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Celia Thaxter's Garden

Celia Thaxter's father was a lighthouse keeper and later a hotel owner on the Isles of Shoals, and she spent virtually her entire life there. As an adult she wrote poetry that was loved then, but is considered mediocre now. But she also wrote a wonderful little book, "An Island Garden," which came out in 1894 and was reprinted in 1988. The book describes how she gardened - from dealing with slugs to preparing the soil - and her passion for gardening.

Passion is a little discussed aspect of gardening. After reading her book, I realized that, like Celia Thaxter, I probably derive more joy from my flowers than most other people do. She writes, "He who is born with a silver spoon in his mouth is generally considered a fortunate person, but his good fortune is small compared to that of the happy mortal who enters this world with a passion for flowers in his soul." I can get as happy as a Labrador given his own bowl of ice cream - just by looking at a nice combination of flowers in my garden.

She went on to explain that her love for flowers is what made her successful: it gave her patience, constancy to persevere, and "the power of foregoing ease of mind and body to minister to the necessities of the thing beloved." For her, that included getting out of bed to look for slugs by moonlight. Wow.

Her book contains a map of her garden, which was primarily a cutting garden, that was just 15 by 50 feet in size. Few gardens of the era are so carefully documented, so if you have a house built in the late nineteenth century and want to have a garden typical of the era, hers is one to see, or to read about. Based on that map, the garden was restored in 1978, and has been nicely maintained since then.

The garden itself is nice, but not remarkable. Still, every garden offers a chance to learn something. I encountered an old-fashioned annual there for the first time -salpiglossis, also known as painted tongue or satin flower. I was enamored of its velvety 2-inch blossoms in shades of red and purple with stripes and overlays of gold. I found some for sale at Edgewater Farm in Plainfield NH when I got back, and am now growing them.

The island has poor soil, so she used wood-sided raised beds which she filled with a mix of island sand, compost and animal manure. If you have poor soil, you might wish to try the same. A 50-50 mix of soil and compost served up in a raised bed will please most vegetables and flowers. If you wish to grow vegetables, DO NOT use pressure treated planks - not an option in her time - as they will leach toxic chemicals that can be absorbed by veggies. Gardeners Supply (888-833-1412) and
Lee Valley Tools (800-267-8735) sell kits with metal corner braces for building raised beds, and the former will even sell you a kit complete with cedar planks. For annuals and vegetables, you can put these raised beds anywhere - on the lawn or even the driveway!

Celia Thaxter endeared herself to me when I read that she imported toads from the mainland to help with her slug problem. She had teenage boys catch toads and send several dozen of them (by boat) to help her out. If you wish to encourage toads in your garden, give them shade, shelter and a saucer of water. An overturned clay pot with a piece missing for the door will do fine for a toad house, though many garden supply companies will sell you something cute and silly for toads if you prefer.

Celia Thaxter also wrote of starting annual poppies in eggshells so they could be planted without disturbing their roots. She spent winters in Portsmouth, and brought her started seedlings out to the island each year on April 1. By planting them in eggshells, she could plant them without disturbing their roots - annual poppies hate to be moved or transplanted. She lightly squeezed the eggs when planting to crack the shells.

Appledore Island is managed by the Shoals Marine Laboratory, a research institute run by Cornell and the University of New Hampshire. Because of the fragile nature of the island ecosystem, SML allows outside visitors just once a week. They have contracted with a boat leaving from Eastman's Docks in Seabrook, NH on Wednesdays at 9:30 am, and returning at 4:30. The boat trip and a guided tour of the garden costs $75. Bring your own lunch. Unfortunately, the gardens are not handicap accessible. For more info go to www.shoals-lab@cornell.edu or call 607-254-2900.

Gardening shouldn't be all work. Take some time this summer to visit other gardens - Celia Thaxter's, or others. There's always something to learn - perhaps you'll see that perfect combination of flowers that gladdens your heart.

Henry Homeyer is the VT/NH associate editor of "People, Places and Plants" magazine. Contact him at gardening-guy@valley.net or P.O. Box 364, Cornish Flat, N.H. 03746.