Zen-Inspired Contemporary Tea House Garden

Wikipedia: The underlying structure of a Japanese garden is determined by the architecture; that is, the framework of enduring elements such as buildings, verandas and terraces, paths, tsukiyama (artificial hills), and stone compositions.



Photo courtesy of http://www.zen.thetao.info/

 This year’s Yard,Garden & Patio Show offers seven gardens of the world plus other landscaped areas around the show floor such as the Garden-to-Table educational garden. Le Confort Française was the first stop on our Random Acts of Gardening world garden tour. Japan is today's stop.

In the Tea House Garden, you’ll experience a modern interpretation of an authentic Japanese garden. The garden will be created by Iftikhar Ahmed, Treeline Designz, and Baseline Landscapes LLC. Tradition will be interpreted with a contemporary flare. Many elements are hand made by local artisans using locally-sourced material, such as the hand-crafted bonsai gate where you’ll be warmly greeted.

Each step reveals a world of healing, relaxing and therapeutic elements. Linger on the circular path; the stones and green moss will bring your senses to life. Every view and perspective will transport you into a world of ancient comfort with a contemporary touch. Take in your peaceful surroundings as you pass by stone, water elements, raked sand, bamboo foliage and Buddha’s statue on your journey to the tea house and the authentic tea ceremony inside. Caution: the intoxicating effects of this Zen-like garden may cause you to linger and lose track of time.

Stay tuned for the next Random Acts of Gardening for a peek at a Portuguese courtyard garden.

Finding Enjoyment in Gardening

Barney, my adorable golden retriever, loves to help me in the garden. When I am digging a hole or examining a plant close-up, he’s right there with that big nose of his wondering what I’m doing. He’s also been known to pull up what looks to him to be a twig but in reality is a dormant deciduous plant I just put in the ground. And he loves to pick apples off the two columnar trees (he picked 10 or more while I got to pick the one remaining one…next year the trees will get some protection). He also likes to nibble strawberries, shred the old nylons I’ve used as plant ties and he breaks or pulls out of the ground any wooden plant stakes to gnaw on them. But other than that, he’s perfect and his antics add a joyous dimension to gardening.

Often there are many chores that need to be done to keep a garden healthy and behaving well. But as Barney demonstrates in the video, if we learn to enjoy the simplest aspects of being in the garden, we’ll love gardening even more.

You’ll find much to enjoy at the Yard, Garden & Patio Show, presented by Dennis 7 Dees Landscaping and Garden Centers. There will be knowledgeable experts, plants, tools, art, garden designers and contractors, and so much more to help make your gardening experience a joyous one. Please join us February 17-19 at the Oregon Convention Center to kick off spring surrounded by the goodness of gardening.

Tree Structures

Have you heard this before?

Q: When is the best time to plant a tree?
A: Twenty years ago. The next best time is today!

A new project in Milan, Italy, envisions creating a two story structure out of 10 flowering cherry trees…and it will take 60 years to “build!” Probably not something most of us would be willing to attempt in our own gardens, but what fun it would be to watch people interact with it as it grows in girth, presence and function. An allée of espaliered apple trees, a secret garden teepee made from trellised vining vegetables for kids, or gothic beech arches are possibilities within reach for the urban yard. Be imaginative. Plants are very often willing to play along.

Courtesy of Al’s Garden Center.
For how-to instructions, click here.

 

Garden Events and Classes

EVENTS

December 9 (Lake Oswego) and 10 (Cedar Hills), 10am-5pm - Reindeer Magic, Dennis' 7 Dees—Santa's reindeer help kick off the holiday season. Enjoy apple cider, cookies, holiday music and wine tasting from Hip Chicks Do Wine while visiting the live reindeer. Frosty will bring his pal and children can have a free picture taken with the reindeer.

December 10 - The Taste of the Holidays, Garland Nursery (Corvallis)—Sample foods perfect to share with your guests this holiday season while sipping wine and shopping for holiday décor to light up your season. Mia Sonatina wine and fudge pairing (noon-4pm, $1/taste); sample The Bag lady dips and cheeses (10am-2pm); music noon-2pm; and more.

CLASSES (unless noted, classes are free)

December 10, 11, 17 & 18 at 1pm – Make Your Own Holiday Wreath, Portland Nursery (Start Street)—Take advantage of their lovely selection of greens to make a unique and eye-catching wreath for your door. Portland Nursery staff will supply the technical know-how; you bring your own special style, gloves and pruners. You'll make a 12-inch wreath with fresh greens and other decoration. Dress warmly. Cost: $25. Class is limited to 10. Register here.

December 10
• 9am-1pm – Holiday Garden Bootcamp, Rosemound Farm (Hillsboro)—Whether you are a novice to the wonderful world of horticulture or a gardening guru, Jenna Bayer's Garden Bootcamp is a fun and interactive way to help you create the garden of your dreams. Learn the basics of maintaining plant health; soil structure and chemistry; how mulch can be your best friend; design and layout; plant selection; and how to deal with pests and pathogens. The class is held at the 30-acres Rosemound Farm (13395 SW River Road, Hillsboro). Cost $140. Refreshments are served. Call 503.468.2103 or register here.
• 1pm – Wreath-Making, Bauman Farms (Gervais)—Cost $25.
• 1pm – Decorating Centerpieces & Wreaths for the Holidays, Al's Garden Center (Gresham and Woodburn)— Learn how to add ornaments, ribbons and candles to fresh cut wreaths and centerpieces to create your own unique holiday décor.

December 11
• 1pm - Festive Christmas Wreaths, The Garden Corner (Tualatin)—Floral designer Francoise Weeks will demonstrate how to create a festive Christmas wreath to display during the holidays. You will leave with a creation that is sure to deck your doors with falalala fabulous fun! Cost: $45 to cover materials. To register call 503-885-1934.
• Noon-5pm – Holiday Open House, Dennis' 7 Dees (Lake Oswego)—Cookies and hot drinks will be provided as you browse their newly decorated trees and exclusive European ornaments and décor by calling 503.636.4660.
• 1pm – Holiday Kissing Balls, Portland Nursery (Division Street)—Spice things up with kissing balls, a refreshing addition to any holiday environment. You'll create your very own kissing ball using a variety of seasonal cut floral and decorations. Cost: $20. All materials included. Please bring gloves and hand pruners if you have them. Click here to register for this class.

December 15
• 6-8pm – Tiny Gardens for Fairies, Frogs and Ferns, Garden Fever! (Portland)—Nancy Goldman has been creating tiny gardens for years. Some in shoes, some in extra cabinet drawers, most in recycled or re-purposed stuff she finds inspiring. There are many ways to express yourself as a gardener. This is a hands-on class. Cost: $30; fee includes container and materials to make a tiny garden. Registration required by calling 503.287.3200.
• 6-8pm – Create your own gift, Garden Fever! (Portland)—Some folks like to make their own gifts, some like to shop. On 15th, Garden Fever! will have workshop areas set up to guide you in creating your own holiday gift. Make a terrarium, a pot-o-greens, perfect for a hostess gift, or customize a garden poetry box.

December 17
• 10am-3pm – Holiday Classes, Bauman Farms (Gervais)—Enjoy an hour or the day getting in the holiday spirit. 10am, Bow making; 11am, Kids Cookie Decorating; 1pm, Centerpiece-making; and 3pm, cooking demonstration.
• 11am – Beginning Bonsai, Tsugawa Nursery (Woodland, Wash)—If you've been intimidated by the art of bonsai and no quite sure where to start or what to ask, this class is for you. Tsugawa's experts will show you where to begin, what plants, pots, soils and tools are needed. Register online.
• 1pm – Bonsai Group, Tsugawa Nursery (Woodland, Wash)—All skill levels welcome. Learn tips and techniques from experienced bonsai enthusiasts. Meetings are free and open to everyone interested in the art of bonsai. Register online.

December 18
• 10am-noon – Make Your Own Outdoor Bonsai, Portland Nursery (Division Street)—Learn the basics and start your own outdoor bonsai. Store manager George Bowman will walk you through plant selection, reporting, trimming and training. Cost: $30. All materials included. Please bring hand pruners if you have them. Class size is limited to 10. Click here to register for this class.
• 1pm – Terrarium Building Workshop, Portland Nursery (Division Street)—Build a one-of-a-kind terrarium with Heidi Brinnich of October Hill. The class will provide all material and instruction for a living miniature garden encased in glass. You can build your very own Fairy or Gnome garden, or little greenhouse accented with mini garden accessories, insects or birds. Cost: $40 (payable to instructor). Click here to register for this class.

Garden to Table

Imagine strolling down a cypress-lined French country road that leads your gaze to rolling hills of pasture, fragrant fields of lavender, and your destination: a rustic estate. Your footsteps echo on cobbles as you meander behind an aging chateau. Chickens clucking in the distance accompany you as you enter a rustic potager, the lifeblood of the French country kitchen. An arching allée offers respite from the sun-drenched sky. Berries and espaliered apples tempt you to sample their fruit. And the savory aroma of sage and rosemary awaken your appetite. The scene before you is a feast for the mind, body and soul. Picture yourself at our table filling your plate with the garden’s bountiful harvest.


Photo from agefotostock.com

You are in for a very special treat. The Incredible Edible Garden at the 2012 Yard, Garden & Patio Show is being transformed by garden designers Karen Schwartz and Carol Senna into a lovely French jardin potager. The goal of the potager, an ornamental vegetable or kitchen garden, is to make the function of providing food aesthetically pleasing. Plants and garden structures are chosen as much for their functionality as for their color and form to offer year round interest.

Raised beds, charming wattle fencing, tucked away dining spaces and creative, edible screening options will be on display. We hope you’ll be enticed into the growing garden-to-table movement. Experts will be on hand to provide bed preparation, planting, plant selection, preserving and other food and gardening-related tips and information. Even if food gardening isn’t in your future, you’ll be inspired by the design elements the garden offers. We’re very excited for you to see it so save the date: February 17-19.

Bon appétit!

The Flower of Christmas

Adapted from information provided by http://www.poinsettiaday.com/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbia_pulcherrima

Celebrate the best selling potted plant in the U.S. and Canada on Poinsettia Day, December 12. The date marks the death of Joel Roberts Poinsett, an American botanist, physician and Minister to Mexico who in 1828 sent cuttings of the plant he'd discovered in Southern Mexico to his home in Charleston, South Carolina. Botanically, the plant is known as Euphorbia pulcherrima.

Photo courtesy of Al’s Garden Center
greenhouses, Hubbard, Ore.



In Mexico the plant is called La Flor de la Nochebuena, or Flower of the Holy Night, and is displayed in celebration of the December 12th Dia de la Virgen. Use of the plant to celebrate Christmas in Mexico dates back to the 17th century. The flower connects to the legend of a young girl, distraught about not having anything with which to honor the Baby Jesus in a Christmas Procession. An angel tells her that any gift given with love is a wonderful gift. Later the weeds she gathers by the roadside to place around the manger miraculously transform into the beautiful red star flower we think of as Poinsettia. But Mexico's relationship to the plant goes back even further. The Aztecs called the plant Cuitlaxochitl meaning "star flower" and used it to produce a red dye. The sap was also used to control fevers. Montezuma, last of the Aztec kings, had Poinsettias delivered to him by caravan to what is now Mexico City. (For a more detailed history of the Poinsettia, click here.)

In July of 2002, the U.S. House of Representatives created Poinsettia Day, passing a Resolution to honor Paul Ecke, Jr., who is considered the father of the poinsettia industry. Until the 1990s, the Ecke family of Encinitas, Calif., had a virtual monopoly on poinsettias owing to a technological secret. The Ecke family's key to producing more desirable poinsettias was to create a fuller, more compact plant by grafting two varieties of poinsettia together. A poinsettia left to grow on its own will naturally take an open shrub form. The Eckes' technique made it possible to get every seedling to branch, resulting in a bushier plant. Poinsettias contribute upwards of $250,000,000 to the U.S. economy at the wholesale level.

There is a common misconception that the poinsettia is highly toxic. People sensitive to latex, the milky fluid found in cut poinsettias and other plants, may experience irritation in the form of a rash if they come in contact with the sap. POISINDEX, a major source for poison control centers, says it would take 500 bracts for a 50-pound child to eat an amount found to be toxic in experiments. An Ohio State University study showed no problems even with extremely large doses.

It's the leaves, or bracts, that give the plant its color. Because the flowers are unassuming and do not attract pollinators, brightly colored leaves—aka bracts—developed. (The poinsettia's flowers are the brightly colored buds in the middle of the bracts.) The colors come from photoperiodism, meaning that they require compete darkness for 12 hours at a time for at least 5 days in a row to change color. At the same time, the plants need a lot of light during the day for the brightest color.

The species is native to Mexico in deciduous tropical forest at moderate elevations from southern Sinaloa down the entire Pacific coast of Mexico to Chiapas and Guatemala. It is also found in the interior in the hot, seasonally dry forests of Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Chiapas. There are more than 100 cultivated varieties of poinsettia available, (not including the blue-tinted glittery ones now found for sale at your local retailer!).