GardenDesignOnline

Japanese Gardens Tour - LA

Sunday Sept 30  10AM-4PM
The LA Conservancy is sponsoring a tour of some rare Japanese gardens on Sunday -- "LA: 100 Years of Japanese-Style Garden Making."  The tour includes the recently-restored Storrier-Stearns garden in Pasadena, a Japanese-style estate  designed in the 1930's by Kinzuchi Fujii. Also: The James Irvine Japanese Garden in Little Tokyo designed by Takeo Uesugi; residential gardens of Norton Avenue in Leimert Park; the Roosevelt High School garden in Boyle Heights, first built in the 30's by the school's Japanese Club and now re-built. And, bonsai demonstrations at San Gabriel Nursery & Florist.

In the Magazines Sept - Oct

I'll be darned if I can figure out when these magazines publish & get the magazines to the newsstands.  I just received my DECEMBER Fine Gardening!  So,  news of them will be published erratically, according to their erratic schedule. 

Fine Gardening - Sept -October

• A Connecticut "Moon Garden" -- more than just whites.
• Container plantings for fall
• The Sage Family
• A discussion with California landscape architect Bernard Trainor about his design philosophy.

 

The American Gardener Sept - Oct

• How to espalier almost anything: yews, flowering quince, cotoneaster, japanese maples & more -- by Lee Reich
• A profile of the Coastal Maine Botanical Garden, including its kousa dogwood collection.
• Woodland saxifrages -- how many of these are growing in your garden?
• Colchicums for fall

Horticulture Oct-Nov

• You've got to agree with Dan Hinkley that Ilex verticillata is a particularly fine American native: depending on where you live, it's known as Christmas berry, winterberry, or Michigan holly.
• In New York city, an indoor apartment jungle.
• Profile of Galen Gates - director of plant collections at the Chicago Botanic Garden.
• The brightly painted garden

House and Garden Oct

• Shofuso -- the 17th-century style Japanese house set in an Asian-style garden in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park -- definitely worth a trip.
• A preview of HG's Design Happening, Oct 15-21 in NYC: Tour the Gardens of Remembrance with HG garden ed Charlotte Frieze; custom tours of Harlem's Mount Morris Park district, Richmond Hill's Victorian homes & gardens, the Chinese Scholar's Garden at the Staten Island Botanical Garden. And more.

Happenings October 2007

Oct 3 Symmetrical Analogy in the Gardens of Versailles, Washington DC
5:30 PM, Dumbarton Oaks, Lecture by  author & Art History Professor Thomas Hedin of the Univ of Minnesota
Oct 4-5 The Amazing World of Plants, Crestwood, KY
AHS Symposium. Garden tours, lectures by author Graham Rice, Roy Klehm & others. (800) 777-7931.
Oct 5-9 ASLA Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA.
American Society of Landscape Architects, "Designing with Nature: The Art of Balance." (202) 898-2444
Oct 7 Leaving the Shadows Swarthmore, PA
2PM, Scott Arboretum, Lecture by Plantsman Dan Hinkley (Lang Performing Arts Center Cinema) (610) 328-8025
Oct 12-13 Herb Day, Washington DC
Two days of herb-y events at the US Botanic Garden ((202) 225-8333
Oct 14 Garden Tours, Tarrant County, TX
Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours 
Oct 15, Highgrove: The Garden, Bronx, NY
6:30PM, NY Botanical Garden, Lecture by David Howard, Head Gardener to Prince Charles at his Highgrove estate in Gloucester, England. (718) 817-8747
Oct 18 Smaller Garden, Big Ideas Wheaton, MD
Day-long symposium, Brookside Gardens, sponsored by Horticulture Magazine
Designers & authors Gordon Hayward, Rosemary Alexander, Luci Hardiman & more
Repeats:
Oct 20, Raleigh NC JC Raulston Arboretum
Oct 21, Akron, OH, STan Hywet Hall & Gardens
Oct 19, Fragrance: History, Mystery & Design, Wellesley, MA
8:30AM-3:30PM, Symposium, MA Horticultural Society. Author & herb expert Edwin Morris  on  The Story of Perfume; Dr. Art Tucker on Aromatherapy; US Botanic GArden Director Holly Shimizu on horticultural aspects of fragrance. (617) 933-4983
Oct 19 Perennial Plant Conference, Swarthmore, PA
8AM-4:15PM, Scott Arboretum, Lang Performing Arts Center. Day-long conference featuring author Ken Druse, landscape designer Edwina von Gal, Cultivating Life host Sean Conway and others. (610) 388-1000 x 507
Oct 19-21 Home & Garden Show, West Palm Beach, FL
South Florida Fairgrounds
Oct 19-21 Charleston Garden Festival, Charleston, SC
3rd Annual Fall Festival (843) 723-9293
Oct 20 Master Plan for the Home Garden, Boylston, MA
10AM-noon, Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Lecture by Dennis Collins, hort director of Mt. Auburn Cemetery (508) 869-0314
Oct 20-Nov 18 The Art of the Japanese Chrysanthemum, Bronx, NY
Month-long exhibition & events at the NY Botanical Garden (718) 817-8700
Oct 20 5th Annual Fall Gardening Seminar, Huntington Beach, CA
8AM-3PM, Huntington Beach Central Library
Oct 20 Garden Tours, Dallas County, TX
Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours
Oct 22 Shaping Landscapes , Bronx, NY
6:30PM, Lecture, NY Botanical Garden, architect Brigitte Shim speaks on integrating architecture and landscape. (718) 817-8700
Oct 28-31 Ecological Landscaping, Cleveland, OH
Distinguished speakers --ecologists, landscape architects, biologists  -- on increasing the ecological, social and economic sustainability of urban environments. (Info: Loren Byrne, Ph.D, 330-263-3723)
Oct 30 Landscape in the Japanese Tradition, Bronx, NY
6:30PM, Lecture, NY Botanical Garden, Shinichiro Abe of Zen Associates speaks on design of contemporary and traditional Japanese landscapes. (718) 817-8700

LOOKAHEAD:
Nov 9 Turning a New Leaf Conference, Annandale, VA
8AM-6PM, Northern Virgina Community College 2nd Annual Conference of the Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council on green development, shoreline management, designing native landscapes. (410) 634-2847
Nov 12-16 Aqua Show, Las Vegas, NV
The annual pool & spa show, Mandalay Bay Convention Center
Nov 29-30 Great Southern Tree Conference, Gainesville, FL
Annual conference (800) 375-3642 or (407) 295-7994
Dec 1 Bio-Control in the Garden, Boston, MA
9AM-noon Arnold Arboretum, Techniques for Controlling Invasives (617) 524-1718

PHS 08 Gold Medal Awards

Pennsylvania Horticultural Society 08 Gold Medal Award
The 2008 PHS plant awards are out -- and one of my new favorites is a winner this year.

I so fell in love with Dee Runk Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens 'Dee Runk') when I first saw it full size a few years ago that I almost immediately planted four of them (at the corners of my herb garden) -- and I have not been disappointed.  As advertised, it's tolerant of drought, urban conditions, variable light, and any kind of soil. It's evergreen, deer resistant, small enough for city places, and it has a most wonderful shape. Zones 5-8 height 4-10'  A true winner, this one.

 

'Duke Gardens' Japanese Plum Yew (Cephalotaxus harringtonii 'Duke Gardens') You have to be a garden director, I guess, to get dibs on great plants when they're in development or first out.  I saw Duke Gardens-- the low spreading plant in the foreground --  probably 8-10 years ago at Green Springs Garden Park in Alexandria, VA -- and I couldn't find it anywhere in the trade.  You now should be able to find it most anywhere. This very deer-resistant needled evergreen is the best substitute there is for yew -- and despite the image here, it has a definite upright habit, and will reach about 4' high.  Great anywhere you'd use a small yew.  Zones 6-8, sun or shade, any soil.

(images: PHS -- click for larger view)

 

Tuscan Garden Series

Anyone who knows anything about landscape design has a good foundation in Italian Garden Design.  This series would be fabulous for anyone who wants to learn more about the subject or review what you already know (and maybe forgot).

Italian Gardens - Lecture Series Sept 26- Oct 27
The Cleveland Botanical Garden is hosting a month-long series this fall on Gardens of Tuscany that features some wonderful lectures on gardens and other events.  Register online at www.cbgarden.org or (216) 721-1600 ext. 143

Sept 26 - 6:30-8:30PM Series kick-off Lecture:
The Influence of the Italian Garden on Garden Design and Landscape Preservation in America -- featuring Charles Birnbaum, president of the Cultural Landscape Foundation Birnbaum will explore the period from the 1890's to the 1930s, when Italian Villa landscapes were very popular in America. Book signing following the lecture.

Oct 6 - 2-3:30PM Italian Renaissance Villas and Gardens
Join Charles Burroughs, Ph.D., Chair of the Dept of Art History at Case Western Reserve University for a talk on the 15th and 16th century Italian Renaissance villas and gardens of the Medici family.

Oct 17 - 7-8PM Italian Gardens in the United States
Presentation by Angelo Petitti of Petitti Garden Centers on the influence of Italian gardens in the U.S. Angelo is host of the weekly radio show "Gardening with Angelo."

AND:

Sept 29 - Italian Pasta Workshop
Oct 6, 13, 20 - Learning Italian in the Garden
Oct 27, 2-4 PM. Author Dario Castagno on traveling in Tuscany.

Probably worth a trip to Cleveland for some of these events -- not something you'll often find on the lecture circuit.

 

New 08 Plants (I)

Ever Red Sunset™ Fringe Flower
(Loropetalum chinense 'Chang Nian Hong) I've never grown a loropetalum, one reason being I never really liked the size and the often rangy habit.  However, here's a new one from Monrovia that I would definitely consider. Deep, true red flowers that are said to bloom profusely late winter to early spring, with occasional re-blooms throughout the year.  The chocolate foliage is a wonderful contrast, and bests of all, it only gets six feet tall and wide. Zone 7-9, evergreen, moderate growth rate.  And hey, if Dr. Michael Dirr likes it, shouldn't we all?

Lavender Twist™ Redbud
(Cercis canadensis 'Covey')
There's always room for another redbud, and this one is unique because of its slightly twisted weeping branches.  Rosy pink flowers, slow growing, and perfect for small gardens and probably containers, too.  This redbud is a small one, 5 to 6 feet tall, 6 to 8 feet wide. Full sun, zones 5-9. This tree was discovered by nurseryman Tim Brotzman, who noticed it in a friend's garden in northern Ohio. (And don't we all wish we'd have the same luck?)

Magical® Green Fountain Smoke Bush
(Cotinus coggygria 'Kolcot')
This is another small garden candidate ... a compact smokebush from the Netherlands just 4-6 feet tall and 6-8 feet wide.  Flowers are dramatic, extra long blooming brownish-pink,and the green foliage has a slightly purple tinge. Leaves are golden yellow in fall.  Touted as a great accent plant or specimen, great for patio containers, too. Zone 4-8, full sun.

And last but not least, the two brilliant red crape myrtles you read about here (Pushing the Crape Myrtle Envelope) back in 2005 are now in production and will be available this coming spring in a nursery near you.

More on other new Monrovia plants soon. And check their website for nurseries that carry these plants.

(images: Monrovia)

New Groundcover Book

One thing I really like about this new book on ground covers is the way it's organized. In Covering Ground (Storey Publishing, 2007) author Barbara Ellis first tells you how to make the most of ground cover plants: where and how to use them; selecting them for height, foliage, and speed of spread;  how to integrate them with hardscape.   I particularly liked the section on invasive plants and Ellis's list of the "Dirty Dozen," -- 12 plants you should use reluctantly, if at all.

Second, Ellis covers the site requirements: sun lovers, small-scale spreaders, shrubby ground covers for sun & shade, native ground covers, conifers for covering, plants for paving, vines for covering ground -- and so on.  And there's a third section on installing, propagating, and caring for the plants.

And if you think you know all there is to know about ground covers, think again.  Just when I'm certain I've heard of almost everything on the market, someone like Ellis pops up with 10 or more plants that are totally new to me. My only wish for this book (and most others like it) is for a photo to go with every plant description -- and that's a message for the publishers.  A very useful book for homeowners and designers alike.

(click on image to purchase book)

Honeybee Update

A team of scientists working to solve the mysterious disappearance of American honeybees has found a strong correlation between the so-called "colony collapse disorder" and a pathogen called Israeli acute paralysis virus, or IAPV.

A paper on the finding was published last week in the journal Science. The team screened honeybees collected from colonies infected with the collapse disorder, or CCD, and compared them with honeybees from healthy hives.  They found the IAPV virus, which can be transmitted by the varroa mite, in all the samples from the CCD colonies.  It was the first time the virus has been identified in the United States.

Entomologist Jeffrey Pettis of the USDA's Agricultural Research Service said the research has not proved that IAPV is a cause of colony collapse disorder. "What we have found is strictly a strong correlation of the appearance of IAPV and CCD together," he said. "We have not proven a cause-and-effect connection."

Next, the scientists plan to expose healthy beehives to IAPV and find out if the collapse disorder develops. Even if it does, they believe there may be other factors that contribute to the spread of the virus.

Billions of honeybees have perished in the United States since CCD first became apparent in the winter of 2006-2007, and some beekeepers have reported losses ranging from 30 to 90 percent of their hives. Honeybees are used to pollinate more than 130 crops in the United States worth some $15 billion.  The ARS says beekeepers could face a serious problem next year in finding enough bees to pollinate their crops if no treatment can be found for CCD.

(image: ARS-USDA)

Made in USA Garden Items

You may have noticed last week's article in the Style Section of the New York Times about the latest new trend among consumers.  Fed up with "Made in China," more consumers are looking for the "Made in the USA" label. According to the Times, "Made in America" is quickly becoming a status symbol, especially among those who care about the environment, consumer safety and premium-quality goods.

And so where do things stand in the garden world?
Well, for one, there's Arthur Lauer  -- the new identity of the old Wood Classics -- manufacturing high-quality teak furniture in New York's Hudson Valley. Lauer doesn't make a big deal of manufacturing in the USA, but there is a small notice at the bottom of the web site that the furniture is American-made and that the company is employee-owned.

I'm also familiar with McKinnon & Harris of Richmond, VA, maker of very expensive garden furniture -- and with Tidewater Workshop in New Jersey, which manufactures outdoor cedar benches, tables, and more at very reasonable prices.  No doubt there are many more companies who manufacturer furniture here in the US, but a lot of them don't advertise that fact, and perhaps they should.

Garden Tools:  Hearthoe 

Garden Containers: Planter Designs, Pennoyer Newman

And if you want to check out other made in the USA items, these websites have lists of many products:  Still Made in USA, Made in USA

(image: Arthur Lauer)

South Africa Trip

Dec 30-Jan 11 South Africa Garden Tour
Join Virginia Tech Landscape Architecture Professor Robert McDuffie on another one of his grand tours, this time nearly two weeks in South Africa, with visits to stunning landscapes, magnificent wildlife, and, -- need I even mention it -- some of the most incredible gardens in the world.  Just a few of the highlights: the Featherbed Nature Reserve; Karoo National Gardens, with the largest collection of indigenous succulents in the country; Stellenbosch University Botanical Gardens, with exotic trees, tropicals, ferns, and much more; and Cape Town's Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and the Good Hope Nature Reserve. And as always, a real bargain, with the added benefit of an expert's eye all along the way.