First Week at Longwood Gardens

My first day here was heralded in by working with Master Bee Keeper, Buck White. He has just developed a newly designed hive to hopefully prevent Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). It is designed to replicate what bees might naturally have built in their own wild habitat. We learned how to start the smoker and use it on the bees. The smoke is used to calm the bees down so they are less likely to sting. The bees think their hive is on fire and so start to gorge themselves on the honey. And just like after a huge Thanksgiving turkey dinner, the bees get too full to want to move. They're not flying anywhere after all that turkey!! : )

With swarming bees all around we (Mark Richardson, Student Programs Coordinator at Longwood Gardens, interns and students) transferred the comb from the old hives to the newly built hives. We all got a turn at catching a Queen, marking her with a florescent pen so you could distinguish her from the others and then transferred her to a new hive. I was surprised how everyone remained relatively calm. For all the disturbance, only two people got stung!

Tuesday and Wednesday of this week I got a chance to work with Dr. Casey Sclar, Plant Health Care Division Leader. He gave me a tour of the facilities and took me to a research section where they are seeing if this certain beneficial is doing its job on the weed "Mile-A-Minute". After that I spent time with interns Holly, Claire, and Dan monitoring pests in the nursery and conservatory areas of the garden. I also got a chance to see the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) genius of Mike Leventry do his stuff. He double checks to see what the interns have found in the individual gardens and intimately talks to each gardener about what pest problems they might have. On one plant it did indeed have a mealy bug and spider mite problem but it also had the beneficial "Minute Pirate Bug". Get that sticky card out of there!

Every Thursday here at Longwood Gardens the interns get to go on a interactive field trip to various private estates, nurseries, orchards and museums in the surrounding area. Today's trip was to nearby Maryland to LaDew Topiary Gardens. What a jewel! One of my "fav" garden rooms is the "Keyhole Garden". Shaped just like a keyhole (on the outside and in) you walk through the keyhole, as the key would fit in, and enter as Alice would into this enchanting little garden. I loved this space! I guess I'm a kid at heart. But I don't want to mislead you its not a child's garden. This space is an adults through and through. It just has a wonderful cuddling, wrapped up feeling to it. and then the surprise of all as you walk out...well, you'll just have to go there for yourself. For just like Harry Potter I wouldn't want to spoil the ending! :)

Another surprise at LaDew Gardens was "The LaDew Nature Walk", a leisurely, easy stroll through the Butterfly and Sedge Meadows, Wetland and Upland Woodlands, through the Freshwater Marsh to the Quarry Pond and Overlook and last but not least, through the Snakes Area (no worries, a large rock snake signifies the area) and then back to the beginning finishing up a large-ish loop. Very,very nice! I could of spent a lot more contemplative time there.

Please, if you have any interest at all in gardens this one is a must see!

Well, another great week...