9 minute read
From the Ground Up
22 Farmville the Magazine
From the Ground Up
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Cleomes at the back of the border offer both late season color and interesting seed pods.
Late Summer in the Garden
Story and photos by Dr. Cynthia Wood
When the dog days of summer set in, most gardeners and their plants just quit. The humans are exhausted and can’t stand the heat and humidity. The plants are tired too — crunchy around the edges with fewer flowers.
Nevertheless, the gardening season in our area is getting longer, and there are ways to keep our gardens looking their best up until late fall. What to do? One of the simplest and most important tasks for a gardener is to deadhead spent flowers and seed heads as soon as they appear. In fact, the goal is to prevent seed heads from appearing since they signal to plants that it’s time to stop blooming and shut down for the season.
The Chelsea chop is another way to prolong the bloom season. Just cut plants back by half in late April or early May, and they will be shorter and sturdier and will flower several weeks later than usual. By cutting back part of a spring planting at one week intervals, it’s possible to prolong the bloom period for up to a month. Another approach is to lop off just part of individual plants.
Plants bloom longer and look less stressed when
This homeowner has created a low maintenance container garden that is color coordinated with his front door.
Rattlesnake master has a prickly, silvery texture that contrasts nicely with coneflowers and blackeyed Susans.
they have sufficient moisture. Apply plenty of mulch when setting out plants in spring and then water them regularly during the hottest, driest part of the summer.
And then, finally, the type of plant selected for a late season garden is important. Be sure to choose heat-tolerant plants. Try mixing in some tropicals, such as elephant’s ears, cannas and aechmeas. The elephant’s ears and aechmeas have interesting foliage colors and textures, while the cannas have vivid blooms. Coleus are another option for adding vivid, sometimes even shocking, combinations of colors. Newer varieties are also more tolerant of full sun than older ones. Cleomes are a great choice for the back of the perennial border where they add height, color and texture. So are perennial hibiscus. Autumn Joy sedum, lantana and plumbago are all great choices for the front of a planting. The sedum is attractive even after the flowerheads fade, while the lantana attracts many pollinators and will bloom until frost. The clear, sky blue of plumbago adds a cooling note to all the other hot, fiery colors so typical of late summer.
Native plants are also useful in prolonging the gardening season and will provide much-needed support for pollinators. Large flowered purple asters make a tall, bold display and only begin to bloom in mid to late August. Small white asters and white wood asters are less dramatic but help fill in the front and middle of the perennial border. Both ironweed and Joe Pye weed are extra tall, tough plants that add interest to the back of the border. In addition, there are shorter cultivars of Joe Pye weed available that can be mixed throughout the garden. Rattlesnake master adds texture to the late season garden. It has silvery foliage that resembles that of yucca and spherical inflorescences of tiny, whitish flowers that develop into seed heads that remain attractive all winter. And don’t forget to include some goldenrods, especially stiff goldenrod, which grows very tall and has early leaves that look like a prehistoric spinach.
Late summer gardens don’t require massive amounts of work, just some planning and a little ongoing attention. Early morning walks through the garden get the day off to a slow, meditative start and get deadheading done too. Happy gardening.
Joe Pye weed is easy to grow and is much loved by pollinators.
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Where Am I?
LAST ISSUE’S WINNER Robin Sedgewick is the winner for the summer edition of Where Am I? She and her daughter Elizabeth found the special “I Love Farmville” table located at the trail crossing near the old caboose in downtown. For finding the pictured table, Sedgwick wins a free subscription to Farmville the Magazine.
The Heart of Virginia offers beautiful scenery and architecture throughout downtown Farmville. “Where Am I?” offers residents a chance to identify one of our hidden gems across town. If you think you know where this photo was taken, email your answer to WhereAmI@ FarmvilletheMag.com. We’ll draw one lucky name from among the correct answers for an annual subscription to Farmville the Magazine.
Home filled with hand-painted treasurers
Story by Jeanne Grunert
Nestled inside a large, white clapboard house in Worsham is a hidden treasure.
A retail shop inside an 18th century home that brims with charm and handcrafted wonders. Primitive, country, farmhouse, cottage and nautical décor abound in the foyer, former library and dining room of the home on Route 15 that now houses both owner Kathryn Burch and her business, Folk Art by Kathryn.
“See this?” Burch points to a chair tucked into a corner of the dining room. “Although I’ve painted the angel many times, each one is 100% unique. Whether it’s the color of her eyes or her hair or the background, no two are ever the same.”
The same may be said for almost every item inside Folk Art by Kathryn. No two items are ever the same among Burch’s hand-painted treasures. From the patriotic-themed table gracing the foyer to the angel chair tucked in a corner of the dining room, Kathryn Burch’s artistic touch is everywhere. Above is the sign along Route 15. The shop is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Below, Folk Art by Kathryn is located in an 18th century home in Worsham.
Owner and artist Kathryn Burch poses with a hand-painted folk art table.
PURSUING A PASSION
Burch didn’t set out to run a retail shop. When her husband, Duane, enlisted in the Navy, the couple moved to Virginia Beach. There, she resumed decorative painting classes to pursue a lifelong interest in art. Duane Burch loved woodworking and opened a workshop in their garage. He made an easel for their niece, Kira, for Christmas. The couple began hand-crafting gifts for family and friends. Soon, word spread about the couple’s artwork, and people asked to purchase their handmade items.
ART TURNED INTO BUSINESS
A friend asked Burch to join her selling items at a craft show. “I was amazed,” she said. “I sold out almost immediately. Little did I know that the show was one of the top 20 in the country, according to Sunshine Artist Magazine.”
Soon, Burch began submitting juried items into fine arts and craft shows nationwide and traveling to exhibit and sell the couple’s wares.
When Duane Burch left on deployment, Kathryn Burch enlisted family and friends to accompany her to shows. She transformed trash into treasure, eventually working in new mediums including paper mâché, tin and glass, painting folk art designs that celebrated simpler times and the joy of the changing seasons.
HOMESPUN TREASURES
Over time, Burch added new items to her shop including 650 different cookie cutters made in Pennsylvania and hand-sewn items created by her mother, Bonnie. Aprons, table linens and other items added the final touch to the growing retail business.
WELCOME HOME TO FARMVILLE
Sadly, Duane passed away in 2005 of a rare blood disorder. Kathryn and her mother moved to Farmville in 2015, purchasing a house in Worsham. The 18th century home includes a schoolhouse, which is now refurbished into a vacation rental property, and several outbuildings.
But at its heart lies Folk Art by Kathryn.
From the front porch, shoppers pass artfully arranged decorative items. A reindeer crafted from wooden logs, a sled and several tin buckets suggesting Christmas in the country greet holiday shoppers. Once inside the foyer of the home, artful displays of handcrafted German glass Christmas ornaments, hand-painted Christmas and folk-art items, electric and traditional candles and displays of every kind draw shoppers further into the store.
Along the back wall in a repurposed breakfront stands artfully arranged seasonal candles by Cheerful Giver. The country-themed holders can be repurposed once the delightfully scented candles are finished. “These are some of our best sellers,” Burch said.
The centerpiece of the room is a large table hand-painted by Burch with a patriotic theme.
“I paint and finish all of the furniture myself,” she said.
Burch currently employs a local woodworker, and the two collaborate together using their own ideas as well as some of Duane’s original drawings to recreate popular furniture items.
“It’s a labor of love,” Burch said. “I love creating items that my customers cannot find anywhere else and still enjoy refurbishing customer’s furniture or other belongings with my style or their own custom idea.”
Above, the Christmas shop features German glass Christmas ornaments. Right, one of Kathryn's signature folk art angels peers from the back of a recycled chair.
Above, a seasonal Holiday display welcomes visitors to the shop. Below, Battery-powered candles with realistic flames blend modern convenience with old-world charm.
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