MAGIC Garden Club news

MAGIC members met at the home of Ron and Sue Fielder for a social gathering last week. Three area gardeners were among those present.  Rose Boldman, Astrida Punches and Carol Westfall all were complimented for their contributions and for inspiring other gardeners.  

A tour of the Fielder gardens included discussion of challenges gardeners may have faced in 1836, the year the Fielder home was originally built. Water supply at that time was limited to cisterns and hand-pumped wells. Water, a valuable commodity, was reserved for the more valuable vegetable and herb gardens.  Local gardeners were limited to drought-resistant and native plants, unlike gardeners of today, who have commercial resources like Fusilier’s and McLennan’s to help supply a wide variety of perennials and annuals.

Commercial products like Preen and Miracle Grow were not available, and gardeners of the 1800s and early 1900s needed to rely on home-produced compost. Mulching to limit weed growth, popular today, would have been a layer of fallen leaves from the previous Autumn.  During earlier interviews with local gardeners, Fielder was told that even flower gardens of the 1920s and 1930s weren’t often watered.

Fielder also described typical English garden designs like a “Row Garden” and a “Thwaite.” Thwaites were relatively small, fenced-in gardens that provided a place for afternoon relaxation. A thwaite typically included a meditation bench and a bird bath surrounded by flowers and herbs like Feverfew and Lavender, which provided both color and medicinal or aromatic value.  

Thwaites evolved over time to what were called “Follies”.  Internet pictures of period English gardens often show a small table and chairs for the afternoon tea. A Folly included mythical or humorous elements like painted bird houses or mystical creatures. Fielder surmises these Follies may have been the inspiration for today’s attraction to fairy gardens. Visitors to the Fielder home saw five different miniature or fairy gardens, including the Mickey Mouse garden, their grandsons’ favorite.

Another element of 1836 gardens may have included porch ferns. Ferns would hang on the porch during the spring, summer, and fall, and then over-winter in the unheated rooms of the second floor. The preserved plants would then be brought back on the porch the following spring.  The hanging ferns may have been the inspiration for the colorful perennial, hanging-basket traditions of today’s porches.

Fielder also surmised the evolution of a Thwaite’s meditation bench, to the Folly’s small table and chairs for the afternoon tea, may have inspired the outdoor seating areas of today’s family evening meals on the porch, deck or patio.

Following the garden tour, visitors participated in a short business meeting, responded to a survey to help guide future MAGIC activities, and worked on a take-home art project to make tulle flowers. Homemade snacks and beverages were served, and door prizes included a variety of perennial and herb books.

MAGIC is planning a field trip on August 30th to the Southern Exposure Herb Gardens near Battle Creek. Car-pooling will be available, and more information can be obtained at: manchesterareagc@gmail.com.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.