Cardinal Landscape

This was such an interesting garden, I'm not sure it received enough attention.

Clover Lawn & Landscape

Twin Oaks

I loved the stone statue here.

UGJ Booth

Pat Mead made this beautiful arrangement for our area. Check out the cool lighting. Very dramatic.

GardenScape 2007 - Here Come the Pix...

...in no particular order...



...but let's start with Katie & Karl.

More GardenScape Fun: The Design Challenge

Saturday afternoon. People are getting squirrelly; perhaps a little punchy. The show is a marathon, especially if you not only planned and installed a garden but also have to man that garden for the entire show (and if you're also part of organizing it all..forget it). Pietro, however, has come up with an idea that will energize the masses���������it's a Design Challenge!



Players Karl Naegler (R. J. Shickler), Lynn DePuis (Alfred State), Steve Firlit (Firlit Landscape Design), Bruce Zaretsky (Zaretsky Associates) and Pietro Furgiuele (Waterford Tilling) prepare for battle.



Bruce leads the group in some pre-design, limbering yoga. It is important to warm up.



The competition is fierce. Are there enough markers for everyone? Karl thinks not.



Like a good sport, he does not let that inequity deter him.



A crowd forms...



...attracted by the images on the JumboTron.



The Reveal.



It's a tough call. They're all good, but I think Firlit's Bird Haus wins the first round. But why is it not hanging with the others? I sense a scandal.

Update: Ah, here it is. I found it. Kind of like a ski jump, no?

GardenScape 2007 - Drama in the Garden

Drama is right. I haven't been around and shot everything yet, but this year's gardens are, of course, out of this world. Friday night's Masquerade Ball was reportedly a success. I left early but at least got a glimpse of some of the evening's costumes.



Brian and Denise Eshenaur as, yes, the Eisenhowers. They're so cute.



Dave Reeves is the Phantom of the Opera.



Here's Sharlene Reeves in a costume she designed and sewed herself. Shar is currently being studied by researchers hoping to discover the secret to needing absolutely no sleep whatsoever.

Dave is kind of creepy here, no?

Watson Greenhouse

Check out this darling miniature scene from Watson Greenhouse. Their retail booth was TDF. My only question: Why did they leave the tags in there? I love the little paved path.



























Succulent garden in a fire pit














Little planter made to look like a cobblestone wall���������darling














Brugmansia. This smelled heavenly.














Sweet miniature pots with African violets

Great Lakes Horticulture

This garden was small but had a great feel. I loved that they used this shooting star and other natives. The dead tree uprights added a vertical element and accentuated the swamp-like setting.

Green Scapes

Green Scapes had a particularly imaginative display, taken, according to owner Todd, "from experience." Looks like he's experienced some interesting moments. Check out the awesome water feature. Really fantastic detail.

Trouble with Blogger

For some reason I can't upload any images. I'll have everything us ASAP and apologize for the delay.

Ballantyne Gardens Part I

This is the chapel in the Ballantyne Gardens display. They had a remarkable array of forced selections, including flowering delphinium, which is a tough one.

Aspinall's Nursery - Best Small

Aspinall's Nursery won for best small garden. I really loved the rough, timber-frame-style carpentry of the pergola here. One thing the CNY group seems to be particularly skilled with is woodworking. I had a very interesting time meeting George, the owner of this company. He's a character. Up until this week I haven't spent much time getting to know the green industry people of CNY, and I was very pleasantly surprised by how nice, laid-back and helpful everyone was.

Landmasters - Best Large Garden

Here is the entry from Landmasters Group, which took grand prize. The carpentry was so outstanding I'm not sure you would even have noticed if there were no plants whatsoever. You can't make it out in these pictures, but the wood was accented by quite a lot of copper trim. The rest of the hardscape was also beautiful. My only complaint was that there was a hump in the middle of the path that I tripped over pretty much every time I walked through. But I'm not that coordinated.

ETTG Visits CNY Blooms

I've just returned from Syracuse, where the UGJ is set up at the new flower show, CNY Blooms. The show looks really good and I don't want to jinx them, but it appears to be running pretty smoothly too. Yesterday I had the fun and privilege of acting as one of the garden judges. I don't have the official list of winners yet, but I know who some were and will post those now. The show goes on for the rest of the weekend, so stop by, pick up a newly minted copy of the fabulous March-April issue, and say hi to Pat Haywood, who is our representative there. UGJ friends in attendance include Bakers' Acres (though Reenie took off for Africa today!), Dan from the Plantsmen, Barry from Heart of Franklinville (and he has great new designs, including an adorable Boston Terrier statue, which I've already ordered, of course, to pick up at GardenScape), Phoenix Flower Farm and Batavia Turf.

I want to get pictures up asap, so maybe I'll post them first and then come back and write about it all later.



This image is of a honeysuckle in the Watson Greenhouse retail booth. It smelled heavenly.