Blue Planet Garden Blog

Three years later, and I'm still here

July 10, 1778 – Louis XVI declares war on the Kingdom of Great Britain.

July 10, 1966 – The Chicago Freedom Movement, led by Martin Luther King, Jr, holds a rally at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.

July 10, 2008 – Susan Morrison writes her first blog post, brilliantly titled: Welcome.

Yesterday marked my three year anniversary as a blogger. I’m not much for recognizing formal milestones and routinely forget birthdays and anniversaries - including my own. But I’ve decided to mark this one with a little trip down memory lane.

C is for Children's Gardens...and for Cute

It was the cuteness that killed me.

When I accepted The Inadvertent Farmer’s invitation to judge the children’s garden contest she has been running all summer, Kindergardens - Let’em Get Dirty, I was prepared to sift thoughtfully through various entries and judge them based on creativity, layout, family participation and overall commitment to the contest’s themes.

I was NOT prepared to be won over by some of the most charming, adorable and heartwarming photos of parents, grandparents, children, pets and chickens happily digging in the dirt together.  As my co-judge photographer Ashley Campbell would agree, choosing one winner was incredibly hard to do. Since my blog is not the official contest host, I’ve decided to give out my own awards, with no prize granted but the satisfaction of knowing your warm and witty blog posts have been a highlight of my summer.

So without further ado, my picks for the first annual Cutest Gardener awards:

Cutest Trench Digger - So the shovel's a little big! It's nothing a determined gardener can't muscle their way through.

Are Americans Afraid of the Outdoors?

Hey y'all!

Kim at the Inadvertent Farmer is running a wonderful contest this summer, encouraging and inspiring us to get out children out into the garden.  You can see her badge to the right  - Kinder Gardens, Let 'em get dirty!  I'm guest posting there today, so drop by and say hi.

See you over there! Susan

Photo courtesy of Patricia St. John

Lights, Camera, Action!

A few weeks ago, I shared what I was learning in film school.  Ready to see the finished result?

If you want to watch a larger version, here's the YouTube link.

I sometimes meet people who think gardening is nothing more than a hobby practiced by retirees and plant-obsessed nerds.  When I wrote the treatment for Rebecca's Garden, I had to identify who the audience was and what I wanted them to get out of it.  I made this film as a learning experience rather than for a specific audience, but if you're a gardener, my hope is that you will see a little of your own story reflected in Rebecca's. If you're not a gardener, then I hope this film will help you understand the depth of the connection we gardeners feel for our gardens.

Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Victory Garden or Photo Opportunity Garden?

Wow, talk about the ultimate in lawn substitutions!  If you've been following the news lately, you've probably heard about Slow Food, "an international organization whose aim is to protect the pleasures of the table from homogenization of modern fast food and life."

This weekend, I visited San Francisco's recent contribution to the movement - the Victory Garden planted where sod used to be across from San Francisco's stunning Beaux Art City Hall.

The garden's construction is wonderfully appealing - circular beds created with straw filled bales allowed easy access for the many visitors to wander through.  I loved the way the garden mixed edibles and flowers for apractical, yet visually appealing effect.

  

I also enjoyed several mini-theme gardens, including one showing California Coastal Native Scrub plants.  Perhaps if I show this photo to the beach strawberry cheerfully colonizing my shade garden, it will finally be convinced it doesn't belong here and relocate to a new address on the coast.

The slow food movement is not completely without controversy, however.  Following is an email from landscape designer Alma Hecht protesting the temporary nature of the Victory Garden.

"...are you aware that the Victory Garden in Civic Center is merely a two-month installation and that it is slated for destruction following the Slow Food Celebration?  Only by remaining permanent can the garden be called a true Victory and not a Hypocrisy or Photo Opportunity garden.  The energy to build the Victory Garden and disassemble it and re-sod the area is a shameful waste of resources, insult to the community, and negtion of the Slow Food Movement's intentions..."

Alma's point is well taken, but a different view is held by my fellow designer Shelley Somersett, an East Bay expert on edible gardens, who has been volunteering time in the Victory Garden.  Shelley feels that any effort to educate the public and raise awareness around our need to embrace a healthy food system is a worthy one.  As somone who generally has to be bonked over the head multiple times before embracing a new idea, I see her point as well.

So, I'm on the fence - what do you think?