Building A Show Garden: "The Lost Gardener"

In just a matter of weeks, I'll seemingly disappear (more so!) and hanging on for dear life as I coordinate the construction and installation of my very first show garden for the 2013 Northwest Flower and Garden Show.

The show's overall theme "The Silver Screen: Gardens Go Hollywood" sparked an idea in my head shortly after the 2012 show and a meeting with the show's long time show designer Cyle Eldred. I never intended to ever do a full show garden, but he convinced me that it was a great opportunity to showcase the work I do, get different colleagues involved, and take advantage of the extensive resources the show provides.

So, I took the plunge, typed up a few emails and dropped the exciting news to friends and colleagues who may be interested in contributing. Here's what I came up with and proposed for the show:


This garden was inspired by themes and elements from the motion pictures Jurassic Park, King Kong, and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Rather than actually recreating these movies in a show garden, my aim is to capture various aspects from these films to depict a gardener's dilemma: the desire for the newest, rarest and most unusual and how man has stepped in to improve, protect, and alter plants to satisfy the ever changing environments we live in.       “The Lost Gardener” transitions from a wild and mysterious island jungle of assorted woody and herbaceous species and features a rope bridge that takes an explorer from the forest and into a clearing where he encounters the iconic “Skull Island” as a warning of the implications of what could happen to a wild species if removed from its habitat.

A dry river bed of assorted dryland, alpine, bulbous species, succulents and grasses transitions to a more rigid and confined landscape with paved surfaces and formally laid out planting schemes. It will also feature a fence like structure to represent the high-voltage barriers in Jurassic Park, but instead of dinosaurs being confined, it’s a rare and endangered plant species.

The garden will display the richest, most diverse plant palette representing a number of small specialty growers in the Pacific Northwest who have generously loaned their finest plants for this exhibit. Many of these growers often keep a low profile or simply don’t have the time or resources to have a display or presence at the flower show.  It’s my full intent to support the smaller, local growers who are a wealth of knowledge and expertise; this garden aims to bring our community of adventurous plant nerds and geeks together in a cohesive and sophisticated display that aims to encourage gardeners to seek out and grow something new and extraordinary.

This is a conceptual sketch I drew as a little preview. The skull rock will be done in a different fashion as the likelihood of finding stone close to that shape will be next to impossible.

This is the first draft of the schematic I submitted. Call it the base plan if you will. More detailed construction documents are underway so materials are sourced and we can build as much of it before to make move in and install go quickly.

The past few weeks have involved emails with nurseries, meetings with contractors, tweaking the design and making sure I'm on top of what needs to happen now until February rolls around, so there isn't much time.

I hope to have a blog post about each contributor for "Lost Gardener" so people can learn about the wonderful work they do.

I have a stash of plants being forced by a nursery in Sumner, WA called Windmill Gardens who have been hired by the show to force plant material for exhibitors. Here's what things looked like when I came by to check on them: still a ways to go...less than 2 months!!

  

It's a long way from a lush tropical jungle, but we'll get there!

More soon...I promise!  It's almost show time!



Riz

Happy New Year! Looking back at 2012

 

Who do you recognize??

2012 was a reminder to love what you do and embrace the people who "get it"!

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

A Pacific Northwest Treasure Aims for a Comeback

It was a delight to hear that the former Heronswood Garden in Kingston, WA is finally under new ownership and will one day be restored back to an incredible garden that inspired many gardeners around the world with it's remarkable botanical tapestry of rare and unusual plants from around the world. Read about sale of the property here.

Here are some photos of the gardens from previous visits.

"Every great garden has great bones!"

The meticulously maintained European Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus 'Fastigiata')  is an iconic feature of this garden.

What always amazed me about Heronswood was the audience it drew. Obviously it was more middle-aged women who were most interested in these garden opens and the husbands and children dragged along, but once they begin to settle into the landscape, they relax and marvel at the extensive collection of plants and really appreciate the surroundings.

The Greek ruins made up of colored concrete columns and leaf casts create for a magical scene in Heronswood.

Striking columns with massive pots sitting atop them with bold and lush foliage all around. Its unbelievable what we're able to grow in the Pacific Northwest.

It isn't all about rare and exotic plants and naturalistic landscapes. An extensive and beautifully designed edible garden can be found and there are places to sit and relax and soak up the grand views all around.

What we won't see anymore is this, sadly. A world-renowned nursery with some of the most exciting plant introductions for the keen and avid gardener!

What will remain are the gardens and, already, a team of supporters aiming to restore and refresh the grounds to its former splendor. The Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe, who purchased the property, are supportive of the efforts as are the former owners of the garden.

A most exciting opportunity was recently just posted:

On December 9, Heronswood will open its gates to same-sex couples who plan on legally getting married as Referendum 74 passed just a few weeks ago!

What a tremendous opportunity! Let's hope the weather cooperates to celebrate a momentous occasion not only for the beloved garden, but to our greater community.

Read about it here!

"Like" Heronswood on Facebook!

Riz

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

East Coast Excursion: Part 1

It simply broke my heart to see the news and horrible images unfold as many of the places I visited just a few weeks ago were hit with strong winds, terrible floods, and power outages.

After years of reading books, admiring photographs and hearing stories about these  remarkable gardens and landscapes, I finally had an opportunity to visit the east coast! My initial hook was a Perennial Plant Conference, that coincidentally, my buddy, Matt Berberich was also thinking of attending as his hometown was pretty close to Swarthmore College in Pennsylvannia.

Now, I had about a week to devote to this trip and it got me thinking, "I could possibly hit up New York!" I have a few relatives in NYC that I could possibly visit and there were several gardens that I've been wanting so very badly to see!

Rather than ramble on about my trip, here are some photo highlights!

NYC can easily make one feel very small in such a fast-paced environment.

I was thrilled to visit with my cousin and see the amazing Highline! It's a stunning space, but it has become surprisingly touristy.

I also had a cousin who I stayed with in Brooklyn who lived fairly close to the BBG! I had an opportunity to say hello to Scott Medbury, their executive director.

I'm not really all that special, but I guess I had to be to see Mr. Medbury, but the nicest treat was the garden was free that day and I was joined by someone who is quite well known in horticultural literature.

Any guesses as to who??




Stay tuned...

It's Election Day!

From The Next Generation Gardener:

I'm not typically a political person, but selecting our USA President and several issues are very near and dear to me and I ask Washington State to please read and understand the facts and support our community by approving Referendum 74 - The right for same-sex couples to marry!

There are so many gay couples and individuals in our gardening community and they have every right to have the same rights and benefits as heterosexual couples.

Agree or Disagree, PLEASE VOTE!!!