Hi Folks--Rosie shared information with me about the following two events--she participates in them and they are both really nice--so get on the road these two weekends and go see Rosie!
First up--the Saturday of Labor Day weekend will be the Prairie Pride Harvest Market. This event has been around for 6 years and while I haven't been, I have heard very good things about it. The location is 3883 E. 700 N. Look for signs that say "Fawn Run Farm". If you want information you can call Dailey (219) 778-2809 or email fawnrunfarm@csinet.net. Hours are 9 to 4--and remember they are an hour different from us there. Hand work, antiques, plants, strolling musicians, food. Just as much fun as the Blueberry but not as dusty and no carnival rides :-)
The second event is on Sept. 18(Sat) and 19 (Sun) at the old Finley Farm in Laporte. 3855 W. Johnson Rd. Laporte. Hours are 9-4 Sat. and 12-5 Sunday. Once again, they are an hour different. For information on this one, the phone is (219) 325-9009. The name of this event is "Botanic Boutique". The farm is now called "Keepsake Farm".
Sounds like fun times two!
Hail to the dirt! FL
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Latin Made Easy
So you feel dumb trying to say Latin names? Actually its not as complicated as you might think. I was lucky enough to be able to take Latin as my language in High School and its really an easier language than English. And learning to use Latin when speaking about plants helps you to be a lot clearer in your understanding, and it helps you to communicate about plants in an unambiguous manner (of course you have to be talking to another gardener for this to work--but chances are you will be). Here is a very useful and easy to understand article I ran across:
http://www.life.illinois.edu/ib/335/plant_names.pdf
The main thing to remember when prononucing a Latin word is that the accent most often is on the next to last syllable, and even though at first the word may look like an eye chart, slow down and examine it for a second--its not just a jumble of letters after all. We tend to read by inference--we only see the first few letters of a word and our brain figures out the rest without our actually reading it. We can't do this with Latin words because they aren't familiar to us. But if you stop and look at the entire word, pronouncing it becomes a lot easier. Scientific nomenclature is meant to make things easier, not harder, and there is a lot of information contained in Scientific names if you know what you are looking at. This article is easy to read and very helpful.
Hail to the dirt (Dirtus maxiumus)!
http://www.life.illinois.edu/ib/335/plant_names.pdf
The main thing to remember when prononucing a Latin word is that the accent most often is on the next to last syllable, and even though at first the word may look like an eye chart, slow down and examine it for a second--its not just a jumble of letters after all. We tend to read by inference--we only see the first few letters of a word and our brain figures out the rest without our actually reading it. We can't do this with Latin words because they aren't familiar to us. But if you stop and look at the entire word, pronouncing it becomes a lot easier. Scientific nomenclature is meant to make things easier, not harder, and there is a lot of information contained in Scientific names if you know what you are looking at. This article is easy to read and very helpful.
Hail to the dirt (Dirtus maxiumus)!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
For the Sept. Meeting--DANCES WITH DRIEDS
Hi all! Man I am writing a lot the last few days. Hope no one is getting informational overload. Sorry to dump so much on you at once--but I have to get things done right as they are in my frontal lobe or they slosh around and get lost.
Okay--since our Sept. meeting is going to come even later and fresh flowers from our gardens will be minimal, lets work with dried material instead.
I used to do a great deal of work with dried flowers--its really kind of how I started out. They have fallen from favor with the advent of ever more attractive silks, but for me the "real deal" is always the best. I am still rolling the idea of containers around in my head, but for the moment lets just leave it at "coffee mug"; thats pretty easy. If you don't have something--go to the goodwill and grab something with an opening that is roughly coffee mug size. If I have some brainwave that means a huge change from this format I will bring materials with me.
The other thing you will need to do is scout around your yard and bring material with you. You can do some basic prep work now. A lot of plants are suitable for drying--I always tell people if you wonder if something is "dry-able" cut it and hang it upside down and find out. Some things will dry, some things will get all horrible or shatter. Just experiment. Take whatever you cut, bunch it up with a rubber band and hang it up in the basement or someplace cool and dark. Preferably someplace easy to get at and sweep up if the experiment bombs. There is also some material that can be cut fresh and allowed to dry once its in the arrangement. Here is a rough (very rough) guide--the stuff I list as "dryable" should be cut and hung upside down. The stuff listed as "Fresh" should be cut the night before and put into warm water. You can condition the water with a little sugar or aspirin if you want--not vital. Take it out of the water and just bring it "as is".
Okay--here we go--email me with questions:
DRYABLE STUFF--CUT AND HANG UPSIDE DOWN AT LEAST 1 WEEK BEFORE BRINGING;
Lavender-- Pee Gee Hydrangea-- Yarrow
Strawflower--Statice-- Ageratum (pick new blooms)
Sedum-- Grasses-- Poppy, Iris pods
Sage leaves-- Silver Queen Artemesia-- Oak leaves
Joe Pye Weed--Queen Anne's Lace (pick at any stage of growth)
Echinops-- Milkweed pods-- Chive Flowers
Amaranth-- Nigella-- Armeria
Baptisia pods-- Pretty branches-- Rose hips
False Saffron-- Celosia-- Feverfew
Teasel-- Money plant-- Ferns (Christmas Fern)
Gomphrena-- Baby's breath-- Mint, Catnip, Catmint
Oregano-- Liatris-- Monarda
Dock--Chinese Lanterns-- Roses
Sedges and Rushes--Goldenrod--Tansy
Rabbits foot clover-- Dill flowers-- Mullein
Things to bring fresh:
Boxwood-- Lambs ear-- Ivy leaves
Ferns-- Myrtle-- Sage leaves
Lavender-- Oak Leaves-- Silver Queen Artemesia
PLEASE DO NOT BRING SWEET ANNIE--SOME PEOPLE ARE VERY ALLERGIC TO THIS PLANT
DO NOT BRING BITTERSWEET--IT IS TOXIC AND JEFF'S DOGS WILL BE IN THE BUILDING AFTER WE ARE.
This is by no means an exhaustive list--just a jumping off point. If you have something in your garden or fencerow that you want to try and dry--cut it and have at it! Please don't bring any kind of berries unless you know EXACTLY what they are and are certain they are non toxic.
Keep watching--this is all kind of fluid and may continue to change.
HAIL TO THE DIRT
Okay--since our Sept. meeting is going to come even later and fresh flowers from our gardens will be minimal, lets work with dried material instead.
I used to do a great deal of work with dried flowers--its really kind of how I started out. They have fallen from favor with the advent of ever more attractive silks, but for me the "real deal" is always the best. I am still rolling the idea of containers around in my head, but for the moment lets just leave it at "coffee mug"; thats pretty easy. If you don't have something--go to the goodwill and grab something with an opening that is roughly coffee mug size. If I have some brainwave that means a huge change from this format I will bring materials with me.
The other thing you will need to do is scout around your yard and bring material with you. You can do some basic prep work now. A lot of plants are suitable for drying--I always tell people if you wonder if something is "dry-able" cut it and hang it upside down and find out. Some things will dry, some things will get all horrible or shatter. Just experiment. Take whatever you cut, bunch it up with a rubber band and hang it up in the basement or someplace cool and dark. Preferably someplace easy to get at and sweep up if the experiment bombs. There is also some material that can be cut fresh and allowed to dry once its in the arrangement. Here is a rough (very rough) guide--the stuff I list as "dryable" should be cut and hung upside down. The stuff listed as "Fresh" should be cut the night before and put into warm water. You can condition the water with a little sugar or aspirin if you want--not vital. Take it out of the water and just bring it "as is".
Okay--here we go--email me with questions:
DRYABLE STUFF--CUT AND HANG UPSIDE DOWN AT LEAST 1 WEEK BEFORE BRINGING;
Lavender-- Pee Gee Hydrangea-- Yarrow
Strawflower--Statice-- Ageratum (pick new blooms)
Sedum-- Grasses-- Poppy, Iris pods
Sage leaves-- Silver Queen Artemesia-- Oak leaves
Joe Pye Weed--Queen Anne's Lace (pick at any stage of growth)
Echinops-- Milkweed pods-- Chive Flowers
Amaranth-- Nigella-- Armeria
Baptisia pods-- Pretty branches-- Rose hips
False Saffron-- Celosia-- Feverfew
Teasel-- Money plant-- Ferns (Christmas Fern)
Gomphrena-- Baby's breath-- Mint, Catnip, Catmint
Oregano-- Liatris-- Monarda
Dock--Chinese Lanterns-- Roses
Sedges and Rushes--Goldenrod--Tansy
Rabbits foot clover-- Dill flowers-- Mullein
Things to bring fresh:
Boxwood-- Lambs ear-- Ivy leaves
Ferns-- Myrtle-- Sage leaves
Lavender-- Oak Leaves-- Silver Queen Artemesia
PLEASE DO NOT BRING SWEET ANNIE--SOME PEOPLE ARE VERY ALLERGIC TO THIS PLANT
DO NOT BRING BITTERSWEET--IT IS TOXIC AND JEFF'S DOGS WILL BE IN THE BUILDING AFTER WE ARE.
This is by no means an exhaustive list--just a jumping off point. If you have something in your garden or fencerow that you want to try and dry--cut it and have at it! Please don't bring any kind of berries unless you know EXACTLY what they are and are certain they are non toxic.
Keep watching--this is all kind of fluid and may continue to change.
HAIL TO THE DIRT
FYI FROM BEN
Hi everybody--just a quick blurb--Ben sent me this in case anyone wants to attend:
Keep South Bend Beautiful is planning some exciting events for the nearfuture. To share more, KSBB will be hosting another informal meeting,Thursday, August 26th at St. Joseph County Library in the Colfax Auditoriumat 6:30PM. Please pass to all who may be interested, as this is an openinvitation.
Hail to the dirt!
Keep South Bend Beautiful is planning some exciting events for the nearfuture. To share more, KSBB will be hosting another informal meeting,Thursday, August 26th at St. Joseph County Library in the Colfax Auditoriumat 6:30PM. Please pass to all who may be interested, as this is an openinvitation.
Hail to the dirt!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
HEAR YE HEAR YE!!! North Central District Meeting
Hi folks! I just got a letter concerning the Oct. 20 annual district meeting in Middlebury (see left sidebar). This is the district meeting we talked about at a previous meeting--Joan Stone, the District Director would like as many people as possible to attend this because our district will host it next year, and she wants us to know what the meetings are like. I will bring printed material to the next meeting--but for now, here are the basics:
The meeting is Oct. 20th at the Middlebury Church of the Brethren--507 W. Bristol Ave. (County Rd. 8) Middlebury
Meeting runs from 8:30 am--Registration and Continental Breakfast through 3 pm Adjournment
Buffet Luncheon will be served--Chicken or Beef Casserole
(Mary Ann--you and I will have to smuggle in some cheese or something)
The fee for the meeting is 17.00 each. You need to preregister by SEPT 30
There will be a program about the Amish Country Quilt Gardens--sounds like it will be a slide presentation.
It looks like we can register as a group--This isn't real clear--I will get with Rosie--she will probably know. There are some other concerns that we will talk about at the Sept. meeting--this is just a basic heads up for now.
Hail to the dirt--and DEATH to poison ivy (itch--itch)
The meeting is Oct. 20th at the Middlebury Church of the Brethren--507 W. Bristol Ave. (County Rd. 8) Middlebury
Meeting runs from 8:30 am--Registration and Continental Breakfast through 3 pm Adjournment
Buffet Luncheon will be served--Chicken or Beef Casserole
(Mary Ann--you and I will have to smuggle in some cheese or something)
The fee for the meeting is 17.00 each. You need to preregister by SEPT 30
There will be a program about the Amish Country Quilt Gardens--sounds like it will be a slide presentation.
It looks like we can register as a group--This isn't real clear--I will get with Rosie--she will probably know. There are some other concerns that we will talk about at the Sept. meeting--this is just a basic heads up for now.
Hail to the dirt--and DEATH to poison ivy (itch--itch)
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Mary Ann's idea for October
Hey folks--Mary Ann A. talked to a lady (forgot her name--sorry) today who is a master gardener about a program she will be presenting in Oct. at the Liberty Library. The date is Thurs. Oct. 14th and the program is at 6 pm--PREREGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. This will be a talk about fall blooming plants--something I would like to know more about for sure. We could attend this talk in lieu of our October meeting, and afterwards walk across to Bluebird House (its right behind the library) and have a quickie business meeting. Debbie hopefully will attend the library talk and then will come over with us and tell us a little about Bluebird House. If you think this sounds viable please email me within the next week and tell me so we know if we want to proceed with a head count and registration. The program may fill quickly, so we can't mess around for too long.
Hail to the dirt!
Hail to the dirt!
Monday, August 16, 2010
Info about the Dove Tree
Remember at Wavecrest when Jason showed us a "Dove Tree"? I looked it up--it is a native of China. The Botanic name is Davidia involucrata and there are some legends associated with it. Its also called "Handkerchief tree". Here is a link to the Wikipedia article about it. Looks like an amazing sight when it flowers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dove_tree
Hail to the dirt! FL
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dove_tree
Hail to the dirt! FL
PIES and PLANTS
Hi Everyone--Our Wavecrest trip is over now, and I hope you all had a terrific time. There were 15 of us altogether that made the trek, and I thank EVERYONE for coming. I hope you felt it was a worthwhile way to spend what turned out to be a beautiful Sunday. If anybody has photos they want to share or even if you want to write your own account of the trip, just get it to me and I will be glad to put it up here. Text documents should be Microsoft "word". There are many additional photos already in the "Members Gardens on Parade" section. Just click on the link in the lower left hand column with that name.
Where to begin--oh yeah---PIE!!!!!!!!!! Now you have all been to one of Rob and my favorite places, and now you all know WHY we like it so much. If the decor weren't enough, the food is wonderful, and I hope you all loved your pie and ice cream. Marianne was the out of the box thinker when it came to dessert and she tried the sundae made with apple butter ice cream and caramel. Rosie came away determined to make some of the same at home. From the salads served in apple shaped bowls, to the homemade bread, to the pie that made Ronnie smile and remember his cherry picking younger days, it was a fun start to a great day. Bobbi loved the Civil War items and explained the "ninja jacks" the soldiers threw to cripple horses to us. Everywhere you look in that place is a history lesson. We all ate too much and then remedied the situation by buying MORE food to take home with us. I know the people at Rob's work are enjoying PIE today. I was sad to see the box leave the counter--but sometimes we have to sacrifice for others :-)
Then it was on to the main reason for the trip:
This sign welcomed us at the entrance to the antique barn that houses the garden shop at Wavecrest. We were met by our guide for the Nursery Tour, Jason. Jason's friendly, irreverant and knowledgable attitude were just what we were hoping for. The nursery had provided refreshments, although I don't think anyone had any, since we were all overcome with PIE. But it was a welcoming, considerate gesture that I suspect is the norm with this wonderful place.
Jason started us out by explaining that as a "Nursery", Wavecrest propagates their plants on site.They take a sort of "Cradle to Grave" approach at Wavecrest (I guess its more like "Grafting bed to Composter"); meaning that they stand ready to help with any aspect of including their plants in your yard from design inception on through. Then he began showing us some examples of their grafted stock. The things he told us about ginkos in particular and grafting in general were fascinating and very informative. Then we moved onward to see more examples of their craft--ending with the grand finale--a grafted larch that I think he told us was about 40 years old. This tree illustrated some of the principles of grafting that Jason explained to us, and was simply an amazing sight to behold. They are justifiably proud of their skills at this form of propagation, which is an art, a craft and a science all at once. Stepping inside its soft welcoming canopy that enclosed you within its friendly grasp took us all back to our childhoods. 
From there we revived Hayden from the awestruck state he was in, and moved on to see the nuts and bolts of how these wonders are achieved. We strolled past production beds where we saw a number of beautiful Wavecrest developed hollies that are either on the market now or awaiting introduction. These are taller forms of hollies for northern zones; "Blue Wave" is on the market now, and we also saw "Stormy" among some others. If you go shopping for these hollies, they have names that all pertain to Lake Michigan in some way.
Jason showed us the grafting house and explained their ingenious method for growing grafts on through the winter--a method of root zone heating that was developed here at Wavecrest and is now the industry standard. Another Wavecrest innovation--a leaf valve that senses moisture and automatically controls the mister system in the cutting house--is also widely used in the industry now.
And true to their nature--the folks at Wavecrest don't grow their stock plants out in a field where their beauty would simply be wasted--they keep many of them in a lovely area that forms the yard of the home on the property. These gardens are also part of the overall nursery, and we walked and looked and admired full grown specimens of a great many things. It is always helpful to see full grown plants, especially woody plants, to get a better mental image of how they will look in our own gardens. The people at Wavecrest understand this, so they make a real effort to show people mature plants in a natural setting. This also means they have a knowledge of the plants they sell that goes far beyond reading a pot tag that comes from a wholesale grower. They live with these plants every day and can help you make informed choices that will succeed in your own yard. 
After viewing this lovely area, we crossed to road to see why Wavecrest is called Wavecrest. Part of their property is on the lake, and from the Nursery office you can look out and see a breathtaking framed view of Lake Michigan. The sound and smell of the water, and the breeze coming off the lake was a perfect end to the tour. We all stood on the bluff and watched the lucky bathers on the private beach below. How fortunate these people are to be able to live in such a place, and how lucky we are that some of them have chosen to build a place like Wavecrest, where we can come and spend some very enjoyable time.
THANKS WAVECREST and JASON! THANKS PIE PANTRY!
We will see you again!
Saturday, August 7, 2010
ANOTHER TRAVEL ALERT
Hey Folks--My friend Lorraine was here yesterday and alerted me to this tour opportunity:
http://www.travelstarzonline.com/
This is a trip to Meijer Gardens and the Art Glass exhibition that is going on now--the time frame is super short--the trip is on Aug. 18--but I wanted to put it up in case anyone wants to go--you can go to the website--it doesn't say the bus is full yet. I think Lorraine said its 53 dollars or something in that neighborhood.
We will need to start watching the 2011 tour schedules--I would love to go to Meijer Gardens and I am sure a lot of you would too. We don't need to charter a bus--we can just find out when a tour is going and then all sign up!
Hail to the dirt!
http://www.travelstarzonline.com/
This is a trip to Meijer Gardens and the Art Glass exhibition that is going on now--the time frame is super short--the trip is on Aug. 18--but I wanted to put it up in case anyone wants to go--you can go to the website--it doesn't say the bus is full yet. I think Lorraine said its 53 dollars or something in that neighborhood.
We will need to start watching the 2011 tour schedules--I would love to go to Meijer Gardens and I am sure a lot of you would too. We don't need to charter a bus--we can just find out when a tour is going and then all sign up!
Hail to the dirt!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
RED ALERT--Trip to Chicago Botanic Garden
Hey folks--Ben sent me a heads up for this trip that Fernwood is sponsoring. Anyone can go, its just cheaper for Fernwood members (maybe a good reason to join Fernwood, eh?)0ttp://fernwoodbotanical.org/webdata/education/EducatPrograms.html#cbg
The Garden with the Big Shoulders
Hey everybody--Great meeting last night! Sue thanks for bringing your girls--it was terrific to include them. We had a lightning speed business meeting due to time constraints--we really appreciate the library allowing us use of the meeting room, thanks so much to Deb Futa for helping out with this.
We tabled the minutes to speed things up--and had a quickie treasurer's report from Shirley. She told us the club balance and said she will bring the balance sheet and all the treasury paperwork to each meeting so anyone can look at it that wants to. We also now have our very own checks--so we are officially an entity now--at least from the Credit Union's point of view.
So on to business--the bulb order will be placed Friday Aug. 13--look on the website--www.vanengelen.com if you still need to shop--and get hold of me before Friday. Be sure to give me the item number as well as the plant name for clarity's sake.
It was decided that since we have our spiffy new checks, payment should be a check made out to "Dirty Hands Happy Souls" and then we will write a single check to Van E's for the payment.
And Cindy brought an example of a FABULOUS embroidered version of our Dirty Hands Logo. Her friend Jan (affectionately known as the "crazy squirrel lady") did a terrific job of translating the artwork into a stitchable design. Cindy will get a price quote from Jan, so we can bring her tees or sweats that we purchase ourselves and have her place the design on them. Thank you Cindy a million times for following up on this and making it a reality.
On to the Wavecrest trip--We decided we will meet at Cranes between 11:30 and 12:00. We will eat first and plan on getting to Wavecrest about 1:30 for our tour. The trip up will take you between 90 min and two hours. I will see about reservations at Crane's but I am not sure how workable that will be since we are all coming seperately and may arrive at varying times. I will get with Mary Ann Albert and we can conflabulate together and hopefully you will get some communication before we go so we can all get coordinated.
And if anybody wants to bring guests along on this trip--bring away. Its just meant to be a fun day out.
Now we have to think about our next meeting--I will send some emails out. Rob didn't bring it up--but our next meeting is the DAY after Labor day. This may not be good. We can cancel it, or reschedule it or something if necessary--folks need to decide what they want to do. We also didn't choose a site--I am thinking right now it would be at Shirley's but I didn't really clarify that. Yes--"Seat of your Pants Airlines" is still lurching along. Anyway--this topic will be ongoing as it develops and I will post information here--and send out blog alerts as needed.
Right now the plan for the Sept. meeting is BYOF (Bring your own flowers). Everyone can bring some cut material from the garden or the store (enough to share) and a container so we can make some fall flower arrangements. So we have some uniformity in the container size, lets say bring a coffee mug. Now this can be a big coffee mug like a latte cup, or a regular mug--or just something that is roughly the size of a coffee mug. Just use that of as your standard to measure the width of the opening that will accept the flowers. You will also want to have some clippers or a good pair of scissors--pruning secaturs would be good. I will put more stuff about this on the blog later--when we get the meeting figured out better. I am sorry to be so vague about this--right now its the best I can do.
As for the coming months, Sue and Mary Ann said they would begin to explore the possibility of a trip to Mckinley Nursery's Production field in Oct. Thanks to them so much for shouldering this responsibility. I really appreciate the help.
We also decided that a Lurie trip in November is something we would like to do--so this may take place in lieu of an actual meeting.
And speaking of Lurie and Shoulders.............
"HOG Butcher for the World,
Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,
Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler;
Stormy, husky, brawling,
City of the Big Shoulders"
Carl Sandburg
Last night Ben Futa explained how that imagery along with many other symbolic references are made manifest in Lurie Gardens. He told us how Lurie came to be--introduced us to some of the amazing people who designed and executed the space, and explained the fascinating history as well as the mechanical nuts and bolts of this most innovative garden.
Lurie is a roof garden--I was very surprised to learn this--it was literally sculpted into the site it occupies. The soil is only 4 feet or so deep at its very deepest, and the earth the garden resides in was all brought to the site by trucks. Given this fact, the naturalistic appearance of the area is even more surprising. This is due largely to the skill and vision of Piet Oudolf, who conceived the plantings, and Roy Diblik, who translated the language of the plants from Dutch to American-Midwestern. These two men worked in concert to fill the gardens with native and non native plants that offer different kinds of beauty in each of the four seasons. This is an important lesson we can take away from a planting like this--gardens are not just summer places. They are havens that can heal and uplift at any time of year--even with the snows of winter upon them. The garden is meant to be viewed from a great many vantage points, and Ben was able to show us how this works with his wonderful photographs. These illustrated how the gardens can be viewed from very close up to as far away as an upper floor of a skyscraper. He also told us about the importance of lighting in this space--it was lit by a theatrical lighting designer rather than a landscaper and functions equally well as a beautiful space at night.
And we learned about the three women who were the creative force behind the overall design that created such a unique and effective space. The design firm headed by Kathryn Gustafson tells the story of the city of Chicago in unique and subtle ways that many people will only ever sense unconsciously, if at all. The dark and light plates, which symbolize the past and future are bisected by the "seam" which is a wooden boardwalk that references the walkways built when the city was in its early days--a swampy forbidding frontier on the edge of a huge inland lake. Much has changed now--even the lake shoreline is in a different place--all due to the hand of the people who settled there. The large, simple retaining wall marks the spot where the shoreline once began--amazingly it is quite a healthy distance from where the lake meets the land now. The train tracks that crisscrossed the area are also referenced in the placement of planters and benches in what at first glance appears to be a neutral area with nothing in it.
The thought and care that went into the creation of this place is evident in so many other ways--ways that we would never know without Ben's wonderful talk to enlighten us. The entire space was tilted slightly to accomodate a view from a wing at the Art Institute that wasn't even a reality yet. The arborvitae hedge, which symbolizes the "big shoulders" in Carl Sandburg's poem is softly shaped to actually resemble shoulders--and the whole shape of the design may (in Ben's estimation) reference the trapezius muscle of the human back.
Gardens can be highly personal spaces--as our own gardens are. Public gardens can be personal spaces too--but they are personal on a different level. People experience the gardens but they don't create them as we create our own gardens. The skill and beauty of this garden design lies in the fact that a great many people can go into it and come out of it with an experience that is uniquely their own--and after having that experience they are different people. Who knows how many businessmen took time out from their cell phoning and texting to go buy some pots of Stella D'oro and get some dirt on their hands after being there????
Ben closed his talk by reading us a quote from Terry Guen--Head of Terry Guen Design Associates. Terry's firm helped implement the overall design of Lurie Gardens; troubleshooting problems and shaping the ideas of the designers into reality. She overcame what must have seemed like insurmountable obstacles to pull the design out of the imaginary realm and set it down on the earth. When reflecting on her role and the hope she has for the future--she told Ben this:
"Once the designer leaves, a place takes on its own life--much like a child leaving the protection and guidance of their parent. The parent is still involved in the child's life, but the child makes its own way, evolves, and grows. it's no longer the designer's duty to direct the children once they're 'grown up' "
We thank Ben so much for giving us such a unique perspective on this beautiful place.
The Salvia River Thanks to Ben for the photos!
We tabled the minutes to speed things up--and had a quickie treasurer's report from Shirley. She told us the club balance and said she will bring the balance sheet and all the treasury paperwork to each meeting so anyone can look at it that wants to. We also now have our very own checks--so we are officially an entity now--at least from the Credit Union's point of view.
So on to business--the bulb order will be placed Friday Aug. 13--look on the website--www.vanengelen.com if you still need to shop--and get hold of me before Friday. Be sure to give me the item number as well as the plant name for clarity's sake.
It was decided that since we have our spiffy new checks, payment should be a check made out to "Dirty Hands Happy Souls" and then we will write a single check to Van E's for the payment.
And Cindy brought an example of a FABULOUS embroidered version of our Dirty Hands Logo. Her friend Jan (affectionately known as the "crazy squirrel lady") did a terrific job of translating the artwork into a stitchable design. Cindy will get a price quote from Jan, so we can bring her tees or sweats that we purchase ourselves and have her place the design on them. Thank you Cindy a million times for following up on this and making it a reality.
On to the Wavecrest trip--We decided we will meet at Cranes between 11:30 and 12:00. We will eat first and plan on getting to Wavecrest about 1:30 for our tour. The trip up will take you between 90 min and two hours. I will see about reservations at Crane's but I am not sure how workable that will be since we are all coming seperately and may arrive at varying times. I will get with Mary Ann Albert and we can conflabulate together and hopefully you will get some communication before we go so we can all get coordinated.
And if anybody wants to bring guests along on this trip--bring away. Its just meant to be a fun day out.
Now we have to think about our next meeting--I will send some emails out. Rob didn't bring it up--but our next meeting is the DAY after Labor day. This may not be good. We can cancel it, or reschedule it or something if necessary--folks need to decide what they want to do. We also didn't choose a site--I am thinking right now it would be at Shirley's but I didn't really clarify that. Yes--"Seat of your Pants Airlines" is still lurching along. Anyway--this topic will be ongoing as it develops and I will post information here--and send out blog alerts as needed.
Right now the plan for the Sept. meeting is BYOF (Bring your own flowers). Everyone can bring some cut material from the garden or the store (enough to share) and a container so we can make some fall flower arrangements. So we have some uniformity in the container size, lets say bring a coffee mug. Now this can be a big coffee mug like a latte cup, or a regular mug--or just something that is roughly the size of a coffee mug. Just use that of as your standard to measure the width of the opening that will accept the flowers. You will also want to have some clippers or a good pair of scissors--pruning secaturs would be good. I will put more stuff about this on the blog later--when we get the meeting figured out better. I am sorry to be so vague about this--right now its the best I can do.
As for the coming months, Sue and Mary Ann said they would begin to explore the possibility of a trip to Mckinley Nursery's Production field in Oct. Thanks to them so much for shouldering this responsibility. I really appreciate the help.
We also decided that a Lurie trip in November is something we would like to do--so this may take place in lieu of an actual meeting.
And speaking of Lurie and Shoulders.............
"HOG Butcher for the World,Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,
Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler;
Stormy, husky, brawling,
City of the Big Shoulders"
Carl Sandburg
Last night Ben Futa explained how that imagery along with many other symbolic references are made manifest in Lurie Gardens. He told us how Lurie came to be--introduced us to some of the amazing people who designed and executed the space, and explained the fascinating history as well as the mechanical nuts and bolts of this most innovative garden.
Lurie is a roof garden--I was very surprised to learn this--it was literally sculpted into the site it occupies. The soil is only 4 feet or so deep at its very deepest, and the earth the garden resides in was all brought to the site by trucks. Given this fact, the naturalistic appearance of the area is even more surprising. This is due largely to the skill and vision of Piet Oudolf, who conceived the plantings, and Roy Diblik, who translated the language of the plants from Dutch to American-Midwestern. These two men worked in concert to fill the gardens with native and non native plants that offer different kinds of beauty in each of the four seasons. This is an important lesson we can take away from a planting like this--gardens are not just summer places. They are havens that can heal and uplift at any time of year--even with the snows of winter upon them. The garden is meant to be viewed from a great many vantage points, and Ben was able to show us how this works with his wonderful photographs. These illustrated how the gardens can be viewed from very close up to as far away as an upper floor of a skyscraper. He also told us about the importance of lighting in this space--it was lit by a theatrical lighting designer rather than a landscaper and functions equally well as a beautiful space at night.
And we learned about the three women who were the creative force behind the overall design that created such a unique and effective space. The design firm headed by Kathryn Gustafson tells the story of the city of Chicago in unique and subtle ways that many people will only ever sense unconsciously, if at all. The dark and light plates, which symbolize the past and future are bisected by the "seam" which is a wooden boardwalk that references the walkways built when the city was in its early days--a swampy forbidding frontier on the edge of a huge inland lake. Much has changed now--even the lake shoreline is in a different place--all due to the hand of the people who settled there. The large, simple retaining wall marks the spot where the shoreline once began--amazingly it is quite a healthy distance from where the lake meets the land now. The train tracks that crisscrossed the area are also referenced in the placement of planters and benches in what at first glance appears to be a neutral area with nothing in it.
The thought and care that went into the creation of this place is evident in so many other ways--ways that we would never know without Ben's wonderful talk to enlighten us. The entire space was tilted slightly to accomodate a view from a wing at the Art Institute that wasn't even a reality yet. The arborvitae hedge, which symbolizes the "big shoulders" in Carl Sandburg's poem is softly shaped to actually resemble shoulders--and the whole shape of the design may (in Ben's estimation) reference the trapezius muscle of the human back.
Gardens can be highly personal spaces--as our own gardens are. Public gardens can be personal spaces too--but they are personal on a different level. People experience the gardens but they don't create them as we create our own gardens. The skill and beauty of this garden design lies in the fact that a great many people can go into it and come out of it with an experience that is uniquely their own--and after having that experience they are different people. Who knows how many businessmen took time out from their cell phoning and texting to go buy some pots of Stella D'oro and get some dirt on their hands after being there????
Ben closed his talk by reading us a quote from Terry Guen--Head of Terry Guen Design Associates. Terry's firm helped implement the overall design of Lurie Gardens; troubleshooting problems and shaping the ideas of the designers into reality. She overcame what must have seemed like insurmountable obstacles to pull the design out of the imaginary realm and set it down on the earth. When reflecting on her role and the hope she has for the future--she told Ben this:
"Once the designer leaves, a place takes on its own life--much like a child leaving the protection and guidance of their parent. The parent is still involved in the child's life, but the child makes its own way, evolves, and grows. it's no longer the designer's duty to direct the children once they're 'grown up' "
We thank Ben so much for giving us such a unique perspective on this beautiful place.
The Salvia River Thanks to Ben for the photos!
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