An Interview

My sister suggested that I post this in honor of my mother.  It's written by Jim Potter, a fellow Master Gardener who is undertaking interviews of various individuals in the group.  This interview took place last week in the Hutchinson Community College Master Gardener's Demonstration Garden, and the picture was taken there.  If you live in this area and have never seen this garden, do yourself a favor and stop by often.  During the summer it will be a quiet place.  Park near the southeast corner of the parking lot north of Lockman Hall (just off 14th street) and walk south toward the garden.  The tennis courts are to the east of the garden.  A few tables in the area could be used for a picnic.  

Miriam Iwashige: Verbena bonariensis

               “Verbena bonariensis,” she pronounced without hesitation. Then, when I asked, she spelled it for me like a by-gone Latin teacher or spelling bee champion.

Growing up, imagine having your mother refer to the plants in your garden by their botanical name! Later, you’d learn the plants had other, more common names.

“As long as I can remember I have loved anything to do with our garden or farm,” said Miriam. She learned from her mother and grandmother, who both had a great deal of knowledge of plants and the environment and were tremendous gardeners.

As an adult there were other teachers for Miriam, authors who shared their knowledge about growing plants that would survive in rough environments with harsh winters, hot summers and sudden hail storms (The Undaunted Garden: Planting for Weather Resilient Beauty (2011) by Lauren Springer Ogden, and Passionate Gardening: Good Advice for Challenging Climates (2000) by Lauren Springer and Rob Proctor).

               Miriam enjoys focusing on hardy landscape planting that attracts birds, so berries and red cedars are especially useful plants. Also, planting flowers allows her a handy natural resource for flower decorating. She started selling these “field grown cut flowers” at the Reno County Farmer’s Market in Hutchinson when she was looking for a way to “get out a little more and have more contact with people.” Because she was already comfortable with the market from her mother’s previous pie sales, Miriam figured, “Growing flowers and selling at market might be a good fit (for me).” As is Miriam’s modus operandi, she researched the idea. Books authored by Lynn Byczynski on growing for market were especially helpful (Market Farming Success: The Business of Growing & Selling Local Food, 2^nd edition (2013) and The Flower Farmer: An Organic Grower’s Guide to Raising & Selling Cut Flowers (2012). Thus, Miriam learned what plants were the backbone of the business and could be grown and marketed in Kansas. She recalls how one particular variety of Zinnias became one of her favorite flowers to use in cuttings due to its mildew resistance and long stems

For inspiration Miriam likes to study the Prairie Star (K-State Research and Extension) list of hardy plants as well as commercial botanical catalogs. If the plants she wants to buy are not available locally, she’ll find the closest nursery so the item will be as similar as possible to Reno County’s climate. Goumi is one shrub she found, similar to Autumn Olive used in windbreaks, that she planted this spring. It has tiny red fruit overlaid with tan freckles and she’s already looking forward to tasting it.

               “In my garden,” Miriam explains, “the two, no, three things I can never resist trying are different varieties of lettuce, tomatoes and peppers. I really love to eat tomatoes, probably my favorite.” Then Miriam describes her colorful peppers using words like “glossy, vivid, orange, white, yellow, lavender and purple.” Sounds to me like she’s painting a picture as decorative as her cut flowers.

Every year Miriam likes to grow different varieties of produce and compare the new product to her long time favorites. For example, Snow Crown, her standard cauliflower, will be compared to something newly planted this year. This constant evaluation keeps Miriam grounded. Another side of her horticulture fun is improving the landscape by deciding which “cheap and available” plant needs to be in a particular spot. It makes for an interesting adventure!

“I love the garden here (at Hutchinson Community College),” Miriam shares. “It’s therapeutic for me to work in the garden. I find myself with a smile on my face without trying when I’m in a place like this,” she continues. Miriam references Psalms 23 with its mention of the soul being restored in green pastures and beside still waters and concludes, “I know what He’s talking about, the beauty of being in places where things are grown. Man started in the garden. The natural environment was a place to feel connected with God. We were made to thrive in this environment.”