July 24, 2008
Gardeners Serenely Succumb To Passion For Plants And The Land
"I'VE BEEN KNOWN to take things a little far," says Winthrop Baum of Fairfield, who procured two beehives in 1991 to pollinate his orchards. Now he has 45 hives after the honeybees hijacked his interest. (MICHAEL MCANDREWS / March 26, 2008)
When Winthrop Baum wanted to improve the output of his beloved fruit trees, he became a beekeeper.
He began with two hives in 1991 to pollinate his apple, peach, pear, nectarine and plum trees in Fairfield. Today, bees from 45 hives buzz among the trees and produce about 2,000 pounds of honey annually.
An over-the-top solution? Baum, 53, says that's characteristic of him.
"I've been known to take things a little far," Baum says.
Some people just can't help getting carried away in the garden. A relaxing pastime becomes an obsession, turning them into compulsive weeders, fanatic plant collectors or prolific growers. They find themselves devoting large amounts of time and resources to their green pursuits.
"For many gardeners, once they get established in gardening, they find the thing that really affects them," says Doug Oster, co-host of a radio show, "The Organic Gardeners," and co-author of "Grow Organic" (St. Lynn's Press, 2007), both with Jessica Walliser. "It really does become an obsession."
Baum, a commercial real estate developer, describes his beekeeping as "an enthusiasm."
"What started out as a supplement to the gardening — having a couple of beehives to support the orchard that we planted — has really turned into a life of its own. The bees now are far more interesting than the orchard."
He says that beekeeping has made him far more attuned to the change of seasons.
"You're thinking: What's blooming this time of year? You're much more aware of your natural surroundings. That was one thing I noticed soon after becoming a beekeeper. You have an understanding of what the bees are foraging on."
A past president of the Back Yard Beekeepers Association, Baum talks fondly of his honeybees and their ways. While each of his hives has about 75,000 bees at their peak in June, and the worker bees cover a radius of about 2 square miles, or 6,000 acres, Baum explains that each bee knows which hive is home because bees recognize the scent of their particular queen.
"A bee landing at her hive knows she belongs there," he says. Occasionally a bee gets caught by a sudden rainstorm, or doesn't have enough daylight to fly back to the hive.
"She'll be welcomed at another hive if she's bringing pollen or nectar with her into the guest hive. If she arrives empty-handed, they'll attack her as an invader."
Baum pauses. "I could go on and on with stories. That's what's so compelling. There are nuances that are never-ending."
Rescuing Near-Dead Plants
People may be attracted to aspects of gardening for various reasons, says Charlie Nardozzi, senior horticulturist with the National Gardening Association in South Burlington, Vt. Some like the science of growing plants. Others appreciate their beauty.Jeremy Wayne Lucas has sacrificed food, sleep and the company of loved ones for the sake of plants. A longtime gardener, he started to suspect that his hobby was taking over his life when his fiancée, Christina Anderson, accused him of loving his plants more than her.
Lucas, 57, of Jacksonville, Fla., had started buying racks of near-dead, discounted plants from a big-box store and taking them home to nurse back to health. He would normally pay $10 for a rack of 600 to 1,000 sick plants.
Over the course of a year, he estimates, he brought home more than 100,000 plants. At times, his entire yard was covered with plant containers. Several times a week, he would make the 45-minute trek to the store, spend several hours loading his van with plants and then drive 45 minutes home.
"I just got totally addicted," Lucas says. "Some of my friends were saying they couldn't stand to watch me go totally crazy."
Lucas gave plants to friends, children, senior citizens and strangers. He would invite fellow gardeners over and offer them their pick.
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