Muck About

A Man Named Pearl

I think this will be the documentary to see this year.  This world could use a lot more Pearls!

A bigoted remark dissuades Pearl Fryar from moving into a white neighborhood. Told “Black people don’t keep up their yards,” Pearl creates an extraordinary topiary garden that conveys his philosophy of Love, Peace and Goodwill.

Opening in Seattle, August 1st (see schedule below for other cities.)
SIFF Cinema
321 Mercer Street at 3rd Avenue, McCaw Hall
In the heart of Seattle Center's theatre district
Show Information: 206.633.7151

View the Trailer.

COLD SPRING, N.Y.: The Pearl Fryar Topiary Garden, a preservation project of the Garden Conservancy, is the subject of a new feature length  documentary film entitled A MAN NAMED PEARL. The film will have its nationwide launch at the Angelika Film Center in New York City on July 18th, 2008.

A MAN NAMED PEARL is about Pearl Fryar, an African-American man who challenged stereotypes by creating a garden paradise on his three acre yard. With no formal training and limited resources, Pearl takes throwaway plants from a local nursery and teaches himself the art of topiary gardening.

Told in a candid and often humorous way A MAN NAMED PEARL opens both hearts and minds and is an expression of Pearl’s genuine belief that anyone can rise above obstacles and social barriers.

The schedule to date is:
May 23 (pre-release) WASHINGTON, DC - Avalon Theatre
SANTA FEE, NM- The Screen
June 13-16 (pre-release) DETROIT, MI – Detroit Institute of Arts
July 18 NEW YORK, NY - Angelika Film Center
July 25 ENCINO, CA – Laemmle Town Center
IRVINE, CA – Regal Westpark
LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA – Regency Laguna Niguel
LOS ANGELES, CA – Laemmle Music Hall
PASADENA, CA – Laemmle One Colorado
August 1 PLEASANTVILLE, NY - Jacob Burns Film Center
SEATTLE, WA – SIFF Cinema

 

Jeff Gillman Goes to Beaverton

Here I am again, jealous of Oregon’s Get Gardening series.  This month’s guest is Jeff Gillman author of The Truth about Organic Gardening: Benefits, Drawbacks, and the Bottom Line and The Truth about Gardening Remedies.  I’ve read the latter from cover to cover and enjoyed Gillman’s writing style and the slue of information packed between the paperback covers. I even reviewed it.  I ordered my copy of the former after hearing it was as good as his first. 

I’ve gardened most of my life organically.  I’ve made a few bad choices along the way--using Round Up one year and metaldehyde-based slug bait another time.  I stopped when I found the benefits did not outweigh the harm I was doing to the land.  Not too bad considering the 33 other years, I gardened organically.  However, there are organic gardening practices that also raise my eyebrows.  Especially ones that is dangerous to the user.  In addition, some organic practices are a useless waste of time, resources and money.  Therefore, when Jeff Gillman writes a book about it, I take notice.

If you are in the Portland area, I recommend you check him out at this event coming up this Tuesday, May 20, 7 p.m., Powell’s Book Store at Cedar Hills Crossing, 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., in Beaverton.

For the rest of us, we will just have to be content with buying his book or checking it out at the library.

Wallingford Garden Tour in Seattle

I love the Wallingford District and to visit private gardens there would seem like a slice of heaven on earth. I am going to try to make this tour that sounds promising.  It may prove tough to get to all ten gardens in one day; but I am up for the challenge! Maybe we'll bump into each other?

The Wallingford Garden Tour slated for June 1, 2008, from 10am to 4pm. features ten beautiful gardens.  The self-guided tour also has a bike-safe route for bikers who would rather pedal the Wallingford District in Seattle.  It will be exciting to find all the hidden gardens in this community, from lush to secret gardens for only a 15 dollar donation.

Tickets are on sale at the Wallingford Neighborhood Office.  You can also purchase your tickets ahead of time by calling 206.632.3165 or at the businesses listed below.

• Wallingford Neighborhood Office - 2100-A N 45th St (Behind Tully's on N 45th @ Meridian Ave)

• Emerald City Gardens - 4001 Leary Way NW

• Ravenna Gardens - University Village

• Season's Nursery - 1051 N 35th St (between N Albion Pl and N Woodland Park Ave)

Be there, or be ordinary.

RSG Celebrates Ten Years on the Web!

 

It’s official; Rainy Side Gardeners is celebrating ten years on the web.  Hard to believe it’s been that long and shows how fast time flies when you’re having fun in the garden or when gardening on the web.  West Side Gardener Travis Saling, a past associate of RSG, wrote a bit of history of how we came to be a regional gardening site for the Pacific Northwest.  Well-wishers sent e-mails, and I gush on the anniversary page.  I am so proud our baby is growing up!

 

Regional Garden Gurus

Years ago, I wrote a column about gardening in the maritime NW for a large, multi-topic web site.  At the time, little was being said about our climate in many of the gardening resource books, and online most web sites were a collection of links to other sites with very limited information. Back then, the search engines were cumbersome and sometimes frightening. Trying to wade through tens of thousands of web pages to find what was needed, was daunting. All this was the inspiration needed to create a content-rich web site--Rainy Side Gardeners--which is coming up on its 10-year anniversary in April 2008.

Just recently, I was invited to join an internet group called Regional Garden Gurus.  Our web site, Rainy Side Gardeners, fit the criteria for being a site that functions to help each other garden better in the Pacific Northwest region.  I feel honored that RSG was considered part of this remarkable group of regional gardeners.

Susan Harris of Sustainable Gardening and the blog, Garden Rant, headed up this fantastic project, which echoes what I’ve felt since the mid ‘90s.  One web site can’t have the “be all, end all” say on all things gardening. Even gurus feel they are not the “end all, be all” expert for their region; included on the guru site are links to other web sites and blogs that have specific information for their region.  More gurus will be joining the team as we become aware of their content rich web sites that are dedicated to a region.

“Regional gurus cover gardening for their region - with articles, videos and podcasts on their own site, links to other great sources, or a combination thereof. All gurus are committed to providing high-quality, environmentally responsible online gardening information for their regions.  Beyond that, there's been no attempt to reach agreement on the details of gardening.  In other words, gurus speak for themselves, not for the group.”

For information about any region or guru, contact him or her directly.  For information about Regional Garden Gurus, email Susan.

No, You Get Gardening!

Oregonians, you are lucky. If it weren’t so far for me to travel, I would attend Get Gardening! in Beaverton, Oregon. Here’s how it works: Al’s Garden Center and Timber Press teamed up with Powell’s at Cedar Hills Crossing, to bring this event for the gardener. Garden authors make presentations, followed by discussions, door prizes, snacks and meeting other passionate gardeners.

Even luckier, you get to spend an evening with Raymond Evison, a well-known breeder of clematis from the UK. I am now reading his new book, Clematis for Small Spaces and it looks like I am writing a favorable review soon. Then I find out he is going to be here in the NW. They say life isn’t fair. That same evening I am already committed to bringing sneak previews of the NW Flower & Garden Show to Rainy Side Gardeners’ readers.  It’s outrageously not fair these two events coincide.  Please don’t disappoint me! Attend this event and let me live vicariously through you.

Sunset's Dream Garden Competition

 

Sunset kicks off its landscape competition this month. Please share your garden by entering our 2nd biennial Dream Garden Awards program, which is open to both professional designers and home gardeners (the two categories will be judged separately). The program recognizes the best of residential garden design in the 14 Western states and British Columbia Canada. Winners may be published in a future issue of Sunset.

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS AND DESIGNERS

Enter in one of four categories:

• REGIONAL STYLE. The garden captures the spirit of a particular area with materials and plants appropriate for the climate and terrain.

• INCREDIBLE MAKEOVER. Takes advantage of existing features or plants while removing undesirable elements. “Before” photos required.

• OUTDOOR LIVING. The space invites gatherings, entertaining, and recreation, with fireplaces, play areas, kitchens, or other features.

• SMALL SPACE. Smart design and planting ideas in an area of 2,000 square feet or less.

DEADLINE FOR PROFESSIONALS

Apply for entry package by March 12, 2008

Completed entries must be postmarked by April 1, 2008

TO ENTER

Go to sunset.com/gardencontest and click the “Landscape Architects and Designers” link or call 650/324-5632. There is a $25 entry fee.

HOME GARDENERS

Enter your home garden for a chance to win the Grand Prize: $1000 cash plus $1500 in plants from Monrovia Nursery. Second Place: $500 cash plus $750 in plants. Third Place: $250 cash prize and $250 in plants.

DEADLINE FOR HOME GARDENERS

Entries must be postmarked by April 16, 2008. and received by April 23, 2008

TO ENTER

Download an entry form at sunset.com/gardencontest and click the “Home Gardeners” link or call 650/324-5632 for an entry form. The garden must be designed by the homeowner without the assistance of a gardening professional but not necessarily installed by the homeowner.

Isn't It Romantic?

So what do gardeners do for their Valentine, give plants or flowers?  No! They rekindle their love with a visit to the Arboretum’s popular “Nature of Love”, Saturday, February 16, 2008.

Visitors can walk arm in arm, hand in hand or just next to each while touring the flowering gardens or finding hidden romantic spots.  Shawna Zuege and Lisa Sanphillippo, UW Botanic Garden education staff, will be on hand sharing the history of plants that inspire love, passion and eroticism in human history.

The Graham Visitors center will be serving hot tea and cider, where participants can make cards to share with others.

Pre-registration for this February 16 romantic event is required. Tickets are $12 dollars per person. For more information and registration, contact Jean Robins at 206-685-8033 or email .

Seattle's Washington Park Arboretum  where love fills the air.

Attention Washington Gardeners!

We Love to See Your Garden

The Northwest Perennial Alliance is looking for a few good gardens in Western  Washington. As it has for the past several years, NPA publishes the Open Gardens book in April with fellow NPA gardeners, who open their gardens for other members to tour. The tours start in early May and go through October, covering  Washington, from Whidbey Island to Olympia. Gardeners who participate say they enjoy opening their garden because of the nice people they meet.

We hope you’ll invite us to tour your garden this season. If you’re interested, please contact Katie Padwick by e-mail  or by phone: 253-265-3245. Registration ends February 16^th.

For more information about NPA, you can check out their website.

Click on image to view a larger version.

 

Snow, News and Rumors

Snow!  Some of us woke up this morning with snow covering our gardens. When the sun comes out, it’s always a beautiful scene, for a little while, that is. I took a few pictures of the fleeting event on the North Kitsap Peninsula documenting that we even had the white stuff. I love how snow absorbs sound; the quiet is welcome.

The weathermen predict more snow will fall, but like the ball on the roulette wheel, you never know where it will actually land. I won’t mind seeing more white carpet in the garden, as long as I don’t have to clean it.

The two images from my garden show the path to the front gate and a container housing the contorted filbert, better known as  Harry Lauder's Walking Stick (Corylus avellana 'Contorta'. I'm excited about a newer acquisition, the red corkscrew hazel (C. 'Contorta Red Majestic') with outstanding purple hues on the new leaves.  I’ll post more on that shrub later.

Click on images to see the larger versions.

 

Other News

Little and Lewis, artists from Bainbridge Island, known for their colorful columns, pools and other concrete art, sculpture and paintings sold their much visited home and garden and moved next door.  I can’t wait to view the smaller property transformed into another magical garden gallery.

There is rumor that Heronswood will be hosting another open house sometime in July. If you are kicking yourself for not going in 2007, here’s one more chance to see the famous gardens.  Instead of beating yourself up for missing a tour, stay bruise free by attending this event.

While you are in Kingston, be sure to stop in at the Dragonfly Farms Nursery  and Savage Plants & Landscape  when you are done with the Open House; you won’t be disappointed.

Stop in for lunch or a latte at the Coastal Café.  Located in the Kingston Crossing Albertsons complex, the café is close to the gardens and nurseries.  The café has the best deli sandwiches on the North Peninsula, and their soups tickle your taste buds and warm your garden soul.