VANDALS!!

I'm always hoping for horticulture to make it in the mainstream media, but for some reason, when it does get mentioned or covered, it's always BAD NEWS like what happened to us at the UW Botanic Gardens's Washington Park Arboretum.

This was absolutely devastating. I got a call from David early last week and informed us of what had happened and immediately, we had a guess as to who may be responsible as right about the same time last year, we endured some vandalism and theft over at the Center for Urban Horticulture where I work part time.

Autumn at the Arboretum

Fall color in its full splendor. It was just a few weeks ago that I wrote about the lack of color up in the mountains, but with snow expected up there soon, I'm sure things colored up well, but here in the lowlands, the show has been quite spectacular.

Check out a recent visit to Washington Park Arboretum and the wonderful display we were treated to.


After a staff meeting, our hort supervisor, David Zuckerman, lead us on a tour of the Woodland Garden.


The absolute standout was the intense coloration of Fothergilla major. All throughout the plant was this kaleidoscope of warm colors at different intensities. Each year, it's always this brilliantly colored and can be seen from quite a distance! Next to the Fothergilla is another one of my favorite landscape plants that will exhibit its autumn colors in just a few days. This is Hydgrangea quercifolia, the Oak Leaf Hydrangea! Below

Further down the path, we encountered the stunning fine texture of this Acer dissectum cultivar that lit up the woodland garden as the sun that day made an attempt to show itself that afternoon.



Close by in the winter garden, the Hamamelis, or Chinese witch hazels, were coloring up quite well also:



Can't share fall color with some bark action and these Chinese Paper Birches (Betula albo-sinensis var. septentrionalis) were simply outstanding!




Then, we looped around and captured a view that I've never seen before in all the years of visiting the Arboretum. It was such a treat to witness this with my co-horts and appreciate one of the reasons why we love what we do!



R

2011 NW Flower and Garden Show: Yes, another highlight blog!

I guess there are actually people out there who want to know what I thought about the displays at this year's Northwest Flower and Garden Show.

I merely took a quick glance, at most, as I tried to take photographs and notes on some of the gardens, so during the press tour, I thought that many of the displays were excellent. More emphasis on plant material and it was so great to see plant forcing playing a role in creating the "magic" that a show like this can possess.

With many of the exhibitors being close friends and colleagues over the years, I'm going to refrain from being overly critical of their work. The whole reason for this show is for our gardening community to gather together and share in the love and passion that reminds us why we love what we do either professionally every single day or every other weekend when one has time to putter around a yard or tend to some containers. Therefore; I'd rather just focus on what I enjoyed seeing most.

One of the first of these displays is one of the biggest stories of the event was the entry of a 17 year old high school senior who designed and created a garden that showcased reclaimed items re-used in innovative ways and a drought tolerant plant palette that anyone can acquire and have growing in their gardens.



Courtney Goetz, daughter of a colleague and friend/garden designer, Sue Goetz aka The Creative Gardener, gets the credit and applause for an interesting, functional and well laid out design that is not over the top. I hope she can continue her work and build on this remarkable experience.


Where there wasn't anything all that interesting in her garden in terms of plant materials, I did find this art piece very intriguing. The garden needed a splash of color and this was aimed to do so. Reminiscent of a statuesque Allium or "flowering Onion", but shorter.



One of my favorite garden features of the show was this composition designed and created by a design team that included members of APLD (Association of Professional Landscape Designers - NW Chapter). A simple yet effective feature and with the red-twig dogwood against the "moon" was captivating. The entire raised garden display was jammed-packed with plant material (typical of installs done by LA's, right? hhaha) and the overall garden, dubbed as the "signature garden" of the show, was quite unique attempting to set a mood with hanging silk screens with poetry and art projected onto it. From those not in the know, or at least when the house lights were on, it looked as if the garden pergola was T-P'd! by a group of fraternity brothers (or a rival landscape company). Ok, sorry, I said I wouldn't be critical, but ...eh...



A great balance of hardscape, garden art, and lavish plantings was the garden designed and built by Karen Stefonick and B. Bissell General Contractor, LLC. The sculptures were spectacular and complimented and didn't distract from the plantings and the crystal ball in the reflecting pool was an exquisite centerpiece. This is a type of landscape that not everyone can afford to obtain (I mean, c'mon, several thousands of dollars for a friggin glass ball shipped from London. Who needs that?!!!)



Forcing of plant material for a winter flower and garden show is exceedingly challenge and very expensive. To time plants so they're in peak bloom during the show takes skill, the proper facilities, years of experience and a little bit of luck. Ms. Stefonick's design included many specimens of a popular selection of Melianthus or Honey Bush called 'Antonow's Blue'. During judging, these looked fabulous, but after a few days under the stress of poor theatrical lighting (ugh, don't get me started on this) and the usual stresses most plants go through after being forced (very tender growth), you get this "goin' on up in here":



For the most part, a lot of exhibitors and growers got it down. Bulbs are probably the most common and easiest to force and can flower at the precise hour you want them to open. Other plants such as these require a bit more skill and scare to carry them. This English Rose from Christianson's Nursery wasn't prolific in bloom, but the few along the rustic fence of their cottage style display was lovely and the fragrance: absolutely magical.

Then Wight's Home and Garden featured the increasingly popular Itoh Intersectional Peonies (a hybrid cross between the herbaceous garden peony with the shrubby tree peony)timed perfectly with just a few blooms open prior to judging with swelling buds ready to burst open into full glorious bloom.

If there was a garden that people could really relate to and jot down some ideas from probably has to be the Washington Park Arboretum's Japanese Garden designed by my buddies Phil Wood and "Uncle" Bob Lilly. It has so many design concepts in such a small space with a humble, yet interesting palette of plants and talk about forcing, they had the finest flowering cherries ever seen at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show thanks to the horticulturists at Seattle Parks and Recreation. Too bad visitors couldn't fully appreciate them in that horrible lighting. Then, under better lighting is a fragrant "new" Pachysandra axillaris introduced by Dan Hinkley he named 'Windcliff'.





So my friends and colleagues, students and instructors at Edmonds Community College, have done it again and devoted sleepless nights and stressful moments to go all out again in a very popular display depicting "Alice in Wonderland". Zsofia Pasztor, owner of Innovative Landscape Technologies and her team of designers and workers put together a crazy and over the top display joined with Cedar Grove Compost, who put together "Alice's Labyrinth" where visitors could walk through the checker-board flanked with Filtrexx Garden Soxx, large sacks or pouches filled with compost creating a new means of planting a garden. Usually used for erosion control, these were planted up with endless purple heucheras, red tulips, primroses, cyclamen, and twig dogwoods.

Again, you can find pics from the show on my Flickr Set.

There was a lot more to the show than these gardens, of course, but I'm getting tired. As ideas come up, I'll try and post them, but this just gives you a small sampling of the week's events.

The show can be quite overwhelming for a newcomer (ie grad student who I showed around), but in a way, it should be! To see the possibilities of plants, gardens and landscapes is what's so cool about the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. If people recognized just how much work goes into planning, designing, organizing, creating, building and promoting this show and see the finished result has to strike a chord with people; this is no easy feat!


Now, looking ahead, I saw some wonderful container displays and wondered if I could make a "comeback" by doing this more manageable display. It'll still be a lot of work and money invested in creating a display, but it is the NW Flower and Garden Show and the exposure is tremendous. Or maybe it's time to tackle a real display garden and collaborate with those who have approached me with the idea of doing a show garden.

We'll, there's less than a year to plan and prepare...I better think hard and see if this is something I can tackle.

It really is a lot of strenuous hard work, folks, really it is! It's also quite an honor and rewarding when all falls into place you allow the magic to just happen!

R

Bioblitz comes to Arboretum!!

Plants just make up a small portion of the biodiversity that exists in making our environment so special and much beloved by everyone. We've got birds, mammals, amphibians, insects, etc. and we often take for granted just how much is out there all working to survive in this delicate balance we call life.

2010 has been selected to be the year of biodiversity all across the globe and a campaign referred to as a "Biolitz" aims to catalog this biodiversity in the hopes that people become more aware of their surroundings and persuade decision makers about how they should approach projects, infrastructure, and make them all understand the environmental impacts.


Photo from UW Botanic Gardens

I think this is a tremendous opportunity for the community to volunteer and know that they took part in a worldwide project that could help preserve our beautiful surroundings.


Find out how to sign up and get more information here!

They are desperately seeking volunteers for this event so spread the word and do something unique, different and probably a whole lot of fun!!

A new video: The Winter Garden at Washington Park Arboretum

So I'm getting more and more practice in filming and editing. Here's my latest project shot at Washington Park Arboretum's Joe Witt Winter Garden!!

Enjoy and, as always, feedback is important!



Thanks,


R

The floral wonders of a Winter Garden.

So I've compiled a few photos on my Flickr page and I'm in the processes of composing a short video set to cheesy classical music of images I took this past weekend when I spent Martin Luther King, Jr. Day strolling through the rich and delightful aromas and bright colors that the Witt Winter Garden showcased on a mild, surprisingly sunny Seattle day.



I was so pleased to see so many people coming to visit the UW Botanic Garden's Washington Park Arboretum. From dog walkers, joggers, couples, and lonely loners like myself, no one can't ignore the magic that takes place in the middle of winter when we have a rare sunbreak and growth and color appear out of nowhere. The eyes are tantalized and the nose is tickled with the fresh aromas permeating the air.

One of the stars of this fragrance frenzy is Hamamelis mollis, which was just starting to unfurl its filament-like petals of the richest yellow hue and a most delicious scent. As you approach the winter garden from the Graham Visitor's Center, it is the first yellow blooming plant to your left.



There are more Hamamelis to be found as large specimens create such a dramatic, yet lightly airy display of delicate blooms.



Mahonias were in peak bloom as they spill their petals to the ground creating a bright yellow carpet. This statuesque beauty is M. 'Arthur Menzies'. It was in full dramatic bloom and I witnessed a hummingbird or two savoring the rich deposits of nectar in each flower.



One scent that is near and dear to my heart is the potent, rich and sensually sweet scent of Wintersweet, botanically known as Chimonanthus praecox. A native to China, where they're often sold in bundles for indoor forcing during the wintertime, these woody plants and, even its flowers, aren't them most attractive in the landscape, but the aroma is captivating and almost mouth-watering.



Another endearing fragrance is the rare and not always so cold hardy, Daphne bholua.



The dip into the teens certainly caused a bit of damage to the generally evergreen plants. The amount of leave loss was tremendous, but the flowers still appeared. Generally starting to bloom around Christmas, this species from the Himalayas is highly prized by collectors and the bark is used for paper making.

These are just some highlights I wanted to share. I hope the video comes out alright, but there's really no substitution for visiting the garden yourself and experiencing the sights and smells that will just linger with you long after your visit!

See the rest of the photos on my Flicker "set" labelled. UWBG Winter Garden 2010
R

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!