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

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

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

Speaking to the Hardy Plant Society of Washington

Hehe. Many asked, "Oh, not another plant group to join!"

So yeah, late last year, The Hardy Plant Society of Washington (HPSW) was formed to have a group that is very plant driven and focused on key issues such as care, cultivation, classification, propagation, conservation, trials and evaluation and just plain appreciation for hardy plants and their companions in the landscape.

How is this group going to be different from all the others out there. WHO KNOWS?!
In my involvement with various plant societies and currently serving on the board of one, a lot of things come into play and often its the politics of a small non-profit that will be the demise. In a way, this group was formed in response to the bitter feud between another garden group, but I hope many will look past that and think of the potential of this new community.

I guess the HPSW is aiming to have a similar system that the HPS of Oregon has. It would be great if we developed a global network and exchange information and plant material with other organizations around the world.

In my own way of garnering support for such a cause, I offered to give a lecture at our next meeting, May 18, 2009 at 7PM in Washington Park Arboretum's Graham Visitor Center.


"Travels of a Young Gardener"

"A general overview of my travels as a "NNG" (next generation gardener) and the plants that made it special. From my expeditions and garden visits in China to nursery hopping around the Pacific Northwest, come prepared to salivate over extraordinary plants through slides and potted specimens that will be on display, raffled off and also offered for sale. This is one lecture for the avid gardener. Not to be missed!"


Hope to see you!