Clip: Season 23 Episode 1 | 7m 41s | Video has closed captioning.
Peggy Singlemann tours the grounds of Culpepper Garden retirement home with Executive Director, Marta Hill Gray to view the 30,000 daffodils decorating their gardens and learn about the botanist who provided the property for affordable senior living. Featured on VHG episode 2301; March 2023.
Aired: 03/28/23
>>They are so wonderful.
We get people come and take pictures.
But for the residents is an outlet, it's a pleasure, and for me, it's always a pleasure to be a gardener.
This is such a reasonable place to live.
When I moved here, I thought, "My goodness, I have to give back."
I just feel like that volunteerism is important.
>>I've been here four months, I guess, you know, I'm a newbie.
Everyone who really is successful living here, which means living for a long time, has a project.
That's the key to being old, is having a project that you really care about, and it consumes you.
So my project is gonna be helping the management make the best of this place.
>>Charles Culpepper, our namesake was a botanist, and he loved to create hybrid daffodils, and he created many, many, many that are planted here today.
So here we are 70, 80 years later, and we have his daffodils.
>>So how many did he create?
>>We don't know.
But we've identified 18 in our wooded areas and throughout the property, different types, so- >>I bet you they're beautiful.
>>Oh my gosh, they're magnificent.
And we have cream with orange trumpets and yellow and all different colors.
So I think a lot of people think of a daffodil as just a yellow flower, right?
But this is a far different thing, what this gentleman had created.
>>Well, that's exciting.
And so how many acres of property did he have?
>>We are on almost five acres, just under five acres.
So he sold it at a steep discount.
>>Right.
>>To the organization that started Culpepper garden, which was the Unitarian church, and he was a member there.
>>Right.
>>So he did this is an act of good faith.
And his legacy continues.
So we have low income senior housing here, and we have assisted living and independent living.
And many of our residents have very little so we provide a beautiful environment for them.
And it's sort of a diamond here in Arlington, Virginia.
>>Obviously, you've kept planting daffodils because we're walking through this lovely corridor of daffodils.
And I'm quite amazed at all the different colors and varieties you have here.
Particularly the way you've staggered the bloom season, you've got some that are in full bloom, others that are starting and others that are just coming out of the ground.
>>So every fall, we have volunteers come and we plant about 5000 daffodils, and then we see what happens then and then the next year we'll plant more so it's an annual event, we have a daffodil society that we raise funds to sell some daffodil bulbs.
So it's really a fun project.
>>That sounds like a fun project.
But I also love how you have taken these daffodils and you've underplanted or put them amongst many, what I see are native plants here and some other perennials so that it's not just daffodils and then it's a garden that's bare and mulch.
>>Right.
>>Ugh.
It's daffodils, but it's got the rest of the season covered as well.
>>Well, that's right.
And so we love that, we can't wait for the next plantings to grow and see what's coming up color, flowers to bring the butterflies in and the bees and all the wonderful things that some of the natives can bring us.
>>But what are you moving forward with in the future with these daffodils?
>>Well, we're going to be doing more planting in the fall.
And we're going to be identifying this year some of the flowers that we have and see what else we can find to sort of create more of a mix.
We're also gonna look at some of the flowers that we have in other parts of the garden from Dr. Culpepper to see if we can replicate those.
>>Oh, that would be great.
So you can sort of bring it some of the older cultivars back in.
>>Exactly, exactly.
It's a lovely story and our residents to this day here at Culpepper garden really enjoy the flowers and the garden all year round.
>>Oh, that's fantastic.
And to be surrounded by a garden to look out a window in your apartment down to this beautiful space, it just must bring them joy.
>>It does, and when COVID, when they were all locked down, we planted the daffodils.
And in that spring of 2021, it was spectacular and that brought a lot of joy.
And there were a lot of happy residents.
>>Oh, I couldn't think of a better way to do things.
(laughs) >>Yes, yes, it's great.
It's really great.
And they get engaged.
They want to know what we're planting while we're out here.
They stop by, what are you planting?
We have a gentleman here, he's a naturalist.
So he wants to make sure we don't have invasive species and he's a resident here.
He's 81 years old.
>>Well, this is a site that has both characteristics of a garden and characteristics of a remnant forest.
I would argue all the native plants deserve to live.
Most of the introduced plants are legacies and they deserve to live too.
I'm not into pulling out plants.
(chuckles) I love plants, but we want to get rid of the invasive plants particularly.
>>I'm sure it must be difficult for you like everybody else to just leave that daffodil foliage alone as it yellows.
>>Yes.
And you gave me a little tip today because sometimes people will go on to come down and tie the- >>Oh!
>>Right, right, (Peggy laughing) tie everything in knots.
And so when it's drooping, and we're in between seasons, I don't have Azaleas blooming, I don't have everything quite where I want it.
And I think, "Oh, my garden looks so sad."
But to have it look like this in spring, it's the price we pay, is that right?
>>Exactly.
(Martha chuckling) That's the way I feel about it.
Just remember the glory.
>>Yeah, yeah, that's right.
(Peggy laughing) >>Just remember being dazzled by the daffodils.
>>Dazzled by the daffodils.
Thank you, Peggy.
(Peggy laughing) >>But as we're walking down this walkway, we've gone from a full sun area and we're moving into a shade area and a partial shade area under these beautiful American Hollies.
And yet the daffodils are still blooming, and that's something else.
So I applaud you for choosing cultivars that can handle the shade as well.
>>We got some good advice.
So we've had some people come and give us some guidance, and we're looking for more guidance, because we really want to respect all these beautiful daffodils and plant them in the right place so we get the best result.
It's a lot.
>>Yes.
>>It's a lot to manage.
But it's pretty spectacular.
>>It is.
And people don't understand too the importance of fertilizing daffodils, they think in a few years, they have to dig them up and divide them.
And that is one way of managing this collection here.
But on the other hand, if you continually fertilize every year, then you'll be able to keep those bulbs strong and they'll keep blooming for you.
>>But of course as you see on the side of the road in Virginia, there are daffodils coming up from everywhere, and they probably didn't get fertilized.
What's going on?
(Peggy chuckling) >>Well, they get all that organic matter, remember?
>>I guess that's right.
That's right, that's fair.
That's fair.
>>Yes.
(laughs) >>That's fair.
We have a lot of other plants.
We have azaleas, camellias, all kinds of fabulous trees.
And a lot of these things started with Dr. Culpepper.
So we have a very unique garden here.
>>I do, I know, and you've got some very unique plants because I saw wintersweet blooming here.
>>That's right, you said- >>And I just was very thrilled.
That is not a common plant.
So Dr. Culpepper knew his horticulture.
>>He did, he did, and we are excited to have it here.
We treasure it and we want to continue to honor it.
Our residents never tire of it.
They also have their own gardens, raised garden beds where they can grow their own plants.
So we really have a nice mix here.
>>Marta, I thank you for sharing this.
You've got a very special place here and the residents of Culpepper Garden are just so blessed to be able to have this garden and the legacy of Dr. Culpepper.
>>I think so too.
>>There's nothing like it anywhere as far as I know in Arlington or any area around here.
And to have almost five acres to play in is wonderful.
And I don't think I'd want to be anyplace else.
