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Madeleine Wilde was the author of a gardening column in Seattle\u2019s \u201cQueen Anne & Magnolia News\u201d that ran for over 20 years.\u00a0 Near the end of her life in 2018, she asked her publisher, Mike Dillon, to compile and edit those columns into a book.\u00a0 \u201cNotes from the Garden\u201d has recently been published, a treasure to be cherished by all local gardeners.<\/p>\n
Wilde\u2019s husband, David Streatfield, professor emeritus in Landscape Architecture at the University of Washington, provides a forward that describes the structure and history of their shared garden.\u00a0 He notes the significant trees and garden places, but also portrays the emotional space their garden provided.\u00a0 It was a sanctuary.\u00a0 It was also a place of remembrances, including plantings that were gifts from her parents, memorials to beloved family cats, or evoke places enjoyed on their travels together.\u00a0 According to her husband, this was also where Wilde \u201ccontemplated the issues she wrote about.\u00a0 These ranged from philosophical musings to seemingly mundane garden management issues.\u201d<\/p>\n
These mundane issues are typically very practical advice.\u00a0 I learned that re-planting annual nasturtiums in the mid-summer as a way to eliminate an infestation of black aphids.\u00a0 To enjoy early spring ephemerals, bring them inside, washing off bulbs, roots, and all.\u00a0 This extends the life of the flowers with the added bonus the plant can be restored to the garden without harm, allowing the leaves to naturally mature.\u00a0 I noted that bulbs, especially those that are spring blooming, are a frequent component of these essays, with several columns providing guidance for the heady rush of shopping for the best selections before planting in the fall.<\/p>\n
As I read Wilde\u2019s articles, in my head I was responding to her ideas as I would with any friend who is also a keen gardener.\u00a0 Most often, this was agreement over shared experiences.\u00a0 Sometimes, I felt the need to disagree, but I might do that with any friend I trusted not to take offense.\u00a0 Throughout, it was a healthy dialog, very much alive and vibrant.<\/p>\n
Spring is celebrated for its exuberance, but this is not always a good thing.\u00a0 \u201cThe brilliant dandelions appear to double in numbers and showiness every hour.\u00a0 The chickweed mats ooze across the terrain, while that perky pest, named shotweed, seems to be in fast-forward on its second go-round\u2026All dedicated gardeners have their special choice of vigorous thugs to conquer.\u00a0 The ridiculous absurdity is that each year we think we can control all this extravagantly beautiful spring growth.\u00a0 I try to stay amused.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Excerpted from the Spring 2022 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Madeleine Wilde was the author of a gardening column in Seattle\u2019s \u201cQueen Anne & Magnolia News\u201d that ran for over 20 years.\u00a0 Near the end of her life in 2018, she asked her publisher, Mike Dillon, to compile and edit those columns into a book.\u00a0 \u201cNotes from the Garden\u201d has recently been published, a treasure to be cherished by all local gardeners. Wilde\u2019s husband, David Streatfield, professor emeritus in Landscape Architecture at the University of Washington, provides a forward that…<\/p>\n