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After being lulled by El Niño, Mother Nature’s rather rude introduction to real winter weather with such a bitter cold blast, has left most of us needing a little lift.
I have the perfect suggestion: the Northwest Flower and Garden Festival taking place at the Seattle Washington State Convention Center from Feb. 14 to 18. It’s a few weeks down the calendar, but just the thought of their beautiful spring displays is something to look forward to.
I’ve been a huge fan of this show ever since it was started in 1989, by Duane and Alice Kelly. It was the first major public show held in the convention centre, and it has improved every year since. It’s now rated one of the Top 10 flower shows in the world, and it’s nice to have it so close to home.
The heart and soul of the show are the spectacular display gardens. When you walk into the venue, its like entering a different world. This expansive building is cooled just slightly to help preserve the colour and perfume of the thousands of spring flowers, winter flowering shrubs, perennials, and of course the many specimen trees which have been forced into bloom just for the show.
Theatrical lighting adds to the drama of all this spring beauty by bringing out the vibrance of so many bright colours, and setting the mood for individual show gardens.
This year there are twenty display gardens with a wide variety of themes, but they all come under this year’s theme: I Love Spring!
Even though there will be many show goers surrounding each feature, I go back several times to try to capture the spirit of each design,
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In the rhythmic dance of nature, gardens become living canvases, where flowers and plants weave a tapestry of colors, scents, and textures. There is a verdant realm of unique and captivating ways to adorn outdoor spaces. Let’s start our botanical journey as we explore unconventional methods to embellish gardens, turning them into enchanting sanctuaries that delight the senses like the same-day bouquet delivered to our doorstep.
From the lone Irish yew tree, first discovered growing in Co Fermanagh in the 18th century, whose countless offspring now flourish in gardens all over the world, to the great Irish gardeners, garden makers, planthunters and plantspeople who have made valuable contributions to the world of horticulture, we have many reasons to be proud of our unique gardening tradition. Here are some suitably horticultural ways to celebrate Ireland’s “40 shades of green”.
Sowing a seed directly into the ground, nurturing it, and reaping the rewards is one of the easiest gardening activities you can do—yet many gardeners don’t. There are many reasons to direct sow. Often, you’ll have earlier harvests because the seeds will germinate when it’s the perfect time to grow, and stronger seedlings because transplant shock isn’t an issue. Planting seeds in general (instead of buying transplants) gives you more varietal options, and you can also save a lot of money (1 packet of 30 to 150 seeds often costs less than a 6-pack of plants). And then there is the personal satisfaction factor. Ask any child who has planted a sunflower seed how they feel when that flower towers over their head, and you’ll understand what I mean.
1. The Promoter is Immediate Media Company London Limited (company number 06189487), Vineyard House, 44 Brook Green, London W6 7BT (“Immediate”). The competition is sponsored by Weetabix Limited (company number 00267687) (t/a “Alpen”).
We’re back enjoying part two of Cherry Ong’s visit last June to the garden of perennial gardening expert Pam Frost on Vancouver, Canada. Cherry visited as part of a tour organized by the Vancouver Hardy Plant Society.
Common juniper (Juniperus communis) is one of only three conifers native to the UK. It’s a member of the cypress family and grows on chalk or limestone in lowland areas, and moors, woodland and cliffs in northern Britain. Juniper is in decline in wild populations and has been designated a UK Biodiversity Action Plan priority species. This special tree has disappeared from several areas in the south of England. Many remaining colonies are so small that they’re considered functionally extinct. Scotland is now the stronghold for 80 per cent of the UK’s juniper trees.
In a world increasingly focused on sustainable living, the choices we make extend to every corner of our lives, including our outdoor spaces. When it comes to garden furniture, the term "sustainable" goes beyond a mere buzzword – it's a commitment to a greener and more ethical lifestyle.
They say that you can tell a surprising amount about a gardener by the kind of potatoes they grow. Some of us, for example, are traditionalists who’ll plump for the floury, fluffy ‘British Queen’ (colloquially known as ‘Queens’) every time. Others are passionate foodies who prefer the firm, waxy, flavoursome, yellow flesh of a salad potato such as ‘Charlotte’, or the heirloom ‘La Ratte’. Individualists, meanwhile, often like to seek out unusual kinds, such as the dark magenta-fleshed ‘Vitanoire’, or the knobbly ‘Pink Fir Apple’, the heritage variety famed for its more-ishness.