Building a Show Garden: Rockin' It with CEM Design and Construction

How thrilled am I to be working with Clayton Morgan  and CEM Design and Construction once again. I wrote up a little profile on him awhile back and you may have seen our photo when I attended his wedding two summers ago. He's been a very busy guy and now he's even busier having been married and, now, he's also A DAD!!  Congrats to Clayton, Jamie and their precious daughter, Hope.

Clayton and I informally discussed maybe doing a show garden together at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show many years ago. Having just taken the plunge on my own, I wanted to him to have some part of the show to gain the experience and get his work out there. Business has picked up for him considerably, but he was gracious enough to help out with the rock work involved for "The Lost Gardener". That meant my very first visit to the infamous Marenakos Rock Center in Issaquah, WA. They are one of the main sponsors for the show and graciously provide the awesome rocks for almost all of the show gardens being created.

 Being sort of new to the world of selecting landscape rock, Clayton was on hand when I met with Mr. Bill Hyde who was so informative and helpful throughout the process. Knowing that Clayton was on a tight schedule, I did my best to be as efficient and direct as I can. This whole process has been a true practice in taking control of a project and trusting those around you to guide and support your thoughts and decisions and overall vision.

I think we got a few useful pieces to be placed strategically by Mr. Morgan's crew come show time and about three pieces that are in the running as the main focal point of the display.

This was too small, but still intriguing

Will we figure it out and make it work??   We'll find out February 16 when Marenako's bring these rocks to the Washington State Convention and Trade Center.


R

Building a Show Garden: It's the little things - Bouquet Banque Nursery

There are several specialty nurseries contributing to "The Lost Gardener" and I took some time to pay Bill Roeder and Judy Zugish a visit at their small nursery and studio (yes, they're renowned basket weavers!)!

Bouquet Banque has made an appearance at most of the major plant sales over the past few years offering wonderful, unusual perennials, but the past few seasons have concentrated their efforts in producing hardy Cyclamen (ie C. hederifolium and C. coum).

Photo from Thompson & Morgan

 Most of you are probably familiar with the florist Cyclamen that everyone sees in the flower shops and garden centers all around. These are usually hybrids derived from C. persicum. They come in a multitude of colors and leaf patterns and make wonderful houseplants, but they do not tolerate deep freezes.




While not as large as their highly bred relatives, the species and selections of hardy cyclamen, meaning they will withstand cold, are truly outstanding as garden plants. They are exceedingly tough for such delicate looking plants and thrive in difficult conditions in the garden. They're also very sweet and charming little things to bloom so very early in the season. Cyclamen hederifolium flower in the fall, while Cyclamen coum are just beginning to open and will look absolutely stunning as a mass drift at the flower and garden show.

My friends, Terry (who you'll meet in a few weeks) and Tina joined me as we drove up to Marysville, WA (about 35-40 minutes north of Seattle) to pay Bill and Judy a visit. It was my first time visiting Bouquet Banque and, being the plant geeks that we were, had a pleasant and worthwhile visit as their season is just starting and I'm super anxious to show off their fabulous selections!

Here are some photos from out visit:

Here's Judy sharing with us their wonderful selections and qualities that they look for.

Here's how they start. All of their plants are seed-grown and carefully grown and selected.

Cyclamen coum just starting to pop! Look at the diversity of foliage patterns. Bill says both coum and hederifolium hold their foliage well into April before they go dormant for the rest of the season until fall.

Stunning contrast in foliage coloration and lovely colors on the flowers.

Silver/pewter forms are much sought after and they have a amazing selection!

The "Christmas Tree" patten is also very popular

Here's Bill showing how he prepares willow for weaving.

A basket in progress

They have some upcoming open houses (ONE THIS WEEKEND) and their plant sale schedule posted for 2013, so do visit their WEBSITE:

It was such a fun visit for all of us and what kind folks to share their love and passion for what they do with the next generation of avid gardeners! I'll be seeing Bill and Judy again in a few weeks to get their plants all groomed and, hopefully, blooming for the show!




R

Building A Show Garden: The Nuts and Bolts

Ok, here's my first post via mobile. I'm getting my brakes and tires looked at and my laptop is on the fritz.

This past week has been all about meetings and making sure things are on track. I've been inundated by numerous details as mailings have come in concerning move-in procedures.

I'm not gonna lie, I'm dreading the chaos and making sure my team and I are on track. My worst nightmare is having other garden creators getting pissed off and having to save my butt because I haven't come prepared and organized.

The key is to keep my cool, be an adult, communicate to the best of my ability and rely on my experience to produce the best looking display with the resources I have. I've tried to make this endeavor as straightforward and uncomplicated as possible.

When I get back on my computer, I've got a few people I want to introduce to you.

R

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