Sounds of the Garden 2009

I'm on the second year of new tradition: missing the annual Sounds of the Garden concert at the Minton Stable Garden, this time because of a vacation conflict. The original show, scheduled for July, had been canceled due to the forecast; luckily the weather cooperated for the rain date, which was Wednesday night, August 19. To honor my new tradition I'll post photos taken by Allan, gardener and former Steering Committee member who acted as host for the event, and provide a very brief, better-late-than-never report.

This year's performers were Deborah and Giovanni Rocha, a husband-and-wife duo whose repertoire included not only original work written by Deborah, the guitarist, but samba and bossa nova standards. The Boston Natural Areas Network supplied free hot dogs and hamburgers, and gardeners and neighbors spread out blankets and pulled up chairs to enjoy the mellow sounds and appreciate the acoustics, which I keep hearing about but have yet to experience at this grand of a scale. As Allan put it, "The reverb from the houses made it sound like you were in a nice hall." Thanks to Allan for providing the photos, including this great aerial view, taken from a Williams Street porch. You can see how much space we have to play with here at the MSG and the potential for hosting more performance events such as this one.

Plot update: Better Late Than Never edition

First, a news blast that, by the time I publish this, will be old news, but I have just learned that the Sounds of the Garden concert scheduled to take place in the Minton Stable Garden at 6:30 tonight has been canceled due to the weather forecast. It has been rescheduled; once the date is confirmed I'll post it here and, of course, it will appear on the MSG website. It's a shame that the show won't happen tonight; I had missed Lloyd Thayer's performance last year so I was happy to learn that he was scheduled for this season's show and that tonight worked for me. I'm not sure if the new date will.

So, instead I'll blog about the usual. Life in my plot has been moving forward. The black-eyed susans are dominating as they did last year, the echinacea volunteers I inherited last season are proving themselves as an excellent cut flower. My Kentucky wonder pole beans are reaching the top of my trellis (see the rear of the above photo) and a few flowers have already appeared.

But the most encouraging news of my Monday photo shoot was about some plants that are behind schedule, due to the spring weather extending into summer and late sowing. They seem to be coming along nicely and I have decided to remain optimistic about the long-term.First, a few of my tomatoes are now bearing fruit. I have six plants in my MSG plot (I had planted out five, but when I cleared away my spent peas, I discovered another that had self-seeded--based on previous years I suspect cherry tomatoes). Only my two Cherokee Purples have reached this stage, but given the weather we've had and other gardeners' reports of blossom end rot, I have decided to look at the glass as half full.

Next, the sweet basil I planted a month late out of despair because the seeds I planted at home were not thriving are coming up. Unless we get a ridiculously early first frost, I am confident that they will amount to something harvest-worthy.

Finally, it appears that I'll have a small patch of zinnias after all. I should probably clear away some of the invasive California poppies and black-eyed susans and give them some more sunlight and growing room.I spent a little time on Monday weeding, a process made easier because of the effectiveness of the salt hay I had spread around earlier. The strawberries continue to spread into the other areas so I have to remain vigilant. I cleared out some more of them to make way for my new raspberry patch. It's not clear if I'll see any berries this season but based on the fact that the plants that Asa put in last year bore fruit, I wouldn't rule it out.

Sounds of the Garden benefit

On Monday, February 23, the Boston Natural Areas Network hosted a benefit concert at the Midway Cafe to support Sounds of the Garden, a series of free concerts held at community gardens around the city (last summer, the Minton Stable Garden was treated to a show by Lloyd Thayer). I was enjoying the eclectic mix of performances too much to take out my notebook and do any actual reporting, but I can at least provide photos and (mostly MySpace) links to the musical and poetry acts.

The room was filled with mainly Minton Stable Gardeners, BNAN staff, a few Midway regulars, and members of the Whitehaus, a Jamaica Plain-based collective of artists behind most of the performances that evening. Some of the Whitehaus folks looked familiar; it was very cool to discover this other side of some of my fellow gardeners. A fundraising raffle was part of the festivities; I was lucky to win a BNAN membership and a book, leading some to joke that the operation was rigged.

The first band I heard, Peal & Lash (above), provided fun thrashing rock, the loudest music of the evening. They were followed by D.A. Boucher, who recited and performed an unforgettable revisionist take on Peter Cottontail, complete with Whitehaus family members posing as vegetables at risk.

Next were The Woodrow Wilsons (below), with their lovely vocal harmonies layered over acoustic guitar and xylophone (not shown).
Joe Bergin read a special poem he wrote about the garden and John Carroll (note to self--get a copy!).

Peace, Loving was up next. This experimental group left most of their chains and bowls at home, leaning toward more of an acoustic folk sound, including some powerful poetry provided by the member at the far left in the photo below. Another Whitehaus member, Lindsay Clark, performed a stunning solo set, her voice floating over rootsy banjo picking.

Brian Ellis, above right, read his mind-bending poetry. His verse about a Greyhound bus ride down the east coast as a metaphor for a bad relationship was quite engaging. Ed Masuga's acoustic folk was a nice finish to the evening.

I hope that this benefit went far to beef up BNAN's budget for this summer's series, and that some of these performers and others who are just as good bring their music to the gardens this summer.

Music in the Garden

A brief thunderstorm last night couldn't deter some dedicated gardeners and neighbors from attending a performance by blues musician Lloyd Thayer. This concert is one of a series that the Boston Natural Areas Network is bringing to different community gardens around the city. A class on Wednesday nights kept me away, but I managed to procure a few photos of the event.

My husband Steve captured the recently-elected Steering Committee members who were on hand. From left to right, they are Allan, John, Nancy, Julianna, Todd, and Jennifer. Terry could not attend.

Without the Steering Committee, it would be difficult to organize gardeners and other neighbors around important tasks such as maintaining the common areas, making important decisions, ensuring that everyone fulfills their work requirement (only 4 hours a year!), and organizing barbecues and other events such as this one. These people have volunteered their time and energy, and I certainly appreciate their efforts.

Thanks also to Allan for sending me some photos including the one above featuring Lloyd performing and everyone enjoying the music as well as each others' company. I'm sorry I missed it.