Lindsay Hancock: Artist, Gardener, Athlete, and Arts Advocate

 

I have known Lindsay Hancock for many years, starting with our kid’s school and the Maine College of Art auction committee, but most importantly through our monthly art group, which is composed of eight women painters and print makers. Lindsay is a very talented artist, (we have several of her works) but she is also an experienced gardener and birder, an avid cyclist, and Grantwriter. She has been writing grants for the Bates College Museum of Art for 4 years and the Bates Dance Festival for over 20 years! She also provides grant writing and fundraising services to the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, the Wilderness Guides Outdoor Education Fund and the Maine Academy of Modern Music. It is incredible that she also has time to keep a large flower and vegetable garden! 

Her yard is a sanctuary far from any highway and road noise. The 1840’s Greek Revival farmhouse set off the road, is an idyllic spot for sitting and listening to the American Goldfinch on her feeders, or the wood thrush at night. Crabapples planted years ago now supply shade and texture to the flagstone sitting areas, while the long view includes field and vegetable garden.

Her garden is the result of over 33 years of adding and editing. Immaculately kept, the roses were in bloom on the arbors and her shade gardens were abundant with flower and foliage. Some rarer things were a Polygonum bistorta  and the Cimicifuga racemosea “Hillside Black Beauty”. Epimedium grandiflora  gracefully spreads with Campanula pericifolia as an airy backdrop. Peonies gotten years ago, from a refurbishing of Maine Audubon beds, bloom in an abundance of heirloom varieties. 

Spring by Lindsay Hancock

In the vegetable garden, she had a low electrical fence that protected many varieties that can’t be gotten at the store; a delicious pea that is eaten as a shoot called Grey Dwarf, and a broccoli  (considered a variety of cauliflower) that has florets in the most amazing green fractal patterning. This Brassica oleracea var. botrytis seed is called "Veronica" and both this and the pea  she gets from Johnny’s Seeds.

Always inspirational, I came away from our group meeting last Friday with the idea to write about this haven for artists, birds and friends.