Ecosystem Gardening

Taking The Flower Show Home

Carole Sevilla Brown — Thu, 09 May 2013 17:31:00 +0000

A very different kind of project for me, but so very exciting!

I was asked to do some studio photographs for the How-To section of a really beautiful book by my friends Bill Schaffer and Kris Kratt, the husband and wife powerhouse floral design team who head up Schaffer Designs.

Taking the Flower Show Home: Award Winning Designs From Concept to Completion is a behind the scenes history covering 6 years of award-winning design by the Schaffer Designs team at the Philadelphia Flower Show.

Publisher Schiffer Books describes it this way:

Cutting-edge floral artists Bill Schaffer and Kristine Kratt share an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at their creative process and offer detailed, helpful steps to assist the reader in creating their own designs at home. They’ve selected six of their stunning award-winning installations to thoroughly analyze, taking the reader from the moment of conception, with original sketches and drafts, to the insertion of the final stem in the finished design. In this extensively and beautifully photographed compendium, these veteran flower show exhibitors reveal the excitement and challenge of realizing large scale artistic visions and the “think fast” moments of resourcefulness that they demand. The final chapter includes all you need to bring the show home to you, with construction tips, ideas, material lists and flower selection, and insightful techniques to help you create floral designs of your own.

Each chapter takes an in-depth, behind the scenes look at the ideas, planning, and implementation of six of their award-winning displays at the Philadelphia Flower Show.

And each chapter has complete instructions for how to create your own floral arrangement at home based on the theme of each year’s display. It was this section in each chapter that I photographed.

For three very long and hot days Bill and Kris and I worked on this labor of love, and you can see that I became intimately familiar with Kris’s hands.

Despite some initial set-backs, and having to re-shoot an entire day’s work, we were able to illustrate how to bring the flower show home to create a beautiful arrangement of your own.

Please check out Taking the Flower Show Home: Award Winning Designs From Concept to Completion, by Bill Schaffer and Kris Kratt. They are truly visionaries!

Bill Schaffer and Kris Kratt have built a very successful business by creating a Tribe. They design huge projects that they freely admit they would never be able to accomplish without the many volunteers who pitch in to make these amazing creations come to life. They have attracted a community of floral designers from around the world who are willing to drop everything to come and work with the Schaffer Designs team.

I was able to catch them between their travels to do an interview with them about team building, this book, and several other of their projects. To listen in, please see Success for Floral Designer Authors? Build a Tribe.

Another of their projects that I photographed was The Stars Project, an amazing pop-up floral art display on the front lawn of the US Constitution Center.

I wrote about this wonderful event at several locations:

To learn more about Bill Schaffer and Kris Kratt, please check out their website, Schaffer Designs

Dave Hunter on Attracting Native Bees

Carole Sevilla Brown — Tue, 07 May 2013 17:12:05 +0000

Bumble Bee © Beatriz Moisset

Dave Hunter is the owner of Crown Bees, whose vision is simple: to ensure that we have food on our plates in 10 years. He’s accomplishing this goal by teaching people how to raise Mason Bees, and showing that you, the backyard gardener has a vital role to play in protecting our pollination services.

I recently met Dave Hunter when he invited me to participate in a live webinar about the launch of his BeeGAP program, teaching people how they can attract and support native bees in their landscapes. [You can watch that webinar at The Ultimate Guide to Attracting Native Bees]

And then Dave invited me to join him on The Carroll Cox Radio Show for a two hour discussion about how gardeners and farmers can work together to create welcoming habitats for native bees, as well as ensure the future health of our food supply.

Dave Hunter is passionate and knowledgeable about bees. Please listen to this interview as we discuss the following questions:

Our agriculture system has relied for many years on the non-native Honey Bee to pollinate all of our food crops. But it seems like hardly a day goes by that we don’t see yet another story about Colony Collapse Disorder and several other problems with our Honey Bees. Can you describe what’s going on with the Honey Bee?

Problems with Honey Bees:

Varoa Mite
Bee Diseases–too many bees in one place spreads disease
Chemicals kill bees: neonicotinoids, pesticides
Stress of moving bees all around
Colony Collapse Disorder

Why is it such a problem to have put all of our eggs in one basket when it comes to pollinating our crops?

You are working to educate people about how we can use some of our native bees to fill in the gap left by the declining Honey Bees. Let’s start with the Mason Bee. Can you tell us what Mason Bees are, and how we can use them?

How can a home gardener be successful in raising Mason Bees?

Questions about Mason Bees from my Facebook Friends:

Margaret Crowder Lawrence: “Where in the US do mason bees call home? I hear about them but don’t know if they are native to my neck of the woods–central Alabama”
Danielle Brigida: “If you move– what is the best action to take? Leave the mason bees or bring them with you?”
Marlene Heilema: “Do they live as far north at the 52nd parallel (Alberta)? Would love to know more about this”
Diane St. John: “I put up a mason bee house with the paper tubes about 2 weeks ago. There are flowering things nearby. Will they just come or do I really need to order the unhatched bees in the early spring?”

There are over 4000 native bees in this country. There are social bees, and solitary bees, cavity-nesting bees and ground-nesting bees. Let’s start with the cavity-nesting bees. Can other cavity-nesting bees be helpful in pollination?

What about the ground nesters? I’ve heard that they are useless for crops from a managed perspective today? How do we help them out?

You recently launched the BeeGAP program to help educate gardeners to create what you call Garden Oases, and I call Ecosystem Gardens, to attract and support native bees. Can you describe your mission with BeeGAP?

You and Alisha Forrester Scott, of the Pollinator Support Movement have partnered to produce BeesWeek at the Albuquerque Film and Music Experience during the first week of June. Can you tell us what you’ve got planned?

Final thoughts? What is the most important thing you’d like folks to remember from our conversation today?

For more information about Dave Hunter and the BeeGAP program, please visit:

And, stay tuned because I’ll be telling you more about Bees Week at the Albuquerque Film and Media Experience (AFME) June 3-9

In the meantime, please see The Ultimate Guide to Attracting Native Bees for more than 60 resources to help you start attracting native bees to your wildlife garden

Carroll Cox Radio Show Native Bees

Carole Sevilla Brown — Sat, 04 May 2013 11:11:13 +0000

You may remember that a few weeks ago I appeared in a live webinar for Bee Action, with Dave Hunter of Crown Bees, Alisha Forrester Scott of Pollinator Support Movement, and several other bee experts.

[If you missed that webinar, you can watch it at The Ultimate Guide to Attracting Native Bees]

I’m so excited to announce that we’ll be taking Bee Action on the road to the Albuquerque Film and Music Experience (more on that later) and we discussed the plight of the Honey Bee, and how to attract and care for native bees on “The Carroll Cox Show” KWAI 1080 AM, on Sunday, May 5, 2013.

The show has been recorded, and you can listen to it at The Carroll Cox Show [I come in about the 37:00 minute mark]. Sadly, there is quite a bit of background noise in the recording due to some technical glitches during the live show. I apologize for that. But there’s a ton of wonderful information here. Please give it a listen!

This show was put together under the expert organizational skills of Alisha Forrester Scott from the Pollinator Support Movement and Dave Hunter of Crown Bees, and I’m really excited about working with them again.

Panelists included:

Carroll Cox, Howard McGinnis, Alicia Forester Scott and Dave Hunter are back to moderate a national panel of bee experts and talk about what is happening to the bee population. Beekeepers are losing up to 30% of their colonies a year. This winter their loss was up to 50%. Our panel discusses the problems and what we can do to help find a solution.

Steve Petterson, Ph.D. talks about what is causing the collapse of bees, including varroa mites, viruses, and other diseases, chemical use in farmland, mismanagement of hives, colony collapse disorder, and moving hives around. For more information go to AgPollen

Suzanne Wainwright-Evans works with gardeners and farmers to provide a healthy environment for bees to work. She discusses alternative methods for controlling insects that will not harm the bees. Overuse of fertilizers can also be a problem. Suzanne notes that organic products, too, are not always safe for pollinators. For more information contact Suzanne at Bug Lady Consulting

Carole Sevilla Brown talks about including native plants in your garden to support the local bee and butterfly population. Even small gardens and potted plants will attract bees. Every part of the country is different, so be sure to choose plants for your specific area. A local native plant society can help. Ecosystem Gardening

Joe Fahey owns apple and cherry orchards in Wisconsin and is working with Dave Hunter to manage his orchards. Joe inserts bee hives for six weeks a year to pollinate his trees. Joe and Dave tell us how many chemicals are used to enhance the look of fruit to increase sales, but sometimes the fruit does not taste as good as it should because of the chemicals. Buy the ugly fruit and you may be happier with the taste! Joe’s website: Peck and Bushel

Randy Bigbie owns an orchard in North Carolina and is also working with his mentor, Dave Hunter. He discusses the crisis we will be facing if we do not increase the bee population. Second and third generations of beekeepers are shutting shop due to loss of bees in his area. Randy and Dave are working with mason bees in North Carolina and wants to getthe word out.

Howard McGinnis, our local expert and provider of pollinator bees, is in the studio. He is “helping farms grow in the state of Hawaii”. Howard’s website: Nalo-Meli

If you would like help, Dave Hunter‘s website is Crown Bees

Bee Week is June 3 thru 9. Alisha Forester Scott and Dave Hunter are producing Bees Week 2013 at the Albuquerque Film & Media Experience, including a Scientific and Community Panel Forum at the University of New Mexico, moderated by Tina Quizon, a frequent guest on our show. There will also be a movie screening and a gathering at the Buzz Lounge. See Alicia’s website, Pollinator Support Movement

For more details, please see Conversations With Mr. Carroll Cox, as Alisha Forrester Scott has much more information about these exciting events.

Check out my new free online course Ecosystem Gardening Essentials, 15 free lessons delivered to your inbox every week, teaching you to garden sustainably, conserve natural resources, and create welcoming habitat for wildlife in your garden.

The Tree Experience at Morris Arboretum

Carole Sevilla Brown — Wed, 01 May 2013 22:12:44 +0000

Imagine peeking out from inside a giant birds nest, or walking through a squirrel walk net high above the forest floor, or peering out through the tops of the trees to see what birds and other critters are about.

Fun, right?

That is the interactive experience that Morris Arboretum has created for all of the nature loving kids in your life.

For part 3 of my series about my visit to Morris Arboretum, please see The Birds Nest at Morris Arboretum:

Seeing nature through a child’s eyes is one of the biggest joys of my life!

This weekend I had the pleasure of visiting Morris Arboretum with my 3 favorite nature-loving kids: Libby (7), Penny (5), and Emmett (2) and their mom Mary.

One of the things I love about Morris Arboretum is that they have made it their mission to create kid-friendly interactive experiences to bring nature close to children. Experiences that involve all of the senses, and invite kids to dive right in for fun.

From fun bike racks, to interpretive signs, to interactive displays, to plenty of room to run, quiet places to explore, things to smell, and so much to see, there is something here for all of your kids.

And don’t miss part 2 in the series, A Visit to Morris Arboretum With My Favorite Nature Kids

This family lives across the street from me, and I’ve had the joy of watching each of them grow up.

It’s so much fun to see nature through their eyes, to participate in their joy of exploration, and witness their joy in playing and learning in the natural world around them.

Libby and Penny were really excited to show us the Big Bugs, and raced happily ahead to show off each sculpture.

And in case you missed it, Part 1 is here at Ecosystem Gardening: Big Bugs at Morris Arboretum

Where is your favorite places to visit with the nature-loving kids in your life?

Big Bugs at Morris Arboretum

Carole Sevilla Brown — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:15:07 +0000

I had the immense pleasure of taking an outing yesterday with my favorite nature kids, Libby, Penny, and Emmet, and their Mom, Mary, our neighbors from across the street.

We joined them to explore the Big Bugs exhibit at Morris Arboretum, where 11 huge sculptures of bugs made from natural forest materials are currently installed all around the grounds of the arboretum.

These sculptures are the work of talented artist David Rogers, whose work first debuted at the Dallas Arboretum in 1994. Check out David’s portfolio to see all of his “bugs.”

Libby stops to learn from one of the many interpretive signs helping kids to learn more about nature:

I like to visit the Morris Arboretum with children because I’m very impressed with the lengths they have taken to make this arboretum a place where kids can explore the natural world around them.

While Morris Arboretum doesn’t place any emphasis on the native plants of our region, they do have a world-renowned collection of specimens of plants from around the world, a philosophy I call “The Plant Zoo.”

Libby (age 7), Penny (age 5), and Emmet (age 2) were eager to show me their favorite bugs, and we happily raced down the path to see the first one, the Grasshopper.

Next up? The Praying Mantis! Penny was happy to imitate this striking pose:

And the Dragonfly:

And finally, the spiders web:

The Big Bugs exhibit will be at Morris Arboretum through the summer of 2013, so if you’re going to be in the area, it’s well worth a visit to see these amazing sculptures.

See more of my favorite nature kids:

See the whole series of photos from our visit to Morris Arboretum:

Photo set Morris Arboretum

And learn more about sharing nature with the kids in your life:

Where is your favorite place to share nature with the kids in your life? Please leave a comment below and tell me all about it.