Innholdsfortegnelse for March - April 2015 i Victoria

I am always eager for the coming of spring, with its warmer days that are perfect for working in my potting shed. I want to be prepared with a well-stocked assortment of peat cups, soil, seeds, trays, and the like. After months of dormancy, the garden will be awakening with a carpet of early bloomers, including anemones, snowdrops, crocuses, and hyacinths—the results of my fall bulb planting. Soon, the redbud trees will flower, followed shortly by the dogwoods, and spring will truly have arrived. I found this issue’s article on the Bunny Williams plant sale, Trade Secrets, to be so inspiring. How wonderful to benefit three distinct groups of people with such a creative idea! Gardeners come and shop the wares of specialty vendors and plant propagators, and a local…

When I was young, I spent my summers with various aunts, uncles, and cousins in a small country-club community in Northern California called Pasatiempo. When the fog lifted, one could see the Pacific in the distance. But we rarely went there, playing instead upon a vast sea of grass—the eighteen-hole golf course that rolled like sheared broadloom carpet from one end of Pasatiempo to the other. Children were forbidden on the course. But after supper, when the last golfer had gone home, we would creep out onto it to play crack the whip or go careening down the fairways, through the revolving sprinklers, on wheeled sleds called Flexies. Being children, we took the beauty of those sharp-shadowed, golden evenings for granted, running like barefoot tycoons across soft putting greens that…

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New York City–based watercolorist Jenny Callentine recalls with affection her girlhood discovery of painting. “I was curious and imaginative but also shy and very sensitive,” she admits. “Creating was the way I escaped. It brought a feeling of freedom and fulfillment that I really needed, and it still does.” Just as pigments flow across her canvases and dry to a lighter, translucent finish, years of artistic expression have enabled Jenny’s blithe disposition to emerge. Ethereal masterpieces take shape in her airy Brooklyn studio, where each brushstroke applied portrays the intricacies of emotion or celebrates the splendor of often-overlooked everyday treasures. During the past decade, Jenny has progressed from honing her craft solely for personal satisfaction to sharing her portfolio with a growing audience of aficionados. She launched Aquarelle Maison (watercolor…

Simple vegetables are rarely elevated to regal status, but such is the case with asparagus. Ancient Greeks and Romans revered the plant for both its culinary and medicinal attributes. King Louis XIV of France so adored these slender spears that he commissioned special greenhouses to be built so that he might enjoy the tender shoots year-round. In the nineteenth century, asparagus was considered a luxury enjoyed almost exclusively by the upper classes. With a hostess’s reputation resting on the vegetable’s appearance at the table, serving it with fanfare and flourish was imperative. Specialized plates began to be produced, elevating the presentation to an art form. Although a number of ceramists designed these decorative platters, some of the most beautiful varieties were crafted of colorful majolica produced by the father- and…

ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE Page 2 : To view and purchase Laura Hooper's calligraphy, visit lhcalligraphy.com, or contact her at hello@lhcalligraphy.com. WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE Page 13 : For more information about author and teacher Phyllis Theroux, visit her website, nightwriters.com. FLOWERS IN PROFUSION Pages 15–16 : Herend Charger in Olive, $300, Antique Iris Dinner Plate, $205, Salad Plate, $150, Tea Cup, $160, and Tea Saucer, $80; 800-643-7363, herendusa.com for retailers. Moser Mozart Goblet, $180; 866-240-5115, moserusa.com for retailers. SFERRA Festival Dinner Napkins in Flamingo, $58 for 4; 877-336-2003, sferra.com. Gorham Silver Golden Ribbon Edge (Stainless, Gold Accent) 5-piece place setting, $59.99; from Replacements, Ltd., 800-737-5223, replacements.com. Colonial Tin Works, Inc., 460125 Garden Cart Planter with Terra Cotta Pot, $42.95; 877-652-7253, oldsalem.org. Page 17 : Fairy Abode Church in the Wildwood house, $350, and Garden Tea…

Take a closer look at some of our favorite March/April features: Amid Fields of Tulips Survey the magnificent beauty of Holland, Michigan—a quaint town garbed in springtime’s signature bloom for an annual festival that celebrates its Dutch heritage. Sweet and Savored Candy artisans at Philadelphia’s Shane Confectionery reveal their techniques for making clear toys. These edible cast-sugar creations have enchanted generations of children. Easter Inspiration Perfect for entertaining, our Carrot-and-Radish Salad and Coconut Cake with Coconut Buttercream recipes capture the freshness of the season. Uncovering Trade Secrets Step into a wonderland of fabulous wares at this two-day plant sale hosted each year by world-renowned interior designer and garden expert Bunny Williams. ON THE WEB Look for this symbol throughout the magazine for more online information. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram,…

Every spring, the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden wows visitors with a flowering fanfare of a half million tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths. The dazzling show culminates in a glorious finale of innumerable azaleas before the arrival of summer. Autumn brings a rich tapestry of chrysanthemums and a whimsical village constructed of pumpkins, gourds, and squash. Winter is equally festive, with a grand exhibit known as “The 12 Days of Christmas”—a Victorian collection of lavishly decorated gazebos based on the famous Christmas carol. “We’re known for our fabulous floral displays of changeable color for all four seasons,” says Dave Forehand, vice president of gardens and visitor services. “Every square inch is carefully designed and seamlessly connected, so there’s no break in the beauty.” The 66-acre urban oasis, which encompasses a variety…

Pirouetting across Michigan’s Lake Macatawa, soft breezes twirl their way into the quaint hamlet of Holland, stirring the brightly colored tulips that bloom in abundance. Founded by Dutch immigrants in 1847, the community embraces its unique heritage all year—but especially in springtime, when more than 750,000 visitors arrive to take part in an annual gala, aptly titled the Tulip Time Festival. The pageantry traces its roots back to 1927, when Holland High School teacher Lida Rogers successfully petitioned the city council to honor the town’s ties to the Netherlands by adopting that country’s native tulip as its official flower. Neighbors were encouraged to plant bulbs in every available space, and by winter’s end, thousands upon thousands of the cheerful posies flourished within garden gates and along cobbled lanes. Word of…

When Southern Californians Greg Salmeri and Laurie Resnick first pooled their diverse talents in the early 1970s, they sold plants out of the back of a van, christening their fledgling enterprise Rolling Greens. It wasn’t long before the seeds of this early venture blossomed into a full-scale, trade-only nursery. The pair’s botanical offerings not only showed up in local landscapes and solariums but also made appearances on movie sets and at gala events. In 2006, Rolling Greens began marketing inventory to the public, first in its Culver City location and then in an amazing emporium in the Hollywood area. Occupying the historic Town Tire Co. building—a former open-air market at the crossway of Beverly Boulevard and Gardner Avenue—this second shop focuses more on home accessories and one-of-a-kind items, along with…

“The sun has come out … and the air is vivid with spring light. ” —Byron Caldwell Smith…

Long ago, while on break from the English university where I was studying, I spent a delightful April in France with cousins and my great-aunt. Aunt Pat, like her twin, Louise—my grandmother—were women of intellect and privilege, raised in a family of nine during the last gasp of the Victorian era. Grandmother graduated from Vassar, where she majored in French, while Aunt Pat studied sculpture in Paris. In the early 1930s, they spent a year together in Europe before each married and raised families of their own. During World War II, Aunt Pat escaped France through Spain while pregnant—and holding her oldest daughter—as the Nazis closed the borders behind them. My grandmother always shared with me memories of her extended time in France, when she was a student and traveler,…

As January drags on interminably, I long for spring. I put away the Christmas decorations, and my mind shifts to the garden, pondering new plant acquisitions to enhance my already large perennial beds. Curling up at night with a cup of tea, I search my favorite botanical websites while visualizing all the beautiful future additions. On long, cold New England winter evenings, they bloom in my mind as the wind howls and snow blankets the ground. Brimming with all my exciting plans, I can hardly contain my enthusiasm when the seasons start to shift. I go through this ritual every year, filling my soul with dreams of things to come. It never fails to transport me toward a new beginning. ELAINE MELLEN Dedham, Massachusetts Central New York State is well…

" Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine to the soul.” —Luther Burbank…

It all started with a surplus. World-renowned interior designer and garden expert Bunny Williams and her gardener, Naomi Blumenthal, were juggling overflowing flats of primrose seedlings one day when Bunny joked, “Let’s have a sale.” Naomi took the suggestion further and proposed the idea that the venture could benefit an important cause: Women’s Support Services—an organization dedicated to ending domestic violence. Those prolific plants launched the first Trade Secrets event twenty-four years ago. Ever since, on the third Saturday in May, Lion Rock Farm in Sharon, Connecticut, welcomes nearly 1,500 eager shoppers to a field brimming with botanicals and flowers, garden accessories, and advice bestowed by hand-picked vendors from points near and far. Bunny hosted the first two-day initiative at her home and invited thirty-five merchants to set up shop.…

A custom that originated in seventeenth-century Holland and flourished throughout Europe until the early 1900s, the art of cultivating blossoms in bulb vases has experienced a revival in recent decades. Bulbs are chilled for two to three months, depending upon the variety, then placed atop a flask filled almost to the collar with water. Roots descend to the liquid, while the shoots stretch upward, toward the light.…

AN EASTER INVITATION Begins on page 29 Carrot-and-Radish Salad with Lemon-Pepper Vinaigrette p.29 p.29 Makes 6 servings 2 (6-ounce) bags miniature rainbow carrots 2 ribs celery, sliced thin 2 cups thinly sliced radishes ¼ teaspoon kosher salt ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper Lemon-Pepper Vinaigrette (recipe follows) Garnish: fresh mint 1. Using a vegetable peeler, shave 1 package carrots into ribbons. Using a mandoline or a sharp knife, thinly slice remaining package of carrots. 2. In a medium bowl, combine carrot ribbons, carrot slices, celery, and radishes. Season with salt and pepper. Add ½ cup Lemon-Pepper Vinaigrette, and toss to combine. Serve salad with remaining ½ cup Lemon-Pepper Vinaigrette. Garnish with mint, if desired. Lemon-Pepper Vinaigrette Makes 1½ cups ¼ cup sherry vinegar 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons minced…