Victoria Gardens - Nursery, Blog, and Consulting

Photo from http://theshopatvictoriagardens.blogspot.com/

It has finally stopped raining for the moment and although it is slightly chilly, it finally feels like spring. As soon as the weather gets like this, I feel the itch to plant. I have two large planters on my front porch that I do up every year. For inspiration and my plants, I go to Victoria Gardens in Rosendale, NY.

Photo from http://theshopatvictoriagardens.blogspot.com/

This nursery and gift shop has the best selection in the area for unusual perennials, annuals, bushes, trees, etc. The nursery is situated on a rock outcropping that sets a natural stage for all the beautiful plant vignettes they set up. I could easily spend hours hanging out and looking at everything they have. Luckily, I have a great friend who works there and points me in the focused direction of what I want. My plant knowledge is limited and I base all my decisions on aesthetics. Being able to bounce questions off the friendly and knowledgable staff is a huge help. I have never been steered in the wrong direction. Every year, I get tons of compliments on my planters.

In addition to the nursery, they also have a landscape division and are available for on-site consultations. One of the best things Victoria Gardens offers is their blog, which is written by Kerry McQuaide, The Shop At Victoria Gardens. Besides the photos being stunning and inspiring all year long, the blog offers a wealth of knowledge. It's like reading a high end gardening magazine. I have it book marked and there is a link to it from my blog. It's a definite must read for anyone who loves gardening.

This past week, I went and began to pick out my flowers. Its a little early to plant, but I just couldn't help myself. Pictured above is the beginning of this years planters. I will need to go back to Victoria Gardens to pick out a few more plants to fill the empty spots. I will post some pictures in the middle of summer, when everything fills out and looks the best.

If you are in the area, I highly recommend visiting Victoria Gardens at 1 Cottekill Rd., Rosendale, NY 12472, 845-658-9007. If you live too far away, check out the The Shop At Victoria Gardens blog.

Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, FL

Un Chien Andalou (1928)

In preparation for my trip to Florida, since I knew that I would be going to the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, I downloaded Un Chein Andalou on NetFlix. I thought it would get me the mood for going to the museum. This movie, by Salvador Dali and Luis Bunuel, was thought to be shocking when it premiered in 1928. Seventy plus years later, and it still has an air of shock, humor, and the absurd.

I have been reading for several months about the opening of the new museum designed by HOK. It opened on January 11, 2011 at 11:11am.

Since a business trip had me in the area, I drove there after going to see the BOK Tower Gardens. The building is striking in person. I walked around it and there are interesting views from every angle. They also did a good job of landscaping the grounds around the public space.

Costing a mere 28.5 million dollars (ha!), it took three years to construct. The juxtaposition between the concrete and glass makes sense in relation to Salvador Dali's work.

Image via Google Images

He often had these balances between hard lines and soft or melting images. I think he would have approved of the absurd placement of the bulbous glass forms.

This is the only photo I got from inside the museum. One of the guards hunted me down and told me no photos are allowed to be taken inside. While I really like the exterior of the building, I am disappointed with the interior. The stats list that the interior is 68,000 sq ft. It is hard to imagine that is the actual size. When you first walk in, you enter through the gift shop. It seems inappropriate. You think you are there to see art, but you immediately feel like the museum has nothing to do with art and only with pushing merchandise. Then, you have to battle your way through the store to get to the counter to buy your ticket, which costs $25.00! I know they have to pay for the museum somehow, but it felt over priced; especially when I discovered that the galleries were only on the top floor and maybe covered 20,000 sq ft.

I was happy to see such a concentrated amount of Salvador Dali's work together. I have always been on the fence with his work. Sometimes I love it. Sometimes I hate it. What I did love about one of the galleries is that they showed his early work when he was a teenager. You got to see him trying out different genres and practicing his technique. It was tight connect to the large masterpieces he did later in life.

There is a living wall installation on the way into and exiting the gift shop. I mean museum...

Overall, the building by HOK does stand up to the positive press it has received. How the museum is set up and run stands entirely aside from the structure, but does impact a visitor's experience with the building.

BOK Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, FL

After leaving Daytona, I headed over to Lake Wales to visit BOK Tower Gardens. Located in central Florida, this National Historic Landmark is definitely off the beaten path. Since I have a love of architecture and historic buildings, I was determined to visit this place before I left the state. I make a habit of visiting as much interesting architecture and landmarks as I can when I am traveling for work or pleasure. It is amazing how many landmarks exist in the USA and how many are in disrepair. Fortunately, BOK is listed as a National Historic Landmark and receives federal money to assist in the maintenance and upkeep of this beautiful tower and gardens.

BOK Tower was conceived by Edward Bok, a Dutch born American, who was a wildly successful editor and Pulitzer Prize winning author. He built the Singing Tower in 1929 to give back to the people of America. To read more about Bok, click here and here.

The Singing Tower was designed by architect Milton B. Medary and made to house a Carillon. The gardens surrounding the Tower were designed by Frederick Law Olmstead Jr.

There was an air plant exhibit at the gardens. They strung the plants with wire which made them look like they were floating in air. It looked really dynamic in person.

A section of the visitor center had a path where stones were set into concrete on end. The stones were sticking up about 3/4" from the concrete. It created a neat visual rhythm and felt good beneath the feet. If I had been barefoot, I might have felt differently about it.

Attached to the Tower and gardens is the Pinewood Estate. I took a tour of the house and the kitchen had this great overflow design in the kitchen sink. 

Outside the house.

Tile fountain in the courtyard.

Walled garden attached to the dining room of the house.

Beautiful blooms while walking the grounds.

What is Florida without some oranges?!

Throughout the gardens are these rubbing stands. You place paper over the tiles and rub the image onto it. It's a fun detail to find throughout a walk of the gardens.

This view shows the typical English landscape style of the Olmsteads. However, to see it with South East trees and plantings makes it very different then the typical North East ones I am used to seeing, like the one below.

Boston Public Garden photo via http://www.imaginativeamerica.com/tag/parks/

And finally, here is a picture of one of the swans that tried to bite me while I was taking pictures of the Tower. Aggressive little suckers... Just as I yelped and jumped back from the blaring teeth of this bird, a group of white hairs exploded in laughter. Have I mentioned that when I go to visit these historic places, I am the youngest by about 40 years?! They're lucky my parents raised me to respect my elders or their canes would be floating in the water here....

Rainbows and Fall

The Front Porch '09 and '10

Front Porch Summer 2009

Some years are better then others... for gardens, at least. In the summer of 2009, all the planters were lush, the grass was green, the birds were chirping,... everything was happy! 

Front Porch Fall 2010

In 2010- work became incredibly busy, there was a record dry summer, hardly any time was spent at home, and I unfortunately picked out plants that were all monochromatic. It seemed like a great idea at the time. In May, I spent hours at the most wonderful nursery, Victoria Gardens, painstakingly choosing my plants- all in orange hues. Now that I look at the planters in the fall, they're boring and much too subtle. I'm so bored with them, I don't even want to water. Believe me, the plants are pissed and about to uproot themselves and move out. Secretly, I hope they do. I'm already thinking about what my scheme will be for 2011. 

Flower Arrangements- Part 2

Here are some more arrangements that I put together.

Flower Arrangements- Part 1

I went through a phase where I was cutting flowers and putting together flower arrangements on a weekly basis. I collected the flowers from a small unkept garden outside a furniture store I was working at. I had a lot of fun using the flowers and weeds that were in bloom during different weeks. The arrangements livened up the store and added a freshness to the ambiance. Here is a sampling of my favorite arrangements.

SFMoMA

I was in San Francisco, for work, this past spring. I stole the time to visit the SFMoMA, while there. The new rooftop garden was worth visiting. Overall, I was disappointed with the shows they had going on. But, I stumbled upon this mini furniture exhibit that made me very happy. I love visiting old friends... Can you identify the chairs and designers?

Lucie's Wedding Cake

I am very fortunate to have many friends who are talented artists. However, its always difficult to give them gifts because they all have such discerning tastes. So, when an incredibly talented ceramic artist marries an equally talented glass blower, what does one give to them as a wedding gift? After much consideration, I offered Lucie that I would make her wedding cake to celebrate her union to Chad. Luckily, Lucie accepted and was ecstatic! She made no requests as to size, color, theme, etc. She gave me the ultimate carte blanche.

I knew I wanted to make a cake that reflected their interests and loves. I decided to do a wooded outdoorsy cake, as Lucie and Chad had decided to marry on their property. They own many acres in upstate NY and live in an underground home! Did I mention that they are not only talented but also very, very cool. They have an enormous garden where they grow most of their food, a coop full of chickens with quirky personalities, and a beautiful natural swimming hole on their property. They live the life that hipsters in Williamsburg want.

To create the wooded outdoorsy cake, I started with the structure. I wanted to, literally, incorporate wood. I took a scrap piece of natural walnut wood and finished it to create the base. I then took a scrap piece of sycamore, finished it, and created the top stand portion. Lucie had requested red velvet cake. I opted for a buttercream frosting knowing that it would hold up better in the summertime heat then cream cheese frosting. I mixed a pale green frosting for the base of the cake. On the bottom two tiers, I piped on ferns. Their property has the most beautiful ferns growing everywhere. For the top tier, I did a basket weave pattern. I thought that it would compliment the country style wedding they were having. When it came time to cut the cake, I lit sparklers and put them on the top the cake, like you would do with candles. That was a big hit with the kids, both young and old!

Overall, Lucie and Chad were happy with the cake, which made me happy. The best thing to give artists as a gift, is something you made. They understand and appreciate the labor of love in creating something.

Oh Spring...

I need some tulip warmth on this cold dreary Monday.... I cleaned up my planters and rearranged the plantings in the side yard, with the help of K, last week. Now, I'm planning what I want to plant this year and how I want to use the yard. I will post before and after pictures as the season progresses.

Go outside!

A couple weeks ago, we got a snowstorm over a saturday night. We got about 4" to 6" of snow. That sunday, my friend Meg called and asked if I wanted to go for a hike. So, Tom and I ditched our snow removal effort and went along. It took us about 2 hours to make it to this view. It was sooooo worth it!

It felt so good to be outdoors and breathing in the crisp air. The light was dancing all over the trees and the silence felt good.

At the top of the trail, there was a fire tower to climb. Let me tell you, it was a little sketchy to get to the top since it was covered in ice and the wind was wild. Once you could situate yourself and hold onto the railing, the 360 degree view of the Catskills, Hudson River, and Berkshires was awe inspiring.

Superfine in 2009

I had the pleasure of starting 2009 on Nantucket, Ma. My trip out there was delayed one day due to the Nor'easter we had in New England. We tried to make it out on Dec. 31st, but turned around after not even making it one exit and seeing a car in front of us do a dramatic 360 degree turn on the thruway. We ended up leaving the next day, and it felt great to be traveling to a new destination on January 1st.

It was so cold that ice formed along the shore and was intertwined with the seaweed and shells. The beach was absolutely inspiring in its forms, colors, and patterns. All the photos were taken during my trip. I look forward to returning to Nantucket and seeing the island in different seasons.

The wind made the grass spin and it created these perfect circle patterns.