GardenDesignOnline

Happenings May 2024

Selected Events Around the Country:

May 2, "Landscape as Sculpture: Noguchi's Gardens," ONLINE
2-3pm Eastern, Lecture, Garden Conservancy
May 4, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours: AL, CA, MA, NJ, NY
AL: Jefferson Cty; CA: Marin Cty; MA: Berkshire Cty; NJ: Essex Cty; NH: Columbia Cty
May 4, TCLF Walks & Talks, Miami Beach Cultural District, FL
9:45am-noon, Tour the District with LAs from West 8.
May 4-5, Mary Lou Heard Memorial Garden Tour, CA
10am-5pm, 38 gardens, self-guided tour, Long Beach to Santa Margarita.

May 5, Film Premiere, "A Southern Garden Sanctuary," Birmingham, AL
3-5pm, FREE Louise Agree Wrinkle's Garden, Panel & Conversation
Book Signing Follows. Garden Conservancy
May 10, TCLF Tour & Talk, Chicago, IL
8:30am-4pm, Explore the Work of Hoerr Schaudt
May 10-19, GO PUBLIC GARDENS, Nationwide
Find a garden near your home, American Public Gardens Association
May 11, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours: CA, DE, MA, NY, PA
CA: Alameda Cty; DE: New Castle Cty; MA: Hampshire, MIddlesex, Worcester Ctys; NY: Suffolk, Westchester Ctys; PA: Delaware Cty
May 11, Georgetown Garden Tour, Washington DC
10am-5pm, 94th annual tour

May 14, Lecture & Book Signing, Author Advolly Richmond, Atlanta, CA
7pm, Atlanta History Center, "A Short History of Flowers," Garden Conservancy
May 16, Visit to Field Operations, Garden Conservancy, NYC
5:30-7:30pm, Drinks, hors d’oeuvres, conversations with firm LAs.
May 16, Lecture, LA Jarema Osofsky, ONLINE
2pm Eastern, "Moon Garden: Creating an Evening Oasis," Garden Conservancy
May 18, Garden Conservancy Open Days tours: CA, MA, NJ, NY
CA: San Francisco, San Mateo Ctys; MA: MIddlesex Cty; NJ: Bergen Cty; NY: Dutchess, Jefferson Ctys
May 18-19, Trade Secrets Show & Garden Tours, CT, MA, NY
10am-3pm, six fabulous gardens. May19: Plant & Garden Antiques Sale

May 25, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours: CT, NY, SC
CT: New London Cty; NY: Suffolk Cty; SC: Charleston Area

May 21-25, Chelsea Flower Show, London, UK

LOOKAHEAD:

June 6, Visit to Central Park Archives, NY
10:30am-2pm, Original drawings by F.L. Olmsted & Calvert Vaux
June 9, Secret Gardens of Cambridge Garden Tour, Cambridge, MA
June 15, 29th South End Garden Tour, Boston, MA
June 24-27, APGA Annual Conference, Boston, MA

July 5-24 Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival, Cape Cod, MA
August 1-2, Speaking of Gardening Symposium, Asheville, NC

Books: Flowers, Flowers & More

This beautifully illustrated book by British garden historian Advolly Richmond takes us through the stories of more than 50 classic blooms that shape many gardens today.  In A Short History of Flowers (Quarto Publishing PLC, 2024), she brings us tales of intrigue, romance, boom and bust economic cycles, piracy, and much, much more. 

As Richmond notes in the Introduction, "The diversity in our garden flowers is a celebration of the endeavors and, in some cases, sacrifices of the people who located and recorded them." 

Who would've thought that the common hollyhock (Alcea rosea or Althaea rosea), a staple in many cottage gardens, is linked with the wife of King Edward I (Queen Eleanor, 1241-90), who is said to have brought it back from the Holy Land, where they found it during the Crusades. By the 15th century, the plant was a common sight in English gardens, as it is today. 

And, did you know that Lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) was the favorite flower of French fashion designer Christian Dior? It grows wild in most parts of Europe, and was once called 'mugget' from the French 'muguet'. The French celebrate ily of the valley day on May 1st, a tradition dating back to King Charles IX.  Dior often wore the flower in his buttonhole, and it inspired many of his designs, as well as perfume Diorisssimo.  When he died in 1957, his coffin was covered with lily of the valley. 

Each entry in the book is accompanied by the artwork of botanical illustrator Sara Jane Humphrey, and her illustrations will make you treasure this book forever. 

 

And so what to do with all those beautiful blooms? In The Fragrant Flower Garden (Ten Speed Press, 2024), authors and designers Stefani Bittner and Alethea Harampolis show you how to use the scented blooms that you can harvest from the trees, shrubs, perennials, bulbs, annuals and vines that grow in your garden.  They outline which ones are best for sun and shade, which ones are fragrant during the day and the night, which ones are best for screening, climbing, ground covers and more.  

The authors profile their favorite scented plants, and each entry includes growing instructions, how to the use the plants , ie, in landscapes, containers, cut flower gardens, etc., and each one includes a description of the aroma:  lemony, tangy, almond, floral, spicy -- you name it.  But the descriptions will help you decide which plants you want in your garden, along with myriad ways to use them. 

 

 

Birds and flowers definitely go together, and you'll find the answers to all your questions in  Bird Friendly Gardening (Cool Springs Press, 2024) by writer and photographer Jen McGuinness. 

Jen clues you in to which birds are attracted to which blooms, requirements for the plants, and requirements to foster a bird-friendly environment. 

There are garden plans in the book for balconies and patios, small, medium, and large-space landscapes, and even a deer-resistant garden.  Illustrative photos and drawings throughout will help you plan every aspect of a garden filled with flowers and birds. 

 

 

Flower Cascades

Gardner Museum, photo Siena Scarff

If you've never been to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, April is the time to go, as you'll be able to enjoy one of the great flower displays in the country: the annual show of hanging nasturtiums.

The nasturtium show only lasts for about three weeks; it's an annual tradition that starts each year around Easter time.

photo Siena Scarff

According to the museum's blog, Isabella started growing the flowers at her home in Brookline by 1913 and placed them on the courtyard balconies in honor of her birthday.  She sold the property in 1919, but museum trustees bought new hothouses in 1926 and revived the tradition, which has goes on today.

photo: Gardner museum

The vines are started from seed every June, planted in late summer, and trained in greenhouses throughout the winter.  The nasturtiums require continuous care to ensure they reach their dramatic length of approximately 20 feet in time for their museum debut.