Guests (plural)
We are going backwards and forwards on this Episode, as we round up some of my fun guests in 2021 and find out what their goals and aspirations are for 2022.
We start with Kelly Norris of Episode 6, who is going to make lovely new additions to his Three Oaks Garden in Des Moines: His Exotic Garden, Valley Garden, and less romantic, perhaps, hillside stabilization for a garage entrance.
Jenny Sioux Hopkins of Big Arms Farm will start an experimental cut flower border and work to improve her soil by tilling less and mulching more.
Jenny Sioux Hopkins of Big Arms Farm
Kelly Norris, author of New Naturalism, is an award winning writer and plantsman. He gardens in Des Moines and has big plans for his Three Oaks Garden.
Christy Wilhelmi of Gardenerd.com sent 3 things: a class about pest control (that already has a waiting list, sorry), a NOVEL, “Garden Variety’ about which I torture listeners with too many puns. Sorry again. And the goal of simply puttering around more in her own garden.
Sorry, she’s not sorry— that’s a great goal.
Brie the Plant Lady also has three things to tell us about for 2022.
First, she will be collaborating with Cavano’s Perennials to put out a line of edible perennials so we could all foodscape a little better. More on that later.
Second, she will be collaborating with Johnson Nursery in Willard, NC for a “Crazy Grain Experience” — instead of farm to table, think grain to oven. And what will come out of the oven? Pizza, for one.
Third, Brie announces that “The Carolina Retreat House will be opening in *June 2022! This year my dream of teaching small groups hands-on gardening practices finally comes to life! With the purchase of the house next door we will soon be offering unique garden inspired vacation opportunities. Visitors can stay in the Foodscape Revolution headquarters, spend some time learning how to grow from seed, experience a yard to table meal, and even have a special garden inspired cocktail lesson.”
No links available currently for #1 and #3 so the best thing to do is to sign up for Brie’s newsletter right here so you will know more soon!
Andy Brand of Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is going to find more ways to share his amazing photos that he already shares on Instagram. The hashtag he uses says it all: #observeconnectexperience
Andy’s Button Bush
Andy’s Gentian
Andy’s Gingko
Bunny Williams is in editing mode. She feels that some of her borders are looking crowded, and will be after a more spare, modern look in 2022. Impossible to add pictures of that until it happens, but here are some of her lovely new Birdhouse Garden, complete with only native plantings.
Scott Beuerlein, Manager of Botanical Garden Outreach at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, will be pumping iron in the garden this season.
I mean, he didn’t say it exactly that way, but he specified that he is scheduling gardening activities that will result in his body having a resemblance to that of LeBron James.
He also mentioned something about reversing course on his recent attempts at attempting harmony and repetition in the garden. He and Bunny, it seems, are on divergent 2022 garden paths.
This…
…will become this. Huh.
That’s cool, and all, but I want to know how this LeBron thing is going to play out,
Dean Norton, Director of Horticulture at Mount Vernon, writes that the General’s estate will be even kinder to nature than usual, with ecology efforts such as
more removal of invasives
more leaving of leaf litter
more snag trees and downed logs
more natural habitat
Dean and pal
The goal is to become a national model for ecological landscape practices and who better than the Father of Our Country to lead the way?
Marianne Willburn, of Garden Rant, The American Gardener, and book fame, has very personal goals for 2022 and she is hopeful but clear eyed.
She needs energy and less expensive lumber to complete the veg garden reno, but concedes: “There’s a good chance neither will be forthcoming, so I project a few tears by late March. Maybe I’ll just stain the fence instead. 😊”
She’s too cheerful to resort to tears, right?
Marianne’s latest book. which we talked about in Episode 35
Lizzie Fox of The Rose Press Garden has HUGE plans for her burgeoning and adorable empire of selling seeds in an attractive and didactic way. She’s adding dahlias to the mix as well as printable garden plans to help anyone begin. She also has the goal of spending more time in her own garden. The last one will definitely be the most challenging for her— she is flat out with all kinds of new ideas!
Such enthusiasm!
And it’s all so new!
One of the newest parts— Dahlias coming!
Erin The Impatient Gardener is going to do something she has sworn off many times before. Uh oh, sounds like it’s time for an intervention of some sort. Don’t most people swear off bad habits (and then cave) at this time of year instead of planning for trouble? But in her case, it’s another new garden, so we are all relieved and also totally in favor. She says it will be a reasonable size. Right, sounds like me having a goal of chocolate just once a week.
These guys, formally known as Odin and Dorothy.
One of her many gardens, and more to come, it seems!
Steph Green of Contained Creations, our container guru, also has big plans for 2022, they are something we all can get excited about. Seems she is going to make her lush and lux container designs available to more people! This idea she’s launching will be called “Attainable Elegance”, and she writes: “Here are a few hints: in-person demos, online tools, and pop-up shops.”
Oooh high pitched squeaky noises! Can’t wait to hear more!
Steph and I chatted about fall design on Episode 32
The artiste.
First chatted with Steph back in Episode 22
The final contributor is someone I haven’t even had on the show yet, but she’ll be on in January or perhaps February. She’s a long time Instagram pal from Launceston, Tasmania, Australia, and she’s not an author, nor professional, nor blogger— she’s a mum and a grandmum and mostly a gardener. Her name is Julie Hart but I call her Nanny Noo, and you should follow her on IG if you want daily shot of good garden juju (particularly valued when the seasons are reversed, I find).
She writes so well, and she wrote this for us:
2022 will no doubt be filled with ups and downs;
Successes (that I show on IG)
Failures (that I don’t) 😉
.
But I hope I make it fun.
I hope it’s light hearted.
I hope I never turn into a ‘serious’ gardener.
I hope I can always laugh at myself.
.
Because gardens are for nurturing - we nurture them
But they nurture us too.
.
My advice…
Enjoy it.
Talk to it.
Hold it lightly.
Julie’s Garden in Tassie is a treasure.
Other treasures.
AND she likes blue and white pots.
She’s the best!