Hello, fellow lovers of all things green,
A Late-Season Harvest and Autumn Reflections
Last week, I shared a late-season harvest from my no-till vegetable garden. Since then, I removed the deer netting, stakes, and cages and found other tomatoes that could’ve been harvested despite the heavy frost. They were tucked safely below the damaged foliage, but I left them for the critters to enjoy.
I hesitate to put produce in the compost pile. When I first moved here, I did, and the compost invited black bears and raccoons to feast. Though I enjoy them, there’s a fine line between sharing bounty and feeding wildlife (which is harmful) and allowing access to household trash, putting them at risk from hunters. Supplemental feeding also leads to unnatural deer density and the spread of diseases such as Chronic Wasting Disease.
So now my compost pile is made up of only leaves, plant debris, and coffee grounds. The nitrogen-rich grounds help balance the carbon-rich leaves for effective decomposition. But in the fall, I leave the cut-down plants in the garden as a Thanksgiving feast for the critters.
A Farewell to Marty Carson
Marty Carson’s (Three Seasons Inc.) Springfest Garden Show Display 2016
Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. Following Nature’s rhythm helps us trust the timing of our own lives. What we’ve planted—the work we do, the friends and loved ones who surround us, even what we perceive as hardship—feeds what comes next. Trusting the flow allows us to join the rhythm of the natural world, which always finds its way back to life.
And so, with a tender heart, I share that my dear friend and design colleague, Marty Carson, has passed away. Many of you have come to know Marty through our stories—her wisdom, her humor, her quiet generosity.
How Our Garden Paths First Crossed
We met at the Springfest Garden Show about 25 years ago. I was a newbie, invited at the last minute, building a design-studio display with drawings and before-and-after photos, and I decorated it with houseplants, some of which I still have today. On setup day, I quickly learned that Marty—modest as she was—was the matriarch of the event. She, with her husband, Buck, and the gardeners of her company, Three Seasons Inc., brought elegance to the show. Her garden display was worthy of the Philadelphia Flower Show.
She came up to me, introduced herself, and admired my designs. “You have what I need.”
“I can see you need help with garden design,” I teased, her voluptuous woodland display behind her.
Marty doodled her design ideas on a yellow legal pad, but couldn’t produce to-scale drawings that clients often requested. And so the Marty-and-Mary design team began, as did our enduring friendship.
Springfest’s Lasting Legacy
Springfest, held at the Sussex County Fairgrounds in Augusta, New Jersey, retired after 20 years. Attendance was strong, but costs grew too high. Its after-party and final gathering in 2016 was full of gratitude for supporters, who insisted on anonymity. I featured the event in The Press (April 2016). While respecting their wishes, writing in “code.”
Marty Carson loved chatting with Springfest patrons.
“Twenty years of Springfest planted deep roots in the love of gardens and the appreciation of all things green.”
After it retired, big-business event coordinators wanted to jump in, but they couldn’t replace the grassroots enthusiasm, volunteer hours, and generosity that made Springfest a labor of love.
When things end, the seeds left behind carry on. Marty’s gardens, her kindness, and her presence in my life and in the lives of all those who love her will continue to grow in ways seen and unseen. Thank you, my dear friend.
Garden Dilemmas? AskMaryStone@gmail.com and your favorite Podcast App.
Enjoy more of the story in the Garden Dilemmas Podcast:
Related Stories and Podcasts Featuring Marty Carson:
A Pre-Spring Outing of Bulbs & Friendship
In Favorite Spring-Planted ‘Bulbs’, I shared a pre-spring theatre outing with Marty. We spent the drive talking plants, as we always did, and laughing over the quirks of what gardeners consider “bulbs.”
Comparing Garden Hands of Ken Druse and Marty Carson
Iris Dividing & the Gifts That Keep Growing
In Dividing Iris and Multiplying Gifts, I reflected on the fragrant white Bearded Iris Marty gave me years ago. They’re still thriving in my rock garden — multiplying, really — just like the gifts she shared through her gentle wisdom and kind heart.
Marty Carson’s Love of Animals
Marty’s love of animals graces Father John’s Animal House Garden, a design given from her heart.
When seasons change, love remains.
Most recently, in Podcast Episode 228 and its companion post, Promises That Live on Beyond Seasons, I shared the difficult news that Marty had entered hospice care. It became a reflection on how love lives on — through gardens, through community, and through the lives we touch.
