#GWA17 Archives - Page 3 of 5 - Andrea Whitely Garden Consultant

Perth Garden Festival has just finished up and it was a great success this year. So many willing-to-learn-more-gardeners and lots of interest in what’s new and exciting in the gardening world.

The ladies in the background could see the funny side in me wanting a crown of Leschenaultia

I entered the Professional section of The Hanging Basket competition-Here’s my entry overlooking the beautiful Swan River

Hanging Basket 2018
I used purple Lantana, Ajuga, Anigozanthus in the centre, Gardenia, Scaevola ‘Purple Fanfare’, Eremophila Nivea and Echivera succulents all around the centre section.

I’m a member of the Horticulture Media Association and I spoke on the BUPA main stage last Friday. I love sharing my knowledge with such engaged audiences.

This year, I decided to do something a little different and I called it “Speed Dating with Plants”.my talk was scheduled for 20 minutes and so my aim was to create four container plantings in under twenty minutes and amazingly I completed them all and still had time for lots of questions.

I wanted to demonstrate that gardening need not take up very much time, should be fun and also that anyone can create a garden in a container, regardless of age or physical ability.

Another tip that I was keen to share with West Australian gardeners is the current trend in the US and elsewhere in the world to plant many things in the one basket rather than just one single plant as tends to be the case here. The opportunity to create a mini garden in a container and tell a whole story is something quite new to people here. This is great for folk who might be living in a small space, people renting or those not inclined to garden other than by using containers. It is appealing to so many gardeners. During my talk, I stressed that plants selected should have the same watering requirements and all require the same amount of sun or shade.

Each year, I travel to the USA in my quest for great gardening ideas and this year I wanted to share some of the things I learned about container gardener in particular during my time in Pennsylvania and especially at an amazing garden called Chanticleer in the Delaware Valley. If you ever get the chance you MUST put this garden on your bucket list of gardens to visit. It will blow your mind!

Here are the containers I created at this years’ Perth Garden Festival. I tried to create something for everyone and just like a real date, I gave them all an amusing name-just for a bit of fun.

Container 1 Aphrodisiac

Colours-Yellow/Grey/Green

Calendula

Helichrysum italicum serotinum Curry plant

Slow Bolt Coriander

Chives

Capsicum annuum F1 ‘ChaCha ChilliBite’

Container 2 The Indoor Guy

The Indoor Guy-there’s a red flowering bromeliad hiding around the back. I was keen to share the tip that all angles of the container should have a pretty view, not just the front.

Colours-Green/Burgundy/Red

Calathea rubfibarba

Filicales retrosa x2

Bromeliad-bright red flowering

Syngonium

Container 3 Shady Lover

The Shady Lover-featuring my new favourite salvia-‘Black and Bloom’

Colours Blue/ White/ Green

Salvia guaranitica Salvia ‘Black and Bloom’

Ipomoea batatas ‘Inferno’

Pentsemon ‘Snowstorm’

Lantana montevidensis ‘alba’ Trailing white lantana

Salvia greggii alba x2

Container 4 Sun Swain

Sun Swain-the sweet 60cm Kangaroo Paw-‘Bush Pearl’ as a big hit

Colours Pink/Grey/Green/Burgundy

Anigozanthus humilis x flavidus ‘Bush Pearl’

Brachteantha bracteata ‘Sunbrella’

Alteranthera dentata ‘Little Ruby’

Leucophyta brownii ‘Cushion Bush’

You too can create these containers. Why not give it a try?

and….

with just a little preparation and good plant selection, just one of these treasures will probably only take you 5 minutes…can you beat my record???

I used Baileys Premium potting mix and regularly feed my plants with Seasol Powerfeed

and here’s a treat….

The beautiful display demonstrating the best use of indoor plants, created by the team I work with at Guildford Town Garden Centre

I really do pinch myself sometimes, thinking about how lucky I am and how many wonderful people I have met in my life, people who have extended the hand of hospitality…just because.

The bees love Pittsburgh too-Steelers Colours!

One of these people is Pittsburgh local, Garden Communicator extraordinaire and one of the nicest people I have ever met, Denise Schreiber. Those of you who follow this blog will remember Denise, who I met in 2015 in Pasadena. Denise and I drove down to Pittsburgh following our GWA conference in Buffalo, in August and I don’t think either of us drew breath the whole trip.

We talked and laughed and poor Denise had to answer lots and lots of questions about American-life according to her, from this ever-curious Aussie. We arrived at Denise’ home in Pleasant Hills, Pennsylvania which is a borough of Allegheny County and a suburb of Pittsburgh and after a quick tour of her treasure-filled garden, meeting the family, a quick unpack, we headed in to view the “Dahntown” from the top of Mt Washington-what a site, what a city.

They speak an interesting version of American in Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh is home to NFL football team, The Steelers and is located at the confluence of three rivers and so there are lots of bridges crisscrossing the city. Pittsburgh is an old city built on steel but has undergone dramatic gentrification in recent years to become a vibrant and exciting modern place where they speak an interesting version of American.

When you travel with a local, you get to experience a different side to a city, one that only someone with local knowledge can provide and so it was a joyous moment, when after our night time trip to view the city, we headed down the hill to Denise’s favourite ice cream shop for a cheeky soft serve and chocolate sauce.

As a Garden Communicator, no trip to Pittsburgh would be complete without a visit to Phipps Conservatory, in Schenley Park. Stunning glass art by Jason Gamrath, displaying botanical wonders on a massive scale accompanied by permanently acquired, huge Chihuly pieces and more delicate Hans Godo Fräbel works in the orchid house. These provided enhancement to beautiful displays of flora under glass in this giant conservatory. The Sustainability gardens provided insight into providing habitat for nature right in the middle of a busy city.

The orchids were stunning in the Orchid room at Phipps

Monarchs at Phipps in the Nature play area

Nature corridors in the CBD, pond created by Aquascapes based in Chicago

The outdoor gardens offered beautiful views of the city and the Cathedral of Learning, framed by a gorgeous hydrangea display.

Beautiful views of Pittsburgh above the city

Denise works as Greenhouse Manager for AlleghenyCounty Parks looks after many of the plantings at South Park, so naturally, a behind-the-scenes tour was on the cards and a fun time exploring the place where she works.

We visited The Strip which is home to European Delicatessens, restaurants and a fabulous Kitchenware shop and we ate a Hoagie, a delicious bread roll filled to capacity with sliced meats and cheese-a must do!!!

A garden centre, Trax Farms Market was also on the agenda and this was of particular interest for me as I was able to compare prices and stock available, I just loved their garden gift lines and planter boxes out the front. They were gearing up for Halloween.

You would not expect to see this in a cemetery in Australia

Jefferson Memorial Cemetery might not seem like a fun place to visit but it’s actually a stunning arboretum and it was there, at dusk, where we saw a family of deer grazing quietly amongst the trees, my first “Bambi” moment. There’s a life-sized bronze statue of George Washington and very interesting art that one would not expect to find in a cemetery.

Something, I might not have mentioned is that I’m a bit of a sucker for craft stores so my visit was made complete with a trip to Pat Catan’s, a huge craft supply store.

Our home now plays host to a ‘Terrible Towel’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhrqDBEi9oo

and my son has barely taken off his Pittsburgh T-shirt and Steelers PJ’s since my return a little reminder of my travels to make me smile.

Girls Night In/Out an annual tradition was a wonderful night held at Denise’s home on the last night of my stay with great food and conviviality, celebrating with lots of women working in Horticulture as well as some of Denise’s nearest and dearest friends and family-they sure know how to party those girls.

Thanks to The Schreibers for generously sharing their home and their hometown with this Aussie, it was a week I will never forget.

Tag: #GWA17

Speed Dating With Plants!

I’m waving a Terrible Towel and eating a Hoagie, can you guess where I am?