20th Annual Open House & Summer Garden Festival Spring 2011

Saturday, July 16, 2011

10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Free and open to the public.

• Saturday July 16 Highlights
• Free lectures and demonstrations all day long
• An exceptional collection of perennials, grasses, herbs and shrubs
• 10 acres of daylilies at peak bloom and display gardens brimming with colorful perennials, woody shrubs, grasses, vines and water plants
• Herbs, distinctive annuals and perennials, garden gifts, garden accessories and product for sale from nurseries and garden organizations
• URI Master Gardeners will answer your gardening questions
• Cool drinks available all day
• Fruit, ice cream, sandwiches and light refreshments to benefit Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom.
• Garden raffle also benefits Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom

On Saturday, July 16th, 2011 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Tranquil Lake Nursery in Rehoboth, Massachusetts will celebrate our 20th Annual Open House & Summer Garden Festival. Each July, people from all over New England visit the nursery to wander among the perennials, display gardens and 10 acres of daylily fields during the peak season of bloom among the more than 3,600 varieties of daylilies that the nursery offers. Tranquil Lake Nursery is the largest grower of Daylilies and Siberian and Japanese Iris in the northeastern United States. To celebrate the occasion the nursery will offer free lectures and demonstration, free daylily tasting, cool drinks and a diverse assortment of garden activities and garden vendors all day long.

This year, our theme for the Open House and Summer Festival is “Flowers and Foliage from the Summer Garden.” Twelve garden talks and demonstrations will be offered throughout the day, on the half hour, showcasing talented local horticulturists, gardeners, flower arrangers and herbalists. Each will explore creative aspects of gardening, design and harvest. Topics include selecting plants to complement daylilies; design using exceptional foliage characteristics; planting to extend the interest in the garden through the season; tough plants that will thrive in any garden; woody ornamental for the mixed border; culinary and ornamental herbs; daylilies; dividing perennials; summer flower arrangements, and plants and design ideas for the shade.

Schedule of Workshops and Demonstrations for Saturday, July 16

10:00            “Beyond Blooms: Plants that Extend the Season with Exception Foliage & More”                                             Warren Leach, garden designer and co-owner of Tranquil Lake Nursery

Warren Leach, talented garden designer and co-owner of Tranquil Lake Nursery will recommend a diverse selection of superlative plants with exceptional foliage characteristics in “Beyond Blooms: Plants that Extend the Season with Exceptional Foliage & More.” Warren will emphasize plants with good foliage color, architectural stature, stunning leaf shape and texture and multi-season interest through maturing seedheads and textured twigs that can be used in a diversity of ways to complement flowers, provide structure and offer seasonal succession in the mixed border . Warren will share his design skills to suggest imaginative combinations of woody and herbaceous plants that will help extend the beauty of your garden through the season, echoing leaf colors and texture to set up dramatic eye catching accents that catch the eye.

10:30           “Plant Combinations and Solutions for Success in the Shade.”                                                                                 Suzanne Mahler, garden lecturer and former president of the NE Daylily Society

Suzanne Mahler is a distinguished garden lecturer and the former president and long time member of the New England Hemerocallis (daylily) Society. She has an impressive garden of her own in Hanover, Massachusetts, filled with daylilies and the many perennials that show them off to best advantage. Over the years, as her garden has matured and trees and shrubs have grown, it has become more shady. Gardening in the shade may offer challenges but also charming opportunities and even protection from the strong rays of the sun. In her garden talk, “Plant Combinations and Solutions for Success in the Shade,” Suzanne will discuss unique aspects of shade gardening and suggest an assortment of attractive flowering and foliage plants for garden settings ranging from partial sun to dense shade. She will also showcase shade loving plants and suggest planting combinations to enhance colorful flowers and foliage and distinctive texture and offer garden interest from spring through frost.

11:00            Exceptional and Connoisseur Plants for the Mixed Border                                                                            Gary Koller, horticulturist and garden designer, Koller Associates, West Roxbury

Noted Horticulturist and Garden Designer Gary Koller, president of Koller Associates of West Roxbury, Massachusetts is recognized nationally for his horticulture and design knowledge. As a landscape designer he specializes in garden design emphasizing woody ornamentals. He will share some of his favorite woody ornamental plants for the summer garden in his garden talk on “Exceptional and Connoisseur Plants for the Mixed Border.” Woody ornamentals form the backbone of the flower border throughout the year, adding structure, color, texture and panache. Gary will offer insights and tips for using these exceptional plants in your garden. You are sure to meet a few that will add a sensational accent to your borders this year.

11:30           Creative Flower Arrangements from the Summer Garden                                                                                     Karen Perkins, flower arranger & owner of Garden Vision Epimediums, Phillipston, MA

Karen Perkins, gardener, garden lecturer and award-winning flower arranger from Phillipston, Massachusetts, will show you how to produce a bounty of beauty in "Creative Flower Arrangements from the Summer Garden." Karen will demonstrate how to use everyday containers, garden flowers and cut foliage to create stunning floral compositions. She will demonstrate her unique design flare, share tips for selecting containers and tell you how to condition flowers and foliage picked from the summer garden. Karen is currently the proprietor of Garden Vision Epimediums and the former Education Director at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston where she often taught floral courses.

12:00          Tried and True Favorite Shrubs, Trees and Perennials                                                                                     Deborah Swanson, horticulturist, and retired UMass Educator

Deborah Swanson, gardener and former UMass Extension Horticulturist will offer a selection of tough yet choice hardy woody and herbaceous plants that will provide a long season of beauty in garden talk "Tried and True Favorite Shrubs, Trees and Perennials." Deborah is an avid gardener and plant collector whose extensive gardens are filled with a bounty of distinctive perennials and woody plants. She will share her love of plants and show you some new varieties and old favorites for abundant summer bloom discussing the ornamental qualities of her favorites such as enduring habit and long interest in the garden throughout the season. She will also discuss their cultural requirements and offer suggested garden combinations. Many of these plant have also been selected as award winners for northern gardens by the Arnold Arboretum, Worcester County Horticultural Society's Cary Award Program and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's Styer Gold Medal Award Program.

12:30          Daylilies - The Summer Garden Sensation                                                                                                              Philip Boucher, horticulturist and co-owner Tranquil Lake Nursery

With ten acres of daylilies at peak bloom, the daylily flowers are truly the stars of the Open House and Summer Garden Festival at Tranquil Lake Nursery, where the fields and gardens feature more than 3,600 varieties. Tranquil Lake Nursery co-owner Philip Boucher will share his love and knowledge of these special flowers in his garden talk “Daylilies - The Summer Garden Sensation.” Learn about the many assets and characteristics of these beautiful and diverse summer garden essential and meet some of Phil’s favorites. You are sure to meet a daylily or two that you must have for your own.

1:00            Plant Combinations for A Long Season of Enjoyment in the Mixed Border                                                      Warren Leach, garden designer and co-owner of Tranquil Lake Nursery

Warren Leach, horticulturist, garden designer and co-owner of Tranquil Lake Nursery, will explore “Plant Combinations for a Long Season of Enjoyment in the Mixed Border” in his garden talk. Warren is noted throughout New England for the gardens he designs that offer a bounty of bloom and distinctive foliage from early spring through to November. With some forethought and planning you can have bloom and garden color throughout the season. Warren will focus on planting combinations that start their beauty on early spring and roar on with full throttle beauty into the fall, even withstanding frost. He will offer design tips that can be easily translated to the home garden.

1:30            Favorite Culinary and Ornamental Herbs and Their Lore                                                                                     Gilbert Moore, herb grower, gardener and nursery friend

Gilbert Moore has been gardening at his home in Slatersville, Rhode Island for nearly half a century. His passion for herbs has led him to spend many seasons volunteering at Capriland's Herb Farm in Connecticut and Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts. His own garden is divided into several themed herb garden areas, such as herbs for fragrance, dying, herbs from the Bible, herbs for cooking, medicine, and more. Gil will share the lore and practical gardening tips for growing some of his favorite garden herbs and tell you how he uses them during his garden talk “Favorite Culinary and Ornamental Herbs and Their Lore.” Learn which of these useful herbs will grow best in your location, how to use them and which will make handsome additions to your summer garden.

2:00            Tough But Terrific: Best Plants to Survive in Sun and Shade                                                                         David Burdick, plant connoisseur and owner of Daffodils and More, Dalton, MA

With all the excitement about the newest and best in perennials and other plants, we sometimes forget that there are a vast number of wonderful old standbys that perform spectacularly in the garden year after year whether in full sun or deep shade. David Burdick is a talented gardener, plant connoisseur and owner of Daffodils and More Nursery in Dalton, Massachusetts. He will share his vast knowledge of plants and introduce you to a number of favorite stalwart garden performers that offer long life, hardiness and exceptional seasonal display in his garden talk “Tough But Terrific: Best Plants to Survive in Sun and Shade.” He’ll suggest placement in the garden and offer recommendations for soil and water requirements for each. Plan to add a few more of these attractive and long-lived plants to the garden this year.

2:30            Strategies for Getting to the Root of Planting Success                                                                                    Dr. Sue Gordon, horticulturist, Kinney Azalea Garden, Kingston, RI

The best way to understand where to place plants in the garden so that they will thrive and offer beautiful foliage and flowers for years to come, is to understand the plants themselves. What kind of soil, light and habitat best suited their wild cousins. In her 2:30 p.m. plant talk “Strategies for Getting to the Root of Planting Success” Dr. Sue Gordon, horticulturist for the Kinney Azalea Garden in Kingston, RI and Instructor at URI will offer a brief botany overview connecting horticultural needs to the plant’s anatomy and physiology.

3:00            Dividing Daylilies and Other Perennials                                                                                                           Andy Balon, Horticulturist and Landscape Foreman, Tranquil Lake Nursery

Andy Balon, horticulturist and landscape foreman of Tranquil Lake Nursery will take you step-by-step through the techniques for “Dividing Daylilies and other Summer Perennials.” Dividing plants offers a terrific opportunity to increase the number of plants in your garden while also improving the vigor and bloom of plants. Learn how and when to divide established clumps of Hosta, Iris, daylilies and other perennials.

3:30            Tour of the Gardens and the Design at Tranquil Lake Nursery                                                                      Warren Leach, garden designer, Tranquil Lake Nursery

Garden Designer Warren Leach, will end the day with a “Garden Design Tour of the Gardens of Tranquil Lake Nursery.” Over the past twenty years, Warren designed and built all the nursery gardens. They were designed to offer flowers and foliage that provide interest from early spring through fall. There are also many built garden features such as paths, bogs, benches, purple posts, fences, stone walls and more that captivate visitors as they wander around the grounds. During this garden tour Warren will spotlight favorite plants, horticultural techniques, and design features that he has used to solve problems and create beautiful display.

In addition to the 3,600 varieties of daylilies and the 300 varieties each of Siberian and Japanese Iris for which Tranquil Lake Nursery is famous, the nursery also offer an exceptional collection of container grown perennials, grasses and shrubs to accompany your daylilies and Iris in the home garden. A number of other horticultural vendors have been invited to share their gardening products with you.

In addition, the URI Master Gardeners, will offer garden tips and advice throughout the day. Bring your garden questions and Ask a Master Gardener. Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing educational resources about the importance of Massachusetts agriculture will be selling, fruit, cold gaspacho soups, Sandwiches and ice cream. All proceeds from the sale of food and a garden raffle will benefit Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom. Cool drinks are always provided free, courtesy of the Nursery. Drinks, such as lemonade, ice tea and water will be plentiful and free. Guests are also invited to bring a picnic.

Tranquil Lake Nursery also has beautiful display gardens for you to view. These include a number of low maintenance perennial borders, an ornamental vegetable garden, a thyme bench, an entry garden, an ornamental grass garden, a pond-side water garden, a purple garden, a bog garden, an herb garden, a new rain garden and more. In addition there are spectacular container plantings, garden pools and a water rill. Plan to bring a lunch and spend the whole day from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Directions to Tranquil Lake Nursery