Do You Know Sydney Eddison?

Honestly, I did not. But, I was lucky to be browsing on the Frederik Meijer Gardens website to find this year's Secchia lecture, "Change: A Passage of Time in the Garden" featuring Sydney Eddison.

A nationally recognized speaker and author, Sydney actually has no formal horticultural training. "I feel like a fraud," she laughed. As soon as she started speaking, I knew that she was something remarkable and an expert storyteller.

"All of this for me, all of this to play in," Sydney began, speaking about the farmhouse Sydney and her husband shared and occupied for several years. It was in this house where she not only literally watched her garden grow, but played the role of catalyst and change agent.

Gardening for Sydney was a lifetime of answering the question, "Where do you look?" Rather than positioning one rock, one shrub, one pot, Sydney learned over time to link together elements that create a sweep and tell your eye where to go. You tell the eye where to look by creating depth, thinking about the foreground and the background, creating "pauses" and successful combinations of shapes, and studying form and style.

"It's surprising how long it takes to catch on to things," said Sydney, as she reviewed transitional photos of the change in her garden throughout the years. "I'm still catching on." Sydney spoke about thinking through various forms like rounds, mounds, foliage, colors and manipulating space. What is drawing your eye? What makes people wonder, "What's out there?"

Beyond space and design, Sydney used a gardening narrative to tell her life story. "That's what life is, the comings and goings." The shrubs loved and lost, watching a forest grow up in front of her eyes, the many vivid shades of green, her gardening helper and friend that succumbed to cancer, her various pets that were also part of her garden, and the dedication of her lecture to her late husband. (Have to say, I fared pretty well at holding in tears at that point.)

She even expressed such sentiment toward day lilies, which are commonly thought as such as pedestrian flower. "Day lily. To have perfection for a day, it's beautiful for it's time."

As Sydney came to a close, she explained what her garden was really about. "It was always about something else. Life. Us. It was meant to be played in, fooled around in. A place for people to carry on."

Fraud she is not, Sydney's lecture was dynamic, dramatic, witty and unforgettable. I look forward to reading more in her book I picked up, naturally titled, Gardening for a Lifetime: How to Garden Wiser as You Grow Older. She kindly signed my copy as I told her how delighted I was by her stories and having met her. She replied, "You have about 100 years of gardening ahead of you!"

Well, maybe not 100 years, but Sydney does remind us to pace ourselves. We are not gardening for a season or even just a few years, we will garden our whole lives. And that, I look forward to...

Sydney's 5 Steps Toward an Easier Garden

• Simplify borders by limiting demanding perennials
• Use shrubs for easy-to-grow, season-long interest
• Develop a new attitude toward the lawn (reduce lawn size, and live with longer grass and some weeds)
• Love your shade
• Discover container gardening

Why I Wish I Would Have Went Into Horticulture

Last Saturday, I spent the day with industry experts at the Proven Winners Outdoor Living Extravaganza, which conveniently happened to take place just outside of Grand Rapids. The day kicked off with some door prizes. I just so happened to win the first prize right out of the gates, a vibrant tangerine watering can, which was perfect because I always used a makeshift milk jug (not glamorous, but practical and recycled.)

John Gaydos, director of Proven Winners product development, got us started with an engaging discussion on trends for 2012, the role of plant breeders and how Proven Winners develops plants to "work for you." Meaning, it's one thing to develop and test in controlled environments, but how will they work in your own backyard? Proven Winners' goal is to develop strong performers that are more disease resistant, pest resistant (insect and animal) and drought tolerant with continuous blooms, making less work for the rest of us! He also said that some of the best discoveries can happen in our own backyard, so be on the lookout.

Rebecca Finneran, Horticulturalist and MSU/Kent County Extension Specialist, gave us a virtual walk-through of some of the top-rated public gardens across the country, known for their environmentally-sensitive features and timeless design. Inspirational yes, but public gardens are also educational power-houses, or as Rebecca said they "share truth." 
Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA, has quite the history dating back to the 1700s, you just have to check it out for yourself.
Olbrich Gardens, Madison, WI, was voted one of the top 10 most inspiring gardens by Horticulture Magazine.
The Oregon Garden, Silverton, OR, is known for their environmental and sustainable focus.

I hope I'll be able to work with and learn from Rebecca when I begin the MSU Master Gardening Program in August. I also see some public garden road trips in my future.

Susan Martin, Marketing Director for Walters Gardens in Zeeland, kicked off the afternoon with an old-versus-new approach to perennials. Susan had a great story-telling vibe to her presentation with historical nuggets intertwined. From hostas to day lilies and grasses to peonies, she really got me thinking about trading up some of my old-fashioned varieties for more modern picks with prolonged blooms, decorative foliage and expansive colors. The names are half the fun, too. (e.g., Primal Scream daylily, T. Rex stone crop, Bartzella peony, Empress Wu hosta...) Susan also played a large role in the development of PerennialResource.com, a site dedicated to all things perennials, including a library of 2,000+ varieties, articles, care tips and a glossary.

To cap off the day, P. Allen Smith, horticultural and lifestyle expert, and self-proclaimed plant geek (his words!), joined the crowd as the last presenter for the day. Because of my stellar stalking skills, I was able to catch him just after lunch for a brief meet-and greet. Being the geeky fan-girl that I am, I was totally gushing, but landed an autograph and picture with the Garden Home Retreat mastermind, and left happy (and with minimal embarrassment!)

Allen was charming, surprisingly funny and very down-to-earth, even when he was talking about rubbing elbows with British royalty. Big on design, Allen's advice spoke about outdoor spaces or, in his terms, "carving out spaces to enjoy the beauty we create." By creating these outdoor garden rooms, Allen encourages the gardener to become more intentional with design--flanking a patio with containers, composing a "color echo" (I interpret this to mean using monochromatic colors) and overall, just being creative. "There's no end to where we can grow things," Allen said, speaking to the versatile types of containers and vertical spaces that exist.

A common theme throughout the day was the importance of sharing knowledge, especially with new generations and getting them started (and excited) early. Every day, these four presenters, and the rest of the team that produced the seminar, get to work with plants, flowers, garden planning and horticulture, and I have career envy. Gardening is not just a hobby, it's art, science, design, geography, history, it's multi-cultural, and at times, compulsory. I suppose it's never too late for a career change, right?

A final big thanks to the teams that put the event together. It was very well done and I look forward to sharing what I learned with others.

Tons of swag: Proven Winners giveaway bag included a water bottle, trowel, idea books, coupons from local sponsors, among other goodies. Each attendee also went home with a Cherry Star Calibrachoa, and a choice between a watering can or a hanging basket. I opted for the latter (see my orange workhorse above!)

Things to Love Right Now: This Week's Links

This week's web travels really have got me thinking about all of the projects I want to attempt and accomplish this Spring and Summer. With so many resources, online and off, and finding new ones every day, there are really no limitations. Here are some of my fave finds from this week.

My newest blog addiction is Dearest Nature, a stunning lifestyle blog inspired by, well, anything and everything in nature. Dearest Nature is also getting readers involved with Spring Pickin's, a blog and photo project to document anything that nature puts in your path. (This should be a must for me this season!)

Repurposing old and found objects like furniture, antiques and pretty much anything you can find, is all the rage these days. This succulent garden via old dresser before-and-after featured on Curbly, a DIY blog, is something to be admired. What can't you make a garden out of? (The full how-to is on Grizzly Bear Modern.)

Lastly, just for funsies, Urban Gardens, a blog dedicated to city and small-space dwellers, featured this darling pewter sugar and creamer set, complete with miniature shovel for a serving spoon. Adorable yes, but also a pretty penny, at Branca.

Apartment Therapy also launched a new Outdoor section of their website, for your perusal.
And, don't forget about the Spring 2012 issue of Leaf Magazine, a treasure trove of ideas for the gardening and outdoor living enthusiast.

Crushing on Leaf Magazine

This Spring, you have every reason to be inspired, especially with the good looks and charming personality of Leaf Magazine by your side. This relatively new online publication officially launched last fall by co-founders and garden design "senseis," Rochelle Greayer and Susan Cohan. The Spring 2012 issue was just released earlier this week. It's 142 pages of beautifully and thoughtfully designed outdoor living and gardening infatuation. Oh, and by the way, it's FREE. Skip on over to LeafMag to subscribe.  

Want more? Check out Leaflets, the LeafMag blog, for daily bite-sized outdoor-inspired design.