The Gardener’s Speech: Bringing the High Line Home

This past Monday, the Parkdale Toronto Horticultural Society invited me to speak on a highly prescient theme: Bringing the High Line Home.

It was a stellar opportunity to talk about the New Perennial planting style and my recent design workshop experience in the Netherlands. I presented a photographic odyssey of Piet Oudolf’s work intertwined with how it’s inspired me to reinvent my own garden.

It was an entirely new thing for me. Even so, the evening was well attended with a full house of serious gardeners. I’d prepped for weeks to put my presentation together – but when it came to time to actually get up and talk, I left my notes on the table and extemporized for an hour straight.

My hope is to help people become fluent in the vocabulary of this new design language and learn ways to apply the thinking behind projects like the High Line to their own home garden. Above all, to free up their concept of what a plant-driven garden can be.

I’d like to thank The Hort for their enthusiastic reception and especially David Leeman and Barry Parker who invited me to speak in the first place – and to Mari Lise Stonehouse for setting it all up. There’s already talk of a return engagement to go into greater depth on the plants of the New Perennial style – something I’d be happy to do.

BTW: If your group might benefit from an evening with The New Perennialist, please get in touch via the blog.

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