Blogging Archives - Page 18 of 19

Bzzzz February 11th, 2008

I truly hate crowds.

I finish my holiday gift shopping early not because I’m organized but because I can’t stand the stores when the masses arrive. You couldn’t tie me up and drag me to a parade. Go to a party? Is it a small one?

I make one truly significant exception to battling the throngs—flower shows! If you haven’t attended a flower show before, do yourself a favor and make plans. It’s a true visual feast where you can get ideas and learn quite a lot in a short amount of time.

I just booked my hotel arrangements for the upcoming Philadelphia Flower Show. If you haven’t already made arrangements to attend the show near you, you should do so now. Rooms are going fast in Philly. In fact, I found that I could only get the hotel I wanted by booking through the show’s website. All other sources showed the property was unavailable.

The Philadelphia show’s early morning two-hour tours are also filling up. You have to email your request to the show organizers for registration information. Groups are small—8 to 12 people—and are held from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. before the show opens. The cost is $105 per person.

If you’re planning a flower show trip and haven’t been before, here are some quick tips on getting them most from your flower show experience.

1. Wear comfortable shoes and a jacket. The showplaces are often cooled for the benefit of preserving the plants, which makes it a bit chilly for the rest of us. Layer for comfort.

2. Carry a notebook and pen. You can make notes, job down flower and vendor names or even sketch a particularly striking flower layout.

3. Leave the handbag at home. I use a very small shoulder bag with a long strap that I can wear bandolier style. It’s just large enough to hold cash, credit cards, keys, a phone, small notebook and pen. It doesn’t add uncomfortable weight on my shoulder and allows me to keep my hands free.

4. Check out the show’s photography policy in advance. Most shows allow amateur photography without previous permission. All shows prohibit the use of tripods or other equipment that can get in the way of heavy foot traffic.

5. Check show schedules in advance for special demonstration and lecture times. Many shows have a first-come-first-serve seating policy, so arrive early.

6. Plan your meals in advance. Food at these shows is usually hard to find, bad for you and disgusting. Eat a hearty breakfast and carry a bag of nuts. Or make a small, healthy sandwich that you can eat in the snack area while the rest of the folks are eating hot dogs and chips.

7. If you’re going with a friend, carry cell phones so you can find each other when you decide to go separate ways or accidentally lose site of each other. Bring money and a big car, truck or van. Most shows have areas for shopping. Unless you’re particularly disciplined, you’ll go home with an armload.

Have fun and post pictures! I can’t go to all the shows. Someday my dream is to go to the Chelsea Flower Show. It’s on my bucket list!

Upcoming Flower Shows

March 2 – 8 – Philadelphia Flower Show. The lecture and demonstration schedule is here.

March 8 – 16 – New England Spring Flower Show, Boston

February 20 – 24 – Northwest Flower & Garden Show, Seattle

March 8 – 16 – Chicagoland Flower & Garden Show, Rosemont, IL

March 12 – 16 – San Francisco Flower & Garden Show

March 14 – 24 – Hong Kong Flower Show

May 20 – 24 – RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Posted In: Container Gardening, Gardening, Travel

Tags: Blogging, flower show, garden show, Philadelphia Flower Show

8 Comments

Bzzzz February 10th, 2008

It’s curious how many private gardens I have visited that have lovely plants and beautiful flowers—but nowhere to sit.

It’s as if we’re so busy “doing” in the garden that we can’t enjoy “being” in the garden.

SEATING AT THE DIXON HOUSE AND GARDENS, MEMPHIS

I caught myself in this very trap a couple of years ago. I would spend hours and hours on the weekend planting, weeding, digging and then head indoors to sit down. But the realization that I wasn’t enjoying the beauty that I created coupled with my growing need to pace myself and rest from time to time during my work, made me incorporate more seating areas into the garden.

GARDEN BENCH AT BUMBLEBEE

This year, I’m improving on the seating in the front of the house where we have a sweeping view of the hay field and will, I hope, be able to watch the aerial acrobatics of the purple martins. As I looked for ideas for the new seating area, I realized that I seem to have spent quite a lot of time taking pictures of garden seating in my travels. So I share them with you here along with ideas on some features of garden seating that I think make them successful.

Seating should be planned and incorporated into the garden. It’s just fine and dandy to drag out some lawn chairs when extra seating is needed. But if you need to do that whenever the mood strikes you to park your bottom and enjoy the view, it’s quite likely that you won’t sit down at all.

TEA GARDEN AT THE DESERT BOTANICAL GARDEN, PHOENIX

Create places away from the house as well as close to the house. A carefully chosen seating location can provide a focal point that draws your eye and invites you to explore further.

SEATING AT THE DIXON HOUSE AND GARDENS, MEMPHIS

Seating should be sturdy and not tippy. It’s no fun to have to perch yourself on a tiny stool or spindly chair. Providing a base of pavers under the legs of your seating will give needed stability and also protect wood from the moist ground.

PARK BENCH

Seating should be weather proofed and easily cleaned. Hard surfaces such as concrete or wood are easily hosed down or even power washed in the spring or when needed. I also like the new all-weather wicker made from plastic-wrapped wire that is available from Restoration Hardware. Hardly anyone knows it’s not traditional wooden wicker. The cushions are from the Sunbrella fabric, so if I forget to bring them in during a rainstorm, there’s no harm done.

COVERED BENCH

Whatever you choose should be appropriate to the garden setting. A Zen garden will call for a more streamlined design, while a rustic, bent wood bench would be more at home in a quirky garden or a more free-flowering English cottage garden.

ADIRONDACK CHAIRS AT BUMBLEBEE

Don’t feel like everything has to match. Different types of seating grouped together can be charming when chosen with a unity of theme in mind. We have different styles of Adirondack chairs grouped together. I have seen wonderfully charming groupings of antique wooden chairs with only the unifying theme of age to make the grouping successful.

FORMAL SEATING AT THE DIXON HOUSE AND GARDENS, MEMPHIS

Include little tables or other features to hold a drink or small plate of food. Chinese stools, cut wooden logs or other re-purposed or found objects will be appreciated when you’re nursing a cold glass of tea and trying to read a book at the same time.

COVERED WALK AT THE CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN

So take a seat and make time to enjoy all the work you do.

Resources to Try

Arthur Lauer – Previously known as Wood Classics. Benches, chairs, dining tables and outdoor accessories. An extensive line of quality teak products.

Walpole Woodworkers – In addition to a wide variety of garden seating, Walpole Woodworkers sells all types of garden accessories and fences. This is where I bought my white picket garden fence.

Restoration Hardware – High quality outdoor seating, including all-weather wicker and iron. If you can wait until the end of summer, these products go on sale for about 20% off the listed price.

Country Casual – Another excellent resource for teak outdoor furniture.

Summer Classics – All-weather wicker, cast aluminum and wood furniture.

And closer to home, don’t forget to look here:

Amish builders – Often very basic designs, but made with quality materials. And there are no shipping charges!

Garden centers – You may find some bargains, although you’ll likely find what everyone else has.

Antiques stores and thrift stores – No telling what you’ll find. Often, you can re-purpose old wood or iron furniture, particularly if it’ll be in a covered location.

Posted In: Gardening

Tags: Blogging

17 Comments