Tovah Martin, gardener and author, has devoted a good part of her life to houseplants.
Most of us have a limited view of what houseplants we might put on our windowsills, but when she found herself working at the wonderful Logee’s Greenhouse in Connecticut, she fell in love with the hundreds of houseplant varieties placed in her care.
Over the years, Martin has written books like, “Well-Clad Windowsills: Houseplants for Four Exposures,” “The Unexpected Houseplant: 220 Extraordinary Choices for Every Spot in Your Home,” “The Indestructible Houseplant: 200 Beautiful Plants That Everyone Can Grow” and “The New Terrarium: Creating Beautiful Displays for Plants and Nature.”
Her knowledge about the needs and benefits of various houseplants, as well as their beauty, sometimes sculptural and sometimes romantic, is encyclopedic — and her prose is a delight touched with humor.
As a part of the 25th anniversary celebration of the Greenfield Garden Club, the club is bringing the notable and charming Tovah Martin to Greenfield on June 5 to give a lecture on terrariums, followed by a book signing and terrarium-making workshop. The event will be held at the gracious Brandt House on Highland Avenue.
Martin looks at terrariums as a practical way to have a whimsical or calming snippet of nature at hand, no matter what kind of houseplant space you might have.
When I spoke to her, I asked when she became an expert on terrariums.
“I’ve made terrariums my whole adult life,” she said. “Actually, even before that. And now I give workshops for every age group from Brownie troops to senior citizens,” she said.
Terrariums are always a popular type of garden, from the charming berry bowls filled with a bit of American teaberry with its shiny petite foliage and red berries, to fish tanks turned into a woodland scene.
“Terrariums are the smallest landscape you’ll ever have to design,” Martin said.
Participants in her upcoming workshop should bring their own container, but other terrarium materials will be provided.
“Almost any glass can be used for a terrarium,” she said. She added that she has a pretty good eye and is frugal, so she is a regular at Goodwill stores. No glass container is too humble, large, wide-mouth mason jars work.
“Everyone should have nature by their side, and terrariums make it easier,”Martin said. “Terrariums are self-watering — they almost grow on auto-pilot. Terrarium plants get the humidity they need, especially in the winter when our houses are so dry from the heating systems,” she said.
In her workshop, she will demonstrate, and guide participants in the making of a terrarium that includes soil and plants, using surprising tools and giving useful tips. She will cover the basics of construction and care from every angle, including watering and light sources.
Terrariums should not be placed in the sun, which is one reason they are such a good solution for the house that does not have much in the way of sunny windows, or possibly an office with limited light.
Beyond the closed terrarium that I am familiar with, Martin points out that a terrarium is also an ideal environment for handling cuttings and making new plants or for starting seeds. She said not all terrariums need to be closed — even an open terrarium environment can help conserve moisture and will keep a plant happy with less work.
Michael Nix will provide music, Kestrel of Northampton will sell terrarium plants and supplies and World Eye Bookshop will sell Martin’s books.
Tickets are available at World Eye Bookshop on Main Street in Greenfield or can be ordered by calling Jean Wall at 773-9069.
The cost of the lecture is $25 or $50 for the lecture and the workshop. Garden Club members get a discount of $20 and $40.
For more information, visit: www.thegreenfieldgardenclub.org/special-events
It is plant sale season.
Today, Saturday, May 14, the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls is having its annual plant sale, which will include shrubs, annuals and perennials. Many are divisions of plants that are on the bridge.
There will be a great variety, from asters to peonies to violets. Master gardeners will be on hand to do soil testing.
The sale will be held on the Trinity Church’s Baptist lot on Main Street in Shelburne Falls from 9 a.m. to noon, rain or shine. All profits benefit the bridge.
On Saturday, May 21, the Garden Club of Amherst will hold its plant sale under the tent on the Town Common next to the Farmer’s Market from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Profits will benefit conservation efforts and a scholarship fund.
On Saturday, May 28, Greenfield Garden Club will hold its annual Extravagaza on the lawn of St. James Episcopal Church on Federal Street from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
In addition to plants donated by club members, there will be a tag and book sale, bake sale and face painting for the kids. It will be held rain or shine, and profits will benefit the grant program for area schools.
Pat Leuchtman has written and gardened since 1980. she now lives in Greenfield, where she continues to do both. Leave comments at her website: www.commonweeder.com