The Story of the Kitty Pozer Memorial Garden CreationLiving in downtown Fairfax, VA, Kitty Pozer was a devoted gardener, an early garden writer for Washington Post and other publications, an introducer of new gardening events, an honored garden club president, and a boxwood lover. She donated her historic house and garden to the city of Old Town Fairfax. When the idea surfaced to create a garden in her honor, the objective became to create a living memorial honoring her gardening passion, plant tastes, and horticultural expertise with as much historical context as possible. It is only fitting that her "new" garden be one that celebrates the plants that she might have had in her original garden.
Records show that Mrs. Pozer had peonies, daylilies, cannas and irises in her garden among other plants, trees and shrubs. Unfortunately, her records do not list specific named cultivars, so extensive research went into identifying specific plants that were introduced into the nursery trade during or prior to the height of her gardening activities. This was the time period prior to 1950, with a particular focus on the '30s and '40s. These four flowering plant types lend themselves, in particular, to this time period since not only did much hybridization (creating new flower features and plant forms) occur or begin during this time period, but they were also popular plant varieties in general during this time. So while we can't say for certain Mrs. Pozer had these specific varieties, they would have been available to her. Most of these are labelled with their name and date of introduction. Heirloom varieties of collection species were planted in the garden. What are heirlooms? Plant breeding has become a highly developed science over time. Heirloom varieties are introductions by early plant breeders that have withstood the test of time making them more reliable and less fussy garden members.These collections form the foundation for the garden along with its shrub layer. Trees were also selected from garden records. Not every tree from her garden was included since the garden is now much smaller. Mrs. Pozer had many fruit trees, such as apples and pears, that would not have been an appropriate choice for what is now a city parklet.
At the same time that care was given to identify exact dates that these flowering plants were introduced, efforts also extended to identifying colors that Mrs. Pozer favored (pinks, reds, white and yellow). Most important in the plant selection process, the focus was on selecting plants that flowered at different time periods in order to get the most bang for the buck out of the current more limited spaced devoted to her garden and to stay as true as possible to her catchphrase, "I can always show you a flower in bloom." To extend the bloom time in your garden, remember to check out the time listed on the web for that particular variety (early, mid or late) and select one of each. This is typically not included on plant labels in nurseries. Whenever possible, in addition to the requirements mentioned, award-winning varieties identified by plant societies were sourced. Mrs. Pozer was active in founding and participating in plant societies in Virginia. What is a plant society? A plant society is an organized group of individuals interested in growing a particular plant group. Societies exist for diverse types of plants from herb growers to day lily enthusiasts, and succulent collectors. Several focus on the preservation of botanical significant heirloom varieties. Award programs often exist for the plants displaying outstanding characteristics.Care was also given to assure that overall there are multiple seasons of interest in the garden. There are spring, summer and fall blooming plants, along with a variety of contrasting leaf colorations and textures.
Plant material came from vendors who specialize in breeding heirloom plants or who have taken the time to identify the year of plant introduction. When possible, plants that were near each other in Mrs. Pozer's original garden were located near each other again. Not every single plant in the garden is historically correct, because:
Bearded Iris 'Immortality', a newer re-blooming cultivar introduced in 1982, was planted as the name is particularly appropriate for a memorial garden. We hope Mrs. Pozer would have enjoyed its large snow white, slightly fragrant blossoms. It received an Award of Merit in 1990. The four collection varieties are supported by annuals in appropriate colors, as well as some native plantings. In particular, the front of the house has a focus on drought-resistant natives since irrigation does not extend to this area. |
Historical Garden Resources:Books:
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