Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Those who rose to the OC&K Challenge...and a winner!

So here we are, the Ornamental Cabbage and Kale Challenge is complete. I received 11 entries total, thank you so much to everyone who took the time to put something together, photograph it and send in their photo(s). Some people sent more than one image, which I greatly appreciated, but since I'd asked for just one - and I want to keep the playing field even - all I'm sharing is one, as identified the sender. In alphabetical order here are what these creative people came up with, comments in quotes are from the judges. Oh and there was lots more said, quotes that is - but after a couple of glasses of wine I was doing good to write down these...

"Tropical paradise"... Michaele Anderson
In fact there was some discussion about where this person must live, to be able to take a croton outdoors this time of year and have coleus looking so good. So much color!

"Super classy"... Evan Bean, The Practical Plant Geek
Evan took the challenge in an entirely unexpected and exciting direction. You can see more of his entry here: Cabbage Tree on a Mountainside.

"So much attention to detail"... Bridget Davis, Mahonia Studio
If that name sounds familiar it's because Bridget used to be my neighbor and I've written about her garden and floral talents in the past. She's now creating beautiful scenes like this in Louisville, KY.

"Sculptural, an art installation" ... Ricki Grady, Sprig to Twig
Ricki detailed the making of her entry on her blog post "in a vase...well, sort of" and she expressed frustration that it didn't turn out entirely as expected, being a good sport she still sent in a photo.

"Mardi Gras" ... Peter Herpst, The Outlaw Gardener
I overheard one judge react with the "Mardi Gras" label, and I thought it fitting - this is a party and there is so much going on! Peter shared a few more photos on his blog post here.

"He's hiding his junk with a fern" ... Anna Kullgren, Flutter & Hum
Anna shared that she threw her creation together as she headed out the door to work one morning. One of our judges noticed Anna made sure the image got a PG rating, not the dreaded R.

"The gardener at work" ... Sam Sacharoff
There was some talk that perhaps Sam was intentionally making a statement about how a gardener's work was never done, with what looks like a process shot. Very au-courant Sam!

"Posh" ... Susan Soto, Flower Garage
Susan just wrapped up a gig designing dozens of centerpieces for a fundraiser, not missing a beat she turned around and did this much larger installation.

"The cover of the next Fine Gardening" ... Marian St.Clair, Hortitopia
I met Marian at the Toronto Garden Bloggers Fling, she gardens in Greenville, South Carolina, and might just have a second career lined up designing magazine covers!

"Most prominent use of OC&K" ... Tim Vojt
Tim's Ohio garden has been featured a few times on the blog of Michelle Gervais - Gardeny Goodness. My favorite post was on his gravel garden, and then another looking closely at a few plants. Bukiniczia cabulica where have you been my whole life?

"Varieation on a color, fabulous texture" ... Linda Weiss
I only know Linda through Facebook, she gardens up on Vashon Island so maybe someday our paths will cross in real-life. Her entry does have me thinking back to summer with all those bright greens...

So, those are our entries...give them a big round of applause!

As I mentioned the judges put their heads together last night to come up with a winner. A lively discussion ensued and three names kept coming up. In the end there had to be a winner though (somebody I could send that Starbucks gift card to so they could celebrate with a grande Pumpkin Spice Latte)...

and 

that 

winner

is...

Susan!

With runners-up Bridget...

And Evan...

Thank you so much to everyone that entered, wanted to enter but couldn't due to lack of OC&K (I'm looking at you my California friends) and to our distinguished panel of judges: Heather, Wes and Nathan. Now get your creative pants back on because we're doing this all over again in December!

Subject: the much maligned poinsettia

To be continued...

All material © 2009-2015 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

50 comments:

  1. No, not poinsettias! *cringes*

    (I liked Bridget's best, myself.)

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    1. Yes....POINSTTIAS!!! (she shouts, laughing all the way....)

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  2. Fun, Fun, Fun! OC&K seen through different eyes... very cool indeed! If only I would have had a free moment to enter, but you are giving us another opportunity to play! Poinsettia's? They are maligned for a reason aren't they? Geez, this will definitely take some creative juices flowing, or maybe a few glasses of wine?

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    1. Wine makes everything better...I hope you do play along Sheila!

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  3. These are just fabulous! I love how different each one is from the next and I'm so impressed with these gardeners' clever integration of the OC&K into their varied creative settings. As bad as I am at arrangements of any kind, I'm even inspired to think (just maybe) about entering the future poinsettia challenge...

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    1. Do it! And yes, isn't it fun to see how everyone's vision is unique?

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  4. All so lovely and creative! My eye keeps going back to Bridget's though, probably because of the non OC&K elements though.

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    1. Those urns are pretty magnificent aren't they? And that branch....and the other plants! (there's an Aloe in there too...which is kind of hard to see)

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  5. Anna's entry was a lot of fun! They all turned out so marvelous. I'm bummed I never did get my act together for this. Maybe I'll do the Pointsettia one.

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  6. Wow, these are so totally unexpected, not what I would have thought of at all. As MulchMaid says: how different each one is from the next! Poinsettias we can do down here in LaLaLand. Thanks, Loree

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    1. Indeed seeing all the different ways people incorporated the OC&K was pretty fabulous. Hope you do accept the poinsettia challenge!

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  7. All were nicely done! I admit to a preference for Anna's skeleton entry. My skeleton never came out of the closet this Halloween, partly because I couldn't think of anything new to do with him - Anna may have provided his outfit for next year.

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    1. You have skeletons in your closet?

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    2. Inquiring minds want to know about those skeletons Kris!

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  8. oh yikes - I don't think I finished before my email sent .... just wanted to say I forgot this was happening today and I've spent the day with contractors at our house trying to source a re-occuring leak and another trying to fix our broken ceramic kitchen sink which wasn't installed properly and problem solve for the re-install.... It was fun making the containers which sat empty since spring and the oc & k makes me happy when I see it ! It's been such a gorgeous fall - thank you for celebrating it too!!! This community is so incredible - :)

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    1. I'm so glad you entered Susan, and that you're enjoying your creations. It's kind of crazy how much having those bright purple plants near the front door has made my days brighter, sounds like you're experiencing something similar.

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  9. What fun! Love them all and of course am especially fond of Anna's skeleton. Poinsettias? Hmmm.

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    1. You're going to rock this one, I just know it.

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  10. All awesome entries and a lot of creative variations on the theme. Congratulations to the winners and all who took up the challenge. We have OC&K at the nurseries but they tend to bolt before we can even get them home.

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    1. And do they stink? Someone was telling me that when they bolt they start to smell too.

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  11. This was such fun, and full of imaginative ideas. I suspect Anna's dark vision would have been right up there if there had been a readers' choice award. Poinsettias next? You really are pulling mainstream kitsch into the cool category.

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    1. Hmm...readers choice award, maybe we'll need to do that for the next challenge? And I love the way you phrased that "mainstream kitsch into the cool category"...

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  12. "It was an honor just to be nominated" ...although, wait...that's not this competition worked...ha, I nominated myself by submitting the picture! Love the winner (so elegant and classy), the two runners up and all the other contenders. I feel inspired for next year!
    Oh, and tropical me lives in east TN, a bit south of Knoxville and we haven't had any night time temps that have put the kibosh on the croton. So, I'm just letting it stay outside until nature kills it off.

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    1. Tropical Tennessee, who knew? I was especially thrilled to receive your entry Michaele since to the best of my memory (there have been 38,346 comments - so I might have forgotten) you've never commented here on the blog before.

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  13. I too liked the skeleton. Great effort by all!

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    1. Are poinsettias available in Australia at Christmas time? If so I hope you'll participate Amy.

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  14. This was much fun! I missed the post where you announced the challenge but it would have been fun to participate if those plants were easier to find here. Maybe next time :D

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    1. What about poinsettia Lisa? Are those easy to find?

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  15. How fun is this?! Thanks for taking the time to pull this all together. I never liked the white kale and cabbage, but now I see they just need to be used well. Love all of the originality here.

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    1. I thought the same thing Tim, it was a little to "salad" for me before, now I know it just needs a skeleton or Helichrysum!

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  16. Fun, and lots of eye candy. All very interesting entries. I like Linda Weiss' creation--it's all about the plants.

    Poinsettias--uh-oh!

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  17. I really wanted to do this but I seemed to have spent the last moth ripping stuff out instead of planting !

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    1. Okay I have a special challenge for you...poinsettias WITH some of your amazing pottery collection...pretty please...

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  18. This was so much fun, thanks for hosting, Loree! And congratulations Susan, I love your containers (and the vignette you created with the wood pieces). Nicely done!

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    1. Thank you for participating Bridget, can't wait to see what you're up to next!

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  19. I love poinsettias in December. Just sayin'.

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    1. So it sounds like you'll have no trouble throwing together an entry?

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  20. Michaele, you're a star! A garden star. Love your colorful creation

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    1. I told Michaele (when I received her entry) that I'd always hated Croton plants, well that is until this year...when I finally bought one. It was wonderful to see all those colors working so well together.

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  21. Wow, these are great! So fun to follow along and see the creative minds at work. Lovely.

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  22. Thanks for coming up with this little contest, Loree. I had fun putting my entry together and it's so interesting to see the other entries. I think I would have voted for Anna's. I love the humor, and that white, cut-leaf kale is actually pretty cool.

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    1. I'm so glad you entered Evan, your creation was very inspiring!

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  23. Oh boy, so many fun ones! It really shows you that the sky is the limit...and how versatile OC&K can be. This was a lot of fun, Loree - thank you! I'm looking forward to the Poinsettia challenge, although I have absolutely no idea what to do with it. Time will tell, I suppose...

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    1. Seriously! I am happy that's what you saw (sky is the limit). And thank you Anna!

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  24. what a nice surprise to find both Michaele and Tim spotlighted here. and it has been sort of a tropical Tennessee until this weekend.

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    1. If not for the fact I have relatives in Nashville I might be fooled into thinking Tennessee was tropical...

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  25. I am so sorry I didn't have time to play. Oddly enough, I have been busy using my creative talents at work with cool season annuals, more than a few in the Brassica family.

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