Country Living Fair – Rhinebeck, NY
I am simply beside myself.
I’ve been invited to bring my presentation, “Jaw-Dropping, Traffic-Stopping, Get-Your-Neighbors Talking Containers” to the 2017 Country Living Fair in Rhinebeck, NY.
I will have the honor of creating a unique container garden in front of a large audience on the main stage Friday (2PM -June 3 )
The Country Living Fair brings the magazine’s content to life and gives readers access to a unique shopping experience featuring more than 200 vendors from 25 states, including antiques sellers, food purveyors, artists, furniture makers, crafters, and more.
Guests will also have a chance to meet Country Living editors and their special guests, attend cooking, crafting, and DIY demonstrations, book signings, sample locally sourced, artisanal food, and shop the Country Living General Store.
This video link will give you a sense of the environment at a Country Living Fair!
Heading to Rhinebeck for the Country Living Fair? Wondering what else to do while you’re there?
Here is a great guide: “33 Things to Do in New York’s Hudson Valley (besides the CL Fair!)”
You can even print this handy cheat sheet to help you plan your time and travel.
The fair will take place at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds, June 2-4, 2017
Are you interested in attending this year’s fair? I might be able to get you a ticket.
I Would Not Have Thought Of That!
It was truly an honor to present to the Wareham Garden Club this month. I had a blast chatting it up with the members while I created three container gardens. Members seemed to enjoy the hints and suggestions I brought along to help them learn to make truly outstanding, one might say ‘jaw-dropping’, container gardens. As always, I encouraged the members to think creatively and with an eye to the art of mixing plants and other elements.
I was thrilled to receive this note from Wareham Garden Club member, Nancy:
Read More»My Apologies to Mary
Years ago, a very wonderful friend of mine was espousing the virtues of hostas. Conjuring up an image in my mind of the cemetery variety, I replied that they were nothing but slug bait.
Thankfully my friend did not slug me! As a former president of the New England Hosta Society, she must have looked at me as a challenge and over the years kept pointing out unusual varieties. Her persistence paid off, and now I’m hooked. Having already mentioned that my favorite color is green, hostas already have one thing going for them. And the more I use them the more I love them.
There are really only three problems when growing hostas:
Bambi. Thumper. Slugs.
Read More»
Flower Show Presentation Review
Imagine my delight to have had this lovely testimonial forwarded to me straight from the president of the Philadelphia Horticultural Society.
“I am a Philadelphia Horticultural Society member and always look forward to the Philadelphia Flower Show. This year’s show was truly outstanding. I like to preview the Gardener’s Studio presentations online to decide the best day for me to attend the show. A container garden seminar by Deborah Trickett was scheduled for Thursday at 11:00 AM so I made my plans.
I felt compelled to send my first review ever about The Flower Show.
I design garden containers and have attended many container seminars near and far for the past eight years. I am always looking to expand my horizons. Deborah Trickett from Westwood, MA gave the best container presentation I have ever attended. It was a text book perfect Five Star event. Every seat in the Gardener’s Studio was taken and an overflow crowd stood and watched from the outside aisles. More than just prepared and informative, Deborah was witty, engaging and remarkably creative. She started with an out-of-the-ordinary shallow square metal container and steadily filled it with a variety of unusual plants. Everyone payed close attention while Deborah composed a striking garden container. She offered real-world tips with each addition and generously answered many questions along the way. Deborah’s theme of “Jaw Dropping, Traffic Stopping, Get Your Neighbors Talking Containers” was not at all overstated. I highly recommend PHS have Deborah back next year.”
Philadelphia Flower Show 2017
The PHS Philadelphia Flower Show is the nation’s largest and longest-running horticultural event, and features stunning displays by the world’s premier floral and landscape designers.
Started in 1829 by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, the Show introduces the newest plant varieties, garden and design concepts, and organic and sustainable practices. In addition to the major garden displays, the Flower Show hosts world-renowned competitions in horticulture and artistic floral arranging, gardening presentations and demonstrations, special events, a mammoth indoor Marketplace, and the Bloom Philly Festival in the weeks leading up to the Show.
The Philadelphia Flower Show has been honored as the best event in the world by the International Festivals & Events Association, competing with events such as the Kentucky Derby Festival, Tournament of Roses Parade, Indianapolis 500 Festival, and other international celebrations.
Enjoy some of my own photos from my incredible experience at this year’s event, which carried a Holland theme, celebrating the flowers and culture of The Netherlands.
Want to know more? I’d love to tell you all about it.
The Secret Ingredient.
I was at a Speaker’s Bureau recently and was meeting with various garden clubs. I had created a container to have on the table that would showcase my work. A woman stopped and admired it, “Dear, that is just beautiful. But it doesn’t go outside?” I assured her that all my containers were meant to go outside. “But, that’s a houseplant” she gasped, pointing at the sansevaria. I thought for a bit and said, “It’s time for summer camp!”
Which leads me to an often overlooked component in great container gardens. Houseplants.
Read More»Sharing My Passion For Gardening.
Any of you who know me know that I LOVE sharing my passion for gardening with others. Whether I am talking about container gardening or designing for pollinators or creating a rooftop garden it is always a thrill to share what I have learned.
I have also been blessed to speak at some great Flower Shows over the years and this year I will be returning to one of my favorites – The Philadelphia International Flower Show.
The theme for 2017 is “Holland: Flowering the World.”
I am very excited to walk through the entrance which will feature an overhead floral canopy created with over 6,000 blooms! Talk about a grand entrance!
The Philadelphia Flower Show is the world’s oldest and largest indoor event of its kind and attracts over 250,000 people from around the world. I will be speaking on container gardening on March 16. I have also been asked to be a part of the container garden challenge on the same day.
According to the Flower Show the container challenge is a friendly competition where three designers will be on stage at the same time, creating a container planting using a myriad of plants. Upon completion, the audience will be able to “vote” for their favorite. Sounds a bit like “Chopped” to me!
If you are in the neighborhood please stop by and say hi! It would be wonderful to see some familiar faces. For more on the show visit The Philadelphia Flower Show website.
This spring my hands may be holding a microphone as often as a trowel as the lecture schedule is filling up!
The Browning
This has been, according to the meteorologists here in Boston, a pretty warm winter.
Despite a few cold days and a bit of snow, it hasn’t been horrible. And while this may be good news for us, it’s not necessarily good for our winter containers. Driving around town I notice that many greens have “browned” with the warm temps and sun.
Many beautiful containers, once the pride of the neighborhood, have given up the ghost.
Read More»Grand Finale
My winter pots remind me of Friday nights. Why Friday nights you may ask? One word…leftovers. Also known as GYO, as in Get-Your-Own. I tell my kids to open the fridge and see what’s left and make something good out of it. And that’s what ends up happening for me when I am designing my winter pots sometime towards the middle of December.
My clients’ homes are all decked out for the holidays so I take stock of what greens, twigs and ornaments I have left and try to determine a cohesive way of tying all the remaining material together. Anyone who has heard me lecture knows that I often come up with some kind of a theme before starting the winter pots. This helps me make sure all my clients’ pots (and sometimes there are upwards of 20) reflect a cohesive look regardless of whether they are by the garage, pool or front door.
This year after looking through the leftovers of Winter 2016 I realized two things:
Read More»To-Do or Not To-Do
Yesterday I finished my last winter pots. Decorating, at least for my clients, is done.
So today I woke up with a wonderful sense of freedom. It was euphoria, really. No need to leave in the early morning darkness in a car fully-loaded with all manner of holiday decorations. I could sit and enjoy a cup of coffee. Watch the sun rise. Enjoy the wood fire while I contemplated what to do for the day.
Which is what I am still doing. Hours later. In my pj’s.
Come to find out a day filled with free time and no agenda, rather than being liberating, is terrifying. I don’t know where to start. Should I organize the workshop which, over the last few weeks, has been as busy as the North Pole? Tables are piled high with ribbon, ornaments, and other crafty paraphernalia. God knows we could use a few elves down there to clean up the mess.
Maybe I could fill my own pots for the winter. This is the most wonderful time of the year, unless, of course, you are in the gardening business. Then I refer to it as “The cobbler’s children time of year.” My lights are not hung, the wreaths are not up and the tree is not decorated. An email from a kind neighbor the other day was ecstatic in her praise for surrounding neighbors and their beautiful lights and outdoor décor. No mention was made of the art of the stacked pumpkins still in my urns.
It’s kind of damp and cool out and I am still recovering from Monday’s full day spent outdoors in the snow/sleet/rain. Maybe I could stay in and do some office work. File receipts. When things are crazy lots can fall through the cracks and I should probably make sure that billing gets done while jobs are still fresh on my mind.
The coat closet is a disaster and has become a catch-all for anything people in my family do not want to put away. Which explains the yoga mat and watering can currently on the floor. With cold weather fast approaching I could organize it to make sure that orphan mittens find their match and each person’s winter accessories are in their individual bins.
Should I start work on my new PowerPoint lecture about designing gardens to be more pollinator-friendly? I have lots of great ideas and pictures that need pulling together.
I think today, the first day of vacation, I will end up doing none of the above. I need to learn how not to-do. I am going to enjoy another cup of coffee. Binge watch something on Netflix. Make a delicious dinner for the family that has lately subsisted on frozen burritos and take-out. And stay in my pajamas.
Life is good.
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