Horticulturist and plantsman, Rizaniño "Riz" Reyes, shares his thoughts, experiences and observations as an avid young gardener in the Pacific Northwest.
I recently paid a visit to the evolving Seattle Chinese Garden just North of the South Seattle Community College campus in West Seattle. Gardener, Aaron Skinner, showed me around the existing Song Mei Pavilion and the frame work of a new courtyard dubbed "Knowing the Spring". I've been commissioned to acquire and grow plants for the new courtyard and I've also helped them gather donations to enhance the plantings around Song Mei.
Here's a glimpse of the future courtyard that will bear Landwave's plants:
This is a remarkable undertaking and the head of the horticulture sub-committee, Jan Whitner, is ecstatic about the upcoming year as artisans from Chongqing and Sichuan will be arriving to work on the courtyard and planting may begin as early as this fall!
For more information about the garden and how you may be able to contribute, visit their website. They have a work party coming up on April 18th that should be fun and productive.
In fund-raising efforts for the first ever Sichuan style Chinese Garden outside of China, I contributed my time and Chinese-native plants for a container design to the highest bidder in an auction that took place last fall.
What a tremendous weekend for gardening. Even though I had to work, I managed a few hours in the garden and some progress on a redesign of Landwave.
I kick myself for not getting an opportunity to work in my own garden, but at the same time, I'm fully aware that I've really bitten more than I can chew. It's totally my fault for knowing that I already have a lot of my plate, but I often let others dictate what my priorities are and I'm getting a little fed up with it.
The potential of the garden can be tremendous, but I can't move at the pace I'd like to get everything I want accomplished. Yes, I could use more help, but my garden should be a reflection of my own work and efforts.
As I tear up the garden for this redesign, there are individual highlights intact that I made sure to take the time and fully admire this weekend:
Part of the redesign involves the removal of this planting scheme I installed just two years ago with Tulipa kaufmanniana 'Ancilla' planting in a drift with Muscari armeniacum. With ornamental grasses left intact over the winter, it is a simple yet dramatic and easy to care for perennial display. It's absolutely lovely to see this tulip open, close, and open again. The eventual sea of blue compliments the cream colored blooms with deep orange and yellow centers and red reverses. These bulbs are reliable perennials if they are dead-headed, allowed to die down properly and not eaten by pesky rodents. Just bummed that I have to carefully transplant these while in active growth and bloom.
One tree I wasn't able to move in time is my combo Asian Pear tree that's already in full bloom this weekend. I never noticed how stinky their flowers are, but oh the plentiful fruit they produce!
On the other side of the scent spectrum is a sweet little Muscari called 'Golden Fragrance'. It has been in the ground for 3 years now and has survived the dryish soil and neglect after it bloom each spring. You have to kneel down to really admire them, but you're in for a treat when you bring your nose close to it!
Epimediums are a tad early this season with many already budded up and blooming including this stunning species from China. Epimedium aff. franchetii.
Time's really running out in terms of my window to transplant things, but I'm still going for it. Here's a large clump of lilies I dug and divided and some plants, like herbaceous peonies, will hate being moved at this time, but they don't have much of a choice. I can just get them potted up or replanted ASAP and hope for the best this year.
I'll fill you in on my redesign and more spring highlights to come. Stay tuned and enjoy!
Happy Holidays everyone. I hope you all are looking forward to the new year.
Even with the holidays present, it's still very busy, but I wanted to take the time to send my greetings to those who have been so supportive of this new venture! My sincerest thanks!
The holidays have been spent with family and friends and I got such a late start in my shopping and greeting cards, but I managed to pull it off.
There were plants on my list for a few folks including my Aunt Hermie whom I bought a really cool Tillandsia since she has good luck with them growing in the windowsill of her denture clinic! She seemed thrilled to get it! She's holding Tillandsia straminea, a rare species with sweetly scented flowers! Almost tempted to buy one for myself!
On Christmas Day, I went to visit my cousins in Bellevue and presented my cousin, Tina, one of my RHR and Landwave T-shirts.
She lives up in Vancouver, B.C., runs several restaurants and, of course, is an amazing cook! One of her restaurants called "The Flying Tiger", and it is absolutely A MUST if you enjoy Asian Cuisine. I'm looking forward to my next visit to order my personal favorite: Pulled Duck Confit Crepes! Tina is another individual in my family that I have much respect for as she works exceedingly hard at her craft, yet is humble and maintains a wonderful sense of humor and charisma. I would LOVE to name a plant after her restaurant someday or design some containers for her!
It's that crisp cool air in the morning when I step out the door. The cotton candy scent of Katsura gently teasing my nose....
and the realization that I have a buttload of plants I need to move because I ain't overwintering this crap. "NEEDS TO GO....NEEDS TO GO" says one Bon Qui Qui. (Mad TV parody joke, sorry)
ok...switching gears for a moment....you must check out this skit:
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Heheh..seriously though, it's that time of year when the rains have finally started here and there, the soil is slightly more saturated than before and in a few weeks, FALL PLANTING WILL BE IN FULL SWING!
This means specialty nurseries will be getting their best plants to offer and sell at one of many local fall plant sales on the hort calendar:
Sunday, October 4, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, October 5, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
My cousin has been the mastermind in helping me brand myself as I move forward with my horticultural endeavors. A few months back, we collaborated on my logo, designed my business card, and now I've asked him to compose a banner for me take with me when I attend and take part in local plant sales.
For someone who's not really a plant person, he has a very keen eye as he went through a few photos I selected as the background for the banner. This was his first composition and immediately, we both liked it.
I hope you all like it as well as it will hang on the edge of my table at local plant sales from now on.
Brownie points for anyone who can guess what plant he used as the background for my banner!
Riz
P.S. I wonder if I'm more like Bon Qui Qui, I can boost my nursery sales calling out "SE-KUR-ITY!!" if they refuse to buy a plant from me. Don't make me "CUT-CHU!"!! =)
As difficult as it was to take a decent photograph of my nieces and nephews when we went to see the tulip fields in Mt. Vernon last Sunday, this one of my nephew Jean-Paolo turned out kind of refreshing and funny! He blended in in the sea of red with his red coat that was almost the exact same shade as the tulips, which he could care less about, but judging from this pic, I think he enjoyed himself along with his brother and two older sisters.
Enjoy the pics of my family as I share this spetacular annual show with them!
My nieces Trisha & Alex.
My nephew, BJ.
BJ in a sea of Red.
Tito (Uncle) Riz with Pao Pao.
My sister, Gretchen.
Yours truly with my neon green shirt that just looks smashing with the deep violet of Tulipa 'Negrita'. hehe
Back at Landwave, my stands of Tulipa 'Ballerina' that just lights up the spring garden.
