Where the Art Grows
In August of 2010 my husband and I bought an historic farmhouse in Garrett County, MD. Our deed says the Glotfelty family built this
house in 1913, but this photo of the house is dated from the late 1890s. The house and surrounding farm stayed in the Glotfelty family until the early2000s. Many people remember it as the farm where they
bought their Thanksgiving turkey. In the spring of 2011 I planted my garden with plans of growing food, flowers, and plants for paper. Each subsequent year has started with the mantra “the garden WILL NOT get bigger”. And every year the garden gets bigger. Thus Petunia Patch was born.
Gardening in a frost pocket at almost 3000 ft elevation in the Allegheny Mountains is a unique challenge. I quickly learned a frost the first week of June is a promise, and any weather forecast with a forecasted low in the mid 40s, a high pressure system and calm winds means frost, regardless of what month it is. Ninety days frost free is a good year. The reason for this craziness is the near-by Glades Peat Bog. The Glades is one of the oldest examples of a mountain bog in the Appalachians dating back 18,000 years. When the weather conditions are right, The Glades causes an atmospheric inversion at dawn. Some mornings the temperature
can drop as much as 25 degrees. In spite of the short growing season and all of the frost pocket challenges, the gardens are taking over the property. After all, “to plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow” – Audrey Hepburn.
In typical ABPH form, my garden endeavors have evolved to not just growing plants but creating art with the things I grow and forage. You can follow along with my gardening adventures on FB: Petunia Patch or
IG: Petunia.Patch
