Inclusion Body Myositis (IBM)

I’ve been trying to write this blog for a year. Last year I was diagnosed with Inclusion Body Myositis (IBM).   It is a somewhat rare affliction.   According to some experts, IBM affects about 15 people in 100,000. It is apparently both an inflammatory and a degenerative muscle disease.  The cause is unknown and there is no cure.  Falling down is what we do.

I continue to garden with help.  I continually search for tools to make gardening possible for me. 

There is so much more to explore in the world of gardening.  As I reinvent myself, I plan to post highlights and lowlights of my gardening world.  I hope you’ll come along for the ride.

Pictures from Hortulus Farm, Garden and Nursery  a non-profit foundation in Wrightstown, Pa. Bucks County. The reasonably priced plant sales’ profits go towards preserving the beautiful grounds and gardens.  It was definitely worth the trip.

Meadowbrook Farm

J. Liddon Pennock a floral artist, landscape designer and former chairman of the Philadelphia Flower Show started this little jewel of a garden center in the 1970’s. The 25 acres includes an English Cotswolds style house, display gardens and garden center. After his death in 2004, the property became a non-profit affiliate of Philadelphia Horticultural Society.

The house, with a beautifully manicured garden view from every room, is a testament to Mr. Pennock’s eclectic decorating talent. A few of the garden’s gazebos were used in displays at Philly flower Show.

It was difficult to get the exact name of plants in the display gardens. We were told this stunning grey/green edging shrub was called “Curly Top”. I’m guessing Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Curly Tops' and the delicate 2 foot plumes “Feather Grass” (Nassella tenuissima?)

The garden center greenhouses force thousands of plants for Philadelphia Flower Show. If you admire a plant in the PHS display or one of the displays that Meadowbrook supplies at the show, you can usually find it in the garden center in spring.

Don’t miss the begonia and fern greenhouse. Meadowbrook has over 150 varieties of stunning begonias including a large silver and red leaved plant that caught everyone’s eye. The greenhouse also contains exotic ferns, extraordinarily colored elephant ears, and much more. It’s worth a trip to see Meadowbrook Farm. You most likely won’t come away without a new plant or two.