GardenDesignOnline

Happenings June 2011

Selected Events Around the Country:

Thru August 21, Gardens of the Alhambra, Bronx, NY
Exhibition, NY Botanical Garden: Conservatory show, artworks, public programs 718-817-8700
Thru Oct 10, Green Genes: Mapping the Plant World, Washington DC
Exhibit & Special Lectures, US Botanic Garden, 202-225-8333

June 1, A Life's Work, Half a Century in the Garden, NY, NY
6PM, Panel, Henriette Granville Suhr & Marco Polo Stufano, NY School of Interior Design, 845-265-2000
June 1-4 Millersville Native Plant Conference, Millersville, PA
21st Annual Conference, 717-871-2189
June 4, Rhododendron Festival, Sandwich, MA
10AM-4PM, Exhibits, demos, garden tours, more. Heritage Museum & Gardens, 508-888-3300
June 4, Bridging the Nature Culture Divide, Rye, NY
8AM-5PM, Symposium, The Cultural Landscape Foundation, 202-483-0553
June 4, Water-Wise Garden Tour, Dallas, TX
9AM-3PM, Various Dallas Locations: Tours, Lectures, Demos
June 4-5 Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours, CA, CT, NJ, NY, PA
CA: Mill Valley, Ross, San Anselmo, Tiburon; CT: Burlington, Plantsville, Washington, Bethel, New Canaan, Redding, Ridgefield; NJ: Califon, Short Hills; NY: New Paltz, Saugerties, Ulster Park, Cortlandt Manor, North Salem; PA: Erie, Fairview, North East, Wattsburg
June 4, San Clemente Garden Tour, San Clemente, CA
10AM-4PM, 949-498-2818

June 5, Gardens of the Hudson Valley, Hyde Park, NY
2PM, FDR Historic Site, 6th Bellefield Design Lecture, Featrix Farrand Garden Assn, 845-229-9115
June 7, Piet Oudolf's "Landscapes in Landscapes" Glencoe, IL
1PM-2:30PM, Lecture, by Dutch designer Piet Oudolf, Chicago Botanic Garden, 847-835-5440
June 8, Insights into Evolving Designs, Seattle, WA
6:45 PM, Lecture, British Designer Sarah Price, NW Horticultural Society, 206-780-8172
June 11-12, What's Out There Weekend, Chicago, IL
Landscape Architecture Tours sponsored by The Cultural Landscape Foundation, 202-483-0553
June 11-12,  Landscape Pleasures, Southampton, NY
28th annual Symposium & Garden Tour, Parrish Art Museum, 631-283-2118

June 11, Putnam County Secret Garden Tour, Putnam County, NY
10AM-4PM, includes Frank Lloyd Wright House, 845-278-PARC
June 11-12, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours, CT, NJ, NY
CT: Collinsville, Bethlehem, Kent, Washington, Greenwich, Westport, West Simsbury, Stonington, Barkhamsted; NJ: Chester, New Vernon; NY: Claverack, Craryville, Greenport, Hudson, Livingston, Amenia, Flanders, Remsenburg, Cold Spring, Brooktondale, Newfield

June  13-17 APLD Annual Conference, Cleveland, OH
June 18, South End Garden Tour, Boston, MA
10AM-4PM, Self-Guided tour, 617-334-5598
June 18, Going Green with Roses, Bronx, NY
1PM-5PM, Workshop, NY Botanical Garden, 718-817-8700
June 18-19 Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours,  CT, MA, NJ, NY, RI
CT: Sandy Hook, Bridgewater; MA: Seekonk; NJ: River Edge, River Vale; NY: Bronxville; RI: East Greenwich, Saunderstown.
June 21, Rooftop Gardens of NYC, NY, NY
noon-2PM, Lecture, Hort Society of NY, 212-757-0915
June 21, Great Dixter: Life of an Iconic Garden, NY, NY
6:30 PM, Lecture at Sotheby's by Fergus Garrett, sponsor: NY Botanical Garden, 718-817-8700
June 23, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours, Nantucket, MA
June 24-26, 16th Newport Flower Show, Newport, RI
Tours, Lectures, Demos & More 800-847-1000
June 25-26, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours, CT, IL, NJ, NY, WA
CT: Glastonbury, Hartford, Manchester, Wethersfield, Falls Village, New Hartford, Sharon, Washington, Washington Depot, West Cornwall; IL: Barrington Hills, North Barrington, Evanston, Winnetka; NJ: Rumson; NY: Highland, New Paltz, Ulster Park, West Hurley, Bedford Hills, Tarrytown; WA: Bainbridge Island, Kingston;

June 28, Manufactured Landscapes by Edward Burtynsky, Washington DC
6PM, Documentary film on Burtynsky's works, US Botanic Garden, 202-225-8333
June 30, Enchanted Gardens Tour, Hyannis Port, MA
9:30AM-3PM, Self-guided tour, Heritage Museum & Gardens, 508-888-3300June 30, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours, Marthas' Vineyard, MA
Vineyard Haven, West Tisbury

 

LOOKAHEAD:

July 18-23, Perennial Plant Association Symposium, Atlanta, GA

Books: The Founding Gardeners You Never Knew

Almost everyone who knows anything at all about the founding fathers knows that Washington, Jefferson and Madison lived on Virginia plantations and that John Adams had a farm in Massachusetts. But probably not very many people would contend that an understanding of horticulture was fundamental to the making of America.

In her latest book, Founding Gardeners: The Revolutionary Generation, Nature, and the Shaping of the American Nation (Alfred A. Knopf, 2011) British author Andrea Wulf writes that as they carved their own gardens out of forests, "the Founders understood their agricultural and aesthetic decisions also as political acts, fundamental to their larger task of nation building."

Most of the book is focused on the first four presidesnts -- Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison -- and Wulf fills us in on many things we likely didn't know about them. While in command of the Revolutionary Army, Washington was in constant contact with the manager of his farm at Mount Vernon, giving detailed instructions on which plants to acquire and where to place them on the plantation.

In 1786, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, both on diplomatic assignment in Europe, traveled together on a grand tour of the English countryside. In particular, writes Wulfe, they visited the gardens of prominent Whigs who, she says, used their gardens to express their political ideas.  As Wulfe explains, "Mirroring their rejection of tyranny, they had turned against the rigid designs, geometrical patterns and clipped shapes associated with Louis XIV's lavish Versailles... and exchanged the artifice of straight canals and immaculately sheared hedges for serpentine lakes and clumps of unpruned trees." For them, she says, the "irregularity of nature had become a symbol of liberty."

During the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, a number of delegates visited the garden of John Bartram, which helped them resolve the political impasse on sharing power among the states. 

I must confess that although the subject is fascinating, I was annoyed by some of the author's contentions:  one delegate had "probably" never before seen a fringe tree; George Mason "must have been excited to see conifers from the northern regions of the Union." Perhaps Mason took note of trees that were new to him, but was he really "excited" by them?

We also learn in the book, according to Wulfe,  that James Madison was the first true American environmentalist.

The book includes some beautiful color plates of American native plants and early gardens, and there are numerous drawings of "plans" of Mount Vernon, Monticello, Montpelier, and other large estates.

Although you may question some of Wulf's conclusions, the book contains more than 100 pages of notes and bibliography, so you can go directly to the source to check out the facts. It's certainly an entertaining read, and I'd recommend it to anyone who's interested in early American history, colonial era gardens, politics, horticulture, or garden design.  You will not be disappointed.

 

 

Sustainability: Convincing your Clients to Go Green

If your clients (or you yourself) are not yet convinced about the values of sustainable, earth-friendly landscaping, then head over to the new, free, animated site put up by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA).

Aside from case studies of sustainable projects of all sizes, from university campuses to suburban back yards and green roofs, the site includes six animations that show you exactly what happens when you install sustainable elements in the landscape.

ASLA president Jonathan Mueller explains that few people outside the design profession understand how sustainable techniques actually work or why they are beneficial. "This new resource will serve as Sustainable Design 101 for students and teachers alike by explaining complex environmental systems in a clear, understandable format," he says.

I predict that aside from students and teachers, homeowners and many people in the landscaping world will find it beneficial as well.

(image: ASLA)

Movie: Women in the Dirt

Finally, Women in the Dirt, a documentary about female professional landscape architects, officially debuts on June 15th at the Fine Arts Theater in Asheville, NC.  Already shown at several private screenings, the film is getting rave reviews from academics around the country.  Karen Hanna, professor of landscape architecture at Cal Poly calls it "a masterful work," and historian and LA professor Thaisa Way at the University of Washington says the women profiled in the film are "pushing the boundaries" in their profession.

Through the eyes of seven celebrated female designers, the film explains how women have helped shape landscape architecture over the past 100 years.  It features interviews with and gardens designed by Cheryl Barton, Andrea Cochran, Mia Lehrer, Isabelle Greene, Lauren Mendenez, Pamela Palmer and Katherine Spitz.  While all of these women practice in California, the film  nevertheless firmly demonstrates how modern women are changing the landscape. The quote from Mia Lehrer perhaps says it all:  "As landscape architects we are equipped so well to deal with the issue of our time. And we have a certain level of responsibility to try to make a difference."  Watch the trailer, below.

Women in the Dirt Trailer 1 from Wind Media Productions on Vimeo.

And if you'd like to screen the film in your area, contact Angela Alston at Moca Media: [email protected] or 718-407-0670.

Miller House Symposium

One of the great classics of modern design -- Miller House and Garden --  with the house by Eero Saarinen and landscape design by Dan Kiley -- is now open to the public.  Located in Columbus, Indiana, about 50 miles south of Indianapolis, the house and garden were donated by the Miller family in 2009 to the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

A symposium on the legacy of the house and garden will be held on Friday, May 20th 9:30AM-5PM at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, featuring some of the country's top design experts.  Among them are landscape architect Laurie Olin and architecture critic Suzanne Stephens.

(photos: IMA)

 

In the Magazines May-June 2011

The American Gardener May-June 2011

*Replacing the lawn with groundcovers that work.
*The promising renewal of the American chestnut tree.
*Gauging the next generation of gardeners.
*How to beat the summer heat.
*And, my book review of The Artful Garden by James van Sweden.

Sunset May 2011

*A Japanese-inspired garden in West L.A. by designer Andre Price Jackson.
*New plants discovered by a trio of plant explorers: Greg Starr, Dan Hinkley, and Sean Hogan.

 

 

Garden Design May June 2011

*How to interplant.
* New, natural deck designs by Roderick Wylie of Surfacedesign Inc, in San Francisco, Clodagh Design in NYC, Stephen Billings of Pamela Burton LA in Santa Monica, and others.
*Dan Kiley's Miller Garden now open to the public.

 

Horticulture May June 2011

The edibles issue:

*Gardening challenge: itoh peonies.
*Squashes.
*Heirloom veggies.
*Elderberries.
*A home orchard.
*Shopping tips for gardeners.

 

 

Bar Code for Plant Info

Pretty good idea ... using the bar code scanner on your cell phone to access info on plant tags that will give you all the info you need on plant requirements: sun or shade, zones, water, soil, etc.  The full story ran last Friday in the business section of the New York Times and it reported that Home Depot and Lowe's are now carrying plants with such tags -- and with your phone, you can even view a video on how to plant a tree, for example.

I haven't seen it myself yet, but the next time I'm in range of Home Depot or Lowe's, I'll certainly give it a try.  I haven't heard of garden centers that are offering the same technology.

Read the full story here ... there's much more on other home design products that link through bar codes to much more information.

A Very Cool Tool

I first stumbled across this on the blog Inhabitat, and it's a "must know about" for every gardener and landscape designer.

Yes, it's an electric composter by NatureMill, made right here in the USA.  You plug it in, feed it kitchen waste (and either "brown" material like chopped up leaves or sawdust pellets, which the company sells) ... and a couple of weeks later, a little light comes on and tells you that your compost is ready to use.

It takes 5 pounds of waste material a day or 120 lb. a month, and it will even take meat and fish.  If you live in an apartment, or have room in your kitchen, it can be installed inside a cabinet.

I think I'd prefer using it outdoors, and I think the perfect place would be just outside the kitchen door if you have an outlet there.  (If you don't it would be worth installing one).  With more and more cities requiring homeowners to compost kitchen waste, this machine is the perfect answer for almost everyone.

For years, I had a back yard composter that was almost more trouble than it was worth.  It worked, but it was rather unsightly, so it was way at the back of the garden, a long way in cold winter weather.  According to the manufacturer, the electric composter uses just 5 kwh per month and costs an average of 50 cents per month to run.  Two models -- $199 and $299 for the deluxe model ... seems like a grand bargain to me.

(photo: NatureMill)

Azalea Garden

A spectacular new garden design for the New York Botanical Garden's Azalea Garden formally opens this coming weekend on May 7th.  The 11-acre site is shaded by mature native trees, many of them over 200 years old, spanning a hillside with many rock outcroppings.

The collection includes more than three thousand azaleas and rhododendrons from around the world.  The garden's president, Gregory Long, said the new Azalea Garden fits the garden's overall mission, which includes "beauty of plants and landscape, conservation, curatorial rigor, and engagement with the public."

The new design was created by a number of firms.  More than a mile of paths meander through clouds of white, pink, coral, and lavender azaleas and rhododendrons, planted beneath towering native oaks, tulip poplars and sweet gum trees.  The paths and seating areas were designed by Towers/Golde Landscape Architects in collaboration with the Olin Partnership, which is responsible for the garden's master plan. NYBG garden staff decided upon the placement of the azaleas and rhodies, and companion plantings were designed by landscape architects Oehme, van Sweden & Associates.

Unlike many other azalea gardens, this one is designed for year-round interest.  The azaleas flower from early spring until about July, and then other plantings take over:  fall-blooming witch hazels and herbacious plants and then a series of azaleas that re-bloom in fall.  In early spring, daffodils, crocus, ferns and then hostas emerge, giving way again to a tapestry of beautiful color.