Gardening
Volume 49, Issue 3

A Look at the East Coast’s Oldest Maritime Forest
By April Jimenez

One of the most appealing attractions on Fire Island is the Sunken Forest, the mystical forest that appears to have sunken below sea level. The thick, dark, intertwined and knotted branches let the imagination wander, invoking stories that rival fiction. But the true story of Sunken Forest is as interesting as any one could make up.
The Sunken Forest is just a remnant of what once may have covered much of Fire Island and numerous barrier islands up and down the Eastern seaboard.
“We are really lucky, we have a rare dynamic here,” said National Park Service (NPS) Park Ranger Melania Stoeber. “The very large dual dune system acts as a shield from the salt-spray air. Sailors Haven has the tallest dunes on Fire Island, which enables the forest to flourish.”
At one point a great deal of Fire Island was covered with the beginnings of a maritime forest. Once the colonists came in, they used wood from the forest, according to Stoeber. Desecration can’t only be faulted to settlers, natural disturbances, such as hurricanes, storms and fires also add to the reason that a hearty maritime forest has not lasted on the entire island. The Sunken Forest is protected by the NPS—the majority of the reason it thrives today.
Stages of Maritime Forest
When the dunes first formed the beginning plants are called pioneer plants, mostly beach grasses. They are the only flora hearty enough to withstand the harsh conditions (lack of soil, salt spray and wind). The beach grass is the building block of the entire forest, and its intricate root system anchors the sand allowing dunes to grow. The grass breaks down and decomposes, enriching the soil and setting a base for more substantial flora growth.
“We don’t say dunes are sand with grass on them but grass with sand around it, the grass is that strong,” said Stroeber.
Often beach renourishment starts with the mass planting of beach grass.
Once the protection of the dunes are stabilized pioneer trees grow. The second layer of the Sunken Forest includes deciduous trees like beach heather, a tree with vivid yellow flowers; beach pea, which produces a legume—though not edible for humans, the beach pea is a staple in wildlife nutrition; and beach plum, a tree that produces very ripe but tart plums. “The plum makes really great jelly,” said Stoeber. The black cherry tree prospers as well as the high bush blueberry (a tree related to cultivated blueberry trees) and catbrier, a sticker bush that provides protection for the wildlife.
The Sunken Forest is known as a Climax Forest, it can be sustained indefinitely, and won’t evolve as long as it is protected. The species of trees that can be found in the heart of the forest are the American holly, shadblow (also known as shadberry or juneberry) and the sassafrass tree, which is what root beer is made from.
The center of the forest is usually five to 10 degrees cooler than the edge because of the dense canopy that covers it.
“The trees can’t grow above the protection of the dune, once the branches are exposed to the conditions they die, so it has this razored, flat effect,” notes Stoeber.
So, has the Sunken Forest really sunk? Stoeber laughs, this is a question she is asked often fresh water from precipitation collects at the bottom of the forest so some people believe it is below sea-level, this theory, Stoeber assures is not true. The depth of the forest is an optical illusion because the trees do not grow above the dunes the floor appears sunken to the naked eye.
The Sunken Forest is one of the oldest maritime forests on the East Coast. The NPS took core samples from fallen trees and dated them back to between two and 300 years. “When you think about it, the forest is as old as the country,” said Stoeber.

The Fire Island National Seashore offers educational tours through Sunken Forest and the upcoming three-day Fire Island Trek, an island-long ecology hike. To register or for more information contact the park’s Interpretation and education office at (631) 654-3362.

Ponds Enhance Beauty, Tranquility of Pines Gardens
By Mike Lavers

With its often unpredictable weather, sandy soil, salt-laden air and an abundance of pesky critters, such as deer and rabbits, Fire Island is perhaps not known as one of the world’s great gardening meccas. The island certainly lacks the conditions that many gardening aficionados take for granted on the mainland. Nevertheless, this has not stopped many Fire Islanders from using what nature has provided, such as ponds, to make their homes their own piece of heaven.
These features are perhaps most common in the Fire Island Pines – one of the island’s wealthiest and most exclusive communities. And of these, one of the largest can be found at the home of Dr. Sumner Freeman and Roy Yeager on Midway Walk.
Located near the widest part of the Pines, the pond is abutted by three different homes and an abundance of indigenous woodland that contain American holly, cypress, sassafras and pine. Swamp maples, which turn bright red during the fall, dot the shoreline of the pond alongside ornamental shrubs, such as azalea, and plants, such as lilies.
Three bridges span the pond and a number of waterfalls and streams provide it with a steady supply of water. Dozens of dime-store goldfish also call the pond home. These fish often become a tasty meal for herons that frequent the area. And this hazard, along with occasional flooding, salt-water inundation and duckweed blooms are just a few of the problems – or challenges as Yeager likes to say – that can have an impact on the pond and the gardens around them. But for Yeager, who has lived in the Pines for 13 years, the nearly non-stop effort to maintain the pond and gardens are worth it.
“We had a choice to live surrounded by catbrier, Virginia creepers and poison ivy,” he joked while working in his garden earlier this week. “But we chose to live surrounded by ferns, hostia and lovely flowers.”
Ken Ruzicka, president of Ruzicka Design, is the man behind Freeman and Yeager’s pond, along with dozens of others in the Pines, including that of Ed Lewis and Glen Wielgus at their bay front home. Ruzicka said that each of his ponds is different while adding that he creates them to suit his clients’ needs.
“When I design something I take pride in getting to know the owner,” he said. “It can’t be just mine.”
Ruzicka further noted that he creates gardens that people would want to spend the majority of their time in. And he even joked that some of his clients may not even leave their gardens while on the island.
“People want to stay home,” Ruzicka said.
Yeager agreed. His garden has played host to a number of parties, such as the pre-Senior Activism for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Elders party earlier this month. Artists, including Wielgus and the late-John Laub, have also used the garden as a backdrop for many of their paintings.
“It’s an exciting thing,” Yeager said while noting the popularity of his garden among Pines residents.
Visitors to the garden, such as year-round Cherry Grove resident and photographer/playwright Warren Boyd Wexler, are often quick to agree. Wexler, while visiting the garden on Monday afternoon, said that the presence of water in the garden enhances its beauty.
“The feeling of tranquility echoes the feeling Roy and Sumner have created throughout the garden,” he said. “The sound goes with the entire feeling of peace and serenity.”

With its often unpredictable weather, sandy soil, salt-laden air and an abundance of pesky critters, such as deer and rabbits, Fire Island is perhaps not known as one of the world’s great gardening meccas. The island certainly lacks the conditions that many gardening aficionados take for granted on the mainland. Nevertheless, this has not stopped many Fire Islanders from using what nature has provided, such as ponds, to make their homes their own piece of heaven.
These features are perhaps most common in the Fire Island Pines – one of the island’s wealthiest and most exclusive communities. And of these, one of the largest can be found at the home of Dr. Sumner Freeman and Roy Yeager on Midway Walk.
Located near the widest part of the Pines, the pond is abutted by three different homes and an abundance of indigenous woodland that contain American holly, cypress, sassafras and pine. Swamp maples, which turn bright red during the fall, dot the shoreline of the pond alongside ornamental shrubs, such as azalea, and plants, such as lilies.
Three bridges span the pond and a number of waterfalls and streams provide it with a steady supply of water. Dozens of dime-store goldfish also call the pond home. These fish often become a tasty meal for herons that frequent the area. And this hazard, along with occasional flooding, salt-water inundation and duckweed blooms are just a few of the problems – or challenges as Yeager likes to say – that can have an impact on the pond and the gardens around them. But for Yeager, who has lived in the Pines for 13 years, the nearly non-stop effort to maintain the pond and gardens are worth it.
“We had a choice to live surrounded by catbrier, Virginia creepers and poison ivy,” he joked while working in his garden earlier this week. “But we chose to live surrounded by ferns, hostia and lovely flowers.”
Ken Ruzicka, president of Ruzicka Design, is the man behind Freeman and Yeager’s pond, along with dozens of others in the Pines, including that of Ed Lewis and Glen Wielgus at their bay front home. Ruzicka said that each of his ponds is different while adding that he creates them to suit his clients’ needs.
“When I design something I take pride in getting to know the owner,” he said. “It can’t be just mine.”
Ruzicka further noted that he creates gardens that people would want to spend the majority of their time in. And he even joked that some of his clients may not even leave their gardens while on the island.
“People want to stay home,” Ruzicka said.
Yeager agreed. His garden has played host to a number of parties, such as the pre-Senior Activism for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Elders party earlier this month. Artists, including Wielgus and the late-John Laub, have also used the garden as a backdrop for many of their paintings.
“It’s an exciting thing,” Yeager said while noting the popularity of his garden among Pines residents.
Visitors to the garden, such as year-round Cherry Grove resident and photographer/playwright Warren Boyd Wexler, are often quick to agree. Wexler, while visiting the garden on Monday afternoon, said that the presence of water in the garden enhances its beauty.
“The feeling of tranquility echoes the feeling Roy and Sumner have created throughout the garden,” he said. “The sound goes with the entire feeling of peace and serenity.”

The Eclectic Gardens of Ocean Beach
By Emily Aldridge

For many homeowners, Fire Island can be a difficult place to cultivate a garden. Whether it’s due to uncooperative beach conditions like saltwater floods and sandy soil or a lack of time on those sun-filled weekends spent at the beach, a Fire Island garden takes a great deal of motivation, dedication and energy. Beautiful gardens do exist, however, and are especially plentiful in Ocean Beach.
One of the most eye-catching gardens of Ocean Beach is Sallie Potterton’s. Situated on Denhoff and Midway, Sallie’s beautifully eclectic garden includes a tree of colored bottles, a giant metal wheel suspended in mid-air and countless other works of art that Sallie created herself and incorporated into her garden. Sallie sees her garden as “one big experiment,” she said.
A large part of that experiment is preventing the infamous Fire Island deer from consuming her flower garden, which is fenceless. “I don’t think it’s necessary to have a fence to keep out the deer, and I don’t like the idea of being fenced in myself,” Sallie said. As a year-rounder, Sallie enjoys the company of the deer, especially during the lonelier months of winter. She has perfected the art of maintaining a deer-proof garden, which is filled with a combination of flowers and herbs. She explained, “I have a lot of herbs because the deer don’t like anything that’s too strong-tasting. I also use a lot of furry plants and purple plants, which the deer don’t like to eat. But I try new things all the time. I just experiment with what the deer will or won’t eat. I also often mix the flowers the deer usually eat with the things they don’t like to trick them. It puts them off.”
Corresponding with Sallie’s philosophy of “working with nature as much as possible” is her organic gardening. “I think it’s important to grow organic food since we eat it every night,” Sallie said. Hidden on her porch and roof, away from the deer, is her vegetable garden, which includes lettuce, tomatoes, peppers and herbs and is nourished with compost Sallie cultivates herself: just another indicator of the time and care she puts into her garden.
Before one even enters Elssy and Clovis Depiante's garden on Denhoff Walk, an overwhelming sense of calm is reached. From the sidewalk through the archway that leads to the Depiante's garden and house, one can see the wall of nooks and crannies that are all filled with a variety of statues, artwork and potted plants. This display wall, which makes up one entire side of their property and leads into the hidden back garden, is just one of the elements that makes the Depiante's garden so unique and zen-like. Each piece displayed in the wall has its own special history. There's the curved and curled piece of driftwood that Elssy fondly calls her “Ballerina” because of its striking resemblance to a seated and posed dancer. Then there are the statues picked up by Clovis in Mexico and Spain, which reflect the extensive travel of Elssy and Clovis, who were born in Colombia and Brazil, respectively. At the end of the wall, facing out towards the street, is Iris, the serene form of whom seems to watch over the Depiante's home. Scattered among all of these works of art are beautiful potted plant displays, whose color and vivacity enhance the displayed objects. Elssy and Clovis are both extremely hands-on in the garden, and have created many of the works of art themselves. After seeing an energy plant of huge water mills, Clovis made his own working miniature version for the garden.
When one steps into the back garden hidden behind the Depiante's deck, Elssy's creativity is apparent everywhere. Although a financial assistant by trade, Elssy's main creative interest is in colored and stained glass. The archway leading into the garden, like the wall, is also filled with niches for display, which are filled with a rainbow of painted glass bottles. The stretch of garden hidden behind their deck contains a long bed of flowers punctuated with stained-glass dividers, whose varied and vibrant colors complement the flowers surrounding them. Although a “Hydrangea Lane” sign still hangs on the wall next to the garden, Elssy said that the original hydrangeas that made up the garden weren't suited to the very sunny area. One survived, but the rest of the garden is now filled with an array of delicate sun-loving plants, including a bed of roses. Although the Depiante's garden is meticulously maintained, when asked her motivation for keeping a garden, Elssy simply smiled and said, “This is what we enjoy doing.”
Kesiah Scully and David Seres' garden on Ocean Breeze Walk is another that seems to beckon one from the road. Just beyond the fence and gate that protect the precious blooms from hungry deer, passerby can see the lush growth that surrounds Kesiah and David's house of 11 years. Nestled amongst woodchips, the garden is completely filled with flowers and shrubs, and not just plants that simply have been bought and planted. Kesiah, who used to own a landscaping company, shops mostly at the Community Garden Center, the Farmers Market in Union Square, Father Nature, and Home Depot, but has also collected plants through the years from various places, the combination of which create a striking garden.
“I like a mixture of plants from all over; it's interesting,” she explained. From the tiger lilies shipped from Kesiah's uncle's house in Maine to the clematis that was illegally smuggled out of Ireland, the plants have been through quite a lot and have faced an even bigger challenge this year with the recent salt flood, which soaked the soil in saltwater from the bay.
“A lot of things were hit hard and just haven't grown as well as they should have,” Kesiah said. Among the plants most affected by the flood are Kesiah and David's sprawling wild rose bush, which spans the length of their property, and the blueberry bush, which normally produces a plethora of berries during the summer but doesn't seem to be on track for this season. Despite this setback, the garden is still flourishing due to Kesiah and David's efforts, who employ creative and organic methods to keep their plants healthy. Along with maintaining a compost bin to fertilize the soil, they buy ladybugs and praying mantises from Father Nature for natural insect control. With a little help, the garden, which includes delphinium, honeysuckle, hydrangea, and edible nasturtium for salads, should be on its way to a beautiful summer
To see these three gardens and many more up close, take the Ocean Beach Garden Tour on Saturday, July 9. The self-guided tour begins at 10:00 a.m. at 653 Ocean Breeze. It includes Surf View Road through Denhoff from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and Cottage Road through Surf Road from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. sharp. The cost is $10 per person. All proceeds will go to the Ocean Beach Community Fund. Call 631-583-5357 for more information.

Q & A On Your Island Home and Garden
Brian Kerr and Grace Corradino

Question: I want to plant trees this summer, but you indicated that you should not plant until the Fall. Why is that?

Brian answers: It gets too warm and the trees are shocked by being transplanted. With balled and burlapped material, the trees can not survive. Trees in this planting zone should be planted no later than mid-June.

Question: At the end of the summer, everything in my closet is full of mold and mildew. What can I do, if anything, to protect my shoes and clothes from this summer blight?

Grace Answers: We have struggled with this issue for years too. Not only do the contents of our closets become covered with fuzzy green stuff, but we have found mold on many other things in the house too.
One way to combat the mold which develops is to strategically place fans around your house. Ceiling fans, table fans, large standing fans all help to keep the air moving to minimize the growth of mold. There is a Product “Damp Rid” which is a moisture absorber. If hung in a closet it will help minimize the damage done to your closet items. The Web site for the product is www.DampRid.com.

Question: I have two different neighbors who have recently planted trees and shrubs. One yard is surrounded by mesh fencing and the other yard has no fencing at all. Why would anyone want fencing?

Brian answers: If deer resistant plant material, trees and shrubs are selected, no one should need a fence. If, on the other hand, a homeowner insists on planting material that the deer eat, then fencing will be needed to protect the homeowner’s investment. There are many varieties of trees and shrubs which the deer stay away from. Take a walk around your community and make note of the trees which are outside of the fencing.
On another note, get to know your town’s building codes.
There are local building codes which were designed to assure that each town has minimum building standards. Standards include property set backs, height restrictions and lot coverage for buildings, sheds and fences. Make sure your contractor is familiar with local building codes. If your contractor is not familiar, you may be subject to fines. Your contractor won’t be fined, you will. We see a lot of work done, where there has been no consideration for the codes. Don’t be a part of this misguided ignorance of the codes for your town. In the end, the entire community suffers.

Question: This summer, I am determined to keep my hanging plants and containers looking good until Labor Day. Every other summer, the hanging baskets start out healthy and full and in no time they are leggy and burned. Can you give me advice as to what I need to do in order to assure that they look good throughout the summer?

Brian answers: New plant material has been pumped full of nutrients to get it to look its best when it comes to the market. The minute it leaves the grower, it starts to deteriorate. During the summer months, heat and wind wreak havoc on the plants and the reasons your baskets and containers deteriorate quickly. The single most important thing you can do to offset the affects of the heat and wind is to set your hanging baskets out of the wind. Any protected area will do. Even if a plant requires full sun, ultimately it will do better out of the wind in less direct sunlight than in direct sun and wind exposure.

Please note that some container material requires more water than others. New Guinea impatients are notoriously thirsty. If you are here sporadically and you do not have a drip system for your plants, do not choose these unquenchable plants.
Also, do not water any container plant unless you feel the soil first. If the soil feels damp do not water the plants. Wait until they dry out and then water.
All container plants should be fertilized every other week. This is critically important if you want your plants to succeed throughout the summer months.
Dead head your flowers every week. As an example, Geraniums should be snapped off at the base. Hibiscus flowers should be cut off with hand pruners or a scissor.

Question: There is a shrub that has been blooming in every community called a “scotch broom.” Why haven’t I seen it anywhere other than on Fire Island?

Brian answers: The common name of the shrub is Scotch broom, the Latin, Cytisus. It is an arching, broad rounded deciduous shrub with erect, slender grass, green stems and twigs. Its floral display is nothing short of spectacular. If you are not here early in the season you will miss this unique Fire Island show because they only bloom from May to June in both flaming and soft yellows, pinks, reds and combinations of each.
Other than as a matter of taste, there is no reason why broom can not be grown in other similar environments. The lifespan of the plant is not extensive; after five years it becomes twiggy and its bloom diminishes. It should be cut back each year after it has flowered in order to keep it small. If you snow fence it in the off season, it will be less vulnerable to damage from the ice and snow.

Question: I have a vegetable garden with lettuce, sugar snap peas and tomatoes. The lettuce has holes in it. What am I doing wrong?

Brian answers: Most likely you have slugs in your garden. They are actually everywhere on the beach. If you are an early morning person and if you look carefully, you will see them on the sidewalks. They make their way back to the bush as the morning wears on but at night they stumble out to the sidewalks and boardwalks.
They are probably munching through your lettuce. There are organic ways to deal with slugs. Take a shallow can and remove either the top or the bottom. Dig the can into the ground near your lettuce and fill the can with beer. The slugs will slither into the can, unable to do more harm to the vegetables. Commercially you can buy a product called “Slug bait” but it is a chemical. We would rather have some holes in our lettuce rather than chemicals on the leaves. Whether you use the commercial insecticide or not, you need to be very certain that the lettuce is thoroughly cleaned before you eat it.

Question: Here it is, summer again, and I already feel like I have missed the opportunity to have a garden. Now what?

Brian and Grace Answer: Now is the time to do an assessment of your property. If you plan ahead, you won’t be in this predicament next year. For example, do you want additional sun in your yard? How about the shade? Do you have room to park your bikes and wagons? Would you like more flowers and shrubs in your garden?
As you enjoy the summer months here on Fire Island, determine what you would like to be different next summer. Now is the time to start making notes and talking to your landscape contractor about your outside space. In most communities the use of stone as opposed to wood does not add to the square footage of your property. Again, we encourage each homeowner to notice what features are in surrounding properties that you find attractive and functional. When you have a clearer picture of how you would like things to be, the conversation with your contractor will go much easier. You will have done some of the design work already.

Question: I have a neighbor who came out to the beach and found that she had squirrels in her attic. There was an entire family of squirrels including babies. What should we be doing to be certain we don’t have any problems?

Brian answers: One of the most important things you can do is to have trees and shrubs pruned away from your house. Although it is not always the only reason the squirrels get in, it is often a primary consideration. You also want to be sure that there are not openings in your eaves and that any chimney you have is capped. It is also prudent to make an arrangement with a neighbor, year round resident or contractor, to keep an eye on your house over the winter months.