Garden Designer Hits the OMG Moment!

Moving from design to reality, the further adventures of a garden show designer!

The day starts out with a call from Theodora of Living Green Design Solutions... she's at the stone yard and thinks she's found the perfect columns to support our totally keen, green, gorgeous copper-topped Moroccan pergola.

Theodora's the distributor of these, and the reason I'm doing this show. I just love this product and so will you)

By the end of the day, I'm facing the enormity of an empty hall...the work has yet to begin...

The OMG moment...wish me luck! (Do you think my misspelled name's a bad omen? Geez...I'm a Hanson, not a Hansen!)

The show runs from April 8 - 11th at Cal Expo. To find out more about the vendors, the speakers, visit the California Flower & Garden website, or the Facebook Fan Page, or both! Tomorrow I'll share some more about my Moroccan garden! Please feel free to join in the discussion.

Whether you need garden design, coaching, seasonal maintenance or planting, Geno's Garden can help! Call me at (916) 764-5243, or email hansonja@aol.com. For more information on our services, click here.

Garden Design...Gotta Have Some Rocks!

Prepping for the Garden Show

Many things I didn't know before we started this process of planning a garden show exhibit garden...one of them, you have to cover up the plant "cans". I'd never really paid attention to that, thought maybe we'd be actually planting our flowers and shrubs. No.

Some different methods are used, one of them, rocks, big ones. So I headed out to Mid Valley Rock to talk to Anna, the owner. The yard is impressive...all these rocks and I get to choose...

It's fun to pick out rocks. There are actually a lot of variations in color, shape, feel. This is the one I chose...lots of iron in it. I pretend it's from the Atlas Mountain region in Morocco, cuz of my theme, California Days, Moroccan Nights (does this sound like play?).

...here's ledge stone from the same quarry. I'll be using it to create a dry wall (and hide those cans...).

Anna told me her dad bought Mid Valley as a side business to the family business, Roundtree Rock & Garden. Both businesses are now run from the same office (Anna bought it from him when she was 21!). It's a no frills business, just lots and lots of rock and friendly service. I don't know about you, but I thought it was quite an adventure!

The show runs from April 8 - 11th at Cal Expo. To find out more about the vendors, the speakers, visit the California Flower & Garden website, or the Facebook Fan Page, or both! Tomorrow I'll share some more about my Moroccan garden! Please feel free to join in the discussion.

Whether you need garden design, coaching, seasonal maintenance or planting, Geno's Garden can help! Call me at (916) 764-5243, or email hansonja@aol.com. For more information on our services, click here.

California Flower & Garden Show

California Days, Moroccan Nights
... your personal oasis

I've been working on my display garden for Sacramento's upcoming California Flower & Garden Show. I've never done this before - it's highly fun and challenging! Thought I'd share a bit with you. It's ALL ABOUT CHOICES ... choices about stone, plants, theme, boulders, pots, themes, layout, even, in my case, beds!

In my garden the key element is a place to lie down an read, take a nap, just "be." This is one bed that's available from the Antique Trove in Rocklin, an authentic carved Spanish bed. Not Moroccan, but certainly exotic!

But then, here's a headboard and footer I could use...I'd just have to figure out how to create a way to attach it to some bed rails.

Then, my third choice...raiding my now-independent, on-her-own daughter's bedroom for what's left of her old bed! Do I go for the easy choice? You'll have to come to the show and visit my garden to see!

The show runs from April 8 - 11th at Cal Expo. To find out more about the vendors, the speakers, visit the California Flower & Garden website, or the Facebook Fan Page, or both! Tomorrow I'll share some more about my Moroccan garden! Please feel free to join in the discussion.

Whether you need garden design, coaching, seasonal maintenance or planting, Geno's Garden can help! Call me at (916) 764-5243, or email hansonja@aol.com. For more information on our services, click here.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day - 2010

This was originally post last year, but it's now a tradition (says I)!

When I was a young girl, my mother had a dance studio. She had recitals and this is one of the songs I remember singing. The shamrock of the song has many forms, but all of them, according to my Sunset Western Garden Book, are likely to become weeds. And if weeds they are, so be it...and perhaps it speaks well of us Irish transplants...that we're so willing to grow and so crafty in our charm that we thrive like weeds, and have songs written about us.

I'm looking over a four-leaf clover, that I overlooked before.
One leaf is sunshine, the other is rain,
third is the roses that bloom in the lane.
No use explaining, the one remaining, is somebody I adore.
I'm looking over a four-leaf clover, that I overlooked before.

- Words by Mort Dixon, music by Harry Woods
(Written in 1927 - popularized in 1948 by Art Mooney)

Garden Blogger's Blooms Day

What's Blooming at the WPA Rock Garden?

I just started volunteering again at the WPA Rock Garden in Sacramento's William Land Park. I'm excited, I love this garden! I get to work with Daisy Mah (the gardener who created this botanical gem), get to know the plants better, take pictures, even weed! Let me know if you'd like to join us!

Now blooming in the rock garden...

Evergreen Candytuft
There are 35 granite-lined beds in this 1 acre garden

Spring Star Flower

Spanish Bluebells
These do well in our mild winter climate...for colder areas the non-scripta (English Bluebell) is better.

Pink Winter Currant
This California native is a striking 5 - 12 foot shrub. Hummingbird food, too!

 
a flowering crabapple

Before I close...my forsythia is a faithful friend in my own garden. I would be remiss to not give it a shout out!

Thanks, pal

For more blooms from around the world, or to participate with your own bloggin blooms, visit May Dreams Gardens, the hostess of this fun event.

Read more about William Land Park and its many and varied activities for all members of the family in my write-up at bestkidfriendlytravel.com

Whether you need garden design, coaching, seasonal maintenance or planting, Geno's Garden can help! Call me at (916) 764-5243, or email hansonja@aol.com. For more information on our services, click here.

Sacramento Valley Gardening Events

Weekend Garden Report: March 13 - 14, 2010

Recently I started a monthly newsletter about gardening events, nursery sales within driving distance (of me!). Here are this weekend's highlights...

Farm Fresh To You 2nd Saturday Farm Tour – March 13th, 11 – 3 pm
Enjoy a day on a farm... trailer rides, meet the farmers, numerous kid-friendly activities, live music in the farmhouse garden. Bring a picnic and plan on staying into the afternoon. No RSVP necessary. Free. 800-796-6009. 23800 State Highway 16, Capay, CA 95607
Note from Geno's Garden: See blog post, "Farm Romance", for more about this great Community Supported Agriculture Farm, that delivers fresh organic veggies and fruits, to your home!

Exotic Plants Bonsai Workshop - March 13th at 11am
Free workshop with bonsai expert & Master Gardener, Timm Johnson, Exotic Plants Store in Sacramento near the Arden Mall. RSVP (916) 922-4769

Rocklin’s Mad Man Bamboo Open House – March 13th, 9:30 – 3:00 pm
Local family-owned bamboo nursery, 350 plants, over 50 varieties.

Loomis - High Hand Nursery Workshop – March 13th, 10 am – “Wake up Your Yard from a Winter Slumber” Learn how to check and maintain your irrigation and drip systems, review care and feeding of plants, trees and shrubs, and discuss pruning and trimming techniques. Free (Note from Geno's Garden: I did this same workshop 2 weeks ago and really liked it. Worthwhile review of basics.)

Peaceful Valley Farm and Garden Supply - March 13th, 9:30-11:30a.m.
"Digging Deeper" This is a new class this year, an opportunity to ask questions, discuss March garden activities $10. RSVP at (530) 272-4769

Native Plant Clinic at Windmill Nursery in Carmichael - March 13th, 10 am. Free

Eisley's Nursery in Auburn - March 13, 10:00 and 2:00 – Earle Eisley will present “The Secrets of a Successful Vegetable Garden.” Free

If you'd like to receive the monthly report on a regular basis, email me at hansonja@aol.com. If you have news you'd like included, ditto!

HAPPY GARDENING!

Whether you need garden design, coaching, seasonal maintenance or planting, Geno's Garden can help! Call me at (916) 764-5243, or email hansonja@aol.com. For more information on our services, click here.

Do you know this Magnolia?

WPA Rock Garden, William Land Park

I took myself for a little stroll thru William Land Park's WPA Rock Garden on Saturday and, as always, saw so much that delighted me...

I'm pretty sure this is a Saucer Magnolia, but which one? I know who to ask (Daisy), but do you know?

Around the bend I came upon one of my favorite bulbs. Who designed such a sweet plant with little green dots on each petal?!?

I use to volunteer at this garden and I'm thinking I'll start again. What a treat to spend a few hours a week in this bit of heaven.

This South African native is in a bit of a resting state. But that's ok, we can wait...

My last picture is still in my camera, waiting for me to figure out how to upload it up to this new computer...but let me tell you, it was a fragrant white-flowered climber that trailed amongst the shrubs and clambered up the dormant Red Horsechestnut. It was stunning. There I was..."I think this is an Evergreen Clematis...Clematis armandii!!!!" I had only seen lame, desicated versions of this before and wondered why anyone would bother. I wish I could post it right now! Darn!

There's so much beauty around, I know it's going to be a lovely spring!

Whether you need garden design, coaching, seasonal maintenance or planting, Geno's Garden can help! Call me at (916) 764-5243, or email hansonja@aol.com. For more information on our services, click here.