Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) Oneida Co. Parker F. Scripture Botanical Gardens
A beautiful garden in Oriskany, New York, part of the Central New York State Region
This past year, the garden grounds at CCE had a whimsical feel to them. When you walked on the grounds, you got a sense of relaxation and curiosity as to what would be seen next. There were many wonders such as the creatures and plant species you saw.
Q: What is your garden most known for?
A. The Parker F. Scripture Botanical Gardens feature various demonstration gardens for the public to view and engage both youth & adults in garden related educational activities. Designed and maintained by the CCE Master Gardener Volunteer program; Child Care Council; Nutrition Educators; 4-H; and Oneida Co. Soil & Water Conservation District.
Q: When was your garden established?
A. The gardens were established in 1985. Featuring: vegetables, perennials, herbs, cottage, roses, water gardens, child play musical wall, sunflower house; screened Butterfly House; and nature trail.
Q: How long have you been an AAS Display Garden?
A. We have been participating as an AAS Display Garden for 10 years since 2014. The Extension’s Consumer Horticulture Educator learned about the AAS Display Garden program and Onedia Co. Master Gardener Volunteers became involved.
Q: Do you showcase AAS Winning flowers, or edibles, or both?
A. Both flowers and edibles. We love seeing the variety!
Q: Which AAS Winner(s) attracted the most attention in the garden?
A. The top 3 AAS Winners that attracted the most attention in the garden were Verbena Vanity, Delphinium F1 Cheer Blue, and Fennel Antares F1. The Verbena Vanity and Delphinium F1 growing in the Brick Garden caught visitors’ eyes seeing the long green stems and pretty, delicate blooms on top of the Verbena. And the Delphinium F1 Cheer Blue displayed delicate green foliage and light blue flower blooms. The Fennel Antares drew the attention of visitors in the Butterfly House. Butterflies were seen on the zinnia flowers and caterpillars on the fennel. What a showy white colored fennel bulb seen above the ground.
A. The AAS Winners that provided the most color: Coleus Premium Sun Coral Candy and Zinnia Profusion Red Yellow Bicolor.
Q: What is the most common question garden visitors ask?
A. The most common question garden visitors ask about AAS: Where can I find these plants? We tell them to go to AAS website for a list seed sources and they should check their local garden centers.
Another common question visitors ask is if they can save the flower seeds in the fall? It depends if the plant is a hybrid or not.
Q: Tell us about the AAS Landscape Design Challenge?
A. In the All-America Selections (AAS) Brick Garden, we invited visitors to enjoy a Fairy Hunt. We used Cicely Mary Barker’s book ‘The Complete Book of the Flower Fairies’ to find fairy pictures and poems for the AAS flowers growing. Guests could search for the hidden fairies within the beds and were treated to a poem that gave them more information about the flower and fairy they were looking at. Finding the fairies was a huge hit for a field trip of school-aged children on July 7th.
This year’s theme ‘Whimsical’ was perfect for the most popular area of our garden – the butterfly house. We filled our butterfly house with AAS plants this year, and the guests to our garden, both flying and walking, loved them. Starting in July, our butterfly house was filled with Monarch, Painted Lady, and Swallowtail butterflies/caterpillars. The zinnias and marigolds were particularly popular for flying friends, and the swallowtail caterpillars thrived because of the amazing fennel plants.
Our favorite Landscape Design Challenge theme was “Games in the Garden” from a few years ago. A couple Master Gardener volunteers met with CCE Child Care Staff in January to share ideas and start planning ways they can incorporate the garden theme in the Brick Annual Garden and other areas of the gardens.
Q: What is a gardening challenge in your climate?
A. A common garden challenge in our climate is the dramatic weather changes. In some gardening seasons, we receive little rain, in other seasons, an overabundance hits (could be early in season or late), and in other seasons precipitation is what we need!
