Spring Harvest of Ideas

This display garden by Jason Hamon, EcoSystems Landscape Solutions, is filled with repurposed and rethought articles used in whimsical ways in the garden. His garden was called "A Breath of Fresh Air," and it won the prestigious silver medal for design. Jason's attitude is "get outside and play in your garden." Shouldn't your garden be playful, too?

Dear Friends,

This is an extra post for the week because I just returned from the San Francisco Flower & Garden Show. If you are anywhere near the show and you're looking for inspiration, rare plants, garden furniture, garden art, books, seeds galore, and more, well, you MUST take time and treat yourself to a day at the show.

Any comments you leave will be added to the hat for my double-doozie drawing this Sunday. You may win a kneeler from Gardener's Supply Company or my friend Karen Weir-Jimerson's wonderful new book So Much Sky.

Here are a few highlights and some of my favorite products and ideas:

Jason used old magazines as placemats

Jason's patio features this circa 1950ish kitchen cart, which he uses as a serving area, game holder, and cookbook storage.

Another idea from Jason, and who'd a thunk?

Another repurposing by Jason. I actually feature this idea in my book Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots. Don't you have an old wagon sitting around somewhere? I grew miniature pumpkins in my son's old wagon. A great part of growing in this is that you can follow the sun.

Handmade, glass stars dangle and dazzle from the trees in Jason's garden. The stars were crafted by Tandem Glass of Maine. 

Landscape Restoration Dan Pozzi's "Timeless Peace" won a Silver medal

An old clawfoot bathtub and shower for a water element in his garden

Dan's gardener's shed nestles among trees 

Love modern and chic? These stainless steel clad planters, all in varying sizes and heights, seem to float above the ground. They highlight the sculptural form of the plants featured.

Modern, minimalist (not enough plants for me, but perfect for others). I like the simple double rusted iron fire rings. This would be simple to do in any garden EXCEPT a California forest or chaparral lands. I liked the rectangular, shallow pool, and fountain to the left, too.

I've been drooling over one of these huge galvanized containers at our local Farm Supply in San Luis Obispo. I wanted to use it for a water element (not bad at $195.00), but the folks at Star Apple Edible Gardens, a fabulous, young company that designs and installs edible gardens, used this tub for a series of pie-shaped gardens. One is for tea plants, one for a variety of mustards, and one for tomatoes. The plant in the middle is a Yuzu, which is a citrus. Fred Hempel, breeder and farmer at Baia Nicchia Farm & Nursery, uses all the plants featured AND the Yuzu. They use both the leaves and the rinds of the fruits. 

I'll let the Baia Nicchia folks speak for themselves. They've got great ideas and great products.

A close up of the mini-garden with Yuzu in center

Patricia "Pattie" Boudier, who owns one of my favorite garden and seed supply businesses, interviews me in the Star Apple garden for a segment they filmed for their on-line Peaceful Valley Farm and Garden Supply web-site. This video should be up in a couple of weeks. I'll let you know.

Raised planters were constructed of recycled wood. I like how they've planted herbs with a repeat pattern of succulents between the varieties.

Even a tiny patio could accommodate a recycled wood unit like this. If these were all at the same level, there wouldn't be the great design wow factor.

A great use for old windows. Start your tender seedlings inside this. Ok, Lili (Fearless Nesting), now you can go look for windows and have Henri build you one of these. Or Grace Peterson, how about you and your dh? I loved these so much.

An outdoor dining table made from recycled wood and planted in the center with...

...an array of handsome succulents

I can't shower Star Apple with enough kudos.

Star Apple used recycled wood for these restaurant planters. They lined the sides of the planters with burlap from food bags, filled them with great soil, and planted them with goodies.

Star Apples salad garden. The wooden salad fork is a garden marker.

You probably know that I have worked toward a garden in every school for two decades. Well, I have long been an admirer of Ben Eichorn, famed for his school gardens projects. Here is his "Grow Your Lunch" garden for kids. Look at some of his playful solutions for small school gardens.

Color, innovation, and organic practices inform Ben's garden designs for kids

Some products I loved (and bought)

Handmade copper gardening tools at Harley Farms. THESE ARE GORGEOUS and usable. I couldn't resist and treated myself to a weeder.

Every morning I spend time sweeping and raking my patios, stone walkways, and decomposed granite pathways. The broom doesn't quite cut it, and the rake stirs up the decomposed granite. I found my solution yesterday with this wonderful, handmade garden broom. It is lightweight and made from coconut palm leaves that have withered and fallen off the tree. I used it for half an hour and managed to do a job that normally takes twice as much time. I love it. The Original Garden Broom, gardenbroom@gmail.com, 604 724-0872.

I could not resist these tin boxes of seeds that come from Peaceful Valley (oh yes, and that is my copper weeder and cultivator from Harley Farm). The seeds are so wonderful, they have nine different collections available. I'm especially tickled by the "Crafter's Delight" autumn decor mix, which includes gourds, broom corn, blue corn, and more. Soon I will be offering NINE of these to lucky winners in upcoming drawings. If you are a follower and a member of my Grimy Hands Girls' Club, one of these could be in YOUR future.

I hope that this posting has given you a few ideas for your own garden. Be sure to leave a comment to be eligible for the Sunday drawing of a kneeler and the new book by Karen Weir-Jimerson.

Love and peace,

Still going after all these months!

Sharon