Re: Garden Show impressions

--- Jason D <jjuania@yahoo.com> wrote:

> While many of the bromeliads were, as you said,
> greenhouse-grown (I welcome comment from Mr. Feix),
> and some of the other plants, like the Dioons, would
> not succeed in San Francisco, the Howea palms and
> timber bamboos were locally sourced and would create
> precisely the same effect if planted in urban San
> Francisco (cf. Tommy Church's Hyde Street
> residence).

I suspect that the designers are only following market
trends, and responding rather than leading in the
designs presented.  I think that any garden show is
meant to be theatrical, and almost never represents an
actual garden which could be duplicated outdoors.

I'd agree that the Garden Show doesn't seem to have a
focus as it often did when the Show was themed at the
old Fort Mason location, and there are usually only 3
to 5 display gardens that are very well done, with the
rest perhaps more representative of landscape
contractor or design/build landscapes than cutting
edge
design.  Having once seen the Chelsea Flower Show, the
San Francisco event is much smaller, and done at a
less expensive scale, if you can imagine...  The other
biggest difference is the use of seasonally available
plants rather than forcing of plants as at most
European shows and the big shows back east, such as
Philadelphia's.  This will tend to emphasize the same
plants in many of the gardens, as these are what look
good during the time span of the show.  For those
wanting more realism in their gardens, local garden
tours of built gardens are a much better take on where
the local design profession is headed.

Regarding Living Green's tropical garden setting, and
the hardiness or lack of with all the tropicals and
bromeliads, it would take a hobbiest's care and the
mildest SF Bay Area locations to grow many of the
plants which were displayed. The very largest
Vreisea's and Alcanteras were shipped in from
Hawaii,(not Southern California),  but can actually be
grown outdoors in San Francisco/Berkeley's mildest
climates.

For those who are interested in using bromeliads as
landscape plants, I will keep Medit Plants informed of
this summer's local San Francisco Bromeliad Society
Garden Tour.  My own garden and other's will be on the
tour, and mine has over 100 species of bromeliads
planted out in the garden year round.

The brilliantly foliaged and colorful
Neoregelias which made up the largest component of the
ground plane at Living Green's exhibit are relatively
easy to grow as well.  The bigger deterrent to keeping
them happy in my own garden has been their
attractiveness to marauding raccoons, not lack of cold
hardiness.

The Cycads such as Lepidozamia peroffskyana and Dioon
edule are also easy to grow here, I have both in my
own garden, if not as large and perfect as in the
show.  These are two species that I think are
underutilized for planting in milder gardens.  I agree
with Jason that there is much scope for developing the
theme of subtropicals combined with mediterranean
gardens for northern California that are not water
guzzlers, and the collections at our major local
botanic gardens point out some of the possibilites. 
For the majority of the viewing public, the issue of
which plants are being used and in what combinations
is probably subliminal.  The overall feeling of the
gardens is what people take home with them.  As
always, I thought there were some really great details
at individual gardens, and some fun designs, with
perhaps a bit too many pedestrian designs for a show
which considers itself to be cutting edge.

I find the book seller exhibits to be one of the most
irresistable attractions at the show, and came home
with just one new purchase this year, on Mexican
Gardens.  It fit in with the theme of Living Green's
garden, and makes the connection between regional
architecture, garden design, combining the more xeric
cacti and succulents to contrast with lusher
subtropicals, and wild color combinations.  This is a
style that personally appeals to me, and is evocative
of the paradise or oasis garden.  It works very well
in tight urban spaces or a walled garden setting, and
perhaps has more power because it is in such contrast
to native landscape.  I don't think anyone is
recommending this style for the predominant landscape,
although it certainly wouldn't be any more wasteful of
water than the typical and ubiquitous lawns.

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