Perennial Festival a cornucopia of garden designs

Posted June 18, 2010 11:00 pm

By Diana Stoll

Planter's Palette

It's that time of year again - the time when The Planter's Palette turns its garden center into a showcase of display gardens to delight and inspire. It you've never been to a Perennial Festival, you are missing something special.

The staff at The Planter's Palette has created 14 different gardens for your enjoyment at this year's Perennial Festival running from Saturday, June 19, through Sunday, June 27. Guided by this year's theme, Garden Verses, each garden designer has been inspired by a favorite poem or garden quotation.

Pick up some complimentary popcorn and lemonade and stroll through the gardens on your own, or join a guided tour by one of The Planter's Palette staff. Guided tours are offered daily at 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Here's a quick look at some of the gardens that will be featured at this year's Perennial Festival:

•Inspired by the poem, "The Power of the Beach" by Joe Fazio, the shell path on the sandy beach leads you to a hammock where you can relax surrounded by grasses and tropical color. Notice the interest created by leaf textures and the appeal of small details in this small garden.

•Realize the virtues of simplicity in a culture that often idealizes overindulgence and materialism in this garden inspired by a quotation by Paulo Coelho, "The simple things are the most extraordinary ones and only the wise are able to see them." Unique leaf shapes, vibrant blossoms, and brightly colored glazed pottery are the focus in this garden representative of a Spanish colonial hacienda.

•A lesson all who have gardened for any length of time have learned is the theme of this garden, "A garden is a work of art that is never quite finished." A shady spot tucked beneath a Katsura tree is the canvas; hostas, coralbells and other shade plants are the medium for the garden artists of this garden.

•"The earth laughs in flowers" by Ralph Waldo Emerson sets the tone for a whimsical garden featuring vibrant blossoms used in fun, unexpected ways. The garden designer wants everyone who views her garden to giggle.

•A poem about cherry blossoms by Yamabe No Akahito inspired a Japanese garden. While cherry blossoms burst forth to welcome spring, it is the subtle palette of green plants that sustains it through the seasons. The intentional absence of bright color instills a sense of serenity.

•The Roman philosopher, Cicero, said, "If you have a garden and a library, then you have everything," and I couldn't agree more! Imagine yourself relaxing with a good book in this tranquil deck garden filled with lush plants in calming shades of green.

The poem, "Winged Jewel," has inspired a garden featuring plants that attract hummingbirds. The designer of this garden has created a small world for hummingbirds to flit about collecting nectar while providing entertainment for those who gaze upon it.

•In "Troilus and Cressida," William Shakespeare writes, "One touch of Nature makes the whole world kin." This garden celebrates Shakespeare's love of nature. A winding path leads you through a vine-covered arbor, past roses, an herb garden and a fountain. Benches encourage relaxation and enjoyment of the garden.

•Three fairy gardens await to enchant you. One recreates a woodland dwelling; another features a fairy cottage; and the third presents fairy-favorite plants and garden elements.

•Diana Stoll is a horticulturist and the retail manager at The Planter's Palette, 28W571 Roosevelt Road, Winfield. Call (630) 293-1040 or visit planterspalette.com.

Daily presentations

Take advantage of several brief presentations held daily. There is no charge to attend.

•2 p.m. Saturday, June 19: How to prune roses

•1 p.m. Sunday, June 20: Perennials that attract butterflies and hummingbirds

•2 p.m. Sunday, June 20: Native perennials and their cultivars

•2 p.m. Monday, June 21: Before the harvest

•2 p.m. Tuesday, June 22: What color is your hydrangea?

•1 p.m. Wednesday, June 23: Perennials that enjoy wet feet

•2 p.m. Wednesday, June 23: Choosing the right vine

•11:30 a.m. Thursday, June 24: One pot, four looks

•1 p.m. Thursday, June 24: Deadheading annuals

•2 p.m. Friday, June 25: Decorating fairy gardens with fairy garden plants

•2 p.m. Saturday, June 26: Colorful shade container gardens

•1 p.m. Sunday, June 27: Perennials that attract butterflies and hummingbirds

Mother-daughter tea

Make some memories with your daughter or granddaughter at the Mother-Daughter Fairy Garden Tea Party. Enjoy fairy-sized snacks while listening to fairy lore from the resident fairy gardenmother; then, create a fairy garden to take home.

When: 2 to 3 p.m. Thursday, June 24, and Sunday, June 27

Cost: $35; registration required

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