Planting Diary by Patricia Hayes
Co-owner and Master Gardner
When I retired in 2009, I set goals each year for the farm. First, the barn needed lots of work. It had been many years since it had been painted and most of it had peeled off. There were stabilization issues to be addressed as well. Mother had always wanted the Century Farm designation and I set about applying for that in her memory. I was most anxious to have a quilt square honoring our grandmother, Ida Gouldy. Her work was art and I wanted that acknowledged in this way. Those were my first concerns and efforts. After these were accomplished, my plan was to add trees, shrubs, and flowers over the years. I also wanted to make small gardens in honor of family members.
I am writing this now, February 2019, ten years later because Katy has established a website for the farm, and she has asked me to add some things to it. As all my efforts have been toward these goals, then this is what I will add.
My own documentation was in the form of goal setting lists at the first of each year. I will draw from these lists and I imagine the rest of the narrative will be more or less lists of goals I accomplished each year. Some goals were carried over to the next year and some I started with have yet to happen, but I will not go into that. I will just list what was finished each year.
The planting has been the easy part. The drives over, hauling water from Greeneville in the truck to water new plants, weeding, mulching, and nurturing have been the most time consuming and I have loved every minute of it. There is a magical joy that comes from being there and knowing so many generations of your family have been on that very ground. I most truly could not have done a fraction of what is there if it weren't for my husband, Harold Hayes. He has the patience of a saint. He has dug any hole anywhere I have asked and has never once complained.
2009
Applied for Quilt Trail designation and was accepted. I took pictures of Ida Gouldy's French Bouquet. I sent it to the agency and they painted it and delivered it. Harold and Frank put it on the barn.
Harold and I began mowing around the barn and at the house yard
2010
Barn painted black.
Noah and Emma planted daffodils and tulips around the oak tree at CCC
Planted Sweet Bay Magnolia on the south side of the barn
2011
Barn Stabilized, concrete piers
Began moving daffodils from Mom and Dad's to the garden around the large Elm tree there at the House Garden - many days over to complete this
Dug up the monkey grass lining the walk that used to go to the house and began adding peonies as there were already a couple of gorgeous ones in place
Discussed a contract with a farmer. For use of the farm, he will keep the fence rows clean. Eventually, we took out the fence rows and just mow the shoulders every month during the growing season.
Met with the County Agent at the farm regarding farm usage.
2012
Barn roof replaced. A saga – had multiple people working on it and it was finally completed with in the year Old temporary building from the house area was moved
Moved all of Mother's peonies to the farm to edge the sidewalk to the House Garden
Planted 3,000 Daffodils on the hill in honor of Mother. It is called Daffodil Hill. (DH) With these and the ones we moved from Mother's, there are about 4,000 daffodils
Hired a contractor to move Mother's white lilacs to the farm and the cemetery. Moved 8, one lived. When I investigated and pulled them up I saw that he did not dig up the roots, he just cut the plants off just below the ground. Lesson learned.
Began Cherry Tree Walk (CTW) in honor of Daddy. Started with 9 Yoshino.
Planted 3 Jane Magnolia
2013
With severe hail storm the barn paint was damaged. Was able to get the insurance pay for a new paint job. Went back to the original white. “It was always white,” as everyone on CC would tell me. I agree that white is better. The contractor also repaired the fence and shored up the interior of the barn. Excellent work
Installed a water line. Monthly water bill averages $40.
A landscaping group moved 9 of Mother's best boxwood to the farm. They dug them up in June during a drought and did not move them over for a month. Needless to say, they all died. Another painful lesson.
Began including the area between the barn and the House Garden (HG) in the mowing.
Added 7 dogwood
Added 4 more Yoshino Cherry trees to the Walk
Moved the large spirea that was in the middle of the field to area around the tree at the Cherry Tree Walk (CTW). Auntie always had that, so I wanted to preserve it. It was huge and we separated it into about 5 bushes.
Moved Mother and Granny's Iris to a bed in front of the east side of the barn.
Moved more Daffs from Main St to the farm.
Paid to have huge oak removed from CTW path. Also had dead Sycamore removed from there.
Moved forsythia from Mother's to CCF, at east side of the barn with the iris from Mother's.
Moved Clematis “Carnaby” from Mother's that she had at the lamp post to CCF
2014
Applied for Century Farm designation. Received! (see Letter and Application)
Trees planted or transplanted:
Coral Bark Maple in Front Yard
7 dogwood Yard and else where
3 Willow Oak in Front Yard
Willow Tree at Barn
Other:
3 Beauty Berry “Issai” at Barn
5 Pulmonaria at HG
5 Lime Coral bells at the HG
Little Lanterns Columbine at HG, started with 3 and they have colonized wonderfully
8 Solomon's Seal...have multiplied – brought from PSR
2015
Post for Century Farm sign made and installed
2 Beauty Berries
Harold and Noah made and placed 6 Bluebird boxes boxes from NC Travel Centers. A gentleman there made thousands for give away!
Planted 2 white oaks. One at barn in memory of Arthur Gouldy and one in CCC which did not live due to animal rubbing the bark off.
Had dirt moved to area where dead oak was removed and evened out area
Increased mowing area to CTW
Added Weeping Willow to creek area
TC cleaned out the creek
Planted Forest Pansy Redbud at HG
Bought 20 English boxwood at an end of the year sale and planted around the HG
2016
Cleaned up creek area at end of CTW across the road (is actually Richard's property, and I had his permission)
Am having TC. mow and weed eat this area about once a month during the growing season.
Had memorial makers made for each small garden…
Mary Elizabeth Gray - Daffodil Hill
Frank Gray – Cherry Tree Walk
Arthur Gouldy - White Oak Garden
Mattie Lou Gouldy – House Garden
Barn Built sign for James N. Gouldy
Quilt Square Garden – Ida Gouldy
Planted 50 red bud seedlings from Dept of Forestry
Moved 200 bulbs from PSR to farm
TC cleaned out the barn.
Moved Mother's Blue scillia from Main St. to the farm as well as a gorgeous tulip she always had at their lamp post.
2017
Moved the rest of Mother's boxwood to CC in February !!! A good month to move bw. They are thriving!!! Moved by a contractor from Afton.
Freightliner out of the Barn!
Added 100 daffs to the creek area
Tilled and smoothed out the Arthur Gouldy Garden
Added 7 Emerald Green Arborvitae behind the white oak at Barn
Planted a camellia brought back from Middleton Plantation
Planted 3 William Baffin roses. At Century sign at Ida's Garden, and on the fence
Planted Honeysuckle, “Major Wheeler” on entry fence
Planted 2 Clematis “ Guiding Promise” with the roses
Planted Lady of Shalott rose with boxwood border at Barn
Added 15 Heirloom daffs in the same area
Sowed grass seed over Daffodil Hill as it was only huge weeds. I went over every day for 2 weeks to water until germination, then every three days after for a while. We have a very good stand of grass there now.
Planted a River Birch at the Century Farm sign
Added 100 Daffs at the creek ( not many returned) and 3 dogwoods
2018
Moved Hellebores from PSR to farm
Moved 21 boxwood from PSR to farm:
12 at pergola garden
5 at Century Farm Garden
4 with hellebores at edge of yard
Added Pergola with Carolina Jasmine.
Finished adding peonies to walk
Added 6 Yoshino cherry trees
Added 2 dogwood to creek area
Added Green Giant Arborvitae behind beauty berries
At Cemetery planted 100 English Bluebells and 100 Snowflakes – shared cost with cousin Claire Porter
At Cemetery planted 7 Cryptomeria – Shared cost with Frank
2019
TC dug path for Peony Path
Transplanted a Wisteria standard from PSR
Currently TC is contracted to mow the yard part once a week then the Cherry Tree area once every two weeks. He mows and weedeats the creek area and shoulders of road once a month during the growing season. As TC needs work, I am having him do the other projects during the winter.
Spring area cleared as well as a path down to the area. Charles maintains this at a rate of about 5 times a year. He also keeps the spring on the other side of the road which is visible to passers by cleaned. He cleans out the watercress a few times a year, or it will clog the spring totally. $60 each time
Sidewalk at Mattie Lou’s Garden made and filled with pine needles. $50
Met with a Forestry Planner from UT in February and he made us a fantastic evaluation and plan for the whole farm.
Finished cherry tree walk, but 3 have since died. Will replace. $210
Made inquiries with Cherokee High School for them to redo the quilt square. Will need just the cost of the paint.
Planted wisteria $40
Replaced dead boxwood in ML Garden.
Memorial to unknown buried in Caney Creek Cemetery placed $250
32 boxwood planted as a fence on the west side of the cemetery $230
Planted 4 camellias in cemetery. Three have survived. $120
Planted 100 bulbs on the hill which had been divided from daffodils on Pine Straw Ridge. Total of bulbs on the hill now ( underestimated as I have added several I have not documented over the years) to about 4100.
Lavender trial begun
28 small plugs planted along the driveway to the barn
8 large plants installed next to the barn
4 medium plants installed at the cemetery
2020
Century Farm Sign repaired and re-painted November $100
Quilt square redone ( could not complete with the High School due to COVID, but Kim Gray redid it and did a marvelous job). $200 to Kim for supplies - Summer
Moved 2 struggling dog wood from the farm to the cemetery, but not sure they have survived
Past Spring 2020, Harold and I gathered 350 daffs from the wall going up the drive at Mom and Dad’s
Also, noticed there were daffs in the field around 1308. When I checked them out they were the old timey “ Egg and Butter, or Scrambled Egg” daffs. They were some of Granny’s favorites. My heart soared at the sight of them. They were one of the things I remember Granny telling me about. It is a wonderful memory for me. I am beyond thrilled to know that these were descended from the ones she planted so long ago. We dug all that we could find and planted them on Caney Creek.
There were about 50 of those. Bringing the total of 400 bulbs for spring of 2020. And a total of all bulbs at 4500.
Had an arbor of mine refinished and donated to the cemetery. Planted rose on either side. Roses are Graham Thomas and Claire Austin. Survived their first summer. Much hauling of water for the boxwood fence and roses. Arbor original price+ rehab $500. Roses-$80
Attended a 2 day work shop on gravestone repair. Resource for materials for cleaning and restoring : atlas preservation.com.
Planted 3- 3’American Beech Trees at the crest of the hill to the west side of the barn. I hope they will be magnificent in 70 years. $60
Mulched and manured all plants at the cemetery and farm. Big job. Used money left from mother’s checking acct. to do this. $400
Pruned the large boxwood at the barn. Opened holes for air.
Planted Peggy Martin on fence at farm. Have dug up the William Baffin roses as the were very unruly, aggressive, and extremely thorny. Planted Super Excelsa at the barn to replace WB. $30
Removed aggressive forsythia at barn. Want to keep one as they are from Mother’s. But watch them, they send out runners and are the devil to keep in check if left for long.
Have 380 daffodils to plant somewhere by end of December. They are from divisions of New Hope daffs which were divisions of Pinestraw Ridge daffs! They are my favorites, I have not found their name. This will put the total on the hill at 4880. A way off from the 10,000, but perhaps when the renovation of the house is done, I can focus on completing this goal.
Bill Shoupe and Mike Cowan have taken over maintenance of the farm. It looks good, very green and kept mowed. Mr. Cowan says to wait until next spring!
Seven arborvitae that were behind the white oak at the barn have died. I think dry ground. I did not nurture these as I have the boxwood and other trees and shrubs.
2021
Caney Creek Farm did not get a lot of attention from me this year. I have mostly maintained. Keeping things watered, feeding, mowing, creek brush kept down, and the creek cleaned of growth.
I did get one item started which has been on the list forever and that was getting river rock ($800.00) put on the drive. The drive still needs filling in a bit, but the major drive is finished.
The river birch placed at the top of the drive on the left didn’t survive and I’ve replaced it with a dogwood.
Katy’s lavender that was placed around the barn did not survive. I am not sure if it was the close mowing or the invasive Bermuda grass which killed it. Perhaps a bit of both. The lavender planted at the cemetery is doing wonderfully.
2022
Maintenance on the farm this year due to preparations to move us to Rogersville.
2023
Harold and I moved to Rogersville. Most of my time this year time was spent on this endeavor. Have only been able to maintain. Charles mowing and me watering when needed.
Was able to get in about 4 - 4 hour days on the boxwoods at the barn and at Mattie Lou’s garden. They needed air holes and dead debris cut out. Cleaned up the barn iris bed and forsythia as they rather take over if not kept in check.
Planted beech tree at century sign post. Have planted several trees here, but they have all died. This is where Mr. Neill Gouldy had his machine shed, so the ground has been compacted there. I have tried to build up the soil, and the farm seems to grow beeches well, so perhaps this one will take. Also recently added to that area daffodil bulbs from divisions we did at New Hope Cemetery in Greeneville.
The sign post has rotted so our Century Farm sign is down. I have contracted with someone to build it back. Hope it is done by Spring 2024
Worried about the 5 beauty berry bushes. Extremely wonderful output of berries in early autumn, but then we had a drought and they are currently looking very bad. To be continued.
Five kitties found at the barn. Susan on Caney Creek was able to tame 3 of them and has rescued them.
Due to this episode, we have found that there is blatant trespassing. I am going to scrape the gravel that goes to the barn and sow in grass. Hope that will be some what of a deterrent. Also, have found I am not able to keep the weeds out of the drive so a good move for a couple of reasons.
Am making many plans for the new year! Frank built a cottage to live in part time and Katy and George took over the main house (“The Lodge”) and began some renovations.
2024
Katy and George moved part time to the Lodge on Caney Creek Farm in January.
The Century Farm sign has been restored!. Pics soon!