The Next Crop of Organic Gardening's "New Generation"

This has been out for awhile, but I wanted to give a shout out to the next crop of "Next Generation Gardeners" profiled in Organic Gardening magazine by garden writer, Ken Druse.

Ken said the response to last year's article drew great interest and momentum in that OG wanted to continue the series with this new crop of young, avid gardeners (two of which I've had the pleasure of meeting in person!)

Check out the article here on this link!

My congrats and all the best to all of them.

I hope this exposure provides them with great opportunities ahead!

R

Oh Marcia, Marcia, Marcia...

I've certainly heard of the name, but never really thought it would be a person I'd ever get to know or meet. Ken Druse persuaded and convinced me that this was a garden worth visiting since I was in the Berkeley area. Having seen some of her artwork in private gardens here in Puget Sound and also in Portland, the name Marcia Donahue seems to come up again and again and I thought, "I better see what the fuss is about."  Also, I got the feeling that I Ken might be mighty upset with me if I didn't meet her.

So hauled ass on a taxi from the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden to arrive at a home that almost reminded me of Sean Hogan's home in Portland. Densely planted with some really cool plants, I knew I was in for a treat and with 10 minutes to spare, I could at least say "hello" and introduce myself.

But then:

 

I was a bit bummed, but I did peak around the front and admired what I could see. At every corner, not only did you see her remarkable plant palette, but the artwork was whimsical, unique, and you can see the incredible attention to detail and inspiration from the wonderful plants she's surrounded herself with integrated into her sculptures and compositions. Even this note attached to what looks like bamboo, but uniquely isn't, was very eye-catching and blended with the dense plantings so well.

I left her a note and my card and walked back to the BART station to head back to Fremont, where I was staying. I started getting upset at myself again for not having planned ahead, yada yada yada, but then it wasn't really part of the plan to see her garden. The fact was, I DID see Marcia Donahue's garden, but I just didn't get to meet her. I told myself that I'd make the effort the next time I came down to the Bay Area.

As I waited for a ride from the station, I get a phone call and IT WAS MARCIA DONAHUE!!!   She had apologized for not having the garden open as she was out in Sonoma camping with her family and that she did hear from Ken Druse about my coming to visit and she had offered to show me her garden if I was free the next day. So I made it happen and I was back on the BART back to Berkeley to meet the infamous MD!

Walking through her jungle of a garden with art was really quite something. I'm normally not a fan of garden art, but somehow, it all works together in its own special way. I think it's because of her ability to capture the essence of a plant part whether it be the culms of a bamboo, the bracts of a Disporum or the spathe of an Arisaema, she understands these elements internally and expresses them in a very clever and sophisticated manner that's tasteful and can truly be appreciated by a plant geek such as myself.

The muscularity of this simple sculpture resembles a crape myrtle, but with the segments of bamboo and the pale pink and grays pick up the coloration of the young Begonia foliage.

One gangly plant caught my attention which lead to a phone call and a ride in her car to a nearby nursery that a colleague of mine actually recommended I visit as well!!!!!!

She insisted that I grow this fabulous member of the carrot family, Mathiasella bupleuroides:

So she whisked me down just a few blocks to The Dry Garden and introduced me to Richard Ward. The nursery itself was small, but the offerings absolutely mouthwatering! I kept reminding myself that I was only after one plant and it had to be a size I could pack in my suitcase. 

Of course, that all changed when Richard pointed out a most striking variegated Bromeliad that we all just gawked that for a moment and then I simply couldn't resist it.

This is Aechmea 'Aztec Gold'. Totally not hardy, but I convinced myself that it's too freakin' aw

So awesome that even Richard wanted to take a photo!

Two other plant purchases later, including my new baby Mathiasella and a Pachystegia insignis I've been lusting after since ours at work died a few years ago, we went back to Marcia's where I continued my tour and admiration of her remarkable and interesting garden. 

The chickens were a lovely surprise and each them were a work of art!

Mulching with bowling balls!

Not gonna lie, I want these!!

I can't tell you how honored I was to meet Marcia and see this remarkable garden. She is passionate about her work and so incredibly generous with the wonderful gifts she has as not only as an artist, but as a person as well. My thanks to Ken Druse for making the introduction. 

Until we meet again, Ms. Donahue:

I found this little video on YouTube of Marcia sharing her work at a local gallery:

East Coast Excursion 3: A visit to Wave Hill

A deliberate sense of enclosure as you enter the garden.

After a quick tour of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Mr. Druse whisked me away to a garden that I HAD to see according to him..

Wave Hill is a stunning garden in the Bronx that overlooks the Hudson River and the dramatic Palisades. Our greeters were apologetic that we were a bit too early for the fall color across the river, but the weather was absolutely perfect and the only thing we could have asked for was more time.

The open lawn and the view of the Hudson and the Palisades across with just a hint of fall color

Their perennial beds were simply immaculate with late season herbaceous perennials and bulbs still putting on a tremendous show. Salvias were something to salivate over as their richly color flowers were as vivid as ever. The dahlias dazzled with wiry stems and explosions of color and the setting sun illuminated ornamental grasses and other perennials with such drama. The garden had wonderful "bones" and the formal layout of the beds were very reminiscent of the bedding schemes I remember seeing in the UK.


The small conservatory was pretty pretty timid and quaint, but boy was it ever maintained to the finest detail. Not a single yellow leaf would be spotted and each plant specimen craved a visitor's attention. It was quite fun walking through with Ken and chatting in a way that only plant geeks would appreciate. Part of me was wanting to make a very good first impression and was a bit relieved when I could ID most of the plant materials in this remarkable greenhouse.

Here's a stunning plant that I knew the genus of, but not quite the species. I wasn't all that surprised when I saw the label! Anthurium magnificum. Absolutely stupendous!

We walked the extensive grounds, had lunch and met with a few of Ken's colleagues and continued to soak in the rest of the gardens:

  

 

It was a bit rushed as we wanted to avoid the horrid traffic heading back to Brooklyn, but the short time I we were there was quite special. There was something about the lighting and the many intimate spaces one could wander into made it worthwhile. The plant palette was quite nice with some wonderful specimen trees and shrubs that would catch anyone's eye!

Parthenocissus henryana

Callicarpa dichotoma 'Issai'

Pinus bungeana - Lace-Bark Pine

It was an honor to meet and spend time with Ken Druse that day. I don't think my experience at Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Wave Hill would be as memorable if he weren't my guide.

His insight and shared love for plants was wonderful to experience and for someone without a formal horticultural background or degree, I think it's remarkable what he's able to put out there in terms of his books and lectures on various topics! It was very helpful asking him questions about garden writing, famous OCD television personalities that shall remain nameless (hahahahha) and all sorts of other topics related to what the future lies ahead for those, like myself, moving forward in horticulture.


R

East Coast Excursion Part 2: The Man Behind The Books

Brooklyn Botanic Garden was an absolute treat! It was minutes from my cousin and it happened to be a day where there was no admission fee! I finally walked into a landscape I had only ever seen in books, magazines and documentaries on television.

A simple and modern design using a simple plant palette to soften the clean lines created by the concrete steps and benches.

From above a platform, you get this remarkable view of an edible garden that looked absolutely well-kept and attracted many visitors including a group of school kids!

One thing I really envy about the east coast is their ability to get lush tropical plantings as lush as they are here on the East Coast. This stunning plant pairing consists of  a hardy banana (Musa sikkimensis) and a annual Pennisetum grass.

The Japanese Garden was lovely and offered this tremendous view from the viewing platform.

The Rose Garden was just passed its prime blooming season, but the perennial bedding plants were putting on a show!

Most Botanical Institutions become destinations for people. Not only are they looking to see plants and gardens, they also want a place to sit, relax and refresh.  I had a light breakfast at their overpriced cafe, but sadly, I didn't have much time to explore the conservatory because I had to meet someone who's quite well known amongst gardening circles worldwide.

Meeting Ken Druse:

Growing up, the name Ken Druse crossed my path and journey towards horticulture with his phenomenal books and exquisite photographs.

He is the author of many books, most notably, The Natural Shade Garden, The Collector's Garden, Plantropology, and his latest, Natural Companions. was just stunning when I had a chance to look at it before we met up.

Just a sampling from this visually stunning work of art scanned by Helen Hoverkamp

I still find it remarkable that I've meet so many people, who I considered celebrities, over the past few years. I guess anyone who's published a book could be considered famous in my mind, but Ken Druse is almost like a household name. He's appeared on Martha Stewart's shows on several occasion and he has this calm and encouraging demeanor to him that I didn't expect from someone of his caliber.

Here he is always working and capturing the stunning bark of Lagerstroemia indica.

It was such an honor to spend the day with him looking at plants, gardens, talking about life and career as a garden writer.

He kindly drove and we hit up our next stop, a garden he insisted I MUST visit while in New York...


Stay tuned..


R