When I was invited to an open garden today in Williamsburg I was not sure what to expect. My Sundays are very sacred to me, and if asked to share I can get a little snippy. However, what I would find would not only rejuvenate my senses, it would test me, it would lead me to new knowledge and new friends. Ricci's backyard was like a horticulturists dream come true. Found objects, reclaimed objects, plants, a love of bulbs and tubers, a love of winter and spring blooms, near obsession with pruning of woody species, I tell you this garden was rich with it all. I had always wanted to know how bloodroot (
Sanguinaria canadensis) might do in a backyard here in the city. I found clumps of them everywhere and Ricci was sure to point out the 'Multiplex' back by the Ailanthus.
Fritillaria meleagris brings me right back to horticulture school for some unknown reason. Part of a spring bulbs class I first saw this plant and couldn't get it out of my head. It was one of the first flowers to pop out at me when I entered the garden this afternoon and I kept going back on it. The detail of the petals, the shape of the large nodding lantern, the fact that they are enchanting little loners in the garden. I love Fritillaria...
...well, almost as much as I love Trillium. And so funny that I posted the Trillium blog not even a week ago. Guess I really have been missing the natives and the woodland gardens a lot recently. My mind was spinning as I was trying to remember the names of so many old friends. And at the same time so great to meet new friends and geek out with Ricci and Caroline talking about plant names and garden experiences and the genius edification that comes with life as a horticulturist or garden enthusiast.
For instance I don't think I had ever seen this plant before. Ricci called it a blue eye, a Cerulea of some kind, but I wasn't sure there was such a plant. I came home and did some research and found no Cerulea in my books. But I did find another plant which I think this guy might be.
Tulipa humilis comes in many varieties now and I think this must be one of them. It only stood 4-6 inches tall, and as the skies clouded over and it got cooler the flower closed up. I couldn't get the clearest shot of the center, but the white petals and dark blue, almost black center made it such a striking little flower.
And then there were the plant combinations! Usually I am screaming about Vinca, the invasive introduced groundcover people fondly refer to as periwinkle. I see it everywhere and it makes me crazy. But here it was combined with a perennial Sedum, (perhaps 'Angelina'?), and the combination blew my mind. Apparently in tight troughs the Sedum is able to keep tabs on the Vinca and the look was one I will definitely remember for when we finally have more containers and space.
Another new one was this Iris. I am still trying to identify it. Ricci said the name and it went quickly in one ear and out the other. It was planted inter-mixed with the variegated Yucca below and the combination was once again very smart and logical. Of course add green and dark purple flowers with a favorite perennial and it's hard for me not to be in love. Yucca is a native that I love to try and incorporate into garden designs. It has year-round structure and can be combined with anything from hot tropicals to cool ephemerals. I was reminded of the Western Garden at Garden in the Woods up in Framingham, MA, and the combo of Yucca and California poppy that would stop people dead in their tracks. It is great to take the small, almost whimsical flowers with unique color or shape and scatter them in with these big spiky fellows. People think the Iris is the Yucca flower and then the Yucca blooms and people don't know what the hell that massive spiky blossom is and you have to explain that
that is the Yucca. Oh geez, the confusion us simple gardeners get to create for the rest of the world, I think it's hysterical!
But either way, whether "in the know" or not, gardens and green does have an inherent healing property. Like I said, I wasn't sure what to expect today. But the gardens and the good company and the space full of shape, structure, and flower, it was very calming and centering.
A few months ago I was at work and got a call from a reporter in Poughkeepsie. She was asking about the healing properties of gardens and we got talking about the topic of horticultural therapy. The other night I found that Stephanie had written and posted her piece. For paraphrasing a very long conversation we had about the deep and detailed history of this idea of horticulture as therapy, I was happy with how she quoted me. If you would like to check out the article, check out this link to the
Poughkeepsie Journal.On to dinner making and bad TV for us. Hope you all had a good weekend. Cheers.
I always have a blast this time of year returning to Brooklyn Botanic Garden for another year of Plant-O-Rama, the Metro Hort tradeshow now in it's 16th year. It's a chance to reunite with old friends, connect with new ones, sit in on fabulous lectures and panel discussions, and enjoy celebrating the horticultural lives we lead. This year I was thrilled to finally get to see and listen to Michael Dirr, the national treasure as far as woody trees and shrubs. And even more we get to enjoy all of this over the course of a very fun, relaxed day on the grounds of a magnificent botanic garden. It's so good to visit with my colleagues who are now really the best of the best in my opinion, like Dennis Schrader from Landcraft Environments, Jim from Glover Perennials, and Erika Hanson from Anthropek Gardens, just to name a few. But it is a busy day of passing cards and networking so one of the best parts for me is taking a break from it all and being able to walk the grounds and revisit the trees I love, tended to by my BBG's sensational Arborists, Chris and Travis. Walking in with the morning sun this Crimean linden was really speaking to me so it became the shot of the day.
