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Gardening information and inspiration is just five days away!  Come join in the first City Garden Ideas workshop in Boston this Saturday, April 30th.  Details and registration at http://www.citygardenideas.eventbrite.com

Let me introduce Steve Baxter.  He’s one of five expert horticulturalists  presenting gardening advice and tips at  the workshop. 
Steve Baxter is the Grounds Superintendent at the 1000 Southern Artery senior housing complex in Quincy.  In his role, he oversees the beautification and upkeep of 22 acres surrounding three large housing wings.  After 22 years, he knows every inch of the place but it’s the 12 acres of gardens that are his passion and commitment.
Baxter got interested in gardening as a young man.  He attended Stockbridge and then UMASS Amherst, earning his horticulture degree and went on to own his own gardening business, Baxter’s Landscape.  After selling the business and working for a few years with another garden concern, he came to 1000 Southern Artery.     “This place gives me the opportunity to garden without stress and the freedom to experiment with plants,” Baxter says.  “Sometimes things work out 100%, sometimes 70% and sometimes not as all.  That’s gardening.”
At the workshop, Steve will be talking about the importance of soil and tips to choosing good plants at a garden center or nursery.

Next presenter bio up is Heather Heimarck.  She’s the Director of the Landscape Institute at the Boston.

Five really smart and talented gardening experts are ready to share great advice and practical tips at the April 30th City Garden Ideas workshop in Boston.  Get details at http://citygardenideas.eventbrite.com.
The experts are: 
• Ellen Abdow, owner of Perennial Gardens
• Steve Baxter, Grounds Superintendent, 1000 Southern Artery Senior Complex in Quincy
• Heather Heimarck, Director of the Landscape Institute at the Boston Architectural College
• Frank Re, owner of ReCreations, Gardens Brought to Life
•  Tom Smarr, former Chief of Horticulture at the Rose Kennedy Greenway.

Let’s start with Ellen Abdow.   She’s a smart, warm, friendly woman with great gardening experience and a thriving business.   At the workshop, she’ll demonstrate how to create a beautiful container garden and a window box.  One that will work in full shade… and one in full sun.  It’s possible, she says!

Official Bio:
Ellen is the founder of Perennial Gardens, LLC, a landscape design/build firm with clients throughout the New England.  The firm has a diverse portfolio and Ellen and her expert team have cultivated a reputation for careful plant selection, imaginative composition and skilled installation. Ellen brings 17 years of knowledge to each and every project.  She first got bitten by the gardening bug while teaching at Brookline High School and subsequently went to work at one of the area’s most respected nurseries. There, she expanded her love and knowledge of perennials, before launching her own firm. Today, she gets great pleasure from helping clients hone their own, personal, garden visions and adapting these ideas in ways that will best suit their particular properties and lifestyles. Her work can be seen in numerous garden tours, on a walk through Boston’s Back Bay, or on line at www.perennialgardens.net.

Next blog post:  Meet Steve Baxter

Spring has come to Boston, even if the temperature is only 42!
The magnolias are blooming.

Daffodils and crocuses are sprouting on front yards and window boxes.

And the swan boats are ready to paddle passengers around the lagoon starting tomorrow.

Happy weekend!  Happy Spring!

My good friend Marilyn recently sent me a link to a story that appeared in last Sunday’s New York Times.  It talks about the flowers now lost, extinct, gone from the island of Manhattan.  Pictures of those flowers are featured in the link.  All the loss is due to human activity.  This opinion piece reinforces how precious and fragile our environment is and how important it is to nurture and cultivate every patch of earth we can. 

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/03/25/opinion/20110326-opart.html?scp=3&sq=city%20flowers&st=cse#1

Okay, all you gardeners!  
Here’s a great opportunity to get the information and inspiration you need to plant your most successful flower garden ever!
We’re talking window boxes, container gardens, patio and roof decks, street-side tree gardens and more!
Come and play in the dirt on Saturday, April 30th, from 10am to 1pm at the First Church of Boston, 66 Marlborough Street in Boston.   Cost is just $25!

Get great advice and practical gardening tips from five horticultural experts and one dedicated amateur (that’s me)!  
Featured presenters are:
* Ellen Abdow, Owner, Perennial Gardens
* Steve Baxter, Grounds Superintendent, 1000 Southern Artery Senior Housing
* Heather Heimarck, Director, Landscape Institute, Boston Architectural College
* Frank Re, Owner, ReCreations – Gardens Brought to Life
* Tom Smarr, former Superintendent of Horticulture, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy

This is going to be great!!!  Plus, there are fantastic door prizes, handy handouts and more.

There are just 80 seats so sign up today and bring your friends and neighbors!!
   http://citygardenideas.eventbrite.com

Hello all! 
If you find yourself walking along Newbury Street in the next few days and weeks, stop in front of the Marc Jacobs store and look down.  An optimistic gardener has planted perky, yellow daffodils and white hyacinths around a sturdy tree.  What a bright and fragile touch of spring!  No fence, no border protects these flowers from the dogs and humans passing by.  I stood and watched for a minute or so.  It was great to see people notice the flowers and smile.. and move a bit away to give the little patch some room to be.  Spring is nearly here.  Just a few hours away…. Ahhhh.

Take my advice… Read this blog and then get to the New England Flower Show before it ends on Sunday, March 20th!  And bring a notebook.   You’ll want to keep track of all the beautiful plants you want in your city garden! This year’s show is just filled with delights – flowing ivy, vibrant Japanese maples, pops of flower color everywhere; earthy, fragrant smells that inspire deep, soul-cleansing breaths.  Can you tell I liked this show? 

One of the first gardens you see upon entering the Seaport World Trade Center Hall is a lush garden with trees and flowers and shrubs but look up… there’s a tree house with gorgeous window boxes with ivy spilling down and a small patio tucked under the house.  So playful and inviting.  
To the right is a beautiful stone patio with container gardens overflowing with hydrangeas and more.  Continue through the show and you’ll find delights at every turn. 

Find the rain boots with the daffodils, the flower cupcakes, the planter made of horseshoe crabs, the towering container garden fit for Versailles.  This show is worth the trip and worth the price of admission.  If you go, please share your favorite garden or sight!   Enjoy!

I’m so excited!  The long awaited and much anticipated Boston Flower Show starts this week for five glorious days – March 16 – 20 – at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston.   Can’t wait to see bright, beautiful flowers planted firmly in the dirt!  This year’s show should be a particularly good one for city gardeners – container gardens are the focus!

The Show website says,
“Container gardening has exploded out of the humble window box to become the the hottest way to add vibrancy, warmth, and drama to any size space  – a sunny welcome on a city terrace, a gourmet harvest in a suburban side yard,  or a fresh focal point for a mature landscape.  This year’s show will focus on this popular trend by mixing examples of the endless creative possibilities of containers into all of its gardens and special displays.”

The section featuring the Container Garden Invitational will surely be a place I spend a lot of time!
Tickets are: $20 for Adults, $17 for Seniors (over 65) and $10 for children (6-17). 
BTW: I’m heading to the Flower Show Preview Party on Tuesday, March 15th.  It’s a benefit for the City of Boston Parks Department.  A great crew of people doing wonderful work.  I’ll blog on Wednesday with my comments and some photographs to whet your gardening appetite.  For more info on the Flower Show, go to www.TheBostonFlowerShow.com.

Hey all you city gardeners!  Here’s something for your to-do list.
In the next few weeks, focus on trying on and buying new gardening gloves.
If you’re anything like me, last year’s gloves are dirty and raggedy.  If this rings true, it’s time to invest in new gloves.  And like new shoes, you should really spend some time trying on gloves so you have a hard working and comfortable pair to spend the season with…
Here are 5 characteristics of Good Gloves:
1. A good fit is key.  Gloves should fit well on the hand, being snug enough to feel like a comfortable second skin but not so tight that blood flow is constricted.
2. A good glove extends beyond the wrist.  For me, it’s unnerving when dirt gets inside a glove and you spend time taking off the glove, shaking it out, and then putting it back on and hoping for the best.   I’ve found that gloves that extend beyond the wrist – not to the elbow or anything extreme – with some kind of elastic or stretchy materials that fits snugly at the wrist and a bit beyond work best for me. 
3. Gloves made of tough, lightweight, water resistent materials are best.  I avoid gloves made of cotton or terry cloth.  Too flimsy and they feel awful when they get wet.  I like the resilience of leather and canvas but both can be awfully heavy on the hands. Need to try on many pairs to see what works best for you.
4. Get gloves with non-skid palms and fingers.  When you are gripping that trowel or hoe and digging through spidery tree roots and weeds, you want to have a tight hold on the tool.  Non-skid padding is a must.
5. Get gloves that are easy to clean, or at least claim to be.  Remember, gloves are meant to get dirty but most can’t be easily laundered.  Read the label and find gloves that dry quickly or can be dusted off or hosed off and placed on a fence picket or other vertical spike to dry.  
If you have a favorite brand of gloves or other tips, please share.  I’d love to hear from you.  And I did find this good article on gardening gloves at the Helpful Gardener.  It’s worth the read.  http://www.helpfulgardener.com/tips/03/gardening-gloves.html

Knowing how much sunlight your garden patch gets is critical to growing a successful garden.  It’s how you know what kinds of flowers to plant.  Most flowers come with white stick labels in the soil with information on the type of sun they need – full sun, partial sun, shade.   Today is a great day to see exactly where the sun shines on your garden.   Go to your garden space and notice where the snow has melted on your patch.  Where the snow is gone, the sun is stronger.  If snow remains, that’s obviously a more shady space.  This information will come in handy when you are choosing your plants this Spring.  
Yes, that’s my tree pit garden in the picture above.  It looks so sad now but the good news is that it gets good sun on the left and gets decent overall sun all day long.   Big thanks go out to Tom Smarr from the Rose Kennedy Greenway for sharing this tip!