Madison Indiana, Lanthier Winery

The next several posts will feature my recent vacation in Madison, Indiana and then Lake Geneva, Delavan and Williams Bay Wisconsin.  There are many beautiful gardens and nature preserves in all the areas, and I wish I had been able to visit all of them.  Readers will be getting a taste of fall in the North with these photos.

I visited my sister, Jean in Madison, Indiana and volunteered with her at the Madison Chautauqua Festival of Art.  The original Chautauqua was founded in 1901 and was a 10 day religious, literary, scientific, political, theatrical and musical mix of performances, demonstrations, sermons and lectures.  The last year the event was held was 1929.  The Great Depression put an end to it.  In the early 1970's the Chautauqua was revived as an art festival.  Now the Chautauqua is a fine arts and crafts show with 250 artists and craftsmen from all over the US.  There is also a concurrent local arts and crafts show near the Courthouse called Old Court Days. There is a lot of musical entertainment as well, and of course delicious food.

Madison is located on the Ohio River and there is a beautiful river walk and park area near the historic and vibrant downtown. Madison has been recognized as "The prettiest small town in the Midwest " by the Ladies Home Journal and the "Best preserved town in the Midwest" by the Chicago Tribune.  I agree.

This post will feature pictures of the Lanthier Winery gardens which is situated right across the street from the river park.  They have the best blackberry wine I have ever tasted.  Unfortunately I forgot to go back to get a bottle or two on Sunday and they were closed on Monday when I was heading out of town.  Good excuse to make another trip up there.  Madison is located about an hour east of Louisville, so it is about a 7 or 8 hour drive from Birmingham.

This year the weather was perfect for the Chautauqua.  70's and partly cloudy.

The Winery Retail Center

You might want to visit sometime, so take a look at:
Lanthier Winery Web Address


or

visitmadison.org/

Garden Photo Tour

 There were long lines waiting for tastings on the days of the festival.

 Espaliered Pyrycanthus

 I loved their displays of gourds and pumpkins, both in and out of the potted plants.

 One of the entrances to the winery.

Wine cork mulch!

The balloons are there only during the festival, they are not a daily display.

 These were taken on Monday after the festival at a time when the winery is closed.  They do not gate or fence off the gardens.  Everyone is welcome to enjoy them at anytime.  I was very grateful for the early morning quiet in the garden. Even though it was an overcast day it was very beautiful.

 There are many little gazebos and shelters where patrons can sit and sip wine and enjoy the garden.

The next post will be about my sister's garden and the gardens of Lanier Mansion State Historic Site.

The Lemongrass Is In Its New Home

The lemongrass that looked like it was about to swallow the birdbath is in its new home this afternoon after a big battle on my part to get it dug up then moved.  I had to work and work to even get it out.  I made several rounds of digging with both a shovel and a spade and it finally began to lift a little.  It must have had pretty deep roots to be that stubborn.  I had first cut it way back to make it a little easier to move.  The fragrance of lemon kept me alert and energetic at least.  It was so heavy when I finally got it moving that I couldn't lift into the wheelbarrow and had to drag it across the lawn to its new home.  It is now residing in the garden bed where I had okra planted this past summer.  That is the most northerly bed and is right in front of the compost piles and newest blueberry bushes.  I hope that it has survived its ordeal and will grow well again next summer.

Yesterday friend Chris and I made the trip to Petals From the Past for their open house.  It was a delicious sampling as usual of all kinds of snacks and desserts.  I chose to drink their hot cider and there were only a couple of things I missed sampling.  One of the things we tasted were very sweet and good persimmon slices. Right away I decided it would be a good thing to have a persimmon tree if they taste that good.  We talked to Jason and he was very enthusiastic about the variety he served which is called fuyu.  When ripe, they are not as astringent as most persimmons and are perfect for both eating raw and cooking.  They ripen in the fall and are a soft orange color with flattish bottoms. They can be used in breads, made into jellies, roasted, and used in salads.  He didn't have any of the smaller more affordable trees left in stock, but will get some in January and I have been put on his list for an e-mail notification. Persimmon trees (diospyrols kaki ) of the fuyu variety is  a Japanese tree that grows In zones 6 to 10 in the US and is easy maintenance with usually high yields.  It grows 12 to 15 ft. tall, is tolerant of most soil conditions, drought tolerant , doesn't need spraying , grows in full to partial sun and has buttery yellow blossoms. Since they provide fruit in the fall, it would be a good thing to have, as all of the blue and black berries and the figs are finished producing in the summer.  I purchased some persimmons to bring home for December cooking and serving.  They will last for several weeks in the fridge, but I have already eaten two or 3 of them, so if I do not have enough willpower  there may not be any left for Christmas. 

Chris and I shopped for her new shade garden and picked up a wax myrtle for the far end where she needs the view into her neighbor's garden blocked and also got three native azaleas that will have yellow/orange sweet smelling blossoms.  She has already planted 3 oak leaf hydrangeas and an Alabama croton.  I gave her the white bottlebrush buckeye that I had been saving for her and we will now have the  bones of her garden finished when she gets those planted.  In the spring we will add the smaller plants like ferns, wild geraniums, pshlox, etc.  She wants to have a beautiful spring show of all natives when the garden is finished. Next time I am there the shrubs will be in, and I will take some more pictures to show the progress.

After my struggle with the lemongrass today, I started a new compost pile.  It is time to let the older one "cook"  I made this one with some fencing material I had rescued from my son's home.  I used tent stakes to secure it and made it about a 3 ft. diameter circle.  It is right next to the old one.  This is a perfect time to start a new pile as there is lots of brown material available in the form of leaves right now.  I also threw in some spent potting soil.  If there is  more brown material in the compost (carbon based)   than green (nitrogen based) it will speed the decomposition process. Almost every time I add kitchen scraps, I try to add a layer of soil or brown material.  I try to have a leaf pile somewhere in the garden all year that I can use for this purpose.  I will be turning the old pile now more often to help with decomposition as well as adding a little bit of lime.  By spring it should have turned into beautiful "black gold" for the veggie beds.

I have been reading a book written by the man who owns Rora Farms (the best eggs ever) titled Born Again Dirt. The author, Noah Sanders emphasizes that it is the health of our soils that is of utmost importance.  Noah says that using manufactured fertilizers (instead of organic) feeds the plants but not the soil, and that instead we should feed the soil which will then feed the plants which is the natural order of things. He says that if we have healthy soil we will have more healthy plants that will be more resistant to disease and pests.  You can get his book by contacting www.bornagaindirt.com

Happy Planting,
Gma Susie