acquired from 50 years of Award Winning Landscape Design & Build
Category: Podcasts
Over the past four or five years we have interviewed a number of horticultural experts, we hope you enjoy listening to these fascinating people, and their amazing stories.
Ann the “Gardening Girl’ is from Nebraska. Chris is a transplanted British landscape consultant.
Two Projects we Designed & Built
Together, we have many years of experience. We have both spent much of our working lives designing, building and managing beautiful landscapes.
Creating and managing these wonderful landscapes is lots of work. It is a fun, very rewarding occupation.
Our work has encompassed, small and large gardens, roof gardens, city parks, streets, shopping centers, schools, golf courses, museums, estates even the odd museum and royal palace.
Press Day at Chelsea
Using many traditional materials. Such as natural stone, water, metals, bricks and timber.
Or incorporating more modern materials, such as glass, fiberglass, lighting, mirrors, and irrigation.
Treated Timber Trellis prior to staining
Working with nature is often a challenge. The weather frequently disrupts how a project progresses.
Materials sometimes act in unpredictable ways. Achieving a constant quality finish is the true art of the craftsmen.
Moon Gate
We invite you to come take a look with us. See what is possible.
I was taught from an early age that : “Quality is remembered long after the price has been paid.”
Landscape Knowledge Is all about people. People who are passionate about their environment, their gardens & landscapes. Along with the experts that helped to create them.
Ann & Chris discuss traditional landscapes. Trends, techniques, plants and materials from across the globe. Our many years of experience has produced a wealth of knowledge. As well as pictures and ideas for you to enjoy. We have included a growing list of interviews with colleagues and other experts.
Here are some examples of what you can find within these pages :
Kerry Mendez has a passion for gardening, in her latest book “The right-sized Flower Garden” she discusses how to develop a garden that you can manage. Often this will reduce the amount of work involved. As she explains it’s all about making the right choices, whilst at the same time making simple design changes.
Here is a practical book with sensible tips, lists, time and energy saving suggestions that will help the beginner and the experienced.
Come take a listen, I’m sure you will learn something new.
“The right-sized Flower Garden” she discusses how to develop a garden that you can manage, often this will reduce the amount of work involved. As she explains it’s all … Continue reading →
Ann & Chris continue their interview with Bill Sosinsky , CEO of Energime University. Bill has recently returned from a trip to China. He talks to us about how the Chinese are adapting, planning and coping with the enormous growth the country has seen over the past few years.
We all have moments that become pivotal in our lives. Setting us on a course that sets us on the journey to …….
Mine was learning to sail around the age of 9 years – well 8 years if you include the first time I went sailing. In what appeared to be a very slow gaff rigged, slow sailing boat.
Being shipped off to boarding school at a tender age. My father was a merchant ships Captain.
The school had a lake with a mixed fleet of dinghies. I learned to sail first in a Cadet – a small but lively dinghy you could race. Of course, we did with some success.
The school also had quite faster ‘Enterprise’s ‘ which provided a very pleasant afternoons racing, not to mention quite a workout…
Progressing to 420’s a much more modern design and an impressive workout. I preferred to helm, flying around on a trapeze whilst fun was a sure way to get soaked.
On leaving school, the opportunity to sail diminished somewhat until a friend who Ocean sailed invited me to crew on a Contessa 32, suddenly sailing became serious, a superb yacht with great handling characteristics, a rather steep new price back in 1979. A vessel still going strong today..
Field Hockey
When sailing wasn’t possible I played grass Hockey across London for over 25 years…it was a different level of energetic playing from September until April with tournaments across Europe in the summer, my favorites were trips to Hamburg and Amsterdam, although I did arrange one to Lyon which was a little different.
On moving to the USA in 1999, it took me a little while to rediscover lake sailing.- Lakes here are much larger , with commensurately larger sailing boats. It’s way more fun and convenient.
Sailboat Racing
Sailing over the weekend, a pastime that is both enjoyable, exciting, fun and yet very calming. The winds were as always very variable, around 10 mph gusting to perhaps 20mph – sufficient to heel our boat, driving her forward quickly.
“Stiletto” – our Capri 25
The question is – how long can you keep the cocktail upright?
On a more peaceful run down the lake we talked about ‘Those Moments that stand out in your life”
Sedate Sailing
We still own ‘Stiletto’ but have added a rather more salubrious Catalina 28. ‘Quinley’ has many more creature comforts as our ages march onward. A galley, showers, a wheel, bimini, open transom, inboard diesel power, hot and cold pressurized water. all manner of instruments. Recently new sails and a bowsprit…
Work
When we reached work moments, some were amusing. I was asked to write them down. So here are a few. Let me know what you think ?
During college days we, that is the student committee – I was Social Secretary, liked to produce lighthearted pranks from time to time. Being Social Secretary it fell to me to help create, vet and often implement said pranks..
We often had outside groups visit the college for talks, or demonstrations or even just to visit.
This particular day, the Women’s Institute was coming for some reason, the day was warm and sunny, so the night before we decided to ‘decorate’ a crab apple on the lawn just outside the main house.
When the coach arrived the next morning the ladies were confronted with a new strain of ornamental fruiting tree – “The Spaghetti Tree” was fully covered with over 20 lbs of the very best spaghetti, soaked for 10 mins and boiled until soft enough to adorn the tree. The tree was also attracting a large colony of birds who took particular liking to the delicious fare.
Many pictures were taken of this phenomenon as a sign explained the tree only fruited once every 12 years !
This spurred on to more things horticultural, so a few weeks later yet another plant was discovered , this time outside the refectory a paving slab had been pushed up and a new strain of oak tree had emerged – Quercus australis inverta was indeed a site to see, this Upside Down Australian Oak Tree had it’s trunk buried in the ground with a full compliment of roots spreading out to a height of 5ft.
Some years later I came across this amazing tree…the Andansonia
Ann & Chris have been busy preparing a new series of podcasts for you all to enjoy.
We have interviews with experts in the field of sustainability, recycling, food production, hydroponics and aquaponics. Our list of author interviews is growing all the time, we’ve recently added children’s book authors connected with nature.
In our second interview discussing the changing market for Garden Centers.
Ann visits Paris, France to talk to Valerie Langendorff, President of a Women’s Garden Executive Club.
Valerie looks at Garden Centers from the ladies perspective in France. Her ladies group have identified a number of interesting trends..
Women make 70% of the purchase decisions.
Currently 90% of Garden Centers are managed by men.
Their Executive Club have developed an annual awards program judged by women.
Ladies nights are arranged in the Garden Center – in our earlier interview we heard that a Garden Center in Switzerland had ‘Pole Dancing’ nights for ladies, as a way to exercise !
They have an award for the most women friendly Garden Center.
They have discovered that women like innovation more than men……
You can listen to this fascinating interview here or on iTunes
It’s not often you find a garden that was founded in 1673. Which is when the Apothecaries’ Garden was formed.
Ann was on a trip to Europe recently and dropped in on the beautiful Chelsea Physic Garden. Situated on the side of the River Thames in London.
The gardens original purpose was to train apprentices in identifying plants. With the gardens location close to the river creating a warmer microclimate. This significantly increased the many non-native plants that could be grown.
In 1700 the garden had started an international botanic garden seed exchange system, which continues to this day.
The gardens cover some four acres and are leased on what is known as a peppercorn ( very low) rent in perpetuity.
They are with out doubt one of London’s secret ‘gems’ and thoroughly worth a visit.
The gardens mission ” Linking people with plants and nature”
The interview starts with Ann talking for around 8 minutes to a group of school children on a field trip. The gardens have over 100 such school visits a year. Ann then talks to Michael a very knowledgeable and extremely helpful member of staff. We kept all the typical inner city sounds on the recording – the enthusiasm of the children is very heartening.
Integrated pest management is the preferred method of bug control…
They have a project called “Shelf Life’ it is just an incredible way to show children where their food comes from
You can also listen to Ann’s interview on iTunes at Growing Trends
We would love to hear your comments and suggestions for a show… just send us an email to Growing Trends
A few years ago, I was reading a paper about how grasses ‘moved’ to music. Then shortly after, I read about the effects of harmonious sounds on plant growth.
Why do I mention this? Well a few weeks ago we were talking about Tesla and his discoveries. This led us to talking about vibrations, sound waves, force fields etc., Then a strange thing happened.
Ann and I, interviewed a wonderful lady landscape architect Jan Johnsen, about her new book “Heaven is a Garden”.
We talked a little about how at a very young age she discovered during a science fair competition – which against all the odds she won – the effects early morning birds singing have on plants.
The sound waves, which are similar to a violin stimulate a plant, to open its stomata taking in carbon-dioxide to help it grow quicker.
Jan has now written a new book called Heaven is a Garden. It’s a really fascinating and informative read. Jan has ‘connected’ the dots so as to speak. Between the natural world and our emotions. How the Four Winds are important when laying out a space, the careful use of curves, and my favorite Golden Rectangles and the Divine Proportion. – Phi is the mathematical proportion ( 1 : 1.618) we see in every natural form. Using this proportion ensures a sense of harmony in any outdoor space that contains it. I’ve always tried to use these proportions in my designs.
Jan then talks about Trees – natures rechargers as she puts it… The Celts shunnache, the Hindu tree devas, and Greek dryads are really references to light energy? The Chinese call this energy chi…the Japanese consider the health giving properties of trees the basis of a medical therapy called ‘ Forest bathing’, it helps reduce stress.
Jan then discusses the magnetic attraction in a Zen garden – rocks in these gardens reflect a deep understanding of the geomagnetic properties of stone and its impact on a place.
Finally the benefits of color in a garden.
You can listen to our truly fascinating interview with Jan Johnsen or if you prefer on iTunes at Growing Trends
We would love to hear from you, with your comments or ideas for shows write to us at info@grotrends.com
It’s that time of year again, as we move from Spring into Summer all sorts of tasty treats abound in our gardens, our interview today is with a lady who has taken this to a new dimension. Ann & I … Continue reading →
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