GardenDesignOnline

In the Magazines March-Apr 09

Garden Design March 09

• The impact of climate change on your own home garden -- if crape myrtles are growing at the NY Botanical Garden, warming can't be denied.
• Grasses that look great in containers
• Mod garderns by Edith Katz in Santa Fe, Bernard Trainor in Palo Alto, and Kari Renaud in Vancouver.
• A Water-wise garden by landscape architect Christy Ten Eyck in Arizona
• A garden for entertaining by landscape architect Scott Shrader in Malibu
• And .. Way Hot Plants and lots of new  products

Sunset March 09

• An infinity-edge pool with an apricot-colored steel canopy above by artist James Turrelll at Pomona College
• An arbor covered with lemons and oranges by designer Donna Guldimann (and just how did she do that?)
• Some intriguiging garden ideas from the owners of Barrels & Branches in Encinitas, CA
• A Zen Garden by landscape architect Samuel Kim in Santa Monica
• And VERY cool metal planters for the veg garden

Fine Gardening April 09

• Spring bloomers for all parts of the country
• How to make a kitchen garden beautiful
• Annuals that provide some scent
• The fine art of pruning conifers
• And .. a perfect substitute for pachysandra

Best in Garden Show

PHILADELPHIA FLOWER SHOW WINNERS

Well, you've got to remember ... this is a flower show, not a garden show, and flowers is what these people do best.  Although this year's theme was "Bella Italia," and there were some Roman-style "gardens" with columns and fountains and the like, the show stopper was the "Milan" exhibit by the American Institute of Floral Designers, and it's no wonder they walked away with the top prize.

How about this mannequin in the window of a modern Italian boutique -- a lady with bright green floral hair and dressed in a green floral gown? (I know, I know ... but it's difficult to get a single image inside the PA convention center, let alone one with authentic color, so let your imagination do the heavy lifting).  And the shoes ... the shoes ...

 The train on this mannequin's gown was unimaginably exquisite ... hydrangeas of the same uniform color amid clouds of silvery butterflies.

The floral designers simply did not miss a thing ... there were handbags, hats, jewelry and perfumes ... "paintings" on the walls ... and floral design that simply roars and soars with originality and art. 

I guess because the theme was Italy, there were lots of big-leafed and tropical plants on display ... agaves and hostas, acanthus and yuccas, plus the usual candidates that make good forced spring flowers:  pieris and cherries, azaleas and rhodos, hydrangeas, cyclamen, roses, dogwood and serviceberries.

If you're not into Mod design, as noted above, there are plenty of more traditional displays ... and the show runs through this Sunday.

And next year, an international theme, with gardens from India, New Zealand, Singapore, Brazil, the Netherlands, and of course, the USA.

(click on images to enlarge)

Project BudBurst Reminder

If you haven't already joined Project Budburst -- or if you forgot that this year's info is just as important as last year's -- take a trip into your yard or local park or wherever -- to track the appearance of buds, leaves, and flowers.  Report back to Project Budburst, which is tracking climate change and global warming.

And yes, let's all be glad there's money in the new US budget proposal for more work on these issues, which are affecting all of us.

If you're not familiar with the project, read my previous post on Budburst here.

(image of wild Cinquefoil © UCAR, Photo by Carlye Calvin)