GardenDesignOnline

Happenings December 2024

Selected Events Around the Country:

Light Shows:

thru December 22, "Festival of Lights," Fort Bragg, CA
Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens
thru Dec 31, "Gardens Aglow," Boothbay, ME
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

thru Jan 4, "Garden Glow," St. Louis, MO
Missouri Botanical Garden

thru Jan 5, "Lightscape," Glencoe, IL
Chicago Botanic Garden
thru Jan 5, "Lightscape," Encinitas, CA
San Diego Botanic Garden
thru Jan 5, "Enchanted Forest of Light," La Canada Flintridge, CA
Descanco Gardens
thru Jan 5, "Lightscape," Brooklyn, NY
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
thru Jan 5, "A Longwood Christmas," Kennett Square, PA
Longwood Botanical Gardens
thru Jan 5, New England Botanic Garden, Boylston, MA
"Night Lights: Color Cascade"
thru Jan 5, "Frost," Cleveland, OH
Cleveland Botanical Garden
thru Jan 5, "Season's Greenings," Washington DC
US Botanic Garden

thru Jan 12, "Garden Lights, Holiday Nights," Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Botanical Garden
thru Jan 20, "Holiday Train Show," Bronx, NY
NY Botanical Garden

Events:
Dec 5, Ecological Landscape Alliance Season's End Summit, Grafton, MA
8am-4pm, Brigham Hill Community Farm - Also ONLINE
Dec 5, 12, 19 "Landscaping with Nature," ONLINE, NDAL
6pm-7:15pm, 3-part session, "Turning Battles into Partnerships"

Dec 12, "The Serge Hill Project," ONLINE
2pm Eastern, Lecture, British LA Tom Stuart-Smith, Garden Conservancy
Dec 31, Sissinghurst Through the Seasons, ONLINE, Garden Conservancy
Four episodes with Head Gardener Troy Scott Smith

LOOKAHEAD:

Jan 8-10, MANTS, Mid-Atlantic Trade Show, Baltimore, MD
Baltimore Convention Center
Jan 9-10, NDAL Annual Design Symposium, Ambler PA & ONLINE
9am- 5pm, Temple University Ambler Campus
REPEATS: Jan 16-17, Connecticut College Arboretum, New London, CT
Jan 23, "LIfe in the Garden," Bronx, NY
11am -noon, Lecture, Designer Bunny Williams, NY Botanical Garden

Feb 14, Greenscapes Symposium, ONLINE
9am-4pm Eastern, "Designing Resilient Landscapes," Brookside Gardens

March 1-9, Philadelphia Flower Show, Philadelphia, PA
"Gardens of Tomorrow," Philadelphia Convention Center
March 11, 39th Davidson Horticultural Symposium, Davidson, NC
9am - 4:30pm, Davidson College, "The Unusual, Unexpected & Unfamiliar"

April 10-12, 78th Colonial Williamsburg Garden Symposium, Williamsburg, VA
"The Influence of Great English Gardens,"  Also ONLINE

May 20-24, Chelsea Flower Show, London, UK

Books: A US-UK Connection

 When I lived in Britain some years ago, I always journeyed a few times a year to the village of Woodstock, and to an iron gate that opened onto a most spectacular landscape:  the grounds of Blenheim Palace, home of the Churchill family for more than 300 years, with grounds designed in the 1700's by celebrated landscape gardener Capability Brown.

Although many books have been written about Blenheim, a new book, Blenheim by Henrietta Spencer-Churchill (Rizzoli USA, 2024), takes the reader on a comprehensive journey that includes the people who have inhabited the palace, its interior, its exterior, the park and gardens, the lifestyle of those who've lived there, and prospects for its future.

The Blenheim estate was gifted to John Churchill, the 1st Duke of Marlborough, by Queen Anne for his service in the war of Spanish Succession. The US-UK connection began in 1888, when the 8th Duke, George Spencer-Churchill, married wealthy American Lilian Hammersly of New York.  She used some of her fortune to begin renovations at Blenheim, but later sued for the return of her money. The Duke's brother, Randolph Spencer-Churchill, married Jennie Jerome of New York, the mother of Winston Churchill, who was born at Blenheim and spent much time there as a boy.  The 9th Duke, Charles, married American Consuelo Vanderbilt, and her large dowry was used to undertake considerable renovations inside and outside the palace.

The park and gardens at Blenheim are open to the public and are well worth visiting.  The estate's original architect, Sir John Vanbrugh, created a large, striking design that included a Grand Avenue lined with elms, an imposing bridge over a canal; a walled kitchen garden; and a walled Military Garden with ordered plantings.  Most of that design was swept away in the mid-1700's, when Lancelot "Capability" Brown was hired to bring about a more naturalistic design.  As the author notes, "His vision for Blenheim, as indeed it was for many of the finest estates in Britain, was to paint a vast romantic picture using water, grass, trees, and artful "ruins."

Brown dammed a river to create a grand, 40-acre, tree-lined lake that included Vanbrugh's bridge, and he situated trees to offer views that invited further exploration. His vast South Lawn is a long vista that runs from the palace and includes a ha-ha, a sunken fence, to keep livestock away from the building.  Most of Brown's vision remains intact, but subsequent owners have made changes to bring the landscape up to date.  The 9th Duke added a formal Italian Garden, upper and lower water terraces.  There is also a Rose Garden, a Secret Garden, and a Churchill Garden, which celebrates the place where Winston proposed to his wife, Clementine.

Aside from the gardens, the staterooms, the architecture and the objets inside the palace, Henrietta Spencer-Churchill does not spare any of the inhabitants.  You'll read about scandals and intrigues, happiness and sadness, and the determination of a celebrated family to preserve their ancestral home and its heritage for generations to come.

And p.s.:  a perfect present for the holidays.

*Commissions earned on sales through Amazon.

Happenings November 2024

Selected Events Around the Country:

Light Shows:

Nov 15- Jan 5, "Lightscape," Glencoe, IL
Chicago Botanic Garden
Nov 15 - Jan 5, "Lightscape," Encinitas, CA
San Diego Botanic Garden
Nov 16 - Dec 31, "Gardens Aglow," Boothbay, ME
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
Nov 16 - Jan 4, "Garden Glow," St. Louis, MO
Missouri Botanical Garden
Nov 16 - Jan 12, "Garden Lights, Holiday Nights," Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Botanical Garden
Nov 16 - Jan 20, "Holiday Train Show," Bronx, NY
NY Botanical Garden

Nov 17 -Jan 5, "Enchanted Forest of Light," La Canada Flintridge, CA
Descanco Gardens
Nov 22 - Jan 5, "Lightscape," Brooklyn, NY
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Nov 22 - Jan 5, "A Longwood Christmas," Kennett Square, PA
Longwood Botanical Gardens
Nov 23-Jan 5, New England Botanic Garden, Boylston, MA
"Night Lights: Color Cascade"
Nov 23 - Jan 5, "Frost," Cleveland, OH
Cleveland Botanical Garden

Nov 28 - Jan 5, "Season's Greenings," Washington DC
US Botanic Garden
Nov 29-December 22, "Festival of Lights," Fort Bragg, CA
Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens

Events:

November 2-17, "Kiku", Bronx, NY
Annual Japanese Chrysanthemum Displays, NY Botanical Garden

November 6-9, Cities Alive, Toronto, Canada
20th Annual Conference,  100+ speakers, tours and more.
November 9, TCLF Garden Dialogues, Palm Beach, FL
10-11:30am, Tour & Talk, LA Fernando Wong Outdoor Living Design

November 10, 10th Ecological Gardening Symposium, Stockbridge, MA
9am - 3:30 pm, "Rooted in Place," Berkshire Botanical Garden
November 14, "Creating Brush Hill," ONLINE
2 pm Eastern, Lecture, Garden Conservancy
November 14, "Landscapes of Retreat," Philadelphia, PA
6:30 pm, Lecture, LA Rosetta, Penn Design

November 18, Botanical Talk & Tour, Boston, MA
12:30-2 pm, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
November 19, "Wildness & Lost Landscapes," ONLINE
6:30 pm, Eastern, Lecture, LA Lauren Stimson, NYBG
November 22, "Longwood Reimagined," Kennett Square, PA
Reopening of Longwood Gardens after three-year renovation
November 23, Native Plant Saturday, Bronx, NY
10am - 5pm, NY Botanical Garden

Happenings October 2024

Selected Events Around the Country:

October 3, "Garden Politic in 19th century America," ONLINE
2pm Eastern, Lecture, Garden Conservancy
October 4, 2024 Vincent Scully Prize:  LA Walter Hood, Washington DC
6-9pm, Award Presentation, National Building Museum
October 5-6, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours: CT, NY, VA
CT: Fairfield Cty; NY: Jefferson Cty; VA: Fauquier, Clarke Cty.

October 6, Film Preview: ""Sitting Still," Washington, DC
5:30-8pm, Film on LA Laurie Olin, MLK Library, TCLF
October 6-9, ASLA Annual Conference,"Insight," Washington DC
October 8, "Paradise in Tuscany," Bronx, NY
11am-noon, Lecture on La Foce Garden, NY Botanical Garden

October 11-13, APLD International Landscape Design Conference, Charlesto n, SC
October 12, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours, Stonington, CT
October 12, "Living Works of Art," Rodeo, CA
5pm-7pm, Talk & Tour, Garden Conservancy

October 15, "Forms, Weeds & Real Life," ONLINE
6:30-7:30pm Eastern, Lecture, LA Shannon Nichol, NY Botanical Garden
October 17, "The Landscape of Home," Woodside, CA
1pm-3pm, Lecture, LA Edmund Hollander, Filoli House & Garden, Garden Conservancy
October 18, Perennial Plant Conference, Swarthmore, PA & ONLINE

October 19-20, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours: CA, MA, NY
CA: East Bay Area; MA: Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire Ctys; NY: Dutchess, Ulster Ctys.
October 23, Botanical Talk & Tour, Boston, MA
12:30pm-2pm, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
October 25, Ecological Plant Conference, Bronx, NY
8am-4:30pm, Wave Hill. 4 Speakers, Breakfast & Lunch
October 26, Manitoga, Russel Wright Design Center, Garrison, NY
3pm, Lecture, Tour, Garden Conservancy

October 29, "Context, Form & Equity," ONLINE
6:30-7:30pm, Eastern, Lecture, LA Shane Coen, NY Botanical Garden
October 29, "Meadowcraft Across Regions," ONLINE
1pm-4:30pm Eastern, Lecture, NDAL
October 30, "At Home with Nature," ONLINE
6pm-6:45pm Easrern, Lecture, LA Larry Weaner, NDAL
Oct 31, "Visionary Gardens of the Future," ONLINE
2pm, Eastern, Lecture, Garden Conservancy

 

Happenings September 2024

Exhibitions:

Thru Sept 30, Dan Kiley Landscape Architecture Legacy
Bell Works, Holmdel, NJ

Selected Events Around the Country:

Sept 3, Ecology-Based Design & Organic Practice, Potomac, MD
9am-4:30pm, Glenstone Museum, Classes + Field Trips, NDAL

Sept 6, Contemporary Landscapes Workshop, Brooklyn, NY
9am-4:30pm, Historic Greenwood Cemetery, NDAL
September 7, Garden Study Weekend Symposium, Southbury, CT
8am-4pm, Heritage Hotel & Hollister House Garden, Garden Conservancy

Sept 7, Lecture & Tour, Short Hills, NJ
9-11am, "History of Greenwood Gardens," Garden Conservancy
Sept 7, Garden Tour, Entwood Garden, Bridgehampton, NY
4pm, "Late Summer on Long Island," Garden Conservancy
Sept 7, "Successional Mosaic Landscape," Stone Ridge, NY
4pm, Lecture, Garden Conservancy 
Sept 7, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours: NJ, NY
NJ: Essex County; NY: Suffolk, Ulster Ctys.

Sept 12, Lecture, "Taliesin West, The Desert Laboratory," ONLINE
2pm Eastern, Garden Conservancy, LA Susannah Drake & others

Sept 14-15, Olmsted Network Annual Conference, Poughkeepsie, NY
"Landscapes of Renewal: Olmsted, Vaux & Downing
Sept 14, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours: CT, MA, NJ, RI
CT: Fairfielod Cty; MA: Bristol, Middlesex Ctys; NJ: Bergen Cty
Sept 14, Garden Dialogues, Toronto, ON
noon-1:30pm, Sky Garden, Talk & Tour, TCLF

Sept 17-18, Modern Living Symposium, Falmouth, MA
"Inside Outdoor Spaces" 
Sept 18, Urban Tree Summit 2024, Silver Spring, MD
8am-4pm, sponsor: Casey Trees, Montgomery Parks
Sept 18-19, Landscape Expo, Anaheim, CA
Anaheim Convention Center, "The Future of Landscape"
Sept 21, Discovering Blithewood,  Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
10am, Garden & Arboretum Tour, Garden Conservancy 
Sept 21, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours: NJ, NY
NJ: Somerset Cty; NY: Dutchess Cty.

Sept 26, Lecture/Book Signing, St. Louis, MO & Woodside, CA
6-8pm, LA Edmund Hollander, "The Landscape of Home," Garden Conservancy;
Repeats: Oct 17, 1-3pm, Filoli Historic House & Museum
Sept 26-28, America in Bloom 2024 Symposium, Columbus & Logan, OH
Garden Tours, Lectures, More. 
Sept 28, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours: Lorain Cty, OH
Sept 28, Garden Dialogues, Aspen, CO
10-11:30am MDT, Highlands Retreat, TCLF 

LOOKAHEAD:

October 6-9, ASLA Annual Conference,"Insight," Washington DC
October 11-13, APLD International Landscape Design Conference, Charleston, SC
October 18, Perennial Plant Conference, Swarthmore, PA & ONLINE

Books: Gardens for Outdoor Living

 Gardens to remember are those that integrate the essential character of the inside residence with the landscape outdoors. And landscape architect Edmund Hollander is an award-winning expert who always finds the perfect relationship between interiors and exteriors, whether it's a small space, a rooftop in an urban setting, a country retreat, or a home with stunning seaside views.

In "The Landscape of Home," (Rizzoli International Publications, Inc., 2024),  23 of Hollander's recent projects are profiled, with essays, photographs, and landscape plans for each one. As designer Bunny Williams says in the Foreword to the book, Hollander's choices of hard surfaces are "always sensitive to the materials used on the house, and the details of the landscape design are always totally compatible with the architecture.  Ed paints with the palette of the plants and sculpts with the forms of trees and shrubs.  Whether it is a meadow with mown paths or a formal parterre, the gardens he creates seem in total harmony with the house and the land." 

Hollander leaves nothing to chance when designing.  He consults with the homeowners, the architects, and the interior designers so that, in his words, "the landscape feels as if it grows directly out of the architecture and the site."  He adds, "The more seamless the interaction between interior and exterior living spaces, the more the ground and the house feel like two hands attached to one head, as if sprung from the same creative source, the more welcoming the landscape of home will be, and the greater its gifts of well-being, refuge, and comfort."

The book is divided into three parts: Home in the Country; Home by the Sea; Home in the City.  And a final addition is his own home in Sag Harbor, New York. 

For one country property, the primary mission was to preserve the site's existing ancient trees.   Hollander calls them "a library of botanical wonders:  magnificent copper beeches, majestic old maple and plane trees, one-hundred-fifty-year-old Japanese maples, fabulous Japanese cypresses, towering cryptomerias -- all old-growth stalwarts, so full of soul and so unexpected on a property that is inland, but still comparatively near the coast." The house was moved to another location and other elements, including roads, pool, tennis court -- were placed to preserve and celebrate views of the trees.

For a rooftop with views of the Statue of Liberty, Hollander created patio and plantings inspired by English country gardens. And for a modern Florida residence with views of the sea, a series of separate gardens connect with each other, and the living areas -- the walks, fences, and terraces, all feature lush tropical plantings that feel both soft and inviting.

Any designer or homeowner will find inspiration and lessons in this book that will encourage the kind of thoughtfulness that can make any garden a place of refuge and joy.

 

Plant Podcast

Plant People podcast. 30 minutes.

Available on all major podcast platforms, cited by Apple Podcasts on its lists of "New and Noteworthy" and "Top Science" podcasts.  Conversations with scientists, gardeners, artists, explorers and others.

Host: Jennifer Bernstein, CEO and William C. Steere Sr. President of the NY Botanical Garden.

For more info and episodes:  https://www.nybg.org/plantpeople

 

Books: California Dreamin' : Gardens

California has some of the best-known and unique gardens in the country, some designed by iconic landscape architects and others by designers you likely do not know.  In California Eden (Angel City Press, 2004), authors Christine Edstrom O'Hara and Susan Chamberlin introduce us to the state's true heritage landscapes and explain the relationship between humans and nature. 

As they say in the introduction, the book "looks at history through the lens of cultural landscapes -- landscapes that have been shaped by humans who have left their imprints on the natural world."  These humans include indigenous Californians, early Spanish settlers, and later, wealthy newcomers who established notable estate gardens and horticulturists who brought in plants from all over the world.  

The authors note that "each historic period for landscape design eschewed the styles of the past."  Victorian-style gardens gave way to architectural designs, then to more naturalistic gardens.  Modernist gardens came into their own during the Depression years, and the gardens of today ""increasingly feature native plants and address sustainability issues." 

The book profiles 21 landscapes -- Extraordinary Places designed by landscape architects and designers:  (Beatrix Farrand's gardens, Hanna House by Frank Lloyd Wright & more; Public Places where communities gather: Pasadena's Trees, Fulton Mall; and Everyday Places (including the historic gardens of Old Monterey).  Each entry includes essays about the site's history and designers, accompanies by stunning historic photos and other photos of the gardens today. 

It's an important book about garden history and the meaning of cultural landscapes, and it will encourage any dedicated designer to. visit California and see some of the extraordinary sites. 

*commisions earned on any sales through Amazon.

Happenings August 2024

Exhibitions:

July 31-Sept 30, Dan Kiley Landscape Architecture Legacy
Bell Works, Holmdel, NJ

Selected Events Around the Country:

August 1-2, Speaking of Gardening Symposium, Asheville, NC
August 3, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours: IL, MA
IL: Dupage Cty; MA: Hampden Cty.

August 10-11, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours: NH, OH, VT, WI
NH: Cheshire Cty; OH: Summit Cty; VT: Windsor Cty; WI: Milwaukee Area
August 21-23, Farwest Show, Portland, OR

August 24: Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours: CT, NH, NJ
CT: Fairfield Cty; NH: Monadnock Region; NJ: Hunterdon Cth
August 26-30, Garden Communicators Annual Conference, Grand Rapids, MI

Aug 29-30, Garden Ecology Ohio-Style, Kirtland, OH
9am-4:30pm, Holden Arboretum, Classes & Field Walks, NDAL

 

LOOKAHEAD:

Sept 3, Ecology-Based Design & Organic Practice, Potomac, MD
9am-4:30pm, Glenstone Museum, Classes + Field Trips, NDAL
September 7, Garden Study Weekend Symposium, Southbury, CT
8am-4pm, Heritage Hotel & Hollister House Garden, Garden Conservancy

Sept 14-15, Olmsted Network Annual Conference, Poughkeepsie, NY
"Landscapes of Renewal: Olmsted, Vaux & Downing
Sept 18-19, Landscape Expo, Anaheim, CA
Anaheim Convention Center, "The Future of Landscape"

October 6-9, ASLA Annual Conference,"Insight," Washington DC
October 11-13, APLD International Landscape Design Conference, Charleston, SC

Books: Outdoor Living

Fashion can take on many forms, but it often involves color, texture, shapes.  So it's no wonder that a former fashion designer can make the transfer to garden design.

In Your Outdoor Room, How to Design a Garden You Can Live In, (Frances Lincoln, 2024), designer Manoj Malde showcases his vibrant style and love of color ... and demonstrates how to create unique, sustainable, beautiful gardens that transition beautifully from inside to outside.

As he says in the introduction, "...this book will not only help you to overcome your fears, but offer guidance and give you the skills to turn your garden into a beautiful, healthy, thriving, outdoor living space that will bring you joy for years to come."

The book is essentially a guide to design, and Malde walks you through the entire process, from considerations about how you want to use the space, garden themes that reflect the owner's personality, where to find inspiration, how to plan social spaces, the plantings, the materials, and much more.

In a section on designing steps, he says, "A level change in a flat space can add depth and character while making a small garden feel bigger.  A step up can lead to a private seating area made cozy with beautiful metal screens or planting.  A step down could lead you to sunken, secluded garden."

He outlines ways to use screening in garden to make the garden feel bigger, to hide unwanted views, to create seating and garden hideaways. He covers the full vocabulary used by professional designers and brings their ideas down to a homeowner's level. Finally, Malde makes creative suggestions for planting, for using pots and other containers, and how to bring the garden to life.

It's an indispensable book for anyone who's a garden novice, or anyone who wants to transform their outdoor space with verve and harmony into a sanctuary for years to come.

*commissions earned on any sale.