50—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 3, 1976
Maisie Landis knows and grows herbs
By SUSAN KAUFFMAN
Feature Writer
In recent years the ecology thrust in our country has
sent all types of people with varying degrees of ex
perience, or inexperience as the case may be into their
backyards to grow a garden full of fresh vegetables or
flowers.
For those back-to-nature enthusiasts who are confined
to an apartment without a plot of ground, or those who
cannot get through a winter without some greenery
around them, the latest fad is to start an herb garden
made up of several small pots of fragrant growth on a
window sill. Added to the charm of this miniature window
garden’s aroma is the usefulness of the plants’ leaves for
flavoring food dishes.
One person who has succumbed to the wiles of herb
gardening is Mrs. Maisie Landis, a petite and agile lady
well past retirement age. Her age would be hard to guess
because of her youthful physical activity. She says about'
life in general and herb gardening in particular that every
day she finds so much to learn. The more she learns, the
more she wants to learn. Her curious spirit and physical
stamina permit her to continue searching out information
and people and to travel all over the United States, often
alone. She remarks that one can meet people easier when
traveling alone because fellow travelers will go out of
their way to speak to a loner when they might not start up
a conversation with a couple-
A member of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
since 1944, she has increased her knowledge of plaints
through much reading in texts and magazines and
through attending many tours conducted by the society.
Besides these ventures she admits she often packs her
bags and “hops on a plane, a train, or a bus anything
that moves” and takes off for almost any place. She and a
friend went to California one year not long a
travel trailer. She admits that “although neither of us
could back up the trailer we made it clear across the
continent!”
Every year Maisie Landis winters on the West Coast of
Florida. But when spring comes to Pennsylvania, “the
most beautiful state in this country,” according to this
traveler who should know, she returns home to her
apartment at 27 West State St., Quarryville. As soon as the
weather is cooperative, she and six of the 32 members of
the Drumore Flower Club find time each week to work in
the herb garden which the club provides at the Robert
Fulton Birthplace or Fulton House, six miles south of
Quarryville on Rt. 222.
Since 1971 the Drumore Flower Club has maintained
two 13 x 15 ft. plots of herbs inside a picket fence at the
back door of this beautiful stone historical building.
After communicating with the state for permission, she
and Mrs. Landis, Grace Smith, Doris Hough, Esther
Graybeal, Mildred Holzauer, and Mary Haller cultivated
an herb garden display for the enjoyment of tourists and
many children who come to Fulton House on field trips
from school.
“Each year we try to have something new some new
plant because the children remember them, and those
who are interested in herbs want to see more types,” says
Mrs. Landis.
This year one plot is designed in a Bicentennial theme.
Around the outer four sides are planted 50 silver lace
artemisia often commonly called dusty miller. These
plants, of course, represent the present 50 states.
Forming a circle inside the artemisia are 13 dark purple
basil plants symbolizing the 13 original colonies.
Inside the basil-formed circle is a large star-shaped
carpet of creeping thyme. At the center of the star stands
the two-foot-high delicate foliage of lavender. The con
trast of colors of silver-gray and dark purple to green and
Dave Grill spreads cocoa shell mulch, a necessity
to keep weeds down in the herb gardens.
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Homestead Notes
Mrs. Stanley Grill, chairlady of the herb garden committee, stands raking to keep the garden in
lavender accents the various textures and heights of plant
growth. And, of course, as with all herbs, the visual-,
beauty of the plants is greatly enhanced by their
fragrances.
The second plot serves as a display of various
specimens of herbs. Several scented-leaf geraniums,
peppermint, lemon, and fingerbowl geraniums are now on
display here.
In the second comer stands a collection of thyme plants.
The third comer contains sage assortments including a
colorful variegated plant. 'Die fourth comer of the
specimen plot exudes the fragrance of mint. The apple,
curly peppermint, spearmint, and horehound mints thrive
in this area.
Planted in spots throughout the rest of the .plot are
chives; shallots; mustard; marigolds, which are bor
derline herb and flower; borage, a beautiful two-foothigh
plant with small blue flowers which make attractive,
edible garnishes on sandwiches; fennel;, dill and lamb’s
ears, a tall plant three feet in height with silvery grfey
wooly leaves and bright magenta colored single-petaled
flowers. A circle, five feet in diameter, serves as a focal
point in the center of the specimen plot. On the rim of the <
circle are the low-growing, bright green, star-shaped
leaves of sweet woodruff, which is speckled with little
white star-shaped flowers in early summer.
Maisie Landis suggests that if she had a garden of her
own she would try the herbs she is fond of using in cooking,
then experiment later with other more exotic types.
Chives are the easiest to grow. Dill is not too difficult to
master, and mint can go wild if it is not kept under control.
This herb enthusiast explains that mint can be planted in a
large bucket then set down into the garden soil to help
retain the root and stem growth within boundaries. After
(Continued on Page 51 (
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By JOANNE SPAHR
When the Bicentennial Wagon Train entered
Lancaster County over the Susquehanna River at
Columbia, I felt excitement welling up inside me.
It had actually happened. There had really been
wagon trains in the early days, and now people had
really resigned from their jobs to take part in the
nation's birthday. •
As they passed, and I ran beside the tram,
seeking interesting photos and trying to gather
information for LANCASTER FARMING, I saw a
marvelous thing happening riders and passers
by were talking to each other, smiling, and sharing
a “once in a lifetime moment," as Dieter Krieg puts
it, with one another.
I heard one wagon master yell, after spying a
Columbia woman with a miniature American flag in
her hand, “Hey, Lady, would you let me carry that
to Valley Forge with me 7”
Instead of the usual and expected response of
either giving him a strange look, or ignoring him
My Thoughts and Welcome to Them
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Mrs. George Hough, a committee member ot
Drumore Flower Club, works in a Bicentennial
garden which contains various specimens of h<
(With apologies to James Thurber)
completely, she eagerly ran out into the street
willingly handed it to him, saying, "Wave it for
when you get there, okay?”
How often does that, or will that, happen? I w<
attempt to answer my own question, but it i
rarity.
In this age of commercialism, the Bicenteni
has been utilized to its fullest for capitalistic g>
There are Bicentennial keychains and Bicenteni
Cadillacs. And, I hear, implement dealers
gotten into the act with Bicentennial tract!
Sometimes this show of commercialism in
Bicentennial is enough to downhearten <
disillusion.
However, the Bicentennial wagon trains, whi
symbolize the nation’s past its agricultural p<
is one of the truly awe-inspiring and bindi
elements I’ve seen in this, our 200th year.
One wagon master said to me, “It's a shame 1
can’t do this more often."
It is. But, thank goodness it happened once
Have a pleasant and safe 4th of July.
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