March 3, 2001
Inception of the Silybum Society

One day, a bunch of my decidedly non-fair weather friends showed up with shovels and pots to help me dig up all the plants in the way of my soon-to-be new fence.

Kym Pokorny, Jay Miner (poised with shovel), Paul Bonine and Greg Shepherd rip into my precious plants with a certain sadistic pleasure

Paul, the least of the shrinking violets among these Opinionated Assembled, oohed and aaahed over most of my plants, but did his best to divest my dwarf yew of its reason to live.

Plantsman with not-so-thinly-veiled contempt for plant

The altogether better behaved Jay, however, went to great pains to move my evergreen oak, Quercus hypoleucoides , which was putting down roots right along the fence line.

Man sings gaily with evergreen oak's life in his hands

I'm not sure who was more relieved when lunch came, the terrorized plants, the traumatized homeowner or the terrorist gardeners.

Men eating meat

Four hours later, all plants potted and all gardeners besotted with bad selves, we decided to proclaim ourselves an Official Garden Club. Ladies and gentlemen, you are now bearing witness to Day One in the life of the Silybum Society, a force to be reckoned with once we figure out what to do.

The original members of the Silybum Society. Not pictured, Diana Ballantyne (she took the picture).