The Next Generation Gardener

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

2012-02-12T12:35:00.000-08:00

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. ;-)

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

2012-02-10T01:22:00.000-08:00

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

2012-02-09T07:12:00.000-08:00

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!

2012-02-05T14:36:00.000-08:00

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!

Ode to the Purple Yam we call Ube!

2012-02-05T13:19:00.000-08:00

A few weeks back, I found these wonderful tubers that reminded me of my homeland at a local Asian market.

(L) Fresh roots of Dioscorea alata aka Purple Yam sliced to expose the purple flesh and (R) the cooked yams.

"Ratulu" in India, "khoai mỡ" in Vietname, "Uhi" in Hawaii, "Ube (pronounced OO-beh)" in the Philippines....

Botanically: Dioscorea alata

This beautiful root crop is a very popular starch in the Philippines and I often craved it as it was the main ingredient in many of my favorite childhood snacks and desserts.

It has a lovely smooth texture, a stunningly beautiful flesh that's deep pink/violet when cut into raw and turns a smokey deep purple and has a wonderfully sweet, starchy flavor that's baked or roasted like a baked potato. It is also made into a sweet paste that's used to flavor cakes, sweet porridge, and added to make the infamous Halo-halo: a super sweet dessert consisting of fresh and preserved tropical fruits topped with shaved ice, ice cream, a dollop of ube, and condensed milk with sugar.

While it's kind of cold to have Halo-halo during the winter, I played around in the kitchen and came up with this pretty concoction integrating a little East/West influence in presentation.

Ube topped with jackfruit and vanilla ice cream garnished with mint and sweet violet blossoms.

A warm weather plant we can't really grow here in the Pacific Northwest, but it's quite vigorous and is actually invasive in parts of the Southeast. It's often a seasonal root vegetable available mostly during the fall and winter months so you don't often see it, but when you do, it's definitely worth trying!

R

Almost showtime!

2012-01-29T15:41:00.000-08:00

Just a few days remain until the biggest event in Pacific Northwest gardening takes place at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center here in Seattle.

I'm getting sick and tired of this show NOT GETTING ENOUGH ATTENTION no matter how hard the staff work to promote it! I speak from a perspective of someone who's been both a spectator and an exhibitor behind the scenes and as an active member of the gardening community here, I really wish this show could be like the OSCARS of Northwest Horticulture. The glitz, the glamor, the paparazzi, the celebrities and everyone in Seattle knowing that this show is taking place and they have to see it and experience it no matter what! Yes, there are complaints about crowds (come during the morning or later in the evening), parking (get dropped off and picked up or take the bus), but there's so much to see and experience.

A display garden at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show


Queen Elizabeth II greeting garden designers

Perhaps I'm venting a bit as I finally had the opportunity to visit the Chelsea Flower Show last spring (see blog post here) and my article comparing it to the Northwest Flower and Garden Show that just came out in Pacific Horticulture Magazine. There are many similarities and each show definitely has its own strengths and weaknesses, but it's the press and publicity about Chelsea that just blows me away. Big names like Ringo Starr, Helen Miren, Gweneth Paltrow, and Vanessa Redgrave made appearances and, each year, the friggin' QUEEN OF ENGLAND comes to take in the displays, the scents and all the wonderful pleasures of seeing the show before it's open to the public.

Vanessa Redgrave

I'm sure there's a lot of issues why our show can't garner the big names: security, liability, "over the top" demands and I guess our famous people just aren't all that interested in plants, but one never knows! Part of me feels like they're just not being invited nor encouraged to attend the preview gala. Yes, celebrities have tight schedules and are exceedingly picky about how they're portrayed and where they can and can't be seen, but it's PLANTS AND FLOWERS, of course you're gonna look damn good amongst beautiful things. Also, having celebrities come in an instant draw for people. Some could care less about plants, but if they knew that Bill Gates or Kenny G would make an appearance or performance, heck, why not go with a chance to see a "big name"!

In all honesty, part of this rant is stemming from a personal struggling I've been dealing with for quite some time. I often feel like I'm emersed in an industry that stuck in the dark ages and trying to venture out is frowned upon. While I feel very strongly about maintaining traditions and the common ways we nurture our plants and gardens, making it accessible and readily available to anyone has been the ongoing challenge.

What it has turned into are "trend-setting attempts at marketing crap" that are suppose to make gardening "easier" for people. Yes, it's a luxury to garden, to have a garden, but it takes work no matter what! Those getting into gardening need to be educated, inspired and motivated to put in the work to grow plants or else they shouldn't be reluctant to hire proper help if they want a garden, plants and flowers in their life. Essentially what I'm trying to say is: gardeners and those working in the horticultural industry don't get enough credit where it's truly due!

I like to think that the Northwest Flower and Garden Show is a place where we in the gardening community can truly take centerstage and shine. It's our chance to show off our ingenuity, our skills and deep knowledge and set us up for new jobs, new ideas, and new opportunities in the coming gardening season. All of us need to continue to believe that our industry has a bright future ahead and we need to stop whining about the economy and scrambling to find where all the trends are going. Yes, we're all broke and losing money, so then keep your objectives simple. It's really a matter of re-instilling the value of nurturing the earth and the satisfaction one feels for growing a plant in a landscape. There are different paths and directions towards those values, but that's what makes our field so exciting and unique; not everyone is going to be doing the same thing the same way. Instill in them the sciences of how plants grow and develop and let the art-form evolve by responsibly bringing it all together in a garden.

Some people will be in awe and many will say, "it's just like every other year...bleh". IT DOESN'T MATTER, IT'S THERE AND DESERVES TO BE THERE!

I just wish everyone knew how much work goes into putting in a display garden at the Flower and Garden Show. It takes a incredible leader with a bold and clear vision and a team to plan, design, grow, transport, arrange, install, maintain, and finally dismantle. All in an effort to say, "We love what we do and we'd like to share it with everyone in the hopes that you'll support us and our community."

I'm slowly visualizing my presentation in my head and I'm praying that it's well attended. It think it's going to be pretty awesome. Yes, my topic is very....plain and traditional, but this is a 29 year old talking about it! There's bound to be something obviously different about it and, perhaps, exciting. =)

So there is a preview party that's put on by the Arboretum Foundation. I can't promise any celebrities such as Bill Gates, Dave Matthews, Amanda Knox, or any of these other celebrity Seattleites! but you should check it out.

Riz

The Year of the Dragon

2012-01-22T01:50:00.000-08:00

The Lunar New Year is here and the festivities for Chinese New Year are in full swing. While I'm not Chinese nor does my family celebrate Chinese New Year, I can't help but acknowledge it each year as I have many friends that do celebrate it and the happy occasions and traditions seem to have rubbed off on me knowing how significant a holiday it is to those around me.

There are aspects of Chinese culture I thoroughly enjoy, the art, the food, and, of course, THE PLANTS! I studied Chinese Brush Painting years ago, I cook Chinese influenced dishes almost every single week and my collection of plants are dominated by species from "the Mother of Gardens".

Plants and flowers play an important role in the festivities for Chinese New Year and there are iconic plants you'll often see at stores such as:

Miniature orange trees or kumquats:

Obviously, mandarin oranges do not grow naturally like this, but you'll see these all over China as they symbolize great fortune. The round fruit also symbolize unity and perfection.

Chinese Sacred Lilies:

So the Chinese started the whole forcing of paperwhites, but they do them more elaborately often carving the bulbs into unique shapes and their flowering is always timed so they're in full, gloriously fragrant bloom come Chinese New Year! Known as Shui Xian Hua (water goddess flower) and botanically known as Narcissus tazetta v. chinensis

Lucky Bamboo:

Everyone is familiar with Lucky Bamboo (not really a bamboo, but botanically known as Dracaena sanderiana) and you'll see more of them during the Chinese New Year decorated and often contorted in many different shapes and forms. They are easily grown in water and make a low maintenance house plant and as the same suggests, symbolize luck and goof fortune.

The year of the dragon reminds me so many plants that I grow that have "DRAGON" in their name.

The first plant that comes to mind is Poncirus (now classified as Citrus) trifoliata 'Flying Dragon'. It is a hardy plant for us in the Pacific Northwest and it is highly unusual with its contorted branches, dark stems and occasional fruit. I've used it in container plantings, but I've yet to get mine in the ground as it looks smashing in a pot and I'm not quite sure where it'll go in the garden.

Then there's the rampant Persicaria 'Red Dragon' with it's deep red and silver cast to the foliage.

An impulse purchase at a local nursery was this rare Polygonatum that I thought I had lost, but I think I managed to save a piece of the rhizome. This is a variety called 'Jeweled Dragon'

Next is a conifer that's readily available in the trade and one I really should be growing, but again, not sure where it's going to go, but this 'Black Dragon' Japanese Cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) is a handsome plant that doesn't get too large. Getting to about 7-8ft. tall and wide in 15-20 years, which is pretty compact so it lends itself to container work and a small urban garden. So, it's slow growing and quite low maintenance.

恭禧發財!! Gong Xi Fa Cai (mandarin) Gong Hey Fat Choy (Cantonese)

Happy Chinese New Year!

Riz

Snow Day in Seattle

2012-01-21T01:37:00.000-08:00

The snow kept me indoors for two days as I avoided the icy roads and crazy Seattle drivers!!!

I did step out and admire a container I composed last year that's looking pretty awesome as the snow blankets the landscape.

Love, Eat, Garden!

2012-01-08T20:57:00.000-08:00

The first weekend of the new year was quite a treat as I spent it with close friends and family.

One of the highlights of last summer was watching my high school friend, Carol, get married and this weekend was the first time I had seen her since their wedding.

She invited me to their new home as she prepared for a hot pot dinner, which I couldn't attend because I had dinner plans with family (potential blog post, but there wasn't much plant/veggies involved and I was too lazy to take pictures). With her younger sister, we helped prepare for the evening meal and as a token of her appreciation, she prepared a light breakfast and lunch that was so simple, yet so comfy and delicious.

Carol utilized a green that I've just started to become fond of last year when I had so much of it when I was in England. There, it's known as rocket, but in the US, we call it arugula. As a uber plant geek, it's Eruca sativa.A native of the Mediterranean regions where it kind of grows as a weedy annual, the peppery foliage is often used in salads and lightly cooked as a vegetable.

Here, Carol lightly sautes the arugula with a bit of bacon jam she was given as a gift and in the same pan, she lightly toasts a half of an English muffin that's topped with the greens and finished off with a seasoned fried egg, sunny-side up!

In the garden, it's an easy plant to raise as even young seedlings can be sheared and used as needed and it flushes out new foliage each time it's cut. You can also plant the seeds in succession so you have a regular harvest throughout the spring and summer. Provide a full sun location and water regularly. It is a type of plant that can be very quick to bolt (produce flowers instead of the desired leaves) so they like it fairly cool, but the flowers can also be eaten and the seeds saved for future sowings.

After a second helping of this simple, but scrumptious dish, we helped Carol prepare for her hot pot dinner. Slicing assorted vegetables, fungi, and other ingredients, Carol arrange a forest of greens and enoki mushrooms for an easy and effective presentation.


Greens consisted of sliced banana petioles (Musa sp.), napa cabbage (**Brassica rapa ssp. pekinensis), baby bok choi (Brassica rapa ssp. chinensis), choi sum (Brassica rapa var. parachinensis) (chrysanthemum greens (Chrysanthemum coronarium), and garlic chives (Allium tuberosum**), which she used for our lunch!

Lunch time rolled around and her husband came home to join us for another meal! This time it was a bowl of noodles in a broth of left over turkey drippings splashed with fish sauce, a few fish balls, sliced giant oyster mushrooms and a bundle of garlic chives left over from the hot pot veggie arrangements.

We reminisced about high school, the summer, the holidays, and the upcoming year and Carol suddenly remembered that she had orchids that were given as wedding/house-warming gifts and wanted to inquire about their care. On top of inviting her to attend my talk at Molbak's (that I just posted), we discussed their care and she seemed genuinely interested in caring for them even though I've admitted that orchids these days have become as disposable as Poinsettias after Christmas.

Next generation gardener? You betcha! As her friend, you bet I'm going to encourage her to pick my brain and introduce her and her husband to some garden basics as they settle in and feel more compelled to enhance their living spaces.

First, I need to convince them to talk to their landlord about taking out a hideous "boxed" Photinia up against their window. hehe

Hear my talk on ORCHIDS!!! February 4th at Molbak's!

2012-01-03T01:13:00.000-08:00

After years of visiting, purchasing from, and admiring the institution that is Molbak's Garden and Home in Woodinville, WA, the lovely Karen Chapman helped get my name through the door for me to finally stand on their stage and present a talk!

It's going to be about ORCHIDS!

The last talk I ever gave on orchids was a scientific talk in flasking techniques and micropropagation of assorted genera in the Orchidaceae when I was an undegrad, but this time, we have to simplify it a bit and introduce folks to a most fascinating group of plants that simply mesmerize and draw us to them.

Once rare and only the wealthiest and most powerful could ever dream of owning and growing one, the orchid has come a long way from Greek testicles, Chinese aphrodisiacs to symbiotic sexual acts with insects and prom flowers at Trader Joe's.

My talk will cover the alluring and interesting history of why such a family of flowering plants have captivated us over the years and how we can take this fond curiosity about them and nurture them to grow and bloom in our homes.

The talk will be at 12PM at Molbak's on February 4th. A Saturday.

I do hope you'll come and be inspired to own and grow an orchid.

Riz

Plants I Want 2012: Plant Delights Nursery

2012-01-01T23:57:00.000-08:00

January can be a very exciting month as many well-known mail-order nurseries put out their new catalogs and entice plant geeks such as myself with their new introductions and plants I want to use in work projects and plants I'd like to add to my personal collection.

I'm anxious to start with one of the most popular mail order catalogs and that's of Plant Delight's Nursery in Raleigh, NC. I had the pleasure of meeting Tony Avent years ago as an undergrad when he was a auctioneer for a reception at the International Plant Propagator's Society conference. He was entertaining and hilarious, but he's also a remarkable plantsman and owns one of the most successful plant mail order operations out there. He's so well connected with other growers in that he has access to the best of the best and many of their offerings are simply to die for if you know your plants! He also has a great cartoonist friend who does their comic catalog covers:

So after they posted on their Facebook page that their 2012 Spring catalog was online, I jumped to my bookmark and had a peak at their selections. Here's what I'm lusting for and WHY.....

Arisaema consanguineum 'Wild Blue Yonder'. This is a selection of an Asian Jack-in-the-Pulpit with enormous foliage that is dramatically splashed in silver/blue. The texture it creates in the garden is exceptional. Plus, it's also an introduction by Ellen Hornig who used to run Seneca Hills Perennials, but is now closed. I had a chance to meet Ellen a few years back and she was a very sweet lady I hope to cross paths with again. $35.00 for a small tuber of this plant will be a tough one to swallow, however. It's kind of a plant I can probably survive without, for now. So on a scale of 1-5.....

1 (can probably live without)------- 5(already on my shopping cart.

** 2 **

Baptisia hybrids from Hans Hansen at Walter's Gardens.

So, I met Hans two summers ago at the Perennial Plant Association conference and talk about a devoted plantsman. Now, I love Baptisia and recommend them highly because of their drought tolerance and ease of care once they're established, but a lot of beginning gardeners sometimes get impatient with them. But now with these lovely new colors, I think I'll have an easier time convincing clients to try these out!

From left to right: 'Blue Sundae', 'Lemon Meringue', 'Dutch Chocolate'

**1** -will try to get locallly for clients

Epimedium sp. 'The Giant'. I'm certainly one of many Epimedium fanatics out there and this holy-grail of the horny goat weeds is an absolute must have because of its sheer size, rarity and exclusiveness, and its breeding potential to develop the most prolific flowering plants that will ever be developed! This was first offered through Darrell Probst from Garden Visions for like $500 or $300 dollars and now I can actually own one for $150. YIKES!!! But can Riz live with or without it???

**2**

Musa xishuangbannaensis 'Mekong Giant'. I'm definitely a sucker for hardy tropicals even though they were considered a trend way back and now because they take so much water and fertilizer to look their grandest, I still have a soft spot for them because of their bold dramatic look in the landscape and in a way it sort of reminds me of my homeland. This new selection is suppose to have heavily speckled purple stems and huge foliage much larger and more dramatic than the standard hardy Musa basjoo. Xishuangbanna is a prefecture in Yunnan Province, China and boasts a remarkable amount of biodiversity. It is a tropical region that is home to some of the last of the Asian Elephants in the wild and many new species of plants and animals are being discovered and described all the time. This will certainly be for my collection and will definitely be a conversation piece if it does what Tony says it will do.

**4**

Delosperma 'Fire Spinner' looks to be an exquisite addition to the dry open garden rockery or green roof!! Look at that color! The hardy ice plant is one tough addition to the landscape just as long as it has exceptional drainage. I'm super excited about this new introduction as many colleagues are already drooling over the photos that have come out for press releases.

**4** --might look for it locally later this season.

You know, that's about it for the new introductions from Plant Delights. There are other plants I've lusted over that I might finally get from them to complete an order.

R

Season's Greetings and Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T16:04:00.001-08:00

As 2011 draws to a close, I would like to thank you all for checking out "The Next Generation Gardener" and letting me share my thoughts, experiences, and my plants with you over the past year. It's been an incredible season with so much to remember, so much to learn from, and so much to take with me for the rest of my life as I evolved: both as a professional and as a person this year.

More and more, I'm really beginning to get a better sense of who I am, what I do, and what I have to offer as a person and also as a gardener. I have many things I can look forward to next year such as the implementation of my new business plan and the numerous events and speaking engagements I've been invited to.As always, Landwave Gardens will continue to grow and develop and provide me with one of the few things in my life I can always rely on in bringing me joy and satisfaction no matter what. Whether its a bad growing season, a pest or disease infestation, or even if the house/property is foreclosed, the presence of plants and flowers in my life always come through to remind me of just how great life can truly be.

On a more personal note: this was a year where I felt like I really gave it my all to make things happen in my life that would benefit me, my future and the people/environment around me. Going to England for the Chelsea Flower Show and meeting new friends, gardens and nurseries while I was there was a tremendous experience and a dream fulfilled. And for me to reconnect and develop a closer relationship with my family was another triumph that I hope continues to progress.

Then, of course, there's the harsh realization that no matter how hard you try and how much you give, there will always be things that you just won't have control over. Whether it's a bad growing season or even how someone truly feels about you, you have to try to tell yourself that you did what you could, you stayed true to yourself and that's all that matters. It's incredibly painful to have to deal with it and it will take time to heal.

Yes, I'm ending 2011 on a very difficult, very emotional note. Part of me feels like this was all meant to be and God and the powers above and around are trying to keep me in check: have your great highs and have your depressing and emotional lows because that's life. Staying balanced is the challenge.

All in all, it was an amazing year that I won't ever forget and it will only make me a stronger person: a person that now knows who he is and who he wants to be for himself and everyone around him.

Much love and all the best to you all in 2012.

Riz

An often overlooked vegetable; the sunchoke

2011-12-11T22:18:00.000-08:00

Spending time with family and friends right how has been so crucial and important for me as I try and move forward and also try to get into the holiday season.

I recently came over to visit my friend, Audi, who works in produce at Central Market, here in Shoreline at his home in Everett. He and his wife, Marian and 7 year old son, Aumar (cool combo of their names, eh) were recently blessed with another healthy little boy a few months ago and it was my first time seeing the precious one.

After a fabulous pasta dinner, a game of Parcheesi, and Marian, being a proud, no-shame Filipino, insisting we do karaoke, Audi dug me up something from his garden:

Shared by a friend of his starting out with just four pieces tubers, which quickly multiplied, I had my own stash of the so-called "sunchoke" or Jerusalem artichokes (which don't really look like artichokes we're accustomed to, but they're actually in the same family ASTERACEAE).

He recommend that I try them 1) roasted like you would potatoes or 2) slice them thinly and add the to salads.

SO I DID BOTH!

I prepared a meal for my friend, Sandhya, and invited her over for a stuffed pork dish I had prepared before. I served it with grilled leek (like last time), fennel and I took the sunchokes and some beets and roasted those in the oven to have on the side. I sliced up a few tubers and put them on our starter salad.

They have a wonderfully firm and crisp texture to them. It almost looks like a translucent potato and it has a nutty flavor much like water chestnuts and jicama combined.

The plant, where these tubers come from, is quite tall and large. It's actually the same genus as sunflowers (Helianthus) and the full scientific name is H. tuberosus. It is native to eastern North America. It's essentially a herbaceous perennial that can tower up to 10 feet in height and produced simple yellow, daisy-like flowers. It's the roots, however, that's the main draw.

I don't know of too many people that grow them because they can take up so much space, but I've heard that they're easily cultivated in well-prepared soil with ample moisture. I don't think I'll devote space to growing them. Even though they were tasty, I think I'd only consume a large handful like the batch Audi gave me. I'll just ask him to hook me up next fall and use that as an excuse to play with the kids and see them grow up!

A hydrangea in honor

2011-12-01T19:41:00.000-08:00

It's been a very sad week for the Filipino community here in Seattle as we mourn with the death of Danny Vega, a 58 year old hairstylist living in the Rainer Valley, who was severely beaten by a group of young teenagers close to his home/shop. Beaten and robbed, those close to him consider it a hate crime as Vega was openly gay and very active in the Filipino community.

Why I'm posting this on my gardening blog may have many of you scratching your heads. I didn't know Danny Vega; I don't know if he was a gardener or not, but he was a respected member of a community that I'm a part of and, in a way, what happened to him could easily happen to anyone of us.

He was a small business owner such as myself and pursued a natural talent and gained the respect and admiration of many. He showed that Filipinos can make a mark and be recognized.

On Monday night after work, I texted my brother asking if he knew Danny Vega and I had to break the news to him that he had passed away as he was on life support in a coma a few days before. Neither of us really knew him, but my gut was telling me that I had to pay my respects somehow. So, I went to the store thinking I'd just buy some flowers and a card to bring to his home. At the floral shop, I found a few potted plants that, I thought, would last much longer and this hydrangea caught my attention.

Dubbed as the "Shooting Star" hydrangea, this Macrophylla-lacecap type is unusual, elegant and, in my mind at that moment, could represent the sky and the heavens above where Mr. Vega now resides. It the trade, it is also known as 'Hanabi' and 'Fuji Waterfall' (which I think is odd because I've grown FW and looks nothing like these florist plants).

That evening, I drove down to his shop where visitors have left flowers, cards, candles and their well-wishes to the friends and family. I placed my hydrangea plant and card down when a group of people came from inside the house to relight some of the candles that had gone out. They asked how I knew Danny Vega and I told them that I didn't know him, but I saw the news and felt compelled to just pay my respects. They kindly invited me inside to commiserate as they shared many stories and experiences, both in English and Tagalog.

I have mentioned that I was a horticulturist and they asked about how to care for 'Shooting Star' hydgrangea.

I explained the basics:

1) These were grown in a greenhouse under controlled conditions so they would flower for the holidays. Normally, they come into bloom over the summer and into autumn.

2) They're the same species as the typical "grandma blue" hydrangeas and should be able to grow outside.

3) Keep as an indoor plant and if you desire, move it out after danger of severe cold.

4) Supposed to be cold hardy in USDA Zone7 - Zone 9. But I still question its overall hardiness as I've been reading mixed reviews about the plant.

5) Well drained soil no matter what.

I don't know if they're interested in planting it up or not, but at least it will last through for several weeks (weather pending).

Being able to contribute and pay my respects towards someone with flowers or a plant such as this hydrangea makes the field I'm in far more meaningful. Even though it's a sad moment, plants and flowers still have the same effect on people during moments like this and just makes the grieving process a little easier.

My thoughts and prayers to the friends and family and my Danny Vega rest in peace.

Riz

Market Finds: Beets, leeks, and purple artichokes

2011-11-27T20:06:00.000-08:00

My recent trip to the Pike Place Market yielded some wonderful finds and produced one of the most intense salads I've ever tasted. The more I visit and gather this wonderful bounty, I always tell myself, "Next year, I gotta grow these next year!!!" But, it never happens.

Beets, for example, I've grown to really like as they are naturally sweet, flavorful and wonderful simply roasted with a little garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper. I like to purchase a bundle with the tops still intact as they're great green sauteed in a little butter and oil. They're easy enough to grow and since they're root crops, I could be enjoying beets from my garden during the summer all the way through winter provided that I mulch them after the first main freeze. I'm particularly fond of yellow beets as they have a milder flavor and don't "bleed" like the typical deep red variety.

Now leeks are quite new to me even though I've learned how to grow them, but I've never really cooked them before so for two large stalks for $2, I thought I'd give them a try. Think of these as giant scallions or green onions and the main part you want to grow and develop is the thick white base. That's why they're usually grown in deep trenches and soil is slowly back-filled as the stalks grow to get the whitest base possible.

The highlight of my finds were these adorable little purple chokes that were so beautiful, I was curious to learn more about how to cook and prepare them. I actually tried growing this in a container planting at work, but it didn't really do much besides sprout a few leaves. So, I was taught to peel off a few of the outer bracts and trim them like you would the typical green globe artichokes by snipping off the spiny tips of the bracts and basically slicing off the top 1/3 of the entire head. Then slice in half and cook.

Having some tender greens I had to use up, I decided to make a salad. I roasted both kinds of beets, and grilled up the leeks, purple artichokes, and the ultra flavorful and expensive (I had to splurge; they're freakin' amazing) matsutaki mushrooms.

The result was a cornucopia of color and various flavors and I just went all out on this one:

I drizzled the green first with a light white balsamic vinaigrette, threw in the roasted and grilled veggies and topped it off with spiced roasted pecans, dried cranberries and goji berries. I call it my "Autumn Antioxidant Salad"!! =P

Podcasting with Dr. Linda: Year Round Container Gardening!

2011-11-27T01:36:00.000-08:00

Listen to Linda's podcast on her least favorite and unnecessary garden products followed by my consultation at Sky Nursery with her podcast engineer, Shelli, who wants to improve the appearance of her small yard. I recommend that she start with a container garden so we discuss simple solutions to having a great container planting that looks great year around and is relatively easy to care for.

They had to edit for time, but we covered a lot of ideas and plants, but it's helpful to get folks started!

Hope you'll take a listen!

Riz

Better late than next year: giving thanks for what I do.

2011-11-26T18:27:00.000-08:00

We all have so much to be thankful for and Thanksgiving was the time to reflect and also rejoice in the fact that we've all been blessed with more than what we take the time to acknowledge.

For me, it's been a rough past few weeks trying to deal with with something I sort of hinted at on a previous post, but when I look at everything else that's going on in my life, especially with work, I absolutely have no reason to complain.
I can't be more pleased at the fact that I've got a part time job with benefits and my own business, which will undergo somewhat of a metamorphosis in the coming year.

As rough, repetitive, and sometimes back-breaking as it can be, I should consider myself exceedingly lucky to have a job at this time and also in a field that I respect and enjoy being in.

I'm exceedingly grateful for my friends and colleagues in the field who have shared not only their expertise and plants, but many have also opened their hearts with their never-ending support and encouragement.

The opportunities that have fallen in my lap this year have been incredible and even life-changing. From the numerous speaking engagements, teaching, finally being able to travel overseas once again, and the continued satisfaction I get from planting, growing, designing, propagating, and studying plants and gardens, it's been another year of hard work and more opportunities that, I hope, will continue to push me and lead towards a better career that's even more fulfilling, but pays just a hair more to be able to survive and plan well for the future.

I want to take this opportunity to thank you, the readers, for staying with me and following this blog and its roller coaster of observations, events, and "all things Riz" and my obsession with plants, flowers, gardens, plant people, and, yes, even FOOD!

That's what I'd like to see in the next generation of gardeners: embracing the things that provide us with air, nourishment, beauty, spaces for recreation, privacy, and a better understanding on how to improve our overall quality of life by having plants around us always.

R

Support the little guys!!

2011-11-26T10:06:00.001-08:00

It's Small Business Saturday!

Please head out and support your local small businesses and show that you care and want them to stick around!

Instead of shopping Black Friday, I took part in Green Friday and hit up the Pike Place Market here in Seattle to gather some produce from local farmers.

Let's send out a message to get people thinking about the holidays and what they really all about; the health, joy, and well-being of those around us. Fancy gadgets and electronics are awesome things and if you can afford them, great, but I'm encouraging you to not forget the little guys there doing what they can to make a difference in people's lives this holiday season!

Cheers,

R

Plant now for the best summer flowers!! Come to my FREE talk!

2011-11-17T22:46:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to be better about tooting my own horn from time to time and I thought this would be a great opportunity to do so:

On Monday, November 21, at 7PM, I will be speaking at the Hardy Plant Society of Washington's fall program at the Center for Urban Horticulture in Seattle, WA.

My topic: The Lure of Lilium. True lilies have been a strong passion of mine since I was a preteen when my brother and I bought a few bulbs of the very popular oriental hybrid 'Stargazer' and grew and flowered them with ease. Comparable to the more exotic (and expensive) orchids at the time, I was instantly hooked and wanted to learn more about these intriguing plants.

Lilium 'Scheherazade'

From that point, I wanted to grow just about every lily that was out there and my eyes widened considerable when I dived into learning about their classification, reproduction/propagation, and even laboratory techniques in advanced breeding of interspecific hybrids!! Total plant geek, yeah I am!

I've also had the privilege of seeing a handful of wild species when I traveled to China just a few years ago.

Lilium 'Silk Road' - Oriental x Trumpet Hybrid

My talk is aimed towards introducing newbies to this fabulous group of seemingly rare and exotic, but readily available and easy to grow plants; and it's also aimed towards those "know it all" gardeners who say they grow everything as I promise to share something new and exciting for all!!

So if you live around the Seattle area, please come and hear me speak! There will be quite an assortment of lily bulbs from my friend/mentor, Judith Freeman, of The Lily Garden and a few freshly dug selections from my own garden/nursery, Landwave Gardens.

Lilium 'Tiger Babies'

I also love to give away plants during talks so if you come, you've got a chance of going home with something special!

OH, BTW, did I mention...... Admission is FREE!!!!

R

You can't smell the roses when you're gone...

2011-11-13T23:20:00.000-08:00

As busy and productive as I try to keep myself in the autumn, I somehow always fall into a funk where I'm overly analytical, emotional, and constantly worried about where things are going and what direction aspects of my life are taking. Not being able to actually work and garden outdoors as much as I'd like when daylight is cut short and temperatures become almost unbearable, really can get to me.

While I've been trying to refrain from sharing too much of my personal life for everyone to read, I feel like I need to share just a tiny bit so others who may read this can truly see that I'm just like any 20-something guy who's seeking out personal independence, professional success, financial stability, regular social interactions, and, along those lines, meaningful relationships.

Fall is when feelings seem to run deep and the desire to be with a significant other grows ever so strongly. Fall is also the time for new music releases that impact my mood:

One of my favorite music artists of all time is Darren Hayes. Many of you may recognize his voice as the front man of the former band, Savage Garden. I might have mentioned them in a previous blog post, but they're remembered for their romantic ballads and memorable melodies. Darren has continued as a solo artist and his latest release dubbed, "Secret Codes and Battleships" has been on my current iTunes playlist.

One track, called "Roses" inspired this flower arrangement you see above. I placed it on my bed stand to remind me that romance isn't as illusive as it may seem or, perhaps, I may have already experienced it and the excess flowers from my garden I used as filler represent something I truly care about.

So here's a preview of the entire album. "Roses" comes on at around 4:54.

Time for bed.

R

Engaging college students at UW Botany Greenhouse

2011-11-13T22:44:00.000-08:00

On a chilly Thursday evening at the University of Washington Botany Greenhouse, I paid a visit to check out an event that some friends told me about as The Botany Club (at UW) organized a meeting that invited anyone to bring an empty glass container to be planted up with miniature plants from the greenhouse.

While I've been quite out of the loop with the Botany Greenhouse and indoor plants in general (minus the few houseplants in my room that are surviving well with neglect), it's still a treat to visit and support my colleagues in these kinds of endeavors as it's always so encouraging to see young students take an interest in growing plants.

I came kind of late (damn Filipino stereotype, I swear...ugh), but I was delighted to see a line-up of students with their friends, significant others and family holding their own glass containers waiting for a scoop of potting mix, their choice of plants materials ranging from tiny sellaginellas (spike mosses), miniature African violets, and various little ferns and clippings of plants that will fit in their little greenhouse and, finally, a thorough misting to complete their own little garden they can keep on their desk and/or windowsill of their small apartment or dorm room.

It was a perfect idea to engage people with plants FOR FREE!! It was a great way to reuse an old glass jar or container that's probably lying around and the extra little bits of plants from the Botany Greenhouse were actually put to use rather than being just chucked to the compost bin and it really is a way for students to really have some sort of plant life in their busy day-to-day lives. They had a great assembly line going spearheaded by my friends, Terry Huang and Jeff Benca who are both biology students and uber plant geeks that regularly volunteer at the greenhouse.

It was great to see that they had a pretty good turn out and people seemed genuinely interested and even excited about getting something for free that was unique, creative, and something they could call their own to care for and nurture. They got full instructions on how to care of their terrarium and no one really worried about them dying and the handful that did actually realized that it didn't really matter; it didn't cost them a thing!

I think it's simple things like this event is what we need more of. It brings a community (big or small) together and it gets them talking and everyone is there to learn. It's one of those initial hooks to get the younger generation to start thinking about plants.

Oh, and probably the most unique composition was this little sci-fi vignette with an X-Files theme!

A lady named Wendy. She does awesome containers!

2011-11-08T00:11:00.000-08:00

I've been so out of the loop with NHS (Northwest Horticultural Society), but I have to mention their upcoming lecture at the Center for Urban Horticulture on Wednesday evening because my friend Wendy will be speaking on her forte, container planting design.

November 9, 2011
Container Confidential
Wendy Welch

Garden designer Wendy Welch shares what she has learned in 15 years of designing, installing and maintaining container gardens. Gorgeous plant combinations of trees, shrubs, conifers, perennials and annuals will inspire you. The dispelling of some long lived mythology about container culture — drainage, soils, water, fertilizer, longevity etc. will empower you to plant successful, sustainable container gardens.

-------------------------------------------
Wendy has earned a huge reputation as one of the Northwest's best container designers. Her work can be seen all over the Seattle metropolitan area and has been featured at local nurseries, the Northwest Flower and Garden Show and she is a fellow part time faculty member at Edmonds Community College where she teaches container design.

What I love about Wendy is her perky personality, her familiarity with both hardscape materials AND plants, her concern for the environment and looking for ways to move forward to meet the demands and desires of her clients. She also uses color well. My most favorite thing about her is what I love about most garden folks is her willingness to share her love, her craft and her vast knowledge and experiences with others. This is key for our industry.

So, you've gotta see her talk on Wednesday and check out some of her beautiful work and get some wonderful ideas for your container plantings with winter!!

R

Annual Container's last hurrah!!

2011-10-30T13:13:00.000-07:00

So this was the result of trying to spruce up our surroundings over the summer and now they're as full as can be as the autumn color from the Oregon ash trees in the background set it off well.

As extravagant as this looks, it's actually really easy to put together and maintain. Think of this idea in a tough spot underneath a tree for next season. Rely on foliage and texture: flowers are just icing on the cake.

Riz

Autumn at the Arboretum

2011-10-30T12:17:00.000-07:00

Fall color in its full splendor. It was just a few weeks ago that I wrote about the lack of color up in the mountains, but with snow expected up there soon, I'm sure things colored up well, but here in the lowlands, the show has been quite spectacular.

Check out a recent visit to Washington Park Arboretum and the wonderful display we were treated to.

After a staff meeting, our hort supervisor, David Zuckerman, lead us on a tour of the Woodland Garden.

The absolute standout was the intense coloration of Fothergilla major. All throughout the plant was this kaleidoscope of warm colors at different intensities. Each year, it's always this brilliantly colored and can be seen from quite a distance! Next to the Fothergilla is another one of my favorite landscape plants that will exhibit its autumn colors in just a few days. This is Hydgrangea quercifolia, the Oak Leaf Hydrangea! Below

Further down the path, we encountered the stunning fine texture of this Acer dissectum cultivar that lit up the woodland garden as the sun that day made an attempt to show itself that afternoon.

Close by in the winter garden, the Hamamelis, or Chinese witch hazels, were coloring up quite well also:

Can't share fall color with some bark action and these Chinese Paper Birches (Betula albo-sinensis var. septentrionalis) were simply outstanding!

Then, we looped around and captured a view that I've never seen before in all the years of visiting the Arboretum. It was such a treat to witness this with my co-horts and appreciate one of the reasons why we love what we do!

R

In honor of "hua jiao" - The Sichuan Pepper Corn

2011-10-11T21:23:00.000-07:00

Must first get your attention with this...

If there was one plant that would remind me fondly of my experiences in studying abroad in China, it would be the genus Zanthoxylum. :"Huājiāo" (花椒; literally "flower pepper") in Chinese or "sanshō" (山椒) in Japanese has thrived in my garden since I secured plants of two species shortly after I returned from China. They are now growing close to one another and producing an abundant crop of peppercorn husks and pungent foliage when crushed.

As a member of the citrus family (Rutaceae), all parts of the plant are scented when crushed, but it's the bright red peppercorns that pack the punch when it comes to tongue-numbing sensations that allow the spiciness of Sichuan/Szechuan cuisine to really come through.

There are several species that have earned the common name of "Sichuan Pepper Corn". Perhaps the most common in production is Z. piperitum, but I've also secured a seedling of Z. simulans from the University of Washington Medicinal Herb Garden.

At first, I thought I had two different forms of Z. piperitum, but the foliage and habit are very different.

On top of the photo is Z. simulans with larger, dark green leaves with fewer leaflets compared to Z. piperitum which has smaller leaves and more leaflets. It is also lighter in color and when you crush the leaves and smell both species, the Z. piperitum has a "sweeter" smell, while. Z. simulans is stronger and kind of harsh.

What I remember in Sichuan is actually Z. simulans. A classmate of mine was studying them as a commercial crop in a small village in the Liangshan Prefecture in SW Sichuan called Yangjuan. He tried to determine if the peppercorns would be a viable crop for the village as it thrived in the high elevation and somewhat arid conditions.

Here at Landwave, I actually grow the two species close together in the hopes that I'd get increased fruit production. It's been two years since I planted them together and this year, I'm having quite a crop! Z. piperitum has denser foliage ( I think in Japan it's the new growth and foliage they consume) and not as much fruit, but Z. simulans, though lanky and somewhat awkward in habit (due to my not so great pruning as it has gotten a bit large) is fruiting very well.

So, what you consume are the pinkish red husks. The black seeds are removed and it's these husks that are allowed to dry and used for cooking to create dishes like the ones above!

A winning fall combination! A toad lily in forest grass

2011-10-11T20:57:00.000-07:00

I remember seeing this combination in a shade gardening book and have wanted so badly to recreate it. This is Tricyrtis 'Taipei Silk' USPP#18727 in bloom with the foliage of Hackonechloa macroa 'Aureola'.

Both plants enjoy part shade, adequate moisture throughout the growing season here in the Pacific Northwest!

R

In search of fall color: A weekend getaway

2011-10-05T00:09:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, a friend and I headed up to a friend's cabin just past Snoqualmie Pass along the I-90 corridor in the hopes that we'd get away; have some one-on-one time to catch up and talk, hike, cook, listen to some classic 80's and 90's pop, and sit in the cabin with a fire going in the fireplace as we watched a lame action movie.

I kind of treated our weekend getaway as an opportunity to also scout out plants and views of the Pacific Northwest landscape; studying my natives, taking photographs, and, hopefully, being treated to a spectacular fall foliage show was on my agenda.

Driving through, there wasn't all that much, unfortunately. Along the side of the road as we took exit 62 on Lake Kachess, we noticed a few vine maples that were showing some color. On a morning stroll by myself, I noticed a few interesting groundcover plants alongside the road that I never really get tired of seeing. Our native coltsfoot (Petasites frigidus v. palmatus) and the lovely heart-shared leaves of Asarum caudatum, the Western Wild woodland ginger. These are garden worthy plants (in fact, I grow a gold leaf form of out native coltsfoot that I seriously need to thin out, btw) and to see them in their natural setting is kind of cool.

Petasites along the roadside

In a roadside ditch, the Asarum and its humble hearts.

But what I was really hoping to see were the views from the lakeside with the water and the distant hills spotted in bright yellows, oranges and glaring reds. While the views were still captivating, there wasn't really any color yet.

It was peaceful, tranquil and a much needed break to just regroup and be reminded of what was an awesome summer. The lack of color almost seemed to symbolize a slow transition; almost as if to say that parts of the summer still exist, but nature has to take its course so you just have to trust it and, in time, it will all fall into place.

R.

The only dates I've been getting

2011-09-29T00:45:00.000-07:00

So autumn is here and with a new school year starting, you'd think that there would be a fresh crop of young, attractive individuals who catch my eye, but I haven't really been on the prowl like many around me say that I should be. So, I've resorted to "dating" by finding and devouring these sweet fresh dates known as Barhi dates.

So dates (Phoenix dactylifera) are well known as these sweet, dried, prune-like preserved fruits and it wasn't until many years ago when my aunt from California brought some with her when she visited Seattle. I was enamored by them right away as they just looked so beautiful as she held up a long golden inflorescence seemingly dripping in these firm, oval fruits that have a wonderfully crisp texture and mildly sweet flavor with a hint of astringency.

These are eaten fresh like this or allowed to ripen fully like the dates we're all familiar with.

Obviously date palms are not hardy in the Pacific Northwest, but it sure is a treat to have found the fruit to enjoy them at this time of year.

R

Dahlia flowers with purpose and meaning

2011-09-26T01:08:00.000-07:00

September is the month for DAHLIAS!! I've always LOVED them since I was first introduced to them as a pre-teen by my good friend and mentor, Cora Slecther, who gave me a raised bed in which to grow my plants and she guided me through cultivating them and even exhibiting them in competitions. I have such a fondness for dahlias for their extravagant colors, forms, and their use as a garden plant as I've leaned more towards "garden worthy" varieties versus the "show" dahlias I grew up tending and being in awe of.

After a site visit to check on a client's establishing garden last week, I drove by a gas station and noticed a tent surrounded by white buckets with bundles of dazzling cut dahlias. It had been a long week, I've had a lot on my mind and on my plate and I realized that my dahlias in the garden are nowhere near this abundant. So, I decided to splurge and buy a bouquet. Knowing off hand that these were locally grown and freshly cut that morning, I felt compelled to treat myself and support a fellow grower. So, I had this sweet young lady throw me a bouquet together for $10 using orange dahlias with some fabulous delphiniums and any other filler she felt like using. I handpicked a few individual stems for $1 a piece for a second bouquet and I was on my way.

Realizing that the cemetery was on the way home, I decided to bring the flowers to pay my respects to family and to Cora's late husband, Ken, who happens to also be buried in the same cemetery as my grandparents and uncle. I divided up the flowers and split them four ways.

I then headed home to work in the garden a bit and noticed that I did have a few dahlias in bloom so towards the end of the day, I gathered a few blooms and mixed in some wonderful blue Symphyotrichum novi-belgii and a few blades of grasses and Sedums. I placed them on my bed stand that seemed to create a theme with a candle, an iPod player and a copy of Dr. John Gottman's "The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work". The two dahlias I have in this vase are soft orange/yellow 'Camano Pet' and the fiery cactus 'Weston Spanish Dancer'!

Hmmmmm.....no, I'm still single. Don't ask.

Just enjoy the flowers!

R

Back in School!

2011-09-23T00:13:00.000-07:00

So I finally took my first baby step in what may be the next chapter of my horticultural career by enrolling in school to 1) figure out if I'm really on the right track with my current business endeavors with RHR Horticulture and Landwave Gardens by taking a Horticulture Business course through Edmonds Community College and 2) see if I have the drive to continue with schoolwork and look further ahead towards an advanced degree.

These were things that I've mulled over since finishing undergrad in 2006. I stuck with my plans to continue to work until I was financially capable of paying for the next phase (which I thought would possibly be a Masters), but these past few years have lead to a secure, but only part-time gardening position with the University of Washington Botanic Gardens, growing exposure and clientele and wonderful networking opportunities through talks, conferences, lectures and teaching engagements. Many around me felt like I didn't need another piece of paper. I still feel like it could hold me back somehow if I didn't pursue it.

Time and time again, I think of the title of this blog and how I represent it. Who is the "next generation gardener"? I know it's not just me, so how do I channel what I do to represent the next crop of avid individuals who love and appreciate the environment and love to see and nurture things to grow, bloom, and change.

In a way, I'm coming to realize that it doesn't fully matter what I do, but its how I do it. Does the passion and desire still burn inside to work in a field that I've loved since I was very little, but yet continues to baffle me as to what the next step should be to find a career that will sustain my humble and meager lifestyle during this very tough economic climate.

If I'm to represent the next generation of gardeners, I need to stick to my guns and instill a positive outlook for the future of my industry by simply doing what I love and that's sharing information and my enthusiasm for the wonderful aspects of the work I do. If people can see me thrive and be happy in an otherwise dismal field that's been ranked as the "#2 most useless degrees" by Newsweek, they will begin to explore and discover aspects of their life that don't have to cost a lot of money, but can be exceedingly rewarding.

Gardening needs to be fun and fulfilling, but when you do it professionally, it can easily burn you out as pressure from oneself tends to take over as you're constantly trying to figure out how it all really works for you. Taking this business class is just what I need right now just to be in a classroom where I'm not the one lecturing. Many of my classmates are former students of mine and I've really been good about keeping myself in check and focused on the task at hand and this quarter, it's my BUSINESS PLAN!

Riz

Flower names in Chinese! Gotta review!

2011-09-21T01:23:00.000-07:00

大家好！

Time to brush up on my Mandarin. I learned a handful of Chinese names for common garden flowers and here's just a few of them in this easy tutorial:

I actually knew more fruit than flowers because they probably didn't want you to go hungry while in China. LOL.

And the veggies...I didn't care as much so I just grabbed them and asked, "多少钱?", hand them 100 yuan and hope I get the right change back. Hhahah, ok it wasn't that bad. I should practice these, but there were other veggies that I liked, but they didn't mention here:

再见，

陆涛

Counting on Crocosmias

2011-09-07T00:44:00.000-07:00

These late summer blooming plants are becoming exceedingly popular and more widely grown. Thought to be somewhat weedy, now many are seeking out specific name cultivars as their intense warm hues light up a perennial border like no other at this time of year.

Here are three favorites in full bloom now at Landwave:

Crocosmia 'His Majesty'

Can rival the popular 'Lucifer' in terms of height (3.5-4ft tall), but the flowers are exceptionally larger. I got this cultivar from Kelly and Sue at Far Reaches Farm earlier this summer and I loved the description, so I decided to try it. I had it placed where a stunning blue Agapanthus was in fully bloom as well.

Crocosmia 'George Davison'

An electric yellow orange that lights up the foreground of a hot summer perennial border. A classic variety that stands about 1.5 to 2 ft.

Crocosmia 'Emily McKenzie'

A strikingly dramatic cultivar that is always eye-catching because of its deep orange blossoms and blood-red blotch in the centers. Stands almost 2ft. in height and deserves more attention towards its large and unusually colored petals.

Of course there are many others in existence, these three impressed me the most and with the exception of 'His Majesty', 'George Davison' and "Emily" are readily available and worth seeking out come spring when their corms are available. A few nurseries will carry them blooming now in containers!

Cheers,

Riz

Lilium lust

2011-08-27T11:23:00.000-07:00

The lilies are on their final stretch and there have been many surprises in the last two months.

In our late late summer, the lily show began in July with the opening of one of the tried and true lilies out there. This is 'Tiger Babies' blooming with ornamental grasses in the Soest Perennial Display Garden at the UW Botanic Gardens - Center for Urban Horticulture where I work part time.

Then comes two species from China I brought back a few years ago. The first is the elegant and rare Lilium majoense and then the tall, stately Lilium leucanthemum.

Soon after, the "Orienpet" lilies put on a show. Here's the gold with crimson and richly scented 'Shocking' and the voluptuous 'Silk Road' at a client's garden.

'Shocking'

'Silk Road'/'Northern Carillon'

The new mixed bed I'm developing has the spectacular 'Scheherazade' blooming with mixed perennials and glittery grasses in the background.

My clumps of 'Nymph' have slowly dwindled as I love using them profusely for arrangements just like this one at my sister's house for a little reunion with cousins from out of town a few weeks ago.

Orientals are just starting and my collection has dwindled a bit as I used to grow more. The standout right now is 'Tiger Woods' and the rare 'Midnight Star'.

WHOOPS....that's the REAL Tiger Woods.

Here's the lily:

Orienpets overlap with the Orientals and, man, were there surprises:

From top left clockwise: 'My Precious', a sister seedling to the cultivar 'Pizazz', and a rare double-flowered oriental 'Josef'.

So the double orientals are looking their best EVER and I'm wondering if it's been the mild and relatively cooler summer or my new and special friend who's been helping me water more diligently.

The "classic" variety 'Miss Lucy' is towering at 5 feet with long pedicles and flowers that haven't aborted, but are opening slowly and quite beautifully:

Next to "Lucy" is 'Davyd'. Has done absolutely nothing but abort and look horrendous, but here this year, at least it looks like it's trying. LOL!

'Josef' is definitely a surprise as it has opened up pretty well despite still being in a container.

'Chrys' might be the same or similar to a new intro out right now called 'Polar Star'. It opened very nicely last year in a container, but the one in the ground is slowly doing its thing!

Then there's this HOT MESS of a lily. Interesting? Sure! Looks like throw-up? Uh huh. But fragrant? Of course! Why did you grow this? Shut up. Now, I can't even remember it's name. The interesting thing about this flower are the present anthers with pollen!!

One of my most highly anticipated purchases earlier this spring was a package of 'Magic Star'. It almost looks like a double-flowered 'Tiger Woods' or 'Dizzy' and when you've grown lilies for a long time and you see the photo, your jaws drop and you say, "WOW"! So I purchased two dessicated bulbs from a local nursery, potted them up so they can "recover" and root before planting them out in the garden.

So yeah....meh.....it's interesting and all and kind of cool looking, but very inconsistent when opening. Could it get better as it matures much like 'Miss Lucy' did? We'll see.

All lily'd out??!! Hhahahahh

Cheers,

Riz

If you love public gardens, you WILL go to this talk!

2011-08-23T01:00:00.000-07:00

Public gardens are struggling to gain support nationwide and it's heartbreaking to see, especially our local parks and gardens being subject to severe cuts. Working for one, I understand the dilemma and its made more apparent when colleagues are laid off or cut back and when our duties as gardeners are stretched out beyond what we were originally hired to do. Some would jump ship and not tolerate the work load and not being allowed to work overtime, while others, like myself, are simply fortunate to just even have a permanent half time job where I have some benefits and make enough to just get by along with my own small business on the side. It's hard for a lot of people looking for work and I often wish that I could be of more help to those who have asked me about work opportunities.

Me at the UW Botanic Gardens in one of the gardens I help maintain, speaking with a group of garden writers. (Thanks for the pic, Kelly!)

If you look pass the economic troubles we're all facing and think of the positive things we still have in our lives like friends and family and the activities that we can all engage in that don't cost any money, there's a lot of opportunities to truly enjoy some of the simpler things in life that are incredibly fulfilling. To me, public gardens provide many of those opportunities. Bringing plants and people together in a serene setting such as a public park is a time-honored tradition that spans many different cultures and walks of life. Think of the families out on a Sunday afternoon, a young couple sharing quality time on a blanket with a simple picnic, heck, even the homeless woman finds refuge and an occasional gesture of generosity within a public park. Find all the problems that coincide with that last example, but it still proves a point: public parks and gardens are a part of our needs as human beings to reconnect with nature, to feel safe, and feel like we belong on this planet.

Next month, we have an opportunity to meet a well-known figure in public gardens.

Lynden B. Miller is a public garden designer in New York City and director of The Conservatory Garden in Central Park, which she rescued and restored beginning in 1982. Her work includes gardens for The Central Park Zoo, Bryant Park, The New York Botanical Garden, Madison Square Park, Hudson River Park and Wagner Park in Battery Park City as well as many smaller projects in all five boroughs and beyond as well as several university campuses.

For almost 30 years, Mrs. Miller has focused on her belief that public open spaces with good well-maintained plantings can change city life. She has taken an entirely new approach to public horticulture by creating rich plantings that provide four seasons of interest.

Her award-winning book, "Parks, Plants, and People: Beautifying the Urban Landscape" is inspirational and instructive about all aspects of creating and supporting beautiful public space.

She will speak at the 16th annual Miller Memorial Lecture at the University of Washington campus on September 15th at 7PM and I encourage people to come as it is free (please RSVP and learn more about the lecture here) and sure to be inspiring and beautiful.

Just learning more about her and the work that she does reminds me of why I pursued public horticulture as an undergrad. Cut the politics and bullcrap involved in working in one, you have to think of the big picture. Her motto is: "Make it gorgeous and they will come. Keep it that way and they will help"

R

Volunteer Park Conservatory: Behind the scenes

2011-08-14T10:13:00.000-07:00

Visiting the conservatory recently for Sara Chapman's book signing was an incredible treat as not only did I get to meet Sara in person and got her fabulous book, I also had the honor of being shown "behind-the-scenes" by Jeanne Schollmeyer, their production manager and seasonal display specialist.

It was such a treat to see the entire collection and the whole production process and THE WORK it takes to produce the amazing displays in the conservatory.

Here's Jeanne letting us have a peak inside the mist-bench where she propagates most of the plants for the conservatory.

It was also a treat to see not just the more common and flashy displays of potted plants and flowers, but a few rare oddities like the highly unusual and richly scented snail vine, Vigna caracalla.

They have a large selection or orchids they're growing on such as a spectacular purple Cattleya relative (below). Another interesting fact she shared was the connection with USDA plant protection and customs and how Volunteer Park is often the recipient of plants, mostly orchids, illegally smuggled into the United States. These are then cared for, grown on and propagated, and depending on what it is exactly, often they're kept in the collection or shared with other botanical institutions for display and research.

I hope to come back and do a more thorough tour and, perhaps, an interview with Jeanne.

It truly is heart-breaking to hear that a place like Volunteer Park Conservatory could lose its funding. State officials kind of treat it as an "unnecessary, expensive and frivolous item" on their agenda. Much like the arboretum and other major parks in Seattle, it has a very limited staff and state budget cuts are getting more and more severe and places like this are often the first to get canned.

Everyone is "trying to be important" these days in the eyes of legislature and also private donors and such, but it's an ongoing struggle as if citizens don't care about such places. They're not aware of the meticulous work it takes to grow these plants for their enjoyment, which is usually free for the public to see.

They can look at a plant and say, "oh how pretty" and not realize just what it took to get it to look that pretty. They just assume that the staff just makes it happen and it will always be there for them, but I wish they could see what goes on behind the scenes and learn about the difficulties they face trying to do what they do, but then you learn about how many of their positions could be on the line.

Many people in this position often lose the motivation to give it their all with the attitude "what's the point of working to the fullest with limited resources and potentially being laid off soon". There's a chance that Seattle Parks and Recreation could shut down the conservatory, but with diligent and passionate people like Jeanne and the conservatory staff and volunteers, they go AND GROW full force to continue to enlighten and inspire visitors even with the slim hope that support and funding improves. For more information about what you could do to help, please visit the Friends of the Conservatory and read about the petition and how you could contact officials.

Here we all are at the end of the evening. Inspired and hopefully for a brighter future for the conservatory! From the left: Giselle Blythe, Sara Chapman, me and Jeanne.

Jeanne shared a pretty awesome video y'all should take a look at!

Cheers,

Riz

"The Simpsons" meets horticulture

2011-08-14T01:17:00.000-07:00

At a recent visit to Volunteer Park, my friend Aaron noticed a stalk of blue delphiniums that reminded us of a character from the popular animated series, "The Simpsons".

Marge Simpson is quite a character and her bee-hive of a up-do is so iconic.

Bart, the trouble-making, attention seeking 4th grader, closely resembles the yellow lily-flowered tulip along with his sister, Lisa, the over-achieving, saxophone playing honor student.

There have been many references to plants, flowers, and gardens in this show. I can think of one episode which started out with everyone in Springfield (the fictional town where the family lives) at a local botanical garden witnessing the opening of a rare flower (the animated equivalent of Amorphophallus titanum, the giant corpse flower)

Then there's Homer Simpson who attempts to recreate the company of his wife after he's banished from the house and forced to stay in his son's treehouse for his wrong-doing.

Little Maggie is adorable, but also quite inquisitive and sometimes mischievous. Accused of shooting Mr. Burns, the town's greedy and wealthy owner of the nuclear power plant, she also has a sweet side to her depicted by this artist rendition of her:

Moe, the bartender, appears in a hallucination of Homer's and is embedded in a field of daisies!

Then there's the quirky, overly conservative neighbor, Ned Flanders who doesn't have much luck with houseplants:

R

Seattle's Volunteer Park: Flowers in a Conservatory

2011-08-01T00:14:00.000-07:00

Photographer Sara Chapman, of lovethatimage.com, attempted to contact me through my other blog for the Seattle P-I in the hopes of getting the word out about her book launch/signing at Volunteer Park this Thursday, August 4th, 6-8PM. Not knowing who she is, I almost deleted the email as I'm constantly bombarded with similar requests that often have nothing to do with plants or flowers. I read the email, checked out her site and was reminded of just how nice Volunteer Park Conservatory was and when I read that a portion of the sale of the book will go towards the Friends of the Conservatory group that support operations, I decided to post this plug for her event.

Heck, it's free, you get to go and enjoy the park and the conservatory (directions), check out what looks to be an awesome book (based on the photos I've seen on her blog and website).

So if you're free Thursday evening, visit this website site for more information and maybe we'll cross paths.

Riz

A cause for celebration and congratulations!

2011-07-25T15:40:00.000-07:00

There's nothing more rewarding, as a garden designer, to get a photo from your client marveling at all your hard work and rejoicing in the splendor that is their unique palate of rare and highly unusual plants.

Here's a blog post about this project. Part 1 and Part 2

My co-hort who co-designed this landscape and project, Clayton Morgan of C.E.M. Design, who I profiled awhile back (see here), tied the knot with his girlfriend, Jamie.

My congrats and thanks for the wedding invite! I owe the bride a dance

Chelsea 2011: Plant of the Year nominee I adored.

2011-07-25T15:12:00.001-07:00

Like I mentioned, I wasn't all that thrilled with the new plant selections up for "Plant of the Year", but the winner, Anemone 'Wild Swan', was quite nice; but one that I just about salivated over was a FRAGRANT tuberous begonia dubbed 'Fragrant Apricot Falls'.

So, there have been fragrant tuberous begonias introduced into the market such as the "Scentiment" series, but from what I heard, the scent was quite faint and often exaggerated. So when I saw this begonia, I was impressed by it's color, size, floriferous bloom and habit, but kind of scoffed that it'd be all that scented. Once they made the claim that you could detect the sweet scent from a few paces away, I actually approached the plant and buried my nose into it and...

W O W !!!!!!

With hints of citrus, rose, and honeysuckle, I was so enamored by the plant and wanted so badly to bring it home with me.

Yes, it's not hardy and has to be protected and overwintered indoors, but THIS IS SUCH AN EXQUISITE TREAT! I hope they offer it soon!

Chelsea 2011 Plant of the Year! Anemone 'Wild Swan'

2011-07-25T14:50:00.000-07:00

It was pretty exciting tagging along John Grimshaw and getting to sneak into an RHR Committee meeting to select and vote on the Chelsea Plant of the Year for 2011.

While most of the selections were kind of bleh, the winner was quite exquisite and a few others caught my attention enough to want to import them in at some point in the near future!

The winner was a soft and delicate, but seemingly hardy and vigorous Anemone called 'Wild Swan'. Supposedly a complex hybrid between several different species (sort of reminds me of the coloration of A. rivularis and A. leveillei) and selected about 10 years ago from a batch of seedlings.

If the claims are correct, it will flower from May to November (provided it get adequate moisture and fertilizer), but with its close resemblance to A. japonica, I'm worried about it running and becoming a problem as this fall blooming species can be a thug. I find the seemingly tidy habit attractive (as a container plant as well) and the coloration is really quite exquisite.

Here's why it got its name:

Me with the 2011 Chelsea Plant of the Year during the first member's day at the Chelsea Flower Show.

Cheers,

R

CHELSEA 2011 REPORT - Part Four: The Main Marquee PART 2

2011-07-10T15:19:00.000-07:00

There was certainly a lot more to see.

One of my favorite stands was actually one of the smallest, but the plant palate was remarkable and highly exciting. I've been emailing Sue Wynn-Jones and getting to meet her was such a delight and kind of tense as she was a bit of a nervous wreck minutes just before judging of their first ever display at the Chelsea Flower Show. Along with her husband, Bleddyn, they run Crug Farm Plants in Wales (which I had a chance to visit...stay tuned for that blog post!). They travel extensively around the world, often with Dan Hinkley, seeking out the coolest, rarest, and most exciting plants to introduce into horticulture. They are known for many Asian plants and spearheaded the interest in hardy Araliaceae such as Schefflera, which were in prominent display. Not only did their display earn them Chelsea Gold, they also won the RHS President's Award!

One of the most iconic images of Chelsea and the Grand Marquee is the Blackmore and Langdon display of the largest, most exquisite Tuberous Begonias you'll ever see and a soldier line-up of blue Delphiniums in the background. It's the same freakin' display each year it seems like, but it always wins Gold Medals!

Another common sight are the ever colorful and delightfully fragrant selection of carefully arranged Sweet Peas!

I've become quite fond of Lupines during my visit to England and the assortment of colors is just astounding!

What makes Chelsea dubbed as "The World's Greatest Flower Show" is its international participants:

South Africa

Trinidad and Tobago

Edible Gardening will not be left unmentioned as there were several stands that showcased wonderful produce!

The most spectacularly delicious and fragrant was Ken Muir and their fabulous towers of juicy strawberries staged to perfection.

Combined with the English Roses behind, that section of the marquee smelled so heavenly, it was hard not to just stand there and soak in that scent of summer!!

This stand had a most incredible cottage garden with amazing brassicas (cabbages, kales, etc.) and lovely leeks, again, grown to perfection:

Clematis are very popular in England and this extraordinary tunnel was quite a sight!

CHELSEA 2011 REPORT - Part Four: The Main Marquee

2011-07-10T14:15:00.000-07:00

Ok, time for another post of Chelsea Flower Show Highlights.

One of the most spectacular aspects of Chelsea is the incredible floral and horticultural displays inside the main marquee.

Talk about FLOWER SHOW, OMFG, it was remarkable. Some of the stands were small than I had envisioned, but to see the array of displays and the meticulous detail exhibitors showcase in their stands is really first rate.

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The crowds were insane! Even during press day and then the first members day, the show grounds and the marquee were jammed packed full of enthusiastic plant lovers trying to catch a glimpse of every display. It was wall-to-wall old lady after old lady sprinkled in a mix of men: supportive husbands, hardcore plantsmen, gay couples and even young children which I always seem to look out for.

Speaking of children, one of the highlights of the marquee for me wasn't a botanical display, but a pair of young garden enthusiast who I enjoyed chatting with as they shared information about the display they helped put together. I asked them questions about what their favorite plants were and to get a response like, "Oh, how could I choose. I love them all! THE GERBERAS! I'd have to say the Gerbera daisies because they add so much colour" the young 8 year old boy stated. What 8-year old freakin' knows what a gerbera is?!!! It was awesome!

Bulbs were in full display and are well represented in Chelsea:

I've become fonder and fonder of Flowering Onions (Allium) and the assortment on display was remarkable.

Daffodils in late May are an extraordinary sight and getting these varieties to flower all at the same time is no easy feat!

Tulips as well; getting these to flower all at the same time is exceedingly difficult, but when you do it each year, you've got it down, but often nature can easily throw a curve-ball at you and something you had originally wanted to showcase calls for a change in plans:

So, this remarkable tulip is called 'Wow'. No, seriously, that's what it's called simply because when anyone sees it, they think "HOLY MOTHER OF....., WHAT IS THAT??!"

You just can't help but think about just how bizarre and exotic this is! Sadly the quality of the flowers and stems weren't up to the quality of the overall exhibit so they nixed these and I had to ask the exhibitor to sneak behind the prep area to snap a photo!

A flower show experience would not be complete without me getting to see and experience the wonderful world of Lilium and, boy, was I in for a treat:

Lilies have always had a place in a show like this and for good reason. The extravagant flowers are eye-catching and the fragrance of many of them just draws you in and makes you fall in love with them. Again, a huge challenge to get them to flower all at the same time, these arrangements showcases mostly cut flowers varieties which are long lasting both in the vase and out in the garden. And another display really showcases the diversity of Lilies and how far they've come in just the last few years in recent developments in breeding for new and exciting varieties.

This display was remarkable in that it represented lilies that normally would bloom at different times during the summer. From early Asiatics to the late-blooming Orientals (varieties like the common 'Stargazer' or 'Casablanca' to the hybrids between them. It was outstanding!

Introduced last year and certainly still making waves is a lily that I'm DYING to get on this side of the pond based on the raves and reviews I've heard about this most special hybrid:

Let me introduce Lilium 'Kushi Maya':

Bred from the rare and exotic Lilium nepelense, this hybrid combines the coloration and bloom placement of the species with the flower size and vigor of a modern day hybrid (in this case, an oriental x trumpet cross). The scent is enchanting and absolutely remarkable and I'm dying to secure a few bulbs this fall.

I have never seen carnivorous plants the way I admired them at Chelsea because they were quite prominent and each display was simply outrageous!

Nepenthes and other exotics were in full display.

As are pitcher plants and fly traps!

And, again, no detail is overlooked! Not a strand of moss missplaced!

Ok, overwhelmed yet?? I'll stop for now and give you some time to process this...haaha

Cheers,

R

CHELSEA 2011 REPORT - Part Three: More Press Day Antics

2011-07-01T21:28:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay. It's been quite busy on my end with never-ending projects and tasks at this time of year.

So, press day wouldn't be complete without a few "behind the scenes" images and photos only the public could see on the papers the next day. Like I said, the amount of press and media attention this show garners is quite remarkable.

One of the images I will never forget was entering the press tent to collect some press release, literature, and, most importantly, find an outlet so I could charge my camera battery.

Little chance I had witnessing this as I hid in the corner to snap this photo.

It was such an interesting experience attending this event. Here in Seattle, I'm so used to recognizing people I knew and I immediately feel welcomed, ready to schmooze, and set to take notes, photographs, and run into people left and right and it's all one party of plant folks, garden writers, and prominent names in the field. In Chelsea, I felt like a nobody.I took it as an opportunity to really push myself to speak to growers and just really observe and soak up the whole experience.

Camera crews swarmed the grounds of the Royal Hospital with interviews left and right, evening news reporters, gardening personalities doing demonstrations in the show gardens. It was all quite fascinating to watch behind the cameras. To give me some more insight on all the happenings at Chelsea, I ran into a well-known plantsman by the name of Dr. John Grimshaw. He helped pen a fabulous reference on new trees and a book on Snowdrops, one of his passions. John Grimshaw's Garden Diary and we happened to have crossed paths on Facebook. During press day, he spotted me and introduced himself and I asked if I could tag along as he previewed the displays, scrutinized the plant materials and shared his take on UK Horticulture and gardening in general.

Here we are looking at a stand of Digitalis or Foxgloves. I inquired as to why such a common and weedy plant deserved its own stand. He says that they've always, traditionally, been popular with show goers and they're remarkably easy to have blooming in time for the late May show. So there you go! We're actually standing next to a cool cultivar called 'Pam's Split' with a rare split in the fused corolla, which is white with a red spotted throat.

Hanging with John turned out quite to be a blessing as a colleague of his invited me to stay after the 3PM cut off time for press to vacate the show grounds for the Evening Gala to begin. This meant seeing more of the show, learning which entry won "Chelsea Plant of the Year", and, perhaps, a celebrity citing. While I missed out on seeing Ringo Starr, Gweneth Paltrow, and all these other names listed on the press release of potential celebrity visitors, I did manage to have the honor of seeing her:

Again, I asked myself, "Why don't we have any real celebrities make appearances to our flower shows that could potentially draw a bigger crowd?!"

So, I took this picture not knowing who this lady was until a colleague of mine gasped and asked if it was Vanessa Redgrave. I later learned that it WAS her launching a new rose in honor of her daughter, actress Natasha Richardson, who passed a way tragically. The 'Natasha Richardson' rose will be available to the public with proceeds from its sale going to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a charity that Natasha Richardson supported. Looks to be a top notch selection. Read about it here.

Speaking of rose lauches, the infamous David Austin unveiled the brand new "Will and Kate" rose at this year's Chelsea! Meh. It looked to be quite a strong bloomer, but the flowers weren't anything special. It had a light scent. It was white. It was kind of short. It was white. Bleh...I don't need it. Cool to be able to honor people through a plant though, that's pretty damn awesome.

Here are more missed photo opps that I didn't get a chance to shoot, from the Daily Telegraph.

So, the grounds and the main marquee, which I'll cover in the next installment, began to be filled with catering staff, more press and cameramen, and dolled up models in the show gardens and exhibits where not only did they garner the attention, plants and flowers were the focus as they both shared the stage.

After a long day, John introduced me to a English favorite, rum and raisin ice cream!

R

CHELSEA 2011 REPORT - Part Two: Press Day Show Garden Highlights

2011-06-10T19:12:00.000-07:00

I honestly didn't have time to stop and say "OMG, OMG, I'm at the Chelsea Flower Show". My mindset was more like, "OK, what's the game plan? Where do I start? Do I just start taking photos??". So I did:

First, I strolled through the outdoor gardens and, boy, talk about diversity in styles and function! There were about 17 show gardens and numerous smaller "urban gardens" that were aimed to demonstrate what could be done in a small amount of space.

There were several highlights and with garden design being so subjective, I'm going to highlight a few personal favorites (or photos that turned out well) and why I liked them. I don't want to be overly critical, these are just my casual observations:

Amazing what great shots you can get without the hoards of people around. This garden drew so much attention as it featured the tallest structure ever built for the Chelsea Flower Show. This was the B&O Garden featuring a modern style that utilizes all edible plants and sustainable building features such as a potting shed that harvests excess water for its own integrated irrigation system, solar panels, a vertical garden of vegetables and herbs also built with its own irrigation system, etc. etc. The only thing that doesn't really come across as sustainable was the perfectly clipped mulberry trees to create this rigid framework that makes the design futuristically chic, but to maintain this look is going to take a lot more work than one might realize.

Chelsea is known for its efforts to draw an international repertoire of designs and designers and this extravagant garden was sponsored by Tourism Malaysia. It might look spectacular from someone who's never been to the tropics and, don't get me wrong; it's truly awesome, but the overall design and palette of plant materials is comparable to that of a trendy shopping mall interiorscape that seems to be installed in every large shopping center in Southeast Asia.

One of my favorite gardens, I will say had to be this highly overplanted and dense design by Bunny Guinness, who I hear a lot about. I guess what I like about it is the plant palette: it's all so familiar and it's so dense that you feel like you're one with the plantings and they're there for you to savor and enjoy. The lighting captures the essence of this garden to make it feel like a morning stroll through an abundance of fruits and vegetables. It is quite overdone from a design standpoint and certain spaces weren't very well defined as the original sketch submitted made it look more formal than it really turned out to be.

I could go on and on about all the other gardens, but that would just be ridiculous! Hahah.

Looking at these gardens, I look at our own Northwest Flower and Garden Show and I feel like our displays are fairly comparable in terms of execution. The biggest difference is the plant palette since our winter show tend to utilize winter blooming plants with very few things forced to grow out of season and the fact that our show takes place indoors makes it really hard to compare as there are strength and weaknesses with having both kinds of shows.

Both shows are certainly both over-the-top with some practical application to home gardeners and take an extraordinary amount of planning and time to put together.

The timing of Chelsea really maximizes on the availability of so many different plants and many traditional plants that people are very familiar with, so instantly, they're able to relate and marvel at the extravagant displays. Compared to the NW Flower and Garden Show, we have to work a little harder to educate the public who may not know what Sarcoccoca and Helleborus are or why twigs of Cornus sericea, the silk tassels of Garrya or the bark of Betula utilis v. jacquemontii are so attractive and interesting.

Another big difference to are SPONSORS!!! Chelsea is such an iconic name and to even get to be an exhibitor at this show is BIG TIME! What really struck me were the sponsorships that gave money to these gardens. Yes, it's totally advertising for them as well, but for big corporations to just even give a damn about gardens was mindblowing!!

Then I ask, "Why can't Microsoft, Starbucks, Macy's, Amazon, etc. take a very small portion of their vast advertisement budgets and provide support for a garden?? Have they even been approached about such an endeavor?"

I think the problem with these American companies is they're so insistent on having their name and image everywhere they put their money into and for garden designers, they refuse to just "sell out" and cater to their sponsors when they need to sell themselves as well.

Chelsea seems to find a good balance of actually sticking to the principles of the show, yet still gaining the sponsorships and support necessary to make it as successful as it has been.

As always there are more photos on my Flickr page, but there are more stories to come from press day. Stay tuned...

R

CHELSEA 2011 REPORT - Part One: "Wow, how'd I get here?"!"

2011-06-08T22:44:00.001-07:00

It's been several weeks since this all happened, but it's crazy to think that I actually did what I did: I got to come to England, I got to stay for free with a world-renowned botanist, I met up with a friend I met on Facebook to visit a few gardens and nurseries and, of course, I got to attend THE GREATEST FLOWER SHOW IN THE WORLD! People may argue whether it really is the greatest, but it's certainly the most prominent and being able to attend PRESS DAY, I understood why it has coined that distinction.

It was a bus ride from my professor's apartment to Hammersmith Station on the infamous TUBE and Sloan Square was my stop. Already, evidence that there's a big plant show coming was already quite obvious:

Getting a PRESS PASS is almost like winning the lottery it seemed like. I was encouraged by colleagues here to TRY and get in during press day to avoid the massive crowds. So, I went to the RHS website for media and press and found an online application which stated my intentions for wanting to come during press day.

A few months later, I was granted accreditation and had to pick up my pass and wristband the day before. Kinda ghetto that we had to write our own name and it wasn't printed on, but oh well. I WAS IN!

Being that it was my first time attending, I took a very early morning bus to get there around 5AM and I followed a few cameramen to the gate to enter the show. Being told that the entrance was not open yet, we were asked to enter through another entrance across the river Thames. Thankful I didn't have much with me (my point-and-shoot digital camera, my write-in-rain notebook and my bookbag with my extra battery, an extra sweater and some snacks to get me through the long day.

I tried to strike up a conversation with the two cameramen I was walking side-by-side with and inquired about their experience with Chelsea. One of those photographers was Clive Nichols, check out his website here, amazing work. He's been around the world photographing plants and gardens and he directed me to which areas to see first, I barely had time to shoot this shot and take a moment to realize that I had finally arrived:

A Young Chelsea Designer: Sarah Price

2011-06-08T21:53:00.000-07:00

Before I flood this blog of all things Chelsea and UK horticulture, I want to shed some light on a young lady I had the pleasure of meeting at tonight's NHS lecture. While she wasn't at Chelsea this year, she's sort of a veteran with two previous gardens under her belt at the show and numerous other noteworthy projects.

Sarah Price is a landscape designer from the UK that's very quickly rising in the ranks, and according to fellow garden writer, Marty Wingate, she's only 29 y/o. We might be wrong, but she's definitely a youngin'!.

She came to speak about her design process and showcase some of the incredible work. Her list of accomplishments and high profile projects is unbelievable: She's designed 2 gardens for the Chelsea Flower Show, has won a gold medal at the Hampton Court Flower Show (another show I MUST see when I return to the UK!) and one of her current projects entails being a plant consultant for the landscaping being installed for the 2012 Olympic Games in London!

A design for the Chelsea Flower Show.

One of my missions being able to come to the Chelsea Flower Show this year was to observe potential up and coming gardeners. Sarah seems to define what I began to observe and she's just one of many who could lead and continue on a grand tradition that's just so much more recognized and respected over there in England.

The first garden she designed. Not too shabby, eh?

Sarah struck me as a humble, fairly composed young lady with a very strong art backround that she uses to great effect in her design and even in her random doodles, which she wasn't afraid to share even though she claims that they weren't very good, were actually very constructive and quite useful and elegantly done. Her emphasis on "the process" was great to see. Often young designers, or even seasoned professionals always what the high impact image of a "before and after", but seeing preliminary sketches and drafts of her work were actually very interesting.

Getting to chat with her afterwards, I think I might have overdone it with the enthusiasm as I was just so pleased to meet and see someone my age be so successful, talented, yet she also possessed a shyness and apprehensiveness that makes her a real 20-something year old who has a lot of room to develop and grow.

Some may argue, "too much too soon", but if you've got the experience, the drive, the talent and the work ethnic to pull off a veteran project, why not?! Her style is quite natural and she uses the open meadow effect with mass plantings intermixed with various forms and textures and there's a light and airy quality to it that's pleasing to the eye. She uses plants that are relatively common, but again, to great effect.

I wish her luck as they continue building the London 2012 site and I hope she visits the NW again so she can visit the mountains and natural areas here, visit more gardens and meet more of her fellow next generation gardeners!

R

2011-05-30T14:09:00.001-07:00

End of Chelsea means the big sell off at the end! Coming back to London from Cheshire, people already had plants on hand and ready to try and take it on the trains!! CRAZY! But so totally awesome!!

A quick update and a little teaser

2011-05-27T17:44:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Cheshire!

I'm currently staying with my friend, Shaun Barton, at his home near Manchester and it's been quite an experience here so far.

London and the Chelsea Flower Show was outstanding in many aspects no matter how critical others have been about the show.

I feel like I accomplished what I really wanted from it. Simply being there was a thrill and it really gave me such insight on the British approach towards the "glorifying" of its plants, gardens, and even gardeners. The media coverage was unbelievable, yet when I looked at most of the displays, I often find it comparable to what I've encountered before with flower and garden shows in the states.

Taking the train up here to where I'm currently staying and being driven around by Shaun has been so pleasant, humbling, and overall remarkable.... minus the lack of a reliable internet connection, camera and laptop batteries not charging properly, and a bitch of a canker sore that's aching severely and has the left side of my face almost paralyzed. I've visited several gardens and nurseries with Shaun and met plantsmen that have been so insightful, charismatic, and truly inspiring. Driving around the countryside with the rolling green hills, hedgerows, and farms was also captivating and something I will always feel connected to.

I've much to share, but not much time now as I need to get more quality sleep as I head back to London tomorrow to finish off my trip before flying back to the States.

Thank you all for your patience and I hope you'll check in soon with more observations and awesome photos of my experiences here!

Cheers,

Riz

Packing for summer fashion....a dilemma

2011-05-18T09:26:00.000-07:00

So, I've been sorta freaking out as I finish up packing for my upcoming trip (flight's tomorrow AM!). I totally don't consider myself fashionable by any means and this first trip to the UK sort of has me worried about my selection of clothes. I'm a jeans and t-shirt with FLEECE kind of Northwest gardener that doesn't go out much or spends that much money on clothes.

The Chelsea Flower Flower is regarded as the official start of the summer social season. Minus the extravagant preview party where all the famous names and wealthy citizens of London parade themselves lavishly through the show gardens, going to Chelsea still means being seen!

So, here's an example of being dressed up for me. It's plain, uninspired, and I can't, for the life of me, keep a collar in check. This was at my cousin's wedding in December and I'm posing with my other cousin, Christina.

I had an intervention of sorts a few months ago when I went to a club with family and they were somewhat baffled by my outfit of choice. Again, it was plain, dark, and potentially warding off any potential for meeting a cute date. Hahhaha

So, we went shopping and came up with a argyle vest ensemble that seemed to work with a pair of dress shoes or converse.

I've been trying to consult with other friends and colleagues over there, but I still feel like I won't be up to the level of sophistication almost everyone I've met that's from the UK seem to be.

But you know what, I'm a horticulturist; I making peanuts, and I'll pull off whatever I can pull off with what I have. I still feel an itch to go and get a few things though:

Maybe I just need a bit of color and not be too afraid about wearing it. Accessories would be nice (I really need to learn how to tie a tie on my own without referring to a YouTube video or having someone else do it for me!)

How sad, a "Next Generation Gardener" who can't dress himself for what may be the grandest flower show he'll ever attend! Now if I can look like this guy and pull off something like this....hmm...better than having my body painted like the models above.

I'll let you know what I come up with.

Seattle Chinese Garden's 1st Peony Festival

2011-05-18T07:28:00.000-07:00

I'm kind of bummed that I won't be here to help celebrate China's most famous flowering plant at the Seattle Chinese Garden this Saturday.

Our horticulture committee has endured a few challenges lately, yet we're moving forward in hosting our first even horticultural event by showcasing the genus Paeonia

Peonies have long been popular garden plants, but it never seems popular enough in the Puget Sound Area to garner its own exhibition. Perhaps it's because of the busy time of year when you're competing with plant sales, garden opens, etc. etc., but in Chinese culture, the peony is much celebrated and we thought that we'd begin a tradition of acknowledging this beautiful flower each year so the Seattle Chinese Garden becomes a destination for folks to come visit what we hope to be the largest collection of tree and herbaceous peonies in Western Washington that's open to the public.

For our first attempt at this, Swanson's Nursery kindly lent us 3 plants for the festivities this Saturday. Here they are being delivered. Oh, driving around with these blossoms and their scent was heavenly!!

This first year is really a trial run using the handful of tree peonies we have in our nursery holding area that haven't received the best of care, but are still quite remarkable. They'll be showcased in glazed ceramic Chinese pots

There will be a flower arranging demonstration, a running slideshow of a Peony festival in China and photos of many cultivars available in the trade. There will also be information about care and culture of peonies and potted herbaceous peonies for sale.

The event will also offer an opportunity to see the new "Knowing the Spring Courtyard" and the early stages of future construction.

I hope you'll come and support our humble horticulture committee and see some wonderful tree peonies in bloom and see the brand new courtyard!

WHAT: Seattle Chinese Garden's 1st Annual Peony Festival

WHERE: 6000 16th Ave. SW, Seattle WA 98106

WHEN: Saturday, May 21st. 12PM-5:30PM

COST: FREE!!!!

For more information visit the Seattle Chinese Garden website!

ALSO:IF YOU'VE GOT A PEONY BLOOMING IN YOUR GARDEN, DO CUT ONE OR A FEW TO SHARE AND SHOWCASE!!

I hope to share my peony pride and joy in future years with my precious:

This new plant's called....domino...DOMINO!!!

2011-05-14T23:13:00.000-07:00

My young division of this Epimedium 'Domino' is getting established in a container and it decided to flower a few weeks ago.

Still not as readily available as other cultivars as this one set me back around $30.00 plus shipping, but it has gotten so many raves from fellow plantsmen and collectors I had to get it!

It is incredibly prolific in bloom with wonderful mottled foliage when developing and its overall vigor and habit are superb!

And now, the song/music video that reminds me of this plant!

5 Days to go.....planting like crazy!

2011-05-14T01:24:00.001-07:00

With so many things sitting in pots, I've been trying to get things in the ground before I leave. The past few days, it's been dahlias!

I purchased a few dahlias from the Seattle Dahlia Society a few weeks ago and even with our almost non-existent spring temperatures, I figured that it'd be safe to plant them out right about now.

After all these years, I'm continually amazed at such a large plant and extravagant flowers come from a simple little tuber.

While it's getting kind of late to get tubers, dahlia plants become available at local nurseries later in the summer. However, they're often more expensive and the variety is usually poor.

So each spring I always look out for tubers, young plants, or pot roots.

TUBERS: These often come as a cluster of small, thin tubers packaged in sawdust or peat or a single plump tuber with at least one "eye" like the foreground of the photo above.

PLANTS: In late winter, dahlia growers force a few tubers indoors, underlights, to generate what are called "basal shoots" from the tubers. These young, tender shoots are allowed to develop until they're 3-4 inches tall and carefully cut off to create a little cutting, in which they place in media so it can root!! These basal cuttings bloom this summer and form tubers like all the other dahlias! Some varieties respond very well to this treatment and it's a great way of getting more plants as the tubers used to generate this cuttings can also be planted out and will also grow and flower!

POT ROOTS: A somewhat newer method of offering dahlias. These are basically cuttings that have been kept in containers all of last year (or cuttings taken in late summer) so you have this "block" of tubers you can plant out.

Now that they're all in, I need to make sure they're marked so I know where they are and I can place a taller and stronger stake if they need it without fear of spearing the tubers.

Just gotta get the slug bait out as those tender shoots coming up are tasty to slugs and snails.

This is one of my favorites called 'Pooh'

Flamingoes back in fashion?

2011-05-12T19:50:00.000-07:00

Yes, I often question my design aesthetic. Client had them around so, whatevs

Needs to go....Needs to go!!!

2011-05-12T19:47:00.000-07:00

SOAFB!!!!!!! Evil EVIL!!!! Grrrrrrrrrrrrr

Hyacinthoides hispanica aka Scilla hispanica

I truly HATE when this happens. Those fucking bulbs go down so deep, they're so difficult to eradicate and by pulling off just the stems and foliage, I've actually aided their spread even further becoming more of a bitch next season!!

"Yes, you can be pretty in early spring drifts of color, but, bitch, you spread way too much and I WANT YOU OUT OF MY LIFE!!!"

The Countdown Starts...10 days until London

2011-05-10T01:47:00.000-07:00

Is it the excitement of it all or the gazillion things I feel like i have to do before I leave that's keeping me up late? Next week, I'm off to London to fulfill a dream I've had since I was 12 years old and my main agenda:

The Chelsea Flower Show!

Regarded as the world's greatest flower show, I taped a PBS special of the BBC coverage of the 1997 show and I had fantasies and wild aspirations about being the youngest ever exhibitor at Chelsea. Though I'm no longer able to fulfill that lofty goal, I'm approaching this tremendous opportunity to visit London as something I personally wanted and needed to do at this point in my life.

So much of gardening has all been about work and trying to make a living doing what I love to do, but often times the joy and exhilaration of flowers that captivates me tends to be forgotten and I want to be able to just soak it all in: sniff every flower, snap endless photos, talk with other plant enthusiasts from all over the world and just wear a smile on my face the entire time as if to say "This is where I belong"!

Such high expectations for a trip, eh? Barring any potential illness, injury, natural disaster, family emergency and the like, I should have a decent time.

Follow me through my thoughts and and observations leading up to my voyage to the UK and I'll be sure to try and post regular updates!

Cheerio!!

R

Impulse Buy: A fragrant sausage....vine.....yup yup

2011-05-02T01:13:00.000-07:00

Needing some slug bait and twine, I went to a local nursery and ran into horticulturist, Joe Abken, who informed me of a new shipment of vines from Monrovia.

It was part of the Dan Hinkley collection of new introductions and it happened to be an unusual evergreen vine called Holboellia coriacea 'Cathedral Gem'. Collected in China, this seldom grown plant is dubbed the "Sausage Vine" because of it's bizarre fruit, but the FLOWERS ARE SO FREAKIN' FRAGRANT, I cursed at Joe for corrupting me once again on a absolutely stunning plant that I had to try.

The scent is very reminiscent of orange blossoms and when Tina came by, it reminded her of Sampaguita (Jasminum sambac) as well.

Supposed to be hardy down to Zone 6 and it gets its name because this plant was found growing at Winchester Cathedral in the UK. It blooms in late winter to early spring they say and requires part shade and consistent moisture in rich, but well draining soil. The straight species can grow up to 20 to 20 feet when mature, we'll see how I do with this one!

We need more interesting and reliable evergreen vines to replace crap like ivy and Clematis armandii, which can be nice, but a maintenance nightmare! If this sausage vine can get dense, flower reliably when its suppose to and the foliage holds up well all year, then we'll be happy campers.

Don't worry, Dan, this photo wasn't taken from your garden!

R

Gardening 4 Me!!

2011-04-23T22:27:00.000-07:00

Like I've said time and time again, it's always been somewhat of a challenge making a career out of something I love and enjoy doing. Work and personal life tend to collide and often conflict with one another; folks either think you're overworked or overly wasting time. Have I been thinking about this way too much? You betcha! hehe

Last Saturday was a pretty significant day as it truly felt like spring with the sun finally out and, with a friend, hit up Seattle's famous Kubota Garden in South Seattle for the first time EVER. When I tell people that it was my first time in the 21 years I've lived here in Seattle, their jaws drop!

This was the first garden in a really long time where my usual, hyperventilating enthusiasm and irrepressible giddiness was non-existent. Strolling through the manicured landscape and its simple plant palette was refreshingly calming. There was nothing pretentious about the plantings; nothing brand new or spectacularly rare nor exciting, it was just a nice space in which to stroll, chat, contemplate, and challenge my companion with some woody plant identification.

Yes, I've been teaching a Plant ID course through Edmonds Community College this quarter and the teaching thing seems to just come naturally: on the clock or not. I feel like I'm always compelled to share an interesting fact about plants with someone. So, I began to wonder if this was truly me or have I learned to "program" myself to always be alert, critical, and have something "smart" to say when it came to visiting gardens and looking at plants with others.

Truly, a farm or garden is a place where I feel comfortable. Being surround by "work" doesn't always mean it's a chore-I have to remind myself at times. The mentality, however, is the fact that because it's such a low-paying industry, one has to always feel like they're always working, or else, come to grips with the fact that every penny has to count and any time spent not actually making money is lost time, a potential bill not payed for, just paying the monthly minimum on my credit card balance, putting a set of new glasses or contacts on hold, therapy, etc. etc. hehe

That day, it really DID NOT feel like work! I felt like I actually savored the time and, later, was able to garden for myself!

After our visit to Kubota and a pretty intense one-on-one chat about love, life, and pruning lilacs, I went straight to a greenhouse where I've been overwintering my plants and began to clip, tidy and prepare a handful for re-introduction outdoors. While some plants were destined for clients, I grabbed the handful that were destined for my garden and decided to bring them with me to harden-off and eventually plant at Landwave.

Arriving at the garden a few minutes later, I was greeted by a stream of blue created by grape hyacinths that weaved through 'Blue Shades' of Anemone blanda combined with the deep pink flowers and bold foliage of Bergenia hybrids that have just started to bloom. This was my "WOW" that I never encountered at Kubota, but it was my own personal "WOW"; an impact I almost couldn't believe I helped create!!

A hybrid Bergenia and a lovely spring blooming ephemeral in the pea-family called Lathyrus verna.

The garden is a mess and overtaken by weeds in the interior, but I was determined to work, plant and make the most of the most ideal weather condition anyone could ask for. I unloaded my plants and just began placing them where I felt I wanted to see them growing or mature without too much reservation about what visitors to the garden might think or what trendy new plant combination or planting scheme I might write about, photograph or apply to a project. I just played musical plants and relied on my experience and whatever felt good to me and just went with it.

I didn't worry so much about a more appropriate or "cooler" plant I needed to buy for a specific effect, I just stuck with my already diverse and eclectic array of plants ensuring each one would have a home besides its own pot. I constantly reminded myself, "Who the f* cares?! I can always edit". I weeded furiously, but without strain and pressure to tackle it all; I got bored with one area or another area calmly called for attention so I just moved around. Just weeding the areas where I intend to plant has been a pretty good strategy.

Yes, I'm always concerned about how it all looks, but today I didn't get so caught up about living up to others expectations of what my garden should be, what I should be growing and what it should look like. It's come such a long way and evolved each year and my current work schedule doesn't allow for a more manicured landscape and it actually felt okay to be reminded of that.

The strikingly unusual flowers of Fritillaria meleagris and the new growth of Hydrangea aspera 'Macrophylla'

R

A long sought after peony

2011-04-20T22:58:00.000-07:00

As a kid, I had plant catalogs under my bed (vs. the usual dirty porn most boys had under their mattress) and one of them had this pink peony on the cover that I was so infatuated with called 'Vivid Rose'. It was a photo that was most likely staged to give it the appearance of abundant blooms, but it was it's description that made me want it so very badly. Fully double pink, voluptuous ( didn't know what that meant, but it sounded good!) petals with powerful and enchanting fragrance that one bloom can scent an entire room!!!!! What held me back was the near $30 per 3-5 eye division plus shipping it was supposedly worth. At that time, I couldn't justify why I'd spend my monthly allowance for a single plant.

In an old episode of the Victory Garden on PBS that I rented from our library, I noticed one segment was a tour of the peony fields of the Klehm family (now called Klehm's Song Sparrow) in Illinois. There they discussed peony breeding and showcased several hybrids that just made my mouth water as I rewound it again and again to see flower after gorgeous flower on the television screen and one such flower happened to be 'Vivid Rose'. It was voluptuous and HUGE!

Years passed and I'd think about it each fall as peony catalogs came in the mail or appeared online and I always intended to get it because the sooner I have it in my possession, the sooner I can plant so the sooner I can experience their luscious blooms because peonies take a few years to really get established. But each year I flake and fail to place an order.

THIS SPRING IS THE YEAR it finally happened when I noticed the peony in a 2 gallon pot with 4 budded stems at a local garden center. I eventually caved and willingly paid $24.99 plus tax for the plant.

Now, to witness it in bloom....

Will I still be enchanted by what appears to be just another pink, double flowered herbaceous peony? Or, will I find it plain, ordinary, and "so over with.."??

I'll let you know in early June!

R

The allure of anemones

2011-04-18T23:16:00.000-07:00

During a rare break this weekend, I swung by Wells Medina nursery to check out their nursery stock for a woody plant ID course I'm teaching this quarter and, as always, I'm always on the look out of rare and unusual stuff, particularly perennials.

Set on tables were flat after flat of unusual treasures such as Auricula primroses, alpine sedums, Lewisias, and several flats of blooming Anemones I just could not resist. Typically something this dainty and ephemeral is easy for me to pass up because it's a one-trick-plant that does its thing in the spring and then just disappears. HOWEVER, certain types, particularly the Wood Anemones (Anemone nemorosa) are simply charming, dainty, but oh so tough and adaptable, even in dry shade under trees.

The first ever spring Anemone I obtained, grew on and propagated is the lovely double flowered selection of A. nermorosa called 'Vestal'. Having received just these twig-like rhizomes around 5 years ago from a mail order company, they were very slow to start, but eventually formed nice clumps of these spectacular flowers. I potted them up and the following spring, they sold like hot cakes.

Now, I've read or seen only photos of more unusual varieties in catalogs or online, but when I went to Wells, I couldn'y help but make a few purchases.

Anemone apennina 'Alba' This one I actually passed on as it was "too simple", but it was such a prolific plant and each petal had a faint blue reverse which added to its appeal.

Then it's close, lavender color with double flowers, relative was looking smashing.

Then, there are snazzy cultivars such as this one called 'Green Fingers'

Then there's the angelic 'Blue Eyes', which starts out fully white double and then matures to reveal a bluish tint in the center that's very appealing.

Most likely grown and propagated by Edelweiss Perennials down in Oregon, these are exquisite plants I expect to last for many years and eventually share with others!

Back at home in Landwave, I've got these precious winter gems. This is Anemone blanda 'Blue Shades'

Anxious for a warmer and DRYER spring

2011-04-10T23:38:00.000-07:00

2011-03-31T19:23:00.001-07:00

Pretty awesome for a "recycled" container planting with left over plants from client's seasonal display.

2011-03-31T14:56:00.001-07:00

See what can happen if you're not constantly butchering your shrubs!! This is Osmanthus delavayi; a shrub that's probably one of my favorite broadleaf evergreen shrubs. It responds well to shearing and hedging, but if allowed to grow naturally, it's just covered with fragrant blooms late March and into April!!

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Best Deal on Gardening Books!!! Miller Library Book Sale!

2011-03-31T14:26:00.000-07:00

The library staff at the Miller Library is gearing up for the much anticipated annual book sale at the Center for Urban Horticulture. According to librarian, Martha Ferguson, they had a tremendous donation of books this year!

Best time to come and shop is during the preview event, of course, where they'll serve wine and cheese and you have first dibs on fantastic titles at very reasonable prices!

Just click on the flyer above for more information!! YES, IT'S TOMORROW AND SATURDAY!!!

Cheers,

R

2011-03-30T14:21:00.001-07:00

My kind if nursery, but it's cold, wet and kind of messy, but it's still super early. Pretty cool plants though!

2011-03-29T19:12:00.001-07:00

Who f'ing shears Pieris? WTF!!

You're a plant geek foodie when...

2011-03-28T22:05:00.000-07:00

1) You instruct the waitress to ask the chef what type of leaf came with the appetizer.
2) You prevent your hungry date from starting just so you can capture the right photo to post on Facebook or your blog!

So,in my last few visits to Thai restaurants, I've insisted that we order the famous "Miang Kham" as an appetizer.

There's something about the mixture of textures and ingredients and how they all go together with a most scrumptious sweet and savory sauce that's just to die for! And what brings it all together is a unique leaf that I just went GAGA over as I was intrigued by its shape, texture, and the gently pungent taste.

So this awesome leaf is known as betel (Piper betle).It's the same family where peppercorns come from (Piperaceae) and is found as a creeping, evergreen plant in South and South East Asia. However, the first time I had these, I was told it was called "lalot". So I Google'd the name and Piper sarmentosum came up in the search which supposedly is a smaller leaf and not as strong in flavor as the betel. Whichever leaf it is, it is mighty tasty and binds all the ingredients so well.

Being that it's native to tropical regions, it most likely will not survive as a perennial here, but perhaps an annual or keeping it as a houseplant might work. I've yet to find a nursery that offers the plant.

R

2011-03-20T18:53:00.001-07:00

My Scheffy has a new home!!

Hort programs struggling with enrollment.

2011-03-19T12:38:00.000-07:00

I'm preparing for my upcoming teaching gig at Edmonds Community College and following a faculty meeting last week to discuss the upcoming school term, it was discouraging to hear that enrollment was poor. As one of THE BEST horticulture programs in the State of Washington, it was kind of shocking. Yes, we were encouraged to promote our own classes and this blog post is an attempt at that, but more importantly, I want to share with you just how broad and extensive their course offerings are.

Spring is THE season with so much coming into growth and bloom, instructors and students can't help, but be enthralled, inspired, and yes, be overwhelmed by it all.

Our course offerings include a spring vegetable gardening course, introduction to restoration ecology, Horticultural Plant Science, insects, pest management, landscape studies, field sketching, nursery and greenhouse, construction and, of course, the plant identification courses, which I feel quite honored to have been asked to teach one (Hort 160 Woody Plants for Gardeners) as it's probably the best exposure anyone interested in plants will get.

You really can't get this kind of training in our region outside of our local community colleges. It's not just Edmonds, but Lake Washington Technical and South Seattle Community Colleges, just to name a few, have excellent programs that are nurturing the future leaders, managers, and skilled workers in the landscape industry.

Even if you're not a professional nor intended to be at all involved in the industry, but you enjoy gardening and plants, THERE IS SOMETHING FOR YOU !

Check out the course offerings from the three schools I mentioned and take a class or two to broaden your knowledge and also meet like-minded people who love what they do and share in the experience of learning to manage and oversee the environment that surrounds us.

Edmonds Community College

Lake Washington Technical College

South Seattle Community College

Gardener Profile: Tina Caparas

2011-03-14T07:09:00.000-07:00

I met Tina a few years ago through a co-worker that interned with her at the Elisabeth C. Miller Garden in the Highlands. To my delight, I learned that she was also Filipino and it felt great meeting someone who shared a similar upbringing who showed an intererst in plants. The best aspect of her work is her respect and appreciation towards fine gardening. And she doesn't quite admit to it yet, but she's a total plant geek as well!

What struck me about her journey towards horticulture was her educational background: She has a business degree from the UW, but decided that she didn't want to be in a cut-throat, corporate environment nor did she want to really pursue her own business, but a love and respect for the environment shines through her lifestyle and her work ethic. She completed the hort program at South Seattle Community College and has been active with different organizations such as Seattle Tilth, Plant Amnesty, and other non-profits.

She claims that maintenance is her forte (YES, TAKE NOTE...SHE ROCKS THE MAINTENANCE ASPECT OF HORTICULTURE with her attention to detail and enjoys it, while others typically try and avoid it, right?!)

I've had an opportunity to work alongside Tina and it still sort of surprises me that she took a path that, most of her peers her age (she's only 31, btw!!) and pursued a degree like business, would never take. You don't make much gardening, but somehow, it called out to her and she's more than willing to take on a new horticultural venture from irrigation and general maintenance with the City of Redmond to helping me pot up and propagate perennials for plant sales, her skill set is quickly developing along with her desire to continue to study Spanish so she can more clearly communicate with landscape crews.

We occasionally work together and we also take the time to make nursery visits and check out gardens and connect with plant colleagues. But we also do things like eat out, shop at Value Village, farmers markets and do groceries, etc. Developing this camaraderie early on as we represent an upcoming generation of gardeners is crucial. The sooner we all know how we work and operate, the more prevalent our skills and services will be more obvious, productive and therefore; attractive to prospective clients and botanical institutions who may be looking to hire. And also, we can avoid burning out by taking the time to acknowledge aspects of our personal lives and allowing personal time to help remind ourselves why we do what we do and why we enjoy it so.

She also reminds me of the value of hard work, honesty and treating people who work alongside you with respect. I hope more people get to know her.

Winter Containers

2011-03-13T01:41:00.000-08:00

After a successful talk at this year's Northwest Flower and Garden Show, I gave away a handful of plants, but kept a handful to pot up some containers to spruce up the townhouse where I'm currently living.

Here's what I threw together:

A large Western Red Cedar resides up front with some non-descript deciduous Cotoneasters at the base. It needed a focal point. I'm almost tempted to redo it and planting something with larger, bolder foliage that can be seen as neighbors drive by.

So Hellebores have been so hot this early season and there's so many to choose from now, it's so incredibly fun to work with.

This was the composition I demonstrated at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. Highlighting a most spectacular hardy Citrus (Poncirus) trifoliata 'Flying Dragon' flanked with black mondo grass, sweet flag and a bright Sedum acre 'Aureum'. Tried to squeeze in Brunnera 'Jack Frost't, but I couldn't. This was an exercise in color contrast and textures.

And got the approval that the roomies dig 'em!

R

2011-03-11T16:57:00.001-08:00

Sexy tongue and whip graft!

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Yes, it's cheaper , BUT.....

2011-03-08T17:02:00.001-08:00

So, it's that time of year when things begin to trickle into the chain store garden centers (for us here in Seattle, WA, it's mainly Home Depot and Lowe's) and they're beginning to get deliveries of fresh plant material. So naturally, I find an excuse to go in (usually to replace a burned out light bulb or cheap potting soil) and check out the selection.

Over the past few years, I've been finding top-notch specialty plants such as these Hellebores. In the past, I've obtained 'Ivory Prince', but now you can easily get 'Pink Frost' and, recently, I spotted a clone from the "Gold Collection" called 'Jacob' (which, of course wasn't labeled as so because they feel like no one really gives a fuck) a whole series of H. x hybridus hybrids that were once just pukey colors, but now they're pukey colors with ruffles, spots, picotees, DOUBLE AND ANEMONE FORMS! It was just a few years ago that these were like the holy grail of Hellebores that fetched $40-50 easily, but now you can purchase a small clump blooming its head off for around $10.00.

Think of these Hellebores as the new ORCHIDS. They've been micro-propagated in a laboratory so they can be mass-produced and offered at a lower price to the consumer. Sounds awesome, right?? Yes and No, in my opinion.

YES

Good quality plants, true to type for the most part (regardless of how it was labelled), and good plants get to gardeners much quicker and they're far more affordable. Can't argue too much about that, eh?

NO

Real nurseries and specialty garden centers suffer because of the cost of production and retail mark-ups call for higher prices just to break even, but for the most part, it's a severe loss for the small grower who, honestly, cannot compete with a chain giant. Most of these plants are produced in other parts of the country, travel a long way via truck, are regularly mislabeled, and treated poorly once they're stocked on nursery tables at chains.

As a grower, it certainly hurts to see a plant I've worked so hard to propagate, pot up, grow on carefully, and label for an upcoming plant sale only to find the same plants being sold at Lowe's or Home Depot for less than half of what I'm selling them for WHOLESALE!!

This is definitely an area where I feel quite torn and uncertain as to how to go about deciding which plants to get.

I've always said that there's no shame in shopping at a chain. I'm all about budget gardening and encouraging those who want to dabble in growing plants, but I'm also a plantsman who stresses quality in plant development and introduction and fully support local growers and businesses.

I'd appreciate your comments on this, please.

BTW, I caved and purchased that lower flower that impressed me with it's almost 4" flower, heavy speckling, and just how awesome it looked with the dark purple Phormium I was planning on using for a seasonal container.

Thanks,

R

2011 NW Flower and Garden Show: Yes, another highlight blog!

2011-02-24T00:14:00.001-08:00

I guess there are actually people out there who want to know what I thought about the displays at this year's Northwest Flower and Garden Show.

I merely took a quick glance, at most, as I tried to take photographs and notes on some of the gardens, so during the press tour, I thought that many of the displays were excellent. More emphasis on plant material and it was so great to see plant forcing playing a role in creating the "magic" that a show like this can possess.

With many of the exhibitors being close friends and colleagues over the years, I'm going to refrain from being overly critical of their work. The whole reason for this show is for our gardening community to gather together and share in the love and passion that reminds us why we love what we do either professionally every single day or every other weekend when one has time to putter around a yard or tend to some containers. Therefore; I'd rather just focus on what I enjoyed seeing most.

One of the first of these displays is one of the biggest stories of the event was the entry of a 17 year old high school senior who designed and created a garden that showcased reclaimed items re-used in innovative ways and a drought tolerant plant palette that anyone can acquire and have growing in their gardens.

Courtney Goetz, daughter of a colleague and friend/garden designer, Sue Goetz aka The Creative Gardener, gets the credit and applause for an interesting, functional and well laid out design that is not over the top. I hope she can continue her work and build on this remarkable experience.

Where there wasn't anything all that interesting in her garden in terms of plant materials, I did find this art piece very intriguing. The garden needed a splash of color and this was aimed to do so. Reminiscent of a statuesque Allium or "flowering Onion", but shorter.

One of my favorite garden features of the show was this composition designed and created by a design team that included members of APLD (Association of Professional Landscape Designers - NW Chapter). A simple yet effective feature and with the red-twig dogwood against the "moon" was captivating. The entire raised garden display was jammed-packed with plant material (typical of installs done by LA's, right? hhaha) and the overall garden, dubbed as the "signature garden" of the show, was quite unique attempting to set a mood with hanging silk screens with poetry and art projected onto it. From those not in the know, or at least when the house lights were on, it looked as if the garden pergola was T-P'd! by a group of fraternity brothers (or a rival landscape company). Ok, sorry, I said I wouldn't be critical, but ...eh...

A great balance of hardscape, garden art, and lavish plantings was the garden designed and built by Karen Stefonick and B. Bissell General Contractor, LLC. The sculptures were spectacular and complimented and didn't distract from the plantings and the crystal ball in the reflecting pool was an exquisite centerpiece. This is a type of landscape that not everyone can afford to obtain (I mean, c'mon, several thousands of dollars for a friggin glass ball shipped from London. Who needs that?!!!)

Forcing of plant material for a winter flower and garden show is exceedingly challenge and very expensive. To time plants so they're in peak bloom during the show takes skill, the proper facilities, years of experience and a little bit of luck. Ms. Stefonick's design included many specimens of a popular selection of Melianthus or Honey Bush called 'Antonow's Blue'. During judging, these looked fabulous, but after a few days under the stress of poor theatrical lighting (ugh, don't get me started on this) and the usual stresses most plants go through after being forced (very tender growth), you get this "goin' on up in here":

For the most part, a lot of exhibitors and growers got it down. Bulbs are probably the most common and easiest to force and can flower at the precise hour you want them to open. Other plants such as these require a bit more skill and scare to carry them. This English Rose from Christianson's Nursery wasn't prolific in bloom, but the few along the rustic fence of their cottage style display was lovely and the fragrance: absolutely magical.

Then Wight's Home and Garden featured the increasingly popular Itoh Intersectional Peonies (a hybrid cross between the herbaceous garden peony with the shrubby tree peony)timed perfectly with just a few blooms open prior to judging with swelling buds ready to burst open into full glorious bloom.

If there was a garden that people could really relate to and jot down some ideas from probably has to be the Washington Park Arboretum's Japanese Garden designed by my buddies Phil Wood and "Uncle" Bob Lilly. It has so many design concepts in such a small space with a humble, yet interesting palette of plants and talk about forcing, they had the finest flowering cherries ever seen at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show thanks to the horticulturists at Seattle Parks and Recreation. Too bad visitors couldn't fully appreciate them in that horrible lighting. Then, under better lighting is a fragrant "new" Pachysandra axillaris introduced by Dan Hinkley he named 'Windcliff'.

So my friends and colleagues, students and instructors at Edmonds Community College, have done it again and devoted sleepless nights and stressful moments to go all out again in a very popular display depicting "Alice in Wonderland". Zsofia Pasztor, owner of Innovative Landscape Technologies and her team of designers and workers put together a crazy and over the top display joined with Cedar Grove Compost, who put together "Alice's Labyrinth" where visitors could walk through the checker-board flanked with Filtrexx Garden Soxx, large sacks or pouches filled with compost creating a new means of planting a garden. Usually used for erosion control, these were planted up with endless purple heucheras, red tulips, primroses, cyclamen, and twig dogwoods.

Again, you can find pics from the show on my Flickr Set.

There was a lot more to the show than these gardens, of course, but I'm getting tired. As ideas come up, I'll try and post them, but this just gives you a small sampling of the week's events.

The show can be quite overwhelming for a newcomer (ie grad student who I showed around), but in a way, it should be! To see the possibilities of plants, gardens and landscapes is what's so cool about the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. If people recognized just how much work goes into planning, designing, organizing, creating, building and promoting this show and see the finished result has to strike a chord with people; this is no easy feat!

Now, looking ahead, I saw some wonderful container displays and wondered if I could make a "comeback" by doing this more manageable display. It'll still be a lot of work and money invested in creating a display, but it is the NW Flower and Garden Show and the exposure is tremendous. Or maybe it's time to tackle a real display garden and collaborate with those who have approached me with the idea of doing a show garden.

We'll, there's less than a year to plan and prepare...I better think hard and see if this is something I can tackle.

It really is a lot of strenuous hard work, folks, really it is! It's also quite an honor and rewarding when all falls into place you allow the magic to just happen!

Flower Show through the eyes...er lens of a non-plant person

2011-02-23T23:22:00.000-08:00

So I met Hyejin through a former ex of mine and learned that she was an avid photographer. She asked if I wanted pictures of my plants, flowers and gardens and a few weeks back, a group of mutual friends, including Hyejin, hit up Washington Park Arboretum's Winter Garden. This was her first time visiting the WPA and she seemed to enjoy herself!

She will kill me for posting this! LOL

I asked her to join me during press day at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show so she can practice her photography.

As an employee of Microsoft, this was quite a departure for her, but I think she enjoyed being able to see the show and be around people who promote events such as this so she kind of has an idea of why it's a big deal for a lot of us. One of my aims was to see what she would capture and what caught her attention as someone who didn't really look at plants, flowers and gardens on a regular basis.

Here's a link to the result of her observations. I find it remarkable how she's able to compose such great shots.

It just goes to show how the beauty and lure of gardening and nature is so powerful and transcends to a broad range of people.

Oh yes, she also does amazing portraits and more "artsy" stuff. Check out her work and give her some feedback! Her Flickr page.

Cheers,

R

2011-02-23T18:28:00.001-08:00

Almost showtime! And snow flurries have started outside.

So the story begins...2011 Flower and Garden Show opens!

2011-02-22T23:56:00.000-08:00

Check out my photos from the press tour. This will be an exciting show that promises to have something for the avid gardener both beginner and professional, but the target are the little ones as famous stories come to life in gardens that aim to entertain, educate and inspire!

Photos first. Praises and trash talk later...lol..

Click here for photos!

My friend Hyejin Yun joined me in photographing plants and gardens and her camera work is on display with some beautiful shots during the tour. I guess one must befriend her on Facebook to see it, but I might coax her into posting it for more people to see.

R

I'm wearin' all my own brands brands brands brands...

2011-02-16T22:39:00.000-08:00

and wearing it proudly!!

"I teach and do for you garden! You no plant Arborvitae!!! NO!! Plant Osmanthus hedge instead! Okay, pay now!" LOL!!!

I took my marketing and exposure to a new level and finally have RHR Horticulture and Landwave Gardens merchandise to show off the work my cousin, Nio Subaran, created with me a few years ago.

Bellevue Embroidery in Factoria Mall did an outstanding job with the shirts, caps, vests, aprons and canvas tote bags I had screen printed and embroidered. Evelyn Hou, one of the proprietors, was a treat to work with as she walked me through the entire process and put forth suggestions that really made a difference in the final products, which included having my website URL. With "www.rizreyes.com/horticulture" seemingly awkward to have on a t-shirt, she suggested that I have a separate URL for both RHR and Landwave. A quick visit to GoDaddy.com and I was set. I didn't realize how big the lettering would be in the back, but she insisted that, "They need to really see you!". A great call.

Telling her a bit about what I do, we talked plants, flowers and this unusual vegetable that she used to have back in Guangzhou called "Ba Wang Hua".

When I picked up my merchandise, she included a bag of it for me so being the curious botanist I can be, I had to look it up immediately. It's the flower of DRAGONFRUIT! (Hylocereus undatus). She said to cook it in a soup with pig hocks. Hmmmmmmm. Thank goodness its dried. I'm gonna have to wait on that one.

Now I feel totally official and legit! I'll be sporting these during my talk at the NW Flower and Garden Show and I hope it's a brand that sticks in people's mind like this song by Taio Cruz that inspired the title of this blog post.

Cheers,

Riz

Former Prof. launches new book!!

2011-02-16T17:02:00.000-08:00

One of my professors and advisers as an undergrad at the UW is having a book launch tomorrow night at the UW Botanic Garden's Center for Urban Horticulture in Seattle. Professor Sarah Reichard has written "The Conscientious Gardener: Cultivating A Garden Ethic". A total departure for her as someone who's used to technical writing for scientific journals and such, but as an avid gardener, she's combined both worlds into a book that looks to be an easy and pleasant read.

Sarah is an authority on invasive species and has played an important role in raising awareness towards plants that have become so problematic in our ecosystems. She's also a conservation biologist and has put that knowledge base to work in a program called Rare Care. Rare Care enlists a large group of volunteers each year to head out into the wilds of the Pacific Northwest and monitor species known to be threatened and study their population to ensure their survival and continued existence. Pretty awesome, huh?

The very first class I took in my major was her Intro to Urban Ecology course, which definitely set the tone of my studies and my awareness towards the heavily utilized and disturbed environments around me and how plants and people play their roles. It's one things to garden and make the world a more beautiful place to live, but what Sarah has instilled is, you have to do it responsibly and this is what the book is all about.

As much as I'm stoked about her new book and all of her efforts in putting it together, I have to be a bit critical about it's "imaging". We never should judge a book by it's cover; no, but we're human and will often do so anyway. In a highly competitive field where books in print are slowly and sadly dwindling, the publishers could have done a MUCH BETTER job with the cover. The photo is nice, but the choice of font is very "old school" and the whole packaging gives it a "just picked up on the 50 cent pile of used books at the local Goodwill". I had similar comments about Dan Hinkley's "The Explorer's Garden" a few years ago; I just hope people actually open it up and start reading about a lot of vital information we should be keeping in mind as we work in our landscapes.

Do join us and help launch her book and support a great conservation program as well as proceeds go towards Rare Care:

* Thursday, February 17, 2011
* 6:45 pm Reception and Book-Signing; 7:30 pm Lecture
* Co-sponsored with UW Botanic Gardens
* Location: NHS Hall, Center for Urban Horticulture
* Tickets are $15; for reservations, contact Karin Kravitz at
nwhort@aol.com or 206.780.8172

Her books will be for sale. Let's help her out in numbers so they reprint it with a better cover!!! heheh

Cheers,

Riz

Celebrating the year of the rabbit!! 新年快乐!!

2011-02-03T22:47:00.000-08:00

The Chinese New Year brought with it a visit to the nearly complete Knowing The Spring Courtyard at the Seattle Chinese Garden.

The courtyard will be open to the public this Sunday, Feb 6th at 12PM. Visit the Seattle Chinese Garden website for more information!

Just in time for the festivities, the ever so fragrant wintersweet was in full bloom near the Song Mei Pavillion and its richly scented blossoms could be detected in the courtyard several meters away.

What a treat for us after a meeting of the horticultural committee for the garden: landscape designer, Phil Wood, who hosted our meeting, cut us sprigs of his wintersweet growing in his garden in Wallingford.

May the year bring you many warm and humble moments and the presence of loved ones around you at all times.

陆涛

2011-02-03T09:00:00.001-08:00

a test tube baby (courtesy of Judith Freeman from The Lily Garden) I'll be sharing with folks for a plant propagation lecture today!

2011-02-02T10:21:00.001-08:00

Eww..gross! When will people learn NOT to do this?!

2011-01-30T13:38:00.001-08:00

Out with friends photographing the Winter Garden at Washington Park Arboretum

Gearing up for the NW Flower and Garden Show

2011-01-23T00:49:00.000-08:00

OK, I'm here. Sorry for the lack of updates to those who actually take the time to check up on me and my blogs. It's taken two or so years to realize it, but blogging takes up SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much time. Some people have the financial stability to blog regularly and engage their readers each day, but I can't afford to do that. So, pardon the lack of posts and if you've contacted me before to feature a special event, product, or tropic, I'm sorry I just can't share everything that falls on my lap.

OK...that's done...phew....now to the fun stuff.

It's only a matter of weeks until the start of the NW Flower and Garden Show and it's time to build the hype, garner the support and interest and hope that MANY MANY MANY people will come and soak in the upcoming season.

"Once Upon a Time" is the theme to draw in a younger crowd and the older generation to be able to walk through memories lane and marvel at the displays and take home some ideas and inspirations for their home garden, small plot, patio, deck, or container.

The show always aims to have something for everyone. Aside from my usual plant shopping, presentation speaking, schmoozing, and catching up with old friends and happy plant people, I'm also looking forward to these gardens and events:

A friend's 17 y/o daughter will design a show garden!!!!

Paradise (to be) Regained – …borrowing Thoreau
I'm seventeen years old and my generation is looking for paradise in a shrinking world. There is so much clutter and it continues to grow exponentially every day. While no universal remedy exists, it could start with simple changes that every person can contribute. This is my idea– I want to share a garden that seeks sustainability; including plants that don't beg for water and a container that is repurposed for a unique shelter. This garden uses the power to reclaim and "recharacterize" what is left behind. So when Father Industry comes to battle with Mother Nature, who wins?

Courtney Goetz
Creative Gardener
www.thecreativegardener.com

A former student of mine re-telling "Alice in Wonderland" through her ecologically driven design and potentially using plants I'm lending her!! (can you guess which plant? I've mentioned it before on this blog!)

Alice In Wonderland
"The first Thing I've got to do is to grow to my right size again and the second Thing is to find my way to that lovely garden." – Lewis Carroll – Today we face many unpredictable personal and environmental challenges and a garden can be a sanctuary for contemplation and enjoyment. We need to think "outside the rabbit hole" and in our garden you will see creative and unique ways to do this. So will you think BIG… or small? Relax, enjoy the garden, and consider which paths you will choose going forward in the world.

Zsofia Pasztor
Innovative Landscape Technologies
www.innovativelandscapetechnologies.com

Then, of course, there's the crazy Judith Jones of Fancy Fronds Nursery who's teaming up with ALBE Rustics to do:

Wind in the Willows - A River Odyssey
Come enjoy the enchantment of a beloved English children's classic, "Wind in the Willows" by Kenneth Grahame. Immerse yourself in the tranquility of life along the river. Plants suitable for Northwest gardens range from the dappled shade of Badger's wild woods, on down to the marshy verge of "Portley Otter's" rain garden swale, over to the open meadow gracing the ancestral Toad Hall Your garden can tell a story which will provide a unifying theme to help guide your choice of plants and accessories. Join "Ratty", "Mole", and "Badger" as they rein in the mischievous "Mr. Toad" on the river and the road. You too may discover that there is nothing quite so fine as messing about in the garden.
Judith I. Jones
Fancy Fronds
www.fancyfronds.com

Vanca Lumsden
ALBE Rustics
www.alberustics.com

There are so many other gardens to see and, I'm sure will look spectacular, while some will just simply say, "WTF is that?!" Totally normal. Totally normal. Show gardens are as subjective as any other art form. We just have to admire the process and the marvel at the overall magic a show like this can possess!

Then there's the attempt at catering to the urban gardener and, most likely, us Gen Y folks who want to venture into gardening, but don't quite have the space or time, they've got "Living It Up":

LIVING IT UP ~ Small Space Patio Gardens

Living It Up City-dwellers, this is for you! Now you can enjoy the excitement of an urban abode with a view of the city and make the most of your terrace, deck or patio. We'll show you how at "Living It Up," in the South Lobby.

This attraction features 3 unique designs that combine stunning outdoor environments. Combining elements of nature and urban living, you'll find inspiration drawing from the best of both worlds.

Explore distinctive designs using outdoor décor, planters, containers and more.

Hahaha...you know what song's stuck in my head now:

Imagine this happening at the Flower and Garden Show. LOL!! Perhaps a DJ could keep things hoppin' and interesting.

So the FEATURED SPEAKERS should be quite fun.

I'm friends with Kelly and Sue of Far Reaches Farm who will share their stories of plant hunting and collecting. Sue is recovering from a injured ankle from a recent expedition to China this fall and, I hear, is recovering very well. Can't wait to see their finds and see what they hope to share with avid gardeners here!!

One interesting talk I would definitely like to sit in and pay close attention to is a panel that's composed of friends and colleagues I've gotten to know over the years. It takes some pretty big credentials to speak on a topic such as "The Future of Gardening", but it will be VERY interesting to see where things are going and where they think it'll go:

THE GARDEN SHOW – The Future of Gardening
What's In & What's Out in Gardening Trends
Wednesday, February 23 at 2:30 pm in the Rainier Room
Join us for something completely new on the seminar stages as four gardening luminaries get together to talk about what's in store for gardeners and the future trends. This conversation, hosted by Lucy Hardiman, popular lecturer, teacher and author, will explore the what's in, what's out, what should be in, and what should be out, and more. Guest starring Val Easton, Seattle Times columnist and author of four books, including The New Low Maintenance Garden; Richard Turner, editor of Pacific Horticulture, the magazine for West Coast gardeners; and Cole Burrell, designer, photographer and author of 12 books, including Perennial Combinations. This is sure to be a thought-provoking hour of conversation.

Yikes, I just realized that that's the same day I give my DIY talk. It's not until the evening, but I should just be well prepared and set up well in advanced. PLEASE COME so it doesn't look like THIS:

The Year-Round Container Gardener
Simple Solutions for Maximum Impact
Rizaniño "Riz" Reyes
Wednesday, February 23 at 7:00 PM in the Smith & Hawken DIY Stage
Everyone deserves to have and be around a COOL PLANT in their busy lives. Find simple solutions to a creative endeavor by learning to plant a container throughout the seasons for maximum impact and minimal maintenance. The talk will cover topics such as selecting containers, potting mediums, plant materials, composition, and maintenance.

SOAFB!!!! Grrrrrrr

2011-01-12T13:40:00.001-08:00

Grrrrrr!! Was forcing this tree peony for the flower and garden show and discovered this! SOAFB!!!!

2011-01-10T06:50:00.001-08:00

Yay! I'm a published photographer in a book! Check out "Bizarre Plants" by Prof. Larry Mellichamp and Paula Gross.

Naughty Plant Porn

2011-01-09T23:23:00.000-08:00

I've been actively checking out and contributing to his new Facebook Group called PlantPorn.

It's kind of crazy with everyone posting lots of really cool plants we geeks would just salivate over,

A stunning container composition of edibles!! Assorted lettuce with pansy violets!

I stunning premature variegated pineapple!

One of the first Clematis I've ever grown called 'Josephine'

The ethereal Nymphaea gigantea.

A really cool variegated Banana from Thailand.

but there are also other postings that just aren't quite right...lol...

And the one that has topped all the rest of 'em:

Plant people aren't perverts. REALLY, WE'RE NOT! lol

R

2011-01-04T13:30:00.001-08:00

Oooooo, I want it!! Acer palmatum 'Bihou'

I'll have the double-double...or NOT

2011-01-03T22:46:00.001-08:00

Nah, I'm not talking about my recent encounter with an In and Out burger for the first time EVER! (animal style with a strawberry shake, mind you)

But, I'm talking lilies. Double-flowered lilies. Double-flowered ORIENTAL LILIES. Double double...okay, you get the idea.

Now, double flowered lilies aren't all that new. They've been around for quite some time and they're usually the result of one of mother nature's "accidents" and breeders have come along and selected those that have converted/fused some of their stamens into tepals creating a sterile pollen-free "abomination of nature" that's ridiculously cool and, hey, pollen free so I can cut them for arrangements without worrying about staining the tablecloths or getting plant sperm on my nose.

Most of the doubles that have been on the market have mostly been Asiatic lilies. They're the ones that come in a wide range of colors, bloom at around June for us in the Northern Hemisphere and usually aren't scented, but in recent years, a whole arsenal of double flowered Orientals have made their way onto the market and I wanted to be one of the first to obtain, grow and evaluate them as garden plants.

The first of these double orientals to hit the masses is one 'Miss Lucy'. A very soft pink with gently ruffled petals opening to perfection like a carnival confection. This photo blew me and thousands of other avid gardeners off our feet.

We were promised that each bud would open properly, last longer in the vase than any other "single-flowered" oriental hybrid, and being an experienced lily grower, I thought I was about to grow a dream!

I purchased bulbs from a dutch source and that first summer of 2004, this is what it produced:

Buds aborted, and those that did develop opened slowly, then browned out and fell off. A total, WTF Moment!! I paid $10 a bulb just to get this??!!

I figured, okay, it was a tough summer, I didn't irrigate like I was suppose to and didn't fertilize as much as I could have; it was all me, not the plant.

So in 2006, I made sure they had lots of organic material, adequate water and I even tried to plant them in a little more shade so they don't scorch, but I still got THIS:

These were three stems with single flowers on each to make it look like I had "success" with this "exciting new introduction". They never opened fully and you can see the trace of browning on the tepals as they began to go south. =(

I was so ready to trash and bad mouth 'Miss Lucy' and never recommend anyone to grow it! However, I started seeing this at local Seattle and eastside Bellevue home gardens:

OK, what gives, huh???!!!

I've grown lilies since I was in my early teens: I've bred and propagated them, cloned them in the lab, rescued embryos in vitro, collected rare species from the wilds of China AND I CAN'T GET A BLOODY DOUBLE FLOWERED ORIENTAL TO F*ING OPEN PROPERLY!!

Yeah, you bet I was pissed!

What made me determined to succeed with these lilies was seeing Bob and Dianna's new repertoire of double orientals they featured in their catalog about 2 years ago.

Bob and Dianna or B&D Lilies have been friends and mentors of mine since I caught the lily bug early. They've known me since I was 13 years old and bought my first 'Casablanca' bulb from them at the 1996 NW Flower and Garden Show.

Here we are at last year's show:

So in their wonderful catalog, they had like 3 or 5 different double flowered Orientals that blew me away. That floozy 'Miss Lucy' was one of them, but it also included ones that were far more colorful and interesting in shape and I figured, "OK, I gotta do this. I need to get one of each and DO THIS!!!"

Here were my results:

Lilium 'Jozef'

So, meh, okay. Not the best form or the greatest color. Had one flower on a stiff thin stem.

Lilium 'Davyd'

Yeah, this one came out kinda freaky and gross looking.

Lilium 'Chrys'

So then this came along and actually melted my heart and said, "Ahhhh....finally. A nice one"

There are others I got, but never came up for some odd reason and there are still others that I've yet to try, but might splurge on should they become available.

I'll be on the lookout for these this spring:

'Queen Sofia' - aka 'Roselily Fabolia' aka 'Double Star'

'Distant Drum' - aka 'Double Pink Rose'

and this WILD THANG being advertised as purple and white. Why is it f'ing RED with white??!!

Lilium 'Magic Star'

So, I dunno. I don't want to say that these are all crap as I know I could have taken better care of them and according to my gardening friend, Nita-Jo Rountree, who grow spectacular stems of 'Miss Lucy', as seen above, the key, she's been told by a grower, is to always provide adequate water when actively growing and forming buds or else you'll run into the problems I had.

With lilies typically easy to grow without too much attention, the extra effort to ensure these strange lilies might not be worth it for the casual gardener. I think these doubles will always remain a novelty item prized by avid gardeners and serious collectors. Who knows how well they'll be received in the florist trade? Will they open as easily as the "singles" or will buds just abort and shrivel?

Always an ongoing experiment of trial and error. You know I love it!

Oh yeah, I did like this, but totally in moderation:

R

Holiday Greetings from the NGG!

2010-12-24T14:02:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone is doing well, taking it easy and surrounded by the warmth and hearts of loved ones nearby.

It's already Christmas Eve and I'm just now starting to feel the grind of the holiday season as I've been so immersed in work. I went shopping today and almost cried as I didn't know what I was getting with my measly gardener's salary. hahah I've pulled off some creative, last minute ideas for Christmas, but it's certainly stressful.

As I really dislike giving people material things they probably don't want or need, I wish I could afford "experiences" for people such as a trip to the spa, a gym membership, tickets to a show or event, or dining out. Someday should my efforts lead to something more lucrative and something grand the horticultural world has never seen before, I will make it happen.

I've got a few more "Best of 2010" coming up before the New Year takes hold so stay tuned and my sincerest thanks for showing your enthusiasm for plants and gardens by following my blog!

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas,

Riz

Forever the Bridesmaid...

2010-12-21T09:08:00.000-08:00

With my cousin at another cousin's wedding where I somehow ended up with a bouquet of Callas.

Check out this lovely idea for an evening arrangement:

Please someone ID this Hydrangea for moi!

2010-12-21T01:57:00.000-08:00

A lovely hydrangea from a friend's garden. Kicking myself for not asking for cuttings (though it was getting late in the season). These are flowers all from the same plant! Starting out a pale blue, aging to pale green and then into a bright crimson red!!

Any thoughts on which one this might be. I'm assuming it's a serrata type??

Weekend California Vacation

2010-12-15T11:39:00.000-08:00

I went down to LA for an extended weekend to kick it with my family and see one of my cousin's tie the knot. It's been probably almost 10 years since I've been in the LA area and it was surprisingly chilly, especially at night, but the landscape there was just as I had expected.

Seeing bird of paradise (Strelitzia reginae) all around was captivating and I've regained my love for Phormium as I've been so fed up with their unreliability as a perennial here in the Pacific Northwest.

Aloes and other desert plants are simply amazing. These were in full peak bloom and required a reminder from my uncle to hustle or else we'd miss our flight back to Seattle.

Checking out the Hollywood Hills was pretty awesome (though I was kind of disappointed at how small the Hollywood sign was). Dodging the bright sun and the view of downtown LA covered in smog, I looked down and admired these variegated Agaves on the slope of the Observatory.

My uncle's house, blocks from Sunset Boulevard, yielded some wonderful fruit trees in his back yard. A deliciously crisp and sweet pear (didn't think they would grow in a warm mild climate) and a fruit from our childhood, the tart and tangy Guava.

Call me silly, but I was so impressed with the number of citrus trees people had down there. I was so excited to see them with so much fruit, I started taking so many photos, but the one I selected is of my aunt who went after a tangelo in my other aunt's yard!

One of my most favorite images of the entire trip, with the exception of a hottie I couldn't keep my eyes off of during the wedding reception hee hee, was the red edged Crassula aka Jade Plant! Yes, they're very common, but seeing hedges of these things is remarkable to me and when the light hits them, they just glow and command attention.

I've been on such a Schefflera kick lately, these totally caught my eye. Someone on my Flickr page identified it as S. pueckleri or Tupidanthus calyptratus. It seems to be fairly common around the LA area. This photo was taken in Long Beach.

FALL COLOR?? I was a little surprised that warm, mild climates produce fall color in plants. I guess if it's naturally deciduous, it still picks up on day length and temperature drop in order for those pigments to be expressed. Tree's gotta lose it leaves, right?? This is a Sweet Gum, btw (Liquidambar styraciflua)

2010-12-12T13:52:00.001-08:00

I thought this was pretty hilarious

Not quite dead, but a definite setback

2010-12-02T23:40:00.001-08:00

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I was actually quite surprised that this Schefflera taiwaniana I planted at a client's home in the View Ridge neighborhood of Seattle endured this much damage compared to my plants in Shoreline, which is typically colder.

The terminal buds seem to have been sapped, but the base, for the most part, looks quite viable and able to regrow barring any more serious drops in temperature this coming winter.