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November 10th, 2009
The stone steps of La Foce's terraced garden draw the eye upward, towards two large Italian cypresses
I’ve barely been home from Italy for 24 hours and despite jet lag, I am still alert enough to post my first report about the two week trip to Tuscany.
One of the most memorable days was our tour of La Foce, a Tuscan estate and garden with influences dating to the 15th century when the property was built as an Inn (“Osteria”) by the Hospital of S. Maria della Scala. It is located in the town of Chianciano, about 30 minutes southeast of where we stayed in Montisi.
“Foce” (pronounced Foe-CHAY) means “opening” or “meeting place,” and its origins are traced to the Etruscans. The name refers to the osteria’s location as a stopping place where two prominent roads intersect. The roads were traveled by pilgrims, merchants and travelers who sought rest from their journeys at La Foce.
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Posted in Architecture, Gardening, General, Landscape Design, Plants | 12 Comments »
October 22nd, 2009
”]![The garden terrace at Villa Maddalena [BillWright photo]](https://www.slowflowerspodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/table-300x200.jpg "table")
Two years in the planning, I’m leaving tonight to fly to Rome (via Munich) for a two-week Italy getaway. Ten of my dearest friends are joining me in a little village called Montisi, which is (happily) in the middle of nowhere. We are ostensibly celebrating my belated 50th birthday, but I also think we’re just celebrating life. Each other’s and the beautiful friends who, sadly, couldn’t be with us this time around.
Hey – there’s always my 55th, right?
After my girlfriend week, I will have a family week. My husband and 2 sons arrive as the girls leave. Plus, some dear college friends of Bruce’s and my folks. Celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary, too. Lots to be grateful for. And I hope this trip slows me down long enough to ponder that.
Slide show of Villa Maddalena, our home away from home for 2 weeks. Photographs by Bill Wright. Yes, THE Bill Wright!
Here’s one more shot of the Villa, taken from a hot air balloon:
Here it is, our stone villa
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October 7th, 2009
Shopping and playing at Plant Delights Nursery
“All the world’s a nursery. And all the men and women merely gardeners.”
— William Shakeshovel (aka Tony Avent)
Garden Writers Annual symposium, Part IV
On Friday, Sept. 26th, the climate started cooling off, but with that came some lightish showers. Luckily, the rain held off until later in the morning, but we started out boarding buses at 7 a.m. (!) to visit to the famous Juniper Level Botanic Gardens at Plant Delights Nursery – a gardener’s mecca, nursery and botanical garden all in one.
Consider: A five-acre display garden that contains 17,000 different plant specimens. The nursery has 1,600 different plants available at any given time. Talk about over-stim!
Wow - a chance to meet Tony Avent, genius plantsman
I have been a fan of plantsman Tony Avent ever since I inherited the late Stephanie Feeney’s working files from her book, The Northwest Gardener’s Resource Directory. I picked up where Stephanie left off to edit the 9th edition in 2002. That was when Internet plant-ordering was in its infancy and thousands of plant fanatics on both coasts looked forward to receiving the entertaining Plant Delights catalog from this Raleigh nursery. I got a kick out of the “price” that Tony printed on the front cover. It hasn’t changed in the ensuing years: “10 stamps or a box of chocolates.”
Here’s what I wrote about Plant Delights Nursery in 2002 (of course, never having been there, this was based on the catalog and web site):
Among the Plant Delights here is an engagingly humorous catalog, its gentle joshing bordering occasionally on the sarcastic. Earlier issues have been subtitled along the lines of “Raiders of the Lost Park” and “It’s not easy being variegated,” as this nursery boldly announces its mission to sell unusual perennials. You’ll find an online catalog of 1,000-plus offerings, including arisaema, asarum, cannas, crinum lilies, epimediums, ferns, hardy palms, hardy ginger lilies, hellebores, heuchera, hosta, lobelia, ornamental grasses, pulmonaria, Solomon’s seal, tiarella, verbena . . . and more.
When we arrived Friday morning, Plant Delights was everything I hoped it would be – and more. The crew at Plant Delights were all-hands-on-deck. Hundreds of garden writers wandered (raced?) around the property, little red or green wagons in tow, seeking unusual must-have plants in the hoop houses and absorbing design ideas in the display gardens that surround Tony and Michelle Avent’s home. The mood was at first festive, followed by a quiet sense of awe.
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Posted in Gardening, General, Landscape Design, Plants | 6 Comments »
October 3rd, 2009
Garden Writers Association Annual Symposium, Part III:
Lotuses thrive in the sultry Southern heat at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens in Raleigh
Thursday morning kicked off with our keynote speaker Dr. Lowell Catlett, a fascinating economic futurist who really put things into perspective in his talk, “The Greening of America.” Dr. Catlett tailored his remarks to our profession and totally blew the audience away. We were inspired and challenged (in a good way) to rethink our definition of “green” and “sustainable” lifestyle choices.
You can find several clips of Dr. Catlett’s lectures on YouTube, so check him out. He ended the lecture with this charge: “Do not sell people products and services. Sell them dreams.” It resonated, because we know that seeking and creating beauty in our surroundings is a basic human desire. If you didn’t make it to the symposium, Dr. Catlett’s lecture is one CD to purchase and listen to.
Love the gothic gates at the entry to Duke Gardens; made of metal but inspired by stained glass
After the morning workshop sessions and a working lunch at the trade show, we hopped on buses for the first of three days of garden touring.
Thursday was the hottest, most humid day during the conference, so I have mixed memories from our late afternoon tour of the Sarah P. Duke Gardens.
Canna tropicana and a cluster of coleus, backlit in the afternoon sun
The 55-acre public garden graces the campus of Duke University and features several special areas, including a formal Italianate-style terrace garden planted with an explosion of colorful tropicals, annuals and woody plants. I spent a lot of time here and was drawn to the twin historic stone structures. Not quite sheds, but shed-like for sure.
I love the placement of these round millstones providing transit across the pond
I then escaped to the shade with a few friends walking through the understory of the H.L. Blomquist Garden of Native Plants. Filled with more than 900 varieties of regional natives, it was a beautiful and serene enclave. It was especially fun to hang out here with Nan Sterman, aka PlantSoup, my symposium roommate and Duke University alum. She spent a lot of time studying plants as a biology undergrad, so I had a personal narrative to connect to this amazing place.
We experienced that languishing, Southern state of mind, what with the heat, the humidity, the sun and the sleep deprivation from staying awake late the night before and getting up early in the morning.
Dreamy, visually restful: the Virtue Peace Pond
A buffet dinner led to some fabulous conversations with new friends, despite the climatic challenges (it was all I could do NOT to throw myself into the “Virtue Peace Pond” to cool off – seriously). Those water lilies, lotuses and other water-loving plants looked so much happier than the humans seated around the pond’s perimeter.
Most memorable that evening were two conversations my good friend (and collaborator) David Perry of A Photographer’s Garden Blog and I had with Susan Reimer, garden and op-ed (!) columnist and “Garden Variety” blogger for the Baltimore Sun, and later with Rizaniño “Riz” Reyes , an up-and-coming plantsman, horticulturist and designer from Seattle. I recall sharing a table (and prior conversation) with Riz at a Northwest Perennial Association event several years ago. Inspiring to know him – and new friend, to be sure.
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Posted in Creativity, Entertainment, General, Landscape Design, Plants, Sheds & Havens | 2 Comments »
October 1st, 2009
Garden Writers Association annual symposium, Part II:
A charming Southern garden, Raleigh's Rose Cottage
Tuesday/Wednesday:
Raleigh here I come.
Greensboro gardener Lynda Waldrep drove me to Raleigh on Tuesday morning where I checked into the Garden Writers Association conference hotel, dropped off my gear and joined the GWA board meeting.
Nice to get Tuesday afternoon’s and Wednesday morning’s business out of the way so I could enjoy the rest of the conference once it began on Wednesday afternoon after lunch.
Wow, I got to meet heirloom seed wunderkind Jere Gettle of Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
After some regional meetings and receptions for first-time attendees, the Garden Products Information Exhibit opened – four hours of checking out the new trends in plants, products and programs for the horticultural industry. The exhibit continued on Wednesday for another four hours.
Next, I joined 50 or more very new (and a few old) friends at a private garden cocktail party for garden Twitter participants. Sharon and Jim Bright, our gracious garden hosts, opened the gates to Rose Cottage, their charming place in a historic downtown neighborhood.
The GWA Tweet-up is in full swing
Raleigh hometown gal Helen Yoest of Gardening With Confidence and Elizabeth Licata of Gardening While Intoxicated/Garden Rant, planned the evening with several other volunteer Twitter friends. Proven Winners (thanks Danielle!) was our sponsor, so we had lots to nibble and sip while admiring the garden’s exuberant cottage plantings, semi-formal vegetable beds (outlined in brick) and more.
Laura Schaub, Amy Stewart and Helen Yoest, real-time Twittering
All those women and men with whom I “tweet” came together for an evening where putting a face to a name was part of the fun. Our nametags had our real names and our Twitter names (I’m “@dkprinzing”).
What amused me more than anything was watching people post comments on Twitter during the party. I call it real-time garden tour commentary at its best.
My gal pal Mary Ann, busy with thumbs and I-phone
Later that night, I walked all the way across town with a friend to an authentic Carolina ribs BBQ dinner hosted by the Garden Media Group. A chance to catch up with some editor and writer friends, meet several of GMG’s clients, shake the hand of famed BBQ chef Ed Mitchell and eat some of his great Southern food.
Long day, but good conversations all around!
This annual gathering of gardeners is something I look forward to from year to year. Raleigh was my 8th Garden Writer Association event and I’m hooked.
Posted in Creativity, Entertainment, Gardening, General, Landscape Design, Plants, Playfulness, Writing | 2 Comments »
September 28th, 2009
"A buckeye in your pocket for good luck"
The 61st annual Garden Writers Association annual symposium took place this past week, hosted by a fabulous group of Raleigh garden communicators who put together a great lineup of uncommon gardens, mouthwatering menus and Southern hospitality. The occasion drew 655 registrants, the second-largest gathering ever in GWA’s history after Philadelphia/Brandywine Valley in 2006.
More than our profession’s top event for education, inspiration and networking, the symposium is an affirmation that what we do every day is connect people with the natural world and the environment of plants, water, soil, sun, and animals through stories and photographs. Garden writers communicate information and share inspiration, so that’s why I love and value how I spend my life.
This week on Shedstyle, I will feature a day-by-day recap of my week in North Carolina. I’ll start with Monday & Tuesday:
with my new garden friends, Charlie and Lois Brummitt
I flew to Greensboro, NC, to be welcomed as a guest speaker for the Guilford County Horticultural Society. Because my lecture was scheduled for Monday evening, I arrived very late Sunday and was met by Lois and Charlie Brummitt, two gracious garden hosts.
They gave me a cozy, quiet place to stay, let me sleep in on Monday, made sure I had a mug of English breakfast tea and a scone (along with Internet service to do a little writing in the AM). Lois and her friend Nanny took me out to lunch at Undercurrent, a lovely restaurant (spinach salad for me; oysters and quail salad, respectively, for them – Southern specialties!).
Graham Ray (center), showing Lois Brummit (right) and friend Mary Halyburton his dwarf conifer collection
We then toured some of Greensboro’s great private, residential gardens, including the gracious Southern gardens of landscape designer and historian Chuck Callaway and the expansive backyard spread created by Diane Flint. Then we headed for Graham Ray’s woodland landscape.
Graham has devoted 40 years to cultivating his property using a plantsman’s keen intuition to design harmonious compositions of excellent plants in just the right setting. Some of these photos will just have to speak for themselves.
The “buckeye” shown at the top of this page is Aesculus pavia or Red Buckeye, native to the Eastern U.S. and a relative of the Common Horse Chestnut often seen in Seattle (Aesculus hippocastanum). It grows in Graham’s garden and he gave me a pocketful of several to carry home with me. I hope they bring me good fortune!
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An alluring path through the pines, oaks, and chestnuts
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This border knocked me out – I love how Graham mixes conifers and evergreens with tropicals and annuals
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One of countless wonderful plant combinations conjured by Graham Ray
The Greensboro audience gets ready for my slide show - a great turnout
We arrived at the local Natural Science Center in time for me to set up my slides and meet Lynda Waldrep, who made it all possible as the society’s program coordinator. A special thanks to Lee and Larry Newlin of Garden Discovery Tours for suggesting me and my talk on The Abundant Garden (“Lush and Layered”).
My audience was superb and generous. We had fun conversing about design, plants, and ornamentation in the landscape. And surprisingly, there’s much that North Carolina and Western Washington gardens have in common, including the predominant green palette.
PS, a late dinner of Italian red wine and gourmet pizza, back at Charlie and Lois’s house, was a perfect capper to my 24 hours in Greensboro. We went out to see their garden at night and Charlie pointed out Venus in the sky – magical.
Before I left the next morning, I battled a few mosquitoes to stroll through and snap a few photos of their landscape. It’s a place I hope to return to in the future, to be with new friends and kindred spirits.
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I love bottle trees of all kinds, and I really love the one Lois created!
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Lois and Charlie’s hosta-filled backyard is a shade-garden extraordinaire
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Hanging throughout the garden from tree branches, strings of crystals and mirrors
Thank you, everyone in Greensboro!
Next . . . Garden Writers Invade Raleigh. What’s better, the food or the plants?!
Posted in Gardening, General, Landscape Design, Plants | 4 Comments »
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