Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

Garden designers take
'go wild' to heart

The Portland Flower Show displays regional artisans' imagination and skills

By Tom Atwell tatwell@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

Garden designers got a chance to go wild at this year's Portland Flower Show, which opens officially today. And those who attended the show's gala and award ceremony Wednesday night appeared to love it.

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Sophia Sirois, 2, of Gorham explores the Hobbit House display at the Portland Flower Show on Wednesday evening at the Portland Yacht Services building. The Hobbit House, a collaboration between Landmarcs Inc. and O’Donal’s Nursery, took Best in Show in Wednesday’s judging.

Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

click image to enlarge

Althea Croxford of New Gloucester, center, examines a stone archway at the Portland Flower Show at Portland Yacht Services during the show’s opening on Wednesday night. The arch and garden display, called the Garth Cloister, were created by Carter Design Group and Green Island Stonework.

Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

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PORTLAND FLOWER SHOW AWARD WINNERS

O’Donal’s Nursery and Landmarcs Inc., both of Gorham: Best in Show; The Cary Award, for best use of Cary Award-winning plants.

Cozy Acres of North Yarmouth: The Roger Luce Award for best use of new or underused herbaceous plants; The Kitchen Door Award for best use of vegetables, herbs and useful plants.

Skillin’s Greenhouses and Pray’s Masonry & Landscaping of Falmouth: Pierson Nursery Award for best use of woody plants native to America; Designer’s Task Award for best use of the right plants in the right place

The Grounds Crew of Falmouth and Morrison Developmental Center of Scarborough: The Palette Award for best use of color

Carter Landscape Design of Buxton and Green Island Stonework of Topsham: Melvin Estabrook Ingenuity Award for innovative techniques and attention to detail

Jaiden Landscaping of Durham: The Lyle Littlefield Award for introducing new or underused woody plants

Blue Rock Stone Center of Westbrook: John Skillin First-Timers Award

Garden Joinery of Sanford and Rocksmith of Pownal: The Hardscape Award

Seko’s Creative Garden Designs of Buxton: Beatrix Ferrand Design Award

 

Sarah Greenier of Bath said she attends the show almost every year, and this one is the best she can remember.

"It's fantastic," she said. "We are seeing a lot of color and seeing more varieties of plants this year, which I like because I am a gardener."

"Everybody really stepped it up this year," said Jeff O'Donal of O'Donal's Nurseries in Gorham. "Even the newcomers did an excellent job."

O'Donal said that before he knew that the Hobbit House garden he and Landmarcs Inc. created had been chosen Best in Show.

Caroline Diamon of South Portland was a fan of the entire show, and she agreed with the judges. "I especially like O'Donal's Hobbit House," she said.

The show has 18 display gardens, ranging from landscapes filled with flowers to gardens dominated by stonework and wooded areas with only a few flowering plants.

The viewers were happy to see color and plants, even though Maine hasn't had much in the way of snow this winter.

"It is just great to be here," said Cheryl Levasseur of Saco, touring with Diamon. "Spring has come alive."

O'Donal was a little surprised that his nursery and Landmarcs won Best in Show for the second straight year.

"I go 20 years without winning at all, and now we win two in a row," he said.

O'Donal credits Matt Herrick of Landmarcs, a big J.R.R. Tolkien fan, with coming up with the idea for a Hobbit hole. The idea was worked out over several meetings from fall through winter.

Herrick and his brother Marc wondered where they could get the large topiary plant to be the focal point.

"I took them to my father's, and told them to pick," O'Donal said. Royce O'Donal has been creating topiary on his property for decades.

The Herricks chose a pine over a larch, because the larch would have to be forced.

"The idea is to picture the Hobbit coming out of that hole with his Felco pruners and just snipping at that tree."

The show at 58 Fore St. will open at 10 a.m. daily through Sunday and close at 6 p.m. except Sunday, when it will close at 5 p.m.

While the gardens are the big draw, vendors will be selling a lot of garden supplies and materials, arts and crafts and other products. Garden speakers are also scheduled.

Staff Writer Tom Atwell can be contacted at 791-6362 or at:

tatwell@pressherald.com