CNY Blooms

With my gardens still buried under white I decided to make the drive to Syracuse for the CNY Blooms Flower and Garden Show for some color. I had hoped to have a girls day out but my sister is off to Ottawa and CJ needed to be home with her family - my best wishes to them!

Butterfly/Hummingbird Garden

Sunny Perennial Border

The show last year was so disappointing that I almost didn't go. I'm happy to say that this year's show was much better than last year's. They made better use of the space and claustrophobia wasn't an issue for me today. They also had more speakers which was great.

I arrived right at 9:00 so I could catch Terry Ettinger's presentation. Terry hosts Garden Journey's on our local cable news channel (which you can view online) and also has a radio show, Weeder's Digest. He is an enjoyable speaker and addressed several myths. He made a great point about pruning shrubs - if they are planted in a spot where they can reach their full potential you won't need to prune! I see this around here with rhododendrons. People plant than under windows and then are surprised when they grow 10'+. I liked his suggestion that we plant our vegetable gardens close to the house and that they don't need to be planted in rows. He talked quite a bit about lawn care. I know all the rules but the reality is that I'm never going to have a pretty lawn because I'm not going to spend that much time!

The keynote speaker, Melinda Myers, spoke right after Terry. She spoke about different plant combinations for four season interest. She won me over when she acknowledged that many of the plants suggested for winter interest aren't very interesting when buried under snow! I jotted down the names of many of the plants she talked about so that I can look them up. She had one picture of a tobacco plant and I managed not to laugh out loud. I know many of you love nicotiana and grow the smaller, ornamental varieties for their fragrance but after working in my father's tobacco fields the idea of growing it as an ornamental struck me as hilarious. One plant that she talked about that I knew little about was species tulips. They form a seed pod, spread well and are hardy so I'll be giving them a try. Overall I enjoyed Melinda's presentation but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't been sitting so long and if the room had been a tad warmer.

I ran into Jane, Ear to the Ground, and picked up my copies of the Upstate Gardener's Journal and the 2008 Directory. She assured me that GardenScape in Rochester will be worth the trip so hopefully the weather will cooperate. I also got to stop and chat at Musumeci's Greenhouses booth.

This was the display at the entrance to the show. The "bug" was easier on the eyes than the jeep last year.

This was an old sleigh full of flowers. Wrought iron was everywhere.

I loved the water wheel.

This water feature was great and actually doable! The glass was etched with a peacock and the water came up a piece of copper tubing. I think this was by Phoenix Flower Farm.

A smaller fountain.

This was my favorite display and my camera failed me! Ballantyne Gardens had the largest selection of plants and I took away some ideas.

Another beautiful water feature but way out of my reach.

We're getting more snow now. Gardening here is still a long way off...... :(