Spring will soon be here but in many parts of the country plants don’t seem to be following the calendar and are blooming ahead of schedule.  As gardeners know, the weather is unpredictable and plants don’t read the books.  If you’re looking for ideas, techniques or new plants to try here are a few suggestions for events to attend that will inform and I hope inspire you to get out and work in your own garden.   

  Sat., February 25, 2012 Perennial Plant Symposium “The Inspired Gardener”- 8am-3:30pm, a cooperative effort between the Georgia Perennial Plant Association and the Atlanta Botanical Garden, this event takes place at the Atlanta Botanical Garden.  A great lineup of speakers including Katy Moss Warner (former head of horticulture at Disney World) talking about “Beautiful Landscapes,” Steve Brady, former UGA extension agent for over 30 years presents “Easy-to-Grow Fruits,”  Shannon Pable, garden designer on “Transforming Wild “Weeds” into Residential Ornamentals,” Other People’s Gardens,” by landscape architect Norman Kent Johnson and the entertaining and informative Stephanie Cohen closes out the day with her talk on the “Nonstop Garden.”  For more info go to http://www.georgiaperennial.org/events/2012/index.htm 

Tuesday, March 6, 2012, The 28^th Horticultural Davidson Horticultural Symposium“The Roots of Passion:The Inspired Gardener,” this all day event at Davidson College in North Carolina and offers an impressive lineup of speakers including Andrea Wulf, author of the Founding Gardeners and The Brothers Gardener as well as David Howard, Bill Thomas of Chanticleer, Sean Hogan, Andrea Sprott, Dr. Larry Mellichamp and Tiz Johnston.  Registration required by Feb. 24^th http://www.davidsonsymposium.org/

Water garden at Chanticleer

Friday, March 16, 2012 Garden Conference-A one day Conference for the Home Gardener, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, speakers include Kerry Ann Mendez, Doug Tallamy, Charlie Nardozzi, Jo Ann Gardner and Mitch Rand.  To register http://www.2012garden.uconn.edu/

my garden, April 2011

Tuesday, March 13 and 20^th, 2012 6:30-8:30, Designing A Four Season Garden-more than just flowers, Evening at Emory, Emory University, by Erica Glasener http://ece.emory.edu/classes.cfm?cla=2150001968&pt=3

Thursday and Friday, March 22-23, 2012 Callaway Gardening School, Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain, Georgia Garden Design Workshop,  Erica Glasener, workshop, lecture, panel discussion and an opportunity to purchase plants, http://www.callawaygardens.com/info/calendar/calendar.callaway_gardening_school.event.aspx

Container Gardens by David Ellis

Courtyard Garden in winter by David Ellis

Structure, David Ellis garden entrance

LSU Gold Fig

On Saturday, January 21, 2012 from 10am to 12 noon, gardeners have the opportunity to  choose from 32 varieties of fruit trees, vines and berry bushes for  purchase .  The  location for this sale is the Atlanta Community Food Bank , 970 Jefferson St. NW, Atlanta.  This third annual sale benefits the Atlanta Local Food Initiative ( ALFI ).  Over 5000 fruit trees and shrubs have been planted as a result of this sale over the last two years.  ALFI will once again donate fruit trees to an area school to plant a children’s orchard.  For more information or to pre-order visit http://www.atlantalocalfood.org/

Among the offerings are apples, pears, figs, pawpaws, pomegranates, persimmons, kiwis, blueberries and more. 

Diospyros kaki 'Pendula' in November

Callaway crabapple

Leyland Cypress topiary, Pearl Fryar's garden, photo by Erica Glasener

I am often asked if past episodes of “A Gardener’s Diary” can be purchased.  I am always sorry to say no, HGTV owns the show and does not offer it for sale.  I am happy to report that you can now watch past episodes on Hulu.  Here is the link, 

http://www.hulu.com/a-gardeners-diary , Happy Viewing!

Bob Reese in his camellia garden, Jacksonville, Florida photo by Erica Glasener

http://www.earthboundexpeditions.com/journeys/western-europe/chelsea-garden-show

Rosa 'Veilchenblau'

http://www.timberpress.com/blog/2011/11/giveaway-one-chance-to-win-dirrs-encyclopedia/

When it comes to ornamental trees and shrubs, Michael A. Dirr’s books have long been the go-to references for gardeners across the United States.  My copy (the 1990 edition) of the Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture and Propagation  is tattered and both the front and back cover are missing (it was a hardcover so you know it’s been used) but it is still invaluable when I want to confirm the identity of a plant.  The one thing it doesn’t have is color photos.  Now, seasoned gardeners, landscape professionals including nursery and garden center personnel, designers, architects and enthusiastic beginners need look no further.  Dirr’s Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs is chock full of more than 3,500 photographs of specimens and cultivars in 380 genera, building on previous books he has written , this one is comprehensive and includes his recommendations for the best introductions (both native and exotic, evergreen and deciduous) of the past 10 to 15 years.    

As with his other books (including more recent titles on the subjects of viburnums and hydrangeas) this one covers the best of the best, including both familiar and more obscure selections.    Starting with the A’s (who knew there were so many selections of Abelia)  and continuing through the alphabet, the enticing photographs of flowers, foliage, fall color and bark of numerous trees, shrubs and even vines are sure to boost plant sales everywhere.   I already have a list started of plants I would like to add to my garden.  I was glad too that with some plants like Elaeagnus umbellata, autumn-olive, he stresses the fact that this species is invasive and can become a pernicious pest.  The good news is that once gardeners know this they can choose other more desirable options , of which he offers plenty.  For certain genera like Magnolias (I counted at least 18 different species and many more cultivars) his list is comprehensive including Magnolia sieboldii which I have long admired for its fragrance and odd fruits but never grown .

A bonus is the section at the back of the book called Selecting Plants for Specific Characteristics or Purposes- with lists of plants for flower color, flowering sequence, fragrant flowers and fruit.  

 The recipient of prestigious awards, Dirr was a  professor of horticulture at the University of Georgia for nearly three decades. Worth noting too, is the fact that  he grows or has grown many of the plants he writes about.

Fortunately for the rest of us, his passion for plants continues and this book is bound to gain him even more fans.

:  http://www.earthboundexpeditions.com/journeys/western-europe/chelsea-garden-show

Rosa 'Penelope' (Hybrid Musk)

Chimonanthus praecox 'Grandiflorus'

Fall is for planting and on Saturday, October 8, Trees Atlanta will hold its 12^th Annual Tree Sale at their hedadquarters located at 225 Chester Ave., Atlanta, GA 30316, offering gardeners an opportunity to choose from 200 species of trees, shrubs and “tree-friendly vines.”  This tree sale is a great source of unusual and hard to find plants for  gardeners.

Acer griseum

It’s hard to know where to begin with recommendations.  So, I will start with the A’s.  Acer griseum, paperbark maple, offers striking cinnamon bark that curls and peels, becoming showier with age.    Its handsome foliage is a rich green that often turns shades of red, yellow and orange in autumn.  I have seen beautiful mature specimens in several Atlanta area gardens as well as in Pennsylvania and  Washington state.  Asimina triloba, paw paw, is a native that you don’t find offered at most nurseries.  I can think of at least three reasons why this tree is garden worthy including its dramatic foliage, tasty fruits and that fact that it is a host plant for the  Zebra Swallowtail butterfly.

A winter bloomer with fragrant flowers, Chimonanthus praecox, also known as wintersweet, is  hardy from Zone 6 to 9 and easy to grow.  Pruning should be done after it blooms, as flowers occur on second year wood. 

For early spring bloom, you may be tempted to try the rice paper bush,  Edgeworthia chrysantha. 

Edgeworthia chrysantha

Hollies are a good choice for an evergreen screen or hedge and Ilex ‘Carolina #2’ is a choice cultivar of our native American holly, Ilex opaca. 

For tough sites, Eastern red cedar, Juniperus virginiana offers a conifer that is hard to beat. 

There are a variety of magnolias being offered including selections of yellow flowering magnolias like Magnolia ‘Sunsation’ which is hardy from Zone  5 to 9.  The base of the flower is purple and the tepals are described as soft canary yellow.

A tree that I often recommend is our native black gum or tupelo, Nyssa sylvatica.  Trees Atlanta is offering two different selections including ‘Wildfire’ for its consistently colorful fall foliage and ‘Zydeco’ for its twisty growth.

Ginkgo biloba in November

These are just a few of my favorites.  For a complete list of offerings be sure to visit www.treesatlanta.org . 

Trees Atlanta is a nationally recognized citizens group that protects and improves Atlanta’s urban forest by planting, conserving and educating.  For more information about Trees Atlanta and the12^th Annual Trees Atlanta Tree Sale, call 404-522-4097.

a garden for four seasons

Tune in to the Living Today Show, Sirius XM satellite radio, Wednesday, September 21, 2011 at 1:30 EST, I’ll be talking about tips for Designing or Redesigning your garden.  Call with your questions!!

Plant Some Surprises for Now and Next Spring

http://southernlivingplants.com/feature/plant_some_surprises_for_now_and_next_spring

Leucojum aestivum 'Gravetye Giant' - a great bulb that will thrive in sun or shade

Azaleas and Bluebells