If you have never been to the Hampton Court Flower Show or other iconic English gardens, read on if you want to check this off on your bucket list. For a full rundown on my recent trip to the Chelsea Flower Show, and gardens in the Cotswolds and Wales, you need to check out my post.
At the 2018 Chelsea Flower Show
Sussex, Norfolk, Kent, Essex, and Suffolk, have some of the most beautiful and famous gardens of England, and you owe yourself a trip there. If you are serious about things of a horticultural nature, then look no further than my upcoming tour of Hampton Court Flower Show & English Garden tour. The English know how to garden, and for them it is a blood sport when they display at garden shows. And we have a full day at the Hampton Court Flower Show on Royal Horticultural Society members day only. That means less crowds to deal with!
A beautiful bee hive surrounded by lavender at Chelsea Flower Show
Starting with the Hampton Court Flower Show which is the largest of its kind in the world, we travel to Kent, the ‘Garden of England’, to visit Chartwell, the family home of Sir Winston Churchill. Pictures, books and personal mementoes evoke the career and wide-ranging interests of this great statesman, writer, painter and family man, while the hillside gardens reflect Churchill’s love of the landscape and nature. You may be able to spot the black swans that have been there since Churchill’s time.
Chartwell, photo by Amy SparwasserChartwell, photo by Amy SparwasserChartwell in Autumn, photo by Amy SparwasserBlack swans at Chartwell
Sussex, Kent, Norfolk, and Surrey are a treasure trove of beautiful stately gardens surrounding grand estates, some like Leonardslee Lake & Gardens that has roaming wallabies and a one of a kind miniature/dollhouse exhibit. Closed for many years for a major renovation, Leonardslee is open for the first time in many years, and I can’t wait to tour it.
Great Dixter is one of my favorite gardens included, the garden of the late plantsman Christopher Lloyd. So many containers are packed into this garden, the containers become a huge feature. The flower filled borders are some of the prettiest in England.
Poppies blooming at Great DixterContainers at Great DixterThe home of Christopher Lloyd at Great DixterThe White Garden at SissinghurstSissinghurst
Many other iconic gardens are included with a total of 14 gardens, Ely Cathedral, Sutton Hoo archaeological site and a nature boat trip down the Norfolk Broads to see the countryside. Also an afternoon cream tea at the famous at the famous Essex Rose Tea House is included- a lot to pack in for 10 days!
My tours are for small groups, are all by coach and we stay at 4 star hotels. I have a wonderful tour guide who has been with me for four tours and makes all of our visits a delight and very informative. We have a lot of fun exploring medieval towns and the countryside and experience England’s centuries-old fascination with gardening.
For a full itinerary with pricing, go to my Trips page. Here’s the flyer:
Garden Designmagazine known for its in-depth articles and awesome images has a clean and easy to read design, free of ads. Over the years, I have started and stopped my subscriptions to different gardening magazines, but I will never give up this one. I don’t review many print publications, but I felt that this one richly deserved to be recognized. Not available at the grocery check out line, it is primarily available by subscription. But if you are interested in nature, ecology, cooking, design, gardening, traveling or simply beautiful images, this would be the magazine for you. With 132 pages, there is plenty of space to cover diverse subjects that would appeal to amateur as well as professional gardeners. Most garden magazines have brief articles and I often crave more. In Garden Design, the articles can run 10 to 12 pages long to really get an in-depth look.
Hydrangea picture from Garden Design magazine by Ngoc Minh Ngo
Plant Portraits
What flower can reach 12″ across and up to 18″ long? That is Hydrangeas’ main claim to fame, according to Garden Design article ‘Old Reliable, New Tricks’. The commonly asked questions of how to prune and change hydrangea color is demystified in this informative article. These two questions are asked by many enthusiastic gardeners as there are so many different varieties and treatments for each particular kind.
Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’ is beloved for good reason. Its huge white flower heads—8 to 12 inches across—grace shrubs for 2 months in summer. Zones 3-9 Photo by GAP Photos/Friedrich StraussA costly one hundred pound bouquet of hydrangeas at a flower shop in London- photo Claire Jones
Using Garden Design magazine as a great design resource, and also for stellar articles on plants, containers, and pollinators, it is always sitting on my desk. More like an add-free soft bound book, I welcome it to my house every season for eye catching photos of gardens, design ideas, and great plant selections. Printed every three months, I am not deluged with monthly issues but instead have a seasonal reference at my fingertips.
Design
The design posts will make your mouth water with all the delicious combinations of plants and good design components. My design of a healing labyrinth made the on-line Garden Design magazine when the magazine went on a brief print hiatus a few years ago. The magazine came back stronger than before chock full of garden inspiration.
My design of a labyrinth made the on-line Garden Design, photo Claire JonesA beautifully designed water wise courtyard located in Spain is my favorite photo in the current issue of Garden Design, photo by Claire Takacs
And the article by Janet Loughrey, ‘Spanish Lessons’, highlighted three Mediterranean landscapes that show the best of waterwise design. I drooled over these images!
Garden Travel
Visiting different gardens is also covered and Pennsylvania’s Longwood Gardens is featured in the latest issue because of the fantastic new fountain show. Perfect timing, as I am visiting it this weekend.
Longwood Gardens new fountain display-photo Longwood Gardens
Another mentioned event that I would love to go to is the Swan Island Annual Dahlia Festival. Located in Oregon, strolling and ogling 40 acres of dahlias in full bloom is my idea of a good day. I’ll make it there someday.
Dahlias come in a huge array of colors and types and are one of my favorite flowers for arranging-photo Claire JonesA container with Cafe Au Lait dahlias-photo Claire Jones
Ecology
Box Turtles were featured in an article by Doug Tallamy-photo Amy Sparwasser
A find of a box turtle is always happy but all too rare, and the article by Doug Tallamy explained why. Habitat fragmentation is the main culprit that has placed this species on the Threatened Species list as “vulnerable”. Fulfilling the important job of seed dispersal, Tallamy gave pointers on encouraging these great little natives. Exceeding 100 years old if conditions are right, I learned how to make my property better suited to the colorful turtles.
Tools
Rain wand by Dramm-photo Claire Jones
After doing my post on Watering Like a Pro, reviewing Dramm products like ColorStorm hoses and Rain Wands, the current article about watering tools in Garden Design “elevated this perennial garden task into a real pleasure”. Quality of your tools makes a huge difference in your garden enjoyment and reaffirmed my watering tool selection.
This laissez-faire beekeeper makes sure his bees have plenty of blooms, photo by Meg Smith
Pollinators
As a beekeeper, I appreciated the article ‘Darwin’s Beekeeper’. Letting nature take its course reflects my policy on beekeeping perfectly. And the foldout on pollinators is pretty enough to be framed. The progression from early to late bloomers is essential information and includes both tree/shrubs, and perennials. Go to my post on Pollinators for more information on what plants to select to attract a wealth of winged beasts to your property- and keep them coming back!
A great reference chart for any gardener-photo Garden DesignBurr comb on one of my bee hives-this is laissez faire beekeeping! photo Claire Jones
Great Gardens Across America
A woodsy garden entryway located in Whidbey Island, WA, photo by ClaireTakacs
Probably one of my favorite sections is Great Gardens Across America. Showcasing gardens anywhere in the country, the stories and material and plant selections are always interesting to me as a garden designer.
Front cover of the current issue of Garden Design
No matter what zone or coast you live in and what type of nature lover you are, you will find inspiration from this magazine.
Full disclosure: Garden Design magazine is not paying me for this review!
‘Step Into The Med’ themed booth by Marks and Spencer won the gold this year
Chelsea Flower Show History
A veteran of many flower shows in the U.S., I was excited to attend my first ever Chelsea Flower Show in London, a rite of passage for any serious garden lover. On a hot sunny day, not English-like at all!, and not knowing what to expect, I was surprised to find that a good part of this prestigious show is held outside on the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea for WWII war veterans in central London. Bigger than any garden show in America, it encompasses over 11 acres of displays, garden landscapes, rare plants, sculpture, food courts, floral arrangements, vendors selling garden paraphernalia, music and much, much more. Tickets for a full day goes for 100 pounds ($128) and sell out months before opening. Hosting a group of 29 other garden enthusiasts on a trip from the U.S., I bought all our tickets by January. Scalpers were selling tickets for 500 pounds or more. After entering, my group of gardening friends quickly scattered and hit the ground running to see everything.
‘Gateway to the Garden Safari’entrance to the Flower Show
Only about a third of the show is undercover, held in the “Great Pavilion” and the floral arrangement competitions are also staged in a studio building, held there since 1913.
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) puts on the show and on their website; “The RHS Chelsea Flower Show, sponsored by M&G Investments, is the place to see cutting-edge garden design, new plants and find ideas to take home”. It is very English and brilliantly garden mad! Gardening displays are over the top and crowds of people wanted to see it all and pushed and shoved like I have never experienced at a garden show before. Disappointed that gnomes were frowned upon, I learned that they were allowed for the first time in 2013, and could only make an appearance for that one year. The RHS site claims “gnomes detract from the presentation of the plants or products on display, and from the general appearance of the show”.
Waiting in line for the opening with fellow travelers with the hospital in the background
After entering and being bombarded with plants, people, and booths selling Pimms everywhere, the one flower that shouted out to me was lupins. The English are mad for lupins and they were in almost every show garden. If only we could grow them here! I get a few blooms but nothing like the towering vibrant blooms that I saw at the show.
Many plants attract bees that are staged outside. Bumblebee is collecting nectar and pollen from a bicolor lupin in a show garden
Sarah Raven
As a garden designer, I wasn’t impressed with the show garden designs except for one (Sarah Raven’s) and was fascinated with the stellar new and not so new plants that were on display in the Great Pavilion. Purple Alliums, bronze Verbascums, red Lysimachias, Geums, Iris, Dahlias, Lilies, and Lupin in every hue were on display everywhere and the predominant color palette was gold to bronzey orange, wine red, and purples. In Sarah Raven’s garden, these colors took center stage to create a winning combination of textures and cottage style abundance. Overflowing with exuberance, this was the kind of garden that I came to see!
Purple alliums and bronze geums and calendulas were on display in Sarah Raven’s gardenOrange lupins in Sarah Raven’s show gardenStill life at Saran Raven’s exhibit
Sarah Raven is an English garden celebrity who is also a cook, writer and television presenter and I really admired her garden sponsored by The Anneka Rice Colour Cutting Garden. According to the Chelsea website, “Every square inch of space will give you flowers, flowers and more flowers. The garden is inspired by Tricia Guild’s renowned use of colour in her designs. It is a profusion of colour that will be an amazing sight and concentrates on plants that cut and come out again. Gold, the colour for 50th Wedding Anniversaries, features in this garden to celebrate 50 years of BBC Radio 2″. Adjectives used in the publicity were “zingy colours” “patchwork of flowers”, “diaphanous planting”, “textural planting”, and “cornucopia of colour”. I agreed! It was stunning. A sighting of Sarah at her booth thrilled me and she graciously allowed me to enter the garden to take her picture.
Sarah Raven in her garden at Chelsea
For more information about Sarah and the creation of the garden go to her website. Next trip to England, I plan on going to her garden at Perch Hill!
Stunning gold Verbascum ‘Clementine’
One of my predictions for upcoming gardening trends was the color gold and I saw it everywhere at Chelsea. My favorite was the gold Verbascum ‘Clementine’, used in Sarah’s garden.
The Potato Story
Thompson and Morgan potato exhibit won a gold this year, photo courtesy of Darlene Wells
Potatoes???? One of the most unusual exhibits in the Great Pavilion was Thompson & Morgan Seed company’s potato exhibit which won a gold award in 2015, 2016, and 2017! Displaying 154 varieties, the exhibit highlighted the diversity of one of England’s favorite vegetables. Most varieties came from designers Morrice’s and Ann’s personal collection of over 500 varieties, including a historical European one which was taken to New Zealand by Captain James Cook in the 1770s. In the collection are also modern varieties like the high-yielding salad potato, Jazzy. Morrice and Ann of Aberdeen Scotland worked with Thompson & Morgan potato expert Colin Randel to bring home the gold spud this year!
Trade Spaces
A shortage of high-profile show gardens (8 from the usual dozen) attributed to lack of corporate funding, meant that there were more trade booths or nurseries in the Great Pavilion and outdoors which actively encourage people to enter, touch and feel. An improvement in my view, because you are kept at arm’s length for the big show gardens, trying to muscle your way in front to catch a brief glimpse. I loved Pennard Plants exhibit which exhibited how to grow veggies in small spaces. They actually sell Burpee to the English market. Merlin cucumber was awesome!
Merlin cucumber at Pennard PlantsPennard Plants exhibit displayed small-scale veggies in containersLovely Iris in Great PavilionStunning display of delphiniums and tuberous begonias in Great PavilionDisplay of carnivorous plantsI never knew there were so many varieties of Allium!
Alliums were everywhere in abundance. Virtually every garden I visited on my trip had drifts of Alliums and we can grow them just fine! I know what will be on my bulb order list for next year.
Animals covered in Easigrass, a synthetic life-like grassPlant Lust- Some of these new Clematis varieties are not available in the U.S. yetTricollet Daffodil is on my “to-buy” listOn my list also for next year
Show Gardens
The M & G Garden, the sponsor of the entire show, inspired by an abandoned Maltese quarry
Featuring monumental blocks of limestone planted with grasses, evergreens, and perennials unique to Malta, I was underwhelmed by the main M & G show garden. Malta’s ecological sustainability principles were the intent but I moved on to more interesting pieces. Featuring large show gardens on the main drag of Royal Hospital Way, these drew crowds of excited jostling people. My favorite was the Silk Road Garden, Chengdu, China. Inspired by Kyoto emperors of Japan, colors and textures abounded and overflowed in this garden.
The Silk Road show garden
Primulas, geum, and rhododendrons made the Silk Road garden beautiful‘Welcome to Yorkshire’ -another show garden
Great Pavilion
The show’s Great Pavilion, a 12,000 sq meter enclosure, featuring more than 100 exhibits from the world’s best nurseries, growers and florists was the most interesting feature of the show for me.
Southfield Nurseries display of blooming cactusFor 399 pounds you can have this dish garden delivered and set up with all the listed plants
Displaying the newest plants and products, the RHS Chelsea Garden Product of the Year and the RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year, I spent a lot of time browsing the aisles. PURE Greenhouse was the top product of the year. A beautiful seamless glass greenhouse that would elegantly fit into any garden.
PURE, a seamless stylish glass greenhouseRunner up for product of the year- a self watering enclosed raised bed for growing veg
My personal favorite product which I brought home with me was Burgon & Ball Ltd’s Hip Trug that clips to your belt for hands free picking of produce.
Wearable hip trug
The RHS Plant of the Year was given to a dwarf Mulberry ‘Charlotte Russe Matsunaga’, which has taken over 40 years for Japanese breeder Mr Matsunaga to create. A dwarf unique Mulberry Bush that is compact with tasty berries, fruiting over a long season. Coming in second was Salvia ‘Crystal Blue’ which I grow and love, and third was Hibiscus ‘Petit Orange’, a floriferous dwarf hibiscus with orange flowers with a red eye.
RHS plants of the year: Mulberry on left, Salvia on the bottom, and Hibiscus on top right
Artisan Gardens
On the woodsy serpentine walk outside, nine smaller innovative gardens were featured which I feel would appeal more to a serious but less experienced gardener. Showing just how creative it is possible to be in a smaller space, the artisan gardens were more interesting than most of the larger show gardens. The Poetry Lover’s Garden and The Gosho No Niwa No Wall, No War were my favorite. For the Poetry Lover’s Garden, a creation of a tranquil retreat to read poetry to the sound of water was striking. The plant materials selected were a mix of traditional and modern with a relaxed feel. Based on Coleridge’s poem This Lime Tree Bower My Prison, lime trees tower over abundant flowers in pale hues.
The Poetry Lover’s Garden
The Kyoto residence of Japanese Emperors inspired the Gosho No Niwa garden and displays the beauty and peaceful march of history of two millennia of the imperial family. Moss which looked so soft and touchable was a great feature.
Soft touchable moss is a wonderful feature of the Kyoto garden
Floral Design Studio
To view the best amateur flower arranger’s work, the studio is full of stunning floral designs which are open to National Association of Flower Arranging Society clubs and individuals from all over the world. Jane Belcher won the gold for her category “In Suspense” based on a piece of literature called The Birds.
Gold winning floral design by Jane Belcher of the UK
Amenities
Spending 10 hours exploring, snapping pictures, and shopping the latest garden products in the artisan studios was exhausting. To rest up, I stopped at the Wedgewood Tea Conservatory for a refreshing spot of tea, a quintessentially British tea experience. Trying different and exotic tea pairings, I browsed through the many offerings of tea selections curated by Wedgwood’s expert tea sommelier Bernadine Tay.
Wedgewood tea salonHuge bathrooms could handle the trafficMe and my sister taking a photo moment
I hear that the Hampton Court Garden Show in July is bigger and better. Another road trip I hope!
New ‘Autumn Fire’ encore Azalea; blooms twice a season
Attending the Mid Atlantic Nurseryman’s Show in Baltimore (MANTS) this past January is an intense glimpse into what is up and coming with the gardening industry. I took lots of pictures, trolled the aisles for new products, talked to people, and used my gardening savvy to figure out what is really brand new or recycled.
Chatting with Stephanie Cohen and my Mants partner Gretchen Schmidl at Walters Gardens at the MANTS show
Talking with Stephanie Cohen(The Perennial Diva!) she suggested to gardeners that they buy one or two of the plants that they want to try in their garden, before buying 50 of the same variety to cover an area. Only after making sure your choice of perennials are thriving, then feel free to plonk down money for more. I thoroughly agree with her! Garden conditions- drainage, soil, climate, location- are so variable that it doesn’t make sense to buy an untried perennial or shrub for your garden without first giving it a trial run. It is so easy to waste money in the nursery trade without first doing your homework and making sure that it is “right plant-right place”. There are just too many choices out there vying for your gardening dollar.
I loved this SuperBells ‘Tropical Sunrise’
Gardening trends ebb and flow like fashion crazes. “There is nothing new under the sun” could be applied to the gardening world but practices and products often are packaged and marketed differently to look new. Here are some movements that I see in the industry.
Greenery-Pantone Color of the Year
Doesn’t this container scream “Greenery”? No flowers needed
Pantone’s color of the year sets the tone for 2017- “Greenery”. It wasn’t that long ago (2013) that “Emerald” was the color of the year, so green has been trendy before. Pantone’s “Greenery” looks like a lime green to me and if that doesn’t convince you that the plant world is up and coming, nothing will. Think kale smoothies, retro metal gliders, or lime green crocs that are sitting in your closet- and you have the right color in mind. Our desire to reconnect with nature? Or a symbol of revitalization? Read whatever you want into that color, I think of shimmering foliage shades for a restful experience.
Hakone Grass ‘All Gold’ shows the Pantone color of the yearPantone ‘Greenery’ colored chairs match perfectlyMonarch chrysalis is the Pantone color of the year!
As Good as Gold
Gold has always been one of my favorite colors to design with and I see an uptick in golden introductions, like the one below called ‘Sunshine’. The Ligustrum leans toward the yellow end of the spectrum, the following Coral Bells are pure gold.
I admired this Proven Winners plant Ligustrum‘Caramel’ Heuchera is a villosa hybrid which performs like gangbusters for me, from Walters GardenHeucherella ‘Buttered Rum’, a Terra Nova intro is a new one that I am trying this year‘Golden Balcony’ Begonia from Longfield Gardens
New Plant Intros
The pace of new plant introductions has been increasing in the past five years at an exponential rate as more and more people are gardening and want more choices- namely dwarf plants. Virtually every full size plant has a newer dwarf variety that is at least half the size with as many or more flowers than the full size version. Neat and tidy is the name of the game and with so many dwarf introductions, it is hard to keep track of them. The plant industry is working hard on plants that fit into our downsized lifestyle and gardens. Plus, plants that normally bloom only once-like Azaleas, are reworked to bloom again and again so that we get a longer season of enjoyment.
Proven Winners Supertunia ‘Vista Bubblegum’
I was glad to see Proven Winner’s ‘Vista Bubblegum’ receive the accolade of Annual of the Year for 2017. Using this plant for at least 10 years and marveling at the toughness and beautiful form and color, I thought I was the only one who noticed! This is one plant that I make sure I buy enough for my containers and window boxes, as well as the landscape and can’t get enough of. A deserved recognition, I hope that it will now be easier to find.
Dwarf Hibiscus with full size flowers
Eat Your Spinach
Greens,beautiful greens! Dinosaur kale, collards, swiss chard, lettuce, arugula, spinach, mustard greens, carrot tops; you name it, someone is eating it and/or growing it! Chock full of good nutrients and easy to grow in the garden or in containers, greens are here to stay.
Having your greens ready to pick outside your doorstepRuffled kale grown in my gardenSpotted heirloom lettuce
And not just greens. Veganism is mainstream. No longer a niche group, vegan consumers desire a cleaner product, want to lose weight, and are environmentally conscious. Even if you aren’t a total vegan, people are incorporating more vegetables in their diet. My last trend report for 2016, Top 10 Garden Trends for 2016, included the cauliflower as the trendiest vegetable in the garden. I see it at the supermarket in pizza crusts, brownies, salads, and as a rice. As easy to grow as tomatoes, but more prone to pests, here is a guide to growing – Growing Cauliflower in Containers.
Cauliflower is being grown in home gardens because of its versatility in cooking
Home Grown Berries
Millennials especially are embracing this trend of eating and growing healthy in portable containers. Berry bushes, like the new Bushel and Berry series of berry bushes- dwarf blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries are appearing on decks and patios. As one of the Superfoods that everyone should include in your diet, people are incorporating these dwarf heavy bearing shrubs into their gardens and containers. I am trialing ‘Strawberry Shortcake’ Raspberry and looking for the ‘Perpetua’ Blueberry (2 harvests a year!) and Blackberry ‘Baby Cakes’ and will be reporting on how well they do this year.
Black Goes With Everything
Again, black or dark foliaged plants are in the forefront and they contrast nicely with the limey green ‘Greenery’. Check out my post Black Goes With Everything. Heucheras or Coral Bells come in an array of dark hues, like the ones below called ‘Silver Gumdrop’ and ‘Black Pearl’ from Walters Gardens.
‘Black Pearl’ Coral Bells, image from Walters Gardens‘Silver Gumdrop’ Coral Bells, image from Walters GardensA sweet potato vine that is jet black
Jungle Redux-Invasion of the Houseplants
Remember the tired looked Shefflarias and Spider Plants from the 70’s? If you look at pictures from that era, houseplants were everywhere, perched on harvest gold counter tops or dangling from macrame hangers. The nostalgia and the plants are back! But instead, clustering succulents in a retro glass container or air plants being thrown together in a wooden trough with glass balls are appearing. Orchids, especially Vandas are mainstream and hanging from the ceiling of your sun room. Bromeliads are coming back with some crazy colors.
Bromeliads are long-lasting tropicals that I use in shade containers
Another current use of house plants is to counter indoor pollution, one more way that Millenials are trying to control their environment for healthy living.
Vanda OrchidVandas come in incredible colorsAir plants used as hair jewelryBromeliad flowers are beautiful also
Succulent/Cactus Craze
Succulents are still huge trend setters with their jewel like rosettes of beautiful foliage. Cacti are joining right in.Easy care plants that are small and portable and take neglect, you see them in hanging baskets, wreaths, trees, and, wedding bouquets, and containers. A crafty plant, go to my post Succulents For the Fall or Deck the Halls-A Succulent Christmas.
Succulents filling a hanging basket at Disney World’s greenhouseSucculents come in all colors
Cactus are trendy;unfortunately these are dyed
Cool Nurseries
Destination nurseries are getting more numerous and more sophisticated than ever. Prolific on the west coast and the United Kingdom, they are trickling into the rest of the country. After my recent trip to Scotland when I visited several garden centers, I realized that the U.S. has some catching up to do. Dobbies is a destination garden center/nursery that has its headquarters outside Edinburgh and bills itself as a leisure destination for all the family. I have posted about a few destination garden centers, namely Surreybrook-A Destination Garden Center located in Maryland, Annie’s Annuals in Richmond, California, and Grubb Heaven in San Francisco. Including restaurants and lifestyle products, these destination garden centers are more than just a place to shop for plants. Marketing of plants has hit big time.
Flora Grubb’s has unique containersMe posing at Annies Annuals which has funky gardening stuff
Annie’s has demo gardens scattered around so you can see plants other that in pots
Shopping and a flower show – what a combination!! I was in heaven when I visited NYC’s Macy’s Herald Square store and saw the phenomenal floral creations covering every available inch of the store. Along with the clothing and shoe displays, you can enjoy over the top floral creations and artwork. Designers even bedeck an escalator area with flowers!
A springtime scene between Macys escalatorsAll of the support pillars had gardens
Many of the support pillars had hanging gardens of Babylon! Just think of watering these for the entire run of the show, Sunday, March 22 to Saturday, April 4. This years theme was “Art In Bloom” and the artworks were outstanding and memorable.
Framed works of floral art
A veritable horticultural art gallery greets you when you step through the doors, with floral displays depicting different major movements in art history.
Simple but effective
Classical art, pop art, impressionistic art was all represented.
Statue of David clothed in pop art flowers
Flowering full size cherry trees lined the aisles.
Floral seminars, painting sessions, and other special events occur throughout the show with famous floral designers like Martha Stewart and Jes Gordon performing their magic. The central arrangement, a celebration of Easter and Springtime was a show stopper. Three or four bunnies were peeking out behind the flowers and people gathered around trying to find them all.
My favorite part of the Philadelphia Flower Show is always the mini landscapes and settings. There is something about the attention to detail and scale that has always attracted me.
Top prize for mini landscapes went to the outstanding Japanese garden above which really inspired me to create one just like it, as I already have a Japanese dollhouse from when I was little. They would go perfect together!
Mini garden with colorful BegoniasMini garden with gazeboLog cabin in the woods mini gardenThis musical mini landscape was planted in a guitar!
My favorite mini garden from last year
People young and old enjoy these miniature landscapes, and I had a full house when I did my “Tinkerbelle and Beyond” demo of miniature gardens with a very happy helper.
My helper created a complete fairy setting and took it home to enjoyDoing my demo at the Gardeners Studio on miniature gardens
Miniature Settings
Waiting in a long line to view the miniature settings, I could see people bend down to get a better view in front of the viewing window and exclaim with delight. The line moved slowly because of the amount of detail to absorb and the pictures to take.
Winning exhibit for dramaThe setting for Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Rear Window’ was the blue ribbon winner in the drama category
For a great blog on the techniques used to set these up, go to Flower Show Miniature Settings. The people who put these together go to a lot of work in ageing their objects so that they don’t appear brand spanking new, with scratching, color washes, and even eye shadow! The Alfred Hitchcock setting was put together with sheets of cut polystyrene.
People who take on the job of creating these work on them for months, literally starting as soon as the current flower show is over.
Enchanted April settingLittle shop of Horrors
With only two classes, drama and fantasy, and five exhibits in each, these settings drew a lot of viewers to see the interpretations of the movies along with of course-Plants!! A variety of plants were used – succulents, cactus, tiny house plants and even seedlings. I read on the blog, Flower Show Miniature Settings, that people have learned to use fast growing seeds, like cat grass, chia, or turf grass to add instant greenery.
E.T. miniature setting
Gone With the WindSleeping Beauty
Hollywood Goes to the Dogs
The Philadelphia Flower Show ends on Sunday, March 7, so you still have time to go see it. Go to The Flower Show for more information about tickets and times.
“The Movies” was the theme this year for the Philadelphia Flower Show
As you enter the Philadelphia Flower Show, you feel that you are visiting an old time movie theater that has a marquee, bright lights, and excitement, and you even smell the buttery scent of popcorn. And yes, they actually were selling hot buttery popcorn freshly popped, like hotcakes!
Cars themed Rt 66 executed by Burke Brothers Landscapes
The PHS Philadelphia Flower Show is an annual event at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in March. The oldest and largest indoor show, the spectacle features elaborate landscapes, and over-the-top floral creations.
Over the top floral creations
Not only a flower show, visitors experience live shows and entertainment, culinary demonstrations, DIY workshops and lectures. I did a demo on Fairy gardens meets the movies called “Tinkerbell and Beyond” and showed everyone how to arrange a miniature landscape. Tinkerbell, The Hobbit, and Fern Gully gardens complete with animals and fairies were put together on the demo stage and I had a great helper who was eager to play in the dirt.
I had an assistant to help me with my demo on miniature gardens.
My assistant made a great fairy garden with a little coachingTinkerbells’ miniature garden
The aisles were thronged with people trying to get a good view of the very inventive interpretations of movies.
‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ was a big hit
Four season containers were on display to demonstrate that you can have containers planted all year long.
Four season containers
But the movie exhibits were so interesting that I kept going back to them to check them out.
Chicken coop made out of an old car for “Cars” movie!
Ratatouille was so cute!
Ratatouille popped up everywhereI loved these air plants that were upside down in dried sea urchins to mimic jelly fish-In ‘Finding Nemo’Alice in Wonderland at the Mad Hatters Tea PartyI loved this storefront of underwear made of flowers
The miniatures were wonderful as usual and I am doing another post on just the miniature gardens and scenes. Stay tuned for part 2.
Balmy weather at the Bloedel Reserve brought out all the spring flowers
Arriving in Seattle last week for the Northwest Flower & Garden Show was like traveling to the tropics from Siberia. A cold snap in the mid-Atlantic had its icy hold on the region and when I landed in Seattle, I shed all my gloves, jackets and scarves with relief and basked in mid-60’s weather. Flowers were in full bloom outside and native Seattleites assured me that the warmth was unusual weather this early in the season.
Camellias were in full bloom in Seattle
Camellias and Hellebores were in bloom everywhere.
I had never been to the Northwest Flower & Garden show but was doing two presentations there and was very impressed with the size and scale of the show. A heart (It was Valentines weekend) of thousands of succulents towered over the front entrance to the show.
Heart of succulents
The Northwest Flower & Garden Show floor was acres of blooming flowers, vendors, and gardening ideas that I spent two full days exploring.
Steam Punk Garden
The Steam Punk Garden and the Bee Friendly Garden were two of my favorite displays.
Bee Friendly Garden
After doing my speaking duty, I was free to explore.
The show had lots of interesting vendors and it never got too crowded like the Philadelphia flower show where you are always bumping into people trying to get a closer look.
I need this car! Subaru, one of the show sponsors had this gardening dream car on display
Vendors
For vendors, I was expecting the usual mix of home improvement companies and jewelry and scarf vendors. But I was proved wrong with the quality and selection of down to earth garden vendors. A gardener could get into real trouble here!
I could have ordered one of these custom built garden sheds for a mere $7000
I was especially interested in a Cedar Cold Frame kit to extend my growing season. See them at http://www.cedarcoldframes.com/ , but the kit was too bulky to take on a plane. I will probably order one for the spring. The cold frames were well made and they even had one that was table height so you didn’t have to bend over. Also Charley’s Greenhouses had an awesome display and I am seriously considering buying one. I need the triple wall, cedar frame “Northern Heritage” one. I will put this on my Christmas list!
A Charley’s greenhouse with triple wall insulation
The vintage gardening section was incredible. I have never seen vintage vendors at a gardening show before. See my post at Vintage Gardening to see the different kinds of products you could buy. I went through the area three times! How about repurposing an old sink into a potting bench? Or making a hanging container out of an old funnel?
A repurposed funnelA “vintage” sink becomes a potting bench
Chihuly glass is everywhere in Seattle gardens because Dale Chihuly was born in Washington State. We went to the Chihuly gardens and museum in downtown Seattle and I will do a post on that garden later as it was so incredible. But you could buy your very own Chihuly knock off in the market place for quite a bit less than the real thing.
You could buy your own Chihuly glass knock offs at the market place
The flowers of course were stunning with the orchid display especially beautiful. There was a meadow of orchids presented by the Northwest Orchid Society.
Gardening in February is still going on here in the mid-Atlantic even though we have an arctic blast! For some of my winter tips on the best way to start seeds, go to Hartley Botanic’s gardening calendar.
Recently I visited the Northwest Flower and Garden Show in Seattle and was blown away by all the vendors with new and old garden equipment.
Vintage flower arranging “frogs”
So many vendors, that I spent two days wandering the aisles trying to take it all in. My favorite part though was the “vintage gardening” section.
Vintage items creating a new bird house
And if you are confused between the designation “vintage” and “antique” like I was, because I just think of these items as being “old”, then wonder no longer. Vintage defines items as at least 50 years old but no older than 100. Antique is older than 100 years old.
I had no idea that gardening items were a hot ticket when they became over 50 years old. I think I have lots of these relics sitting on my shelves at home and I still use them!
An old fire truck toy used as a cooler for drinks
Flower “frogs” are made of lead, pottery, glass, or bronze and sit at the bottom of a bowl or a vase to hold even the trickiest flower arrangements firmly in place. These can often be found at yard sales, garage sales, or flea markets for a song. But they are gaining popularity as a “collectable”.
Collectable “frogs” are sought after and can be made of wire, metal, glass, or plasticA “vintage” sink becomes a potting bench
Also old items can be repurposed into “vintage” gardening stuff. Such as the sink above made into a potting bench or old items made into a new bird house.
Potting bench made out of vintage itemsBird house made out of vintage itemsOld gardening tools
I found this fascinating web site of old and antique gardening tools that is a reference for looking up old tools at http://www.oldgardentools.co.uk. If you want to see some really old gardening tools or clothing, check this web site out.
An old trailer that displays vintage gardening equipment at the Northwest Flower and Gardening Show
The PHS (Pennsylvania Horticultural Society)Philadelphia Flower show is the nation’s largest flower show, clocking in at 10 acres of the Philadelphia Convention Center, and features the areas premier landscape designers and florists, with cutting edge designs and horticulture. The entrance garden of “ARTiculture”, inspired by the paintings and sculptures of Alexander Calder, the artist that most of us know from his inventive mobiles, is a stunner.
Entrance garden
Show by Numbers
20 truckloads of mulch used for exhibits
1,000 Butterflies in the Butterfly Experience room
3,500 volunteers
1,500 calories burned walking through the show
5,000 plant entries in horticulture
500,000 pounds of hardscape used
42,000 Hors d’oeuvres served at the Preview Party ( I wished I could have made this!)
86 pounds of chocolate eaten at the Preview Party
1,368 bottles of wine served at the Preview Party
25,000 hotel rooms occupied in the region during the Flower Show
1 Million raised each year by the Flower Show to benefit programs by the PHS
“ARTiculture”, the fusion of art and horticulture, was one of the best shows that I have experienced by the Philadelphia Horticulture Society. It seems to me that art and flowers go hand in hand, so this pairing was a natural. Floral design is an art form, which involves all the principles used in creating art, and a perfect theme for the show. The area’s leading art museums – the Penn Museum, Woodmere Art Museum, Grounds for Sculpture, the Brandywine River Museum, the Guggenheim Museum, the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, the Barnes Foundation, The Getty, and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, all influenced and partnered with the PHS flower show in celebrating great horticultural design as an art form. The gravitas of these respected organizations that helped out with the staging of the show, brought it up a notch in my estimation.
Lots of the horticulture displays were improved such as this wall of cactus
Horticulture
The horticulture exhibits were as usual outstanding, and I often wonder if the exhibitors have access to greenhouses as well as personal gardeners!
I always appreciate it when something bizarre and odd-looking gets a blue ribbon. This time, it was an Ariocarpus fissuratus, a rare slow-growing cactus. Weird!
Ariocarpus fissuratus got a blue ribbon
The miniature gardens were well represented and I particularly liked the one with the artist’s palette. The exhibitor interpreted the show theme perfectly.
Miniature garden
I always enjoy the Bonsai displayed against a backdrop of a Japanese house, another improvement from last year. I go here to escape from the crowds and to enjoy the simple stark miniature trees.
Bonsai at the Philly Show is a peaceful respite from the crowds
Miniatures
Usually the miniatures are so crowded, that you have to wait in a long line to view them. This time around, I got in early because I was judging the show and only exhibitors who were making last-minute adjustments were on the floor.
Some miniatures which are about 3 inches in diameter
Floral Designs
Spider web design
The designs as usual were fabulous and I particularly liked the store windows this year which I judged. I really liked the one in the lower right hand corner that was designed as a store front of an art store. Very appropriate for the show! It did not win the blue ribbon because the flowers did not match the craziness of the cutouts. The flowers used were too small and not unusual enough to fit in with the wild cutouts. The winner for this class was the store front with the red shoes. Very cutting edge!
Store windows
Theme for 2015 Preview
The rumor for the 2015 theme is the movies! Here are a few from this years show that may be the precursors of next year.
More floral designs:
Make and Take
The “Make and Take” rooms as usual were a hit with lots of terrariums and “fascinator” hats being made.
Make and Take room for creating your own masterpiece
And talking about hats, a repeat of the hat exhibit from last year was on display and looks like it will be here to stay. I really enjoyed these.
Hats out of flowers
Vertical Gardens
Keeping up with the popularity of vertical gardening, a new category was added to showcase new ways of gardening on a wall.
