There is something vulnerable about a leafless tree in wintertime.
By: Julie Gartland
There is something vulnerable about a leafless tree in wintertime. Exposing what hides behind leaves and flowers during the growing season, the tree is undaunted in displaying its inner self, as if to say "This is reality with ordinary imperfections; this is my true beauty."
It is this honest, outspoken nature in Pegi Ballister-Howells, horticulturist and resident of Millstone Township, that one finds instantly appealing. Comfortable in sharing her life with you, she lives her life creatively, with exuberance, and feels right about what she is doing.
Ms. Ballister-Howells lives on her 10-acre farm, Blooming Acres, with her husband and two children. The family began with a blank canvas 10 years ago and the farm is now home to many varieties of flowering trees, shrubs, perennials and vegetables, in addition to various dogs (including a descendent of the original Lassie), cats, a donkey, goats, sheep, chickens and a pig.
Blooming Acres is a frequent source of inspiration for what Ms. Ballister-Howells does on "At Home with Pegi," a cable television show broadcast by Comcast Cable Co.; a two-hour radio talk program on WCTC-AM 1450 called "The Garden Show"; and her gardening columns in New Brunswick’s Home News and Tribune.
"I really do this stuff," said Ms. Ballister-Howells. "It’s not like I have to think about it too hard. It’s whatever I happen to be doing at the moment."
The cable show includes segments on agriculture, home gardening, home cooking, home decorating and pet care.
The show recently visited the Burlington County Greenhouses, a state-of-the-art county facility that is an interesting example of interaction between the county, state and a local landfill, said Ms. Ballister-Howells.
"They are sucking methane gas out of the landfill and using it to heat the greenhouse," she said.
Another segment shows how to go from seed to table. Ms. Ballister-Howells demonstrates how to cultivate asparagus, then takes it into the kitchen and whips up an easy cheese sauce to top it off.
Ms. Ballister-Howells is working on getting her collie, Jake, into Therapy Dogs International, where dogs and their handlers provide comfort and companionship to those in nursing homes and other care facilities.
TDI has been taken on by the Ballister-Howells family as a volunteer project and the cable show will demonstrate how the dogs are trained.
"He (Jake) has a wonderful endearing personality," said Ms. Ballister-Howells of her dog. "People run to him because he looks like Lassie."
The home decorating segment usually includes a project she is working on at home, like the mosaic wall displaying a collection of broken shards of tile and other interesting pieces of china.
"Everything I do or cook is fast, easy and fun. I’m sort of like Martha Stewart for real people," she said.
Ms. Ballister-Howells is a gardening expert with a master’s degree in horticulture from Rutgers University. She is a county agricultural agent at Rutgers University and is the successful author of a solid horticultural reference book, "New Jersey Gardener’s Guide." She also is a horticultural photographer and lectures all over the state.
She does a large amount of work supporting the New Jersey Farm Bureau and works with various organizations in the horticultural, nursery and landscaping fields.
She wrote the sales tax manual for the nursery industry in 1995, which was very helpful to the nursery industry since the tax laws were very gray.
Because she understands the nursery industry and knew where the problems were, she worked with the New Jersey Division of Taxation to get clarification on tax laws that were being challenged or laws that had too many interpretations.
She also compiled a Produce Growers Directory working with the New Jersey Farm Bureau and is in the process of making it available on the Internet.
Ms. Ballister-Howells does a lot of juggling with her time and said scheduling can get complicated, but it works.
"I would never be happy as a nine-to-fiver type of thing. I never do the same thing two days in a row. Yesterday I gave a seminar, today I’m planting pansies. I don’t even know what tomorrow is yet," Ms. Ballister-Howells said.
Although one of her favorite topics is flowering trees and shrubs, she does remember the forgotten season winter. Unique deciduous trees, such as the contorted mulberry and Harry Lauder’s walking stick, are specifically planted to be appreciated in winter.
"Sometimes things are at their most beautiful when they are contorted or twisted or the bark is outrageously peeling," leaving wonderful shades of colors and textures, Ms. Ballister-Howells said.
Growing up in South Orange, the youngest of eight children and daughter of a produce merchant, she developed a real appreciation for fresh fruits and vegetables. It was when she got her degree in horticulture and started working that it became obvious to her she knew a lot more of the marketing angle than she thought, and she knew a lot more than what others knew.
"The combination of being trained in the science of it and having grown up in the business of it gave me a unique perspective which allows me to be passionate about it. I understand both sides," said Ms. Ballister-Howells.
The agricultural industry is very strong and viable right now, according to Ms. Ballister-Howells, but she said lawmakers can’t hack away at it indefinitely with laws that make it difficult for farmers.
"People who move into developments surrounding farms have no appreciation for what goes on and they make life difficult for farmers," said Ms. Ballister-Howells.
Probably one of the single most devastating threats to agriculture, said Ms. Ballister-Howells, is the inheritance tax. She explained that farms are taxed based on their highest use value. If the land would sell for $5,000 an acre as a farm, it might sell for $50,000 an acre for development. When a farmer dies and passes the farm to the next generation, the tax is based on the value of the land if sold for development. The heirs would have to pay tax on $50,000 and a lot of farmers don’t have that kind of money.
"A lot of farmers don’t have a choice," she said.
Ms. Ballister-Howells has the utmost respect for farmers, saying, "I would trust a New Jersey farmer more than any other farmer in the world. New Jersey has the strictest rules about pesticides, the farmers are well-trained and well-educated. They are honest, hardworking people and they’ll give you an even break every time," she said.
The New Jersey agricultural community recently put up $50,000 to create specialty license plates promoting farming and agriculture. The plates, which bear the New Jersey nickname "Garden State" along with a farming scene, will be available around August.
"We are the Garden State because of New Jersey agriculture," Ms. Ballister-Howells said. "It’s important that farming stays in New Jersey because it gives us the diversity we need, it provides food, it provides open space, people who grow up on a farm have an incredible work ethic, farming allows beauty, it’s a tremendous source of employment and it’s environmentally sound."
"I think it’s vital to every New Jersey resident’s existence to become aware of the importance, the diversity, the immensity and the value that is added to living in this state by agriculture," Ms. Ballister-Howells added. "If people don’t appreciate it, it’s going to disappear."