Magic! I am sure this will look terrific. Just one question, how do you get to the lawn?

The only 'viewing' area is from the bridge. This isn't a walkthrough garden this year. We will have too many breakable objects. Another concern was loose children and water are like magnets! I'm not sure how stable the higher elevations will be with masses of humanity trapsing over them. Unfortunately, there was no way to make the garden wheelchair accessible either. We will put the most beautiful plants such as the candlabra primroses (hope they're not blooming in the greenhouse yet with the warm weather!)close to the front so there will be plenty to view from the floor. This one's full of pitfalls, INK.

This is a wonderful example of (if you will) "reverse thinking". Please correct me if I am wrong... but I think we can refer to the circular lawn area as a "negative space". This is a wonderful use of the ever-so-formal geometric circle in a rather informal setting. Most uses of a circle fail in informal use because they are forced into playing a positive space role.

For example: How many times have we seen postings where a circular bed was plopped into the middle of an open area, filled with plants and then queried the forum with, "Something is still missing."

I love this beguilingly simple but powerful use of design.

IronBelly

It's gonna be GAWJUS. I can't wait to see pictures. I'm with IB on the whole "negative space" thing...show gardens are a perfect place to demonstrate the concept. The curves seem to have a "ying/yang" feel to them. (Or do I have Buddhism on the brain these days?)

I like the stone steps...though it's too bad you don't have enough room to make it fully accessible. (I know that would've taken WAY more floor space than you will be allowed.)

melanie

Here's the plant list. One of the most important lessons I've learned over the past four years is that the plants are a wild card. There has to be flexibility. Sometimes the easiest to force won't, sometimes the plants act weird--last time I used Ammi majus it was almost 6'tall same with the Nicotiana.

Since this a fantasy garden I don't feel obigated to try and recreate a seasonal planting scheme.

More later...

Plant List

Evergreen Trees
These are undecided because they will be based on availability the week before the show. WeÂre buying B & B because we can use them later. If theyÂre not green enough, weÂll spray them with turf greener (a show trick)

Flowering Trees
Cornus florida ÂCherokee PrincessÂ
Amelanchier x grandiflora ÂAutumn BrillianceÂ
If I find a really nice Magnolia grandiflora I might add one of those

Shrubs (deciduous and evergreen)
Corylopsis spicata
Mahonia bealyii
Buxus sp.
Sarccoccca sp.

Perennials
Astilbe (assorted varieties)
Brunnera macrophylla ÂDawsonÂs WhiteÂ
Dicentra spectabilis
Phlox divaricata ÂLondon Grove BlueÂ
Primula japonica
Taraxicum officinale (the show joke)
Tiarella ÂPink SkyrocketÂ

Ferns
Athyrium filix-femina
Blechnum spicant
(maybe some Polystichum sp. if it looks good right before the show)

Grasses
Carex testacea
Hakonechola macra 'Aureola'

Annuals
Ammi majs
Nicotiana sylvestris

Vines
Thunbergia alata

Bulbs
Muscari (not sure which variety theyÂre forcing)
Narcissus ÂTete a TeteÂ
Narcissus ÂBridal CrownÂ

I'd love to see it. (I'd be the lady trying to get her son out of the lawn in the middle.) lol
Where do you get to sit and relax when it's all done and the oohs and ahhs start?

Love the plant list--I even like Taraxicum officinale. (Always have...but hten, we know I'm weird.)

Will the Sarcococca be in bloom? If so, that will be one fragrant display garden! Actually, evenif it ISN'T in bloom that is going to be a fragrant display garden. Hmmmm...I may have to plan a road trip...

Melanie--at least you spelled it right! I'm going to try and get some Sarcocca to add to what I have here which are almost in bloom already with the warm weather. They'll go into my studio which is an old sun porch to be forced along with the Mahonia and Corylopsis. Trying to save some $$.

I'm assuming this is for the Philly Flower Show?

I had to look up the Taraxicum officinale to get the joke, ha. It made me think some giant allium would fit the fantasy...

Can't wait to see the photos, the plan looks very charming.

Sorry--I wish it was Philly. No it's the much smaller and more modest NJ Flower & Garden Show. It's the show's 5th year and it has been steadily improving.

Catkim--I've wanted to do Alliums but can't find someone to force them for me. I've also wanted to do Digitalis but they're difficult as are Trilliums and some others.

This show is very early on the circuit and the short forcing time only allows for so much. I'm lucky to be able to work with two Philadelphia show veterans for the past 4 years--Meadowbrook Farms and J. Franklin Styer Nursery. Without their expertise in forcing and sourcing some of the plants at the time I need them my gardens would be disasters.

Is it all on one level? Is it possible to hang stuff from the ceiling other than the scrim you mention?

Love it. What are you using as support for the vine bower?
I echo the remarks about the non-accessible lawn. Wonder whether putting a symbolic access (such as step stones arriving at the lawn's edge between the vine bower and the dogwood), would satisfy the brain's need to know that there is some way to get there with a lawnmower. ;^) Well, okay, I know it's supposed to be fantasy, but - - -

My original concept was to create the idea of a clearing in the woods. That's how the turf circle got started. In my reasearch on fairy lore, I came across a variety of fairy circles or rings. Some are natural phenomena, some are fantasy. Hence the circular lawn. I'm toying with the idea of adding some mushrooms to it. I made some out of clay, but they were too hokey. We do have some beautiful mushroom lamps with handblown glass caps that we are using.

Here's another image of the vine bower support.

{{gwi:6959}}

INK--hanging things from the rafters is in the works, we're just not sure what yet. I wanted to project a full moon on to the back wall so that's being investigated. I've also investigated using some paper star lanterns. Originally I wanted to suspend some painted dead trees from the ceiling but it became too much of trouble for the time frame we have to build the thing.

I was thinking of projecting a moon onto your backdrop and suspending a faerie to sillhouette against it this could be done from the back or the front.

That's a fantastic "bower support." I didn't see the first image you referred to, so I apologize for cluelessness!

If you did suspend a moon and faerie, the clay 'shrooms would work because they'd tie in with that obvious bit of fantasy and the supernatural. It might be too "precious" for your tastes, though. I like the idea of going with "reality" and having natural, romantic features such as the rustic vine bower, and let people conjure up their own fantastical images in their mind's eye.

Listen below.

This is a 19 minute loop that will play continuously. I'm sure I'll be ready for the looney bin by the end of 4 days of it, but I think it will add to the ambience and the public will like it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Crickets

Susan--

I always assume misspellings are typos. Always. (They usually are!) The crickets probably will drive you bat guano crazy--but everyone else will love it. Sometimes we have to suffer for our art!

What sort of paper lanterns were you thinking of? Something like the link below?

Here is a link that might be useful: star lanterns

A nice touch. It's what it sounds like outside my window every night all summer, along with the greenfrogs in the garden pond, going "ka-CHUNG! Ribbitribbitribbit" all night. Talk about looney. But it's great.

The convention hall folks will also be happy that you used a tape rather than turning loose actual crickets from the petshop lizard-food tank.

Charley's Greenhouse (online) has a set of something they call 'Tinkling Toadstools' -- metal bell-like caps on stem-like supports.
At $28.50 for a set, they shouldn't be TOO chintzy.

Here is a link that might be useful: My Vine Bower

Foxes--That is a beautiful bower--did you ever plant it? I've always wanted to make a living one...

Glad you like my bower. I'll start permanent plantings soon. I just finished it in late October, too late to plant except for Sweet Peas.

I considered trachelospermum jasminoides but could never sit under a structure covered in that overpowering fragrance.

I'll be following your project along with others here. Last year I found photos online of your project from someone who attended the show that portrayed it better than the 'official' site photo.

Nell

Today, several tons of sawn logs and stumps were delived to our warehouse to be used to create supports for the 6' sides of the garden. There are 90-100 28-30" logs that will be stood upright on a base to support the sides of the garden and keep the sand base from spreading horizontally. This is in addition to the several tons of stone that's already there and the gravel that's coming to build the pond and stream with.

Yesterday the team of contractors and I met to try and hammer out the installation schedule and some of the other details. The more we can do in advance, the more efficent the three days of building will be. Since all three contractors will need to be working simultaneously to get it done on time we have to be careful to stay out of each other's way as we work to complete areas of the garden. 6-8 people hundreds of props and plants in a 1500 sq ft space can get very dicey.

More later...

What a great project! Looking forward to hearing all about it again this year!. The Crickets... well, IMHO they are charming! Its too cold here for crickets now and I miss them. Course I dont miss the other bugs that come out in the spring!

Really its so enjoyable to hear what goes intot hese exhibits! thankyou! debinca

My head is ready to explode! And there's still 3 weeks to go!

I met with a friend who is going to create fairies to stand up in the garden. It will help to create the literary feel that the show theme has.

Two of the contractors have decided not to be very good communicators--and their lax attitude is making me absolutely crazed. There's a lot to still be done and I feel better when I know it's somewhat all under/out of control.

While it was still warm last week, the guys powerwashed and palletized all of the rock to use in the garden to get it ready to ship to the show floor. We got our first load of logs for the border and are expecting more, more, more.

I will be bringing in Mahonia bealei and Corylopsis spicata outside in the next two weeks to force in my studio which used to be a sun porch. I'll also bring in some boxwood and sweetbox to green em up. Its warm/cool but they should do fine.

Fear not, your head will keep together. Barely. :)

I think that these flower-show displays are the external expression of winter-downtime frustration in the landscape industry. We can't do it outside, so we take it inside. If we don't do it at all, that's when we explode (geez, this is starting to sound like something other than garden design!). So, look at all of the frenetic activity as therapy.

Woman--there better be LOTS of pictures. From various angles.

melanie

Here's a tilted side view drawing of the bridge that will go over the pond.
{{gwi:6960}}

It's being built ahead of time and will be one of the first things installed--quite the opposite of real garden building.