A friend of mine today posted an article from the June 17, 2020 Washington Post Magazine:

Washington Post Magazine: Seeds of Solace
David Culp has given more than 30 years to his beloved garden. In quarantine, it is giving back.

By Adrian Higgins
JUNE 17, 2020

This article is about plantsman extraordinaire David Culp and his beautiful Brandywine Cottage and gardens in Downingtown, PA. The irony of this Washington Post article for me is he is the host of an event called Galanthus Gala, which I attended as COVID19 was breaking out. It was at Downingtown Friends Meeting House.

I went to the event to buy an autographed copy of his new book ( A Year At Brandywine Cottage) and to pick up a specimen Japanese maple from Broken Arrow Nursery from Connecticut.

This event was where the second victim of COVID-19 for Chester County was, so all of us who were at the event had to go into self quarantine two weeks ahead of everyone else in the state and county! Or that is what you were supposed to do – we did that in my house – I reported my attendance to the county and I spoke with my medical provider we all went into self-quarantine and then as we were getting out the statewide lockdown was beginning! (Such is life, better safe than sorry!)

Mr. Culp’s garden in Downingtown, PA is one I have always wanted to see in person. I have filled out the form on his website before. A friend gave me the contact information for the lady that helps schedule his garden tours, but I never heard anything definitively and that was a couple of years ago. Ironically, I met this very same lady at the Galanthus Gala in March, and sent her a note during quarantine to say it was nice meeting her and that once this blows over I would like to see the garden if I could. Same email address, never heard anything. Oh well, guess it wasn’t meant to be and that’s fine, truly.

So Mr. Culp, if you are out there, thank you for being an influence on my current garden. I would love to see your gardens at some point, and hopefully someday I will. You of course are also welcome to visit mine to see how you impact all of us out there who believe in the whole theory of layered gardening.

To my readers I highly recommend both of Mr. Culp’s books. I have both of them ( A Year At Brandywine Cottage and The Layered Garden.)

I don’t know what all of you did this weekend but I teepeed my tomatoes and planted five shrubs on the edge of the woods in a new shade bed (the “Derecho Garden”). The shrubs I planted were mountain laurels (Otsbo Red), rosebay rhododendrons, and Witchhazel. I also spent some time just sitting on a garden bench listening to the birds and looking at my flowers!

Tomorrow morning, I weed.

Happy gardening!