Yawn. Don't worry - I promise not to talk abour Geranium 'Rozanne' again.
When it came time to sign up for 2011 Garden Designer Roundtable topics, I initially passed on this month’s subject of top landscape plants. After all, posts about plants are pretty common around here, whether I’m rhapsodizing over peach-colored flowers, showing new alternatives to old favorites, or simply jawing on about my passion for fall foliage.
So instead of another post on some of my favorite plants, I’m giving you a peek behind the curtain and sharing recommendations from the folks I go to for inspiration – the Association of Professional Landscape Designers. While the speakers at our monthly East Bay district meetings are always entertaining and informative, my favorite part happens in the first 15 minutes, when members take turns highlighting a favorite plant that is then raffled off. I’ve chosen three to share with you today; one for its flower, one for texture and one for foliage color.
I’m not typically known for the brevity of my post titles, but when writing about the quintessential spring treat of asparagus, no further embellishment is required. If asparagus were a car, it would be a sleekly elegant Lamborghini. If vegetables had royalty, asparagus would be the slender, graceful queen of the court.
In case it’s not clear yet, I heart asparagus. Not only is it delicious and nutritious, it’s also just plain interesting.
First up: video. Now that the Garden Designers Roundtable has reached the venerable old age of two, we thought it was time to shake things up a little. This year we have some amazing guest posters contributing to our 2011 line-up. But you know me – why announce their names and topics in a boring old list when I can share the news in an Animoto video? Thanks to GDRT members Pam Penick and Rebecca Sweet for contributing photos and a special thanks to photographer Mitch Maher who shot the stunning footage of the water feature from a Zeterre designed landscape.