City Garden Ideas – Happy Spring and Topping 10,000+ Views!

Posted on March 21, 2012 | Leave a comment

City Garden Ideas LogoHappy Spring!
Thanks to you, City Garden Ideas just exceeded 10,000 views! 
Wow! I’m grateful for your visits, comments and active social sharing.  I love that my photos are showing up on Pinterest!  Keep on pinning!
I’m  excited to offer more useful, relevant and fun information about gardening in small urban spaces to new and seasoned gardeners.
If you haven’t subscribed to the blog yet, please do.  It’s easy and free!  The sign up form is on the site’s front page. Expect to receive info-rich blog posts with expert advice, helpful tips, local workshops, contests and more! 
SPOILER ALERT (not really):
My next blog will give the skinny on soil.  Talk about neglected.  What’s in the Prepping Soil at the Tree Gardenground or in that flower pot is expected to be the perfect home for growing plants – without any additional care or feeding.  The truth is, soil needs attention and care well before any planting gets done. If you want a healty garden, then get the dirt on soil!
And thank you, thank you, thank you again for your support.  I’m shooting for 20,000 views by the end of the year.  Withyour help, it will happen.  Happy gardening!

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Boston Flower Show – Colorful, Aromatic, Surprising

Posted on March 16, 2012 | 1 comment

Front Entrance to the Flower Show
Hello all:
The Boston Flower Show is abloom at the Seaport World Trade Center!  But hurry, it’s only there through Sunday.

My husband, my mom and I attended the Flower Show preview party on Wednesday night, a benefit for the Boston Parks Department.  They do such great work!    It was wonderful to smell Hyacinths in the Gardenthe hyacinths tucked in the corner of a garden bed and the White Rose Bridal Bouquetroses in the wedding bouquets.  The bed of  orange tulips was welcoming and there were bright, perky yellow daffodils everywhere. The show floor has 10 or so beautifully landscaped vignettes.  The tiered garden with the splashing waterfall flanked by suspended staircases got our vote as  most desirable! Tiered garden with waterfall and seating areaAnd there was time to  admire the color, whimsy and surprises in the display of flower hats and flower shoes.  There was something to see, smell and hear around every turn. What fun!

Leafy HatFlower HatThe show did seem a bit smaller than in year’s past.  Not sure if that is true or my imagination.  Maybe it’s the two sides of vendors selling garden items that makes the show seem a biLandscaped Garden at the Flower Showt squeezed.  Even with that, it was worth taking in… I am jazzed to start designing my garden and planning for the new season.  I’m actually thinking about making a vertical garden of clematis or mandevilla.  The show definitely spurred my thinking.  I’ll share more in the days and weeks ahead.  Spring is next week.  Can’t wait!Janine at Flower Show 2012

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And the winner is… Daffodils!

Posted on March 11, 2012 | Leave a comment

Congratulations to Gail!
Her comments on planting hundreds of bulbs for a sea of spring daffodils wins our contest and two tickets to the Boston Flower Show!

Did you know that daffodils symbolize friendship?  I love their bright yellow color and trumpet-shaped structure!

Thanks to everyone reading this blog and posting comments!  More garden information and advice from area experts coming soon!
For information on the Flower Show, click 2012 Boston Flower Show.  The show runs from  March 14 – 18 at the Seaport World Trade Center.

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Contest Deadline for Flower Show Tickets Midnight Tonight!

Posted on March 11, 2012 | Leave a comment

Boston Flower and Garden Show logo
Time is running out… 
Comment on this post and tell me about your favorite flower and why you love it.  50 words max!
You’ll be entered to win two tickets to the 2012 Boston Flower Show. 
Contest ends  at midnight tonight!
Winner announced on Sunday, March 11th!
The Boston Flower Show runs from March 14 – 18, 2012 at the Seaport World Trade Center.

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Win Tickets to the 2012 Boston Flower Show

Posted on March 5, 2012 | 6 comments

Calling all gardeners!Lush container with fronds and ferns
Here’s your chance to win two tickets (a $40 value) to the Boston Flower Show, March 14 -18, 2012 at the Seaport World Trade Center…
Here’s how… simply comment on this post and tell us about your favorite garden or container flower and why you like it so much. 
Send a photo if possible.   Keep comments to 50 words or less. 
Deadline for entry is midnight Sat. March Daffodils planted in white rain boots10th. 
The best submission (funny, useful, inspiring) will be chosen Sunday, March 11th and announced at 2pm that day on this blog.  Decision of the judge (me) is final.  Tickets will be delivered or sent overnight mail.  Good luck! 

For more on the 2012 Boston Flower Show, watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMSl-0bVnTo

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Daffodils in Bloom on Nantucket

Posted on February 27, 2012 | Leave a comment

It’s Feb. 26th and there are daffodils blooming on several rotaries on Nantucket!  This winter is truly bizarre.  Now Nantucket is known for its Daffodil Weekend but that is two months away!
As I rode from Nantucket Center to the Surfside Road, I had to do a double take.  Yes, there were about a dozen perky yellow blooms standing strong against that crazy wind…  Unfortunately, I couldn’t stop the car photograph them.  If any reader is on Nantucket, can you send a photo?  Many thanks.
And Daffodil Weekend is April 27 -29, 2012.  For more info, go to http://www.nantucketchamber.org/enjoy/daffodil_festival_weekend.aspx

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Shade-Loving Jack Frost Named Perennial Plant of the Year

Posted on February 18, 2012 | Leave a comment
Green heart-shaped leaves with clusters of blue flowers

Photo courtesy of Walters Garden Inc

Hello All:
Jack Frost may have missed New England this winter but his leafy namesake has earned top billing as the 2012 Perennial Plant of the Year!
I’m definitely putting this plant into my garden because it pretty, hardy and performs best in shady areas.  Need plants with all three traits to thrive in the big, bad city!

The Perennial Plant Association says Jack Frost (Brunnera macrophylla) sprouts clusters of blue forget-me-not blossoms from mid to late spring above silvery, heart-shaped leaves.  Sounds lovely and looks great!
The Association calls Jack a real “scene stealer” and suggests that it be placed:Silvery, heart-shaped leaves

  • along the front of a shade border.  The silver coloring lights up a darker garden from spring to fall.
  • in a shade container.  It grows 12 -15 inches tall and will spread to about 20 inches wide.
  • with other ground cover perennials. Try with hostas, ferns, epimediums, hellebores and heucheras.  These like shady, moist conditions too.
    Yahoo!  Spring is on its way!

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Boston Flower Show Preview Party – Come Join Me!

Posted on February 10, 2012 | Leave a comment

Hello All:
Every year I love going to the Boston Flower Show.  It’s like Oz.  Filled with vibrant colors, whimsical designs and dreams and ideas for another wonderful gardening season…

The stage is set for another great show from March 14 – 18 at the Seaport World Trade Center.  The theme is “First Impressions.  Adding WOW Factor to Outdoor Spaces.”
While I love the show, I don’t like the enormous crowds, the hot hall or craning my neck to catch a glimpse of some of the exhibits.

Let me share with you how you can see the show – at its most fresh and at a leisurely pace – and help a very worthy cause!

On March 13th from 5:30pm to 8pm, there is a fundraising Preview Party at the Seaport World Trade Center for the 2012 Boston Flower & Garden Show.  The proceeds from the Preview Party will help restore Boston Parks Department’s Greenhouses, where plants are grown for the Public Garden, Boston Common, and dozens of neighborhood parks.

Special guests, entertainment, delightful food and beverage and a silent auction make this an exclusive and enjoyable opportunity to view the show’s gardens and exhibits before the show opens to the general public the following day.

Tickets are $100 each before February 14, $125 per person thereafter.  Ticket includes admission to the private party, exclusive viewing of the Flower Show’s gardens and the chance to meet the designers, open bar, complimentary hor d’oeuvres reception, live music, and one ticket to return to the Flower Show later in the week.

Download a ticket order form today by visiting www.bostonflowershow.com/preview-party/.

I’ll be there with my mom and husband smelling the roses!   Hope to see you there!Janine seated on a stone wall with yellow, pick and white flowers in the background

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High Line: The Inside Story of New York City’s Park in the Sky

Posted on January 28, 2012 | Leave a comment

High Line Cover
High Line: The Inside Story of New York City’s Park in the Sky
Wednesday, March 14, 7:00 pm
Museum of Fine Arts
Remis Auditorium, Boston
Tickets: $15 members, $18 non-members

I just signed up for this lecture.  It will be fascinating to hear how they reclaimed these derelict rail structures and created a park.  Come join me!

Robert Hammond, co-founder and executive director, Friends of the High Line, will share the story of how the High Line, a new public park atop an elevated freight rail structure in Manhattan, became an innovative urban reclamation project.

Hammond and his co-founder collaborated with neighbors, elected officials, artists, local business owners, and leaders in horticulture and landscape architecture, to create a park celebrated as a model for creatively designed, socially vibrant, ecologically sound public space.  A book signing follows.

This is a ticketed event – $15 MFA members, $18 others.  Tickets may be reserved by calling 1-800-440-6975, going in person to the Remis Auditorium box office at the Museum, or visiting www.mfa.org.

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Brainstorm the Future of Agriculture in Boston – Jan. 30th

Posted on January 27, 2012 | Leave a comment

Boston Skyline with two boatsHere’s an interesting opportunity for Boston urban gardeners raising food crops… 
On Monday, Jan. 30th, you can give your opinion and help envision the future of Boston’s urban agriculture by attending a Kickoff and Visioning meeting from 6 – 8:30pm at Suffolk University. 
The Mayor’s Office of Food Initiatives is launching a new project to update the Boston Zoning Code to support Urban Agriculture (UA) city wide. UA is small scale farming that makes healthy, fresh food more accessible and empowers Bostonians by creating economic opportunity.
Urban farming includes:

  •  rooftop greenhouse agriculture
  • aquaponics (fish farming)
  • community farms
  • farm stands (LOVE THESE!)
  • composting
  • and other fresh food-producing endeavors.

Keynote Speaker:
Will Allen holding a fishWill Allen, Founder and CEO of Growing Power Inc., former pro athlete, and 2008 McArthur Foundation “Genius Grant” recipient for his work on urban farming and sustainable food production.

Meeting Specifics:
Monday, January 30, 2012 6-8:30PM
Suffolk University, Downtown Boston, 73 Tremont Street, 9th Floor*
* Must bring I.D. (Drivers license, credit card) to clear security.

To learn more about the BRA’s Rezoning for Urban Agriculture Initiative , go to: http://tinyURL.com/BRARezoneUrbanAgriculture

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