Bay Area Visit 2014: FLORA GRUBB

If there's a name that's stood out in the last few years in terms of innovative garden trends, Flora Grubb is probably on top my list.

A few years ago, I remember sitting down for lunch with a landscape architect friend who was starting up his own design-build business and told me about a vertical garden project he was working on utilizing succulents. Part of me sort of rolled my eyes as I began to see EVERYONE growing succulents and purchasing all these new (and expensive!) products like Wooly Pockets ( felt-like bags filled with soil and plants that can hang along a railing or placed up against a wall). The early plantings I saw in garden centers were very ugly as if people simply just shoved whatever plant they were told could grow in them.

Then I began to notice garden centers carrying more air plants (Tillandsias). Next to them were these glass orbs (some hanging on a fishing line) with a large hole in them and inside was a Tillandsia and a piece of moss or lichen and a few twigs. These were dubbed as "Aeriums" like "Terrarium", but without the "terra" or "earth" part of it. I thought they were kind of neat, but seemed to be somewhat of a temporary composition as air plants can be somewhat finicky in the home if they don't get enough warmth and humidity, but enclosing them in a terrarium-like glass vessel was suppose to just do the trick!

So, during our chat, we discussed our businesses and he introduced me to the name Flora Grubb as a model of success in our line of work and that in order to thrive as a landscape business, we had to really find a need in the market and really push for that ever illusive "niche". Being somewhat reluctant to follow any sort of trend while simply focusing on the work I had before me, the name just kept coming up as I chat with fellow gardeners and designers.

The name is actually the name of a very talented and innovative young woman who teamed up with a business partner, Saul Nadler, to first start a palm nursery and they decided to take her name and start a venture that would change the course of how people looked at plants in their lives.

So, there's a floral design component to this blog post as well. Susie Nadler, Saul's wife, runs the floral component of Flora Grubb and, once again, the clever and beautiful use of succulents and Tillandsia are evident and actually inspired my design work quite a bit.

Michelle's wedding featuring Tillandsias in a really sophisticated bouquet inspired by Susie's work!

After all the hoopla and press I've heard about this business venture, I truly wanted to experience the phenomenon that is Flora Grubb for myself and MAYBE meet her in person to better understand the model she has created and, perhaps, discover elements of her business structure that attracts the next generation of gardeners.


Here are some highlights from my visit this past April:

A popular destination in an industrial part of San Francisco, Flora Grubb provides an oasis for city dwellers to relax and take in a bit of nature

Ideas and inspiration can be found everywhere you turn

Amazing what can be accomplished in such a small space. It feels huge!

Rotating displays of plants and containers keep things looking fresh and the wide paths invite you to explore

F L O R A spelled out in succulents!

"Rustic chic" with a living centerpiece....

...of succulents!

A colorful and modern sitting area

...with the best succulent wall I've ever seen!

Flora Grubb has DIY benches for customers to pot up containers and create aeriums! Love this idea!

The wonderful Tillandsia selection. I had a chance to meet Zenaida Sengo who works for FG and also has a book coming up on air plants!

Tillandsia concolor looking stunning up against a purple panel!

FG has everything an urban gardener needs! Even old bicycles for floating!

Now this is how you plant up those Wooly Pockets! Make it look like it's been growing there forever!

It's not all just succulents and air plants. Perennials, trees and shrubs and edibles can be found!

Todd Holloway of Pot Inc. in Vancouver, BC introduced these hover dishes this year and are perfect for succulents

 Overall impression of the place? Pretty cool!

I think Flora Grubb satisfies a pretty broad customer base that's really geared to be simple, sophisticated, creative and most importantly, accessible. I often am critical of small "Boutiquey" shops that have very high mark-ups claiming a "work of art" for something so simple and straightforward, but that's coming from a experienced plant-person point of view who's also a tightwad when it comes to things that are considered "luxury items". I was a bit sticker-shocked at some of the prices on materials that were simply "sanded down twigs for $25), but that's retail for you; they understand that there are those who are more than willing to pay for such items.

The space and layout is the best part of Flora Grubb. Wonderful plants all around, but there are distinct garden rooms and places to sit and really be immersed in the vegetated space.

Knowing Flora is probably near impossible to track down for a chat given the celebrity status a lot of us have given her, I got in touch with their PR and also palm specialist (AGAIN, WITH A BOOK IN THE WORKS ON THE TOPIC!), Jason Dewees, who kindly set up a short meet and greet and took this picture!

Being on a tight schedule, I was bummed not to get a sit-down interview with her to ask about her design aesthetic, business model and what she foresees as the future of gardening, but I sort of let that go. Part of me felt like she's been asked this a million times and I didn't come prepared with more interesting insights and inquiries. She also didn't have much time so, I thought, I just need the experience of just being there, making my own observations and this meet and green was just an icing on the cake! 

Then I began to wonder if a model like Flora's could exist here in Seattle. It sort of does, in a way, with a few businesses deriving elements of her set up and offering products similar to hers, but one has to consider location and also the CLIMATE! They're blessed with a true Mediterranean climate so the plant palette is quite different, but the overall goals are the same: make plants and gardening accessible at many different levels and offer a space for refuge, relaxation and ongoing inspiration. Also a place where visitors can be engaged by being able to create for themselves instills confidence in growing! I loved that aspect of Flora Grubb.

What was also impressive was the number of staff on hand tending the plants and helping customers. Flora has hired experts with specialties, like Jason and Zenaida, to be on hand and not only do they have their fortes, they are also multi-talented individuals with a broad range of stills they bring to the table! That was mighty impressive because even the uber plant geeks like myself can feel engaged at Flora Grubb!

I hope to return in the near future to see how things are evolving and see what new and inspired ideas emerge because I'm certain it will be executed beautifully!


R

Reminiscing of Summer: A Danger Garden

With our temperatures dropping into the teens this past weekend, I'm trying to accept the fact that some plants may have suffered a bit of damage or may be totally toast. At times, no matter how much you try protect or bring in, you'll always endure a bit of damage, but how much depends on just how far below freezing we get and how soon. Luckily, we didn't have a abrupt cold snap like a few years ago, but rather than whine and complain about how cold it is, I'd like to look back and be reminded of a most awesome summer and a wonderful trip down to Portland, OR (which, sadly, endured snow and much colder temperatures the past few days).  One garden was an exceptional treat and also one I'm a tad bit worried about after our freeze, but should it pull through this season, it is one fine collection by a woman who's getting quite a readership on her blog, "Danger Garden".


This is the garden of Loree Bohl:


Driving by, it's very apparent which is Loree's garden. Beautifully kept with interesting plants and big, bold textures dominate the space and, immediately, you know you're looking at a plant person's garden. Various cacti and succulents are dressed carefully with a layer of gravel  giving each specimen importance and aiding in much needed drainage. The ginormous 'Steroidal Giant' rice paper plant is a true "indicator" plant of a plant nut in the Pacific Northwest.

Growing it in somewhat of a dryer area may be smart for the plant as it has a tendency to really run. The pavement and gravel probably help it to wake up in spring much earlier as it often takes a full growing season to get this size of leaves!

 I came with plant friends Justin Galicic, Preston Pew and Matt Berberich to see Loree's remarkable garden and all three have heard of her blog and were so eager to meet her in person and see her amazing garden. She was so very welcoming and had a wonderful time dissecting the many elements of her fine garden. Not only were there cool plants, there were interesting combinations and a wonderful use of space (especially in the rear garden).

Loree is a gardener who likes to experiment; texture and dramatic form captivate her and her selections and it truly shows. There are rare plants and there are common plants as well aimed to complete a striking look. It isn't wild and over the top. There's room for plants to expand and grow and I sense a wonderful pacing of edits along the way.

A striking Agave in the foreground (left) and the beautifully placed Arctostaphylos 'Austin Griffins' with its peeling bark backlit.

A young Yucca rostrata

A striking combination of Nolina nelsonii with Canna 'Australia' backlit in the background.

  

Hardy prickly-pear Opuntias are abundant

Make your way to the back and a treasure trove of wonderful plants await! I loved the sense of a welcome by one of my most favorite broadleaf evergreen shrubs of all time, the rare Fatsia polycarpa with its long petioles and deeply, palmately lobed leaves.  And then everywhere you eye looked was a great plant. The square pavers and even the lawn was a very important feature of this space as it allowed the visitor to enter the space, give it a sense of grandeur thus allowing the eye to rest while it transition through another room.

 

 

The use of containers in this garden was quite affective. There may be too many for most people's liking because of the tedious watering some may require, but the fact that more are succulents or air plants, they lend themselves to being forgotten while they look spectacular as accents all summer long.

 

A series of sitting areas makes this garden wonderful both as an intimate space where one can decide just how much exposure they'd like and as an entertainment space to spread a crowd out so the details of each element can be appreciated and admired. 

Our sincerest thanks to Loree for sharing her wonderful garden with us and may the rest of winter be kinder until next spring as we determine what's made it and what we'll have to purchase again. =(

I'm sure all the containers came inside, but the majority of her garden should be alright knowing the lengths we (including Loree) go through to protect our "marginals", we refer to them as. 




Oh, I must throw in that she's also a Tillandsia freak like myself. I adore her compositions and, yes, even an arrangemnt in the bathroom captivated me!

Well done, Loree!


Riz

Thrilling Tillandsias: Summer Wedding Celebrations with Air Plants!

Tillandsias have regained such popularity the past few years thanks to a number of different designers who've utilized them extensively in products aimed towards urban dwellers who have limited time and space for plants. Flora Grubb in San Francisco is probably one of the more prominent promoters of air plants and it has truly taken off and when one comes up with a great idea and takes it to the next level, others will follow and copy!  Hhahahaha

In a way, her and her designers work inspire me to re-discover the world of Tillandsias and use them in ways I never thought I could. It's an interest and fascination I've had since I was in my preteens when I was really introduced to them by Rick Owens of Owen's Gardens. He and his wife, Barbara, have been such supporters of my career for a long time and I wanted to use their plants in my work.

Tillandsia is a genus from the family of Bromeliads, which includes the Pineapple. There are just under 600 species native to the tropical regions of the Americas and the West Indies.  I first discovered them mounted on seashells attached to magnets in grocery stores and found it absolutely fascinating that they were live plants that didn't need soil to grow.

Tillandsia straminea. A fragrant blooming species

I began collecting them and was drawn to species that had fragrant flowers. Then my interest gravitated towards outdoor plants and my collection literally dried up as I forgot to keep them misted and I didn't have a bright spot indoors to keep them happy. My interest in them never waned as I would visit Barb and Rick each year for the Northwest Flower and Garden Show and check out their amazing selection.

My shipment of Tillandsias from Rick and Barb at Owen's Gardens

Assorted Tillandsias with Aeoniums

As I got more involved with floral arranging this year and began seeing Tillandsias in various designs, I decided to begin working with them again. I've found that their texture works very well with succulents (another hot and trendy thing now, too), but just as a filler and unique curiosity in a bouquet, for example, makes for a great conversation piece!!

Tillandsia xerographica

In the run up and preparation for my friend, Michelle's, wedding, she has asked me to do the flower for her whole wedding and knowing her, I wanted to create somthing absolutely unique and one of a kind. Inspired by a bouquet created by Flora Grubb's floral designer, Susie Nadler, I wanted to incorporate one of the grand daddies of all Tillandsia species commonly available to enthusiast, T. xerographica.

 You may remember Michelle from my friend, Karina's, wedding back in May. She was a bridesmaid then and now she gets to be centerstage along with her now husband, Genc, who tied the knot just North of Seattle at Michelle's former church. Again, aiming to use mostly locally grown and sourced materials, I took Michelle and Genc to the Seattle Wholesale Grower's Market and introduced them to the growers of the plants and flowers I would be using to decorate their church. I want to make a separate post about her bouquet to really showcase the variety of exquisite plants and flowers I used, but this was the grand result:

Another celebration took place shortly after Michelle and Genc's wedding. My friends and avid gardeners, Jeff Schouten and Daniel Sparler, had their wedding this February as same-sex marriage was FINALLY approved and recognized in the State of Washington. As part of their festivities, I volunteered to help prepare their garden for a summer celebration of 200+ guest. As a "thank you", they invited me to dinner where I brought Daniel a belated birthday gift of the succulents and Tillandsia composition above imbellished with a few more species and a most unusual poppy seed head, which I also used in Michelle's bouquet.

The wait staff and cooks picked up on his enthusiasm...

...so he put it on to show!!

Who knows how long this trend will last, but I'm sure having a great time with them. The early fascination with air plants still lingers today and I continue to integrate them in a lot of my fun projects!

Have a look and tell me what you think!

I raided a friend's garden in Portland, OR and worked in a few Tillandsias in an arrangement I made for them

Marcia Donahue's "Narcissus ceramicus" flanked by succulents and more airplants!!