arts&life
PHOTO BY ELAYNE GROSS
at home
continued from page 49
that brings,” Gross explains. “To give that
joy, I keep doing this.”
Gardening stays in the family as Gross
is helped by his brother. At the beginning
and end of the growing season, William
(“Billy”) Gross helps
with the digging and
weeding, all done by
hand because there are
no herbicides or pesti-
cides in the dirt.
Mostly self-taught in
planting techniques,
Gross has enhanced
his knowledge through
lectures presented by
local dahlia societ-
ies and videos shown
on YouTube. He has
learned how to prepare
for each new season
by searching out new
PHOTO BY ELAYNE GROSS
varieties of his favorite
flower.
“There are people who breed these
plants to have a mix of colors, shapes
and sizes,” he says.
Gross starts working on his garden
each spring because the plants are not
winter-hearty. Then, he digs out each
plant and stores them in his basement
over the winter. In early spring, he checks
which have survived and prepares the
beds.
“As the summer goes on, I spend less
time in the yard as the flowers are kind
of on their own,” he says. “This past sea-
son, I’ve been doing a lot of watering
because we’ve had a relatively dry sum-
mer.”
All the giving makes family friends feel
very comfortable about asking for plants.
A number of Rosh Hashanah center-
pieces recently were filled with dahlias
provided on request by this member of
Congregation B’nai Moshe.
In good humor, Gross’ friends have
given him flowers of sorts for various
reasons — to congratulate him on spe-
cial occasions, thank him for medical
advice and cheer him during some per-
sonal bout with illness.
“They know I have a sweet tooth, and
they send me cookie bouquets with
cookies shaped and decorated as flow-
ers,” says Gross, who finds the beauty of
his own garden — and working in it —
relaxing.
“In the winter, I get a little bummed
out because I can’t garden and give
away flowers. I’m glad to have pictures
of the garden taken by my sister, Elayne
Gross, who also enjoys being around the
plants.” •
PHOTO BY BRETT MOUNTAIN
50
October 12 • 2017
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