Archive for the ‘Flower and Garden Shows’ Category
I don’t think I’m particularly obsessed with things being perfectly trimmed and even in my garden…
I always tell people that a little bit of wildness breathes life into a greenspace. This philosophy also happens to make it easier to justify the times when I don’t exactly get everything done to perfection in the garden. There isn’t time to do everything and to do it well, so a laissez-faire policy seems to work as well as any to justify what I do (or don’t do).
So I have to wonder if I have the discipline and patience to accomplish a topiary. Can I do all that training and trimming and spritzing and pinning? Do I even have the time?
I may have to give it a try. I have fallen in love with green dogs–topiary dogs.
Take a look at this pooch from the Philadelphia Flower Show, accomplished with multiple varieties of ivies. Some are solid and some are variegated. See the little pine needle sprigs for his whiskers?
There was a whole topiary dog park at the flower show, complete with the obligatory fire hydrant. Some were sniffing and some were playing. I thought this fellow lolling on his back for a tummy rub was clever.
Since I adore dogs, I think a nice green dog would be a wonderful addition to my garden. And I have extraordinary patience with my real dogs. Perhaps that would transfer to a topiary dog.
Wait. What’s this?
Nice try, Sarah, but topiary dogs are green, not brown.
Um. Okay, you’re partly green now. But you’re still not a topiary dog.
Robin
After viewing the exuberant displays of flowers, plants, containers and hardscaping…
…the visitors to the Philadelphia Flower Show were practically foaming at the mouth in the vendor area. I have never seen so many women carrying around bunches of pussy willow in my whole life. They looked like some sort of bizarre religious procession with the waiving branches and the ecstatic looks on their faces.
Well, since I have actually planted my very own pussy willow bush, I shopped for other things. Here are some of Robin’s Fabulous Flower Show Finds.
A couple of days ago I talked about how I am just mad for Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging. Don’t call the Ikebana police on me, because I’m quite sure I have broken some Ikebana rules, but I bought an Ikebana vase and gave it a try here at home.The trick with this nifty little vase is a built-in “frog” at the bottom and an enclosed water well. I don’t have the source for you, but you can search for Ikebana supplies on the Internet and find many similar vessels for your own Ikebana creations.
I have always found that my plants are much happier (ergo I am a better gardener) when they are in clay pots. Unfortunately, it is exceedingly difficult to find a stylish clay pot. They are all so mass-produced looking and utilitarian. So I was just tickled pink to discover Goff Creek Pottery. These pots are about 10″ high and cost $40 each. Goff Creek has many larger pots, including huge and decorative urns that go for up to $800. Sadly, there was only so much my husband was willing to carry for the sake of my gardening habits.
I also met a wonderfully charming couple with a tiny little booth of pottery vases. Paula L. Brown-Steedly, at Virginia Clay, is the potter and seems to specialize in organic-looking, hand-built clay vessels, although she also had a number of thrown and thrown and manipulated vessels. I purchased these two vases, about 11″ high each, at about $85 and $70. They look fabulous with a simple arrangement on my farmhouse table.
Do you love African Violets like I do? Well, let me introduce you to the Violet Gallery. They only had about 20 of their violets on display and for sale. But their catalog is 16 pages of mouse type with HUNDREDS of different types of violets. I was just crazy about the variegated varieties, but managed to restrain myself and only brought home four at $4.95 each. In the catalog, the cost is $6 each. Specimens are extremely robust. Highly recommended!
I love fashion. Unfortunately, fashion and gardening don’t mix so very well. I mostly wear jeans or shorts, a tank top and sneakers. I love the look of those British knee-high boots, but frankly, there is just no need for them here. So I get my jollies with gardening gloves and justify the purchases by telling myself how useful they are.
But don’t you hate gloves? I would much rather dig my fingers into the dirt and rip out those wretched weeds with my own bare fingernails. Unfortunately, it’s not quite right to traipse into a focus group room or conference room with raggedy and dirty nails. So I have (mostly) learned to use gloves. I prefer gloves that don’t feel like gloves–I want them snug, but not tight. Thin, but not flimsy. I don’t like rubbery barriers. I want to be able to FEEL what I’m doing. (Ahem.)
Well anyway. I adore these Atlas Gloves. They are, indeed, soft and supple. I can hardly wait to give them a test drive. At $7 they are a bargain. I may have to order in bulk.
BTW, you may notice that these are a size small. Since I am 5′10, I do not have small hands. So if you cannot find these gloves locally and decide to order them, know that they run VERY LARGE.
Isn’t shopping so much fun?!?!
Robin
One of the advantages of signing up for the early morning tour of the Philadelphia Flower Show…
…aside from being able to see the displays without having to jostle, stand on tippy toe and elbow my way through the hoards—was that the guide was a seasoned flower show volunteer. Our guide was a charming older fellow who seemed to know everyone on the floor and lots of stories that won’t necessarily make the official news. Here are some stories you won’t read about in the newspapers about the Philadelphia Flower Show…some his and some from my own observations.
One exhibitor at this year’s show, a nursery, didn’t win any of the judges’ prizes but did win the several of the popular vote awards among visitors, the People’s Choice Awards determined by written votes each day. The display was a music instrument repair shop, in keeping with the show’s New Orleans and jazz theme. A wildly popular fountain of repurposed brass instruments was a focal point, as was an old upright piano remade into a waterfall and a tuba fountain.
I was amused to hear the booth representative explain not once, not twice, but three times how no instruments were harmed in the making of the display—they were all old and useless anyway! It seems that some people had been complaining about how the nursery had destroyed instruments for the purpose of the display.
Our guide told us about one exhibitor in the nursery class, the J. Franklin Styer Nurseries Inc, a Philadelphia-area nursery that was recently purchased by Urban Outfitters as part of its quest to launch its outdoor chain Terrain. (If you haven’t heard about it, the goal of Terrain is to “to transform the local garden center into an experience that celebrates the beauty and abundance of nature while offering an eclectic mix of garden-inspired products tailored for the contemporary customer.” Watch out Smith & Hawken.) The purchase occurred just three weeks before the Philadelphia Flower Show, where the nursery has for years had a major display area. The nursery’s designer and flower show coordinator promptly quit, leaving the nursery—and Urban Outfitters—with just three weeks to fill a big hole that other companies spend months and months designing and planning.
Well, don’t underestimate Urban Outfitters and their desire for an untarnished reputation and a smashing 2008 launch for Terrain. Within a week they had hired a Hollywood set designer and came up with a stunning display that won Best of Show for the nursery division. Sadly, my photos don’t to justice to the display, which included a stunning Bougainvillea with vines as thick as my arm winding up on to a porch. It was breathtaking.
Our guide is also a member of the Philadelphia Men’s Garden Club. He said the club was formed because years ago there were only ladies clubs and the fellows felt outnumbered and misunderstood. With their own club, he said, “We can break all the rules and drink beer while putting up our display.”
Their display, in the by-invitation division, was a men’s private club in a swampy setting, complete with alligators swimming in the waters around the clubhouse and a porch sign that warns, “Beware! Poker Players and Loose Women.” I gave them high marks for creating a display appropriate to the group.
Our charming guide pointed out one nursery display that was heavy on salvaged pine trees. It seems that a while back the nursery owner broke his hip, lost is wife and his business. It was a very bad year. The Philadelphia Men’s Garden Club swung into action, passed the hat and collected some money to help with the doctor bills. They found a surgeon to do the hip replacement for free and even pitched in to complete some of the unfinished nursery work. Now, our guide proudly pointed out, the nursery owner was back in business and once again exhibiting at the flower show—an example of the camaraderie and support among the show folks.
The Best in Show award for the best florist went to the entrant who decided to suspend their display from the ceiling—the first time for such a “daring display.” Thousands and thousands of individual flowers in florist vials were arranged into a kind of chandelier cum mobile. Painted footprints on the floor indicated where visitors could stand to hear music under one of the three suspended floral arrangements.
Although he was an entertaining guide, his enthusiasm for the show is better than his hearing because he seemed to think the music was on when only the electric lights were buzzing. “Isn’t that fabulous?!? It’s beautiful!!! Listen!” I had to smile, but a young woman in our tour group kept yelling in his ear, “It’s the LIGHTS! It’s the LIGHTS!” Aren’t people funny?
Here are a few more photos from the show…
Okay, that’s it for the Philadelphia Flower Show stories except for a few choice finds that I found in the vendor area. Coming up!
Robin
There are flower arrangements and then there are flower arrangements.
Personally, I detest the overly-colorful and tightly packed arrangements that I associate with almost anything you can order through FTD. I have finally trained my husband to get a bunch of fresh flowers from the florist–or even the grocer–that I can arrange at home in my own lovely containers. But Ikebana is another matter altogether. Take a look at these displays from the Philadelphia Flower Show and tell me what you think. They are competitive examples of Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging.
You won’t find abundant and exuberant displays of bountiful blossoms. This is all about line and form. Restraint even, from what I can tell. And the container is as important as the arrangements, which often rely on twigs or other materials to make a line to draw the eye and create the form. Frankly, I find the arrangements artful and, well, refreshing.
Those exceptionally sophisticated and informed folks up in Philadelphia even have a local chapter of Ikebana International. I saw some of the participants spending about 45 minutes on their arrangements, which had already been judged, trying to improve them, gently twisting a twig here, adjusting a flower height there. This is flower arranging for the exceptionally patient.
I spent a good deal of time examining these arrangements before heading off to the vendor section to pick up a couple of “vessels” for my garden flowers. I adore the fact that you don’t have to have dozens and dozens of blossoms to make a beautiful arrangement and that you can use other materials–even dead stuff–to an artistic end. Right now, I have a good deal of dead-looking stuff to use in arrangements. While I doubt that I’ll ever spend more than 10 minutes on an arrangement of flowers, I do believe I have picked up a trick or two from the Ikebana aficionados.
With that said, here’s a little Ikebana walking tour from the Philadelphia Flower Show for you…
I’m fascinated. What do you think? Is Ikebana for you?
Robin
I just returned from the Philadelphia Flower Show. Holy moly.
Let me tell you, this is no ordinary home and garden show. Nay, nay. This is a spectacle! It costs the fine folks of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society about $6.5 million to put on the show, although the estimated total expenditure by the show as well as the participants is three times that. The show covers a total of 10 acres in three areas: major exhibitions, competitive classes and horticultural schools and universities. There is also a large vendor area where you can shop till you drop.
Profits from the show go to benefit the Philadelphia Green program, which cleans up and beautifies outdoor spaces that have been derelict and unsightly. The program also sponsors a prisoner gardening program to raise vegetables for the homeless, neighborhood and community gardens and loads of education programs. Many cities could look to this program as a model of excellence with many side benefits.
This year’s theme was all about New Orleans and Jazz. The entrance was a recreation of the famed Bourbon Street, all decked out in flowers.
The competitions are in areas for landscaping, floral design, florists, by-invitation and by individual plant species. Many local high schools and colleges participate in the program, as do some prisoner groups.
In addition to the huge displays, there are also fabulous displays of smaller competitive areas: window boxes, container gardens, Ikebana, competitive impromptu arranging, stoop gardens, table settings…the list goes on and on. One of the most amazing areas was the miniatures–tiny little dioramas of natural and indoor scenes with real, live, miniature plants.
The Philadelphia Flower Show claims to be the biggest and best in the U.S. and is distinguished from the famed Chelsea Flower Show in London because the Philadelphia show is indoors. Chelsea is outdoors. That means that all the flowers, flowering shrubs, flowering trees–everything–had to be forced indoors. If you have ever tried to force a flower, imagine trying to force thousands, if not millions, of them. All at the same time. All on a particular day. And then arranging them in a small exhibition space to please the judges and the crowds.
And that, my friends, is why they call it a “show.”
(By the way, I arrived home just in time to unpack and pack again…off to Atlanta this time. I have about 1,000 photos to wade through, but will be posting them as soon as I return and recover. I also want to show you all the cool new stuff that I bought!)
Robin
For me, there’s nothing like seeing the real thing to learn about plants.
That’s one of the reasons I make visiting botanical gardens, parks and flower shows a high priority when it comes to travel and my free time. Aside from the enjoyment of being outdoors or seeing all the wonderful new combinations, I can see the three-dimensional version of the plants in a natural setting. I can see their real size and color. I can smell, touch and feel the plant.
When I look at the flowers and plants in magazines and catalogs all seem to run together after a while. The photographers make them all just lovely. And how can you really judge color or size in print? Forget about smell.
When I’m visiting a park or garden I will sometimes photograph a particularly striking arrangement with the plan for making a similar arrangement at home or just to add to my photographic idea book.
Here’s an example. On the left is a container arrangement I saw at the Dixon House and Gardens in Memphis last May. I was particularly taken by the holly, primroses and parsley packed into the beautiful pot. The unusual shape of the holly made a dramatic statement in the container arrangement and added some vertical interest.
On the right is a version of the same arrangement I made at home with flowers I found at the local garden center, including a sky pencil holly and some miniature petunias. I didn’t have the fabulous container they had at the Dixon gardens, so a simple terra cotta container had to do.
Could I have gotten such an arrangement idea from a book? Sure. But by actually seeing and copying an existing arrangement, I had a much better idea of the outcome to expect.
I haven’t had nearly the same success with packages of plants sold to create specific effects. White Flower Farm has some spectacular arrangement collections and photographs that make me salivate. They are drop-dead gorgeous. Still, I’m not buying them anymore though because I can never recreate the same effect in my garden. It’s frustrating to spend a lot of money on plants and then be disappointed in the outcome. I’ll save my money for seeds, fabulous pots and plants I can be confident will do well here at Bumblebee.
Of course, not all of the arrangements here at Bumblebee are copies. But I think copycat gardening is a good strategy for learning about plants until you’re ready to fly solo.
Robin
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.
- 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.
- Carry a notebook and pen. You can make notes, job down flower and vendor names or even sketch a particularly striking flower layout.
- 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.
- 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.
- Check show schedules in advance for special demonstration and lecture times. Many shows have a first-come-first-serve seating policy, so arrive early.
- 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.
- 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
Robin
