Plant Talk: virtual gardens

June 28, 2009

Virtual Seasonality

The New York Botanical Garden has a new "Seasonal Walk" border, designed by horticultural superstars Piet Oudolf and Jacqueline van der Kloet. The bulk and mass of the elegant sweep will be stunning. As you might expect, the designers have chosen unusual perennials and bulbs, including Geum ‘Flames of Passion’, Echinacea purpurea ‘Green Jewel’, E. ‘Fatal Attraction’, Salvia ‘Eveline’ and Teucrium hircanicum ‘Paradise Delight’. Can you imagine the kaleidoscope of seasonal change with such a widely varied palette of plants arranged by such innovative designers?

Not visiting The Big Apple this summer? No problem. Writer Tovah Martin and photographer Rob Cardillo are staging a virtual, weel-by-week tour of the border. Watch it evolve through the year at The Seasonal Walk Chronicles.

I'm reminded of nature's life force when I see how skimpy the border looked when planted in March, and how quickly and gloriously it's come into its June fullness. I'm fascinated by what's blooming 3,000 miles away, compared with what's blooming here on Whidbey Island....it blows my mind how remarkably similar our seasons are progressing in this year of weird weather.

Here are a couple of Rob's photos showing the border in early June....

Posted at 06:00 AM in New York Botanical Garden, virtual gardens | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

New Book: Petal & Twig

Petal & Twig Made The New York Times!
From Anne Raver's review: "Valerie Easton, a Seattle-based garden writer, discusses the art of growing and arranging cut flowers in “Petal and Twig: Seasonal Bouquets With Blossoms, Branches and Grasses From Your Garden” (Sasquatch Books; $16.95). Written as an informal diary, with photographs of arrangements from her own garden, and tips on cutting and keeping flowers fresh, the book inspires ideas not only on what to grow but on how to combine (or not) those beauties inside. See review here: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/29/garden/new-books-on-growing-and-arranging-flowers.html?scp=1&sq=petal%20&%20twig%20anne%20raver&st=cse
The first reviews on the new book are in! From Publisher's Weekly:
"Open your eyes and keep it simple: those are two lessons Easton passes on from her own 40 years in the garden. When selecting and arranging flowers for bouquets, you needn’t spend a bundle buying a bundle of imported flowers.....The result will be unique, local, imaginative, and inexpensive. Color photos throughout illustrate and inspire."

In the News

Montreal Blogger Reviews "A Pattern Garden"
I was so pleased to find that "A Pattern Garden" is still being reviewed...check out Allan Becker's generous review on his Garden Guru blog.. I felt like Allan really understood what I was working towards in that book....he writes...."There is a delightful abstract quality to this publication. In it, the author takes good garden design to a higher, more spiritual level. Instead of discussing the aesthetic and scientific elements of design, as so many traditional garden design books do, she focuses on the role played in garden design by archetypal ideas - a.k.a. patterns - that reference the longings of human beings. These pleasure and comfort-rooted ideas are those that inspire designers to create gardens that are satisfying beyond their beauty." see more at http://allanbecker-gardenguru.squarespace.com/journal/valerie-easton
Planting art
Check out this interview with Val in the Chicago Tribune on using art in the garden...

The New Low Maintenance Garden

Reviews Are In....
"Over the years, countless books have espoused a low-maintenance approach to gardening. None have been as engaging, practical, or inspiring as this latest of Easton's contributions to the gardener's bookshelf,"
- Pacific Horticulture magazine, Jan/Feb/Mar 2010
"A handy guide to a garden you can raise without a corresponding increase in your blood pressure..handsome and informative...."
- Metropolitan Home, Dec. 2009
"This book is an invaluable addition to the garden library – destined to be a classic for many years to come."
- Garden Design Online