GardenDesignOnline

May Happenings

April 29-May1  Garden Antiques Show Bronx NY
NY Botanical Garden Annual Show, 10AM-5PM Conservatory Tent.

April 30-May 3 Garden Symposium, Williamsburg, VA
Colonial Williamsburg Garden Symposium featuring author Pamela Harper, Brent Heath of Brent & Becky's Bulbs, Landscape Architect & author Julie Moir Messervy.

May 5 Architecture in the Garden, Wheaton, MD
10-11:30AM, Brookside Gardens, Lecture by James van Sweden of Oehme, Van Sweden & Associates, co-creator of "The New American Garden" look.

May 6-7 Garden Conservancy Tours, CA, NY, NC, TX
San Francisco County, CA; Suffolk, Westchester Counties, NY; Chowan County NC; El Paso County TX

San Francisco County, CA;

May 6-13 Tulip Festival. Holland, MI
Where Else?  See them all. (800) 822-2770

May 8, Handkerchief Gardens, Del Mar, CA.
7PM, Surfside Race Place, Del Mar Fairgrounds. Author Sharon Lovejoy shares design tips on creating small space magic in the landscape. (858) 792-6715

May 11-12 4th Annual Green Roofs Conference, Boston, MA
4th Annual "Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities" sponsored by Green Roofs for Healthy Cities. Hynes Convention Center.

May 11-12 Color in the Garden, Columbus OH
Franklin Park Conservatory. The Am. Horticultural Society, conference on "The Art & Science of Color in the Garden." (703) 768-5700 ext. 121

May 13 Georgetown Garden Tour  Washington DC
(202) 965-1950 or purchase tickets on day of tour at 31st & O Sts. NW

May 13 Garden Conservancy Tours , CA, CT, NY
Alameda County, CA; New Haven County, CT; Columbia County, NY

May 13-14 Garden Tour , Atlanta GA
Gardens for Connoisseurs Tour, Atlanta Botanical Garden (404) 876-5859

May 13-21 Urban Garden Show, Chicago, IL
"Garden in a City," Grant Park. Landscape designers set up 40 gardens-plus under a white tent.  Urban horticulture, community greening & more.

May 17 CSI Plants, Washington DC
6:30PM Lecture by Shirley Graham of the Missouri Botanical Garden. Learn which plants help investigators solve crimes.

May 18 Hidden Gardens of Beacon Hill, Boston, MA
Walking tour 13 private and very special gardens. 9AM-5PM (617) 227-4392

May 19 Design Symposium, Ridgely, MD
Adkins Arboretum, "Creating Native Landscapes by Design," (410) 634-2847

May 20-21, 27 Garden Conservancy Tours, CA, CT, MA, NJ, NY, NC, TX, WA
Marin, San Mateo, Santa Clara County, CA; Fairfield & New Haven County, CT; Berkshire County, MA; Essex & Morris County, NJ; Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Westchester County, NY; Orange County, NC; Dallas County, TX; King, Pierce County, WA

May 21 Garden Tour Washington DC
Shepherd Park-Colonial Village-North Portal 6-8 Gardens 1-4PM
Tickets Shepherd Elementary, 14th & Kalmia St NW noon

May 19-July 9 Botanical Art Exhibition Washington DC
Corcoran Gallery of Art, "Botanical Treasures of Lewis & Clark"

May 22-June 2. Graphics Workshop, Manhattan, KS
Mike Lin's 12 day intensive drawing workshop.

May 25 Green Roofs Workshop, Washington DC
10:30AM-2:30PM US Botanic Garden. Professional workshop on design, construction & plant palette for green roofs.  Chris Counts of Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc. and Ed Snodgrass of Emory Knoll Farms

Through June 18 Smithsonian Traveling Show, Northampton, MA
The Unexpected Beauty of Vegetable Gardens, Smith College, Lyman Plant House

Lookahead:

June 1-3 Native Plants Conference, Millersville, PA
16th Annual "Native Plants in the Landscape" Conference Millersville University
Cornell's Bernd Blossey and Steven Handel on invasive plants and restoration of the urban landscape; designer & author Leslie Sauer; Jim Plyler of Natural Landscapes nursery.
July 16-22 APLD Summer Conference , Philadelphia, PA
Annual Meeting, Assn of Professional Landscape Designers
July 17-21 Landscape Architecture and Community Design Conference, Chatauqua, NY Landscape Architect James van Sweden, author Sarah Susanka and more.
August 6-20 Lecture Series, Framingham, MA
New England Wildflower Society 
August 25-28 Garden Writers' Assn Annual Conference Valley Forge, PA
58th Annual Conference featuring architect and author William McDonough and others.
October 6-9 Am. Society Landscape Architects Annual Conference Minneapolis, MN

Up on the Roof

You could hold a big party up on the new roof of 636 I Street NW in Washington DC -- headquarters of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA).

The plants are still growing in, but you can see the greenery from street level, and tours will soon be underway by appointment. ASLA unveiled the 3300 square foot project this week and hopes it will inspire others to plant their roofs as well.

Nancy Somerville, ASLA's Executive Vice President/CEO, said green roofs in general have positive environmental benefits in cities "where green space is at a premium."  While she admitted that this one roof "is not going to make a dent" in DC's air quality, she said planted roofs can reduce roof temperatures by 90 degrees, reduce heating and air conditioning costs, improve storm water retention, and make roof replacement unnecessary for 40 years or more. And, if enough owners put green roofs atop their buildings, they together could have a significant impact.  DC currently ranks second in green roofs in the United States, just behind Chicago.

This roof was designed by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates Inc., of Cambridge, MA and New York City. Landscape architect Chris Counts said the designers wanted to use the roof as an educational tool and also take the concept a step further to "what the next generation of green roofs would be like."  He said it was "quite a challenge" to come with a design that had "a spatial quality" in the flat, 38 x 82 foot space. You have to acknowledge the solution is very ingenious.

(photo left: Courtesy Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc)
(click on images for larger view)

DC Dogs

Yes, they are finicky.  Yes, they are prone to disease.  And yes, there is simply nothing else like them in the landscape.  If there's a small tree to die for, this is simply the one.  Architectural, horizontal branching, brilliant and delicate white petals.  Every spring, in DC's Rock Creek Park, they emerge airy and ghost-like, dispersed throughout the woods, lasting only a fleeting week or two.  This native American tree has been weakened in its native setting throughout the East, the Midwest, and the South by drought and cold cycles, which have made them susceptible to disease. However, if it's planted in part shade and in moist, evenly draining, acidic soil -- it should do just fine.

Cornus florida is perfect for small yards, near patios, and you'll never tire of it's elegant appearance.  Red berries appear in fall, as the leaves begin turning red as well, and the bark eventually takes on the appearance of rough rectangular blocks, attractive throughout the winter.  Dogwoods come in pink, as well -- but don't plant them against a brick house as the background.  Dogwoods get about 20 feet high and wide, Zones 5-9.

The Kousa Dogwoods of Asian origin flower a little later and are not susceptible to disease.  The blooms are white, with pointed, rather than rounded edges, but they don't have that distinctive dogwood form.  They, too, are pretty -- but why not just plant a real dogwood?

(click on images for larger view)

New Water Gardening Book

Although this book is area specific, "Water Gardening for the Mid-Atlantic and New England" by Teri Dunn (Cool Springs Press) is an easy do-it-yourself guide for homeowners who want to -- well -- install a water garden in a weekend.  As a garden designer, this is not something I'd ever recommend doing yourself (like most other garden chores). but I do have to admit that Dunn makes it look and sound very possible.  "Building a pond requires careful planning," says Dunn, "but if the basic steps are followed properly, the long-term satisfaction is well worth a weekend's hard work. 

The book has great illustrations, lovely photos of small water gardens, some with waterfalls, some in containers, and a step-by-step plan to make it all come together.  There's also a section on plants that most everyone would likely want to try. Even if you live elsewhere in the country, you'd likely find this book useful.

Dunn has written for Horticulture Magazine and is the author of 20 other garden books. Still, I dont' know if I'd try this in a weekend.

(click on photo to purchase)

New Plants to Covet

Get moving to your local nursery before this new Elderberry sells out ... you'll want to reserve a place for it in your shrub border now.  Sambucus 'Black Lace' has finely-cut dark purple lacy foliage that might be mistaken for a Japanese Maple at a distance.  The pink flowers in spring are stunning against the leaves, and very dark red berries in fall are attractive to birds and other wildlife -- or -- you can make jam or wine from them.

Hardy to -25 degrees F., grows to eight feet high, four to five feet wide, takes sun or part shade.

The new shrub dogwood Cornus 'Arctic Sun' would make a great contrast to the Elderberry ... golden leaves in fall and yellow stems tipped with red.  This one is a dwarf variety only reaching three to four feet high and wide ... perfect for small gardens or residential plantings anywhere.  Takes full to part sun, hardy to -35F.

You'll have to wait until next year, however, for the real winner among these new plants ... a weigela that can be used as a groundcover ... and it is ever a beautiful plant!  It's a sport of Weigela florida 'Tango,' but it only gets 12 to 18 inches high.  This new Weigela 'My Monet' would be fabulous at the front of a border, as an edger, or in containers.   Green leaves edged in white, tons of pink flowers, and hardy to -30F.

For more info, see the Proven Winners website.

 (click on images for larger view)

Photos: Proven Winners

Nix on Cypress

You may have noticed that The Waterkeeper Alliance  is running a big ad campaign against the use of cypress mulch.  Cypress cutting is apparently contributing to the loss of wetlands in Louisiana and causing serious environmental problems.

Here's what they have to say:

"Say NO to Cypress Mulch
The cutting of cypress forests for garden mulch is destroying vital wetlands that stabilize Louisiana's  coast against hurricanes and provide vital migratory bird habitat.  We believe that gardeners must know the truth about cypress mulch, and will stop using cypress mulch when presented with the facts:

 Cypress mulch is not as effective as other mulches. Only the ‘heartwood’ from mature cypress trees is rot and termite resistant. The young trees now being cut to feed the growing cypress mulch industry do not have these qualities. A University of Florida study confirmed that cypress mulch isn't any better for your garden than pine bark harvested from commercial plantations, not critical coastal wetlands.

Much of Louisiana's cypress mulch comes from illegal logging.
Louisiana Regulators turn a blind eye towards these activities, allowing loggers to continue destroying these forests without penalty. Yet 70-80% of the cypress wetland forests of Louisiana will never regnerate if cut, even if they are artificially replanted. 

The cypress mulch industry destroys wetlands that protect coastal LousianaAt a time when the nation must invest billions to restore Louisiana's wetlands for hurricane protection, cypress forests are being ground into mulch.  Cypress wetlands prevent flooding by absorbing excess water like a sponge, controlling flood height and speed.  These wetlands save lives and prevent the destruction of coastal cities."

I try to use leaf mulch whenever possible, but there's plenty of other material on the market aside from cypress. Take heed and let's all lend a hand to the restoration of those vital wetlands.

 

Tiny Garden Tricks

Small spaces are the bane of many a gardener, but not to worry.  Now, just in time for spring planting, along comes Small Space Gardening by Melinda Myers (Cool Springs Press) with tips galore on design, plant selection, color, garden accessories, hardscape, and much more. Myers suggests using cool colors (blue, green, violet), fewer planters and artwork, and repeating patterns inside the house and out to make the small garden or balcony appear bigger than it really is.  "I know the challenge of packing lots of plants and enjoyment into a small space," says Myers.  She adds that limited space makes people more discerning gardeners and brings out their creativity.  I couldn't agree more, and this book will help anyone who's looking for imaginative ways to use that tiny space.  Myers is a horticultural instructor at Milwaukee Area Technical College and host of "Great Lakes Gardener," a public TV program in the Midwest. She also writes for the Milwaukee Journal and Birds and Blooms magazine.

(click on image to purchase)

Be A Star

Have a gardening problem?  Get it fixed by Paul James, host of HGTV's Gardening by the Yard.  The show is looking for energetic, fun, ARTICULATE, young (whatever that age range encompasses) homeowners who have an interesting garden dilemma. If they like the idea, they'll send Paul out to your home to help you fix it.  This is not a gardening "makeover" show -- rather, they want specific problems that Paul can solve.  E-mail [email protected] with a description of your problem and contact information.  Digital photos are required for consideration.  Or send DVD or VHS tapes to: Lauren Steele, Screaming Flea Productions, 5950 6th Ave S., Suite 109, Seattle, WA 98108.  Good luck.

Virginia Garden Week

They call it "America's Largest Open House," and one thing for sure is that you'll see some very fine homes and gardens.  At this time of year, not all of the gardens are at their peak, but you'll get the drift -- and you'll see lots and lots of boxwood in Virginia.  Now in its 73rd year, Historic Garden Week starts on Saturday, April 22, in Alexandria, Charlottesville, and several other areas around the state. Private homes in Alexandria include a home with a three-story Greek Revival front portico built in 1854; a brick townhouse featuring Federal and Georgian styles; a carriage house built in 1801 with a delightful garden (right) featuring columnar hornbeams, roses, clematis, a swimming pool, and more; and a 1753 riverfront home, once the grandest mansion in the city. Info at Ramsay House, 221 King St. (703) 838-4200.

Homes & gardens elsewhere include a Georgian-style house named for a park in Dublin, Ireland (Phoenix Park) with mature trees & shrubs, lush garden borders and perennial beds edged in cobblestone; Brinnington Farm, a historic property once owned by the family of statesman Patrick Henry; and the garden at Matfield, with brickwork and terraces, many spring blooming bulbs, and radiating garden beds. Two hundred fifty-plus homes and gardens are on view around the state.

For complete info, (804) 644-7776 or www.vagardenweek.org

(photos: left: VA Gdn Week/Richard Cheek; right: Hunting Creek Garden Club, Alexandria)

 

British Extravaganza

Join Landscape Architect & Professor Robert McDuffie for this 12-day trip to the UK to see every single garden you've ever wanted to see, plus one of the great flower shows in the world.  July 5-17.  You'll see castles (Hever, Leeds, Powis, Conwy); Vita Sackville West's masterpiece at Sissinghurst.  You'll visit the grounds at Blenheim Palace near Oxford see one of Capability Brown's magnificent  "natural" landscapes.  The Hampton Court Flower Show is believed by many to be much better than Chelsea.  What else?  Kew Gardens, Hidcote, Gertrude Jekyll's Hestercombe, Bodnant Garden in Wales, and much, much more.  A real bargain at $3750 each, including airfare, lodging, tour guides, entrance fees, all breakfasts (and those British ones are killers that will last all day) and several dinners.  Sign Up!