FOR THOSE OF YOU IN THE AREA, meaning the Hudson Valley of New York State or thereabouts, these spring events here in the garden and elsewhere may be of interest:
- Saturday March 14, Spring Garden Day, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rensselaer County. (518) 272-4210. This popular, day-long annual event in Troy, New York, includes a choice of classes, from growing orchids at home to successful vegetable gardening. I’m the midday keynote speech at 2 PM, on making a 365-day garden. Call for information and signup (no online registration).
- Saturday, April 25, Garden Day, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County. (845) 340-3990. A daylong series of 16 workshops (choose 4) focused on how-to, frugal-minded gardening. I’m giving the keynote lecture, on making a 365-day garden, at 9 AM. Call for information and tickets.
- Sunday, May 31, Open Days, the Garden Conservancy, gardenconservancy.org. I’ll be open from 10-4, when theoretically the featured plants would include collections of alliums, perennial geraniums, lilacs, and a whole lot of good foliage. $5 per person (donated to the Conservancy).
- Opening June 6, through the season, Berkshire Botanical Garden, Stockbridge, Mass. In collaboration with Bob Hyland of Loomis Creek Nursery, Hudson, New York, to help celebrate the 75th anniversary of BBG, I’m co-creating an exhibition called “Contained Exuberance: A Fresh Look at Gardening in Pots.” (413) 298-3926.
oh how I wish the wife and I could attend
I am in Westchester’s Hudson Valley, unfortunately far away from your part of our great valley – I was so excited when I thought these might be close! Sorry to miss. Looking forward to more posts, however!
Welcome, Blushing Hostess. Depending where you live, yes; from say White Plains to Kingston would probably be an hour and a half. Less from northern W’chester. You could come visit the garden…make a day of an adventure, shop some good local nurseries. ;)
Those garden conservancy days are amazing! I used to work with people who had a great garden in Chicago’s northern suburbs. They would get a thousand people through their garden on a conservancy day! (I was fortunate to be able to go whenever I wanted, so I avoided the open days like the plague!) You are very generous to make your garden available for such a good cause.
Wish I could hear the talk about 365 day gardening. Any chance of a podcast?
Oh, Johanna, what a good idea! Thank you. You are right–I should try to incarnate the talk on the blog. Genius. Now where are those other 8 hands of mine and a few more brains…?
Heard you speak in Atlanta many years ago. You were wonderful. I’m fantasizing about how incredible your talks must be now. Wish I could come.
Garden & Be Well, Tara
Welcome, Tara, and thank you. (This was a public-service announcement I paid Tara to post.) :) I wish you could come, too. What I really enjoy is talking with real gardeners…I learn so much from their questions and observations. Such fun, especially in early, early spring, when everybody’s all nuts with that special energy. See you here soon again, I hope.
If I time my spring trip to Sharon Springs just right, I may be able to catch the open days. I like Johanna’s idea of a podcast.. perhaps an entire series of podcasts.. something to ponder?
Are the Frogboys going to be with you?
Margaret–
Perhaps one of the hosting organizations will tape your talk and you can post a link to it? When I worked non-profit we were always taping lectures and providing the content to radio stations. Isn’t that podcast “Gardening Conversations” on North Country Public Radio with Amy Ivey of the Cornell Cooperative Extension? Maybe the Extension should record all the major talks and make them available (after the event, of course!) — all you have to do is talk, and then post a link!
–Johanna
BTW – great photo. You and the plants all look fabulous. I made several of those chairs after a trip to Wave Hill a dozen years ago, but mine are just grey, that greeny yellow really works.
I agree with Ted about you and the chairs! We first saw those chairs at Innisfree and took photos to replicate them. Then a few years later bought a pattern at Wave Hill. Alas, we haven’t got around to making them yet. One of these years … this summer’s big project is to learn how to stucco so we can finish our teahouse!
I’m green with envy.
Oh, what a great pic!
margaret,
your garden looks beautiful…may i sugget a topic for a post? Why do all of your plants always look so lush and full? I’m sure your compost is part of the answer, but do you have any special watering secrets or other maintenance ideas? we would all appreciate your advice.
Margaret,
We’re hoping to come on the Garden Conservancy tour on May 31st from Ottawa, Ontario. Whereabouts are you in NY so we can figure out how long it will take us to drive?
You could email directly if you like…
i have just discovered your blog thru the loomis creek nursery site. i moved to saratoga springs last summer so am starting over and was thrilled to find you and to find, thru you, brushwood nursery, have already placed an order. i also cannot wait to visit loomis creek . i was on the conservancy tours the first six years they started, my gardens were in southern ct. it was the greatest experience of my life, what an honor. maybe some day my gardens here in ss will be on, though i have gone from over 2 acres to 1/4 of an acre. my first city garden. anyway i just wanted to thank you for the blog and my daughter and i will be there for one of the open days, sarah
Welcome, Sarah, and I do so look forward to meeting you during tours. I will be the one who looks dizzy from running up and down the hill all day. :) Saratoga is great; spent childhood summers there each year. My sister still visits a lot as well. Enjoy the blog, and do say hello again soon.