Nordic touch at the Northwest Flower & Garden Show

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Yesterday, I was thrilled to notice that Ulf Nordfjell, one of the most celebrated Swedish Landscape Architects, is giving two seminars at the Northwest Flower & Garden Show in Seattle on February 18-22, 2009. I just felt like a "bit of home" will be coming here, as even if I do not know Ulf personally, I have followed his career closely for many years and visited several gardens designed by him. Some of these are private gardens located near my home in Saltsjöbaden close to Stockholm, some show gardens or public gardens.
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For the international audience, Ulf is probably best know for his gold award winning "A Tribute to Linnaeus" show garden at Chelsea Flower Show in 2007. This garden explored the legacy of the great Swedish botanist Carl von Linné, and interpreted it in modern terms. Many of the references to Linné (Linnaeus before he got knighted and took the name von Linné) were very subtle, mere hints included in the modern and clean design. In general, Ulf's design style could be called "poetic modern", with influences from both the Swedish nature and landscape to classic Italian gardens. His planting schemes, always thoughtfully expressed within the architectural limits, are clearly related not only to the traditional Swedish meadows, but also to the new perennial movement, with swathes of grasses and perennials planted in interlocking groups and patterns. Oehme, van Sweden and Piet Oudolf come to my mind if I need to describe Ulf's plant schemes to people here. Obviously the international audience is going soon to hear more about Ulf, as he is doing a new show garden at Chelsea Flower Show 2009, this time for The Daily Telegraph.

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Ulf's seminars in Seattle are held on Wednesday, February 18th at 11:30 AM (Twelve gardens - designing gardens and public parks) and on Thursday, February 19th at 10:00 AM (The Garden Society of Gothenburg - spectacular Swedish show gardens). Both in the Rainier Room.

For those who are interested in a close look at Ulf's work, see his book called 12 Trädgårdar av Ulf Nordfjell (12 Gardens by U. N., 2008) with beautiful photos by Jerry Harpur. Check also out Skogens trädgårdar, a display garden by Ulf at Wij Trädgårdar in Ockelbo in Sweden.
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I took all pictures above at the Chelsea Flower Show 2007 - the quality is not quite there, as it was difficult to take photos jostling between hundreds of other show visitors.

The floating gardens of Seattle

Houseboats are something I usually connect with Amsterdam, but they actually are a distinctive part of Seattle too. Some of us might remember them as a background scenery in the romantic comedy "Sleepless of Seattle", where Tom Hanks portrayed a lovesick father looking for a new mother for his only son. Or was it the son looking for new partner for his father? Anyway, some of the earliest houseboats were constructed already in the 1880s by mill workers on the West Coast, but by the early 1900s many of there were converted into weekend cottages, suitable for recreation by the lakes in the summer time. By 1920s there was about 2500 houseboats in Seattle, since then the popularity has somewhat declined. Some time ago, I bought Caroline T. Swolpe's book "Classic Houses of Seattle. High Style to Vernacular, 1870-1950" to learn more about the early housing styles here, and found some interesting pictures of these early houseboats, small houses complete with porches and Victorian scrollwork.

Even today, there are several houseboat communities by the lakes in Seattle. I walked by one of these at the Western shore of Lake Union, and despite the signs of "no trespassing", I could not help slipping down to the piers and taking some photos. The houseboat owners here seemed to be very garden orientated; there did not seem to be much that you cannot grow on a houseboat. Tall grasses, topiary, bamboo... all of them in pots and containers, gently swaying with the waves. I really felt my bohemian side calling me, telling me to leave the present bourgeoisie life and to settle down on one of these cute dwellings... I could almost see me sipping tea and growing vegetables by the lake, taking a tour with my kayak before sitting down to write that hugely successful book. I wonder if the reality of a houseboat dweller is as romantic as I imagine?

The Garden Book of the Year 2008

Book about The Botanical Garden of Visby by Ila.

Just as the year was fading away, a small package made its way from Turku in Finland to Seattle, carrying Christmas presents. Amongst them was my absolute choice for the Garden Book of the Year 2008; my 10-year old niece Ila's lovely booklet about her visit to the Botanical Garden of Visby, on the island of Gotland in Sweden. I am so impressed with her idea of documenting her visit and making a lasting memory of it. Ila's way to photograph the roses after a light rain, with drops still hanging to the plump flowers is just exquisite (my scanner does unfortunately not catch the real beauty of the pictures, 24 of them in total). The layout of the book is beautiful and the names of the roses have been noted correctly with all the details. I just wonder what Ila will be up to next, as talented and artistic child as she is...?

Rosa Kalmar

Both photographs: © strictly Ila Narjus.

Strawberries in snow

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For some time, I've been fascinated by Arbutus (also called Madrone), Arbutus menziesii, a native plant to the Pacific Northwest and Northern California regions, growing in many gardens around here. Its European cousin, Arbutus unedo, is aptly called the Strawberry tree, because of the big, inedible berries it carries during the autumn. It is evergreen, and the bright red and unripe orange berries make a merry sight, looking like furry pom-poms hanging from the branches. It is supposed to flower in the spring, but here it seems to have both flowers and fruit at the same time; just two days ago I was watching five green hummingbirds drinking nectar (or at least trying to...) from its bell formed, white flowers. I can't really decide what I think about this shrub; it is a bushy, not very stylish plant, but it still makes me childishly glad with its strong coloured berries and hanging flowers. It definitely brightens up wilder parts of the garden, and it probably would be nice to have one growing under one's kitchen window.

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Arbutus berries in snow

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Magnolia buds in snow

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Otherwise, we received seven inches of snow the last couple of days and our life has taken "snow-mode"; the schools have been closed for several days and the grown-ups are staying at home, if possible. Of course, this small amount of snow would not have stopped anyone from their daily chores in Finland or Sweden, but here, as this happens so seldom, it definitely feels like we are in a state of emergency. As we haven't lost the power and have good outdoor gear for the children, I quite enjoy these snow days, sliding down the slopes nearby with our small sledges together with the kids.

... snow falling on cedars...
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The remains of a holly farm

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In 1902, a holly farm was established in Yarrow Point, a narrow peninsula north of Bellevue on the East side of Lake Washington. At some stage, this farm was the largest supplier of holly in the United States, providing cheerful materials for Christmas decorations and wreaths for the whole country. Holly farming at Yarrow Point ended in the 1960’s, and the area was gradually built over with houses. The street name of Holly Lane reveals where the farm was situated.

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Some of the original hollies still remain, huge and beautiful with gnarled, thick trunks, and branches carrying bright, red berries. It is wonderful to see them as main attractions of the gardens they stand in, hopefully for many years to come.

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To pick up the theme, many house owners at Yarrow Point have planted holly hedges, some of which are now over 4 meters (12 feet) high, providing birds with excellent hiding and feeding places throughout the winter season. In these times of total eradication of all old - both houses and gardens - when new residences are built, it is lovely to see these examples of appreciation for the local history in Yarrow Point.

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Gas Works Park in Seattle

An update: On January 2, 2013, Seattle’s Gas Works Park, a significant example of Richard Haag’s innovative landscape architecture, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. For more information, see The Cultural Landscape Foundation.

A tiny note in my favourite garden magazine, Gardens Illustrated, inspired me to seek out Gas Works Park in the North side of Lake Union, near Seattle city centre. I had heard about this park earlier, as it is a very popular place for 4th of July celebrations, kite flying and other summer activities, but I had somehow never got to this side of town.

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Gas Works Park has a hundred year old history connected to the industrial evolution of Seattle. Dating from the first decade of the 20th century, this plant manufactured illuminating gas made from coal, and later also city-gas used for cooking, refrigeration, and heating homes and water. It also had equipment for producing “Gasco charcoal briquettes”, toluene, solvent naphtha, sulphur, xylene and resin tar; products that now are strongly associated with soil and land contamination everywhere in the world. Production of city gas at The Seattle Gas Company’s production plant ended in 1956 when Seattle converted to natural gas.

The former exhauster-compressor building, now a children's play barn, features a maze of brightly painted machinery. Unfortunately, no children were around, just some homeless people, sleeping by a fire on the pick-nick area.

The site of Gas Works Park, a 20 acre point on Lake Union, was acquired by the city of Seattle in 1962. The park was designed by Richard Haag, a prominent Seattle landscape architect also known for his work at the Bloedel Reserve. A massive soil cleaning effort was needed to create the park, and it was opened to the public in 1975. This act finally fulfilled the vision of the Olmsted Brothers, who already in 1903 recommended that “…the point of land between the northeast and northwest arms of Lake Union and the railroad should be secured as a local park, because of its advantages for commanding views over the lake and for boating, and for a playground.” What the Olmsted Brothers could not have imagined is the long road of development that lead to the final result.

The sundial at the top of the mound was created by two local artists, Chuck Greening and Kim Lazare. The viewer’s shadow tells the time of day and the season - an optimistic feature for a park in Seattle...

The Gas Works Park with its structures tell a lot about our attitudes towards the nature and its resources during the last century; how we went from seeing them as something to exploit and abuse, to appreciating the nature as the basis of sustainable life. Also, it is an important part of the history of how we build our parks; a development that has gone from beautifying the nature through control and planning, to seeing the nature as valuable in itself; and now to considering even the man-made and industrial (an opposite to the traditional meaning of parks) as worth of our attention and preservation.

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The remaining Gas Works buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places, and the park is also a Seattle City Landmark.

 

A later update: I just read in the Seattle Times that the Gas Works Park is one of the most popular parks for weddings in Seattle, and that already now in January, many weekends are already fully booked. Sculptural, monumental, impressive - all words that I would connect with this park, but romantic? Not in my eyes... Avant-garde? Yes, and I would love to see a wedding here. Another small detail; I just found Katie Campbell's book "Icons of Twentieth Century Landscape Design" (2006), where she takes up the Gas Works Park as one of the 29 landscapes that have dramatically changed the way we look at designed outdoor spaces. Very interesting, I really need to visit this park again when the weather warms up.

Quote of the Day

One kind word can warm three winter months.

- Japanese proverb -

An Edwardian treat in Victoria, BC

The garden gate at the Prior House Inn.

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It is always intriguing to see how deep footprint the Britons left even in the far flung parts of their empire. There are many things the little town of Victoria, BC shares with the state of Victoria, my favourite part of Australia; both were named in honor of the same Queen, both were prosperous due to a gold rush from 1850 until the first World War; and due to this, both had a building boom that left them with an excellent stock of Victorian and Edwardian buildings and private houses. And both still celebrate their British roots in a visible manner with afternoon teas and games of cricket.

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The gardens at the Inn; I love the circle of ferns under the large beech tree.

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To give our recent trip to Victoria a bit more local touch, we stayed at the Prior House Inn, a Tudor-style manor from 1911-1913 that was built by Edward Gawler Prior, a former Premier of British Columbia. It is a designated heritage building, with beautiful, oak clad interiors and exteriors with granite rock terraces and balustrades of stone. The English style gardens have beautiful borders combining perennials and shrubs and they have received several awards; they were beautiful even now, when almost no flowers were out. As the weather was typically damp and grey, what a treat it was to stay in the rooms in the evenings and read in front of the fireplaces. A little bit of old England, far away in the Western coast of Canada.

The Butchart Gardens

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Being "Thanksgiving orphans", as our American friends called us, is not a completely negative thing; it leaves you to do whatever you want during these traditional family gathering times. We opted for a long weekend in Victoria on Vancouver Island, in British Columbia in Canada. I had visited Victoria once before when I was five years old with my parents and siblings, so I felt quite nostalgic, seeing before my eyes all the old family photos, with three young children dressed in typical 70's clothes skipping around in the gardens of Vancouver Island. One of them, the Butchart Gardens, has after all these years become something of a family legend, and I don't know how much I really remember or how much I just think I remember after seeing the pictures for so many times. Anyway, I was very keen on a new visit, or maybe a "reality check" of the gardens, more than 30 years later.

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The sunken garden in the old limestone quarry.

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The Butchart Gardens consists of 22ha (55 acres) of differently themed gardens, restaurants, shops and other entertainments. They are a well-known tourist attraction and receive more than a million visitors each year. The gardens were first created as a part of the Butchart family home, but already by the 1920s more than fifty thousand people came each year to see them, many of whom by car (this gives a hint of how prosperous this part of the world must have been then!).

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The Butcharts were, what could be called the nouveau-riche of their time; Robert Pim Butchart was a former dry goods merchant who became a highly successful pioneer in the cement manufacturing industry in North America. The West Coast of Canada had rich limestone deposits that are vital for cement production, so he built a factory at Tod Inlet on Vancouver Island and in 1904, established a home there with his family. As the lime deposits were exhausted in the quarry near their house, his wife, Jennie, decided to turn the enormous hole in the ground into a sunken garden, much in vogue during that time. An old black-and-white film in the visitors centre showed this operation, where thousands of tons of top soil were brought in by horse and cart and used to line the floor of the abandoned quarry. It was quite amusing to imaging all the fun they must have had, playing around like this, doing what they loved with their newly-earned money.

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Reflecting their world travels, the Butcharts added a Japanese Garden in 1908 and an Italian Garden some years later. A Rose Garden replaced a large kitchen vegetable patch in 1929. In 1939, the Butcharts gave the Gardens to their grandson Ian Ross (1918–1997) on his 21st birthday. Ross was involved in the operation and promotion of the gardens until his death 58 years later; the ownership of the gardens remains within the Butchart family. In 2004, the gardens were designated as a national historic site.

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From the Japanese Garden; the wet climate of Vancouver Island is perfect for growing moss.

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All this adds up to the central experience of the gardens now; they are a huge business, meticulously maintained and orchestrated to serve the masses visiting them every year. Just driving in to the large and well-organized car park gives a feeling of what is to come; then passing through the shops and entertainment areas, now lavishly trimmed with Christmas decorations of all kinds and colours, rips off the hope of seeing something personal or individual. The gardens are still beautiful, even in the middle of a dark November day; the sunken garden is still as amazing a gardening idea as it was for a hundred years ago. But I really would have hoped that all the kitsch would have been left out (I am leaving it out from my blog, well aware that it changes the impression you get as a reader). Of course, the gardens were designed to impress from the beginning, but is there such a need to overdo it? The gardens should be left to tell their story, unusual and eccentric as they are, and I am sure (or I hope...) that garden visitors still would come in thousands to see the impressing floral displays in their wonderfully beautiful natural environment.

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Oh, I could not resist - the giant sized Three French hens from the Twelwe Days of Christmas displays found in the gardens in December. What a delight...?

Oh, the THINKS you can think!

Gertrud McFuzz from "Yertle the Turtle" by Dr. Seuss.

I've always loved the rounded, droopy figures that fill Dr. Seuss's imaginative world, not to mention the playful and rhythmic verse of the texts. His many books, the first of which were published for more than half of a century ago, have been loved by millions and millions of children in the English speaking countries. As it happens, my children now enjoy reading their "inherited" Dr. Seuss books, bought in the 1960's and 1970's in Australia and Canada by their respective grandparents.

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"Dr. Seuss trees" on the middle left.
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One day, driving through our area, my youngest one pointed to some conifers, calling them for "Dr. Seuss trees". And really, around here, there are lots of different drooping conifers, with their branches and tops hanging in the wind; varieties almost unseen in Scandinavia, where I come from. Of course, conifers are native to this part of the world and having them in all their different forms in gardens is completely natural. But I can't help to think about the theme that I did not write my Master's thesis about in Art History, as it proved to be all too complex and difficult within the limits of the thesis. What I was thinking about was how the imaginary world in children's books effects the way we make our gardens. More specifically, I wanted to specialize in the "classic" books in Scandinavia, as Astrid Lindgren, Tove Jansson etc, and analyze the plants and descriptions of gardens in them and compare with the most popular plants and features in our gardens. Now, looking at my plan, I completely understand why my professor politely shook her head and told me that this was far too complex and difficult task for me to take on and that I should keep to something more substantial. I still think that I should have specified my topic better; kept to one author only, and made something of it. As it is, I wrote about an early example of a woodland cemetery designed by one of the pioneers of modern garden design in Sweden...

Gumnut babies by May Gibbs, Australia.

Sov du lilla videung by Elsa Beskow, Sweden.
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Anyway, I still find it interesting to think about the plants and gardens in children's books. When the writer illustrates his or her own books, it makes the preferred plants and sceneries even more explicit. A good example of this is the classic Swedish children's author Elsa Beskow with her richly illustrated books, most of which are from the beginning of the 20th century. Her books are full of images with idealized Swedish nature, together with small figures dressed as strawberries, mushrooms and other native plants and flowers. Actually, this must have been something of a trend at that time, as during the same period in Australia, May Gibbs wrote and illustrated books about Gumnut Babies with very similar images and figures, but now with Australian nature and plants. Or otherwise, think about all the flowering cherry trees in Astrid Lindgren's books; is this a reason why the Swedes love them so much (even if she did not illustrate her books herself)? And Moomin Mother by the Finnish Swedish author Tove Jansson, always tending her roses and edging her flower beds with seashells (which actually was a common thing to do in middle class gardens in the 19th century in Sweden and Finland)? Many Finns do love roses, so there might (and just might...) be something in to this.
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Moominmamma's garden by Tove Jansson, Finland.

So, the question remains: what kind of images of plants and gardens do we grow up with? Do these images plant themselves in our minds and express themselves later in our choices of plants and when we are planning our gardens? A fascinating area, I think, and I would love to see a well-illustrated book about this, if not by myself, then some other book-loving gardener.