I recently had the opportunity to ask noted garden expert, P. Allen Smith about getting the most from your garden tour experience. And...it just so happens our 2011 Hennepin County Master Gardener Learning Gardens Tour is this Saturday, July 9 from 9am to 4pm.
It's a chance to see ten beautiful gardens designed and maintained by our own Master Gardeners offering great inspiration and information. Hands-on demonstrations at our Education Stations will provide the latest gardening techniques and innovative ideas to make your garden a success.
As an added bonus visit the Sabathani Community Garden where Urban Gardeners are making a delicious difference in their community.
Even if you can't come to our garden tour here in Minneapolis, his suggestions apply to all garden tours regardless of location.
As a seasoned veteran of 185 garden tours just in England alone, I think he qualifies as the voice of wisdom when it comes maximizing your garden tour enjoyment!
For tickets go online to http://hennepinmastergardeners.org/ For tickets day of tour go to Garden #1 at 5024 Park Avenue S., Minneapolis MN 555417
You can skip ahead to the video...or listen to me natter on.
When I was told that for part of the P. Allen Smith Garden2Blog event we would be filmed giving a 30-second gardening tip my heart sank. Oh, don't get me wrong. I can give gardening tips until the cows come home. With one hand tied behind my back.
It was the filming part that had me a little worried. You see when it comes to having my picture taken, in any format, I have much in common with former British prime minister Tony Blair's wife, Cherie. What, you say?
Ever since living in England, I've kept up with their country's news and cultural events, in good part by being a regular reader of The Times of London. So it didn't escape me that whenever I used to see a photo of Cherie Blair, a formidable woman with her own career outside of politics, I would cringe and sigh.
You see, we share the trait of being unphotogenic in a most spectacular way. Mostly in the form of duck lips and double chins, eye rolling and frozen fish faces. It's uncanny.
There is even a google auto-category for her misshapen smile. While there is a special and voluminous gallery of "bad mama pictures" in our family Flickr account. I envy people that can flash the camera a gorgeous toothy smile without a second thought. I don't think I'm unattractive, yet while I doth protest about being photographed, it's not vanity, but posterity that concerns me. From my grave I will be shouting, "I really didn't look like that..."
But back to butterfly gardening. When asked to give a gardening tip, I wanted to be truly helpful, not too general or too specific. I thought back about my most popular blog posts and immediately thought of those dealing with attracting and supporting beautiful butterflies in our gardens.
For this video date, I made sure my hair was freshly tamed. I wore something structured to avoid lumpy body parts appearing where they shouldn't. I thought was pretty pulled together and had high hopes for not embarrassing myself.
Then the bad weather and surrounding tornadoes came and I could feel my hair going "Sproing-g-g" in the heavy humidity. They changed the event schedule and seemed to scrap the video thing getting done. Well, sure enough, at the end of the next day when we were dressed for mucking about the farm; windblown and wet from that day's bad weather, they told us to get ready for our closeup! Maybe it was all a plan to make sure none of us were better looking than P. Allen.
Turns out the video is not all that bad, but the butterfly tip is better. I'm including links below to those butterfly posts in case you missed them before.
Weird weather. Funny fall. Whatever you call it, right now I appreciate the absence of weather while I'm on the road. I'm in Columbia Mo, where my daughter is a journalism student and set to graduate in a month.
Tomorrow we'll be flying/driving/flying to Savannah Ga where she'll be attending grad school come January. During this quick apartment-hunting trip I probably won't have much time for blogging, but I promise to post pictures of any pretty gardens I might come upon.
In the meantime enjoy the last of the "Ya Gotta Love This Plant" videos. This last video features Helianthus "Lemon Queen", a great fall-blooming, carefree native perennial that brings sunny color to your garden while providing food for the bees. I know that it's probably too late to be plant shopping, but put it on your 2011 wish list for sure.
Putting this third video together was more difficult; I learned what they mean by "losing the light" as the days grow shorter. In addition, my sound quality is somewhat spotty. The upside is that I learned so much more about communicating the garden story in a new medium.
Don't be surprised if I take it up a notch by next year. Until then...
Don't worry. I'm not switching to all video. I'm just trying to get three videos "in the can" before the garden goes kaput! I've been granted the chance to do this courtesy of what the weather forecaster is calling "Septober".
We've had a whole month of Indian summer here in Minnesota. So I've been taking advantage of it to shoot three trial videos to see if it's a good way to add value and interest to The Garden Buzz. So far, the comments have been positive.
Shooting these little mini-films has me looking at my garden in a whole new way. I like to think that I always practice mindfulness in the garden. Yet, this has opened up even more avenues through which to enjoy the garden and all it has to give. Not that I haven't considered sound and movement before; still when it plays back, I hear and see what I might have been missing.
It's not all good. There are airplanes, pool pumps, car engines and such that I usually tune out. On the bright side there is water splashing, grasses rustling, insects buzzing and subtle birdsong that I need to notice more.
So without further adieu, here is the latest video featuring a favorite fall-blooming perennial...
Take a moment to go out in your garden. And just listen.
This year October 15 is a busy day...Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, Blog Action Day 2010...and National Grouch Day.
However there's nothing to be grouchy about in the garden. I can describe it with lots of other g-words like great, glorious, gorgeous, and gratifying. Can you think of any more?
So here we go..
"Greenish Blue" Butterfly visiting Helenium "Mardi Gras" The Garden Buzz
These little guys surprised me as there have been no other butterflies for at least a week. That's the common name for this tiny butterfly, Plebejus saepilous. Note that Mardi Gras is still partying on.
Salvia guaranitica "Black and Blue" The Garden Buzz I hope that B & B doesn't let fame go to its pretty head after recently starring in my very first garden video!
Salvia elegans "Honeydew Melon Sage" The Garden Buzz
This shorter version of pineapple sage blooms earlier, way earlier, than the original. The flavor and scent are not as strong, but it's better than nothing for us 'up north' gardeners.
Chalone lyonii "Hot Lips" The Garden Buzz
Pink Turtlehead is looking forward to her screen debut in my next "Ya Gotta Love This Plant" video series. She's just glowing with excitement.
Helianthus "Lemon Queen" The Garden Buzz
This beautiful cultivar of native sunflower is quite poplar with bees right now. Rumor has it she might be up for a featured role as well. Stay tuned.
Single bloom on volunteer nasturtium The Garden Buzz
Lady beetle inside Cobaea scandens The Garden Buzz
Sometimes known as Cathedral Bells, also Cup and Saucer, this vine started blooming late, the partial shady site to blame. But the few blooms have been delightful, as well as the purple tendrils.
Rhododendron "Purple Gem" The Garden Buzz
I'm no expert on rhodies, but I don't think it should be budding out in October. Hmmm.
Thanks to Carol of May Dreams Garden as always for hosting Garden Bloggers Bloom Day!
