Thursday, January 5, 2017

Attention Portland foliage lovers!

I'll be the first to admit I've been writing a lot about flowers lately, however I still am first and foremost a foliage lover. My garden has flowers, interesting flowers (I think) but the plants I've included were chosen for their foliage, they just happen to bloom. What can you do?

Back in 2013 I wrote a review for the book Fine Foliage, by Karen Chapman and Christina Salwitz. I featured this photo (Rhodoendron pachysanthum and Carex testacea) because it made me all sorts of giddy. It still does. Can you even!?
photo by Karen Chapman courtesy of St. Lynn’s Press
 
As luck would have it Karen Chapman visited my garden in 2015 when it was open for the Green on Green Tour (that link is to a story my friend Kate McMillan wrote about my garden on the tour, it's terribly flattering, you should probably click on it and follow her wonderful blog). Anyway...Karen later featured the below vignette on Fine Foliage, the blog she shares with her co-author, Christina Salwitz...

Of course that's the autumn look, where as Karen wrote about the summer scene (here). I'd share how it's looking now, but those Agaves are currently covered with frost-cloth and the Amsonia and Canna are both MIA (to return in the spring). In her post Karen identified the plants, and then set about dissecting why it all worked, which I found terribly interesting because I just planted things I liked!

So what does this have to do with you, Portland foliage lovers? Well Karen and Christina have a new book coming out, Gardening with Foliage First...and...Karen is the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon Winter Program speaker, coming up on Sunday, January 22nd...

Here's the official announcement: "Does your garden look exciting even when nothing is in bloom or does it just become a muddled sea of green? Learn to establish a framework using interesting foliage before layering in additional elements such as bark, berries, flowers and more to breathe new life into your landscape and containers. Award winning author and landscape designer Karen Chapman will offer inspirational ideas for all four seasons while celebrating the release of her latest book Gardening with Foliage First (Timber Press, 2017)."

Registration is only $10 for HPSO members, $20 for others. Register here, more details here. I don't know about you but I am so ready to think about getting back out in the garden and enjoying my plants. Hope to see you there!

Weather Diary, January 4th: Hi 33, Low 27/ Precip 0

All material © 2009-2016 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

17 comments:

  1. I have been following their blog and have thought about the book, also being a foliage lover. The Rhodie/Carex combo is to die for but I think they both might die here in Wisconsin. I will look forward to hearing more about what she says. Now on to the links.

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  2. What a coincidence - I'm about half way through the book. I'll have a review on Succulents and More next week. Is the vignette from your garden in the book???

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    1. You're half way through the new book? Or the old one? The vignette definitely isn't in the first (the book came out before Karen visited) but I don't know about the new one...hmm...

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    2. The new one. I'll check later to see if it's in there.

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  3. I'm looking forward to release of the book and, prompted by your post, just pre-ordered my copy. I'm not all about flowers...

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  4. You featured that first photo some time a go, which prompted me to run right out to find the Rhody. Now for some of the Carex to complete the picture. See you at the program!

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  5. Hope the presentation is well attended. Karen and Christina are both awesome ladies and excellent and entertaining speakers as well. I'm also looking forward to the book and have a copy on pre order. Love your vignette here and can't believe I missed the summer time blog. Thanks for the link on that. Cheers!

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    1. Wish you were closer Mary, I'd love to see you!

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  6. Thanks for the links! Great foliage combinations. Looking forward to seeing the new book.

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  7. Oh, that would be a fun one to attend, but I think I put a ski-day on the calendar for that day. Maybe I can change it... would love to hear her talk.

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  8. Love the color of that Carex.

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    1. It's a good one, although it does look better with the Rhododendron than it can look on it's own.

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