Charles Applegate Dried Flower Arranging

How Does Charles Applegate Do It?  Well, my buddies Lynn H and Kathy M put together a bulletin board showing how it's done.  Notice the color palette is made up of flowers. I had the pleasure of spending a few hours watching Charles design the splendid dried flower arrangement in the Kingwood Hall Foyer.  Here is a step by step:

Narcissus / Daffodils in the Peony Garden

What are the names of these daffodils you ask?  Well, a project I have been working on with Charles Applegate is identifying and mapping the daffodils in the Peony Garden.  It's been a fun task, and a work in progress as now that I have collected the data, I have to match it to pictures and plot it on the maps.  Below are a few basics I have learned along the way and for a more detailed account of daffodils - watch Charles Applegate on Plant Talk by clicking on this link: Kingwood Center Plant Talk 4/28

 

Daffodil Identification: 

The American Daffodil Society divides all Narcissus into 13 horticultural divisions, based partly upon flower form and partly upon genetic background.  For color coding the daffodil is divided into two regions, the perianth (petals) and corona (cup).  For example, a Division 5 Yellow-Yellow and is displayed as:   5 Y-Y.  Charles Applegate suggested I get the book Daffodils to Show and Grow, so I asked my friend Lynn H to check it out of the Kingwood library for me.  She volunteers in the library.  Well, more to follow as I learn about Daffodils.

Lett-us Plant Pansies

My partner in all good Kathy M and I volunteered ourselves to help out the Kingwood Staff planting seasonal pansies and lettuces.  Shawn McClain made sure the beds were prepared and the soil was fluffy soft.

 




 
 
 

 Next Bill Collins, Glenna Schaeffer, Charles Applegate and Don Miller laid out the designs.

and now we plant....
Do you want to live here Mr. Pansy?      Grow and thrive!
  

..with a chill in the air and an excitement to be outside ... we planted the Gazebo area....

We didn't worry about watering.  As Charles Applegate puts it, we would let God water the next day.

What's that Charles? ..a little thing called photosynthesis, means that you cannot bury the plant, the leaves need to be uncovered?  Got it.  Oh the things we learn! 

We moved on to the Old Herb Garden, or Bay Tree Garden or whatever the name of the day is for it.

After a break for lunch, in which Kathy ate fried clams with rice pudding and I had too many hash browns, we continued onto circled fountain area.  We weren't hungry any longer, but with full bellies, we weren't bending over as easy after lunch either.

The day moved on.. so did we, (though we were moving a little slower) up to the formal garden to finish up the beds for a job we considered well done! 

Could it be the last snow?

Today was a beautiful day to be at Kingwood.  Snow covered trees bring a special quiet magic. Also a busy day. Don Miller is back from a two month lay off.  Kathy M and I visited with him on the peony project that we had been working on over the winter.  After that we headed up to the house to work on the attic library project.  Had to stop many times along the way to take just a few pictures of snow covered Kingwood.  Kathy M took this picture of me taking pictures and now it is my favorite picture of me.  We saw Kay Hostetler on the way in to the house.  She was on her way out to take pictures.  Glenna Sheaffer is also back from lay off and we popped our heads in her office on the way up the stairs to the attic. She lent me a book on animal tracts.  I plan to use it in the snow!

Charles Applegate is also back from leave. He showed us the newly created dried flower arrangements.  Christmas removed, the rooms looked strangely barren so the arrangements gave the rooms a pick-me-up.  Charles recycled an  arrangement by removing peacock feathers, replacing with dried flowers.

Glenna Sheaffer created this beautiful arrangement.  I love the sweeping look.  Most of the other new arrangements were created to be place under a dome glass.  Which although beautiful, difficult to get a good picture.  Well, as I said it was a busy day.  So happy to see the staff back at work and to have been able to see just one more snow covered Kingwood before the busy spring begins. 

Kingwood by the Numbers - Countdown - Seven Days

Charles Applegate is Kingwood's Sr. Gardener.  He was presented with the Gold Medal Award from the Gardener's of America in 1992.  It is an award given to provide recognition for an individual who has made outstanding achievement in the field of horticulture.  Well known for his daylilies, below are pictures, taken in the garden last year, showcasing SEVEN of his varieties.



Company of Angles

      

Heavenly Places

  

Give Thanks

 

Glorious Things

  

Holy Kiss





Milk and Honey

 


Reverence

   
                      

Christmas Traditions - Home for the Holidays in Drawing Room

Decorated by Late Bloomers Garden Club.  During the open house, we had the pleasure of hearing Charles Applegate play.  Though I couldn't get a picture then, he played twice more and so, I was able to get a snapshot.  The piano isn't an original, but what a nice addition for times like this.  The decoration of this room must have been a collaborative effort because of the businesses thanked for lending many of the posed family members from places about town.

So this is how I think this must play out, here is a little girl looking out at the deer looking in.  It must have been a reindeer checking things out because when I went back Rudolph was looking in the window.

As I hostessed in the house, I saw how much the little ones really loved this room.  It depicted a traditional family Christmas, which showcased some of their favorite things about the season.  They squealed when they would see the deer looking in and one little boy came up to me so very excited that he saw Santa's legs in the fireplace.  He wanted to make sure that I knew Santa was there.  And I guess Santa was checking to see and deemed me nice this year since my membership card came to me laminated.