How is a local bouquet of seasonal blossoms like the first spring dinner of  fava bean pasta?  Both mark a unique moment in the season; a singular phase of the year that must be celebrated and cherished, acknowledged and savored before it’s past.  My good friends Debra Prinzing and David Perry get this and after reading their new book The 50 Mile Bouquet: Seasonal, Local and Sustainable Flowers, just out from St. Lynn’s Press you will too.

Prinzing’s thoughtful and passionate interviews with farmers, floral designers, and flower-lovers, richly illustrated with Perry’s luscious photography, creates a satisfying multi-sensory feast of provocative observations and beautiful images.

Why do we settle for anonymous, season-free, chemical laden posies from the other side of the world when there’s bounty all around us and good people working hard to bring their crops to market? Well one, because until recently, how were we to know that those cello-wrapped bouquets, that are oh-so-available at florists, markets, and even warehouse stores hid a dark environmental and human toll behind their alluring good looks.

Note to self: always question the perfect! Like a bug-free vegetable garden, it doesn’t exist in the real world.

Fran Sorin, of Gardening Gone Wild, a smart and informed blog that looks at every aspect of the world of horticulture, recently ran a lovely Q&A with Debra.  Here’s a snippet of my favorite part:

You compare ‘green floral design’ to the authenticity of the slow food movement. Can you explain what you mean?

The notion of Farm-to-Table dining has been around for 40 years, ever since Alice Waters opened Chez Panisse in Berkeley. And since that time, the Slow Food movement has gathered its momentum, its supporters, and its believers. In culinary circles and among foodies, the farmer is the new rock star. We gobble up their food and gobble up heart-warming stories of the artisanal cheese maker, the organic vintner, the heirloom tomato farmer – it’s everywhere and it’s widely accepted that eating food that has made the shortest possible journey from the field to the table is “better” than the alternative. Now, we are witnessing the early efforts of the flower world to catch up with the culinary world.

You can read the entire interview here.

I have an even greater level of respect and gratitude for farmers of all stripes this spring when I’ve been too busy to get out and plant.

I miss fresh radishes.  Last season’s kale has finally gone completely to flower providing a fabulous meal for early pollinators; dinner, not so much.  Fresh tender herbs are producing, the rhubarb is sizing up nicely, and the blueberries and raspberries are fully budded meaning their lovely crop of berries is on its way with little input from me.  I love perennial edibles!!!  But you can bet your last trusty trowel, I made time to get my fava beans planted – I can’t imagine a gardening year without my favorite vegetable.

Another sort of delicious crop from the fertile fields of the Skagit Valley

On the floral front – heartfelt  thanks go to my sweetheart who made my May day with a big bouquet of brilliant, jewel-toned tulips – fresh from the Skagit Valley – just outside Seattle. Local Love!!!

…part eco-friendly, non-traditionalist; part crafty creative with more ideas than money, and an abiding aversion to off-the-shelf shopping. My garden is my canvas, my vision, and my voice. A place where I am free of all rules, except those of Nature herself. It’s where I make my unique mark on the world.

Follow the link below to read the rest of my guest blog on the Mother Earth News Fair Blog:

Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/blogs/blog.aspx?blogid=2147484125&tag=Lorene Edwards Forkner#ixzz1tAmmLSb0

Or you can catch me “LIVE ” at the Mother Earth News Fair in Puyallup, CA   WASHINGTON.  As in Puyallup WA (Ack… methinks someone has been traveling up and down the left coast too much!!!! Thank you to those nice people who politely pointed out my mistake~)  June 2-3, 2012.  I’m speaking about my new book and exhorting people to relax and have some fun in the garden on Saturday afternoon at 4pm.

This leaves me plenty of time to mine the rest of this crafty, creative, resourceful weekend for all the latest ideas in organic gardening, FOOD and green living. From global sustainability to homemade cheese – I’ve mapped out my time to catch as many exciting speakers and seminars as I can – to say nothing of the scores of cool vendors!

Wanna join in the fun? Go here for the entire scoop.

Time is flying! Weeks pass in a blur and the Charles Bukowski line “the days run away like wild horses…” is CONSTANTLY running on a loop in my head. My days are filled in collaborative and creative effort – something I’ve longed for – but alas, the work is indoors and mostly via computer and phone (with occasional airline travel for good measure)

I’m not trying to be coy.  I realize I’ve said little here about my new professional hat. Providing more details about that adventure is on my to-do list… right next to grocery shopping, planting the vegetable garden and just about everything having to do with housekeeping!  Yep, things are pretty hectic these days.  Exciting, satisfying, and productive but yes, very, very hectic.

I have little problem kicking groceries and housekeeping to the curb, but I miss my garden.  The ‘Alchymist’ rose outside our kitchen window is wearing a fuzzy fur coat of bright green aphids. (ewwww!) The sight taunts me every time I stand at the sink waiting for the coffee to brew – the only domestic appliance getting a workout these days.  Weeds are colonizing the gravel pathways and last year’s kale is a giant bouquet of yellow flowers so brilliant you can probably see it from space.  All the more reason to appreciate and focus on those plants that are quietly and steadily doing their good work completely independent of my input.

Erysimum 'Constant Cheer'

Erysimum ‘Constant Cheer’ is more than living up to its name.  This little subshrub has been blooming it’s heart out for more than a month already; ha, and they call it a wallflower!!! Picking fistfuls of flowering stems for a desktop bouquet is about the sum of my (outdoor) horticultural endeavors these days. I confess, generally I have issues with plants that bloom, and bloom, (and bloom) without ceasing — I get bored.  And nobody likes a showoff, botanical or otherwise.  But ‘Constant’s’ charm lies in its every-changing palette of water-colored blooms.  Even after picking, the flowers continue to morph from citrusy yellow to peach to berry — a veritable bowl of horticultural rainbow sherbet.  [I must be hungry... even the busiest day can't distract me from my next meal~]

I got a very sweet email from Poppy, my father-in-law, this morning with the following quote:

“A garden must combine the poetic and the mysterious with a feeling of serenity and joy,”
– Luis Barragan.

Admittedly there’s very little serenity in my life just now, but joy, poetry and most definitely the mysterious are all playing starring roles.  So I guess I’m gardening after all.  But in a new way that’s less digging and plotting, more receiving and observation.

Yet another line from a gifted poet is pinned to the bulletin board by my desk:

“…my work, which is mostly standing still and learning to be astonished” — Mary Oliver

I had NO IDEA aphids could build up in such astonishing numbers if left unchecked!

Long considered “one of the  slowest of the performing arts,” HORTICULTURE is a living, breathing, ever-adapting, reflection of the world and our human role within it.  Whether you’re (ahem) a venerable gardener, or a rank beginner, passionate about African violets, or garden-infused cocktails, the garden has many gifts to offer.

Funny story:

Lorene & Annie

Part 1 – a coupla years ago, while on a trip to the Bay Area, my friend Joyce took me to Annie’s Annuals, a plant-lovers’ playground deep in the industrial heart of Richmond, CA.  If you’re not familiar with this destination nursery and mail order delight, go here for a dose of pure hort-heaven and rambunctious joy.  That June day I was thrilled to meet Annie herself. The previous holiday season, Annie’s Annuals had spread a considerable amount of love around when they included my first book Hortus Miscellaneous in their holiday catalog along with some very kind words.  I introduced myself to Annie and gave her a hug of gratitude.  Being Annie, she hugged me back with a big grin… and then confessed she pictured the author of Hortus to be more of a “granny-librarian-type”!!!

Part 2 – last week I got to visit Flora Grubb, another destination-worthy hort-hot spot, this one in the industrial heart of San Francisco, CA.  (See a trend here?  The good stuff is always buried away in an off-the-beaten-path rust-belt…)

It's a truck AND a patio in the nursery yard at Flora Grubb

Flora Grubb herself –yes, that’s her real name– and her co-hort Jason (pardon the pun, but this is very much a botanical-retail collective effort) are passionate, smart, thoughtful and oh-so-hip.  A group of us gathered around a tiny table in the courtyard discussing what garden retailers and publishers often discuss – “The Future of Gardening.”  As if this process that’s been around since nearly the dawn of time is going away anytime soon… but retail and publishing? Let’s just say we had a lot to talk about.

No garden? No problem - Flora plants the walls!

Graphic display of potting containers

Flora and company have created a delicious and style-driven entry point to the often intimidating world of Horticulture. Botanical Latin and a detailed discussion of carbon ratios in compost –  talking points at most “serious” nurseries  - have a way of dampening a garden newbie’s  enthusiasm; go figure!  Whereas Flora’s colorful design-driven displays, fun loving, re-purposed industrial scrap, and lots of ways to play along, invite everyone to get outside and play. “Aeriums” and edibles might just be today’s gateway drug to ornamental horticulture. Don’t get me wrong; this isn’t about seducing the customer into purchasing yet another pricey perennial or tender tropical – well, maybe a little – but if Flora and company have their way, a means of getting people to connect with Nature, grow things,  and think about their impact on the environment.

The funny part of this story? At the end of our hour of crazy-good conversation and dreaming, I put on my author-promotion hat and made a plug for my latest book, Handmade Garden Projects and referenced my previous book which I knew Flora Grubb had stocked in the past.  Flora and Jason graciously acknowledged my “pitch” and had nice things to say about Hortus —pause—but they were picturing an older, more-bookish, author.  S*gh

Here’s something you need to know about.

The garden publishing market is crowded – you might even say it’s OVERPLANTED.  Just how many ways can one be told to plant-this-not-that, or be banged over the head with seasonal do-this-now lists that always leave me exhausted before I even get started?!!?

Leaf magazine is different.

It’s smart, beautiful, inspirational and FREE.  This is a look at every aspect where the garden intersects with real life.  OK – so maybe the pictorial mash-up of glorious landscapes paired with couture frocks is a little over the top – but hey, a gal can dream! After all, much of gardenmaking is the constant exercise of our imagination.

The spring issue-  just published on laptops, iPads, and all manners of browsers – delivers with articles on world flower markets, vintage seed catalogs, and beautiful gardens at home and abroad. Full disclosure: one garden is VERY close to home; in fact it’s my own backyard!  Check out Susan Cohan’s interview with me about my approach to outdoor space in “Handmade Garden Projects.”

Food and cocktails; stargazing and outdoor overnights – there’s so much to enrich these early, rainy, chill days of spring.  It’s a brave new publishing world bringing beauty, inspiration, and thoughtful writing right to your inbox.  Best of all? you can order an old school print version as well.  Perfect for a tactile, intimate browse in the shade of a tree, dreaming about your next garden project once the skies clear.

Seemingly intricate, easy-to-make wire plant supports are works of garden art

…and the collective unconscious!  Out of 31+ projects in my latest book Handmade Garden Projects, this one – hands down –  stands out as a perennial favorite across the board.  I’ll admit – it’s probably my favorite as well but not for obvious reasons.  I love the seemingly intricate finished product and endless variations, but mostly I love the QUIET!

I’m all for power tools indoors when they make life easier: chopping, sawing, drilling and the like.  Delicious things happen when I power up my  food processor; the blast of the range hood – and my hair dryer for that matter – fall into the category of necessary evils.  Unfortunately vacuuming doesn’t make my noise-approval list and I’m afraid it shows – although I’m pretty good with a trusty broom.

I’m far less forgiving of outdoor NOISE: blowers, mowers, and the like jangle my nerves.  But I’ve spent many a peaceful puttering afternoon in the back garden blissfully crimping and bending humble wire fencing to the sounds of birdsong and neighbor kids playing outdoors (remember when you played outdoors from dawn to dusk???)

Organic twining vine support

With the intricacy of a spider web and the allure of lace, this sculptural plant support crafted from galvanized fencing elevates humble materials to high art.  I appreciate these beautiful forms as much for their seemingly complicated and beautiful network of ripples and crimps as for the support they offering scrambling vines and billowing perennials.

Join the fun with me at a Wire Work Workshop next Thursday, April 5th at Ravenna Gardens in Seattle, one of my favorite local garden emporiums.  A regular stop on my retail rounds - even if all I leave with is inspiration –  I can’t resist this shop’s artful, color-driven displays of pots and garden accessories mixed with vintage finds and cool industrial repurposed “stuff” – to say nothing of their small-but-choice, drool-worthy plant selection.

Your $38 workshop fee includes all materials and a copy of my book!  I’ll furnish the (quiet) tools and you’ll go home with an beautifully intricate wire garden sculpture that’s easy-peasy to make.  Class size is limited so call 206.729.7388 to reserve your spot today.

Travel days can be a challenge – but practice makes perfect. Or maybe it just wears you down and adjusts your expectations.  I’m off to San Francisco this afternoon where I’ll take BART, then Caltrain, and maybe a cab to my hotel.

Tomorrow I’ll find my way to the San Mateo Event Center where I’m involved with judging the display gardens of the San Francisco Flower & Garden Show as a part of the team representing the Pacific Horticulture award. It’s an honor and a daunting privilege.  I’m eagerly anticipating the creative, resourceful work of Bay Area designers who never fail to surprise, inspire and impress me.

The show opens on Wednesday, running through Sunday. (Find ticket info here)  If you’re in the ‘hood, stop by and say hi.  I’ll be at the Pacific Horticulture Society booth, #1252 wearing my new “Editorial” hat Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.  I’m also speaking on the Seminar Stage – Meeting Pavillion on Friday at 2:30.  My topic?  ”Small is the new BIG!”  Designing small gardens with impact.

The front lawn as interpreted by Portland garden designer Nancy Goldman

In between responsibilities I’ll be soaking up some California sunshine, promoting my new book Handmade Garden Projects: Step-by-Step Instructions for Creative Garden Features, Containers, Lighting & More, connecting with friends and colleagues, taking in lectures, and – of course, shopping for seeds and plants!

Air travel is so interesting with plants in tow~

The other night I shared dinner with my friend Willi Galloway before her presentation to a packed house of weather-weary, cooped-up gardeners at the March meeting of the Northwest Horticultural Society.

Willi, a remarkably talented garden communicator and creator of the blog  Digginfood.com, used to be my neighbor before she and her husband Jon, along with their 4 chickens Inky, Clyde, Bumble and Boo Boo, and their lovable lab Domino moved to Portland a few years ago.   Over salads, pasta and way too much bread, Willi and I caught up about life and her new book Grow Cook Eat: A Food Lover’s Guide to Vegetable Gardening, Including 50 Recipes, Plus Harvesting and Storage Tips, Sasquatch Books, 2012.

I received a copy of Willi’s book in January courtesy of the publisher and its been by my reading chair ever since – a warm and inviting look at garden abundance that’s helped me through yet another cold, dark, wet winter.  Some people fantasize about tropical locales and swaying palm trees — I dream of warm soil and the sticky green smell of tomato plants; fresh fava beans and tender salads.

This is one dog-gone gorgeous book! Can a gardening book actually be sexy?!?  I’m mean really; I’m used to earnest, hardworking, serviceable gardening books or slick, lavish, overly-styled aspirational cookbooks.  Grow Cook Eat – and the photographs of Jim Henkens, are in another class altogether. Soft, friendly, close up shots put the reader right on their knees in the garden, in the kitchen or — best of all —  at the table(!) with Willi as she instructs and inspires gardeners to grow their own groceries.

Grow Cook Eat begins by briefly covering Gardening Fundamental then gets right to the point with chapters on Herbs; Greens; Legumes; The Squash family; The Cabbage family; Roots, Tubers, and Bulbs; Warm Season Vegetables; and Fruit.  50 comprehensive growing guides are accompanied by 50 easy-to-prepare recipes that make the most of seasonal harvests.

As behooves any experienced Pacific Northwest gardener, Willi and I share a love of KALE! Let’s face it, we can spend a ton of time wishing for warmer weather but stunted corn, and beefstake tomato no-shows win in the end. Good old kale; earnest, hardworking, serviceable kale always produces a bumper crop. With spring weather threatening – well, sort of, between blustery windstorms and snow flurries –  my kale plants planted last summer are just beginning to throw up blossoms atop their now nearly 3 foot stalks. On the advice of my friend Willi, and inspired by the pages of Grow Cook Eat, I now know to harvest the delectable kale flower buds for an especially delicious “extra edible” from this versatile and healthy green. Slightly spicy with a delicate floral note – even kale has a sexy side!

Go here to read how Willi loves to prepare this delectable, fleeting backyard crop that sings of that moment when winter is almost behind us and the promise of spring is luring out to begin another year in the garden.

Howling wind, rain, hail, snow… lather, rinse, repeat.

After a relatively benign winter, March is cruel.  Mild temperatures tease us into thinking spring is here only to be followed by nasty days like today where the thought of stepping foot outdoors sends me diving for my ratty old red hoody and blankets.  The cat hasn’t budged off the couch in days; smart cat.

The following citrusy cocktail celebrates seasonal produce now in its prime.  I do love citrus.  Meyer lemons, blood oranges, sweet grapefruit — golden orbs and juicy goodness make up for the decided lack of another certain heavenly golden orb.  The warm heart of this potion is a peppery vanilla syrup packing some heat.

I was tasked with concocting a “signature cocktail” for a gathering of garden writers in town for last months Northwest Flower & Garden Show.  It’s not like Pacific Northwesterners have an actual chip on our climactic  shoulder — hunched as they might be against the chill our shoulders are damp but chip-free — but we have learned it helps to start the party and quell the inevitable if we can offer a little liquid distraction from our lousy weather. My Seattle Sunshine went down smoothly and a warm, lovely time was had by all.

Like a well-worn faded sweatshirt- or the weight of a drowsing fat cat on your lap -maybe a little warmth will help pass these last few days of winter.  CHEERS!

I got a lovely Valentine — from the LA Times no less!

make your own stylish wire fern basket

Debra Prinzing’s review of my new book ran in today’s online L.A. at Home. Read ‘Handmade Garden Projects’: Face-lift for wire fencing then buy yourself a pair of TEKTON 3386 8-Inch Bolt Cutters, some humble wire fencing and get crafting~