Posts | Deborah Silver & Co.

Notes From A Hort Head

Good friends came to the shop late in the day a week ago Saturday-they had a mind to shop our sale, and go to dinner afterwards. We liked the idea. They bought a round of handmade Italian terra cotta pots, given our once a year sale. What would they plant in them? Boxwood, and more boxwood. Rob and I got into a rather spirited discussion about boxwood species and cultivars. M interrupted the both of us with this: LISTEN TO THE HORT HEADS GOING AT IT!

I was amused, and then pleased. Me, a hort head? Well yes, I guess that would be me. My earliest days gardening was entirely about the horticulture. Plants, soil, zones, weather and more plants-I doted on the White Flower Farms catalogue and the national weather service bulletins on TV. Mind you, this time in my life was pre computers. The print plant and seed catalogues were about all I had, beyond my own digging and experimenting.

I grew up into garden design via the plants. Any plant-I was interested. I read all that I could. I learned the names. The latin names-that too. I sprung for small starts of every manner of wild flowers. Rock garden plants-those were great too. Peonies-species peonies. Itoh hybrid tree peonies. Lactiflora peonies. Any peony-I was sure I had to have it. The 5 acres I owned in Orchard Lake had 300 peonies the day I sold it. Iris-loved those too. I grew every iris I could get my hands on. Species from Turkey. Louisiana iris. Japanese iris. Bearded iris. I could go on, but my hort headedness is not really of so much interest. What is really interesting are the plants.

The winter in my zone is long-the better part of 6 months. Every gardener in my zone needs a mechanism by which they cope. January is not so bad. The remnants and memories of the holidays sustain. February-brutally colorless and cold. March-still winter-although in late March comes the crocus, and the hellebores. But March is not the glory that is spring. Last spring was a torment, between the way too early heat, and the heartbreaking and lengthy late freeze. I so hope for better this coming spring.

I had reason to shop for plants for an event. Mark’s greenhouse sported two full benches of cyclamen. Both the standard and miniature cyclamen were in full bloom-breathtaking. Faced with all of those flowers, I loved what I saw, and grieved for the long winter that lays ahead. There is no spring in my immediate future. And I do miss the flowers. I filled my cart, and installed them in my window sill. The leaves typically are dark green with striking white markings, but some newer cultivars sport leaves with big blotches of silvery white.

My windowsill is not a bad spot for cyclamen. They like cool, even downright chilly temperatures. Therre is something very cheery about all of this pink, red and white.

Cyclamen persicum is also known as the florists cyclamen. This species, not hardy in my zone, has been intensively bred for winter bloom. If you are longing for spring, these cyclamens might help you weather the winter storm. Be careful not to overwater. Buy blooming plants that show clear signs of sending up new flowers. I keep them on the dry and cool side, and fertilize every 3 weeks or so with a balanced fertilizer-at 1/2 strength.

Once the leaves start to yellow, I know the plants are asking for a rest period. I will confess I have never tried to keep them over to a following winter. I am not that good a grower. That they help me winter my flowerless storm is enough.

There are cyclamen that are hardy in my zone. Cyclamen hederifolium generally prospers in lower light and dry shade. I would try them in a few locations before making a big investment. They can be haughty, demanding, picky, and unfriendly. Perfectly sited, they prosper. Thriving colonies make you and your garden look good. For years I had a patch in dry shade that was as lovely in leaf as it was in flower.

The flowers are so similar to the florist’s cyclamen that I can not tell them apart. Were I a cyclamen head, I am sure I could spot the differences. They are diminuitive and charming in the garden, but they are really great on my winter window sill.

Not too shabby, this.

Posted on: January 18, 2013 9 Comments

Filed Under: Plants, Color Tagged With: cyclamen, cyclamen coum, cyclamen hederifolium, florists cyclamen

Detroit: 138 Square Miles

I have been on my usual January buying road trip with Rob for the past 10 days. The Suburban has 1600 new miles on it! We got home at 6:30 last night-what a relief. For sure, there is no place like home! It was very cold this morning. The leaves on the rhododendron outside my home office window-drooped all the way down with cold. But home is home, whatever form that might take. The reentry into my Detroit landscape has me thinking about Julie Taubman’s book. Detroit-138 Square Miles.

Detroit is my town. I was born at Henry Ford Hospital, and raised on Detroit’s east side. I can say that my experience of this gritty city is much a part of me. We Detroit people make things. The day I opened my manufacturing company, the Branch Studio, was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. The fact that the Branch studio is growing legs and steaming ahead-of this I am proud. Not that I am sure what I mean by this, but anyone who calls Detroit home dreams, imagines, works, and sweats Detroit style. My city has a luminous and storied history, and a daunting present. Julie Taubman spent upteen months photographing the current state of our gritty city. Her 486 page photographic essay is an unvarnished, non judgmental, yet compassionate look at her city.

Her photographs are truly extraordinary, both in scope and content. Her friends in the Detroit Police Dept looked after her more than once while she was photographing desolate or abandoned buildings and neighborhoods. Her images may not be to everyone’s taste. They provoke as much a sense of sorrow and loss, as a sense of awe for what was, and what is now. She devoted no end of time and film to capturing a moment. This moment.

My photograph of her photograph is a much dulled down version of what is available to see in the book. The quality of the paper and printing is startlingly good. Though I have lived here all of my life, there are pictures of places I have never been.

Disrepair and despair-some of the photographs capture that feeling perfectly. The forward, written by renowned local author Elmore Leonard is well worth reading.

The photographs of the remains of abandoned manufacturing plants collapsing from neglect are both terrifying and fascinating. This building in the process of decomposing has a long way to go to get to a composted state. From my association with the Greening of Detroit, I know there are many bright and able people committed to the future of Detroit. I wish each and every one of them all the best.

138 square miles is a big space. There has been lots of public discussion and forum about the future of our city. By far and away, this book is the most eloquent discussion I have heard. This collection of photographs is uninterrupted by words until the very end. I like that the location of each photograph is documented. An added bonus-a concise and well written history of the building or neighborhood pictured. The book is encyclopedic, but the eye behind the photographs is a very particular eye.

I am happy to say that we sold out of her book over the holidays. This means there are people who care, and people who are curious. Perhaps people will be moved enough to become involved. I am also happy to say that our new shipment of books has a few that are autographed by the photographer/artist/author. Let me know if you have an interest.

Posted on: January 17, 2013 9 Comments

Filed Under: Upon Reflection, Picture This Tagged With: Detroit-138 Square Miles

The Upgrade

Doesn’t everyone hold tight to a good thing, the moment they are sure that perfectly good thing is firmly in hand? I can tell you this much about Howard. He is very shy. Strangers, and strange situations scare him. He hates having his picture taken. He lives under my desk, until the shop closes. In much the same spirit as double bloodroot, hepatica and the yellow slipper orchid, he would prefer that you not get too close, look too long, or make any demands. But the day that I handed him the above pictured giant rawhide treat, he was a new dog. He had no problem looking me right in the eye. As I got closer and closer with the camera, he never blinked. Nor did he retreat. No doubt, he had his teeth sunk into a good thing, and was not about to give it up.

I am not so sure I remember when I got my first computer. It was not that long ago, given the sum total of my adult years. But technologically, it was ages ago. Both my computer at work and at home were the better part of 7 years old. I would have stayed the course with that 7 year old tool- why wouldn’t I? My trowel is 20 years old, as is my garden spade and fork. However, these tools have no moving parts. They always work if I work. The traditional garden fork and spade were first made at Clarington Forge in England by Cisterian monks-800 years ago. The design and functionality of my tools-pretty much the same as they were then. But as much as I would have liked to hang on to the same computer for the rest of my life, the wired world just doesn’t work that way. Both of my computers had slowed down such that too much of my time was being spent waiting. One minute and thirty seconds does not seem like a very long time to wait for a file of photos to open, but when when you deal in lots of photos, those minutes add up. I dreaded the idea of new computers-and for good reason. Though everything is the same, everything is brand new too. My new pair have had plenty of glitches-most of which were glitches owned by me. Operationally, they are not so much like my old computers. But wow, are they fast.

The development of my landscape has been anything but fast. Designing and implementing a landscape for a client is an equally slow process. What takes minutes to accomplish in the landscape? That would be wheeling the garbage out to the curb. Or watering a pot of succulents that by the way didn’t need that water anyway. Everything else about it takes loads of time.

So I have been in school for much of the past few days, trying to make sense of the new guys. Our computer company picked them out and installed them-and answered their phone for me for 2 days afterwards. Mike looks like he is 17 years old, and he handles a computer like a 17 year old-sure, fast, and confident. Impressive, his command of the situation. A good and patient coach proved invaluable.

My new computer at work has a big screen, and is too fast for me to keep up with. What fun that is-especially now that I am starting to get the hang of it.

I also learned how to take a picture at home with my Iphone, and upload it here-ta dah! The picture is almost sharp to boot-I just pasted the phone on the glass. It’s starting to feel like the past few days were fun.

Posted on: January 7, 2013 15 Comments

Filed Under: Uncategorized

At A Glance: Christmas Dinner

My good friends host a Christmas dinner that is so beautiful, I cannot help but want to share their pictures. The biggest change this year-a Christmas tree fashioned from tree branches from their own property. The Branch trees this holiday season at the shop were an inspiration-I liked hearing that.

On the unusually deep window sills, fresh fruit and vegetables.

Tall stalks from Oriental lilies that they grow in the garden kept the tall tapers company. The silver, white and green table decor is a beautiful contrast to all the color in the windows. I was happy to see that the magnolia wreath I made them last year was hung in its accustomed place.