Trying to Beat the Winter Blues

It’s still winter. It’s still cold. And we have finally been getting the snow they had predicted we would get this year, although granted, NOTHING compared to last year. But boy, this cold. This bitter, bone-chilling, breath-taking cold. It is completely unbearable to me. I can’t imagine having tons of snow on top of that like they have had in Boston and other New England areas. We have a distant relative who lives in Maine who sent photos of the many feet of snow surrounding their house and I said I would’ve died by now from cold and snow. You would’ve found me buried in a snow drift frozen to the bone. Thank goodness we haven’t had to deal with that. Waking up to a 1 degree temp with wind chills below zero is hard enough for me to deal with – even with the three layers of clothes I seem to have to wear every day just to feel comfortable. When will it end?

Despite this incredible cold (sixth coldest winter on record, I heard), I still see plenty of birds at the bird feeders. Shouldn’t you guys have gone south for the winter? None in this photo, but trust me, I have seen as many as 20 birds at one time all vying for a bite to eat.

Even my garden statue, Winnie, wishes she had gone south for the winter so she wasn’t wearing a snow-cap like she has been lately.

Surprisingly, I still see tracks from my neighbor’s cats throughout the yard. It is interesting that even with the snow on the ground, they still seem to follow the path through the garden.

So how does a gardener get through a miserably cold, gray, drab winter like this? We think SPRING! We look forward to when we can dig our trowels in rich soil, plant our seeds, and watch them grow. We dream of all the marvelous veggies we can grow this year, and might even contemplate trying Brussels Sprouts for the first time. There is warmth in dreaming. In planning my veggie garden this year, I came to a conclusion. I have decided to use as much organic seed as possible. Why? Well, I garden organically so it seems like organic seeds would be more adapted to that since they come from plants that were grown organically. Plus, it is just one more thing I can do to help the environment – less chemicals means a happier environment (not to mention it helps our oh-so-important-pollinators). Hudson Vally Seed Library is one source I have used in the past and will use this year, as well. It certainly helps that I love their Art Packs packaging, too. I AM a sucker for pretty packages. Seeds of Change and Seed Savers Exchange are two others I am looking at using this year.

Ha! Sorry about some of the upside down seed packets in that shot. Must have been tipsy when I took that. :o)

This gardener also looks for other ways to scratch that gardening itch this time of the year. That’s where garden classes come in handy. I took a class on Crevice Gardening at Longwood Gardens recently. They have such awesome classes and I was looking to learn more about alpine plants. Oh what fun putting on the garden gloves and playing in the soil for a day.

If you don’t know what Crevice Gardening is, well it is basically a type of rock garden where you grow plants in between vertical slats of stone. Longwood Gardens is working on restoring their fountains and some of the rocks in this planter (the lighter colored ones) are pieces from the fountains that couldn’t be used in the restoration. We had a choice of using a container made from the pieces from the fountains or a lighter weight one, and I would’ve loved to have used the one constructed from the fountain pieces, but it was well over a 100 pounds even before planted and well, after three elbow problems and a rotator cuff issue, I like to hope I learned my lesson about trying to lift more than I should. So I stuck with the lighter weight container. I would love to tell you what plants are in here, other than the obvious Hens and Chicks, but the plant tags are stuck inside the container, which is currently outside in the snow. However, I did cover it with plastic – to protect not just the plants, but the container as well, from freezing in this drastic cold. They are all plants that don’t require a lot of space or nutrients to grow and should fill in. We shall see how it does. If you are interested in learning how to create a Crevice Garden, you can check out a video by a lovely-sounding British lady wearing Wellingtons named Christine Pritchard on YouTube.

Soon I will be at Longwood Gardens again, this time for a class on Kokedama (hanging string gardens). Soooooo looking forward to that. Google it to see what they look like. Just found a YouTube video on that, too.

Another way I am combating the winter blues if by tending to the greenhouse plants and creating some air plant containers, like this one I put together in a jar and have sitting in the kitchen window. I saw this red air plant at the Longwood Gardens gift shop and fell in love with the color. I already had the jar at home, as well as gravel, moss and tiny little pinecones.

Next on the “Beat the Winter Blues List,” the Philadelphia Flower Show. Although I have a beef with this year’s show. It has been advertised as “Celebrate the Movies.” It wasn’t until I went to their website that I saw it isn’t movies in general, it is Disney and Disney Pixar movies. Really??? Why didn’t you call it “Celebrate Disney and Pixar Movies” then? I’m feeling slighted and I haven’t even seen it yet. I will try to reserve my judgment until AFTER I have seen it, though. It does seem like false, or at the very least misleading, advertisement to me, though. The flower show is always a treat for me and I feel lucky to have such a wonderful show within easy driving (or train ride) distance, so I will try not to complain.

While I wish for winter’s end and hope for those sprouting spring seedlings, I know I’m not quite ready yet. Been way too busy with homework for my evening web design classes, plus extra work at my day job that keeps me way too occupied and fries my brain. Still working out my kitchen garden plan for this year, still figuring out what other seeds to buy. Must get on that because spring will be here before we know it. Oh spring, how I love thee.

The 2013 Philadelphia Flower Show: Living Up to the Hype

Was “Brilliant!” truly brilliant? Yes, I do believe it was. There definitely was some creative interpretations of the British theme. Unfortunately, you won’t see any photos in this post. I get so annoyed by all the people standing in the way taking photos that I refuse to be one of those people. Besides, I would rather just look, enjoy, and absorb everything. I bring a notebook every year to jot down ideas, but no photo taking happening here. If you want to see some snaps, check out the Green Philly Blog or the Philadelphia Horticultural Society’s facebook page.

As you enter the show this year, you go through the giant royal gates and see a long allée of birch trees that leads to a huge Big Ben clock. Every so often the clock, which is a video screen, changes to a video that shows all sorts of pop culture icons/celebrities of England while playing the Beatles, Rolling Stones, etc. The flower show has gotten a little more “techy” the last couple of years with these kind of things.

Main exhibitors of special note: 

• Schaffer Designs: Kudos to these floral designers for thinking outside the box with their Jack the Ripper theme. Normally floral designers like to do over-the-top, pretty things. These guys showed us just how creative and SPOOKY floral design can be. A wall of roses with a bed made out of thorns, hand sculptures protruding from a wall holding red thread with clematis climbing up it, dried red roses hanging from a ceiling, and more...all with dark, dramatic lighting and a man shouting out newspaper headlines about Jack the Ripper. Who knew flowers could be so creepy. Seriously, one of my favorite exhibits. Definitely check out this video of their exhibit. It doesn’t do it the same justice as seeing it in person, but gives a general idea of it.

• EP Henry: A traditional landscape with stone arches, a fountain pool, and of course, EP Henry paving. The surprise here was if you looked closely at the statues framed by the arches, you would see that the one in the middle was not a statue at all, but a living person – skin and clothes all white – moving slowly from one pose to another. Must be a tough gig to look like a statue. She did a great job. I didn’t even realize she was a real person at first.

• J. Downend Landscaping: A cricket theme with a cricket shed and statue of a cricket player in a nicely designed traditional garden setting. They have some photos on their facebook page.

• Waldor Orchids: I liked the theme of the orchid hunter in the Amazon. Victorian England was obsessed with orchid collecting, so much so that it was referred to as Orchidelirium.

• The American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD): Seriously fantastic interpretation of the crown jewels. A throne of roses with a crown made of flowers sitting on it, various jewels and crown jewels interpreted in flowers along with glass jewels, so realistic and so well done. AIFD does a great job every year, but I was really bowled over with their exhibit this year. They have some photos of the exhibit on their facebook page.

Smaller exhibitors of special note:

• The four exhibitors that did the Kitchen Garden competition were all very well done. I especially liked the “Enchanted Evening Elixirs” by the Elverson Garden Club.

• All four of the exhibitors that did the Entryways competition blew me away. They were so well done that I would’ve had a hard time picking first, second, and third place. The theme was Brit Lit and the literature represented was “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” (whimsical and dreamy) “Pride and Prejudice,” “Dracula,” (spooky with bat shapes for plant markers) and Beatrix Potter’s “Peter Rabbit” (with rabbit shaped plant markers, Peter Rabbit’s blue coat, and Mr. McGregor’s vegetable garden). Dracula was the winner.

• My mom knows some ladies in the Moorestown Garden Club, but that isn’t why I’m highlighting them. They did a fabulous job of interpreting Douglas Adam’s “A Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy,” with a stone wall with books mixed in, a purple alien foot print, the books as garden bed edging, and other little hints that you would only pick up on if you had read the book.

• Petals Lane, Inc: Petals Lane did a superb job creating the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party setting from “Alice in Wonderland,” complete with a fanciful table setting, mushrooms made of fabric and mums, and sculptures of Alice, the rabbit, and the Mad Hatter. Check out the photos of the exhibit that they posted on their blog.

•  Delaware Valley Collage: DVC did a creative and well-thought-out exhibit about invasive plants using a Sherlock Holmes mystery theme. Their website describes it best: DelVal’s exhibit, “Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of Dr. Black’s Garden,” allows participants to play detective. Participants have a chance to help Sherlock indentify species of invasive plants and insects that may surround their own homes. Part of the display is a tunnel or “garden of death” with black lights that participants can walk through.  The tunnel highlights different invasive species, which glow under the lights.

I always have to stop by to see the work of the Philadelphia Society of Botanical Illustrators. I was really impressed with the level of quality in almost all of the pieces this year. Judy Simon in particular had some great work, as well as many others. Here’s a link to the illustrations that were included in the show.

The area where they showcase individual plants loving cared for by eager entrants was redone this year to highlight these plants and show them in their best light. It is called Hamilton Horticourt, named after Mrs. Samuel M.V. Hamilton, who has been a flower show participant since 1984 and gave a $1 million gift to make the new display happen. It is well-lit and stages the individual plants beautifully.

Somewhat of a disappointment this year was Michael Petrie’s exhibit. Don’t tell him I said that because I’m a big fan. His focus was more on the copper sculptures and less on the floral elements/landscape. 

My mom, older sister, and I spent four hours at the flower show. That’s a lot of standing/walkind and can often lead to what I call “visual overload.” Really, there is only SO much one can look at in the space of so many hours. As always, I wish it wasn’t so expensive so that I could go back to see the few things we missed and frequent more of the vendors. We are always so exhausted by the time we get to the vendors that we don’t spend a lot of time there. Some vendors who got my business this year: Twig Terrariums and Hudson Valley Seed Library.

Bottom line: The 2013 Philadelphia Flower Show is “Brilliant!” and worth a visit. AND the money goes to a worthwhile organization, The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and their great programs.

It’s Going to be Brilliant!

 

The Philadelphia Flower Show starts next weekend and you better believe I’ll be checking it out, as usual. It’s called “Brilliant!” because the theme this year is England. (Brian’s mom is from England, so she’s pretty excited about it.) It’s always interesting to see what the exhibitors do with the theme. Some of the major exhibitors I’ll be looking forward to checking out will be Michael Petrie’s Handmade Gardens (the man responsible for Styer’s innovative displays several years ago), Stoney Bank Nurseries, and Robertson’s Fowers who always do a great job. I also look forward to seeing what the Philadelphia Society of Botanical Illustrators has on display this year.

My mom and I always go to the show together and are pretty exhausted by the time we reach the vendor area, so I like to make a short list of vendors I plan to hit. On this year’s list: Jerry Fritz’s Linden Hill Gardens (for unusual plants - I hope to visit this garden at some point this year), Triple Oaks Nursery and Herb Garden (another place I have yet to go to, but want to check out this year), Twig Terrariums (terrarium supplies and miniatures to decorate them), La Contessa (nature-inspired jewelry), and ArizonaEast (cactus and succulents).

I am gosh-darn lucky to live so close to where the largest indoor flower show in the world is held. It’s one of the many things I love about Philadelphia. Every year I end up wishing I could play hooky from work one day just to go back and see everything I didn’t get a chance to see the first time, attend some of the lectures, and visit more of the vendors. I’m sure I will feel that way again. One of these years I should just take that day off from work! (Shhh, don’t tell my boss.)

Philadelphia Flower Show Fever

I look forward to the Philadelphia Flower Show every year. It brings a splash of color to what is usually a drab winter, heralding the beginning of spring. It’s one of those things that my mom and I like to do together. We like to discuss the exhibits and what we like or don’t like about them. I always go equipped with a small notebook and pen to jot down new plant names or ideas. Surprisingly, I am not one of those people who bring a camera, though. Those are the people that get on my nerves! They’re standing there trying to get the best shot while everyone’s waiting for them to move out of the way. That is the big disadvantage of the flower show — it can be very, very crowded. So crowded sometimes that it’s hard to see the exhibits. I am a member of the Philadelphia Horticultural Society, have been for years, but I’ve found the member’s previews are no longer the best time to go. Just too many people anymore.

It is impossible to see everything at the flower show. Maybe if you had an entire free day you could do it — although you’d probably suffer from what I like to call “visual overload” and fry your brain. I really wish you could go back another day to see what you weren’t able to see the first time. I would love to attend some of the lectures, yet I never seem to have the time. I always make time for the main exhibits and smaller exhibits, like the front porch and window box displays. I also make time to see the work by the very talented Philadelphia Society of Botanical Illustrators. Then of course there’s the huge amount of vendors, which I’m always too exhausted to really spend much time perusing. I like to check out the vendor list online ahead of time so I know if there are any specific ones I want to visit. This year I know I want to stop at La Contessa’s booth. She has lovely handmade jewelry. Some of it is too big and bulky for my taste, but the smaller pieces are gorgeous and one of these days I’m going to buy something. Last year it was so crowded I could barely get in the booth to see what was there. For a preview, check out her website: www.lacontessa.com. Another favorite vendor was Common Folk Herb Farm, with their wonderful handmade loose tea blends, however they stopped coming the past couple of years: http://www.commonfolkfarmherbs.com.

For many years my favorite exhibits were by Styer’s. The brain behind these exhibits up until 2008 was Michael Petrie. Mr. Petrie is truly an out-of-the-box thinker. His exhibits have that “wow” factor and tend to stick in your memory. I had the pleasure of hearing him give a short talk on his approach to gardening at Longwood Gardens. The all day “symposium” was called “Ideas for Impact” and featured four great speakers. What struck me about Michael Petrie was his rules-busting approach: don’t do what you think you’re supposed to do, what is typical or expected of a garden, or what you read in books — instead, do what you want. Who cares if other people don’t like it, it’s only important that you like it. Your garden should speak TO you and ABOUT you. Really look at things and look at them differently. Imagine what they could be, not what they are at first glance. Be creative and have fun. His exhibits do just that. Some memorable Styer’s exhibits:

• In 2007 he did a prehistoric garden, complete with dinosaurs and a smoke-filled bog.

• In 1998 he used colorfully painted gardening tools to create whimsical sculptures.

• In 1997 the exhibit incorporated tires, of all things, to create planters and sculptures.

• One of my absolute favorite exhibits was in 1995 when he used various sized pots and pieces of pots to create a magical display.

No, my memory is not as good as that. I didn’t remember the years, although I do remember the exhibits. I cheated and looked at Mr. Petrie’s website: http://www.handmadegardens.net/handmade/Flower_Show_Exhibits.html. In 2008 Michael Petrie formed his own company called Handmade Gardens. He still displays at the flower show and his work is still remarkable. However, I hate to say it, his best work was when he was with Styer’s. Boy, I hope he never reads this. Yeh, like that would happen. No one reads this! Not even my mom!

This year’s Philadelphia Flower Show theme is Hawaii. It runs March 4-11. I’m looking forward to seeing what the exhibitors do with that. I’m expecting a lot of tropical plants, which will be fun to see. Check out the flower show website for more information: www.theflowershow.com. For a sneak peak, ABC will be airing their usual flower show preview this Saturday at 7pm.