Club visits Arkwright ‘retreat,’ city gardens

On a cloudy, rain-predicted day in July, members of the Bud 'n Bloom Garden Club and friends traveled to the country and Miller Road farm in Fredonia of Diane and Mike Rafan.

The group had capooled and drove past 20-year-old full-grown evergreen trees that their hosts had planted along two sides of their property.

As they drove into the driveway, Diane Rafan welcomed them from the new, large side deck of the home. The rain clouds cleared and the members were amazed at the beautiful atmosphere that surrounded them. Twenty huge baskets of million bell petunias and coleus and perfectly maintained flower beds filled the area.

Photos were shared of the original farmhouse. Now after 20 years, the Rafan family had added a large two-sided porch, a new roof, the deck, and a bedroom suite- totally transforming the country home.

The horse barn had been converted into Mike's "Serenity Suite" as his workshop and storage area.

Diane led the group past the pool and the life-sized statue of a red, blue and white ceramic Buffalo to a large oval garden centered by the American flag on the pole.

Here pink sedum, white phlox, pink and orange-striped portulara and golden rudbeckia spread in their separate spaces divided by dark mulch.

Next, they walked to a stand of trees where rocks encircled the "shade garden." Here purple flowering catnip and a huge assortment of different varieties of hostas grew. This was the only area that seemed to attract the deer population. (The tips of the hostas had been snipped off).

Walking past the fire pit, they passed the vibrant fuchsia-colored pink, yellow, and white gerbera daisy bed which circled the white antique lamp post.

A new bed had been started where the manure pile once stood. The focal point was a miniature wooden wagon over-flowing with a burgundy coleus plant. Large rocks added interest. Hostas and yellow daisies added variety and color.

The family dog Caesar joined the group as they passed Diane's "she-shed' where she stores her seasonal decorations. Rocking chairs invited guests to sit on the porch there.

Back at the home, the welcoming garden was a round garden completely covered by red, white and pink geraniums. A large rock graced the center and a ceramic cupid waved a flag.

Saving the best for last, Rafan invited the guests to enjoy the wrap-around porch with her. Two complete sets of outdoor furniture filled the large space with pillows, signs, huge house plants and priceless collectibles as accents. "Porch therapy" and "relax" were two of the pillows.

Four huge Boston ferns hung from the porch roof while ten assorted flower baskets graced the porch steps.

In front of the Cable Road side of the home was another large flower bed filled with bright assorted 24 tuberous begonias. A keepsake large metal urn was centered in this bed of flowers.

A three-foot long metal dog planter held a peace lily plant and a Christmas cactus plant. As the breeze blew, he nodded his metal head.

Rafan invited them into the country home where a country-rustic decor inspired the home. A huge stone fireplace and an assortment of Mike's prized mounted deer heads grazed the area.

The entire home showed a family that made many memories together and enjoyed displaying some of them.

The bedroom suite held the couple's bed and next to it was a smaller raised bed for the family canine. A portrait of a white stallion hung on one wall while Diane's once-used horse saddle graced the opposite corner.

All too soon, the group had to leave the Rafan "retreat." The group had been invited to the Carol Avenue home of Angie Smith Leone for build-your-own sundaes. Their treats were enjoyed on the Leone patio, shaded by a huge pin oak tree and surrounded by Leone's very green, peaceful garden. Large patches of golden rudbeckia, white shasta daisies, white goose neck loosestrife and spikes of purple liatris interrupted the greenery. A strawberry pot filled with passion pink impatience, Boston ferns and a pink and white fuschia plant graced the patio.

Later the guests helped to feed the 20-something multi-colored goldfish living in the waterfall pond.

For the scheduled August meeting, members met with Joanna Hill and toured her unusual organic gardens on Washington Avenue in Dunkirk. Hill is the owner of Herbs for Life on Fourth Street in Dunkirk and is a qualified massage therapist. For two and a half days a week, she works at her massage skill.

Hill has been a participant in an herbal apprenticeship in Ithaca, N.Y. to keep abreast of the latest herbal remedies. They meet once a month throughout the summer, where interested herbalists can camp out and learn and share the latest in herbal therapy.

In her spare time, Hill converted her front lawn into a fruit, flower, herb and vegetable garden. After having her lawn scraped off and adding a plastic barrier sheet, she covered the area with wood chips. Then she put together large metal garden tubs and filled them with black gardening soil from Lakeside Sod Company. It is delivered to her garden in huge green, white and yellow plastic bales. She uses no fertilizers or sprays.

A white picket fence encloses the front of the property. Along the sidewalk is a traditional garden of summertime perennials. Assorted zinnias, pink cone flowers, yellow daisies, lavender and purple clematis are some that were noted.

Arched over the sidewalk in front of the home was a metal arbor. On each side of the arbor is a huge oval tub. The tub to the right side housed huge tomato plants crawling up the arbor. Large 5-foot tall white ball-like (similar to alium) blossoms popped up in front of the vegetation. These onion plants had not received enough warmth in the spring and they "bolted" tall stems with these unusual baseball-sized blossoms.

On the left side, the tub housed big leaf squash, Japanese heirloom cucumber plants (known for their extra crispiness) and purple-colored string beans. When they are cooked, they turn green. Upon tasting, the raw vegetable tasted exactly like green beans.

Strawberry plants, raspberry bushes, yellow roses and herbs like rosemary and sage were some of the vegetation growing here in the 10 year gardening effort.

Another set of unusual containers were two four-foot tall strawberry planters, housing four rows of pots attached to a rotating pedestal. Everbearing strawberries were bearing red, ripe berries.

Members were enchanted by the back, enclosed with a tall fence, garden.

Five year fruit trees were observed. Toxic seeded elderberry, cherry, apple, peach and yellow plum trees were observed. Some successfully bore fruit this year, while others did not.

Asparagus, blueberry bushes, pink champagne current bushes and rosa rugosa roses (used in jelly making) were planted in the ground.

Plants used in medicines were growing all over in the enclosed garden. Some were pokeweed, marshmallow bush, comfrey (boneset), mullein (gray-green tall plant), meadowsweet (like aspirin) and chamomile (sleep and digestion). Ear aches, bone injuries, bruises, digestive problems, lung function and asthma can all be eased with the correct natural remedies, but proper knowledge is imperative on the use of each plant.

In the large oval gardening tubs in the rear were more tomatoes, Swiss chard, beets, onions, garlic, yellow beans and edible (for some) nasturtium flowers in yellow and orange.

Leaving this natural healing garden, the club women left with a new awareness of nature's healing power, properly used.

The group then traveled to Lakeshore Grillworks for a casual, delicious lunch. Members enjoyed the new extended menu while being surrounded by large planters filled with a wide variety of summer flowers. Blue cornflowers, red impatience, pink coneflowers, various zinnias and assorted snapdragons were some of the blooms that were observed.

The September meeting is to be announced later. The October meeting will be a canvas, beach glass craft meeting at the home of Sharon Przybyciel. Nancy Kohler will co-host the meeting and join in demonstrating the craft.The material list and time will be announced.