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Proven Winners GoldDust

May 25, 2011 By 1 Comment

Name: Mecardonia hybrid ‘GoldDust’™

Zones: Hardy to 9 – 11.  An annual in NC

Size: 2 -5  inches tall and spread 12 – 16 inch spread.

Conditions: Sun; normal moisture

Proven Winners has many gardeners and garden writers, like me, across the country trialing their new introductions.  The expectation from Proven Winners when sending trial plants, is for us to grow them out, and report back to Proven Winners our experience, good or bad.  This gives good, reliable data on how a certain plant will do in our area, in my case, zone 7B.  Of course, the zone only reports the low temps, so it doesn’t really matter with an annual; and of course, says nothing more…more important information is that, here in Raleigh, we have hot and humid summers, day and night, unpredictable rain fall, and clay.

Often times, when trialing plants,  I wish my clay soil was not amended, so I could give a brutal, “real life” gardening experience.  But, then again, I hope readers of this blog have learned the benefits of amending the soil and are doing so in their own garden.

In the spring, when the new introductions arrived on my front door step, I opened the box peering down, spying  GoldDust as part of several sent.

The plant name, GoldDust, gave me an indication of what the plant would look like. Often times, plant names can be deceiving. (I’m digressing here, but I have a burning desire to name a plant….)

In my garden that I call Helen’s Haven, I’ve created an area along the driveway to trial these plants. This allows me to monitor the plant progress often.  Many other plants go to various parts of the garden.

During the summer, I watched GoldDust with great delight.  It reached about 2.5 inches high and about 14 inches wide, spilling along the driveway edge, softening the the look of the flagstone.  The intense yellow color gave rise the the name GoldDust.  Good call Proven Winners’ plant naming people…Kerry, was that you?

I never watered it, once established; who has time to invest in an annual.  Seriously (no offense Proven Winners), if I’m going to take the time to water, it will be in plants offering long term benefit, like perennials, shrubs, trees and such.  Mind you, if I grew it in a container, I would have watered it, if need be.

My results of GoldDust – it did brilliantly.  GoldDust’s great success made it such that I want more next year.  GoldDust is low maintenance, colorful, and liking of our heat (and humidity.)

I can see it growing in containers, along a bed’s edge, and as ground cover filler throughout the garden.

Available in garden centers this spring, I will just have the ante up and pay for my own next year, but given it’s performance, I will do just that.

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Moss dish gardens – Moss and Stone Gardens – Where Moss Rocks!

May 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I wanted to share with you another blog I’ve been writing for Moss and Stone Gardens I hope you enjoy and bookmark it!

As if butter and nutmeg were blended on stone, molded, then spread with lush, emerald green moss, this dish is worthy of a nosh.

David Spain’s Mellow Yellow dish came about by the proverbial, cart before the horse, philosophy.

Typically, David will let a piece of pottery move him to create moss landscapes as art in the shallow well of pottery or crevices of stone.

In creating of this piece, David was moved first by the moss. “I had a particularly beautiful colony of Polytrichum commune and Dicranum scoparium that were evenly mixed together,” says David.

Recognizing the rarity of these two mosses in such a large colony combined as one, David commissioned Marsha Owen Pottery to make this mellow, yellow pottery dish.

“As a moss cultivator, I am always looking for exceptional specimens and as this mixed colony developed, I knew I wanted to showcase the fusion of species and their exceptional size,” says David.

David carried the colony to Marsha’s studio where they made a cardboard template of the colony’s footprint. David says, “I asked Marsha to come up with a simple, elegant container to house this voluptuous mixture and I was not disappointed.”

Careful consideration was needed in making this pottery fit the moss colony. As pottery is fired, there is shrinkage. Allowing for this, Marsha and her husband Rick, carefully constructed the container, so once fired, the moss colony would fit exactly.

At first glance, this moss dish may seem to be lacking the detail of a micro-landscape David is so well known for; however, to David, “This dish epitomized the simple beauty of a moss dish garden.”

As ever, photographer, Ken Gergle, masterfully photographed this dish garden, Mellow Yellow. Often, Ken leaves the scale of the art a mystery. When I learn of the scale of some of David’s pieces, I often equate it to adding the last wiggly-shaped piece to a 500 piece puzzle, as Country Dish revealed.

So while Mellow Yellow, may only be made of two mosses, Polytrichum commune and Dicranum scoparium, it measures 22 inches across or about the size of my mondo computer screen or that of my first born at birth. Indeed, this is impressive.

In the wild, a colony of this breadth takes about 20 plus years to develop. David was able to grow this colony in just four years using the optimal conditions at Moss and Stone Garden’s moss nursery.

Mellow Yellow is a permanent part of David Spain’s personal collection; “I am happy to report, for five months, the colony housed in Mellow Yellow, has a healthy formation of sporophytes, signifying it’s content in it’s uniquely crafted sanctuary.”

For many more months, and perhaps years to come, I hope to learn of Mellow Yellow’s continued contentment.

By: Helen  Yoest

Follow Moss and Stone Gardens – Where Moss Rocks! on Twitter @Moss_Rocks and our Facebook Like page Moss and Stone Gardens – Where Moss Rocks!

To learn more about Moss and Stone Gardens – Where Moss Rocks!, please visit our website.  Or email David Spain at info@mossandstonegardens.com.

Helen  Yoest is a garden writer, speaker and garden coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™.

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May Maintenance

May 11, 2011 By 1 Comment

May Maintenance Guide

GARDENING WITH CONFIDENCE™

THIS MONTH IN THE GARDEN

Mid-Atlantic Region

INTRO

May brings the end of pine pollen and summer begins, at least the unofficial summer begins with Memorial Day celebrations.

Every garden has room for container gardens. Find some fabulous pots and fill them with whatever you fancy. Know the amount of sun you get and when. It matters when you select your plants. Remember containers tend to dry out faster and often, with this, nutrients leach out, requiring extra watering and fertilizing.

BULBS

It’s safe now to plant the Amaryllis from Christmas. It will not likely bloom again this year, but should do so next year. My Amarylis, from previous year’s, bloom mid month.

Now that the soils have warmed, plant Caladium bulbs or those potted and already in leaf. They like it warm and can be damaged by a cool weather, not just a frost. They are also big feeders, so they will need consistent watering and fertilizer during the growing season.

Actually, any tender summer bulb such as cannas, dahlias, ginger lilies, and tuberoses can be planted now.

Oh, the Iris are blooming their little heads off.  After blooming, cut flower stalks to tidy up the plant.  Recently, I cut some for a friend. She took a whiff and realized for the first time, bearded Irises have a lovely scent. They are nice to bring inside to enjoy the flowers and scent.

Cut the flowers stalks of daffodils. Try to ignore the leaves as they die a natural death.

ANNUALS

With the frost behind us, annuals can be planted with abandonment.

Visit public gardens to see the variety available for planting in our area.  The JC Raulston Arboretum is an All-American Selection (AAS) display garden exhibiting the most recent selection winners.

Direct sow zinnia seed at intervals to have cut flowers through frost.

PERENNIALS

May is not the ideal time for planting perennials, but they are oh, so available. Plan to plant, but pamper as well. Perennials will require extra watering to help get established.

Seeing the Chinese wisteria escaped in the wild brings a feeling of wonder. Yes, the color and flowers cascading down from the trees are beautiful, but they ain’t supposed to be there. Think twice about planting one. Instead, consider the the American wisteria, ‘Amethyst Falls’, a rich purple flowers,  blooming a little later the Chinese species.

TREES AND SHRUBS

May is Southern Magnolia’s bloom time. These flowers give so much and we need to do so little for them in return. I like to pluck a Magnolia bloom and float it in a bowl of water near where I read or enjoy the garden at the end of the day. It last but a day, but what a day it is.

The Endless Summer Hydrangea is the first Hydrangea to bloom on old and new growth with the ability to rebloom all summer long. I planted my Endless Summer in 2005.   To encourage reblooming, cut the blooms for drying or to put in vases for a fresh arrangement. This will also encourage the plant to set new buds.

Prune rhododendron and azaleas right after flowering.

ROSES

Roses are in full swing right now. Let your roses flush out and take shorter pruning tactics in May so they grow taller. This is usually good advice for the first couple of cuttings. Then you can prune at will, remembering to cut at an angle at the next 5 leaflets.  Roses are heavy feeders both food and water. Fertilize once a month and give each rose about 5 gallons of water each week or about an inch a week. Water at the base of the plant and in the morning to help discourage black spot.

HERBS

Plant an herb garden! If not for you, then for your garden friends. The black Tiger Swallowtail butterfly larvae love parsley and fennel. Let those green worms eat it all. Or plant enough to spare. If you don’t want them, call me at 760-5404 and I will rescue them to my gardens.

May, in my garden, is Lavender peak bloom time. Each May, I’m reminded of why I grow Lavender.  But it can look ratty many months of the year. After it flowers, cut back and shape.

VEGETABLES

WATERWISE

Keep your gardens cool, less thirsty, and reduce the amount of weeds,  top dress your garden beds of mulch. I can write volumes on the benefits of mulch. I believe in the power of mulch.

For my Roses, I use mini-nuggets, but for my perennial gardens, I used composted leaf mulch.

Picking up a load reminds me of how important it is to make sure your yard waste is separated from your trash. This is not only good stuff once it is composted, but the conservation practice is in all our best interest! Confessions of a Sustainable Gardener – Part 3 Mulch

SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES

To encourage flowering, a fertilizer low in nitrogen and high in phosphorus is best. The fertilizer’s 3 main ingredients are N-P-K with N for Nitrogen, P for Phosphorus and K for Potassium. 10-10-10 means there is an equal proportion of each N-P-K. Hydrangeas like a low N and a high P, thus a combination of 10-40-10 would be ideal.

My general rule of thumb to remember what the numbers mean, is to start with the first number and apply from the top of the plant to the bottom. As such, N is for the green; P  is for the bloom; and K- is for the root or up and down and all around.

To refresh your understanding of pH, pH refers to the acidity of the soil and is measured by the number of Hydrogen ions present in the soil. pH is a logarithmic scale based on the power of ten. As such, pH of 6.0 is 10 times more acidic than pH of 7.0!  Thus, even a little change in pH can make a big difference. A pH of 7 is neutral, less than 7 is acid, greater than 7 is alkaline. Most plants like a pH between 6.5 and 7. Hydrangeas like it more acidic than most plants.

GARDEN PESTS

WILDLIFE


Photo from David Spain, co-owner of Moss and Stone Gardens, Raleigh, NC.  CONTAINER GARDENS

LAWNS

Helen  Yoest is a garden writer, speaker and garden coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™.

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook Friend’s page, Helen Yoest; or facebook Like page, Gardening With Confidence™

Helen is a field editor for Better Homes and Gardens, Country Gardens, and Traditional Home magazine and she also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum.

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Garden Home Retreat at Moss Mountain Farm with P. Allen Smith

May 2, 2011 By 8 Comments


With so many of the garden media channels —  magazines and TV, putting garden as second billing, such as House and Garden, Home and Garden TV (HGTV), it’s refreshing witnessing someone willing to step outside the boxwood, combining the words, garden and home.  P. Allen Smith has blended the  blurred lines of life, simply calling his retreat a Garden Home.

Indeed, a romantic goal for many of us who want to live in our gardens – at least to be surrounded by what makes our garden special, whether it’s the color or the clutter, surrounding our home with what makes us happy in the garden is often emulated.

Allen blended the Garden Home lines at the front door by choosing the colors found in the old Post oak gracing the front entrance. Subtle colors marry well in creating a mellow welcome into a Allen’s retreat.

Fortunate to attend the first, of what I hope to be many, Garden Home Retreats at Moss Mountain Farm with P. Allen Smith, several bloggers attended  a 2 day-event, allowing us to get the know the man behind the TV and print persona.  As a fan prior to attending, my opinion of his talent was only reinforced after spending time there.  The man — creative, classic, and cultured with a kind heart, took the time to ensure our visit was superb.  It was.

During the two-day event, we toured some of Allen’s design team’s gardens, including the governor’s mansion, with an introduction from the First Lady, Ginger Beebe, a Master Gardener.  The gardens flowed nicely with the home, including appropriate nods blending the home and garden.

From there, we traveled to three other of his designs, each very different, but equally desirable:  The Murphy family garden, a French inspired garden, and the opulent,  Marlsgate Plantation.

 

 

The Murphy family garden

 

 

French inspired garden

 

Marlsgate Plantation

 

Moss Mountain Farm

As the rain bounced between dancing and sitting one out, I settling in at Moss Mountain Farm.  Not deterred by the weather, the gardens drew me in.  The views from inside the house were clearly taken into consideration.

My time there as well spent.

Leisurely strolls along the garden paths, absorbing the breathing taking views, and connecting with the past in a modern day Garden Home, inspired even the garden writers, many of whom, have seen their fair share of gorgeous gardens.

As the garden writers chatted with each other about our personal experience at the Garden Home, and as we focused our camera lenses on various vignettes, we all agreed, it was beyond our respective expectations; and I had very high expectations.

I walked away with a new appreciation of my own Garden Home.  I plan to borrow the term, Garden Home, when referring to Helen’s Haven.  Indeed, inside my nest is equally important to me as outside.  I do this out of respect to Allen who inspires visitors to treat their Garden Home as one, however humble.

 

 

I Plan to keep up with all things Allen, from his blog, television show, Garden to Table, and of course, his latest book,  P. Allen Smith’s Seasonal Recipes from the Garden


The trip was paid for  by Allen’s sponsors. Many thanks to the wonderful products of Corona Tools, Garden Safe, Stihl, Berry, Laguna Ponds, Bonnie Plants, Easy Gardener, and Proven Winners.  I, too, am a fan of each of these products.

 

I’ll also bow to Foxgloves, Inc. for providing us the most stylish and comfortable garden gloves I’ve tried. They also made a great photo op.

All in all, all things Allen are good.

 

The attendees:

Helen Yoest with Gardening With Confidence™

Adriana Martinez  Anarchy in the Garden

Andrew Key Garden Smackdown

Annie Haven Manure Tea

Ben Ford The Thrifty Landscaper

Beth Phelps U of A ex

Brenda Haas BG Garden

Dee Nash Red Dirt Ramblings

Fern Richardson with Life on the Balcony

Jacqueline D’Elia Southern Post Journal

Janet Carson U of A Home and Garden

Jean Ann Van Krevelan Garden to Farmer

Jenny Peterson J. Peterson Garden Design

Kaylee Baumle Our Little Acre

Kerry Michaels About Container Gardener

Laura Mathews Punk Rock Gardens

Mike Lieberman Urban Organic Gardener

Rhonda Hayes The Garden Buzz

Robin Horton Urban Gardens

Shawna Corondo The Casual Gardener

Shirley Bovshow Eden Makers Blog

Stephanie McCratic Evolved Mommy

Steve Bender Grumpy Gardener

Teresa O’Conner Seasonal Wisdom

 

The Garden Home Retreat at Moss Mountain Farm

Overlooking the Arkansas River Valley, the Garden Home Retreat at Moss Mountain Farm encompasses more than 650 acres. The centerpiece is the cottage, a Greek Revival-inspired abode designed and built in an earth-friendly manner and appointed with a well-edited mix of modern furnishings and pieces from Allen’s collection of Southern antiques. Directly behind the cottage is the croquet lawn, which is bookended with a summer kitchen and art studio. The twin clapboard structures boast Rumford fireplaces and large, four-panel sliding glass doors to be opened up for maximum viewing.

The surrounding land includes a fountain garden that separates two wings of terraced garden rooms filled with annuals, perennials, heritage roses, trees, shrubs and ornamental grasses planted along pathways and borders, in raised beds framed with espaliered ‘Gala’ apple and ‘Keifer’ pear trees, and growing on whimsical arbors and other structures. An orchard filled with heritage apple trees runs along the back of the lower terrace garden, while a short stroll away is the one-acre vegetable garden and a blueberry parterre planted with 1,700 blueberry plants in 67 varieties, plus a selection of stone fruit trees such as peaches, plums, nectarines and apricots. Wildflower meadows, pastures that are home to numerous breeds of heritage chickens and turkeys, as well as Dorper sheep, Moose the donkey and Trudy, Allen’s driving mare, and daffodil hill, which overflows with more than 200,000 daffodils each spring rounds out the expansive, breathtaking property. Various outbuildings, from barns to mobile chicken homes, are located throughout the grounds and surrounding pastures.

About Little Rock, Arkansas

The capital of Arkansas, Little Rock is also the largest city in the state, with a metro-area population of more than one-half million. Little Rock derives its name from French explorer Bènard de LaHarpe, who sailed up the Arkansas River and, upon seeing the first rock bluff since leaving the Mississippi River, called it “La Petite Roche.” What remains today of the rock formation is located at Riverfront Park, a 33-acre urban park that spans the south shore of theArkansas River. Along with “La Petit Roche,” Riverfront Park is also home to sculpture and rose gardens, nature trails, a history pavilion that details Little Rock’s rich history, the landmark Junction Bridge—which was recently transformed into a pedestrian bridge—and myriad other unique spots to take in the breathtaking vistas of the Arkansas River and beyond.


Downtown Little Rock is the epicenter of the city’s cultural and entertainment offerings, with the River Market District taking center stage. Once a desolate landscape of abandoned buildings, this 10-block area underwent a dramatic restoration in the mid-1990s and is now filled with a variety of shops, art galleries, restaurants, bars, and commercial and residential developments. The focal point of the River Market District is Ottenheimer Market Hall, which is home to 15 merchants offering delectable food from around the world, specialty items and more. And from May to October each year, the Market Hall is home to the Little Rock Farmers Market.

Designated one of 10 Great Streets for 2009 by the American Planning Association’s Great Places in America Program, President Clinton Avenue is the picturesque main artery through the River Market District. Named for former Arkansas governor and 42nd president William Jefferson Clinton, the street leads visitors to the Clinton Presidential Center and Park, which includes the Clinton Presidential Library, the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service and the Clinton Presidential Foundation’s Little Rock office. In addition to the archival collection and research facilities, the library features interactive exhibits, replicas of the Oval Office and the Cabinet Room, and other educational opportunities, such as a 100-foot-long timeline presenting the day-to-day work of the president.

About the Capital Hotel

The Capital Hotel was borne of an idea of what the greatest sort of luxury hotel could be in the late 1800s. Sporting, of all things, an elevator large enough to bear a guest and his horse upstairs, a state-of-the-art communications system (the “magnetic annunciator”) and proudly displaying the first electric light fixture to be found in a hotel in the South, a local matron declared the hotel “a capital enterprise located in a capital building.” The name stuck.

 

The Capital was a beacon to Southern culture in its day, and over the decades, it was continuously reinvented to characterize the very best of the South for each time. Today is no different. A family of third-generation Arkansans has lovingly renovated and refreshed the 1877 Italianate hotel and its cast-iron façade. Two restaurants grace the hotel, including Ashley’s, which features chef Lee Richardson’s “New Americana” fine dining, and the Capital Bar & Grill, a city favorite specializing in Southern comfort food and good company.

Other cultural and entertainment destinations in the River Market and surrounding area include:

Heifer International Headquarters and Global Village: Founded in 1944, Heifer is a non-profit, humanitarian organization dedicated to ending world hunger and caring for the earth by providing livestock, trees, training and other resources to assist struggling families, towns and villages around the globe. The Platinum LEED-certified campus includes the Murphy Keller Education Center, where visitors, staff, volunteers and the international development community can come together to learn more about world hunger, poverty, solutions currently being employed to combat those problems, and Heifer’s mission to seek solutions in the worldwide effort to end hunger and poverty.

Arkansas Arts Center: Founded in 1960, the Arkansas Arts Center is committed to building a collection of unique works on paper, primarily American and European, from the Renaissance to the present. Among the most recognizable works in the collection are sheets by Cézanne, Van Gogh, Jackson Pollock, Georgia O’Keeffe, Alison Saar, Rembrandt and Rubens. The Arts Center Collection also features 135 drawings and watercolors by the Post-Impressionist Paul Signac, over 100 Post-Minimalist drawings, Arthur Dove’s Sketchbook “E”, and nearly 80 works by Will Barnet. Masterworks in the collection include paintings by Diego Rivera, Odilon Redon and Francesco Bassano; sculpture by Henry Moore, Louise Nevelson and Roy Lichtenstein; and prints by Rembrandt, Whistler and Dürer. The second major area of collecting is contemporary objects in craft media, including teapots by contemporary artists, contemporary baskets, turned wood objects, studio glass, ceramics, metalwork and jewelry designed by artists. Among the highlights are works by Dale Chihuly, Albert Paley, Peter Voulkos and Dorothy Gill Barnes.

Historic Arkansas Museum: The Historic Arkansas Museum is a historic site museum of Arkansas’ frontier days. Five pre-Civil War houses, on their original block, are restored to antebellum appearances so you can learn about life in pre-Civil War Arkansas. Guided tours of the historic houses encounter living history actors, making it easy to step back in time and learn about the history of Arkansas. The Historic Arkansas Museum center features the museum’s outstanding collection of Arkansas-made decorative, mechanical and fine arts objects in six galleries. You’ll also find a wonderful museum store, living-history theater, educational areas and much more.

Old State House Museum: The Old State House Museum is the oldest standing state capitol building west of the Mississippi River. Construction on the building began in 1833 and was declared complete in 1842. The Greek Revival building was commissioned by Territorial Governor John Pope, who selectedKentucky architect Gideon Shryock to create plans for the Arkansas capitol. The State House served as Arkansas’ capitol until 1911, when the construction on the current capitol was completed, and became a museum in 1947. Permanent exhibits include As Long as Life Shall Last: The Legacy of Arkansas Women, On the Stump: Arkansas Political History, First Families: Mingling of Politics and Culture and The Period Rooms, which features five parlors and one hallway depicting different eras of furniture and decorative styles ranging from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. These rooms are examples of some of the earliest exhibits in the museum.

Museum of Discovery: Arkansas’ science and history museum, the Museum of Discovery is fun for kids and adults alike to explore the wonders of nature, science, technology and history through permanent hands-on exhibits, collections, events and educational programs. Permanent exhibits and collections include Arkansas Indians, Energy!, Bug Zoo, multicultural masks, more than 50 animal species and one of the largest Kewpie collections in the world.

The Witt Stephens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center: The Witt Stephens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center is focused on the wide variety of outdoor recreational opportunities that Arkansas’s fish and wildlife resources provide. The location along the Arkansas River allows many viewable wildlife activities within an urban area. Basking water turtles, butterflies and migrating pelicans are common sights.

Little Rock Central High School Historical Site: In 1957, Central High School became a crucial battleground in the struggle for civil rights as the “Little Rock Nine” attempted to enter the previously all-white school. Little Rock came to symbolize the federal government’s commitment to eliminating separate systems of education for blacks and whites. The new Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site Visitor Center opened in September 2007 to mark the 50th anniversary of the high school’s desegregation.

Quapaw Quarter: This section of Little Rock is home to the city’s oldest and most historic neighborhoods, with as many as 15 National Historic Districts making up the nine-square-mile area. The Quapaw Quarter boasts more than 200 homes and businesses listed on the National Register of Historic Places, in architectural styles ranging from Antebellum and Victorian to Craftsman. Notable spots in the Quapaw Quarter include the governor’s mansion, Mount Holly Cemetery, MacArthur Park and the Villa Marre, an extravagant Italianate and Second Empire-style home that was featured in the television show Designing Women.

 

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Biltmore’s 26th Festival of Flowers – moseying up to the mountains

April 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

This weekend, I think I’ll take my family and mosey up to the mountains.

Biltmore is having it’s annual Festival of Flowers (April 2nd – May 15th) and if this 26th year is anything like year’s past, it will be a magnificent event.

Their brochure got me with more than 100,000 tulips and 4,000 daffodils, mixed with thousands of spring bloomers.  How can I resists, right?

But better yet, I can keep the kids happy too, because there are fun events for them, as well. Don’t get me wrong, my kids like going with me  to see great gardens, but, well, it’s their spring break, so I owe them the kind of fun they would want if I wasn’t so persuasive.

I plan to be seduced by the floral displays.  You have my word, I will not pick any flowers, but I do plan to take photos to my hearts content.  Masses of plantings enchant me.

A quick look a the schedule will help me plan our day.  It really doesn’t matter though.  While accessing Biltmore’s horticulture experts or taking a class on herbs or edible flowers would be fun, just being there to experience the flowers, is what I need.  The rest, including the live music, are just cherries on top of the mountain.

It you see me there, with three kids in tow, please stop me to say hello.  It’s always nice to meet kindred spirits.

 

About Biltmore

Located in Asheville, N.C., Biltmore was the vision of George W. Vanderbilt. Designed by Richard Morris Hunt, America’s largest home is a 250-room French Renaissance chateau, exhibiting the Vanderbilt family’s original collection of furnishings, art and antiques. Biltmore estate encompasses more than 8,000 acres including renowned gardens designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the father of American landscape architecture. Today, Biltmore includes Antler Hill Village, which features the award-winning Winery and Antler Hill Farm; the four-star Inn on Biltmore Estate; Equestrian Center; numerous restaurants; event and meeting venues; Biltmore For Your Home, the company’s licensed products division; and Biltmore Inspirations, Biltmore’s home party business. Go learn more about Biltmore. or call 877-BILTMORE.

 

Helen  Yoest is a garden writer, speaker and garden coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™.

 

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EARTH DAY APRIL 22, 3011 The 600th Anniversary of the Free Will Revolution

April 20, 2011 By 3 Comments

“This year’s Earth Day celebrations will be held at the gathering place just north of Burb SE409, on the east side of the old stadium cum marketplace.  As always, water and food stations will be available along the paths to the gathering place.  Remember to bring your Sustainability Card as evidence of your good standing in society.  You will not be served without it.  Only people in good sustainable standing will be served.

 

“In more news, seedling inspections will be held at Burbs SW306 – SW322 on Tuesday.  You are reminded, if your are found growing anything other than what was dictated by the Vault, your crop will be destroyed and your rations will be reduced.  Additionally, a black mark will be added to your Sustainable Card,” says the light, lilt voice streaming live through his Earwig ear-plant.  The announcer continues sharing recipes for Japanese Beetle butter and cockroach crunches. Josh stops his work in the garden to take notes.  Finding palatable ways to provide protein for his family is a high priority for Josh.

 

For Josh, listening to Live Stream from the Earwig, a communication device surgically implanted at birth, is a way of life.  News, weather, rations, and community events are all delivered via Live Stream.

 

For the last 600 years, Live Stream has been the only source of news and, as such, the world is finally a peace.  Ever since the Free Will Revolution in 2411, the burden of making choices through free will ended.  Today, we no longer have to worry about the plants we grow (ornamental, vegetable, native, introduced), the food we eat, the chemicals we use, the clothes we wear, the gods we worship. The burden of choice has been lifted from our conscious.  Finally, we are told how to live.

 

In the 600 years since the revolution and during the 400 years before then, it has been well documented,  humanity was incapable of making wise decisions.  The few who were enlightened were pitted against those who believed it was their right to live like they pleased.

 

Today, stories are retold about how naive our forbears were in understanding ownership.  It’s laughable they believed in the idea that owning property gave property owners rights to an invisible cube around the land, from the air they breathed, down to center of the earth.  Having rights seemed like a big deal to our ancestors.  Today, it is well understood, if we were not told what to do, our world would be in as much chaos as theirs once was.

 

With a few new recipes noted for dinners later this week, Josh continues amending his soil and planting seed.   He notes the water in the lagoon is getting low and wonders when the next rain event is predicted.

 

Josh is fascinated when listening to the Live Stream’s history segment.  As he moves to the rhythm of the hoe tilling the soil, Live Steam recalls the days when people were able to make choices of their own. He still shakes his head at the thought Free Will once existed.

 

He wonders how a society could put so much power in single individuals hands without fear of consequences.  People were actually allowed to spray chemicals along their property line and if it drifted onto their neighbor’s property, no wrong was done.

 

If another neighbor planted invasive species on their property and it escaped to the wild because a bird ate the seed and dropped it on your property, they did no wrong; it was within their Free Will Rights.

 

Resources weren’t considered precious then; they were considered an entitlement.  True, they did believe they needed to pay for it, and as long as they were willing to pay for it, they should be allowed to have as much of it as they could afford.

 

When water restrictions were enacted (but weakly enforced), many homeowners put in wells so they could continue to water at Free Will.  After all, it was their Free Will as the rights of a property owner.

 

Today, in 3011, a millennium later, bedtime stories are told to our kids about the days when it was once believed that the land you owned went to the center of the earth.  As such, they believed they owned the right to what was under their land, even the water.

 

To those who believed in entitlement, It mattered not if there was a shortage.  They believed it was their right to be able to buy resources for their own betterment.

 

They lived in a time when people believed they were entitled to their fair share and often this fair share was defined as getting and using what they were willing to buy and apply.  Homeowners were not regulated.

 

Today, we are so fortunate our ancestors squandered our resources.  If not for them, we would be burdened with Free Will.  We would have to make such difficult choices about our lifestyle and the repercussions to the environment and society norms.

 

The Live Stream announcer states, “To celebrate this year’s 600th anniversary of the Free Will Earth Day Celebration, Live Stream is allowing a one minute moment of silence.”  Josh thinks ahead and decides to suggest to his family, that during this moment of silence, he and his family could gather around a feast, holding hands, and reflect on how fortunate they are not to have to make responsible decisions.  Thankfully, he thinks, they have others to do that for them now.

 

Happy Earth Day 2011.  What choices will you make today?

 

I hope you get a chance to check out Jan’s blog at Thanks for Today see what other garden bloggers wrote about for Earth Day 2011.

Helen  Yoest is a garden writer, speaker and garden coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™.

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A writer who gardens…

April 13, 2011 By 5 Comments

If you are on Twitter, please join me as I host #gardenchat Monday, April, 18, 2011 at 9 PM EST.

It was about 10 years ago when I realized I was no longer a gardener who writes; I had become a writer who gardens.

I didn’t understand it at the time, but today, the distinction is very clear.

Back then (and a few decades before), I was a weekend gardener who used all available time gardening.  Maximizing my hours, I would shop for plants, amendments and such, after work and at lunch, so my weekend hours were not wasted running around.  Then, as now, I like it when I never have to go anywhere on the weekends.  (Accept for garden tours and open houses.  Those don’t count, right?)

As an example, THEN, at the end of each productive day, I would write about my garden forays.  Actually, it was more like documenting those forays.

NOW, I write about the nuisances of each tiny fragment of each foray.  I want to remember more than I weeded; I want to research and know what I weeded, how I could prevent it next year, how I could kill it, how does it spread, does it feed wildlife, could it be considered more than a weed on any level?  As I weeded, I would also consider ways to change my lack of tolerance for it.  After all that, I want to write about it.

Not only did I want to write about it, I wanted to wax poetically, too – to explore the weed from many facets, not just to express my intolerance but to find the good in it, if there was any.   And if not, at least show that I explored it.

I also want to relate the weeding experience with, say, the arctic cold that followed prime weed gemination time, precipitating the need for me to be weeding at all and the determination of doing it now and not waiting for a day when the sun’s rays would warm my shoulders.

I owe a lot of my good fortune to seeing so many gardens and meeting the gardeners whose passion it was to make the gardens they did.  First and foremost, my work with the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days program, is what, I believe, lead me to do this point.

As a freelance writer, I’ve been very fortunate to get some great garden writing gigs.  This, I owe to perseverance.  Just like making a great garden takes hard work and perseverance, so does diligently working at one’s craft of writing.

I take immense joy when profiling a garden, a gardener, or a plant, and if it resonates with my readers.  My goal is to have you feel like you are there with me as I journal the experience.

During the last 3 years, I found a new medium to write – social media.  Starting with Twitter, I’ve written nearly 10,000 tweets.  These tweets didn’t amount to anything amazing like the guy who tweeted the entire New Testament (King James Bible).  He was on a mission.  When I started tweeting, I had no mission other than looking for ways to share my most recent blog posts.

I soon found Twitter opened many doors for me – beyond what I thought was imaginable. I also found there was no convincing others of this, though.   I later realized, people either got it or they didn’t.  My evangelical days to get people on Twitter or any other social media platform, are over.  I know how it helped me share my messages and I grew tired of listening to other’s defend why they don’t want to do it.   I felt it was best to just lead by example.

While on Twitter, I met a community of gardeners, writing 140 characters at a time.  A huge community.  There were more mes out there, then I could have ever guessed.

Chatting with friends on Twitter, led me to opening a Facebook account, both for Helen Yoest and Gardening With Confidence™. I like Facebook.  A wave of us twitterers went to Facebook, as opposed to the high school and college kids who started micro-blogging with Facebook first.

I’m of the opinion, Facebook, is not being used to it’s fullest, by most.  The vast majority aren’t.  My goal is to direct my friends from the Helen Yoest page, to like me on my Gardening With Confidence™ page.  If you haven’t done so, please do me the honor.

There are many advantages to the business page that aren’t present on the personal page, such as having a landing page, creating discussion, putting up photo albums, and other cool stuff.

With all that is possible, Twitter and Facebook are both considered micro-blogs, but truly, Twitter, is a minimicro-blog, compared to Facebook which acts like a grown up manlymicro-blog.

As I blogged and micro-blogged via Twitter and Facebook, I learned the value of this form of communication; after all, I’m a garden communicator – and blogging and micro-blogging are just other ways to communicate. I also learned everything I need to know through social media.

While I’ve given up convincing friends and peers the power of the internet as a means to communicate, I am still convinced, communicating via social media deepens one’s digital footprint, resulting in ramifications that can’t be defined, yet.

This led me to being evangelical to JC Raulston Arboretum in starting a Facebook page They listened and are glad with their growing success.  I’m pushing for a blog and still hope to see that happen one day.

I also preached to the North Carolina Nursery and Landscape Association to start a blog and to have a Facebook and Twitter presence.  Another success story.  The goal was more traffic to website.  Bingo!  Plus, we were able to educate in a more friendly, one to one way, which is the real appeal to social media.

The next thing I know, my writing, through social media, has caught the attention of businesses wanting to use this mechanism to reach out to others.  A good example is the Moss and Stone Gardens – Where Moss Rocks! blog, Twitter @Moss_Rocks, and Moss and Stone Gardens – Where Moss Rocks! Facebook accounts.

In the short time we’ve been launched, I’ve received a few email from David Spain, one the owners of Moss and Stone Gardens, to tell me his webiste has received record numbers of unique visitors. I’m not surprised, through his blog’s anaylitcs, I see the numbers of hits he’s received.

I’ve gotten many other companies and individuals, representing companies, blogging, tweeting, and booking faces.  I still see (and communicate with) them on the net, so I will assume they are still doing it, because they found success.

So how is blogging and micro-blogging writing?  If done right, it takes finesses.  Each tweet or fb post is done with purpose, taking the reader on a journey. Each word is writing — weather it’s for a 140 character count or a 2,500 word count for an in-depth journey through the garden gate.  It can be more that shouting a meme or stating what your had for breakfast.  It can resonate, interrupting your day with a reason for deep thought.

Others are catching on.  Lately, my dance card has been full as companies recognize the power of the internet to promote their products.  Because of my blogging, in the past calendar year alone, I’ve attended 5 media tours.  Earlier this month, I was fortunate to travel to Miami to visit with Costa Farms; next month, I travel to Little Rock to visit with P. Allen Smith.

It is my hope, both will recognize the value of having regional bloggers to help the good works of both companies – with me at the pulpit in the southeast, of course.

In the mean time, I’m still working on my book and hope to have it complete by the end of the year.  Writing a book is the old fashioned measure of writing success.  Alas, I’m a bit old fashioned; I have a book in me.   But, I’m also a modern girl, who likes the fast pace of social media, so step aside baby, I’ve got a tweet or two in me, too.

Here’s where you can find me writing….

Helen  Yoest is a garden writer, speaker and garden coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™.

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Tulipmania

April 7, 2011 By 2 Comments

I’m mad about Tulips, particularly those lusty, lovely, hybrid Dutch ones.  Most years, I planted them in the ground during the fall for a beautiful spring display. But this past fall, I was wore out.  Does that every happen to you?  When you need to be working the most in the garden, you find the gardening year has just plumb wore you out?  I really hate to admit it, but it often does me, especially when it comes to planting spring blooming bulbs each fall.

This year, I tried something different.  All my Dutch hybrid tulips were planted in pots.  Off in a secluded  area of the garden, I staged several pots, adding a mass of Tulips to each pot.  I just filled the pots about three quarters full, laid the tulips with the pointed ends up, and covered with potting soil to the top.  This allowed enough room to plant bulbs at their recommend depth of  three times the height of the bulb, or in this case, about  six inches deep. [Read more...]

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Gala in the Garden at the JC Raulston Arboretum, May 1, 2011

April 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment

 

To register for this event, please click here.

Special Note: In an effort to conserve natural and financial resources,
the Arboretum is e-inviting most of our friends this year.
If you wish to receive a paper invitation, please contact Anne Porter at
(919) 513-3826 or anne_porter@ncsu.edu.

Sponsored by the North Carolina Agricultural Foundation, Inc.

Thank you for your continued support!

 

 

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Rock garden journal entry 5

April 5, 2011 By 4 Comments

Rock gardeners are a special breed. I touched on this a bit when I made my big announcement to become a rock gardener.  To many, my big announcement wasn’t really that big, since my friends and readers know me to be big on gardening.  And anyone who has read Elizabeth Lawrence might be familiar with her quote, All gardeners become rock gardeners if they garden long enough. She was speaking about the likes of me.

After commandeering the herb garden, which I did adore, I ripped most of what was in there out to make way for the Rock Garden.  Sloped, sunny, and dry, this garden space is an ideal location for both types of gardens.  But it was time to move on.  It was time for a change.  Herbs now happily grow all over the garden, tucked with the veggies and ornamentals.

Now I’m nearly finished with the basic design – adding ten good sized rocks from a client’s old garden, supplemented with rock from David Spain, and top dressed with fifteen hundred pounds of  #78 Chesapeake gravel from Charles Luck Stone, in Wake Forest, NC., the garden has taken shape. [Read more...]

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