Upcoming Events: Saturday, September 7th

I feel silly promoting two events, both of which are happening at the same time, but both are awesome and well worth attending. If you can make it to both, then you're simply insane and I'll LOVE IT! Hahaha


So, the famed Heronswood Nursery will be opening its gates for you all to see the wonderful progress being made to restore the grounds to its former splendor. This garden open will also showcase the wonderful specialty nurseries in our region that will come together and offer a wonderful assortment of exciting and rare plants that will be fully grown and ready to get established in your garden!

One of the vendors in attendance is someone I've been wanting to introduce you all to and is looking for some support for an upcoming PLANT COLLECTING EXPEDITION in China!  Arlen Hill of Keeping it Green Nursery has been a regular participant in all the major plant sales and garden events the past few years! Specializing in native and rare exotics, he grows a wonderful assortment of specialty plants for not only collectors, but for avid enthusiasts who like to putter around the yard, but are seeking something unique and different. Arlen is a fellow "Next Generation Gardener" in his 30's and is an avid hiker and this will be his first foray into the wilds of China botanizing and collecting plants!

Visit his tables and check out his great plants and ask about how you can contribute towards this venture or if you can't make it, visit their website and you can make a contribution online!!!!!!!

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Ok! And here's another event you'll also want to attend!! HAHAHAHA....

I'm giving at talk at the famous Christianson's Nursery up in Mt. Vernon!!    I ran into them at the Flower and Garden Show and seemed so stoked to have me come and give a talk!!!

I'll be presenting a talk about my travels, experiences and what I see is the future of gardening and horticulture and those who have inspired and mentored me and also those who are joining me as the next generation of gardeners!

I had a chance to visit this remarkable nursery this summer and was quite impressed at their gardens, their plant selection and the wonderful country feel walking through the grounds and greenhouses packed of wonderful goodies. I'm so looking forward to this talk and I hope enough people have signed up!!

I hate to have to choose, myself, but I kind of have to choose MYSELF to attend MY OWN talk! HAHAHA

Either way, you'll have a wonderful time, a great opportunity to learn and shop, but you might come home with a cool new plant if you attend my talk! HAHAHAH!!!


Cheers,


Riz

Garden Talks

The past three weeks have been so incredibly busy, but definitely worthwhile as my speaking "gigs" are well underway.

The season started off with my talk for the newly formed Hardy Plant Society of Washington. It was the first time I presented a talk that was quite personal to me as I highlight not only the wonderful plants I've obtained and grown, but also the people and events that make them special. Throughout the lecture, I would pause to raffle off a plant that was related to that particular segment of the talk and with the small group that came that evening, no one left the conference room without at least two plants in their hands courtesy of Landwave Gardens!


A tour of Landwave came next when a neighborhood group from Vashon Island came to see the garden and purchased plants. I avoided stressing out about garden beds and paths being inundated with weeds, random objects around the house, and not having the best nursery set up for my plants. Overall, I think my stories and information, answers to their questions, and the selection of interesting plants overshadowed the poor maintenance.

The next event was a long awaited lecture for the Alderwood Garden Club where my dear friend, Sue Lewicki, invited me to speak. Aside from being late because I wrote the direction wrong and having to run to the store to get a package of Claritin for my annoying allergies, it was a fun talk that everyone seemed to really enjoy.

A few days later, the Master Gardeners of King County came for a tour of the Soest Garden at the Center for Urban Horticulture. Another enthusiastic group of people were present with some challenging questions, but with this wonderful streak of good weather we're having, I think people will be happy to just be outside looking at beautiful plants!

Yesterday, my friend David Fishman, hosted the neighborhood garden group of Mercer Island in his home and garden and he had asked me a few months ago if I would give a presentation to his group. I gladly said yes and put together a simple Powerpoint showcasing some of the wonderful plants David grows in his garden. "Travels of A Young Gardener: Woodland Treasures" was the title of the talk and once again, enthusiasm and wonderful support and encouragement for all that I do with plants.

In these speaking engagements, I've reduced my speaker's fee for these small garden groups and they've all agreed to allow me to bring plants to sell, which has helped cover the remainder of the fees and, in some cases, even more so! It's been a great way to share plants and really get myself out there.

I truly am thankful for the wonderful people I meet during these talks. They're all so enthusiastic and very avid gardeners who often go to great lengths to learn as much as they can and obtain new and exciting plants in the process.

Here's a young lady who just HAD to have one of my seed grown Beesia calthifolia (offered previously as B. deltophylla). It was so clever and charming to see her tuck the little plant in her purse as she put on her helmet and hopped on her bike!



Now, that's a true Pacific Northwest Gardener!


Riz