Troy Garden Club Starts Annual Garden Walk Today

Jeanne Bolcer's garden is just one of the vibrant gardens being featured today during the 37th Annual Troy Garden Walk sponsored by the Troy Garden Club.

Considered a "Garden of all Seasons," Bolcer was asked to be on the walk after she brought some plants (lady’s mantle) that she split to a fellow garden club member.

“One of my recent favorites is black petunias that I found at ,” said Bolcer, who complemented her deep-hued beauties with white verbena. She also enjoys her Dark Towers Penstemon and their glossy bronze-red foliage with tubular light-pink flowers.

Not-to-miss roses include the chocolate-colored Hot Cocoa floribundavariety rose  with spicy overtones, as well as the Easy Does It peach-hued rose. Other favorites include the Oriental peach-cream lilies (Orania) and some russet-toned lilies.

Bolcer’s astilbe bloom at different times, providing lovely hues throughout the summer. 

Tips for fellow gardeners include her penchant for Liquid Fence to keep rabbits and deer at bay.

“And I like the 20-20-20 fertilizer for annuals. In spring, I use Rose-tone and in the fall, I use Holly-tone on trees and shrubs,” she said.

For her  perennial gardens she simply covers everything with leaf mulch in the fall. “The leaves break down keep the soil moist.”

As for challenges, Bolcer says with a laugh, “I get rid of challenges and don’t remember them.” In all seriousness, she recalls a tri-colored beech tree that died and she isn’t 100 percent sure how.

“My neighbor has one and it’s doing fine, so I’m not sure why mine died.”

She also shares that gardeners have to be ready to move things around.

“You put things in and you think all will be good but then you end up moving things,” she said, looking at a patch of Veronica Royal Candles adjacent to red lilies and white flowers that evoke a Fourth of July motif. “I draw plans and they sometimes don’t work like you think they will.” 

The gardener, whose grandfather grew “tons of vegetables,” often plants flowers from seed, including Profusion zinnias and three types of petunias.

“I like to try different things,” Bolcer said.

She begins her seedling operation in March and puts them under growing lights in the basement. She also has self-watering seed trays.

Holly, red twig dogwood, a Heritage river birch and a paperbark maple provide winter interest.

“I’m crossing my fingers that everything will look good,” she said, “in time for the walk.”

The Garden Walk runs Wednesday from 9:30 a.m-3 p.m. and from 5 p.m.-8:30 p.m., rain or shine. Tickets can be purchased today at the Troy Historical Museum for $12. The event serves as the Club's main annual fund raiser.