Each Little World

Fiber Friday: Olbrich Botanical Gardens

I've said it before and I will say it again: The Growing Gifts shop at Olbrich Botanical Gardens is an unsung treasure trove of treats. Clothing, accessories like hats and scarves and bags, books and greeting cards, home decor objects like trays, vases and candle holders and lots of fun (and educational) items for children. I am often at Olbrich for evening lectures when the shop is closed. This being the holiday season, I made a point of stopping this week to see what they had in store for local shoppers. Almost everything that caught my attention was some kind of textile item.

I brought home this assortment of Alpaca socks (and one pair of cotton) to add to my stash. At $19.00 a pop these might seem like an outrageous extravagance. But I've been saving up to get them as they are the softest, warmest and most delightful socks I've found in years. The only ones to equal them were the hand-knit pairs my sister sent me for a few Christmases. I have cold feet year-round and wear these socks year-round as well, making them a necessity and well-worth the hefty price tag. 

The shop had a pair of these creatures for sale: this resting version and the other standing with its head bent down as though foraging. They are probably between 18 inches to 2 feet to give you a rough estimate of the size. Big enough to add a lot of drama to your holiday display.

They are from India, covered with white-on-white embroidery.

I did not get the prices on items (other than my socks) as the displays were so full that I didn't want to take a chance on upsetting anything by sticking my winter-coated arms in there twisting and turning price tags.

As you might expect, they had loads of felted, furry and feathered ornaments.

I was quite taken with the folk-art feeling of these felted trees. 

Olbrich's gift shop also had these funky 1950's style trees in an assortment of sizes and colors. Perfect for anyone doing color-themed decor or looking for mid-century modern holiday items. 

Matching garlands of felted spheres are available. Note that these are handcrafted by women's cooperatives in Nepal. Thus buying these supports women along with Olbrich.

Remember, members of Olbrich's Friends organization get a discount at the shop, among many other benefits. There are 8 levels of membership. You can find all the details here.

Art in the garden

When I visited Olbrich Botanical Gardens last month, I was completely charmed by this piece of art in the center of their Herb Garden. I checked with the garden to find the name of the artist who created it.

Turns out it was the work of Erin Presley, one of Olbrich's horticulturalists who works in the Herb, Wildflower and Pond gardens and is also a mapping specialist. She told me via email that the tree is a 'King Arthur' crabapple that is showing its age.

She noted that some of the tree's large branches had been dying off intermittently over the past few years. After they lost a large section this past winter, the choice was made to remove the smaller twigs and branches, leaving most of the main branch structure intact.

Erin noted the clay balls had been around the garden for a while and the copper balls were remnants of an art installation at the gardens several years ago.  

She said — and I completely agree — that "they provide a playful foil to the strong architecture of the remaining trunk and branches." At the moment, Olbrich is having their annual exhibit featuring local, national and international artists creating light-based installations throughout the outdoor gardens.

Called "GLEAM, Art in a New Light," this art extravaganza runs until Oct. 27th. Complete details are here, including times and admission information. While those night-time art installations are quite dramatic and eye-catching, don't miss Erin Presley's daytime delight in the Herb Garden.

Next year this area will look completely different because Olbrich will be moving the vegetable plot for the Herb Garden into this space. About this change, Erin says she's "looking forward to growing vining plants on the tree; can’t you just see gourds and pole beans dangling off of there?!" Make a note on your calendar right now to visit Olbrich's Herb Garden next summer to see Erin's whimsical re-do of this old crabapple tree.

Olbrich: Gardening in the paving

A few years ago a friend and I went to a talk on reducing maintenance in the garden. It was given by Jeff Epping who is the director of horticulture at Olbrich Botanical Gardens. That evening Jeff showed images of a garden in England where a lovely paved patio had bricks removed to allow plants to be plunked directly into the dirt rather than in containers. 

It enlivened the space but kept everything in check. Nothing could spread rampantly and it was easy to pull any seedling out between the paving stones. Examples of that very idea can be seen in two locations in the gardens surrounding the Rose Tower here at Olbrich Botanical Gardens. The planting below, adjacent to a long water feature, keeps the paving and geometry from feeling too austere.

This planting takes advantage of the reflected heat and dryness that keeps these plants happy and flowering. Note how the pavers are removed in an asymmetrical pattern. The pale pavers in the background acknowledge garden donors. In a home garden, you could adapt that idea by using patterned paver or tiles to visually break up the space. 

This type of planting pocket need not be restricted to a particular type of plant as these photos show. These openings in the pavings are also an easy way to add tropical or tender plants to the broader garden without resorting to containers. 

Late summer at Olbrich Botanical Gardens

Last Friday I found myself doing errands just down the street from Olbrich Botanical Gardens, so naturally I bopped in to see what was happening. All the rain had caused some flooding in the gardens especially in the area along Starkweather Creek which is visible in the background.

But elsewhere, it just seemed as though all that moisture had pushed the plants into overdrive. I could hear people but I could rarely see them over the huge shrubs and tropicals and trees. It was a lovely wander. 

I'm growing purple Perilla frutescens aka beefsteak plant in my garden, but it looks nothing like these herbal bushes!

I love the red stems on this pond plant.

This plant is unfamiliar to me and I did not find an Id tag. But what great a color combo, especially growing near the above plant.

The circular bed above was surrounded by these bright borders below. 

And there was a sign giving us a clue as to the color inspiration and the plants.

For all the gorgeousness everywhere I looked, I have to say I was pleased to periodically find a plant looking as unhappy as the same one in my garden. In this case, it's Brunnera 'Looking Glass'.

Head gardener at home

Way back in March, Jeff Epping, horticulture director at Olbrich Botanical Gardens here in Madison, gave a talk to the Wisconsin Hardy Plant Society about his own garden. Many of us have seen Jeff's garden in the past, but it was going to be featured this summer on a WHPS tour of members' gardens. So we were all interested to hear what Jeff might have to show and tell.

Jeff talked about various garden design enterprises he's doing and gave us a teaser about the changes that have happened at his own garden. His shady front garden with no-mow grass (below) bit the dust when the city redid his street including replacing gutters and putting in a major drainage project.

Since this area (above) was about to be destroyed — more or less — by the construction work, Jeff figured it was the perfect time for a big change. Once the city was finished, Jeff turned his front lawn into a low-water, low-maintenance gravel garden similar to the sustainable ones he's created at Olbrich. This is a specialized kind of planting that needs the proper plants and prep to succeed. But in a couple of years it should be totally filled in creating quite a different look with very little work needed to maintain it. 

The Hakonechloa grasses that are still in the front garden (below) foreshadow what's to come. We walked around the right side of Jeff's house to get to the back garden. 

The side of the house features an array of different kinds and sizes of logs . . .

which are sporting mushrooms.

This is what Jeff's back garden looked like the last time I saw it, which was July, 2010. Wide mixed borders edged a central area of grass with a path that led through the garden out into a shared neighborhood park. The pots with small evergreen trees are on a pair of stone pillars that are part of the wall around Jeff's deck.

This is the view in 2010 looking back towards the side of the house with the mushroom logs.

Stepping into the garden at the same location as the photo above but the view today is totally different. 

The greensward has disappeared, replaced with a gravel circle that has a pair of Wave Hill chairs along with pots filled with plants and water. Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa species) has gone from an accent to become the foundational plant, interspersed with purple Perilla.

The deck is the same and still offers a view out to the shared neighborhood space, though Jeff mentioned the furniture has been replaced with items that are more low maintenance than what he had before. 

The deck also still showcases pots of plants, shrubs and flowers on all sides. 

These groupings offer so many ideas in terms of the plants one might use, size and scale and position of plants and pots. Both displays use repetition of plants and pots to great effect.

Jeff also still has my favorite pair of evergreens on the raised stone posts on either side of the steps leading from the deck into the garden. This shows one of them in the old garden view. 

The fabulous plantings in the narrow space between the house and driveway are still fabulous . . .

just much more mature. 

Jeff's artful driveway with its espaliered trees and plantings in pots and the ground is my all-time favorite  — after my own rather nice driveway!

 

New Olbrich class schedule

When Mark and I began our first garden many years ago, we got some outside help: We became members of Olbrich Botanical Gardens and started taking classes. I can't even begin to imagine how many lectures and workshops we've attended over the years, everything from pruning techniques to the best trees for our USDA zone to making wreaths and troughs.

Though the classes are listed online, I've always found it easier to look at the printed brochure. I like to turn down corners or use a red pen to note everything of interest. Then I go back and decide which ones I want to take. And there is always something new and different being offered. We're looking at a September event called "Landscape for a Dry Basement" — an issue we've been struggling with for quite a while.   

What's also different about all the programs being offered this year is the print format that Olbrich is using to advertise them. I just got a beautiful full-color booklet in the mail with the entire list of adult, youth and family programs from June to December inside its pages. I am sure this is a more expensive production than the old mailers they used to send out. But I for one think it is well worth the money.

The pages showcase the events and the gardens and and really boosted my interest in signing up for new offerings. There are lots of hands-on classes but also 15 different "Walks" with Olbrich staff looking at particular kinds of plants like sedges or plants for specific conditions like sun or pollinators. Garden design, creating tropical effects and putting the garden to bed in the fall all caught my eye. I have a feeling there are going to be lots of red marks for new classes in this new brochure.

Don't forget next Friday, May 11th and Saturday, May 12th is Olbrich's annual Plant Sale with the Pros, an event that local gardeners in the know never miss. You can find the times, special events during the sale and lists of plants at the link.

Spring flower show at Olbrich

Every year the horticultural crew at Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison somehow manages to come up with an inspired concept for their annual Spring flower Show. They completely transform the same space into a new and brilliant arena year after year. This year's theme — Under the Sea — includes everything from mermaids and sea creatures to a sunken ship and views out the portholes to the mysteries of the deep. I think most of the pictures are self-explanatory, so I won't say much more. But the show ends this weekend, so don't miss it. (details at the end of the post).

Even with the crowd who were taking in the show before last night's WHPS meeting, we still managed to see everything up close. 

The crew built a boat dock close to the ceiling to add to the effect of viewers being under water. 

 

In addition to the hundreds of blooming flowers and unusual tropicals and greenery, there were a number of small inexpensive touches that actually were among my favorite creations this year. They include all the quirky solutions to making the barnacles and encrustations that one might find at the bottom of the ocean. The creative team used pinecones, crocheted "bowls" and cupcake papers aged with a bit of paint. Too clever!

' ' '

The Spring Flower Show only runs through Sunday, March 25 so hurry on over before it's just a memory. 

 March 10-25, 2018

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily 

Show Admission

•$5 for adults (ages 13 & up)

•$3 for children ages 3 to 12

•Children 2 and under are free

•Free for Olbrich Botanical Society members

Win a $300 Shopping Spree!

While you are visiting the flower show and Obrich, buy a ticket for this special raffle and you'll get to shop the Plant Sale with the Pros with the expert eye of Olbrich's Horticulture Director to guide you! Jeff Epping will spend an hour assisting the lucky raffle winner in selecting $300 worth of free plant material during the Early Bird Shopping on Friday, May 11 from 9 - 11 a.m.

Life in the street

Jason, who blogs at Garden in a City, recently wrote about the fabulous Lurie Garden in downtown Chicago. One of the plants he focused on was ‘Summer Beauty’ Allium (A. lusitanicum). The carefree charm of this summer-flowering bulb has made it a stalwart star of Midwestern gardens. In Madison it's grown at Olbrich Botanical Garden as well as in city planters on Library Mall. Most of the gardeners I know grow it as well. I have it in my traffic island garden.

Neither winter sand and road salt nor car exhaust seem to bother it. And it doesn't mind a little shade either.

Geranium 'Rozanne' is in the center of the bed.

I put a plant of Calamintha nepeta ssp. nepeta in each of the four quadrants of this space with a triangle of 'Summer Beauty' Alliums in between them. At the moment the Alliums dominate but in another week or two the Calamintha will start blooming until frost. Both plants are bee magnets.

I had planned to put the low growing Allium senescens 'Glaucum' in the four corners but decided that was going to be too subtle. So I am looking to see if I can still find some golden Oregano to bright up the mix. I think it needs a little more pizzazz given how bright this same space is in May (below) with Tulips and giant Muscari.

Stewartia season

We bought our Stewartia pseudocamellia tree in 2000 for $18.00 at a sale at Olbrich Botanical Garden here in Madison. We planted it in an out of the way spot so the fact that it's taken a number of years to reach the flowering stage never bothered us.

But now that it's achieved that milestone we usually miss the moment when it first starts to flower because of its location. We realize it's begun when we notice the spent blossoms on the ground (below). Most years all the flowers are above our heads so we miss much of the show.

But this year there were big fat buds on the lowest branches as well as those at eye level. Alas, the flowers are rather like daylilies with a brief — if beautiful — lifespan. Since they begin to turn brown and messy on the ground very quickly, I try to go out and pick up the spent flowers daily.

The other morning I decided to count how many blossoms were on the ground 24 hours after I'd cleaned up the last batch. Would you believe 65! If only we were situated on a slope where we could look down on the Stewartia instead of the tree growing on a slope above us. We planted it in the protected spot it wanted in order to thrive. We just didn't know how beautiful it would be in bloom and that it also needed to be in a spot where we could enjoy its efforts.

If you're looking for a small tree for an urban garden, consider a Stewartia. In addition to the lovely flowers, it has intense red-orange fall color and exfoliating bark. It's hardy to Zone 5.

Gardening with Foliage First

Can you tell that I am trying to get through all the garden books before the weather improves and I can actually garden?

Karen Chapman and Christina Salwitz are garden designers and authors who focus on foliage on their blog, in their landscape work and in their books. Ever since I discovered their blog I have been a fan.

I finally got a copy of their latest book — "Gardening with Foliage First: 127 Dazzling Combinations that Pair the Beauty of Leaves with Flowers, Bark, Berries, and More" — and have been delving deeply into it. Let me just say it's heaven for those of us who do consider foliage first. 

The book is divided into two large categories looking at sun and shade combinations by season: spring/summer and fall/winter. The authors begin with an explanation of how to use the book in order to get the most out of it. At the top of every page is a template or key to the growing conditions the plants depicted require: Site, soil, zone and season.

Before you even read the details you can immediately tell if that grouping will work for you or if you should just move on. It's a simple but very smart set-up, making the book a veritable design primer for beginning gardeners. At the same time there are lots of ideas for experienced sophisticated plants people. 

The book is published by Timber Press so I don't have to tell you it's beautifully produced and a quality product. But let me say that the book is clever, funny, and very useful. Besides giving specifics on the plants in the combos, the authors provide information on how the design grows as well as the finishing touches that make the whole design sing. That may range from seedheads to sculpture. Each plant combo is also given a title; they're evocative, obvious or a downright scream like "Cherry Garcia" or "Beauty Without the Beast."

Despite the fact that my garden is fairly mature, I found a great many combinations that caught my eye. All of them used plants that I am currently growing but not with the partners the authors suggest. I also discovered a number of plants that are new to me and immediately went on my shopping list.

I was already anticipating the plants that are beginning to appear in the garden, but Karen Chapman and Christina Salwitz have me salivating with new possibilities. This spring will definitely see me moving plants at the very least to create a few of their dazzling combinations.  

While I think the book is well-worth the $24.95 cover price, it is available in the South Central Wisconsin Library System. Be sure to check Olbrich's Library as well, if you prefer not to buy it.