When I first agreed to enter the Garden Shows,  my intent was to do a roof top garden as green as it could be.  I wanted to tie in all the cool green building products I could think of.  But most of all I wanted to design a garden that was functional AND beautiful.  I wanted some interior space to show the seemless transition of inside to out.  I want a comfortable lounging area and a dining table large enough for a family.  I knew I wanted an easy path thousands of people to walk through the garden.  I hate going to garden shows that have no access into the gardens.  I can’t imagine not exploring the layers and secrets planted within a garden. 

The truth is I desigend my dream garden.  If I had the money,  I would build this garden on the in the middle of Manhattan,  design my clients gardens from my penthouse office,  drink wine with friends nightly on the cement sofa and have Sunday brunch for girl friends only.  The shape and size was dictated by the Garden shows first and the concept of a skyscraper second.  I want a standard rectangle but given the fact that I had enter the shows so late in the came there were no rectangles left.  All this to say the positioning of the penthouse was dictated by the shape of the space.  The rest of the layout was like a puzzle so I actually made little pieces that represented the cement sofa,  the log dining table and a few stools and chairs.  I wanted a large carpet of the green grid in front of the penhouse so I marked that off limits right away.  It took a bit of finagling to fit the large peices of funiture but I was determined to use large pieces as I believe smaller spaces will feel larger with larger furniture and trees.  I spent the first two weeks  of the design process without a plant or container in sight.

Still can’t write…no time to talk but I promise I will soon.  Just reporting WE WON!  Talk to you all soon.

Mark Campbell must be one heck of a good guy.  For 15 hours, two days straight now,  15 friends and family members of this landscape contractor, super dad, generous friend and all round talented guy have volunteered to work, work and work more.  For what?  for Mark of Garden of Eden Landscapes.  They all say he would do anything for anyone and I am the happy recipient of this weeks “anyone”.  Wait til you see what Mark has done to my garden.  As he put it yesterday,  he’s pimping the garden!

So what does it take to create a full scale, rooftop green roof in 3 days….a large crew of experts…Truck drivers, a pit crew, carpenters, welders, roofers, and much much more.

It’s time to give credit where credit is truly due. Erin Scales came to me a little over a year ago and I took one look at her beautiful self and thought “this will never work out”.  She was too perfect, too sweet, too kind, too humble.  I never met anyone like her, seemingly unaware of her profound beauty, aura…whatever you call it.  And she wanted a job in gardening.  I’ld thought I’ld  met her type before, She had spent a year in school and ‘love flowers, hard work and feeling of dirt”.  She insisted she was ready to work hard, lift trees, dig, so I sent her on a terrible job, a bit sadistoc, I admit.  She and the 12 men on the job stayed well passed sundown in summer and only she came back with a smile.  She has not only been with me since,  but has inspired me more than anyone I have ever met.

When I asked her to head my first garden show project she put her hand to her chest and said she was honored.  She made this garden show possible.  She managed the plant list, count and ID, the fabric manufacturing, the measuring and sewing, the art photo editing and production,  the volunteer recruitment and management, the floorplan and design plan edits and distribution, produced the radio show and much, much, more.

Erin...my rock!

But even more importantly, Erin came to Seattle (after a cab accident on the way to airport that resulted in missing her flight and a 10 hour delay), spent 20 hours a day for 10 days, working, cajoling, thanking, bleeding, calling, laughing, photographing, lifting, planting, smiling, honoring, driving, emailing, and making this garden and all that contributed to it’s magnificient success,  feel like it was theirs. Her gift is crediting everyone else.

ERIN IS THE BEST IN SHOW!!!!!!!!!! and she will hate this.  all my love and gratitude to you.  R

Erin with her best recruits...Diane and Bonnie.

Erin smiling with Great Garden Creators after 15 hours of hard labor

As I was landing in New York I felt like Dorothy returning from Oz. I thought of the thousand times people have ask me over the years “why do you design gardens in New York City?”  and I finally have an answer.  “It’s home, it’s crazy, and if Bloomberg gets his way and makes it the greenest city we just might rename it “the Emerald City.”  Funny thing is, I once thought gardening in New York City was the most difficult gardening around.  NOT.  Creating a garden for a five day Garden Show, 3000 miles from home is the most difficult and craziest way to garden on earth. So much to report but let’s start with the BEST news.

The Show Gardens at the Northwest Flower and Garden show were wonderful.  So many talented designers and contractors under one roof.  I went to this show because it’s reputation was that it was one of the best designed shows in the country and I can see why.  The well thought out planting schemes,  the wonderful, innovative structures,  the mysterious paths and surprising perspectives were of the highest caliber.

CLICK designed by Shapiro Ryan Design won People's Choice and more Gold!

And though I will now be accused of puffing it all up to tell you our good news… we won a gold medal,  and the Founder’s Cup (better known as Best in Show). And I couldn’t be more proud,  we won it in a sea of talent.  And we won it as a true collaboration beginning with Brent Bissell and his unbelievable team who built the whole darn thing including the fantastic containers and log furniture.  Bill Ellsbury and Moon Shadows for lighting our way, Studio Replica who made my cement sofa and their amazing tall pots and seats for the log benches, Wetlands and Woodlands who loaned all the perennials, grasses and trees and Weston Solutions and T& L Nursery who were responsible for growing the best green floor and walls I have ever seen in my life.  The incredible alumni of Lake Washington Technical College who helped every day and night to put this all together.  To Bonnie, Diane and Susan for going that extra mile.

Erin, Diane, me and Bonnie

And Kate, Farid, Andrew, Declan Keane and his whole staff, in NYC and Erin Scales, who literally worked her fingers to the bone (saw them bleeding that last night) to make the garden award winning. There are may others to thank and I will,  but this is the group that physically, literally built, delivered, handled every inch of our commununal triumph.   Thank you, thank you,  thank you.  And thank you to the wonderful Garden Creators for the national caliber of their work, making these awards all that much more precious.

Gold Medal winner Karin of Le Jardin for

Erin and I with Gold medal comrades Claire and Martha of Shapiro Ryan Design who created CLICK who won gold medals galore including Peoples Choice!

These photos courtesy of Garden Design

more to come

I’m finally here in Seattle, met Brent in person, saw the unbelievable amount of work he has done for not only my very complicated garden, but Karen’s of Le Jardin as well. His work space has been completely taken over by our gardens.  I have not been able to write to you because, Marlene, Brent’s mom, has been escorting me all over Seattle and the surrounding area to check out T & L Nursery and my green roof, walls and art they are growing SPECTACULAR, Pike’s Market, AMAZING, the views she will never let me miss.  I have no time to give you all details.  I’m doing my radio show On The House, live right now from the manager’s office of the Warwick Seattle Hotel and then immediately off to the convention center to help begin the install.  I know 7 trucks are in line right now with Karen and my gardens in pieces on them.  Picture’s to follow…not a second to spare now to download. Stay tuned I promise LOTS TO COME.

But we’ve got plenty of time!  Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.  Plenty of time.  So what’s left only the fountain,  the stone pavers,  “live” picnic table,  occasional table, the penthouse tiles and lights.  Plenty of time, right?  Brent,  who’s building all this says yes and I’m sticking with him.  But remember, Brent is building TWO gardens for this show.  What does he have to do to complete the other one. NOTHING I hope.

Best not to ask.

Now, if I grew green walls myself you would call this hyperbole, but I just design them.  I imagine them,  design the patterns the plants might form.  But a green wall is all won or lost in the execution. What’s that old adage..ideas are a dime a dozen?  What T & L Nursery has done with my living green wall ideas is beyond anything I have yet seen.  I have been doing green projects in New York for a while and the pitfalls are many.  Garden designing in New York is so much about instant gratification and  ‘green’ projects traditionally takes patience and imagination.  ‘It-will-look-good-in-a-couple-of-years’ is always the sell,   oh and remember it will be great for the environment.  But as a designer, and a rather organic one at that,  it always bothered me that we would have to give up aesthetics and design for a couple of years for the opportunity to go green.  After all, aren’t we bringing nature to the urban landscape, and isn’t nature NATURally beautiful.  Why should I have to wait!!!!

Well the answer is T & L Nursery,  they get it, grow it and escalate green gardening to new level.  They are genious growers,  with the best plant suggestions,  most innovative methods of going green FAST. In other words….they really know how to FORCE the issue.  Judge for yourself…..

MY GREEN WALL ONLY TWO MONTHS INTO GROWING...T & L ROCKS!