GardenDesignOnline

Gardening in Style

If you're like me, you're out in the garden in your oldest clothes, jeans and a sweatshirt, or shorts, a tee and a baseball hat.  But that's not for everybody.  So Kara Buttimer came up with some pretty stylish togs for the gardening set when she started her new business, Angela's Garden.  The hat pictured above comes with matching lanolin-infused lambskin gloves; a cotton canvas apron with big pockets for seed packets, garden tools, etc; and a multi-purpose tote bag with seven outside pockets and elastic cords to hold tools in place, three large inside pockets, and even two bottle holders.  Everything's machine washable, too.  Aside from the blue swirl pattern pictured here, there's a pink floral collection, a black and white toile collection, and separate gloves, aprons, and hats in different colors and styles. All of the cotton canvas items are SPF-37, so you can work outside in the sun with a little less worry.

If you have daughters, nieces, or grand-daughters, how could you resist the bumblebee collection, above right?  It also comes in blue "crazy circles" and pink floral.

You can find these items at many local garden centers; at Amazon.com: the Pink Stripe Gardening Hat, and apron; the children's collection at: the online Discovery Channel Store, melange4women.com and soon at the online store of the New York Botanical Garden.  An added plus is that Kara donates a portion of all profits to Save the Children.

And all of you guy gardeners out there -- your wife or girlfriend might really like something like this.

(click on images for larger view)

Mag Roundup May 07

Horticulture May 07
I have to admit -- the one thing I really hate about Horticulture's current format is the regional editions.  I get the Mid-Atlantic edition -- but I also garden in Massachusetts.  And I'm interested in gardening in other parts of the country.  So I really resent the fact that I can no longer read about plants and goings-on in other parts of the country.  After all, we all take vacations and might like to know the latest about gardens and gardeners in other locations.
And -- the Osmocote insert that was glued into the article on wood ferns ripped out part of the page when I tried to remove it so I could read the story! But:

• Read about Rocky Hills, a 13-acre classic "spring" garden in Westchester County, NY that is soon going public.  Open to visitors this year on May 6th and 26th as part of the Garden Conservancy's Open Days program.
• All you need to know about wood ferns by C. Colston Burrell
• Amy Goldman's traditional herb garden - the photos tell you how to do it.

Garden Design May 07

• Read how one designer created a back yard with everything -- pool, dining area, separate seating areas and plantings -- in almost no room at all.
• Plan a visit to Yew Dell Gardens near Lexington, KY,  private home & commercial nursery of renowed plantsman Theodore Klein. Now open to the public, the garden is still undergoing restoration, but well worth a visit.
• Take a look at all the contemporary and sustainable furniture that's now available for your mod outdoor space.

Fine Gardening May-June 07

Readers who are into plants may want to know about:

• Plants to brighten damp shade
• Top 10 bearded irises (but they last such a short time!)
• Pruning hydrangeas
• Winning container designs (Some great combos, but wow, is this ever subjective!)

ASLA Design Winners 2007

Spare, Simple, Hi Tech, Trendy.

Landscape architects are getting hip and going very modern, and you need look no further than the winners of this year's design awards from the American Society of Landscape Architects. Think polished steel and glass, clean lines and simple structures, a limited variety of plants.  And then take a look at this year's awards.

General Design Award of Excellence: M. Victor and Frances Leventritt Garden, Arnold Arboretum.

The staid old Arnold Arboretum now has taken a very contemporary turn: a brand-new parterre that's a showplace for plants yet links the arboretum's twin needs to provide access for the public and carry on research at the same time. Landscape architects Reed Hilderbrand of Watertown, MA, designed a series of terraces cascading down a hillside that are used to display changing collections of shrubs and vines.  The terraces are linked by ramps and steps, and there's also space for a classroom pavilion and for sizeable gatherings.  The jury cited the project for its top award because "It's exquisite, contemporary yet traditional, and unique in how it's presented.  It looks very sustainable and appears low maintenance."  It's quite unlike anything else you've ever seen at the Arnold.

(photo: Alan Ward courtesy ASLA)

Happenings May 2007

May 3-5 Herb Society of America Annual Meeting, Scottscale, AZ
Lectures, Garden Tours & More 440-256-0514
May 5-6 Mary Lou Heard Garden Tour, LA & Orange Counties, CA
10AM-5PM Self guided tour of 47 gardens. 714-904-0303
May 5-6 Garden Conservancy Tours, CA, NY, TX, CT, NJ, OR
CA: Berkeley; NY: Suffolk, Westchester, Dutchess Counties; TX: El Paso; CT: Middlebury; NJ: Bergen County; OR: Multnomah, Washington Counties
May 6 Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour, CA
10AM-5PM Self-guided tour, 60 gardens in Alameda & Contra Costa Counties 510-236-9558
May 9 "Botanic Gardens at the Crossroads," Seattle, WA
6:45 PM, Center for Urban Horticulture, Lecture by Scott Medbury, President & CEO of Brooklyn Botanic Garden, sponsor: Northwest Horticultural Society 206-780-8172
May 12-14 Garden Tour, Atlanta, GA
10AM-5PM, "Gardens for Connoisseurs" (11 Gardens)
Atlanta Botanical Garden (404) 876-5859May 12-Oct 31 Treehouse Show, Akron, OH
Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens, 11 treehouses 330-836-5533
May 12-13 Garden Conservancy Tours, CA, CT, NY
CA: Los Angeles, Placer, Nevada, Sonoma Counties; CT: Middlebury; NY: Cold Spring

This LA garden blends with the architecture of the house, modeled on the work of early CA architect Irving Gill, who believed that nature should be seen from all windows in the house.  The front garden includes a water feature much like a stream; the back features unusual plants and heirloom roses, a swimming pool and an outdoor kitchen.

May 17 - 78th AnnualGarden Tour, Boston, MA
9AM-5PM, 12 Hidden Gardens of Beacon Hill, 617-227-4392, Beacon Hill Garden Club
May 18 "The Art of Livable Landscapes," Natick, MA
9AM-4:30 PM Symposium kicking off the 75th Anniversary of Garden in the Woods featuring author Rick Darke, Landscape Architect & artist W. Gary Smith, New England Wildflower Society Executive Director Gwen Stauffer
May 18-20 Garden Tour, Mobile, AL
Tour of six private gardens, sponsor: Mobile Botanical Gardens 251-342-0555
May 18-20 Garden Conservancy Tours, CA, NY, PA, VA, WA, TN, MA, NJ
CA: Santa Clara County; NY: Tompkins, Suffolk, Westchester Counties; PA: Bucks County; VA: Albemarle County; WA: King County; TN: Knoxville; MA: Berkshire County; NJ: Essex, Union Counties
May 19-20 Celebrating Wildflowers Festival, Denver, CO
Denver Botanic Gardens (720) 865-3562
May 22-26 Chelsea Flower Show, London, UK
May 24-28 Cleveland Botanical Garden Flower Show, Cleveland, OH
"Rhythm & Hues" (216) 721-1600
May 26-27 Garden Conservancy Tours, NY (Westchester County)
May 26-October 8  "Public Gardens Across America," Washington DC
Exhibit showcasing 12 US Public Gardens, US Botanic Garden

LOOKAHEAD:
June 7-9, 17th Annual Native Plants Conference, Milllersville, PA
June 22-24 Newport Flower Show, Newport, RI

Tommy Church Tour

Design Techniques from a Master

Breaking the rules sometimes frees the spirit and unleashes a kind of genius.  Thomas D. Church (1902-1978) was one of the first 20th century landscape architects to break the rules of traditional design and lead the profession in a radical new direction. He abandoned strict formal geometry and introduced concepts like piano curves and zig-zags to make his gardens more livable.  As Church himself put it, "A garden should have no beginning and no end, and should be pleasing when seen from any angle, not only from the house."

Church was based in California and designed thousands of residential gardens  and also did the Master Plans for UC-Berkeley, UC-Santa Cruz and Harvey Mudd College in Claremont.

Now, there's a chance to see some of his surviving works in a 7-day tour in the San Francisco area, June 9-June 15.  Led by landscape architect Richard McPherson, Jeff Sainsbury Tours Ltd is actually offering an entire course in Church's design philosophy.  Each garden visit will include an analysis of the design, information hand-outs, and an examination of form, scale, plant material, and the "flow" between garden "rooms" in Church's gardens.

Included in the tour is the well-known Donnell Garden, also called El Novillero, plus many others featured in Church's classic book on modern California gardens, Gardens are for People.

To reserve a space on the tour, contact [email protected] or log on to the website, www.jeffsainsburytours.com.

If you can't manage the trip, you can still get a copy of Gardens Are For People, Third edition.  It's one of the most useful books in my large collection, and I never tire of reading it again and again.

(photo: Richard McPherson courtesy Jeff Sainsbury Tours Ltd)

Cemetery Rose Garden

Saving Roses

If you like roses and you live in California or nearby, plan a trip on April 21st to Sacramento.  The city's Historic Rose Garden, located in the Old City Cemetery, which was founded in 1850, is open for its annual tours, sale and fundraiser. 

This garden is the story of dedicated rosarians coming together to save and preserve historic roses that could be lost forever without their efforts. The rose garden was established in 1999 by rosarian and botanist Fred Boutin, and Jean Travis, a member of the Heritage Roses Group. Cuttings were collected from sites all over California and the garden now contains more than 400 historic roses.  Many of these roses came into California from overseas on ships, or were carried across the country in wagon trains by early pioneers.  According to the rose garden, the California climate was particularly suited for china and tea roses that could survive without much water in the summer or special care during the winter season. This collection, therefore, contains many roses that would not survive in other parts of the United States.

The Open Garden Event includes tours at 10:15AM, 11:45AM, and 1:15PM. Rose-related items will be on sale, as well as rose plants propagated from those in the garden.  Proceeds from a raffle at 2:30 PM will be donated to the rose garden.

The garden and cemetery are open 365 days a year, but this is the one day annually devoted to the historic roses.

Garden Antique Shows

Botanic gardens in Chicago and New York are hosting two of the best and biggest garden antiques shows, beginning this week at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Chicago's 8th annual Antiques & Garden Fair features over 100 exhibitors from all parts of the US and several from England. A preview evening to benefit the garden will be held April 19th, when you can buy in advance of the formal show opening on April 20th.  It runs through April 22nd. Vendors are selling almost everything in the way of garden ornament, from urns and vases to birdbaths, fountains, benches and arbors. Moreover, each vendor is creating a room or garden that demonstrates how to use the items that are up for sale.  Prepare for a crowd: last year's show drew over 10 thousand visitors.

The New York Botanical Garden's 15th Annual Antique Garden Furniture Show and Sale runs from April 27th through April 29th, with a benefit preview party and collectors' plant sale on  April 26th. The garden bills this show as the country's original antiques garden show, with very high quality antiques (meaning: expensive!). Debra Queen, an expert in gnomes and miniature items from South Dartmouth, MA, returns to this year's show, as do  Anne and Garrett Row of The Sugarplum in Wilmot NH, featuring a menagerie of garden animals from France And England.  Barbara Israel's booth recreates an antique shop in France, and she's offering, among other things, a large circular French gothic revival mirror, a rare Val D'Osne garden seat, and a marble statue of a musician by L. Madrassi of Paris.  Even if you can't afford anything, it's worth a trip for inspiration alone.  And if you're really into the subject, make sure to find a copy of Israel's book, Antique Garden Ornament (Harry N. Abrams, 1999).

(image: NY Botanical Garden - Barbara Israel & Ben Nelson booths, 2004)

Ash Trees - Promising Research

More than 20 million native ash trees have been killed in the past several years by the emerald ash borer -- a very destructive beetle that entered the country from Asia some time in the 1990's via wooden packing crates.   Ash tree populations have been severely hit in Michigan, Ontario, Ohio and Indiana -- and the pest was recently found near the Chicago area as well.

Now, scientists from the USDA's Agricultural Research Service believe that a soil-borne fungus, already used in the arsenal against other pests, may be of use against the ash borer.  Preliminary tests have shown that the fungus, Beauveria bassiana, is effective against the beetle. 

Larger tests are now ongoing at a commercial tree nursery near Jackson, Michigan. Scientists say if the study is successful, it may be possible to spray the fungus on ash trees in the spring to prevent the pest from mating.

USDA researchers have also been working to identify parasitic wasps that may be natural enemies of the borers -- attacking the beetle's larvae and eggs.

(image: USDA Plants Database,  D.E. Herman, "N. Dakota Tree Handbook")

Just in Time for Spring

Everything You Never Learned About Planting Design

I wish this had been my textbook back in the days when I studied planting design.  Much of what I've learned about designing beds and borders has been on my own -- by reading books, touring gardens, and by trial and error. Although planting rules are meant to be broken, landscape architect Scott Scarfone sets out the guidelines and principles that will allow anyone to create a living work of art with plants. His new book, Professional Planting Design: An Architectural and Horticultural Approach for Creating Mixed Bed Plantings ( John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2007) is sure to become a classic for landscape designers and architects, and for avid amateur gardeners as well.

As James van Sweden puts it in the introduction, "After reading this book, you will be able to experiment with nature, and use its myriad of facets to make your own original statement.  You will be ready to take risks and design exciting and original gardens."

Aside from the standard principles of form, scale, balance, rhythm, and the like, Scarfone tackles the intricacies of planting design that make the real difference in a standout landscape:  leaf shape; bark and twig characteristics; flowers and seed heads; fruits and berries.  He then tells you how to put them all together for maximum impact.

There's an entire section on calculating bed depth and establishing the bed line, and another on how to successfully develop design themes.

Scarfone has developed time and color grids to help designers plan a garden with four-season interest. He explains how to highlight a plant's best features and how to dramatically feature a single plant.

The book is filled with scores of illustrations and drawings, and beautiful photographs that put his theories to the test.  And and believe me, you'll note the brilliance of every combination you see.

I just wish I'd had this book back in the days when I was studying landscape design:  it would have saved me days of anxiety over my horticultural choices and vastly improved my beginning designs.

(click on image to purchase book)

Jackson & Perkins Sold to New Owners

Harry and David Holdings, Inc., has announced the sale of its Jackson & Perkins rose business, which it has owned for the past 41 years.  Jackson & Perkins, founded in 1872, is the largest marketer of premium rose plants in the United States, with sales of $74 million over the past 12 months.  The company grows about six million rose plants every year.

Harry and David CEO Bill Williams told the Medford, OR Mail Tribune that although there's been an emotional attachment to Jackson & Perkins, the company can now focus on its main business of gifts & food.  Harry & David has had several owners since the 1980's, and is now owned by Wasserstein & Co, LP.

The company will be sold to a Florida investment group led by Donald and Glenda Hachenberger, who own a technology company, Southern Sun, in Hodges, SC, which licenses technology, materials and equipment for plant propagation.  The Hachenbergers also have a partial stake in the Park Seed Company.  The sale includes Jackson & Perkins' brand, it's catalog, direct marketing and wholesale business, e-commerce website, rose inventory and patents.  A private investment company is buying Jackson & Perkins' 3200 acres of land, buildings, and equipment in Wasco, CA. 

The deal is expected to close by June 30th. Chas Fox, president of Southern Sun, and who will also be the new president of Jackson & Perkins, told the newspaper that the purchase was an "ideal opportunity" for his company because Jackson & Perkins is the most  recognizable brand in the horticulture industry.

(image: Midas Touch Rose, Jackson & Perkins)