Blue Planet Garden Blog

Garden Designers Roundtable: The Visionary Ruth Bancroft Garden

Today the Garden Designers Roundtable is celebrating gardens from all over the world. And it just so happens that one of the most beloved public gardens in California is located right down the street from me.

In the 1950’s, Ruth Bancroft paid a visit on Mrs. Glenn Davidson, expecting to purchase some Asian collectibles. Instead, she went home with her first succulent, a hybrid Aeonium. Captivated by its allure, she proceeded to spend the second half of her life creating one of North America’s premier dry gardens. Located at the site of a former walnut orchard in Walnut Creek California, the Ruth Bancroft Garden inspired the founding of the Garden Conservancy and has become a national model for preservation.

 

 

 

 

 Ruth’s accomplishments are particularly notable when you consider that succulents were not at all chic when she started. Her garden aesthetic was completely at odds with the type of English estate-inspired garden design being done at the time.

 

 

 

Although she is not generally mentioned in garden history books or classes, I consider Ruth to be one of the early pioneers of regional design, as she took her inspiration from the beauty of western landscapes rather than importing ideas and plants from another state or continent - a design philosophy many of us are just now catching up to.  Ruth began creating her garden while in her sixties. In a few months she will turn 104 and it is only in the past five years that she has stopped working in the garden herself.

 

 

Truly, you are never too old to follow your passion and make your mark on this world.

 

 

This garden has been an inspiration to me for a long time. Twelve years ago I wrote a paper on Ruth Bancroft for a garden design class. Next month on May 22, I’ll have the honor of giving a vertical gardening presentation there. Who knows? If I'm very lucky, you may find me celebrating my own 100th birthday in the garden.

To find out what gardens have inspired other designers, including special guest Fern Richardson from Life on the Balcony, be sure to check out these roundtable posts:

Fern Richardson : Life on the Balcony : Orange County CA

Susan Cohan : Miss Rumphius’ Rules : Chatham, NJ

Scott Hokunson : Blue Heron Landscapes : Granby, CT

Rochelle Greayer : Studio G : Boston, MA

Rebecca Sweet : Gossip In The Garden : Los Altos, CA

Lesley Hegarty & Robert Webber : Hegarty Webber Partnership : Bristol, UK

Genevieve Schmidt : North Coast Gardening : Arcata, CA

David Cristiani : The Desert Edge : Albuquerque NM

Wordless Wednesday: A Visit to Playful Digs in Napa

 

Last week I had the privilege of speaking at Playful Digs garden shop in Napa. How cute is this store?

 

 

Birdhouses made out of books

 

Cool succulent art

 

In the window

 

 

Good advice

 

The actual presentation was held upstairs. ss ss A good turnout, considering the pouring rain!

 

Mimi Glavin, owner of Playful Digs and new friend, had everything set up so nicely for the book signing.

 

As always, hanging out and signing books after the presentation is the best part! Thanks for the opportunity and a truly fun day, Mimi! I'll be back to shop soon!

 

Growing Tomatoes in Containers

Slow Roasted Cherry Tomato Pesto. For more delicious tomato recipes, check out From Seed to Table

According to my mother, when I was very young I once ate so many tomatoes that I developed a temporary allergic reaction. This story may be true, or it may just be her way of discouraging me from filching the last few heirlooms from her garden when production winds down in September. Either way, my love of tomatoes continues to this day, and I look forward to tomato season the way a bargain hunter wakes up at 3 a.m., anxious to score the best Black Friday deals.

 

Unfortunately, I no longer have enough sunny space for a dedicated tomato bed, so like small space gardeners everywhere, I’ve turned to containers as my solution. Last year I had great success with Sun Gold cherry tomatoes, but while I admired their well-behaved good looks in a pot, the truth is, they’re a little too sweet for me. I prefer a tomato with a bit more acidity and bite. Bring it on, full-flavored tomatoes; I can take it!

 

That’s why I’m excited about the Contra Costa Master Gardener’s first annual tomato sale, going on from 10:00 to 3:00 April 4, 5 and 6. Located in “Our Garden” in the parking lot of the Contra Costa Times at 2640 Shadelands Drive in Walnut Creek, the sale features over 30 varieties of tomatoes, available for only $2.00 for each 4” pot. Rumor has it worm compost will be available as well. All varieties have  been field tested by master gardeners, taking the guess work out of the selection process. Better still, the following three heirloom tomato varieties are well-suited to containers:*

 

Black Krim Tomato

Indeterminate - 78 days

Image courtesy of Patsy Bell Hobson

Originally from the Isle of Krim in the Black Sea, this rare Russian beefsteak turns almost black with sufficient sunlight and heat. Fantastic intense, slightly salty flavor. Suitable for container/patio gardens.

 

Black Sea Man

Determinate - 75 days

Image courtesy of the San Diego Master Gardeners

Russian heirloom which produces in 75 days and does well in containers. The master gardener who field tested it wrote: "It has a delicious sweet-tart, complex tomato flavor. With mahogany brown, medium-sized fruit that is the most unusual and beautiful tomato when sliced. It hasa combination of red, ink, green and mahogay flesh. A smallish plant, but a very good producer."

 

Silvery Fir Tree

Determinate - 58 Days

Image courtesy of Golden Harvest Organics

A traditional Russian variety which all feel the threat of Siberian winters at their roots, it yields heavy crops of round, slightly flatted 3" fruits...a real eye catcher. Does well in hanging baskets where tomatoes hang like oraments on a fir tree an on patios in containers.

Last year the cherry tomatoes stayed upright easily with the help of a small cage, but since I'm going bigger and bolder this time, I'm trying these pruning tips for keeping tomatoes vertical, courtesy of Peaceful Valley, to keep my tomatoes in check. They also have a terrific video on how to plant in containers or in the ground.

I'll be at the Tomato Sale helping out Wednesday and Thursday afternoon, so if you're in the neighborhood, drop by and test my knowledge! Speaking of which, if you're new to growing your own tomatoes, determinate means your crop will ripen at the same time - a great option if you plan on freezing, canning or making large batches of sauce. Indeterminate plants produce fewer tomatoes at any given time, but continue producing throughout the growing season. In general, heirloom tomatoes produce fewer overall tomatoes than newer varieties.

I'm leaning towards the Black Krim. What do y'all think?

 

*All tomato descriptions courtesy of the Contra Costa County Master Gardeners.