Dirty Fingers Muddy Knees | Plantswoman Design

2017 Garden Show FAQ’s

by Kristen | Mar 5, 2017 | Plantswoman Design

We are about a week out since we were at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show so we want to take some time to share with you the most frequently asked questions we answered at the show.

The item in this garden that we answered the most questions about was the bottle tree. Oh, the bottle tree! Designed by Susan, the Plantswoman herself, and fabricated by Patrick Clanton, a metal artist from Bainbridge Island, the bottle tree garnered many ooh’s and ahh’s from show goers. Here are the top 3 questions we answered about the bottle tree:

plantswoman design 2017 NWFGS bottle tree

How did you get the bottle to look like that? There were many theories that show goers had. From hand chiseling the flower design into the bottom of the bottles to having a custom glass blowing stamp made. But the bottle was just a lucky find. The bottle is manufactured this way and is used to bottle the Cotes Des Roses wine commonly found at Northwest area Costco, Safeway and Cost Plus stores. We found ours at Costco back in November and shared the wine with our friends, family and clients as long as they promised to give the bottle back.

Where is the light coming from? The bottle tree is lit from the inside with an LED light at the end of each branch. When the show lights went down at the beginning of the show you could really see how beautifully the flower design glowed.

What is the tree made of? The tree is made of metal. Many folks wanted to know if we used conduit and one show goer even asked if she could make it out of PVC pipe. I guess you could but it would lose some of the modern sleek feel that using metal would grant you.

Not to be outshone by the bottle tree our Pub Shed is next on the list of most asked questions. Our shed was provided by Better Built Barns in Oregon. They modified their slant roof model to fit our specifications and brought it to the show for us on their special truck fully constructed and painted. Our top 3 questions about the Pub Shed:

How big is the Pub Shed? The shed we had at the show was 8’x10’.

Oh, that’s a cute She Shed! This is not a question but a comment we heard. No, this is not a ‘She Shed’ it’s a Pub Shed complete with keg fridge and wine. The garden around the shed is filled with herbs and fruits to make your libations even better. Who wouldn’t want this in their neighborhood?!?! Talk about building community!

What is the Tipsy Gardener Pub? Is it a real place? Instead of a brochure this year we passed out coasters for the Tipsy Gardener Pub which is what we named our Pub Shed. We even had shirts made which we wore on select days of the show. Show goers really got a kick out of it and so did we.

plantswoman design 2017 NWFGS crown bees

We had good response to the mason bee houses we had on display that were provided by Crown Bees. David Hunter, owner of Crown Bees, gave a seminar on bees at the show and we had a great time meeting him. Here are a few questions we answered about the bees:

What are mason bees? Mason bees are a solitary gentle bee that is a great pollinator. Since they have no queen or hive to protect these bees are not aggressive.

Do they make honey? These bees are not honey bees.

They seem complicated are they? No, not really. The best part is that the staff at Crown Bees are super helpful and are happy to help you find success.

All in all we had a good time at the show this year. Actually we always have a good time at the show even though it makes for a very long week. Drop us a line if you have additional questions.

Be sure to stop by and take a look at our list of vendors and plants by clicking on the icons to the right…

Design Tips: Falling for Grasses

by Susan | Oct 16, 2016 | Plantswoman Design

Fall is one of the best times to enjoy grasses. In our climate it sometimes takes a while for the grasses (sometimes warm climate plants) to come into their glory. The late sun with its golden diffused light also plays up the colors and blooms of grasses. Grasses can be used in sweeps with many of the same variety but can also be used singularly as an accent in a larger bed. They have the ability to stay out of the limelight until the fall when they suddenly come into their own.

Sesleria shown above between boulders with Astilbe looks amazing. The vertical repetition with soft complementary colors contrasts with the soft shape of the boulders. It makes you want to sit, and reach out and touch.

Here the same grass is used in sweeps with the boulders. The sesleria stays in the same color pallet echoed by the Alchemilla alpina and contrast with the color of the boulders. Same grass two different ways.

Here various heights help play up the drama in the Stipa Gigantea along the drive. The low growing Nepeta ‘Walkers Low’ spreads and creeps along the grass. There is repetition in the bed with accents of upright Agapanthus. The same wind that moves the inflorescences moves the heads of the agapanthus. Colors of gray and blue offset the buff and green of the grasses.

pennisetum-orientalis-plantswoman-design

Here grasses are used to lead the eye down the entire planting bed. The Pennisetum orientalis is hardly noticed until August when the flowers (inflorescences) spear into the sky and become the movement in the bed and main focus.

A thick planting of Pennisetum Red head creates a bold statement and provides a wind break to a hidden sitting area.

Putting art into Pennisetum Orientalis adds another dimension to a planting.

Punctuation marks of Miscanthus give height and movement to this driveway bed.

Playing With Grasses

Cultivation of grasses can be very different. Pay attention to water needs and exposure. Some are great on the beach and with very little water while some need regular water and more protection.

Don’t be afraid to plant a grass between larger plants and in the front of a bed. The sense of surprise and contrast in texture is fun.

The same types of grasses used in different ways in the same garden is also fun to play with. Often they look like completely different grasses.

Planning an Edible February

by Susan | Sep 10, 2016 | Plantswoman Design

And just like that it’s time to start thinking about the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. The theme for the show this year is “Taste of Spring – Garden’s that celebrate food”. As I start working through the design I thought I would share a few thoughts with you! I am always excited to start thinking and planning the garden.

This will be my eighth year participating in the show and let me tell you, a display garden at the Northwest flower and Garden show is quite a project. The build is done in just 3 ½ days with judging on the Tuesday before the show opens. Creating the illusion of a full sized garden in such a space has its challenges. Treehouses falling down in the middle of the night (if nobody is there does it make a noise), ‘a river runs through it’ but hopefully not down the middle of the aisle from a leaking water feature, and steam looking like smoke in the rafters causing the fire department to be called. All these things and more have happened on the show floor while setting up for the garden show. Fun and stressful at the same time and we garden designers come back for more every year.

This year, like last, I’ll have a display garden as
well as giving a talk at the show. After last year I can say speaking
is the more stressful of the two.

plantswoman design garden show inspiration 2017

The elements I’m thinking about this year are redneck hot tub, drink what you grow instead of eat what you grow, UP UP in the trees, and fresh water turned into wine. Ideas anyone? I welcome input if you have thoughts to share with me.

Here are a few pictures from previous shows to get you excited about what is still to be decided. Send me pictures, or ideas if you have any to contribute. Who knows, maybe you’ll see your suggestion at the show!

Gardening Obsession

by Susan | Aug 27, 2016 | Plantswoman Design

Years ago I read a book that with a collaboration of several different authors. They shared their love of Gardening and why they do it. All with various reasons striking a cord of familiarity within me. I reflected on my particular obsession as I opened a box from England this week. Many of you may recall my blog post about Snowdrops. My collection grew this year and I even ordered some from across the pond. Unlike the ones I ordered from Turkey these bulbs came in plump and beautiful, full of promise.

I wondered then if I have developed an obsession for snowdrops. If so I wouldn’t be the only one and then I thought it wouldn’t be the only thing. Most gardeners I know are enjoying the lush wonderful summer, looking towards fall and some are even looking forward to spring again. The bulbs from England are, Galanthus ‘Primrose Warburg’, A rare yellow form, Galanthus ‘White Swan’ A double form, and Galanthus plicatus ‘Madelaine’, a yellow form with long petals.

If you check out the website where I purchased them you will see that they are sold out. In England they would usually sell them ‘in the green’. When you order them for the U.S. they send you bulbs in the fall. You should however still order them in the spring because they will sell out before fall.

Obsession continues with new plants. I love to try out new plants in my garden and if they are truly as wonderful as their advertisement goes I put them in a client’s garden. One that I’m particularly fond of this summer is the ‘First Snow’ Japanese Clethra.

This introduction from Monrovia is amazing. From the variegated foliage to the racemes of fragrant flowers in mid summer to the tricolored bark and seed capsules in the winter, what’s not to love? Needs partial to full sun, regular water, and shines in a shady woodland garden. It could even take wet feet. What’s not to love? Right?

plantswoman design crazy color combinations

Sometimes color combinations come around by accident. This year the rain in the summer had many benefits. Usually the primroses in the garden are finished flowering by the time the Astilbe comes out but not this year!

This is Astilbe ‘fanal’, a lovely red flower that glows in the shade garden. The combination of that with Primrose bulleyanna is pretty shocking. I’m liking it because of the way the red sets off the orange. Funny enough the primrose buds start out red and burst into orange. My neighbor, a great gardener in her own right, gave me the seedlings from her garden. They tend to have lots of various colors when the seedlings bloom so some pulling or transplanting of various colors does have to happen when in bloom.

In a different area of the garden the cool colors reign.

plantswoman design cool color combinations

The Tradescantia ‘Sweet Kate’ throws its blue flower out into a shady spot. The variegated foliage of the Lamium maculatum ‘Aureum’ adds some texture to the combination. The beesia would be better with out the slug interest. The dark green fern fronds from neighboring Blechnum chilense also play with texture. Epimedium and Hellebore play a minor role at this time of year but a major role in the spring.

Lastly and lovely is the combination of hot and cool together. The agapanthus ‘storm cloud’, with hot colors of orange Crocosmia and soft rounded cool leaf of Lotus in a pot shouts ‘SUMMER’ to me. Lots of plants, lots of watering, pruning, harvesting, moving, planting, and planning for the spring. It may look like ‘Summer Chaos’ to you but that is summer to me.

Smelly Spring

by Susan | Mar 25, 2016 | Plantswoman Design

Sometimes spring doesn’t smell so sweet. The Western skunk cabbage or Lysichiton americanus is one of those plants.

My property has a pond and stream on it and there is a great bit of mucky edge that will make a great bog garden. Right now it is a little junky with invasive reed grass, water cress, and Himalayan blackberry (I have been cleaning these out since I have been here). Planning the bog garden began with a Gunnera tintora (from my old garden) and some native iris pseudoacorus. Those went in last year and the list has been growing in my mind. Skunk cabbage is one of those things from my childhood that bring back fond memories, not sweet, but fond. Today I spotted some along a stream on family property on the Olympic Peninsula. No time like the present so off I went to dig some.

When going out to collect some Lysichiton americanus be prepared to get muddy. Lysichiton americanus likes to live in very boggy, muddy places. It also is very deeply rooted. When I finally liberated some fine specimens the holes were about 2 feet deep. Shovels full of heavy (with tree roots and leaves), wet soil were lifted out of the area to get to the roots at the bottom of the stalk.

Garbage bags were the container of choice so the mud could stay with the roots and only with the roots, no mud in the truck.

Several large pieces came up and were good to plant along with two small bulbs. They have a bulbous end with long roots. The larger ones had roots that were about 15 inches long. They pulled out of the ground with a sucking sound.

Here is their new home. Yes it is just as muddy here too.

Hopefully they will form a colony of skunk cabbage. They are used in design for a native ground cover in a boggy situation. Several sources say they won’t bloom in shade but I have only seen them in the shade out in the wild. They bloom with a yellow and sometimes green spathe. Arum lilies are popular with gardeners. It is possible that this one is not because of the scent.

NOTES:

SKUNK CABBAGE (Lysichiton americanus)

FAMILY :Araceae family (perennial)

HARDINESS : Hardy to Zone 5-9

EXPOSURE: Grows in woodland, dappled shade with

SOIL : many types, wet soil being preferred.

NATIVE : Western N. America

NWFGS: A World Away On The Na Pali Coast

by Susan | Mar 5, 2016 | Plantswoman Design

The Northwest Flower & Garden show has been a success! My garden ‘A World Away On The Na Pali Coast’ won a silver medal and we had fantastic conversations of all types through out the show. In addition to being a garden creator I was also a garden seminar speaker. My talk on Carpet Gardening was well received if not a little on the short side. For those of you that weren’t able to make it to the show here is a quick tour of the garden for you to enjoy!

Our silver medal winning garden is a Northwest Tropical Garden with many of the plants seen here hardy in our area.

#nwfgs plantswoman design carpet gardening

An example of Carpet Gardening using Black Mondo Grass, Rockfoil and Spiked Moss.

A favorite this Helleborus ‘Snow Frills’ pairs nicely with Helleborus ‘Snow Fever’ (pictured to the right).

#nwfgs plantswoman design live edge deck

This ‘live edge’ deck caused quite a stir. Made out of custom milled cedar planks.

These little Fritillaria, or checked lilly, were also crowd favorites showing up in many other gardens at the show.

Helleborus ‘Snow Fever’.

Garden Show 2016

by Susan | Jan 31, 2016 | Plantswoman Design

Two weeks to go. The plans have been in the works since July of last year. All the planning and purchasing that began long ago and is now coming to the frenzied end. This is my fifth time doing a display garden and I can’t help but remember the first time I went to the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. A friend suggested I go with her and her husband. I was amazed at the display gardens and all of the people experiencing a little bit of spring in February. Wandering through the gardens I could not even imagine the set up and work it would take to recreate it. Little did I know…

Years later, after a career change to Landscape Designer and a feature article in Sunset Magazine, I was invited by the director of the show to do a small display called ‘Living it up’. I was nervous and thought as long as it was only a patio space I could do it. After creating planter boxes out of old roofing they were then planted with columnar apple trees and spring flowers. A bistro table and a few other containers on a permeable concrete floor and I was done. Whew!

The next year the invitation came for a bigger space. An example of a natural swimming pond was the plan. I like to plan and build ahead so we sprayed the pond liner in an old warehouse and built the deck in the barn. The gabion wall that surrounded it was the most time consuming part because it had to be done at the show with rock from Marenakos. The most challenging part was the supplier for the plants didn’t cover them during a cold snap and they all froze two weeks before the show. ARGHHH. A call to a species Rhododendron grower filled in the plantings with borrowed finery. It was exciting to have Evening Magazine film a portion of their show sitting on the deck in the garden.

In 2011 the show theme challenge was to use a literary reference in the garden. Great Expectations was created with dark plants on one side that changed to light plants on the other side. A recycled metal bridge with worm wood planks connected the two spaces. Again recycled planters this time filled with hellebores from Marietta O’Bryne, a grower in Oregon who created the ‘winter jewel’ series. The most challenging part of this garden was getting the bridge to be level and creating a stone pathway on sawdust fill. People wanted to walk into the space and sit on the stone bench so keeping them out was difficult.

Hollywood was the next theme given to us from the show officials. I’m not a big Hollywood fan so it was a challenge. I love beach gardens and have worked on many. Using the movie ‘Zorba the Greek,’ the beach garden ‘It’s never too late to learn to dance’ came into being in the middle of downtown Seattle. The garden shack was the most challenging part of this garden. The builder I was working with had no idea what the garden show was or the logistics of working in the build. The shack was finally completed and was being stained at the last hour with stain dripping on the plants as we were hurrying to get the rest of the garden done. Planting a sweep of grasses with daffodils made it feel so light and spring like. We created columns with dripping water, which was quite effective.

2013 saw the Garden is Art theme, ‘Terra Cadence: Rhythm of the Earth’, was my title for the garden. I partnered with a glass artist and interior designer to create a hanging glass chandelier that complimented the restricted palette of the garden. The plants were green and white and had a calm serene feel. A precast concrete rill was made ahead of time and the water ran through the middle of the garden (and onto the floor). The most challenging part of this garden was the water that ran back under the rill and filled up the sawdust. After the 3^rd day it started coming out the sides of the garden. Every morning we had to do a little mopping before the show opened.

This year the show’s theme is America the Beautiful and I’m looking forward to building a garden depicting the Na’ Pali Coast in Hawaii. The natural cedar deck and boulder fountain will give us the feeling of being in the tropical garden in our own back yard. Placing a Japanese Soaking tub in the center of the garden helps you be immersed in the garden. The build will be fun with new people helping and I’m sure there will be challenges but that is part of the fun of the garden. Stay tuned for updates and pictures of the build and of the finished product. Come and join us at the show!

Gardener’s Gift Time

by Susan | Dec 11, 2015 | Plantswoman Design

Pulling ourselves out of the garden to attend to such mundane things as Christmas Shopping is like pulling our boot out of a muddy flowerbed. But, relationship with humans is important too so off we go. As I’m shopping for my friends and family, I’m tempted by the things I want! No surprise there, but I thought I would share things that interest me in case they may interest other Gardeners you may know.

No list is complete without at least one book. Here I will list two. One of my Twitter friends has a book about growing winter vegetables. The Winter Harvest Handbook is available on Amazon, or directly from Eliot Coleman’s website. It shows how to grow winter vegetables in unheated greenhouses, economically and environmentally sound.

The other one on my wish list is ‘The Art of Gardening: Design Inspiration and Innovative Planting Techniques from Chanticleer’. Well know public garden Chanticleer is discussed by the gardeners who actually work in the garden. Pictures in the preview look wonderful

One of the perks of being part of the Garden writers of America association is the chance to trial new products. This year I was sent a Cobrahead Weeder. This handy tool is small enough to weed between new seedlings, new plantings, and still goes deep enough to get the root out. Even though I have one I’m still thinking of others that would love it too. www.cobrahead.com

When I get finished with the shopping it is time to get outside again. Working in the wet, cold weather causes hands to go numb! Bulky gloves are warm but difficult to work in. I have a two fold solution. I use my regular garden gloves, Atlas Nitrile Touch , and then put a insulated wool fingerless glove over the top. Then my fingers can work and the body of the gloves keeps my hands warm. This glove from Gander Mountain is perfect. It has thinsulate and wool both, it is reasonably priced and very practical. Any person working in a cool place would love them. Clearly I need a new pair!

Most gardeners have a journal of sorts to organize their thoughts and keep records. Christmas is a perfect time to start one for the coming year. If you have never done it before you will be hooked! Keeping track of when you buy things, where you planted them and how they did will help you decide to buy more, plant them in a different place or move them around. Moleskine has a garden journal with an expandable pocket for saving labels, seed packets or pictures. I usually get a leather covered one with a place to hold a pen. This way if it gets wet (from a hose or rain) it is protected well and the weight of the pages keep the various pens I use from bleeding through. It should be a tough journal with lots of pages. Barnes and Noble bookstore by me has several to choose from.

For the tech savvy gardeners there is PAPER 53. It is a downloadable app that you can draw on. It can be used with many mobile devices and has a ‘pencil’ that makes it super easy. The newest update gives you the option to take a picture of your garden and then draw over the top of it. This is great to sketch out ideas, see what a tree or shrub might look like in the scene. Draw out beds for gardens and make notes of plants you like as you shop in a nursery. I Love mine and use it often.

So there you have it, my 2015 Gardener’s Gift List. Did you see something you’d love? What would you add?

A Thankful Year

by Susan | Nov 27, 2015 | Plantswoman Design

What an amazing year. I have discovered I love warm weather. Shorts, sandals, and beautiful clear nights have been abundant
this year. Transition into fall has been slow for me but now the season has wrapped me its own kind of warmth. Beautiful foliage and snow in the mountains have me dreaming of winter. This year has brought me a new appreciation of gardening. Not from the beautiful and designed but from the bounty of the earth. I watched the film ‘A Place at the Table’ and it stunned me to the core. To realize that a staggering amount of people are working and living in homes, yet still struggle to feed themselves and their families. Americans, not people in third world countries but right in our own very prosperous nation. Hungry. If you have a chance to see it do so, it will change your
outlook on the face of hunger in America.

Planting a vegetable garden every year is always high on my priority list. There is usually plenty to share and give to my friends and family but this year was different. The program ‘Plant a row for the hungry’ encouraged gardeners to help provide for the hungry in their own area. The vegetable garden this year was bountiful. I was able to donate over 150 pounds of fruit and vegetables to my local food bank. One of the most requested items at the food bank was fresh produce. They even take zucchini! I was only one gardener, think about the
food many gardeners together could donate.

Thankfulness this year is sharing the harvest, providing for strangers and encouraging others to help. Our blessings have a way of multiplying when shared.

Thank you clients, colleagues, and friends for sharing a part of yourself with me. Thank you for your continued support and encouragement. May those shared blessings continue in 2016.