gardening

Spring brings many things to Savannah.  The city is alive with tourists and tour goers.  One of my favorite events in the Spring is the Savannah Garden Exposition.  In years past (7 years to be exact) I help plan the expo and I was also an exhibitor.  This year I decided to take a break. I was just an attendee and workshop participant. Because of my involvement I never really had the time to take it all in like a normal citizen.  It was really nice to leisurely roam around and look at the open air market, the exhibition gardens, the window boxes and container gardens.  

I attended a lecture and workshop with writer and horticulturalist Tovah Martin.  She was promoting her most recent book The New Terrarium.  I had emailed Tovah prior to the event with the hope that she would have time to visit my shop.  To my surprise and delight she found time in her schedule to stop by on Thursday.  I was so excited to meet Tovah in person and have one on one time with her. The lecture and workshop Friday was informative, funny and inspiring. I have been planting terrariums for many years, I even sold them in the store from time to time. I think it is always good to brush up on your skill set and get a different take on an old tradition.  It was also interesting to hear the origins and history of the process.  What I loved most was the variety of plants she suggested we experiment with.  I had always assumed you should use tropical, shade loving varieties. That is not the case.  I took lots mental notes and purchased a signed copy of her book for reference. If you live in a cold climate like Tovah terrariums are a nice way to introduce greenery into your home all year long. 

I would also like to mention a vendor that had really cool things. Farmhouse 1807. I had read about this couple in one of my old Country Living magazines but didn't realize it until we started to talk about shows. I was digging around in their booth and discovered a fantastic wire display piece from an old store. I envisioned it all planted up with flowers or filled with stationery in the store.  It is in my mobile storage unit (my truck) until I make a decision to keep it or sell it.