Speakers, books and events all offer inspiration for the year ahead

Great Dixter comes to Seattle

The Seattle Garden Club is bringing Fergus Garrett, longtime head gardener for Christopher Lloyd's famous garden, to Seattle for a public lecture this Thursday, Jan. 15. Garrett brings humor, a captivating British accent and a thorough knowledge of one of the world's greatest gardens to his talk, "Extending the Seasons at Great Dixter: A Lesson in Succession Planting." Hearing him speak is a real treat. Doors open at 7 p.m., lecture is at 7:30; Seattle Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park, 1400 E. Prospect St.; $10 at the door.

Is that a rake?

Want to keep in touch with your garden over the winter? Maybe a craft project putting old tools, dishes or found objects to new uses will help fill in where plants have died down. You'll be inspired by the collection of funky old objects and clever ideas on how to use them in "The Salvage Studio: Sustainable Home Comforts to Organize, Entertain and Inspire" (Skipstone, $21.95).

Amy Duncan, Beth Evans-Ramos and Lisa Hilderbrand own a shop by the same name in Edmonds, and have written a stylish little book on repurposing familiar items outdoors and in. Have these three ever seen an object they couldn't put to good use? From lamps transformed into birdbaths to "junk blossoms" crafted from hubcaps and beads, the book includes material lists, detailed instructions and inspiring photos of do-it-yourself garden projects. The Salvage Studio, which offers supplies, resources and workshops, is at 650 Edmonds Way; the phone number is 425-330-5425.

Where can I find that?

And I thought Google was the ultimate finding aid! You might want to bookmark www.helpmefind.com for a quick guide to all things horticultural. This is the place to find roses, peonies and clematis, but it has expanded to include gardening events, awards, publications, questions and answers. Here's where to track down that new rose you read about or the clematis you admired in a neighbor's garden. The site includes nearly 86,000 photos and 40,000 plants and their sources, and has a good reputation for currency.

Speaking of roses

Want to cut down on gardening chores this spring and summer? There's a new rose that's not only beautiful but low-maintenance. 'Oso Easy Paprika' is a gold-medal-winning ground-cover rose bred in England by Warner Roses. It won honors for disease resistance and blooming repeatedly throughout the summer. Because 'Paprika' mounds only a foot or two high, it's ideal to mass on a hillside, along a driveway or at the front of a border. This rose is not only tough, durable and vigorous but its flowers are an eye-catching reddish-orange centered with a bright yellow eye.

Glass 'grows' with plants

Tacoma native Dale Chihuly has displayed his work at Kew Gardens in London, and now he brings it home to celebrate the W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory's 100th anniversary with a gala display of glass art among the plants. "Chihuly at Seymour 100" runs through Feb. 22, and is well worth a visit to see Chihuly's extravagant works housed beneath vintage Victorian glass. Hours are Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; open late until 8 p.m. on Feb. 19. The conservatory is in Tacoma's Wright Park at 316 S. G St.; 253-591-5330.

Calling for a shorter food chain

The best gardening book I've read lately is Michael Pollan's "In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto" (Penguin Press, $21.95). Pollan's exposé of nutritionism has been widely reviewed, and his concise conclusion, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants," enthusiastically embraced (in print anyway, if not in actual practice). But it's Pollan's grasp of growing your own food as the basis of health and community that might well persuade people to dig up their ornamental borders and plant vegetables. "The work of growing food contributes to your health long before you sit down to eat it, of course, but there is something particularly fitting about enlisting your body in its own sustenance," writes Pollan. "To the problem of being able to afford high-quality organic produce, the garden offers the most straightforward solution."

Valerie Easton is a Seattle freelance writer and author of "A Pattern Garden." Her e-mail address is valeaston@comcast.net.