‘Art in Bloom’ was the theme of the NWFGS this year and it was interesting to see all the way’s designers incorporated art, used art as a focal point, and used different mediums of art in the gardens. There is a debate going on now in artistic circles about whether gardens can be art in the first place. Gardens are an ever changing medium that evolves, is augmented by pruning, more plantings and removal of elements. Exploring the garden as an art form was my take on ‘Art in Bloom’. Sometimes artists cross over into garden design and sometimes designers cross over into artists. A beautifully drawn plan can be like a painting. Just like drawing or painting uses different techniques so too does the designer uses different techniques to present a garden as art. Textures, form , scale, and colors all enter into the planning and planting of a garden.
I wanted the whole garden to be seen as an expression of art.
Many people expressed appreciation and even judges said ‘I get it’ which was fun to hear. Doing the garden show is exhausting and exhilarating at the same time. Even we get amped up for spring by seeing the blooming flowers and water features, knowing that outside our flowers aren’t really blooming and the water features while probably running are not what they will be in a few short weeks. My fish are still hibernating and sluggishly laying on the bottom of the pond (pictured above). The lilies are not blooming yet and my other floating pond plants are still in the green house waiting for the water temperature to warm. The hellebores are just starting to raise their heads and I’m starting to see shoots of bulbs emerging from the soil. Walking through the doors of the garden show and feeling the warmth and energy of happy people lightens the heart, and makes winter not seem so tiring.
Even with all that, garden show gardens are hard to create. If you want an inside look at how we created our garden click here. Every year I try to focus on creating something my fellow gardeners can relate to. I want to spark their imagination, show something they haven’t seen before, present ideas to take home. Not every garden has the same impact on every person so trying to appeal to a broad audience and please the judges at the same is a tight rope walk. Maintaining my focus, not getting caught up in competitiveness, is key for me. Obviously budget constraints, forcing issues, labor issues, and time constraints always add to the difficulty of presenting a show garden. The show was the first week of February this year which shortened the forcing time. Trying to express that this garden is a show garden and should be seen as a part of a whole garden was also challenging. Imagining the gardens at the show in a slightly morphed way helps to think about it at your house. Seeing where the door is in your minds eye, or how the grass paths lead to another pathway to another area of the garden help to see the gardens in relationship.
With that in mind, here are some tips for visiting the garden show next year (I’ll try to remember to re-post next year before the show starts again).
1. Go more that one day. It is very difficult to see everything in one day. Some gardens or displays may strike you as boring, but they may just be subtle. Looking at them again will help to see more. They could strike you as too jumbled but then when you go back you might see just that one piece or plant that would be perfect in your garden.
2. Talk to people. Either other attendees, speakers, or the people in the gardens themselves. They are usually eager to share knowledge, expertise or even directions to the bathroom. Gardening is so enjoyable that like minded people like to share.
- sharing with garden writer
Julie Moir Messervey
Lettuce bombs
3 Try something new. There are lots of plants, bulbs, shoots, and tubers in the plant market. Some of these plants are a great price and are hard to find in the nursuries. There are seeds and advice as to how to start them. New seed strains, new ways to grow them (seed bombs), and even heirloom varieties are available here Connecting with local nurseries will help to form bonds and connections for plants throughout the year.
unpaid cultivators
4. Learn something new. Seminars , speakers, and the DIY stage are informative and fun. New ideas are presented. HHT (horticultural hot topics) are discussed. Learning about ways to volunteer, gardens to visit, and problems that are affecting our plant world are important and the garden show is a good place to learn about them. Most speakers are people just like you and me and they are happy to share what they know. You will see the newest books, and maybe sign up to receive newsletters or blog posts via email. I really like to follow blogs that present me with more questions than answers (some people prefer it the other way around). Check out… Gardenista.com, wellywoman. heavypetal.ca, reddirtramblings.
pulmonaria Azurea
5. Share what you know. After the garden show share what you learned with friends and family, how important it is to you and how important gardening is to the planet. The stewardship we share will improve the quality of life around us. It is so important to garden like your life depended on it, because in reality it does. Joining a gardening club, working with a pea patch, sharing your gardening skills and know how with younger people will insure that the awareness and importance of gardening is not lost. The farm to table movement was started in this way. I love the people who came through that were with a group, staying at a hotel, and were there for the whole show. Lots of gardeners from Canada!. Their passion is very real and they enjoyed every moment of the show.
As I think about the time table for the coming year I start to plan what I would like to do and I want to share with you about Little Bites. Little Bites is about teaching and empowering our younger generations about gardening little bites at a time (get it?). You can plant a seed, watch it grow and eat it instead of opening the refrigerator. Instead of watching other people’s lives on our various screens lets get out there and learn how to grow food and flowers, eat invasives, divide corms, do soft wood cuttings, design for sustainablitly… Whoops maybe I should RELAX and get some much needed rest…… Nah, I’ll rest when I loose the ability to get outside by myself. Needless to say we, here at Plantswoman Design, are excited about Little Bites and what we can accomplish when we work together outside. Stay tuned for more information and an invitation to get involved!
