What Passes for Spring on our Isle

Flowers, scallops and more flowers

The sun rose at 5:27 this morning and will set at 7:46 this evening.

In the Garden

Last weekend I wandered into the fenced-in garden to get a look at what was in bloom and what needed to be done to ready this space into respectable conditions for planting later this month. Within days I’d whipped the space int shape, yanking out weeds, raking up leaves, and giving those flowers in bloom a stage to shine.

Especially beautiful were the French tulips, standing tall and gorgeous in shades of pink. I’ve already ordered 50 more to plant this fall.

Gardens always surprise you, especially those that aren’t meticulously tended – like mine.
In between the rustle of fallen leaves there was a pink and yellow columbine I transplanted from my spring porch pots last summer. Safe behind a fence, this plant survived the appetite of the night army of marauding deer which devoured my columbines planted against the house.

I also found random purple hyacinths blooming here and there, the remnants from several Easters ago when I bought hyacinths for the house instead of Easter lilies. My Yankee mindset knew hyacinths would provide more future rewards in the garden than the traditional lily. If I’m going to have lilies in my garden, I want them to be spectacular – Casablanca lilies for whites and Stargazer lilies for pinks. Other than what they symbolize, an Easter lily in the garden is kind of blah.

In contrast, the Hellebores - also called Lenten Rose – are anything but boring. This is a most satisfying plant for the gardener, blooming early and providing a welcome contrast to the perky daffodils. Structurally they provide all sorts of interest and come in muted shades of white, pink and burgundy that, set against glossy green foliage, is quite dramatic and unexpected.

I spent several hours in that garden this week, cleaning up leaves and debris and pulling weeds from the center bed, readying it for mulch and planting. There is nothing that transports one away from the worries of the world than working in a garden, restoring order, and planting with hope for the future. When the world around you is on fire, I take comfort in tending my own garden. Literally.

50 Years of Daffodils

Mary Malavase, long time member of the Nantucket Garden Club, is on a mission to raise $100,000 so the club can plant 50,000 daffodils this fall, which will bloom in time for the 50^th anniversary of the Nantucket Daffodil Festival in April 2026. The plantings are to fill in gaps along our major roads where the original plantings were disrupted over the years by paving for and bike paths and other infrastructure needs.

Mary said it costs about $2 a bulb to buy and plant quality bulbs that will thrive in the wild. In the early days, the club enlisted an army of volunteers – school children, their families and NGC members to plant the daffodil bulbs in designated areas across the island. But now the club turns to a more efficient way, using veteran landscaper Dave Champoux and his professional garden technology – augurs and tractors.

If you’d like to contribute to this effort, go to nantucketardenclub.org and hit the button that says DONATE.

Relive a Day on the Water - The Last Bay Scallop? playing Saturday

In 2016, when The Last Bay Scallop? premiered, things looked bad for this island's bay scallop fishery. This year, nine years later, the harvest was 10,000 bushels, widely recognized as the minimum haul for a sustainable fishery

It was a good season. Was it a natural cycle? Was it science? And what will tomorrow bring, as far as scallop levels, eelgrass loss, and a working waterfront?

John Stanton's documentary film helped open the discussion on what this island would lose if the bay scallop fishery was not part of life here. That conversation continues. Be part of it.

This Saturday, May 10, at 5 p.m., at the Dreamland Theater. There will be an audience Q&A discussion after the film, with Christine Bell and Griffin Harkins. Bell is the executive director of the Great Harbor Yacht Club Foundation, GHYC’s initiative to support the health of the harbor. Harkins is the assistant biologist at the Brant Point Shellfish Hatchery.

The Last Bay Scallop? Is 30 minutes, plus discussion

See the trailer here:

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The Last Bay Scallop? premiered in 2016 at the Annapolis FIlm Festival. It was also selected to be part of the Nantucket Film Festival, the Woods Hole Film Festival, and the Middlebury (Vt) Film Festival.