Senior Citizen Garden 2010
The copper plaque on the rock reads: "This
garden is dedicated to the Senior Citizens of East Orange in
recognition of and appreciation for their contribution to the
growth and development of our city. May 31, 1962."
I attended the May meeting of the Historical Society of East
Orange, Inc (5/11/10) and found out that the President, Goldie
Burbage and the Chaplin, Rev. Lancie Marchan, had visited the
area a few days before the meeting. While there, they had planted
a row of Dusty Millers along the back wooden edge of the
cordoned area, and some Impatiens around the back of the memorial rock
in a horseshoe pattern. When I visited the garden immediately
after the meeting, I took the above photograph. I could see that
the plants were already beginning to dry out and wither from lack
of moisture. There was no mulch to hold water in the soil around
the plants, and the soil was very dry and sandy to begin with.
On the 12th and 13thy of May we had rain showers, so I did
not get back to the garden until Friday, the 14th of May. In
spite of the rain, the Impatiens had withered further and the
soil was still dry and dusty. I applied a bark mulch all around
the rock and between the Dusty Millers. I planted some
experimental Marigolds, which ought to be able to take the
full sun and poor soil conditions. Then I watered the area to see
how well the mulch would retain moisture. I also promised myself
to visit the garden at least every two days (except when it
rained).
On Saturday, May 15th, I showed the garden to my
helper, Al-Quadir Marsh, and he decided to make the garden part
of his high school community service project. Together we cleaned
the area (it needs to be cleaned of trash daily) and he did the
watering for me.
On Sunday, May 16th, we found that some of the flower heads
had been knocked off (or bitten off) the small Marigolds, so
Al-Quadir planted some larger Marigolds to see if they would do
any better. One of the small Marigolds had been completely
uprooted, apparently by a squirrel or some other animal, so we
decided to plant only three large Marigolds and observe them over
the next few days.
The small Marigolds continued to lose their
heads over the next week, but I also noticed that the Dusty
Millers, while they may be deer resistant, are apparently a
delicacy to some rodents in the area. As an experiment, on May
21, I dug a Hosta from my own garden and planted it in the
middle of the Dusty Miller row to see if it would become a snack,
or survive and grow. Meanwhile, the large Marigolds were
untouched, and some of the original Impatiens had begun to
regrow.
5/25/10 The regular cleaning and watering is
paying off. The regular cleaning seems to be affecting the people
who have been littering and crushing out their cigarettes and
leaving the filters behind. If they see the place as a junkyard,
they feel less guilt about adding more junk to it; but if it is
kept clean, their litter makes them stand out and they feel
guilty about it. At least that's my theory. The regular watering
and the retention of moisture in the soil by the bark mulch
brought forth one little Impatiens flower, and I can see growth
in several of the other Impatiens I thought had withered away.
The Dusty Millers also seem to be recovering. Tomorrow I will
bring some new plants and try to get the garden ready for the
Memorial Day weekend.
5/26/10 The weather report predicts
thunderstorms tonight, but it has been very hot and dry all day,
so I visited the Senior Garden this evening and planted two
orange colored Marigolds, two violet striped Petunias
for a bit of color, four Petunias with a new color for this
year... Appleblossom (pink). I also planted two blue Heavenly
Blue Morning Glory vines at the base of the sign, and a
surprise plant at the base of the sign in back of it.
5/31/10 Al-Quadir and I got up early to decorate
the Senior Garden for Memorial Day and give it extra water for the 90
degree temperatures expected. I am dedicating the Marigolds to my
Mother (who taught me to save the seeds inside each blossom), the
striped Petunias to my Step-Mother (who loved striped flowers),
and the Tomato Plant to Charles Perry, a.k.a Wiz Kid
Supreme (who loved to eat). If you would like to dedicate
your plants and have the names of those you want remembered
published here, you have only to identify the plants and make the
request by e-mail.
Please keep in mind this is NOT my private
garden, although I have taken it on as a personal responsibility
for the time being. This is a PUBLIC garden on PUBLIC property
and it was dedicated to SENIOR CITIZENS of EAST ORANGE in 1962. I
feel that any East Orange Senior Citizen ought to be able to
bring a plant or two to contribute to the garden. You don't need
my permission, but if you want my help, contact me at [email protected]
and I will arrange to meet you there with my gardening equipment
(such as it is) and help you with your planting. When selecting
plants, keep in mind that the soil is dry and sandy and the site
is in full sun almost all day long, but wood bark mulch works to
keep the roots moist. I usually visit the site to water it
between 6:00 and 6:30 PM each day that it doesn't rain.
July 4th, 2010. The town had its celebration on
7/2/10 this year, but I cleaned up the garden and redecorated it
for the real anniversary of America's Independence. The barren
grass is compliments of whomever whacks the weeds and mows the
grass at City Hall Plaza. It's cut much too short to survive the
heat of summer. I don't have enough water to keep the entire lawn
going, but so far the flowers have been left alone by the
mysterious weed whacker and they are thriving. It is expected to
reach 90 degrees today, so I gave the flowers and vegetables an
early morning watering.
The garden made it through the summer! The photo
above, taken on Labor day (9/6/10) shows lush green grass, a
couple of green tomatoes waiting to ripen, most of the original
flowers still growing and blossoming (plus a couple of new
Chrysanthemum bushes for the Fall). There are still no blossoms
on the Morning Glory plants that are growing up the sides of the
Plaza Village sign, but they look very healthy otherwise.
Adding to my Labors recently, I found two new
monuments on the same block behind City Hall at the corner of
North Arlington Avenue and New Street. The monument shown above
is called The Centennial Tree, and contains a marker dedicated to
Clara
Maass. The Inscription reads: "This Centennial Tree is
dedicated to Nurse Clara Louise Maass, born in East Orange
June 28, 1876 - died August 14, 1901. She gave her life in the
experiment conducted in Cuba which uncovered the cause of Yellow
Fever and saved countless lives. Dedicated this 23rd day of
November, 1963 by Centennial Tree Committee. Elizabeth O.
Butterfield, Chairman, Mayor James W. Kelly, Jr Honorary
Chairman, George E. Stringfellow, General Chairman."
This photo shows the full beauty of the old
Centennial Tree, but it is in need of some pruning in the upper
branches. The local loiterers from the Laundromat on the adjacent
corner have nothing better to do than throw bottles and trash
behind the hedges, so it needs regular cleaning as well. The
trunk of the tree has been a favorite place to carve initials and
love messages over the years. The monument is directly opposite
from Cicely Tyson Elementary School, so perhaps the students and
teachers can help take care of it as a Civic or Community Service
Project.
11/4/2012 - Sad news to report. My old friend,
the Centennial tree, is gone. Apparently the blight in its upper
branches (see photos above) was too much for it, and some time
between 2010 and today, down it came. It does not appear to have
anyone interested in replacing it. I am no longer able to travel
to City Hall on a regular basis, so someone younger will have to
take up the cause of replacing the tree.
The other monument is in front of the Public
Health Building, which you can see behind the Centennial Tree on
New Street. It is inscribed: "In Memory of Mary Dudley
Hussey, MD, LLD. Born July 31, 1853, Died October 24, 1923.
Devoted to Peace, Humanity, and Nature. A grateful tribute from
the East Orange Garden Club 1932." I wish East Orange still
had a garden club. I could use the help!
As of November, 2010, I no longer have a car so
I will have to let others take care of the Senior Garden,
Centennial Tree Garden and the Public Health monument... if they
will. Instead, I will be taking on a project within walking
distance of my home: The
Clock Garden.