PRESIDENT’ S MESSAGE
KIRK R. BROWN
FULL EXPOSURE RECOMMENDED
This is the Expo edition of GWA’ s On the QT. In the past 12 months, I have enjoyed traveling to a number of sites that have hosted international expositions: Barcelona, Spain; Seattle, Washington; Flushing, New York; Genoa, Milan and Rome, Italy; Los Angeles and San Francisco, California; Baltimore, Maryland; Knoxville, Tennessee; Omaha, Nebraska; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Jamestown, Virginia. The shared attributes among them are an historic sense of place and strong cultural identity. GWA is developing a plan to strengthen our identity and create a space within the gardening industry.
Atlanta has hosted several international expos: 1881 International Cotton Exposition and 1895 Cotton States and International Exposition. Atlanta is a celebration of Southern gardening traditions and brash international commerce. It is placed at a crossroads, where modern high-rises intersect with romantic antebellum charm. In 2016 it will host the 68th GWA Annual Conference and Expo. Are you registered yet?
ON THE TRACK OF PROGRESS
On the road to Atlanta, GWA prepares to update and revitalize its bylaws. In Atlanta, the Board will meet to evaluate our progress over the past nine months and update strategic initiatives. New committees have redesigned and invigorated programming: First-timers, Vendor Appreciation Reception, Membership / Mentor outreach, Defined Meeting Spaces, Educational Formatting! We’ ve been busy on every front. Will you meet me in this“ Bee Hive” of activity?
This year, Regional and Connect Meetings were held across the U. S. and Canada. More than 500 members, spouses and friends attended them. We’ ve been a new presence at trade shows and industry events. GWA has opened doors and initiated outreach to other horticultural associations. We hosted a first-ever NextGen Summit, and dedicated a full day of educational networking with some of the world’ s leading innovators. Are you planning to attend an event in your area in 2017?
WE NEED YOU
I encourage you to stop right now and take a moment to put a face on the future of GWA that would keep you active and energized. Then, talk to someone about it. I want to hear from you with ideas that will create more new programming, outreach opportunities and ways to expand our ability to communicate gardening. Call me or call any board member.
Call your best friends in the industry— whether or not they are GWA members— and ask them why they are or aren’ t members. Anyone who engages any of the five senses with anything garden-related needs to belong to this organization. We’ re writing, photographing, designing, growing, inventing, talking, planting, eating, living and being gardens. It’ s simply the future of GWA.
Please join me in Atlanta. It will be a new Expo experience.
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The greenhouse is fitted with a wood-burning fireplace, casual wicker furniture and a small fountain— a lovely area to relax.
KNOT GARDEN At the other end of the size spectrum is a delightful knot garden in a very urban setting. The postage-stamp-size property is surrounded at the back by a wooden privacy fence that also provides a perfect backdrop for growing espaliered fruit.
Evergreens in contrasting colors are trimmed into ribbons that weave around rectangles. Raised domes provide height to the design. Simple wooden seating areas allow visitors to rest and enjoy the garden whatever the season. The garden designer for this property will be on hand to chat with attendees.
CONTEMPORARY GARDEN
A landscape has to be in tune with the property. The Pollack home is ultra contemporary with black windows and large white roof and the garden reflects that. It features formal angular ponds surrounded by long white edging and terracing with raised vegetable beds.
SHADE GARDEN
While gardeners need to address keeping home and garden in tune, they should not have to fight nature to keep it neat. A perfect example is in the Johnson shade garden where moss was taking over one slope. Rather than rip the moss out and try to grow grass, the owner decided to embrace the moss. Now there is an almost maintenance-free, year-round, green, moss“ lawn.” The enjoyment of moss has gone beyond the“ lawn” area to include birdbaths and a rock garden where moss creates interesting features.
SLOPED GARDENS
Several of our gardens have steep slopes that require terracing. At the Davidson garden, where the property faces a slope, the lower terrace has containers and a patio while the upper terraces have a swimming pool and shrub areas to wander around. The McWilliams’ garden has a gentler slope that moves away from the home so the terraces are short. Here, steps can be avoided if you take the longer, sloping footpath. Lots of whimsical natural artwork is in this garden. The Dunn garden also has whimsy. Rather than one continual landscape, it comprises a series of discrete rooms including a cutting garden and a white garden with a small patio for relaxing in the evening and enjoying the sweet garden scents.
ATHENS GARDENS
The post-conference day is in Athens, Georgia, home of the University of Georgia, and where Michael Dirr, Allan Armitage and University of Georgia Bulldogs’ football coach Vince Dooley all reside. The private gardens of Dirr and Dooley are on this tour, along with a third private garden in the same area. This is a unique opportunity to see the work of these great horticulturists.( Please see more about the post-conference tours on page 9).
Kate Copsey is head of the local organizing committee for the Atlanta Conference and Expo.
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