As stage set design, the Undersea Garden is a highly creative effort that deserved to win. As a practical garden that could actually grow in the SF Bay Area, it would have to be edited to take out the plants that don't like our winters, and the client would need to be made aware that plants were chosen for effect, rather than ultimate size and adaptability. Susi added a link to an actual outdoor garden down in Encinitas that is a living garden, and reflects the real world concerns of pulling off these same effects in a garden built to last for more than 5 days. Thanks, Susi for posting this, I haven't had the chance to see this yet, but already know Bill Teague's own garden and the reputation of Solano Succulents. I also wonder that anyone would think that those chairs are actually usable! Another piece of stage design that isn't actually practical or even usable... From the comments on this thread, it sounds like the show this year managed to cover most of the bases, and had something for everybody to enjoy. As one of the garden designers myself, I wish I had had more of an opportunity to actually talk design with the public, as often happens with gardens on display for garden tours. The nature of the event doesn't really encourage discussion, but does provide an opportunity for people to get together in celebration of plants, gardens and design. I don't know if the average visitor realizes that none of the display garden designs would actually be practical in the real world, but instead are designed for a temporary display and to create the illusion of a mature garden. And like Cinderella at midnight, they will all start to be dismantled at the close of the show this evening, with only the recorded image left as testimony of their brief existence, until new gardens unfold next spring.

We visit today, with a group of friends, the old man Cupressus macrocarpa of the "Torre de Quintans". It had never been there, in spite of the fact that it is near the place where I live. The owner allowed us to enter the estate, in spite of the fact that the medieval fortress is very damaged. With surprise, I saw in the garden, a group of elderly camellias. The perimeter of the trunk, of the major camellia, it is 2.30 m. (7.5 ft?). Undoubtedly, this one camellia is one of the most important of Galicia. Only one was in elderly flowering C. japonica ' MATHOTIANA ALBA '. There was no good light and the photography did not go out for me well. 'MATHOTIANA ALBA', is one to cultivate very commonly in Galicia. In the exemplary old men of this one to cultivate, almost always there appears the mutation ' MATHOTIANANA ROSEA'. To read something on Camellias in Galicia, you can see the last number of the International Camellia Journal (2007), in an article of Shigeo Matsumoto, president of the Japanese Camellia Society. Regards. Daniel Dominguez F. oKintos Camellia japonica ÂMATHOTIANA ALBA mutación ÂMATHOTIANA ROSEA Cupressus macrocarpa in "Torre de Quintans", Meis, Pontevedra Here is a link that might be useful: International Camellia Journal (ICS) Art. S. Matsumoto

I ran into Carolyn Young at the garden tour yesterday. No matter how many you have at home, it is always fun to see someone elses garden. Two of our Long Island Daylily Society members that I ran into yesterday (these two were on ALL the tours just like me) told me that they had been back to Carolyn's garden this past Thursday and had spent hours and hours. They said what a difference from the day of the open garden, that everything was in glorious full bloom and that it was just stunning.

SO GLAD you tackled that one, ken! LOL Actually, I didn't find him as 'cranky' at all--but he IS 'to the point' without a lot of 'dressing it up'! He's right about the 'Mars' and 'Venus' thing! We gals can 'think' and be very intelligent but we usually kick into the 'feelings' of a thing, ultimately and react and act from that base. Guys--from Mars, are to the point, logical (in their minds--MOST of the time) and really have a hard time figuring us 'feeling' gals out. For instance: Why can't we just lash out and get over it--right? I think ken is someone you need to meet and spend time with, (in person) in order to understand he's typing like he's thinking, quickly to the point, fast in and fast out--with little emotion, which includes irritation or anger!! I'm not saying he may not have a moment or two of crankiness, on this forum (at least it does come across that way SOMETIMES--who doesn't have those moments, anyway?) but I really think he genuninely does not see how what he types, CAN come across that way at times! You have to know, that we cannot know the mood of any of us when we try to communicate this way--the one typing or the one receiving the words, used to make a point! I'm glad I got to meet him and figure this part out and now I can visualize him saying what he's typing, and how he's REALLY saying it, and I can just see him making those quips as in person, not crankily but 'quick to the heart of the matter' (as previously said) with little rehashing or dressing it up! I had come to think that he reminds me of a man I use to work for, and I was right--his delivery and way of communicating is very similar, and after I sort of figured him out, (that his bark was much worse than his bite) we got along just fine!! If he DID seem cranky, I'd just ask him (in a teasing way), "Why are you so grumpy today?" He seemed to appreciate that I'd hit him head-on rather than turning and running out crying and feeling all hurt and sulking the rest of the day! :o) Did I describe you even close to your reality, as you see it, ken? Janice (Venus girlie-girl)