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This Week: Documentary about renowned Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf plays at DIA

December 31, 2017 • Leave a Comment

Piet Oudolf

On Thursday, January 4, 7:00 p.m., the Garden Club of Michigan and Friends of Detroit Film Theatre co-host a special screening of “FIVE SEASONS: The Gardens of Piet Oudolf,” a new documentary about the internationally renowned Dutch garden designer and plantsman Piet Oudolf.

Oudolf’s projects include The High Line (New York) and the Lurie Garden in Millennium Park (Chicago), as well as many others throughout the world. At the invitation of the Garden Club of Michigan, Oudolf has committed to design a garden in Detroit on Belle Isle. Piet Oudolf and filmmaker Thomas Piper will be present at the screening to discuss the Belle Isle garden proposal with audience members.

For more information, click here.
For tickets, click here.

Getting rid of aggressive lily of the valley

December 1, 2017 • 2 Comments

One side of my backyard is overgrown with lily of the valley that came from my neighbor’s yard under the fence. I try digging them out in the spring when the ground is somewhat workable but I always seem to lose the battle. The soil is mostly clay and very hard to work with. I would like to get rid of them; any advice? B.P., Taylor

The creeping rhizomes of lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) allow for rapid spread even in mediocre conditions. The clay may be hard for you to work in, but it hardly deters their persistent rootstock. Even a small piece of lingering rhizome can erupt in basal leaves. Lily of the valley spawns a love-hate relationship from gardeners in spring. They are one of the earliest fragrant white flowers, but once bloomed, the foliage browns out and dies back. In the meantime, the rhizomes grow and further invade areas of established lawns and gardens.

As they are in your neighbor’s yard, you will have to put a seamless metal (sheet roll aluminum) or stiff plastic barrier at least 18 inches down into the soil along the fence on your side where the plants grow. Stake it against the fence to prevent the rhizomes from pushing and bending the barrier. Diligently spade fork the rhizomes out and reduce the amount of shade and moisture in that area, which they prefer. Be aggressive in your approach by target spraying with an herbicide, such as glyphosate, any leaves that break the soil’s surface. Do not plant other plants in this area for a season while you do battle. Any compost or granular fertilizers you would use for your plants will only feed leftover rootlets. Perhaps you can negotiate with your neighbor to move the lily of the valley to another part of their yard where it won’t invade your yard. If not, practice patience and persistence to get rid of this invasive perennial.

DNR hosting public open houses to obtain feedback on proposed Belle Isle garden

November 6, 2017 • Leave a Comment

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Garden Club of Michigan will host two public meetings November 14 and November 28 to gather public input on a proposed garden in Detroit’s Belle Isle Park. The garden will be designed by internationally renowned garden designer Piet Oudolf.

Oudolf’s acclaimed gardens include the Lurie Garden in Chicago and the Highline in New York City, among scores of gardens around the world. He is one of today’s premier garden designers for public landscapes and is a leading figure of the “New Perennial” movement that is characterized by utilizing herbaceous perennials and grasses. His garden designs are artistic, ecologically inspired, accessible, welcoming, and enjoyed year-round.

After touring Detroit with the Garden Club of Michigan this past spring, Oudolf selected Belle Isle Park as the proposed site for one of his acclaimed garden designs. The site, located near the Nancy Brown Peace Carillon Tower between the Remick Band Shell and the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory, will be a connector in the cultural heart of the park. It also will help revitalize the island and attract garden lovers from near and far. The proposed garden will be paid for through donations and fundraising that will cover all the design, installation and maintenance costs.

Oudolf described the proposed Belle Isle site as a connector for people and activities on the island and “an opportunity to reinvigorate the adjacent structures and facilities.”

Open house dates & details

At the open houses, participants will view a short video of Oudolf discussing his vision for the garden and providing insight into the preferred site location. He also will respond to a few questions submitted by the public ahead of time. Both open houses will take place at the Flynn Pavilion (4435 Muse Road, Belle Isle Park, Detroit).

First open house: Tuesday, November 14, 6 to 8 p.m.
Second open house: Tuesday, November 28, 3 to 5 p.m. Will address questions that arise from the first open house.

“It is vital that the community has an opportunity to weigh in on the proposal,” said Scott Pratt, chief of Southern Field Operations for the DNR. “It is equally important that the DNR and the garden club ensure that the garden will be financially sustainable and has the support of state and city agencies.”

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