I presented at the "Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival" this year and brought back many beautiful  garden design ideas  to share with you!

Take a look.

 

Container Garden Ideas

A simple planter filled with a combination of magenta and purple colored pansies gains dimension by adding terracotta pots filled with annuals.

I see pink geraniums and nicotianas in pink and red cascading from the containers. 

These containers are made in Siena, Italy from a distinct clay that imparts the orange color to the vessels.

 

I was captivated by the sea of pink geraniums dotted with white alyssum.

Fluted terracotta pots rise above the floral mass and contain the same combination.

Notice the added style when containers are incorporated into the planters.

 

One of the most practical secondary uses for cement blocks are as planters!

Cement blocks can be stacked to create vertical gardens that take up little floor space.

I would stack a few blocks and spread them out in different parts of the landscape to separate and mark different areas.

The blocks are filled with sedums, kalanchoe, agaves and echevarias.

This is more contemporary in style than the terracotta gardens which lean towards antique and rustic in feel.

 

Planting Schemes

This "bird garden" designed by nature experts at the National Audobon Society is full of jewel-toned annuals.

I've never been much of an "annual color" gardener but this display garden attracted so many birds and butterflies, that I was won over!

Birds houses, bird baths and nesting material provide an added attraction for our feathered and winged friends.

Plants include magenta dianthus, blue and purple pansies, white alyssum, sunflowers, nicotianas and more.

 

The goal is to reduce the size of the lawn but be aware that some of these annuals require regular watering until established.

 

Large-scaled planting like the flower tapestry at Epcot is commonplace at Walt Disney World and no one does it better!

Sections of the patterned garden beds are drawn on the ground with chalk or string and filled in with different annuals.

This particular garden is changed at least two times during the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival starting with cool-season plants  transitioning to warm season annuals around April or May.

 

Red, glass poppies shimmer above the garden bed near the "Land of Oz" display at Epcot.

From a distance, I was curious as to what these large flowers were, not thinking that they were glass flower sculptures!

I was inspired to add glass sculpture to my garden, just have to find the right one now!

 

Lastly, a river of yellow pansies evokes a feeling of movement in an otherwise static garden.

Get away from planting your annuals in straight lines or uninspired blocks of color, if that is your custom.

I'm going to experiment with interesting patterns and start painting with plants!

 

Have you attended the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival before?

What inspired you most in the garden?

 

 

 

 

My presentation on the “Beautiful Edible Garden” at  Epcot’s International Flower and Garden Festival was a hit last week in Florida!

After a detailed 45-minute presentation, my audiences stuck around for another 30 minutes or so to take photos of the  demonstration gardens.

 

 

 

 

What a compliment.

 

Shirley giving away Baker Heirloom Seeds

 

Some of the biggest hits were edible garden containers that we found at the local dollar store and repurposed as planters!

 

Take a look.

 

$1 Garden Containers!

 This is an onion rack repurposed as a hanging herb planter!  $1

 

Another hanging delight, fresh herbs are planted in a  $1 wreath frame.

Packed in moss and lightweight soil, the wreath maintains a neat appearance through occasional herb harvesting.

Make sure you hang this one where the sun DOES shine!

 

Kitchen colander $1 already has drain holes!

 

I’m sure you can find an unused colander in your kitchen cabinet or at the dollar store to transform into a countertop salad garden!

Just add soil and plants.

The drainage is built in!

 

 

 

This “Strawberry Tower” from the Bruce Post Company is one of my favorite finds for the garden!

The Strawberry Tower is made of rot-resistant western red cedar wood, is pyramid shaped with four planting sides, and comes in four and six foot tall models.

I like it because it offers excellent drainage for the berries, makes good use of vertical space and is a gorgeous addition to the garden or patio!

 

 Pre-seeded planting mats by Ambers Garden

 

Do you want a delicious edible garden but hate to dig or are short on time?

Would you believe that within this pre-seeded  mesh is a future salad garden?

 

“Amber’s Garden” is the brainchild of Connie Henderson and is available at your local garden center.

Check out what happens when you put this mesh on prepared soil and add water.

 

 

 

Five weeks later…a delicious and mixed “salad garden!”

I tasted these greens and can attest that Amber’s Garden salad is great-tasting and an option for the harried gardener or anyone with limited physical abilities.

No digging and no kidding!

 

Amber’s also offers a “Salsa Garden,” as well as an herb garden, pumpkin, gourd and other collections.

 

 

Watch the interview with Amber’s Garden creator, Connie Henderson.

I love this product so much, I HAD to present it at Epcot!

 

 

Once I had the audience fired up about creating their own edible edens, I sent them home with a Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company newspaper and free seeds!

Baker Creek graciously supplied enough heirloom seed packets for me to give away to all my attendees.

Thanks Baker Creek!

 

 

 

You should have been there.

Maybe next year!

Chris Hassell: Epcot landscape architect and tech savvy dude

 

I learned  a lesson about asking for help while I was in Florida last weekend at the Walt Disney Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival.

I was asked to speak at this iconic venue on “Art in the Garden,” and wanted to bring my “A” game to the Disney stage.

As far as I’m concerned, Disney is a major player when it comes to artistry, weather it be “imagineering” or “plantineering!”

Only my best would do.

 

 

Slide Show Problems

Unfortunately, my excitement turned to horror as I realized that I couldn’t open my slide presentation and show-time was less than 24 hours away!

Apparently, the Power Point presentation that I had laboriously created on my office computer was not saved in a format that my laptop could open or read.

I spent hours keying in every command I could think of, but nothing worked!

 

The Voice of Reason

My husband returned to the hotel room from his “Magic Kingdom” adventure and found me pulling my hair out and talking to myself.

 

“What’s wrong?” my husband Larry asked.

 

“My slide presentation isn’t working and I’m ruined and  I will never be asked to speak at Epcot again!”

 

The words flew out of my mouth like projectile vomit.

 

“Calm, down Shirley, what’s wrong?”

 

Larry asked in his most calm, “Mr. Rogers” voice.

 

He’s like that. We are opposites.

 

“I don’t know what’s wrong.  The presentation worked when I tested it at home, but now it doesn’t!”

 

I cried.

 

“Why don’t you call the show coordinator, and ask her to help you find a tech person who can help you?”

 

My husband is a very practical person.

 

“What, and tell her my presentation isn’t working so that she’ll  think I’m unprofessional, start worrying and never ask me to come back?”

 

I responded like a drama queen.

 

I’m not a drama queen but this was Disney!

 

“Technical problems happen all the time. You think you’re the first speaker with slide show problems? Call her right now or you’ll have real problems come tomorrow when you have no slide show!”

I knew Larry was right, but I felt embarrassed because I wanted to come off as  ”Ms. Polished Presenter“  and make a great first impression with them.

 

Just Do It!

When I made the call, Debbie, the show coordinator,  was very gracious and  promised to have someone help me within the hour.

Almost immediately, Chris Hassell,  a landscape architect at Epcot, (who happens to be a  computer wiz),  was at my hotel door.

 

Poor Chris, he had to endure my long-winded story.

In contrast, his response  was short and positive.

 

“I can fix it. Do you have a copy of the presentation on a memory stick?” He asked.

 

“I do,” I answered, handing it to him.

 

“This has happened a few times with some of our speakers and I know what the problem is. I’ll have this up and running for you in a few minutes,” Chris reported.

 

I was so worked up that it was hard to accept Chris’ word that he could fix the problem.

 

Chris’s calm demeanor and confident approach won me over. He explained to me what I had done wrong and showed me how to avoid the problem again in the future.

A few keystrokes later, and the slide show was up and running!

 

It’s funny how the situation seemed so insurmountable to me, but “so computer 101” to someone like Chris who knew what he was doing.

The lesson I learned was that “there’s always somebody who understands what seems arcane to me and can fix problems that I can’t!”

 

Expertise is a Gift to Be Shared!

My slide show scare also brought a new appreciation for my own work as a landscape  designer and gardening coach!

I realized that even though  some of the information I share with clients and television viewers may seem basic to me, it may be exactly what they need to know to solve their gardening dilemma!

 

Just the thought that I could be a hero to them, like Chris was for me, brought a smile to my face.

I had the confidence to go out and share my information with the world, with or without a slide-show!

One of the segments  included in my "10-Ways to Incorporate Art In Your Garden" presentation at the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival was on creative mulch ideas.

Gardeners  know that top dressing garden soil with mulch is an effective step in conserving soil moisture and retarding weed growth.

 

That's all good, but I also want my mulch to beautify my garden!

Here are some ideas for "out of the box" mulch ideas that put some common collectible items to work in the garden.

 

 

If you collect seashells or sea glass, take them out of that coffee can or glass jar that is sitting on your book case and use them as a decorative mulch in one of your container gardens!

Ornamental grasses become "wild dune grasses" when finished off with sea glass.

Use weed cloth between the soil and shells to keep the shells from becoming buried in the soil after watering.

 

 

Wine drinkers- re-purpose wine corks as mulch in a fragrant culinary herb garden instead of throwing them away.

"If you are going to be a lush, you might as well have a lush garden!"

Designer Peter Crompton shared this idea with me.

 

 

See your favorite vintage in this wine cork collection?

This is a great conversation starter!

 

 

 

A common jade plant looks like a horticultural sculpture in this glazed cobalt container with vivid orange tumbled glass mulch and glass rock.

Give your plant a year-round display with decorative mulches.

You can also use broken ceramic, hand painted tiles, nut shells, and other material that will not rot or break down with water.

 

Got any new ideas for me?

Share!

 

 

This  "Living, Succulent Tapestry Pillow" was created by Shirley Bovshow in less than five minutes!

 

I'm making a living succulent tapestry pillow for my presentation at the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival!

It's part of my "10-Ways to Incorporate Art in Your Garden," presentation and is an affordable and easy garden craft to make.

 

Watch us make the succulent pillow on my web series, "Way to Grow" on the Digs channel on YouTube.

 

It is a Shirley original, as far as I know, (a vision came to me for it while watching Citizen Kane).

Inspiration comes from the most unlikely places!

This pillow is so easy to make that you will feel guilty accepting compliments for it.

Here we go.

 

Materials for Living Succulent Tapestry Pillow

Outdoor pillow in solid color- avoid prints if you want your plants to be the focal point.

1 large bag of  sphagnum moss (moistened)

3 small succulent cuttings or 3"-inch potted plants

Panty hose

A sense of style

Xacto knife

 

Directions

1. Open the seam of pillow on one side and remove all the stuffing.
2. Stuff the pillow with moist sphagnum moss
3. Position your succulents where you would like them. (Groups of three or more look nice)
4. Remove the succulent from the pot, remove half of the soil and wrap pantyhose around root ball to keep intact. 
5. Cut slits where you want to place your succulents and gently insert the plants. 

 

 Open an area in the moss and insert succulent root so that  it's not free-floating in a sea of moss.

You may want to add a "fringe" effect  to the pillow by using  a trailing plant such as fishtail senecio.

If you like a true pillow look, you can add Velcro to close the pillow. 

Or, leave it open and crown the pillow with a focal point plant like a small aeonium or echeveria.

You are done and ready to receive your praise!

 

Place your living succulent tapestry pillow on an outdoor bench or other water-safe surface in a part shade area.

Don't subject your pillows to harsh sunlight.

Water by misting roots once a week and less frequently in the winter time.

Cold winter gardeners can over-winter their succulent pillows indoors and place on a pebble tray.

 

Succulent pillows can last for a few years although you may want to plant the cuttings in the garden once they get bigger.

Enjoy the compliments!

I'm busy preparing for my presentation on "Art in the Garden" for  Epcot's International Flower and Garden Festival   next week, April 4-7.

It's a big subject, but I'm narrowing it down to "functional garden art"  because I like beautiful things that serve a purpose.

 

Artistic garden furniture is a great way to infuse creativity and place your personal stamp in the garden.

 

 Here's a little preview.

I designed a custom flower arranging table with holes for flower buckets and painted it to match the "antique" potting table.

All the furniture was sealed with 3 coats of marine varnish.

 

My inspiration for the "French flower market" garden came from these French linen striped towels.

All the colors are represented in the yard.

 

An old park bench becomes garden art when it has a favorite poem verse handwritten across the back.

 

This one is in French!

I painted the bench in yellow to tie in with the other garden furniture.

If you like the look of this garden, please visit my website  at ShirleyBovshow.com  for more photos and a complete before and after chronicle of this yard makeover.

I even include  a plant list!

Get over there now!

 

Or, you can come and listen to me at the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival in Orlando Florida!

Here are some photos from the opening day at the festival.

Garden designer and television host Shirley Bovshow

Flower and garden shows are in full swing across the country as garden lovers and plant enthusiasts flock to shows to load up on ideas and inspiration.

I invite you to consider attending the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival in Orlando Florida anytime between March 19 and June 1 2008 where  I will be the featured speaker during the weekend of April 4-6, speaking on “Art in the Garden.”

Those of you who know me, can expect some “out of the box” ideas that won’t break the bank and some that will!

Take a look at this overview of the festival and the list of speakers who will be speaking in the “Great American Gardeners” Series from the Disney web site.

Hurry and make your travel plans and stop by and say “hi.”

 

The Fifteenth Annual Epcot® International Flower & Garden Festival Blossoms to 75 Days!

Celebrating “Fun in the Sun,” the Epcot® International Flower & Garden Festival is packed with new experiences for the entire family.

See millions of blooms and the largest collection of Disney Topiary anywhere!

Interact with top horticulturists at Garden Town, a new festival addition, where you can get gardening tips, participate in demonstrations, plan your day, and more!

Have a fun evening “under the stars” at the America Gardens Theatre and enjoy the music you grew up with during the Flower Power Concert Series.

Try our new “Easter Brunch” on March 23rd. and mom will love our scrumptious “Mother’s Day Brunch” on May 11th so make your reservations early.

Great American Gardeners “ Every Friday, Saturday & Sunday at 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. “ Garden Town
See informative and entertaining presentations from nationally recognized garden personalities.

• Roger Swain ” March 19 and 20
  Join the man in the red suspenders, the long-time host of PBS’s “The Victory Garden” for an eye-catching, mouth-watering, planet-saving, and just plain old heart warming celebration of the harvest of sunlight we call gardening.
• Joe Lamp’l aka joe gardener March 21  23
  Gardeners enjoy a connection with the earth unlike anyone else. Joe offers practical information and environmentally friendly tips to revolutionize the way gardeners should look at their landscapes and what they can do to make them “greener.”
• Ellen Zachos  March 28  30
  Ellen Zachos shows you how to plant a dinosaur garden for kids of all ages. Discover how prehistoric (and prehistoric-looking!) plants make a perfect playground for kids and dinosaurs alike.
• Shirley Bovshow April 4 – 6
  Garden designer and television host, Shirley Bovshow offers some “out of the box” ideas for elevating common landscape elements such as fences, walkways, garden beds, furniture and even mulch, to art status. “Take an artistic approach to the design of your garden, and blend function, beauty, and whimsy so that your art is built-in to the garden!”
• Jeffrey Restuccio  April 11 – 13
  Author of “Get Fit through Gardening” Jeff will discuss how to reduce back strain, muscle soreness and even calluses on your hands using proper gardening techniques. Going further, Jeff’s presentation will show how to transform traditional gardening into a lifelong, fitness and wellness program.
• Tovah Martin  April 18 – 20
  A double-whammy from a well-known author/freelance writer/frequent television guest on PBS’s “Cultivating Life”, Tovah talks about Garden Stewardship – successfully bringing gardens with a past into the future. Plus, she’ll share Garden Secrets from the country’s primo green experts.
• Felder Rushing  April 25 – 27
  Nationally-renowned horticulturist, columnist, NPR host and author of award-winning Passalong Plants Felder Rushing talks SLOW – Slow Gardening, that is. He shares practical tips for all-year beauty using tough shrubs, flowers, herbs and even “designer” vegetables grown in regular flower beds and containers.
• Tom MacCubbin  May 2 – 4
  Florida garden writer, media personality and Extension Agent Emeritus with the University of Florida, Tom MacCubbin talks about how to make your landscape pay its way by growing much of what you eat. Most landscapes can be converted to plantings your family enjoys and Tom shows you how to be a success at putting these foods on the table.
• Raymond Western  May 9 – 11
  A guerlain perfume speciaist, Raymond offers insights into the world of fragrance and the intimate relationship between plants and perfume.
• Robert Bowden  May 16 – 18
  Gardening expert, author and director of beautiful Harry P. Leu Gardens in Orlando, Robert Bowden talks about the best plants for weekend gardening projects. Discover how plants with unusual textures, habits and colors make an interesting and fun home landscape.
• Melinda Myers  May 23 – 25
  Nationally known gardening expert, TV host and author Melinda Myers shares some simple, yet creative, ideas for packing a lot of garden into a small space or creating an intimate garden within a large lot. Discover tips, techniques and accessories for designing and maintaining gardens with year round interest in every layer from the ground to the roofline.
• Jon Carloftis  May 31 – June 1
  Acclaimed garden designer Jon Carloftis, author of “First A Garden” and “Beyond the Windowsill,” offers insightful tips to integrate plants and nature in every aspect of life – from interior spaces to urban scapes.