Botanical Broadway Tunes Chase Away the Winter Blues
By Hilda M. Morrill
February 21, 2005

There's not much to do outdoors right now (except for shoveling snow and getting rid of ice dams on the roof), so I continue to dream about working in the garden, perusing the seemingly zillions of plant-and-seed catalogs that arrive on a daily basis - all the while listening to my current favorite music, 'Green Up Time - Ellen Zachos Sings Botanical Broadway.' The fabulous CD was recorded by my Garden Writers Association (GWA) colleague, Ellen Zachos. 

A gracious and friendly person, Ellen made a positive impression on me right from the very first time I met her. As a director of the GWA Northeastern Region, she often led group discussions at round-table get-togethers. She exuded a certain presence and enthusiasm, and she was very comfortable addressing a group. I thought she had a lovely speaking voice. 

I knew that she owned a plant landscaping business in New York City; that she was a frequent contributor to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's outstanding handbook series (which I receive with my publications-only membership); that she was very knowledgeable about orchids, having written 'Orchid Growing for Wimps'; and that she was an excellent photographer, using her own images to illustrate her frequent lectures and writings. 

What I didn't know until fairly recently was that she spent her college years right here in Massachusetts, graduating from Harvard University, no less; that she walked away from a successful professional Broadway career; and that she just happens to be gifted with one of the best musical theatre voices I've ever heard - which brings me back to Ellen's CD. 

Who knew there were so many botanical tunes? And, from the likes of legendary musical composers and lyricists like Alan Jay Lerner & Kurt Weill, Bob Merrill & Jule Styne, Ira & George Gershwin, Lorenz Hart & Richard Rogers, Oscar Hammerstein II, and Leonard Bernstein - just to name a very few. 

The twenty-plus song collection begins with, appropriately enough, 'Green Up Time,' a bubbly piece about bluebells and love. A ballad follows which encourages the listener to 'Always Say Hello to a Flower' and to communicate with nature. In 'My Garden' we hear that "each seed contains a mystery; each season has its history."

There's some great guitar accompaniment in 'Wick'; and 'Hurry, It's Lovely Up Here' urges the flower buds to hurry up and bloom, that they have spots and pots to fill; and to hold their heads up from their subterranean depths. 

The piano accompaniment for 'You Must Believe in Spring' beautifully complements Ellen as she sings of what lies 'beneath the deepest snow.' Then there's the sad story of the poor little buttercup 'In the Mandarin's Orchid Garden' - yearning for friendliness and ultimately shriveling up and dying. 

Humor takes over with a very funny 'Misalliance,' which tells the story of the fragrant honeysuckle and the bindweed, who happen to fall in love to the disdain of others. This particular song gives Ellen the opportunity to perform several different accents and characterizations. 

Before we know it, Ellen is belting out 'Grow for Me,' a rhythm and blues song, all full of heartache and such. In 'Garden in the Rain' we hear about raindrops that kiss a flowerbed. Soon we find ourselves in the tropics on an island paradise in the blue Caribbean enjoying a 'Cocoanut Sweet-Lazy Afternoon.' 

'Plant a Radish' compares growing vegetables to raising children. If you like jazz, you'll love how Ellen performs a great duet with Mark Hardy in 'The Flower Garden of My Heart,' which mentions sweet William, violets, narcissus, lilies, roses, gladioli and sunflowers. 

For those who like 'a little bit of country,' 'Acony Bell' promises that spring is coming soon, and the ice and snow is going to melt away. Speaking of melting, before we know it, Ellen effortlessly slips into a great rendition of the beloved 'Edelweiss' from 'The Sound of Music,' with its wish that the 'blossom of snow' bloom and grow forever in the 'homeland.' 

The beat changes to a tango rhythm with 'Forbidden Fruit,' with a veritable Eve inspiring her Adam with an apple a day. In 'Make Our Garden Grow,' Ellen sings beautifully without musical accompaniment at first, describing an Eden where inch by inch, row by row, she makes her garden grow, ending with a 'Garden Song.' 

Ellen writes, "What could be more natural for a singing horticulturist than a botanical look at Broadway? Making this CD has been a joy, and I hope musical gardeners everywhere enjoy listening to these tunes half as much as I enjoyed recording them." 

To learn more about the multi-talented Ellen Zachos and her fabulous CD (the first of many, we predict), visit her Web site at www.acmeplant.com. (Acme Plant Stuff is the name of her horticultural services company, which she founded in 1997.) While online, be sure to read the great article about Ellen by Christopher Reed for Harvard Magazine. Then, order yourself a copy of her CD. You'll be glad you did. 

Happy Listening! 


Note: This article first appeared in www.QuincyStarNews.com, Features, 'Round & About the Garden, February 13, 2005.