Garden Shinanigans in Oregon Part 3: ID'ing the Unknown (Like, I'm suppose to know?)

So, here's a little clip I took of the guys wanting to show me something at Ernie and Marietta's garden at Northwest Garden Nursery in Eugene, OR.

This is just a hint of what happens when plant geeks get together and spend time in the garden.




Matt is always pushing me, I swear!

Next installment is where this pic was taken. Visiting the guys at Dancing Oaks Nursery!!

R

Garden Shinanigans in Oregon Part 2: Not just Hellebores

After the drool fest and automatic debiting of our bank cards, we strolled the grounds of Ernie and Marietta's garden and, again, were treated to something truly special and awe inspiring.

"Every great garden as great bones" Penelope Hobhouse once said. Their garden is certainly no exception to this statement; it's actually a fine example of it. In the dead of winter, a garden doesn't need to be flat and barren. Having structural elements and shapes, focal points and other objects which direct the eye make for a successful landscape. I included this photo with the guys in the rear so you get a sense of depth and scale. You see a pedestal as a focal point with a fluffy Carex that makes for a simple yet, very effective focal point and on the right, notice the strong, bold anchor that a columnar cypress creates.

I was taught that if you take a black and white photo of a landscape, you can better define these elements and you can really see what holds a landscape together. It's not just the pretty flowers, lush foliage, the color, the texture of it all, it's these bold lines and shapes that make for the foundation of a landscape.

 

Notice how the rare winter sunlight illuminates the form, structure, and then you get a bit of texture enhanced as the contorted branches become more evident. Notice the small mounds made up of conifers and, in the previous photo above, ornamental grasses.  With curving paths and simple rocks staggered about, it makes for a pleasant stroll during a cold, but bright winter's day.

Here are some more captivating scenes from their garden:

Look at this remarkable composition: the height achieved in the background with vertical elements set off by the bright winter foliage of a yellow-needled shore pine Pinus contorta 'Chief Joseph'. And in the foreground, you see their simple rock work with a few mounds of evergreen ornamental grasses and dwarf conifers.  THAT'S ALL YOU NEED and you can have a fabulous garden that looks this great year round!

Even with the remaining foliage of the hardy banana, this photograph illustrates another simple yet effective composition with the variegated yucca flanked by heaths and heathers. In a way, you almost don't notice how ugly the banana is at this time of year.

One of my favorite features of this garden is their spectacular bamboo screen. Meticulously maintained so it doesn't take over all of Eugene, OR, it is a remarkable sight to see. I love the contrast of the aging, multi-stemmed tree against the fine texture and vertical lines of the back-lit bamboo and having the empty containers there

Very important to have  a rest in the garden, both physically with the bench in place anchored by a large container as a "companion", but also a visual rest from everything else that's going on. It may be winter, but there are still a lot of things to see so these wide paths play an important role.

Levels are important especially in these large beds so there's a sense of depth, scale and each plant specimen or planting scheme is

And naturally, the woodlands are inundated with Hellebores!!

Garden Shinanigans in Oregon Part 1: HELLEBORE HOOPLA

A recent trip to Oregon offered many wonderful moments and much needed down time with close friends and colleagues. My buddy, Matt Berberich, a fellow landscape professional up in Port Townsend, met up with me for a plant guy's weekend joined with one of this friends and former classmate at Longwood Gardens, Erik Petersen. Erik is an avid plant collector, specialty nurseryman and recently has taken a position with Oregon Garden, a botanic garden in Silverton, OR.




I sort of spearheaded the trip down to Oregon with the main objective that we pay Ernie and Marietta O'Byrne of Northwest Garden Nursery in Eugene a visit to see (and yes, buy) some of their fabulous Winter Jewels® Hellebores!!! I've blogged about their Hellebores each winter and a visit to their gardens about two years ago. I can't say enough about how incredible their plants are: the well designed and maintained their gardens and what wonderful people that they are.

 
 
Despite the most erratic and sometimes miserable weather we endured during the drive and even upon arriving at the garden, they seemed quite busy with a flurry of Hellebore enthusiast looking over their remarkable nursery stock turning each nodding flower up to observe and admire the exquisite colors, shapes. and forms of what really are the jewels of the winter garden landscape.

         

Apricot Blush strain

Double Painted strain

 

Rose Quartz strain

Amethyst Gem

Harlequin Gem

   

Jade Star strain

Cherry Blossom strain reverse

Cherry Blossom strain

Painted strain

 

That was just a handful of the many wonderful selections they have. Marietta kindly let me through their breeding houses to check out the next generation of Winter Jewels® and boy was I in for a treat. TALK ABOUT BEING LIKE A KID IN A CANDY STORE!!

It was such a treat to be allowed to see these creations. AND EVEN MORE TEMPTING to select a few to take home!! So, Matt and I selected a few: he picked out some for a client, for his own garden and a special selection for his partner, Rebecca. I shopped for myself to have a few of these plants grace Landwave Gardens. This was our opportunity to meet with Ernie and Marietta and just share in the joy and love for plants and gardens. I'm always inspired and end up just feeling good when I visit!

Next on this series, a tour through their amazing gardens!!!


R

2012 Northwest Flower and Garden Show: Part 3: Through the Eyes of a Non-Gardener

My friend, Hyejin Yun, joined me again at this year's press tour for the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. A far cry from her typical desk job working for Microsoft, but as an avid photographer, she's applying all the skills she's learned by taking photographs of landscapes, people, random artifacts, and comes to the show to treat her eyes with something far more compelling than codes and email complaints.

It's always fun to share my world with someone who's not too familiar with it, yet has utmost respect for it. I fill her in on the technical aspects of the show, but I also have to turn off the "plant snob professional" mode  so I can let her explore and discover the beauty that is the Northwest Flower and Garden Show on her own and develop her own connection with plants and flowers. The subjects she chooses to photograph are intriguing to me because it lets me look into her eyes and what she sees.

Check out her webpage and fabulous work HERE

It's the last day of the show and I'm headed down to soak up the show and stir things up a bit. ;-)

R

2012 Northwest Flower and Garden Show: Part 2: On the brighter side

The last post may seem kind of negative, but as a professional in the field, I need to have a keen eye; an educated perception of what occurs based on previous experiences, patterns, trends, and what we have to offer our audience.

This audience, however, is a very narrow demographic. As much as we want to shoot for the stars and have EVERYONE be as motivated and inspired by gardens and plants and flowers, it's just not gonna happen. The same way not everyone will be as engaged watching the Superbowl, the NBA Playoffs, or Glee. It may not happen, but why give up trying and in the process, encourage the regular show-goers to look and also think outside of the box and explore new ideas, new ways to approach gardening and also continue on time-honored techniques and methodologies that work. THERE'S ROOM FOR IT ALL!!


The most important aspect of the Northwest Flower and Garden Show is the simple fact that it's "the people's show", according to show owner Terry O'Loughlin.  When I came in ever so briefly last night to check out the show, there's no denying the inner excitement I have to see people there, to know that I'm a part of what they're experiencing and enjoying.

You've got to watch this video composed by the wonderful Theresa Loe from the awesome PBS series, "Growing a Greener World". It was so cool to have been interviewed and be included in this video!!




Here are some more images from the show I took during the press tour.

"Rice Above" an interpretation of the Philippine Rice Terraces in Banaue fused with tradition Asian concepts.

Itoh peonies in "Paris".

Great patio design complete with stereo and monitor that just pops out of the deck.

A tribute to cool curly branches!

What look like containers are actually drums with water spatting on top creating a unique rhythm.

 

 

2012 Northwest Flower and Garden Show. Part 1: A critical eye

I've been trying to figure out all day how I could present this: I collected some notes and photographs during the press tour for the 2012 Northwest Flower and Garden Show and part of me feels the obligation to highlight all the wonderful things about it, but then another part of me goes into work mode and wants to just be overly critical. After years of attending and being a part of this show (and yes, having also visited the famous Chelsea Flower Show last May in England), I know a lot of the challenges both attendees and exhibitors face when it comes to putting together award winning gardens and displays that people will admire. After talking to friends and colleagues, both amateur gardeners and professionals in the field, I summed up some of their thoughts and my own as I walked the show floor. I won't name names, but they were observations that struck a chord somehow and this is just beginning to scratch the surface.


*IT'S A LOT OF HARD WORK that takes a team of dedicated and organized people to put exhibits like this together. Always remind yourself of that no matter how hideous and poorly built some of the gardens are, they took months of planning and just a short amount of time to put all together. 

*DO away with the theatrical lighting for the show gardens. Light those that want/need to be lighted, but let people see what they're going during move-in and let the plants and ornaments stand out so they can be fully admired and photographed.

*ENOUGH white birches. Love them white stems and peeling bark, but THERE ARE OTHER TREES you can use!!!


*IT'S THE SAME PLANTS EACH YEAR. You'd think that growers know what's been done before, but they seem too reliant on the same plants each time and it's totally understandable. It's winter and the palette can be very limited, but even a friend who's a non-gardener attended last year felt that everything was very "romanticized".

*EVERYONE'S INTERPRETATION OF THE "FLORAL SYMPHONY" KINDA SUCKED with the exception of the orchid folks with their cleverly interpreted music stand signs and tuxedo pots. Others just tried to pull off a music theme and it all seemed pretty half-ass.

*MAKE IT LOOK LIKE A MATURE LANDSCAPE! Yes, you put it together in just a few days or even under 24 hours. This is a show to inspire gardeners what they can do with their landscapes and, yes, you want to demonstrate how to plant and do things, but THIS IS A SHOW! Make it look like it's been growing that way FOR-EV-ER!!.

*EXHIBITORS TRYING TOO HARD TO BE SUSTAINABLE. They're trying to get a message across and demonstrate how to be more "green", so they display the concept and embellish it with plants and garden art to make it look good to the point where it looks gaudy and unrealistic.

*IF YOU'RE GONNA INCLUDE EDIBLES, MAKE US WANT TO EAT IT! Not something we should tear out because it's not doing anything. Yes, it's a tough time of year to even have veggies looking good, but sheesh....run down to the Pike Place Market and throw some great produce on your display garden or something!

I could go on and on; and I probably will later on, but this gets us started. For the seasoned professional, they can be pretty critical, but for the casual show attendee, it's simple something spectacular! Both, however, will acknowledge the time and effort it takes to create these displays and marvel at the fact that such a show like this exists for all of us who enjoy gardens, plants, flowers, fruits, vegetables and also bear in mind: THE SHOW ISN'T JUST ABOUT THE GARDENS and that's probably the reason why I love this show.

More soon...

Tazettas for the Chinese New Year!

The Year of the Dragon celebration continues as my Chinese sacred lilies come into bloom after purchasing a few bulbs from Uwajimaya, a well known Asian market here in Seattle's International District (aka Chinatown).

The bulbs come like this sitting either dry or already rooting in a shallow pan of water and they're grown this way in a bright windowsill until the foliage develops and flowers appear. In China, they take this already intriguing clump of radially arranged bulbs and carve them in a manner where the leaves and stems curl and contort themselves to resemble objects such as baskets, vases, and even a dragon!! It is truly a fine and intricate art form where you can't fully control what you'll get. That's what makes it most fascinating and worth trying.


So I didn't really know what I was doing, but here I go:

 

So here's what developed after a few days in bright light and a shallow bowl of water:

Here was the blooming result!

It turned out to be a lovely double form and, of course, it was powerfully scented. I decided to have it on display at the Miller Horticultural Library at the Center for Urban Horticulture. I hope they and their many patrons enjoy it! May it bring good luck to everyone!