PLANTWISE

Garden Projects for Right Now

spring is near – here’s how to get started in the garden

Posted by: Kate Bryant on Mar 16, 2012 at 07:12AM 0 Comments

Kale, cabbage and purple-sprouting broccoli are kicking into high gear now. Bolting vegetables (like arugula) can be removed now and replaced with peas.

It’s nearly spring in Western Oregon, so constant rain or sprinkles are to be expected. But if you can dash out between the rain (and snow?) this weekend, here are some projects that will help jump-start your spring garden.

We’ll start with some pruning suggestions, a couple of things to plant, and some pleasant, puttery tasks that can even be done if it’s sprinkling.

But first, a tip for everyone who gardens in the PNW: try not to step on the surface of your garden when the ground is wet! Naturally, we’re all eager to get out and plant, dig and turn the soil. But unless it’s under an eave, garden soil is still wet, and stepping or standing on it when it’s sodden can compact it, damage the structure and result in rock-hard clay when it dries out in summer. Do your garden a favor: if you need to dig while your soil is still heavy with moisture, do it sparingly. Major soil preparation is best done after a few dry days. (Like we had a few weeks ago!) And if you have heavy, never-worked, unimproved soil, wait until a little later in the season to get started. If you’ve been enriching your soil with compost for years, or have added pumice to lighten it in the past, you have more leeway: there will be more air and fluffy organic matter, and less clay in your soil, making it a bit more resilient to year-round digging. But play it safe and use a flat piece of cardboard to stand on if you absolutely must dig up an area right now.

Shopping list:
- soil thermometer (about $10 at most neighborhood nurseries)
- seeds for cool-weather vegetables/flowers
- sack or two of garden compost for vegetable garden, if you don’t have home-made
- organic, balanced, granular or pelleted fertilizer for potted plants

Things to plant now, outside (when ground is not sodden):
- Seed peas (snap, snow, shelling and, of course, fragrant sweet peas for flowers), as well as arugula, Asian mustard greens and mache (very cold-resistant greens)
- Seed kale, chard, lettuce, and spinach once soil temperatures are over 40F (use that thermometer) and carrots, radish, and beets when beets towards the end of the month
- Plant potato tubers (towards end of month — but buy them now, while selection’s better)
- Plant onion sets (bundles of baby onion plants)
- Plant garlic and shallots bulbs (best in fall but now’s okay too)
- Plant starts of kale, lettuce, parsley, chard, early cabbage, greens
- Plant caneberries, blueberries, strawberries, rhubarb, and all varieties of other small fruit

Other projects for now, outside:
- Fertilize potted plants with a balanced, organic, pelleted or granular fertilizer (follow instructions on bag/box). This is particularly important if plants have been growing in the same pot for a few years. But don’t over-do it, if you want to keep the plant’s size under control.
- Prune and shape any winter-flowering shrubs (such as early-blooming winter camellia, witch hazel, and winter box) that have finished flowering.
- Cut back (most) hydrangeas (if you didn’t do it last fall). Old fashioned mopheads and lacecap types (H. macrophylla and H. serrata) can be cut back with impunity in our climate, and rarely suffer. On an established plant, remove all spindly stems arising from the base, tip back branches to a strong pair of buds (simultaneously remove last year’s dried flower heads) and use a hand-saw or strong loppers to take out a couple of the biggest, oldest, gnarliest stems from the base of the plant. You should be left with a decent framework of medium sized stems arising from the base of the shrub.
- Any remaining stems on herbaceous perennials (lilies, asters, peonies, sedums, etc) should now be snipped back, as the plants are beginning to send up fresh new growth. Get out the clippers and have at it!
-Too cold and rainy to work outside? March is the perfect time to repot your pot-bound houseplants. Tip plants out of their pots. Reuse the same pot (but with fresh soil) if you want to keep the plant the same size – just gently prune the roots and top of the plant. If you want the plant to grow larger, increase the pot size by an inch or so. Whatever pot size you use, remove as much of the old potting soil as possible (tease it out with your fingers) and repot the plant with fresh potting soil. Run water through pot in the sink repeatedly until soil is completely damp all the way through, and let drain before putting pot back in place.

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New Seeds, Old Seeds…

…what are you planting this year?

Posted by: Kate Bryant on Mar 09, 2012 at 07:01AM 3 Comments

Thai purple-podded, yard-long bean from Baker Creek Seed Co is on my wish-list for this year!

Sometimes I get in a rut, just planting vegetables that I know will do well and produce plenty of food. It’s hard to risk planting a lot of new things when space is so limited. (I’m working with only about 55 square feet of vegetable garden so there isn’t much room for error or for unproductive plants.)

I try to plant a few new varieties each year. But generally, I stick with a handful of tried-and-true varieties that always come through for me. These include Lacinato kale; Purple Sprouting broccoli; Sugar Snap peas; Tavera French filet beans; Ichiban eggplant; Serrano hot peppers; and Sungold tomatoes. I plant lots more but these are staples in my garden nearly every year.

This year, some of my experiments will include:

Thai Purple-Podded Yard-Long Bean from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. These beans can be up to 20" long and I love purple vegetables. I didn’t actually see these in Thailand during my last visits but will be searching the vegetable market baskets when I return.

Thai Chao Praya eggplant=. (Baker Creek again.) These look like the medium-sized green eggplants used extensively in the varied curries I enjoyed in Thailand. I hope to find out if they’re the same by growing them! Because the fruit is small, I hope and expect the plants to be productive…

Several varieties of the absolutely delicious “watermelon radish,” including Chinese Red Meat from Baker Creek and also available from our own local Asian seed company, New Dimensions Seed Co.. Watermelon radishes should be planted in mid-summer for autumn harvest, rather than in spring (it gets too hot, too fast in spring and these radishes are big, and slower than the usual 25-day types). It can be hard to find these delicasies at typical grocery stores but I always find them in the produce department at People’s Food Co-Op in Southeast Portland.

These two types of kale look fantastic:

- Old-Growth Palm kale, a variety selected by Wild Garden Seed to last for at least two years in the garden (through a summer). Reputedly it’s extra heat tolerant and aphid-resistant and will last through the summer, growing into a small tree-like thing by the second year.

-Portuguese kale (Tronchuda Beira) from Renees Garden Seed, an heirloom kale with blue-green, paddle shaped leaves that are reputed to be more heat-tolerant than most. One cannot have enough kale!

There’s lots more but these varieties have whetted my appetite.

What’s going in your food gardens this year? Are you a risk-taker in the vegetable garden or do you know what you like and stick to it?

Meantime, the moment has arrived to make your final selections for spring, and actually sow those seeds. Outdoors, there are a handful of cold-hardy seeds that can be planted. And indoors, it’s time to start some of the slow-growing, heat-loving vegetables like tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers. Check back next week for details on sowing vegetables indoors.

Meantime, click here to see what can be sown in the veggie garden now, along with other gardening tips.

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The Joys of Flowering Quince

tough, charming and early to flower!

Posted by: Kate Bryant on Mar 07, 2012 at 08:44AM 0 Comments

The magnificent blood-red Atsuya Hamada flowering quince (Chaenomeles ‘Atsuya Hamada’) with early Tete-a-Tete Narcissus.

Flowering quince (Chaenomeles speciosa) is an old-fashioned shrub in the rose family that is sometimes found around older homes in the Pacific Northwest. Sadly, it is sometimes seen hacked into odd shapes (cubes, balls, mushrooms, etc) by frustrated homeowners and clueless landscapers, as it can reach some 20’ tall and wide, if untouched. Admittedly, left to its own devices, flowering quince can become unmanageable. But it is exquisite, and so easy-care and charming when it’s spread is gently controlled but it is not overly pruned.

The three main types of flowering quince are Chaenomeles speciosa (the most common flowering quince, which can reach nearly 20’ tall and wide if unpruned); C. japonica (Japanese flowering quince, usually about 2-4’ tall and wide); and Chaenomeles x superba (a hybrid between the two, intermediate in size).

All are tough, suckering shrubs, sometimes a bit spiny, that colonize slowly, creating a thicket of stems that are studded with glowing blossoms in late winter (usually starting in early March in the PNW). Plants are drought-tolerant when established, although they produce more flowers when they receive some supplemental water in mid-summer, when setting buds for the following season. Flowers last for at least a month (usually all of March) on a large, established plant. Colors include white, pale to deep pink, red, scarlet and — most typically — an incandescent shade of coral.

The leaves are pretty enough – nothing special – but dark red or orange forms can have lovely reddish new growth in spring. Fall color is almost non-existent, but the handsome, buttery yellow fruit (looking like little yellow apples) hang on the stems all winter. I think they’re pretty, although they are poo-poo’d by some as an ornamental feature. A tasty jam can be made with the small fruit, although it should be noted that the fruit is not the same as the luscious true quince (Cydonia oblonga), which is a tree. True quince produces those large, fragrant yellow fruit found at the farmers markets in fall. Quince paste (mebrillo), quince candy and all variety of delicious sweet and savory Iranian dishes are made with true quince, while flowering quince fruit is typically relegated to jelly.



Atsuya Hamada flowering quince, up close and personal

My favorite flowering quince this week is a variety with dark, blood-red blossoms called Atsuya Hamada. It is just coming into flower this week in my garden and the sunshine we’re having at the moment is showing it to peak effect: backlit by the sun, and absolutely glowing in the late winter rays of sun.

Atsuya Hamada is probably an intermediate between the two species and reaches about 10’ tall over the course of 5-10 years.

Plant flowering quince for its colorful late winter blossoms, for the abundance of fantastic winter bouquets (bring budded stems inside in February) and for the easy care of the plants.

See some examples of a range of cultivars growing at Swarthmore College’s Scott Arboretum here (keep in mind, the dates they list for flowering are much later than ours)

Sources:
See Plant Lust

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Get Ready for Spring!

gardening season is on the horizon — get ready with three super-inspiring events

Posted by: Kate Bryant on Mar 06, 2012 at 09:09AM 7 Comments

Photo: Hardy Plant Society of Oregon

KXL Plant Nerd Night
WHAT: This is a giant fiesta of horticultural fun, with six great local plant specialty nurseries talking about, raffling off and selling their latest, greatest and grooviest plants. Each plant nursery owner-geek gets up and has ten (correction: 12!!) minutes to enthuse about their favorites! This year’s line-up: Xera Plants, Gossler Farms Nursery, Petal Heads, Wild Ginger Farm, Skagit Gardens, and Joy Creek Nursery.
WHEN: Friday March 9, 2011 at 7 pm. Doors open at 6 pm; presentations begin at 7 pm
WHERE: Lake Bible Church, 4565 Carman Drive, Lake Oswego OR 97035. (Directions here)

WHAT: Hardy Plant Society of Oregon’s Spring Plant & Art Sale
WHEN: Sat April 7 from 10 am to 4 pm; Sun April 8 (Easter Sunday) from 11 am to 3 pm
WHERE: Portland EXPO Center, Hall E
This is the creme de la creme of plant sales in Oregon, with a hundred-some unique and worthwhile plant, art and tool vendors selling their wares and sharing information directly with the public. Some of the vendors are normally wholesale-only, so it’s rare for the public to access their knowledge, expertise and products directly.

Cool factoids about this year’s show:
1. The Easter Bunny may make an appearance Sunday morning.
2. Admission is free but there’s an $8 charge to park at the EXPO center. Take Trimet, carpool or ride your bike to skip the fee. (But make sure you have a way to carry your goodies home.)
3. The American Primrose Society will hold their national conference and show alongside the sale. Even if you think you aren’t into primulas, I think you’ll discover they are way weirder and more wonderful than you might have thought. Seriously, go take a peek. The primula people can be really nice and geeky.

Hardy Plant Society of Oregon Genius Series Class
WHAT: Exploring Unusual Bulbs with Jane McGary, an author and editor of several rock gardening books and former president of the Portland chapter of the North American Rock Gardening Society.
WHEN: Sunday April 15 at 3 pm
WHERE: Multnomah Arts Center in Portland

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Where Do New Plants Come From?

Some of the most interesting plants come not from breeders’ labs but from the work of plant collectors like Dan Hinkley

Posted by: Kate Bryant on Mar 02, 2012 at 01:30PM 0 Comments

A handsome Agave I found in the pine-oak woods on La Bufa, above San Sebastian, Jalisco, Mexico on one of my own, very modest (yet extremely gratifying) plant exploring forays.

New plants show up on nursery benches every year – longer-flowering supertunias, echinaceas with red, orange and double flowers instead of plain-Jane purple, more compact shrubs and butterfly bushes that don’t self-seed. All these are wonderful things, and my own garden contains more than its share of such marvelous new hybrids.

But the plants I really covet are the rare and unusual treasures found in the wild by adventurous and committed plant explorers.

There are dozens of such rarefied plant collectors swapping stories and photos on private nerd groups on Facebook these days, showing off images of their latest expeditions in Kazakhstan, China or Mexico — where back in the 80s, their only options for sharing their experiences and plant material with other collectors was to chat on the phone, mail seed or cuttings, or — if it was really precious — to hand-deliver their treasures.

Why do they do it? Above all, to see with their own eyes plants that neither they, nor anybody else, had ever laid eyes on. But also, to bring seed or cuttings home to their own, and their customers’, gardens, thereby bringing into cultivation plants that will improve diversity and selection available in gardens. But there’s something else: many of the plants collected in remote regions are endangered by habitat destruction in their native lands. Responsible collection is sometimes the only way to ensure the survival of genetic material. Spreading the plants into cultivation keeps the plants safe from possible extermination. This genetic material could hold the key to future medical discoveries, or breeding breakthroughs.

By purchasing these plants from the nurserymen and women who themselves collected the plants, you are supporting their work. The best nurseryfolk are looking for plants that will thrive in the particular conditions in which they live. So buying plants collected by one of our local nurseryfolk such as Sean Hogan (Cistus Design Nursery) or Fred Weisensee or Leonard Foltz (Dancing Oaks Nursery) means you’re supporting the collection of plants from the microclimates of various parts of the world that are most likely to thrive for us here.

Of course, any plant nut is going to love whatever they love, and collect plants that are gorgeous and fascinating, no matter whether they are perfectly adapted to their local climate.

But generally, collectors from Massachusetts or Tucson or Raleigh will most covet the plants that will thrive in their own conditions. And locals in those areas should support plant collectors that are doing that work.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, our best bet for finding fantastic new plants that are exciting, new and well-adapted to the vagaries of our own climate would do well to support local nurseryfolk who take these fascinating, sometimes expensive journeys to collect plants in remote areas.

For stories from the road (or trail), read accounts written by the explorers themselves:

Dan Hinkley, formerly of Heronswood and now collecting plants for Monrovia. Dan is nearly always on the move and his travellogues are fascinating, with abundant cultural information included for geography and culture buffs.

Sean Hogan, owner of Cistus Design Nursery on Sauvie Island is frequently on the road collecting plants and sometimes, you can see where he is by clicking here

Tony Avent of Plant Delights Nursery has an entertaining and thrilling expedition log…

If you’re interested in joining an expedition yourself, consider this: two hot-shot plant collectors, Pat McCracken, of McCracken’s Nursery, and Barry Yinger of Asiatica Nursery, have begun a plant lovers’ tour business. Here’s a recommendation and info from another world-respected plant collector, Tony Avent of Plant Delights Nursery:

“The tours will offer the opportunity to travel with these world-class plantsmen to see amazing plants and gardens both domestically and abroad … many of which would be inaccessible to non-tour participants. The first domestic tour from June 5-12 (NJ through NC) will be limited to the 48 participants. Pat will then lead the first international tour to New Zealand in August 2010 and Barry will lead a group to Thailand and Laos in late November. Further tours include one to The Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium, one to Japan, and one to central Africa are being planned. International groups will be limited to 15 participants.”

If you’ve read Dan Hinkley’s The Explorer’s Garden: Rare and Unusual Perennials (Timber Press, 1999) and been as entranced as I was, you may find one of these trips right up your alley! For more information or to sign up, contact Pat at pat_mccracken at bellsouth dot net or Barry at asiatica at nni dot com."

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Air Plants

Tillandsias — easy to grow, sometimes weird-looking and always beautiful

Posted by: Kate Bryant on Feb 24, 2012 at 06:40AM 3 Comments

Six Tillandsia species I picked up at the Seattle and Portland gardens shows in the past couple of weeks: T. left side: T. medusae, T. ionantha v. mexicana, T. bulbosa; middle: T. streptophylla hybrid; right side: T. stricta, and T. aeranthos x tenuifolia (in case you were wondering). I placed the more silvery-leafed species closer to the window.

Air plants (Tillandsia sp.) make brilliant house plants for non-gardeners. They’re beautiful, don’t require soil or pots, and are easy to care for.

Just pick one of the easier species like Tillandsia argentea or T. ionantha and you need only set the plant in the right spot with bright, filtered light and good air circulation and you’ll get by for years with just a spritz/soak/occasional fertilizing regime.

If you are a gardener — particularly a geography-geek kind of gardener — you’ll be even more entranced, as each species hails from a different region, elevation and environment and has slightly different requirements. Some folks get a kick out of figuring out how to fine-tune care to encourage their Tillandsia to produce flowers or “pups” (baby plants) or even just to grow faster.

One of the best sources for air plants is the local wholesaler Owens Gardens of Monroe, WA. (Phone: 360-794-6422/no website). They sell their plants to a number of Washington State nurseries like Ravenna Gardens and City Peoples. Or, catch the affable husband-and-wife team at a few regional plant sales per year, including at Seattle’s Northwest Flower & Garden Show and Portland’s Yard Garden & Patio Show.

I picked up a whole passel of new varieties in the past few weeks and tucked them into my shower caddy, where they get bright light from a south-facing window, plus humidity and good air circulation.

And since air plants are epiphytes, they don’t need to be “planted.” In habitat, they affix themselves by their roots to trees buildings or wires, deriving nutrients and moisture from the air and from run-off rather than their roots. But unless you glue them to a piece of wood, or never ever move them, they probably won’t attach themselves to anything in your home.

Tillandsia xerographica – a gorgeous, silver-leafed air plant from high elevation, dry regions in Salvador, Mexico and Guatemala. It is more drought-tolerant and sun-loving than most air plants and is slow-growing, but can eventually develop into an immense, sculptural rosette over 3’ in diameter. I found this at Owens Gardens at Seattle’s NWFGS.

Tillandsia foliage is diverse – there are over 500 species native to Central and South America, Mexico and the southern United States. Thinner, and more green-leafed varieties, sometimes with almost thread-like foliage, are native to rainier, more humid regions, while thick- and silvery-leafed varieties like Tillandsia xerographica grow in dryer regions, and are often found growing at the tops of trees or clinging to the sunny side of rocks.

Tillandsia foliage ranges from dark olive green, chartreuse, and apple green to cool bluish-green and even silvery-white. Leaves can be long and thin and whisk-like or arranged in curly twists that emerge from charmingly bulbous bases. Some species flower more easily than others but the foliage is so captivating, you won’t mind if they never flower at all.

Tillandsia require only the simplest care regime consisting of weekly spritzing or an hour’s dunk in water, depending on the species and the light and warmth of its location. Just provide a bit more water during the hot summer months and a bit less in winter, when light is lower in our area.

When you buy your air plant, try to get a species name (eg, with Tillandsia bulbosa , " Tillandsia " is the genus and " bulbosa " is the species). That will help you learn how much water and light it prefers. Having said that, it’s hard to go wrong if you place your air plant in bright, filtered light and spritz once or twice weekly and soak every one to three weeks for an hour or so. After soaking, just turn the plant upside down and shake the heck out of it for a few moments before settling it back upright.

For more information about bromeliads in general, including Tillandsia, check out Bromeliad Society International.

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Honeyhill Farms

a Portland area treasure trove of winter-blooming beauty

Posted by: Kate Bryant on Feb 21, 2012 at 06:45AM 2 Comments

Honeyhill Joy hellebore — the Metcalfes’ own hybrid. This lovely plant with upright, creamy white, long-lasting flowers has been growing in my garden for over five years. (Hot pink flowers in background belong to Cyclamen coum, a charming little plant, growing from a tuber, which produces vibrant pink to white flowers from December to March.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

Honeyhill Joy hellebore — the Metcalfes’ own hybrid. This lovely plant with upright, creamy white, long-lasting flowers has been growing in my garden for over five years. (Hot pink flowers in background belong to Cyclamen coum, a charming little plant, growing from a tuber, which produces vibrant pink to white flowers from December to March.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

Honeyhill Joy hellebore flowers fade from creamy white to apple green — very pretty yet sturdy, long-lasting flowers.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

One of many gorgeous seedlings that grew up to be gorgeous garden plants. Because Honeyhill’s plants are grown from seed, they are genetically diverse. Thus, it’s important to pick the plants you like (favorite flower colors and forms, plant size, single or double, etc.) during February and March, while they are flowering.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

Jim Metcalfe enthusiastically shows my friend and I some of his seedlings during a visit to Honeyhill Farms two years ago.

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Jim Metcalfe showing us a lovely smoky purple hellebore with particularly nice, prominent nectaries.

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The best way to photograph hellebores involves lying down on the ground and pointing the camera upwards. I was particularly smitten with this seedling hellebore but I assure you, it looked even better in person!

View Slideshow » Illustration:

Cyclamen coum is a tough, cold-hardy little number, with myriad white or pale to hot pink flowers emerging throughout the cold months of winter. February is usually a peak flowering month. Honeyhill sells this tough little corm “in the green” (in leaf rather than dormant) and with flowers, so you can pick just the colors and leaf patterns you favor.

If you’re interested in buying some of the most beautiful hellebores in town, just pick up the phone and ring Jim and Audrey Metcalfe. Because the Metcalfes do business the old-fashioned way…. just give them a friendly telephone call and set up an appointment to visit their Southwest Portland home and nursery.

Their nursery, Honeyhill Farm is in their back garden so they keep the hours of 2-5 pm daily during hellebore flowering season, which runs through February and March most years. But make the effort to call and visit, and you can expect to be charmed, not only by the wonderful winter-flowering hellebores and spectacular sheets of pink and white Cyclamen coum, but by your sprightly and interesting hosts.

The Metcalfes have been growing and breeding hellebores for some 40 years. It all started with a casual plant trade: they swapped some goutweed for a pretty white hellebore and an obsession was born. As their fervor and interest grew, they delved into breeding better plants with larger, more upfacing blooms; better form and color; and cleaner foliage. Mostly 1-gallon and some larger 2-gallon plants are sold at their home nursery, as well as at the Hillsdale Farmers Market, the Tryon Creek Plant Sale in April, and occasionally at other plant sales.

Jim has a great eye for a good plant, and searches the seedlings for the best-looking plants to sell. In fact, one of their best hybrids, Honeyhill Joy, was picked up and licensed by wholesaler Terra Nova. (See photos in slideshow.)

Make an appointment by calling Audrey and Jim at 503-292-1817. They are open daily while plants are in flower (usually Feb and March), from 2-5 pm daily except Wednesdays.

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Shed Some Light on Plants

just marked down at anthropologie.com

Posted by: Kate Bryant on Feb 20, 2012 at 12:20PM 0 Comments

http://www.anthropologie.com

If you love plants, you’re always looking for a new part of the house to colonize with growing things. I just saw this in Anthropologie’s sale section (on line only). In the right spot, this could be a winner!

It comes with potting medium — you could try some 1970s “vintage” houseplants like variegated spider plant or pothos, which would drape over the edges. Hanging succulents like string-of-pearls or bleeding heart vine would be fun, too, especially if interplanted with moundy succulents like the ones pictured. Or go soil-free and tuck some beautiful Tillandsia air plants around it.

If the light were hung in a dim area, you’d need to plant shade-tolerant plants like ferns, philodendron, fittonia, or little variegated ivies — or screw in a full-spectrum bulb and keep it on for at least eight hours every 24 hours so the plants get enough light to survive. (Apparently the fixture is limited to 40 watts.) Or try using those air plants as a temporary installation — sit them in the basin for a couple of weeks, then swap them out for some others you keep in a brighter part of the house. (I keep mine in the shower caddy near a bright bathroom window!)

It’s been marked down from $998 to $499.95 — whew! See it here.

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Great Gardening Advice at the YGP Show

Oh, and the seminars are free this year!

Posted by: Kate Bryant on Feb 16, 2012 at 10:10AM 2 Comments

Ahmed Hasson of Yardcrashers is this year’s superstar presenter.

What’s different about this year’s Yard, Garden & Patio Show? For one, the seminars are all free – you only pay admission if you enter the Show floor to wander through the displays, shop the nurseries and stores, and visit the display gardens.

CORRECTION: as about a zillion people have rightly noted, the seminars have always been free at the YGP. Dunno where I got that idea that attendees had to pay admission in previous years!

Another (possible) difference: if we’re lucky, there may be less bark dust visible, and more plants. For the past few years, I’ve been complaining about previous years’ sad plantings of multi-colored primroses that seemed to swim amidst an ocean of red bark dust… I just think that with all the amazing plant nurseries we have, and all the incredible design talent – not to mention the discriminating tastes of local gardeners – that we can do better than that! And it has been improving, year by year.

The free, educational seminars run Friday and Saturday from 11 am to the last talks of the day, from 4 to 5 pm. And on Sunday, you can catch seminars from 11 am to 3:30 (the last talks end at 4:30 pm).

It’s downright silly for me to pick out any seminars as highlights when the choices are so good this year. But I can’t help myself: personal highlights for me include blogger and Seattle garden writer Val Easton speaking on her new book on creating creative bouquets from your own garden (Fri 11-12 am); Nurseryman and plant collector Sean Hogan speaking on what plants want (Fri 2-3 pm); Sadafumi Uchiyama of Portland’s Japanese Garden speaking on bringing Japanese design themes into your garden (Sat 11:30-12:30); local designer Vanessa Nagel’s talk on alternatives to turf lawns (Sat 2-3 pm); designer Lucy Hardiman speaking on creating stunning sidewalk and curbside gardens (Sun 11-12) and a second talk by Sean Hogan on the best and new native plants for good garden design (Sun 12:30-1:30 pm).

And even though I don’t have a TV and have never seen the program (what a typically Portland “confession” to make), I am eager to see the “celebrity landscaper” Ahmed Hassan, host of the DIY Network “Yard Crashers”. See him Friday and Saturday, February 12 noon and 4 pm and again, Sunday, at 12 noon and 3 pm.

From the press materials…
“Ahmed Hassan and his team are known for surprising families with customized residential landscapes and upgraded homes on DIY Network’s “Yard Crashers.” Come see Hassan’s high energy, spontaneous, comedic, and often interactive show! Watch how he is able to maintain existing landscape by trimming, pruning and hedging yards into one of his amazing works of art. Hassan is also skilled at planting beautiful containers. He will educate us on selecting the right soil, watering techniques, as well as dispelling all kinds of myths and urban legends."

That sounds fun! And sometimes, we just need to get out of our little Pacific Northwest view of the world and see how they do it in Hollywood!

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Valentine’s Day Terrariums

Posted by: Kate Bryant on Feb 14, 2012 at 09:09AM 0 Comments

Photo: Image courtesy of Xylia Buros

“My mom gave me this terrarium a few years ago and, sadly, the plant died. I just had the vessel and some bits of glass left. I wanted to bring it back to life, so I plucked a few hens-and-chicks off another container and plopped ’em in. I was inspired by a visit to Artemisia and added some black hematite sand for the base.”

View Slideshow » Photo: Image courtesy of Xylia Buros

“My mom gave me this terrarium a few years ago and, sadly, the plant died. I just had the vessel and some bits of glass left. I wanted to bring it back to life, so I plucked a few hens-and-chicks off another container and plopped ’em in. I was inspired by a visit to Artemisia and added some black hematite sand for the base.”

View Slideshow » Illustration:

“I love this terrarium — it may be my favorite. I decided to call it ‘Fortitude’ because it’s long and narrow and reminds me of a fortress design, and represents a quality I’ve been learning to cultivate lately: mental and emotional strength, or courage in facing difficulty, adversity, danger, or temptation. I love its simplicity and the ratio between regular sand and then the hematite sand, two plants, and crystal. All the fun stuff is at the top – it’s follows the rule of thirds. The vase is from a thrift store, the natural sand from a garden shop, and the hematite from Artemisia.”

View Slideshow » Photo: Image courtesy of Xylia Buros

“A friend approached me to design a terrarium for his wife. I asked him to tell me more about her and her aesthetics. Months ago, she’d mentioned wanting a terrarium for a particular table, so he’s hoping that she’s forgotten so he can surprise her! The terrarium picks up accents of color from the space where this will sit, and she loves clean, modern design: hence the white sand and overall simplicity. The two crystals symbolize their partnership, as does the heart-shaped succulent. The flag was from my personal collection of local handmade artifacts — it says ‘You are loved’.”

Recently I met up with events manager and freelance writer Xylia Buros and when our conversation turned to terrariums, I discovered that she’s been on a terrarium-making kick in recent months. Later, I went by her place to see some of her new creations.

She had taken dusty old vessels that had sentimental value to her and turned them into lovely, sparkly new terrariums by recycling the best from the old, and adding just the right bits of crystal, sand or pebbles.

Xylia has made a number of beautiful pieces recently… here are a few special ones for the day: the first, a long-ago gift from her mother that she recently revivified and transformed into something newly beautiful; one that holds special personal meaning for her; and the last, a custom commission, created for a friend for his sweetheart, in honor of their relationship.

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The NW Flower & Garden Show

24 hours in Seattle

Posted by: Kate Bryant on Feb 13, 2012 at 09:19AM 4 Comments

Chickens aren’t a fad – they’re here to stay. At least, I think so. So I liked “The Dinner Bell Rings: Eat Your Yard” by Cascadian Edible Landscapes. It was cute (combine chickens and an old VW and how can you go wrong?) and won a bronze medal at the show.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

Chickens aren’t a fad – they’re here to stay. At least, I think so. So I liked “The Dinner Bell Rings: Eat Your Yard” by Cascadian Edible Landscapes. It was cute (combine chickens and an old VW and how can you go wrong?) and won a bronze medal at the show.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

This display titled “Birdsong” was created by the Seattle’s Washington Park Arboretum on conjunction with Seattle Audubon. It won the gold medal and was definitely the most natural of the displays, full of wildlife-friendly and winter-flowering plantings.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

Judith Jones of Fancy Fronds Nursery in Gold Bar, WA presented my favorite display garden but she only won a crystal award. I loved the theme (“Tales of Wonder: In a Persian Garden”) with plenty of ferns (dry land ferns in the “desert” areas, lush types in the “oasis” area) and lots of other unusual plants scattered around.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

Judith Jones of Fancy Fronds fern nursery in Gold Bar, WA. She and her fellow ferniac took the theme all the way!

View Slideshow » Illustration:

Ravenna Gardens Nursery had a wonderful terrarium display that won an award. I noticed that the book I co-authored – Terrarium Craft was opened on the table… naturally, we loved this display! It was titled, “The Terrarium Maker’s Studio” and won the best plant material award.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

This was my favorite display at the Seattle show, made by Cultivar, LLC, a Seattle landscape design & build firm, and collaborating with terrarium maker midnightblossom.com. The display was called “Portholes & Time: Gardens in a Minor Scale”. We loved the attention to detail and the charm of the entire display, from tiny snowdrops in moss to the pretty miniature window boxes on one side, the variety of terrariums and the materials laid out inside.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

Side view with windowboxes affixed to a mossy wall.

View Slideshow » Illustration:

A suspended terrarium

Thanks to this past weekend’s trip to Seattle for the NW Flower & Garden Show, I feel like it’s spring!

I couldn’t make it to the media preview event, but I did get some time on the show floor Thursday morning, before it opened to the public. It’s great because the lights are on and it’s much easier to take photos that don’t look like they’re undersea. Why are the lights so darned dim for these garden shows, anyway?

This year’s Seattle show succeeded in inspiring thousands of visitors – me included. Of course, you can’t help responding to the sight, color and scent of daffodils, tulips, and spring flowering shrubs, all pressed into bloom a couple of months early. But I find the Seattle show is especially good at providing actual design inspiration. Every year, there are about a dozen small vignettes in the bright corridor between the two main exhibition halls, at least a couple of which are dreamy enough to inspire admiring crowds of visitors to stand gawking (and blocking the passage).

The display gardens always include a few truly inspiring arrangements and this year, as in the past, I found some knock-out examples of container plantings and even some plants I hadn’t seen before. (Judith Jones’ Fancy Fronds Nursery in Gold Bar, WA presented some great ferns from her collection that I’d never seen except in books.) And there were some creative, thoughtfully presented demonstration gardens that looked like real gardens, not plants stuck in bark dust, including the gold medal winner garden called Birdsong, created by the Washington Park Arboretum and Seattle Audubon.

Check out the slide show to see some of the most inspiring images from this year’s show!

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Garden Show Season Is Here!

two successive weekends of garden shows coming up!

Posted by: Kate Bryant on Feb 01, 2012 at 10:55AM 2 Comments

We’re just a week away from garden show season in the Pacific Northwest. Fellow gardeners, that means spring is near!

Both the Seattle and the Portland show have been getting better every year. This year, there are enough great speakers at both shows to make spending the whole weekend totally worthwhile. Add the local and regional plant vendors (and garden tools and art), the demos and the display gardens (getting better all the time) and you might as well set aside other plans, grab some friends and head on over.

The season kicks off with the Seattle Flower & Garden Show, February 8-12, 2012.

WHAT: 2012 NW Flower and Garden Show

WHEN: Wed Feb 8 through Sunday Feb 12, 2012. Hours Wed to Sat, 9 am to 8 pm; Sunday 9 am to 6 pm.

WHERE: Washington State Convention & Trade Center at 7th and Pike Streets in downtown Seattle, WA

HIGHLIGHTS: Dozens of superb seminars featuring such speakers as Marta Stewart Living’s editor Stephen Orr and Fine Gardening Magazine’s editor Steve Aitken, author and plant collector Dan Hinkley and many more, as well as a “funky junk” area, display gardens, and regional vendors selling plant, seed, tools and garden decor.

COST: One-day Earlybird ticket (purchased before midnight, Feb 7) is $16. Purchase online, by phone and at these Washington nursery outlets. Regular price at the door: $20. Discounts and other pricing options available here. Kids 12 and under get in free.

The seminar schedule (the best part of the show!) can be found here

The following weekend is Portland’s own Yard, Garden & Patio Show at the Oregon Convention Center:

WHAT: The 2012 Yard, Garden & Patio Show.

WHEN: Fri Feb 17 to Sun Feb 19. Hours Fri and Sat, 10 am to 7:30 pm; Sun 10 am to 5 pm.

WHERE: Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE MLK, Jr. Blvd., Portland, OR 97232

HIGHLIGHTS: This year’s speaker highlights include celebrity landscaper Ahmed Hassan of the DIY Network, Sean Hogan of Cistus Design Nursery, Seattle garden writer and journalist Val Easton, and Mr. Sadafumi Uchiyama, Curator of the Portland Japanese Garden.

Other features include the showcase gardens (theme: Seven Gardens of the World); the Cracked Pots art sale, the Incredible Edible display garden, small garden vignette displays, and of course, music and an Oregon wine bar.

COST: Admission to the show is $12, although a limited number of discounts tickets ($7) are available at Show sponsors’ Dennis’ 7 Dees retail locations. Kids 12 and under get in free. And this year, the seminars are all free – arrive early to get a seat!

Find details on the seminar schedule here.

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