Michler's News: Flowers, Gardens & Design

We had the great honor of having Ryan Gugeler, local bonsai artist and collector, demonstrate shaping a Blue Alps Juniper bonsai.  As Ryan worked, the crowd asked some really great questions about the general care and maintenance of bonsai.  Ryan's answered with his basic principals and are recounted in this post.

This was our tastiest talk yet!  Chef Dan Wu, Culinary Evangelist and Head Chef at Atomic Ramen, came with a whole grocery isle of new-to-us produce that originates from Asia.  Armed with a deep fryer and pre-cooked samples all of our senses were engaged.  Chef Dan's general advice for any unknown food? "Don't let the differences intimidate you, let the similarities draw you in."

Emily Ellingson, Curator & Native Plants Collections Manager at University of Kentucky came to the Potting Shed to speak about the beautiful ecological communities of Kentucky.  The following are some of her choices among Michler-grown crops to use in your garden.

An herbarium is a systemic repository of pressed plants - a little museum or collection that any Natural History Museum or research facility will have.  The collection at the University of Kentucky, where Rob Paratley is head curator, has 50,000 specimens which has aided in the identification of countless plants, the publication of books and surveys of plant locations in the state.

To hear Jim Embry talk about horticultural therapy is to hear about how humanity is inextricably connected to the environment.  In our times, nature is often thought of as separate from the human world, but in Embry’s words, “we need the environment, it doesn’t need us” and horticultural therapy is all about reconnecting people to the elements that we cannot live without: air, water and soil.  

There’s a wise old saying in Kentucky that goes, “Don’t plant your annuals/tomatoes/peppers until after Derby” which, in our experience, is true.  By the time the first Saturday in May rolls around the soil is warm and the risk of a frost is very low, perfect conditions for tender annuals to thrive.  So when I hear that Kentucky Derby bugle call the horses to post, I grab my trowel and apron, ready to design!

What is the secret to gardening for and with children?  Honor the child’s nature and remember the bumblebee!  Children and bumblebees have a lot in common in the garden.  They both are constantly in motion, they are explorers at heart, they are investigators, and they thrive in natural environments.  For adults, this means letting go of your preconceived notions of what a garden is and maybe embrace a little chaos.

We started our construction of the arrangement on the wall by using large tropical Monstera leaves and other foliage to cover much of the wire. Then came armfuls of beautiful tropical flowers.  We had large cascades of Phalaenopsis orchids, clusters of long stem Cymbidium orchids, Anthuriums, Sexy Pink heliconias, and Imperial protea

Smelling of paint thinner and Swisher Sweets, Mike Meyer’s studio was covered from ceiling to floor with hand painted signs that he had made and collected.  As the week went on, the collection was increasingly inspirational as we learned to paint in block and casual scripts and practiced the finer points of beveling and shadowing.

For those of you who lack the space (or the desire) for your own compost bin, Seedleaf offers a compost pick-up service.  Diverting your vegetable trimmings from the landfill couldn’t be easier than this.  

Kentucky Native Café is fortunate enough to be one of Seedleaf's compost partners and each week during café season we fill up five gallon buckets to keep our trimming out of the garbage.  

Are you looking to capture the season, the romance, and the beauty of Valentine's Day? That is what we look to do when creating one of our signature designs.  Your eye will move from the romantic wispy gestures, to the opening spring bulb flowers, and finally come to rest on the large open cut roses.  

Are all cut roses equal?  You intuitively know they are not — at a glance you can tell some blooms are more vibrant, lush, and impressive than others. 

While there are a number of variables such as weather, rose variety, and freshness, it is the flower “cut stage” that consistently differentiates the roses at your local florist from the mass market retailer.