Yoo-hoo winter. Where are you? Can you come out to play?
Here in Toronto, you’ve been pretty much a no-show. Temperatures yesterday shot up to a record-breaking 15.5C for this date in February. The only snow in town are Snowdrops (Galanthus), which are strangely starting to bloom – months ahead of schedule.
The eastern seaboard may have got pummelled last week by Snowzilla, but groundhog psychic, Punxsutawney Phil is calling for an early spring.
The forecasters blame it all on El Niño. A world out of balance, I suppose. As in Koyaanisqatsi.
For gardeners, winter is anything but dormant. It’s a season to dream, learn, think, and plan. Literally sowing the seeds for a new season of possibility.
Swept up in the spirit, I’ve been immersed in planning a new woodland garden down by the pond for our cabin in Mono – starting with drawing up plant lists, puzzling over logistics, learning about ferns, bog plants, terrestrial orchids, and sketching up a succession of rough planting designs.
I’m happily surrounded by towers of books, perennial catalogues, pencils, erasers and rolls of tracing paper. Not there yet, but I’m working on it.
Global Inspirations
Winter is also also an ideal time to catch up with the the horticultural and design illuminati.
For my blog readers in other countries, I offer the virtual experience of this superb doc about The High Line in NYC. Narrated by Susan Sarandon, it tells the fascinating story of how this former rail line was rescued from the wrecking ball and turned into an exemplar of modern public green-space. This film really does justice to all the many players involved – including of course, Piet Oudolf, who talks about the role of the planting design with his trademark passion and insight.
Great Museums: Elevated Thinking: The High Line in New York City
Local Visitations
Meanwhile here in Toronto, there are some more earthbound events coming to wild up your garden-making:
Thomas Rainer: The New Naturalism
Toronto Botanical Garden Lecture Series – Thursday, March 3rd, 7:30 p.m.
Hello zeitgeist! Thomas Rainer and Claudia West, co-authors of the recently published book, Planting in a Post-Wild World, are on a heartfelt mission to advance the concept of designed plant communities. Their book and speaking tours have sparked massive interest and after meeting the quietly charismatic Claudia last summer, I really look forward to hearing Thomas. The subtitle for his talk is: ‘How an Ecological Understanding of Planting will Spur the Next Renaissance of Horticulture‘. He’s a landscape architect, teacher, writer based in Washington, D.C. and much admired for his blog, Landscape of Meaning.
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Roy Diblik: Reaching the New Garden Audience
GWA Meeting, Canada Blooms – Saturday, March 12th, 9:30 a.m.
Roy is a plantsman sage of naturalistic garden design, humbly representing the true wisdom of the prairie. His recent book, The Know Maintenance Perennial Garden was a best-seller for Timber Press and he’s a great pal of Piet Oudolf – working together on the landmark Lurie Gardens in Chicago. I met Roy this past summer and was deeply moved by his message of plants as a saving grace for humanity. I invited him to speak to the Garden Writers Association about how to engage the greater public in gardening. Here’s the catch: you’ll need to join the GWA to hear him – (well worth it if you’re a garden communicator of any stripe) but I promise to give a full debrief here in the blog.
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Tony Spencer: New Perennial Planting Design: A Workshop Intensive
Toronto Botanical Garden – Saturday March 5th, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Yes, it’s me. This is my hands-on intensive workshop focusing on key aspects of naturalistic planting design. Be inspired by the groundbreaking ideas of Piet Oudolf, Roy Diblik, Cassian Schmidt and others, and learn how to design stunning multi-layered post-wild plantings for your own real or imagined garden space. It’s a chance to dive deep, pick up a pencil and put your own creativity into high gear. Click here to sign up.
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Tony Spencer: Modern Matrix Design
Canada Blooms – Thursday March 17 at 12:00 pm, The Garden Solutions Stage, Festival Floor, near Hall G Entrance
I’m bringing a New Perennialist spin to Canada’s biggest annual garden show with a half-hour talk about the design potential of modern matrix planting and how to bring it down to earth in your own garden. It’s one of the key methods for naturalistic garden design with the concept of working in layers. Come out and support if you’re in the hood.
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If I missed anything, please let me know. And if you see any snowflakes, please tell them to stay on the ground… I miss my cross-country skiing.