinach, kale, and radishes outdoors because these vegetables don't mind the cold nights we're still experiencing. I'll also be pruning and fertilizing the roses and weeding, weeding, weeding. Time spent now on this chore pays dividends in the weeks to come.
And be sure to check out our newly planted apple and pear orchard, located between the community garden plots and the rose garden. Thanks to a generous donor, we've planted 22 saplings, mostly semi-dwarf (10 feet tall), disease-resistant varieties. These fruiting trees will be maintained organically. Over time, they'll provide an abundance of fruit (we hope) as well as subject matter for many classes and workshops.
Plan a visit to Bridge Gardens soon and enjoy the restorative powers of being outdoors in a beautiful place.
And, we'd love to hear from you! Have questions about your garden? Want to share what you are growing?
You can email us at BridgeGardens@PeconicLandTrust.org.
You can also follow Bridge Gardens on Facebook (@BridgeGardens or @PeconicLandTrust) and share your visits with us!
With wishes for good health and good cheer,
Rick
Rick Bogusch
Garden Director, Bridge Gardens
rbogusch@peconiclandtrust.org