I just want to shout out again a very sincere “Thank YOU” to all my friends, family, and clients and marker go’ers for taking the time to come visit me at my first time selling plants and container gardens at the Ellington Farmer’s Market on Saturday, May 12th.

Would you believe, I arrived with my supportive husband, Steve, two hours before anyone else to setup my tent?  And my husband had injured an arm so he was one-handed the whole time but insisted he could do it.  I certainly can not put up those EZ-Up tents alone and not sure how others do that, but I’ve been practicing.  And I still have to manage to learn how to handle my big enclosed trailer.  All in good time, but all my plants and containers made it safely and setup in time for the event which is a very fast three hours from when the market opens at 9:00 am sharp and closes around noon.

Moving containers is kind of like moving cakes, one topple could ruin it all so all were packed with packing materials and carefully unloaded.  Because it was the day before Mother’s Day, many of my container gardens were small to medium sized, but be on the look out for my June showing of large and showy container gardens which I plan to have for the June 16th date at the Ellington Farmer’s Market, which is the day before Father’s Day.  Dads will be on my mind for that weekend.

I think probably the most interesting part of the day was at the very end, when one of the vendors came buy to purchase my special find, a bowl with a wrought iron base, which I refurbished from a consignment shop and filled with Hens and Chics and blinged a bit.  He got it for his Mom and said he had to wait til the end of the day to get it so she wouldn’t know which he picked out.  His name is Greg Hazleton and he owns an organic farming business, called “Earthwise Organic Landscaping” located in West Suffield, CT.  He offered me a dozen eggs for a little discount on the container, and I couldn’t pass up the eggs, nor his optimistic attitude.  He is also on the Board of the market, and I met his mother earlier at my tent.  As she browsed around I hinted that if she told me which container she liked, I could encourage her son towards it later.  But she insisted she wanted to buy a plant herself, which she did.  I just thought it was funny that at the end of the day, I ended up with fresh eggs, enjoying them like a little reward the next morning with my husband as he served them up with toast.  Oh, and by the way, Greg’s mother told me that her daughter, Kimberly, has a Yoga Studio, called “The Revival Room” right down the road at 125 Maple Street.  Hmmm, I thought, I’ve eyed that building before – it is quaint, cute, and local.  She said she has great yoga classes there.

Another great part of the day is witnessing people pick out something special for their mothers.  It comes from their heart.  One guy asked, “Which do yout think Mom would like?”  I quickly responded, not realizing he was talking to his daughter!  Ooops, I sure he found that amusing.  The heart of children, daughters, and sons are revealed at the market, especially on Mother’s Day weekend.  Farmers markets encompass the heart actually because products are made by very passionate people proud of their craft and products.  You can be sure the vendors put alot of time and effort to create something they love themselves and want to share with others.

Collins Compost, http://www.collinscompost.com/friends, located at 9 Powder Hill Road in Enfield, CT was there too.  I barely had a minute to talk to Tracey Clague, a member of the family that runs their business.  She and I have spoken over the phone, via email, and by letters for over 3 years now.  I’ve asked her to send me brochures about their wonderful compost to share with my landscape and gardening clients.  Now finally, we met  in person, but it was brief because she and I were both unloading and setting up in the morning, and we remained busy throughout the day. At the end of the day, we shared smiles as I purchased 3 bags of their compost for myself to take home, asking her coworker to load the bags for us in my trailer, because I was really fearing my husband’s arm would get worse with any lifting.  He has a damaged muscle to his rotator cuff.

There is a band playing every Saturday and usually farm animals are there for the kids, and yes, for the adults too.  One little girl told me there were bunnies at a tent, and I was so tempted to go look to get one for my bunny cage, that has a green roof of sedums mixed from last season, but I could just see the fox that got my chickens last season, staring at that bunny in the cage, and envisioned the bunny shaking like a leaf.  Nope, can’t do that until I can enclose a setup completely from the predators in my woodlands around my house.

Again, it was so nice to see all my friends… thank you Maryse, Lysa, Guillaine, Donna, Denise, Mom and Dad, Jimmy and Nancy, Linda and Kenney, Doreen, Charlotte, Laurie, Dolores, Marybeth and Pete, Catherine, and all the new friends I met at the Ellington Farmers Market on a beautiful sunny day…., and or course, Steve, my helper and supporter – who said this morning, his arm is feeling better.  Phew, Thank God!

P.S.  My next date at the market is Saturday, May 26th.  Located at Arbor Park in Ellington, CT.  Hope to see you there!  Cathy T

Save the date to visit me at the Ellington Farmers Market this Saturday, May 12^th. Along with all the other wonderful local vendors, we will be celebrating the market’s weekly theme, “Gardening Grows the Spirit.”

To me, nature’s spirit is represented every day in the garden by the way of light and water. Often a droplet of rain sitting on a leaf will shimmer just like a jewel or the rainbow’s colors will be revealed while watering plants. Even a fly – yes a fly, landing on a plant, has a glimmer of iridescence on its back that one may notice.

Nature has a way of providing its own bling – thus my offerings at my first date at the market are about growing the spirit with a bit of bling. Yes, “Bling your Spring,” I say! You can expect to see unique container gardens of a size manageable to take home to Mom or for yourself, along with some bodacious plants. I hope you will have the time to come visit on Saturday.

The market opens at 9:00 am and closes at 12:00 pm each Saturday. It is located at Arbor Park on Route 286/Main Street in Ellington, next to the Ellington Fire Department and Hall Memorial Library. Look for the white gazebo. Enter along the side driveway which continues to a large parking lot in the back that circles around to another exit.

Cyou soon, Cathy T

Cathy T Farmers Market May 12

Last nite, I attended the first career fair at the East Windsor Middle School.  Walking through the front entrance, I glanced over to see a plaque on the wall with letters in bronze stating the school was erected in 1966.  “Hmm, I thought, a couple years before I was born.”  I don’t have many memories of walking into this place but I sure do remember the cafeteria, where the career fair was being held.  I was asked out by a boy that I did not like, and I remember a food fight one day too in the cafe – yes, we had food fights back then and wouldn’t get arrested for it.

Not knowing what to expect, I started to unpack my materials to show the kids during the evening’s activities.  To my left, two software developers located in my home town had quite the nice setup with laptops and big screens to show the students how coding is done for various app’s and games.  To my right, a balloon maker.  How is one to compete with that? LOL.  There was also a veterinarian, hairdresser, accountant, land surveyor, and more.

First to arrive, two young gentlemen, saying they like plants.  I showed them things like a quick flow chart of the steps I take in my landscape design process, photos of befores and afters, explaining the digital imaging concepts and CAD rendering scaled documents, and where I went to college, how I took Master Gardener Program later, and the importance of knowing about soil, nutrients, botany, and especially “the plants.”  But I didn’t elaborate too long on that because I know their attention span would get bored looking at a rotating power point screen, so I quickly had them take a look at my landscape program and give it a trial run.  This is when their faces perked up.

They loved trying out the program, clicking and dragging the plant options.  In fact, one of them placed an ornamental tree in the same exact place I did on my true design of the image prior.  Patting him on the shoulder, I told him just that.  I also pointed out that their generations, with their intense participation of technology, will be teaching “us – the older gen” new applications in the world of landscaping and horticulture.  “I’m just keeping up,” I explained.

The software developers next to me were showing how to create applications for smart phones, and I showed them new app’s I’ve loaded on my iPhone as tools for what I do, like a “color wheel app” for designing, and a “bug finder” app for plant problems, and even a Square Up app so I can take credit cards during sales at shows and farmers markets – but all the while, I explained to them – you have to know the plants, the site, the conditions, and the exposure, etc.  All of these tools can be helpful – but your study of horticulture is more important if you want to go into this type of work.  “You have to know the plants,” I emphasized again.

A group of young ladies came by.  As they approached, I asked, “Who here likes plants?”  One gal pointed to her friend and she nodded with agreement.  “Here’s you go – a free perennial catalogue for you,” I said.  They told me they have been designing a courtyard at the school in the back, and how long it has taken to draw their designs to scale on graph paper, so as you can imagine, showing them the CAD rendering of my program spoke to them immediately.  Again, same speech about learning, and the importance of knowing the plants, soil, botany and more, then they all gave the program a trial run.  They gravitated directly to the beautiful perennials in the program as they clicked and dragged through the landscape program’s features.

Towards the end of the evening, a solo young lady came by.  She asked more question than the others.  She wanted to know about an insect she has seen on the shrubs infront of their house recently.  We talked about the process of id’ing insects, and I showed her a new app I loaded on my iPhone with a database of insect photos and reference information.  Explaining the Master Gardener program to her, I gave her instructions to collect the insects, put them in a container, put in the freezer and bring them to the Tolland Agricultural Center on Hyde Road in Vernon, CT, where the Master Gardener Interns there will take a look at them to id them, and even put them under the microscope for a thorough look.  She wrote the information down to share with her parents later.  “By the way, this service is free,” I told her.  See: http://www.ct.gov/caes/site/default.asp

The other cool part about being at this event is I was able to share the conceptual design images I have started for the BMX/Skate Park being built in East Windsor on Reservoir Road.  See http://www.freewebs.com/ewbmxskateboard/.  They liked the idea of the tire planters, and it also reminded them the park will be open soon to enjoy.

And I also told them membership to the Connecticut Horticultural Society (www.cthort.org) is free to students with a valid student ID.  Maybe one day, a teacher, or perhaps myself, will arrange a group ride to a one of their program meetings in West Hartford, CT.  Their last speaker was on water gardening – they would have loved that.

Overall, I was impressed with the young students’s interest.  When asking them if they knew the difference between a perennial and annual, one boy quickly defined them to a “t” saying, “Perennials grow year to year.”   As they looked at the program, I explained how there are many different types of shrubs from deciduous to broadleaf evergreens, and the importance of knowing about invasives, and why.  We don’t want to plant a thug or one that will over take someone’s yard, explaining Purple Loosestrife we often see taking over open fields in our town as an example of invasives.  See: http://www.hort.uconn.edu/cipwg/

At the end of the evening, the program coordinator told me they had the same look in their eyes that she has seen when teaching, meaning they were taking the information in.  I hope so and if yes, perhaps a new young gen designer will be born.  My only regret, I should have brought some plants along to compete with those fun balloons by the balloon maker and the cool computer displays by the software developers next to me.  …Duh, its about the “plants.”

Thanks for visiting my blog post!  Cathy T

Oceany blue waters with lights cast above on white orchids, awwh, very beautiful. Perfect scene for a wedding. Special event, etc.

Philly Show is served up Hawaiian Style

Aloha!  I am back from the Philadelphia Flower Show, themed Hawaiian style this year.  My feet are sore, my eyes are tired, and my joints slightly achey from all the walking, looking around, and carrying of garden goodies and books from our two day visit of this yearly event.  But yet, I would do it all again.  And I think my husband, Steve, would too.  Especially because they had a “Man Cave” at the show this year…more on that later.

Rather than blab on and on about how spectacular a show of this size is, (it is the world’s largest indoor flower show), and its impact on inspirational gardening juices, I’d like to share some of the iPhone snapshots I took  of certain features which especially captured my attention, and why.  I’ll save the babbling for when I see you in person.  Because there is so much more to say than this quick post today.

Phalaenopsis Orchids in Blue Waters

Phalaenopsis orchids, known as Moth Orchids, are a favorite for many orchid and houseplant lovers because they are well suited for homes and easy to grow. I’m no orchid specialist, but they had every type of orchid you could image at this show.  There were walls of them, many embedded in tropical gardens, masses dangling from tall overhead structures and situated near a massive waterfall on its rock edges, and of course, lots showcased as floral art design elements, worn as fresh Hawaiian Leis and as jewelry.  If you are an orchid lover, this year’s show was for you.  Orchids are beautiful, eye-catching, plus they smell nice.  But of all the orchids we saw at this show, especially beautifulwas a mass of Phalaenopsis orchids in a very large square area on the show floor, literally located at feet to knee level, housed in water dyed a vivid ocean blue color in clear glass vases designed by Robertson’s Flowers.  Lights below the vases cast brilliance onto the white of the orchids and I thought to myself, this is way prettier than white orchids dyed blue.  I literally crouched onto the floor to get some photos.  The space was calming and the white of the orchid was intensely clean and fresh, as fresh as a bride’s wedding gown.  Plus this feeling repeated a design composition seen earlier in the show, at the show’s main entrance hall, where a huge overhead projection screen was flushed in similar blue colors with white orchid flower images floating on imaginary waves.  The structure was above your heads and created a dramatic entrance before leading you down the path through tropical gardens where the floor of the moth orchids were showcased further along your journey.  A different style unveiled and would be perfect for a wedding scene.

Jungle nook, Outdoor Shower? I don't know but it feels like a little private space with reusing materials left behind.

Dole Barrel in an Abandoned Space

When we visited the Big Island two years ago, there were many hideaway places, and a certain part of a display at the show included old barrel stamped DOLE surrounded by lush foliage.  Tall bamboo in the background with elephant ears, ferns, and other lush foliage made the space feel private or discovered accidentally. This scene felt like a real yet different part of Hawaii’s nature offerings.  Maybe not one every tourist would see, but one definitely fitting to the way tropicals can grow to create a jungle, especially in an abandoned space or perhaps a private hideaway place.  And suddenly, if you are adventuring in that jungle world, you may come across an old artifact or gone by tool of a grower, or in this case, perhaps a place where pineapples were once grown on the island but no longer in production.  I read later, this barrel may have been intended to be an outdoor shower, but I didn’t think that when I first saw it.  It reminded me of some of the abandoned places or rustic looking items you can find on island adventures.   Left behind for the foliage to claim or an adventurous soul to discover and reused in a new way.  If it was meant to be an outdoor shower, I missed that part – because the show is so crowded sometimes you get to see only pieces or sections at a time, and this Dole barrel section was a quick snapshot of a moment.  It made me remember places I visited in prior visits to the real Hawaii.  An informal side.

Art Pieces Perfect for Container Gardens

Beautiful for containers too.

There were many more art pieces this year at the flower show that can easily be used in container gardens, which I was pleased to see.  From glass blown garden pieces to well made garden lighting accents, and pots fashioned with fountain components included.  This is all good for the world of container crazy people, like moi.  When I approached the lighting display by Stone Manor Lighting, www.StoneManorLighting.com, my first question was, “Were these featured in Garden Design magazine?”  The two gentlemen manning their booth jumped up and replied with, “Yes!”  I remember admiring the copper and brass stemmed flower lighting pieces in garden photos only two days ago when browsing the mag, and voila, here they were at the show.  It took seconds for me to order up a set of the buttercup yellow trio.  I can’t wait to put them in a large container with some complementary flower color schemes.  Also, displayed for sale at the show were beautiful blown glass art pieces by Barbara Sanderson of Glass Gardens NW. Visit www.glassgardensnw.com to see the plate size glass fountains on stems in unique shapes and vivid colors.  Some made me think of fern frond shapes.  Her fountains include matching glass balls which float gently in the waters from the circulation.  Her art pieces are perfect elements to step up container gardens and flower pots – a way to combine nature with art and capture light and water.  And perhaps, her fountians help reduce the need for watering?

Perfect for container gardens and waters too!

Globe Sized Glass Bowl Terrariums

Globe Size Terrariums in Competition Areas

In the horticulture display area, where featured plants are staged as individuals of glorious growth or amazing bloom, in perfect condition, many for competitions, was also a display of several large globe bowls filled with tropicals, pitcher plants, moss, and earthy elements creating mini woodland gardens scenes –  a larger sized terrariums.  Terrariums are hot this year. I am seeing them everywhere and I like them, but I also perfer big pots, so when I saw these shiny large clear glass globes that were large versus the typical tiny terrariums, I had to take a few photos.  Yes, I definitely want to create some of these this year.  I’m going to track down the bowls and maybe offer a session on making theses.  These big bowls feel like outdoor decor and in the right setting can be serve a modern look.  The lights at the show made the bowls sparkle and brought a certain spotlight to the garden housed within.

Vertical Wall of Lettuce

Pass the dressing

I remember saying in a group meeting with some horticulture type people that vertical gardening was becoming popular (believe it was at least one year ago), and then quickly getting offended when one woman laughed at my comment.  Guess she was thinking I was referring to those bags you hang from flower hooks to grow upside down vegetables.  Those are useful for some too, but that was “not” was I was talking about.  Well, at this year’s Philly show, there was a forty foot long wall of lettuce – a vertical garden of fresh foliage for the eating.  Watching a gal poke behind the lettuce bunches to figure out how they stayed there, I had to chuckle – Now this is what I meant by vertical gardening!  What a perfect concept for restaurants with outdoor seating areas.  I have to say, the display of this colorful mix of lettuce on a tall long wall, which I believe was by City Harvest Garden, Meadowbrook Farm Store, and PHS members, was definitely all about the gardeners that love to grow what they eat.  An area of vegetable gardens, an enclosed area with a garden table enclosing plants down the center, latterns hanging above made from galvanized pots, and nooks with old wooden walls as backdrops, all with the look of community gardens filled with vegetable plants.  Pass me the salad dressing, I was ready to eat.  Later, at the Reading Terminal Market next door to the convention center, I spotted fresh lettuce bagged up – but in inflated clear bags, and you know, that looked appetizing as well.  Both scenes makes us appreciate home grown and fresh, and how wonderful that experience can be, whether gardening vertically or horizontally.

Lush green packaging of lettuce

Cutesy and Fun

A cute and fun display of garden animals on surf boards, peering out a tiki hut, and sitting in a stew pot for dinner.  It was simple and I am sure kids came up to see it.  This display by the American Ivy Society captured a day on the beach, catching the waves, being at play, and felt like a comical notation and nothing like anything else in the show.  It was unique. You could almost hear the childrens’ giggles as you imagined this scene in motion.  I had to stop to take a few photos of this too.

Surfs Up

Well, that is all I can fit on my quick blog today, as I have to get busy.  All this inspiration has got me more excited to design and create.  Hope to post more information tomorrow, sorry about any typo’s!

Cathy T

For more about the show, visit:

http://www.theflowershow.com

P.S.  Great staying at the downtown Marriott, their package includes breakfast and show tickets, and a connecting walkway to the convention center is very convenient.  Especially when you need to escape the crowds at times.  Only quite hour was 8:00-9:00 am for us on Saturday morning.

The silk lady is not a sophisticated enough title for the woman I am about to write you about, for her talent of creating nature with art is breathtaking.  The first time I saw her work at a garden symposium two years ago, an intense eye candy experience occurred.  The bright coloring of oranges and soft yellows against a luscious green background popped out to me from down a hallway.  Walking there to take a closer look is when I met Liena Dieck, the artist behind the flower that drew me to her booth at the show.  With her Russian accent, she began to explain to me the way in which her work of art is created on fabric with dyes – on silk no less.

Silk, I thought.  Hmmm, how does she do that?  Not only did I wonder how, it was obvious her creations are of high-quality.  Her work is not only showcased on items to hang on your wall as paintings, but on wears – on clothing items.  Little did I know at the time, I would learn more about Liena Dieck through other avenues.  In fact, I discovered she lives right in my hometown.  It took a trip to a garden symposium, in Portland, CT, for me to meet a neighbor with a love of art and nature.  Our connection grew from that point forward.

I’d like to post a quick note today, to say, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, to my clients, friends, family, and plant enthusiasts out there that have visited my blogs!  This month has been filled with decorating with evergreens and making container gardens, wreaths, swags, and other fun inspirational creations to dress up homes and businesses for the holiday season.  It all kicked off with a class I held in early December on making holiday kissing balls and candle centerpieces with various evergreens and festive embellishments.  17 ladies attended and I could not have asked for a more fun group – each of them offering me inspiration as well.  It was a great way to kick off the decorating season, something I couldn’t live without this time of year.  For me, the decorations set the mood, welcome guests, and bring cheer.  Next year, I am planning to add wreath making, as suggested by an attendee, and I’ve also been coming up with new tips and ideas that I will focus on sharing and teaching at next year’s class.  In the meantime, the horticultural work has not slowed down this winter. I will be designing two new landscape designs as soon as the holiday vacation is over.  One for a fundraising organization in my hometown focused on building a skatepark for kids, and the other for a business client in a nearby town.  Then it is onto working on Hartford’s annual flower show, helping the CT Horticultural Society as a current volunteer to organize some hosts for their amazing display.  Come visit us again – each year is just more fuel to charge the plant person’s soul.  And I am offering an upcoming class in January on creating encaustic treasures to be taught by an artist I met at a garden show this summer.  A detailed flyer will be issued to all current clients so you can see what this fun class will be all about (see DIY CLASSES).  Booking hort trips to places like the Philadelphia Flower Show is high on my list too, and hopefully taking some snowshoe adventures in between – if the snow ever arrives this winter!  It won’t be long when the evergreen decorations have to be dissembled, yet, more  fun decorations for the new year will be created, and next thing you know – spring will arrive.  Use your evergreen dissembled boughs to warm and insulate your perennial garden as a winter mulch. It seems there is never a dull month when it comes to working with plants and plant people.  Some of the activities I calender each year are listed on this blog, under CALENDAR, fyi.  But all this activity for me, as part of my small business and constant hobby, couldn’t happen without the support of my clients and friends.  So many of you have cheered me on, appreciated my efforts and style, visited my booths at some summer shows, given me ideas and suggestions from your own creations and gardening.  And to those who asked me, “Where is your store?”, Well, I dream about that – someday – somewhere, I hope.  I’m truly blessed.  As we approach the end of 2011, again, I want to say Thank You for all your support and I truly hope I will see you again now and in the new season for anything plant related.  Keep your ideas coming. Happy Holidays everyone, and P.S., the green color on my blog wall is just for the rest of the holiday season.  Figured green and red is a little bit of color blast for the last two weeks of December.  If anything, it will wake you up after drinking eggnog.  Cheers, Cathy T

GrapeVine Wreath