‘Scape Artists : Spring show boasts elaborate demonstration gardens featuring the many splendors of the Far East and Australia.
A fanciful 18-foot lotus rising from an elaborate water garden sets the tone for the Spring Garden Show at Crystal Court in Costa Mesa and its focus on gardens of the Far East.
The theme for the show, which continues through Sunday, is “Gardens of Enchantment.”
The lotus display is accented with three jewel-toned dragonflies hovering around the opening lotus buds. Ranging from 8 to 12 feet in diameter, the dragonflies (crafted from sequined ornaments, jeweled glass and gold and silver metallics) are suspended above a water garden filled with blooming waterlilies, lotuses and shimmering koi.
The display was designed by Christine Mulligan, a Long Beach landscape designer. The flowers and dragonflies were built by Don Davidson of Fiesta Floats, a company famous for its award-winning entries in the Tournament of Roses parades.
“The lotuses are formed from wire and covered with leaves and other natural materials, including seeds and flower petals,” said Mulligan, who also serves as competition coordinator for the show. “The waterlilies were forced into an early bloom by Van Ness Water Gardens, also a show participant.”
Sponsored by Sunset Magazine and Books, the Spring Garden Show features 10 demonstration gardens and 60 vendors selling garden tools, ornaments and plants. Members of plant societies are on hand to dispense gardening information and conduct seminars.
Visitors to Crystal Court can view the demonstration gardens, all on level one. Professional designers have depicted their interpretations of wonders of the Far East, while students from regional colleges display their versions of the Australian landscape.
Highlights from the demonstration gardens include:
* The Vintage Garden Co. of Santa Ana has created an authentic Chinese garden sanctuary it calls the “Garden of the Red Thread,” emphasizing fragrance, tranquillity and contemplation.
* Pierre Charles of Laguna Nigel showcases “Far East Potpourri,” a small space suitable for an atrium or indoor garden.
* Trademark Landscapes of Irvine interprets the flowers and culture of Thailand in a private garden setting.
* Pino Landscapes of San Juan Capistrano, in conjunction with Laguna Koi Ponds of Laguna Beach, interprets the “Spirit of the Japanese Garden” using plant materials and large, colorful koi.
* Palm trees sway over a tropical lanai surrounded by orchids and bromeliads in “Paradise in Bloom,” created by Lawson’s Landscape Service of Huntington Beach.
Besides highlighting the colorful Far East, show organizers are also depicting how plants suited for Southern California’s Mediterranean climate can be used to create lush and colorful gardens.
“There’s still serious concern about the future of California’s water supply, and we want people to learn how to use plants in home landscapes that need little supplemental water,” Mulligan said. “Too often, people think of these drought-tolerant plants as gray or brown boring plants. That’s why we asked the students, who are excited about these types of plants, to show how they can be used in small-scale gardens to create lush, colorful landscapes.”
UC Irvine’s landscape architecture department shows how to use formal design and the informal use of plants and stonework to create a California patio garden in a display called “Bringing the Outback Home.” The display highlights showy plants such as Leptospermum Snow White, Centranthus ruber, Santa Barbara daisies, roses, Correa Ivory Bells and various flowering acacias.
The Los Robles Club of the Cal Poly Pomona horticultural department uses a waterfall as the centerpiece of “Paradise Found,” an interpretation of Australia’s rain forest region. Terrestrial plants including orchids, scaevola Mauve Clusters, Australian tree ferns, Fire Wheel tree, Bottle tree and aquatic plants (including lotuses) create a rich and colorful landscape.
Cal Poly’s landscape architecture department has selected the Australian outback as the inspiration for its depiction of a simple design with a rich plant palette that includes Hardenbergia, Silver Dollar eucalyptus and flowering acacias.
After viewing garden creations, aficionados can browse through vendor displays on the second and third levels. Selections include unusual begonias, bromeliads, orchids, bonsai, Epiphyllum, staghorn and other mounted ferns, fuchsias, herbs, roses, drought-tolerant plants, native plants, irises, waterlilies and day lilies.
Spring Garden Show hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. today and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Parking is free. Crystal Court is at Bear Street and Sunflower Avenue, Costa Mesa. For information, call (714) 435-2167.
