Spread the Love!

Here's a little promotional e-mail I received from The Flower Shop yesterday that I thought I would share as a public service.

When you buy your Valentine a gift from the Flower Shop, you are giving twice! Once to that special someone and once to the Youth of our
community!

We have all of your Holiday needs at The Flower Shop. Order online at www.theflowershoprochester.com or stop in and see us at 1110 Hudson
Avenue.

Feel free to share this with anyone and everyone.. Spread the Love and Spread the Word.

Thanks,
Your friends at Rochester LandscapeTechnicians Program and The Flower Shop

www.landscapetech.com

I Missed It

According to Angela Ingraham of Bristol's Garden Center in Victor, the Winter Study Weekend recently put on by the Genesee Valley Chapter of NARGS was absolutely fantastic. I find this particularly impressive because the chapter has only been in existence for a couple of years. I did know about it ahead of time, and the line-up of speakers and events was truly impressive, but...but...we had company that weekend, and my daughter had some stuff going on, and it was a little expensive. (Not too expensive for what it was, mind you—I think the price was very reasonable. Just expensive as compared to not going.)

Now, of course, I regret very much not having made the time and come up with the dough.

The above photograph, of the rock garden at Wisley, is from my trip in '03. It has nothing to do with the post except for the fact that it's a rock garden. I like pictures!

It's Cold

I know. Duh.

Usually I relish winter. I like to ski. When the end of March rolls around and the snow finally starts to melt, I get all panicky that I haven't gotten all my ski time in. And March is my favorite month to hit the slopes. I like the sun, and the slush, and everyone is in such high spirits...sigh...

But this year, things are different. I have a minor injury that is keeping me off skis, probably for the whole season. So I'm looking forward to spring a little more than usual, and of course, it's now THREE degrees outside. They've even closed school here at Cal-Mum, because it's just too cold. No end in sight, either.

But spring will come. And before that, the garden shows! Yay! We have a new one this year: CNYBlooms, and of course there is the Rochester show, GardenScape, and Buffalo's Plantasia, close on its heels. (By the way, I'll be speaking at the latter two.)

This image is from last year's GardenScape. It is one of William Valvanis's magnificent creations. Last year, in keeping with the theme, which I think was "reflections" (this year it's "drama"), he placed all of his trees atop black, square, still ponds. He actually had a name for these ponds, these boxes of water, and as I recall (and I don't recall the name itself) it was rather elegant. Bonsai Alley, Bill's domain for as many years as I've seen the show, is always fantastic. With the remodeling scheduled to go on at the dome, I wonder if he'll be displaced.