Gardens by Kelly Productions

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{My recent interview with Ken Druse jostled my thoughts again relative to the topic of “the future” as it relates to communication and this passion of ours called gardening.  I don’t pretend for a minute to have all or any of the answers, and you know what they say about free “advice”.  I promise the next post will be something plant-related.  We need some relief from the doldrums, right?}

I just heard Craig Ferguson on his CBS late night TV show say this in reference to newspapers.  He’s implying of course that blogs basically substitute for newspapers.  But do they?  Now I’m not a likely defender of a business as lamely stifling as newspapers, but Craig’s caper of sorts deserves exploration.

As bloggers, we must really have the world duped.  Do blogs really suffice for the kind of journalism relied on and expected for generations in a format like newspapers?  Not hardly.  But is the point of a blog to really transmit news?  Some blogs do of course, particularly those kept by prominent columnists or newspaper writers.  They become subsidiaries of the larger publishing machine, transmitting early leads or insights that later formulate into full-blown stories.  But most blogs really are idea platforms, and only that, existing as the result of passive, fragmented consumption.  They give some writers 15-minutes of fame, offer popular authors a chance to keep in touch with audience members in a more personal way, and still offer more a chance to push agendas to the masses–even the 10 or so who choose to listen.  And while bloggers enjoy support en masse (that whole community idea), their demise comes from an overcrowded room.  Right now, particularly in the gardening realm, little oxygen remains in that room.  When a form of content delivery continues to fragment the market, it’s time for reconciliation.  A new mall only needs so many shoe stores before someone has to give.

So what next?  How does an oversaturated market correct itself?  In the world of real, tangible products and stuff, things start to disappear.  In the iris world for example, almost 50,000 cultivars have entered the marketplace in the last 100 years.  How many are left in existence?  Probably 10-15% or less.  How many are left and really popular, frequently sold, or grown in more than five gardens?  Probably 3-5%.  So let’s replace irises with gardening blogs in that analogy.  Nobody is mandating that bad, inactive, infrequently updated, or poorly written blogs disappear for the sake of others.  Anyone is entitled to share their opinions.  But who listens?

That’s where this whole mess runs astray.  Who listens and reads?  Who cares?  And more importantly, why do those people listen, read, and care?  Does a blog entertain?  Does it stimulate thought?  Does it deliver content that more than five readers want to read?  While blogs and other online media have unlocked the gates of publishing to all, they’ve also systematically unraveled standards of excellence.  No venture (whether market, business, hobby, etc.) has ever operated successfully in the absence of governing standards of excellence–they’re natural products of human-mediated enterprises that result when poor-quality products are perceived the same way as good-quality products.  My prediction, crystal ball firmly in tow, is that blogs will eventually become major powerhouses of content because the few that will remain post-excellence apocalypse will maintain tribal followings of people who demand and expect content produced and delivered in superior ways.  How do you think newspapers like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post still exist, even in this turmoil that publishing is in?

So how do those blogs exist pre-excellence apocalypse?  They impose those standards of excellence on themselves, rise above current expectations,  bond with their followers, and teach them to dream.  When people enter the business of teaching people to dream, the market drives itself.  Look at the success of Apple, for example.  One company has effectively inspired its clients (and those that aren’t yet) to dream of the possibilities.  If newspapers, blogs, and books inspired their readers to dream of the possibilities of their product (not just how it’s delivered), we wouldn’t even be having this discussion.

Really, all this is just a mantra for how to do business in this day and age…..any business.

Hey readers!

Here’s a quick plug for one of my favorite gardening podcast/radio shows….ever.  Ken Druse Real Dirt is hosted by THE Ken Druse of authorial and photographic fame.  Ken’s most recent book is the beautifully illustrated Planthropology. He garnered international acclaim with his 1988 book The Natural Garden and many others thereafter.

Ken was gracious enough to invite me on his show this week.  Check out the interview on his website.  We cover a lot of ground including irises, zoneworthy plants, and the future of gardening.  Feel free to comment and post feedback!  I’m planning a follow-up blog on some of the topics we discussed later next week.

Please consider subscribing to Ken’s podcast as well.  With lots of great information and interviews, his podcast has always been one of my favorites (gotta love his radio voice too!)

Best!

Greetings from frigid Iowa!

My heartfelt thanks to the 100 plus attendees of my lecture “ZoneWorthy: Underused Plants for Zones 4 & 5″ at the Des Moines Botanical Center this morning.  It’s always great to start a new year of lecturing activities with an energized, inquisitive local crowd.  To check out the slate of upcoming lectures, click over to my calendar.  If I’m in your neighborhood, give me a shout!  I’ve got a few engagements to add to that calendar, but it’s up-to-date for the most part.

For more information about my Zoneworthy concept checkout www.zoneworthy.com, a redirect to plant profiles from this blog.  In 2010, I plan to launch a standalone website that will serve as a conduit of information for people intrigued and engaged by the Zoneworthy concept.  Look for updates and changes!  Also feel free to download copies of my handouts and view my Powerpoint lecture on the Handouts and Downloads page.

Everyone seems to be talking about movements today, including me.  In the 21st century, movements sell.  Political parties bank on movements, tidal waves of change in hearts and minds.  Movie producers plug actors into multiple franchises, taking advantage of actors’ innate popularity that can make or break a brand.  Movements are everywhere.  Local activists lobbying for a recycling center or college students petitioning for greater administrative representation hope that their efforts result in wholesale movements of public opinion and perception.  All movements rely on three major components, roughly speaking.  First, an opportunity.  Second, an organizing force unhindered by norms.  Third, an interpretive theme.

So what moves gardeners?  Sustainable food sources.  Sustainable landscapes.  Etc.  Sense a theme?  That’s because someone (or some people) about 15 years ago started floating the word “sustainable” in effort to spur hearts and minds to action.  Now soccer moms, business executives, and gardeners hear sustainability almost every day.  But what does it mean?  We’ve got the first two components covered; 1) an opportunity to change public perception and understanding about humanity’s role in the environment and 2) a tireless throng of millions who readily, and for the good, monopolize our daily lives with talk of meaningful sustainability.  But have we done a great job of interpreting what sustainability means to someone who gardens less than six hours a week, or anyone for that matter?  I say no, and the field is ripe with potential.  We don’t do a great job posing the question either.  ”What can you do in your garden to be sustainable?”  ”Um, gee I dunno, start composting?”  Great!  But where does that leave us?  Someone now has the idea that composting, instead of buying fertilizer or other soil additives, is a sustainable practice.  Great!  But all they have is an idea.  Are they spurred to action?  Did the question we posed motivate them, or simply put them on the spot?  I stand behind nobody in my commitment to sustainable horticulture, which may surprise you given the critical stance I’ve just posed.  But too many have already grown complacent about the strategies we use to energize, enlighten, and inspire.  Here marks the spot where creativity sulks.

Movements die just as fast as they’re born, often because they lose spirit.  The message gets foggy, too many people vie for attention for attention’s sake instead of for the sake of the message, and chaos typifies the brand.  Maybe it’s time for a movement about sustainable thinking when it comes to gardening, rather than just a movement about sustainable gardening.  Otherwise, what does it all mean?

(Ed. Note:  Many of you may not open your email until after Christmas.  At any rate, happy holidays from my garden to yours and thanks very much for your e-patronage this year.  I write this blog to keep me sane–a little outlet for my thoughts and ideas.  I always look forward to hearing from you and wish you the best gardening season in 2010.)

Today I baked a peanut butter chocolate cheesecake, one of my absolute favorite dessert cheesecakes.  But while throwing the ingredients together (albeit from memory), I couldn’t exactly remember the ratio of cream cheese to eggs.  Add more eggs and you make a lighter, porous cake.  Add less and you create a rich and decadent confection.  It was one of those moments where I needed an answer, a yes/no or a one-liner that I could put to use in the kitchen and get on with my day.  I needed to click and know something.  So I googled for the recipe, found a blog, grabbed the tidbit, closed my browser and boogied my way back to the kitchen accompanied by Mannheim Steamroller playing on the stereo in the dining room.

It wasn’t until later that I realized something.  I could have just as easily been looking for the hardiness information of a plant, or any other zippy answer to an otherwise quick, off-hand question.  I didn’t feel like reading that blog where I found the tidbit I was looking for, I didn’t care about who wrote it, what her personal story was, why she wrote the blog, or what her credentials were.  I just wanted to know something simple, something simple enough to be found in a recipe.  Now before we all get up in arms here, let me qualify where I’m coming from.

In my lecture this past fall at the Garden Writers Association symposium, I stressed the importance of “feeding the immediate need,” “answering the quick question,” and “responding to the finger snap,” all the while developing a community around that knowledge and passion for providing it.  I’ve had a number of exciting projects rise to the top in the past months, and it’s given me a lot to think about, probably while I’m reflecting on my actions today in the way that I am.  What I did today is something that most people do at some level every day.  Sometimes we just want a little info–solid expertise that answers a question and nothing more.  We want to use, not participate.

The sustainable strategy for us business types that look to source, develop, and provide content rests in finding harmony between our brand of content and a consumer’s value perception of that brand, while understanding that not all consumers behave alike (obviously, someone in my situation today might just as well have spent five minutes reading the whole blog post).  But did I care about the brand of that author when I scoured her blog for info today?  No.  I needed to finish baking a cheesecake so I could get on with gift wrapping.  Today, I was a user, not a participant.  Today my perception of value was about 15′ long, the distance from my computer back to the mixing bowl.  But I wonder what I’ll think about that tidbit tomorrow when my fork sinks into that luscious cheesecake after Christmas dinner.  If I got the texture just right, I might think “hmm, glad I looked that up.  Wonder what else she’s got to say?”  Or I might think “damn, good cheesecake Kel,” and bask in a little self-gloating while I finish my glass of wine.  How valuable was that information?  More importantly perhaps, how valuable was that information to the outcome of its need?  Will it move me to participate or just to use more?

Take home message on this Christmas Eve:  Think about your role as content generator and/or consumer.  What kind of consumer are you?  Do you use or participate?  Passive or active?  Do you fill out those customer satisfaction surveys, or do you just hope it’ll all work out right?  If you generate content, what kind of generator are you?  Do you just lob out information in hopes it sticks somewhere or do you find ways to custom tailor information to a specific group of people?  Who do you write for and why do they care?  Do they want to read a article or just have a question answered?  The challenge of course is to answer that question and provide accordingly.

More in this vein of thought in the weeks ahead.

Already?  Yes, I am.  Here’s a little dose of spring to cure your ailing, winter-weary mind…

A new album on Rainbow Iris Farm’s Facebook page that I uploaded just this afternoon!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=141217&id=114489795763&ref=mf

And for you folks in places warmer and friendlier, my friend Elizabeth (who lives downstairs in the same apartment building as I do) took this photo today:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=41915693&id=16917312&ref=nf

Happy dreaming!

News and a little shameless self promotion (as my Jewish fairy godmother Stephanie Cohen always says “if you can’t toot your own horn a little, don’t expect anyone else to do it for you!”)…

First, a stay tuned message.  Coming up in the next few weeks, you’ll be able to read about my top 15 plant picks from this past growing season.  Crazy, I know.  Who in their right mind (I’m not after all) would dare pick a meager 15 plants to exalt as “top picks”?  I figure if anything it’ll give a snapshot recap of the past growing season and my ramblings here on the blog.  You’ll see some familiar flower-faces for sure.  I’ve also invited a few of my dearest hortheads to share their lists too.  When the time comes, pour yourself a cup of joe and tune in for a little unabashed commentary.  I do hope you’ll join in the fun with your comments too.

Second, for all Iowans (or Midwesterners for that matter), you’ll want to mark your calendars for the All-Iowa Horticulture Exposition organized by the Iowa State Horticultural Society, Iowa State University Extension, and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.  Yours truly co-chairs the event with Gary Twedt, President of the Iowa State Horticultural Society.  This grand, state fair exhibition of horticulture will take place March 19-20, 2010 at the Bridge View Center in Ottumwa, Iowa.  Please visit www.iowahort.org for more information.  Also, check us out on Facebook!  Keynote speakers include Stephanie Cohen and Dan Heims!

Third, check out my calendar for upcoming appearances across the country.  If I’m in your area, let me know of “must see” gardens or gardeners!  I love catching up with fellow green thumbs in their favorite haunts.

Fourth, speaking of travels…take a look at some of the shots below from my recent visit to the Henry Schmieder Arboretum at Delaware Valley College.  I was on campus last weekend to speak about the history of iris development and breeding.  Thanks very much to the Delaware Valley Iris Society for hosting such a talkative and interactive group of gardeners–plant lovers of the finest caliber!

My trip to North Carolina was one of the richest horticultural experiences of my adult life.  The Garden Writers Association (GWA) rocks!  These are routinely some of the best conferences I attend, and if you have any affiliation with communications in the garden realm, you MUST join.  Tell them I referred you!

Other than relishing the company of good friends, good plants, and good food, I attended GWA this year to present a lecture entitled “Gardening with a Y”.  I’ve never felt better after a presentation and I owe that feeling to a room full of attentive, energized, and intellectually gifted GWA members. 

But that message of enthusiasm, my so-called gospel of the goodliness of green things, didn’t end that Friday in Raleigh, NC.  In fact I relate the spirit of gardening to an often cited Robert Frost quote: “It doesn’t matter what course you take. Simply hang around until you catch the spirit, or the spirit catches you.”  How many of us began our gardening experiences in the stead of an elder, whether a family member or neighbor?  How many of us can’t quite relate the exact sequence of events that took place after that, like a blur?  We just know that we’re gardeners!  The spirit caught us.

That simple stance might net the gardening world more newcomers than any high-class, big dollar marketing scheme ever could.  Pardon the overuse of religious connotations, but spread the gospel, catch the spirit.   Gardening is bigger than any one product, marketing campaign or person.  As I wrote in the epilogue of my second (as-of-yet unpublished) book:

“Gardening is magnanimous, inspiring and a luxurious privilege that anyone can enjoy.  Gardening is equitable after all.  It’s in and through gardening that lessons on life become so clear.  Seeds fail to germinate.  Plants fail to grow.  Then something forgotten blooms religiously with defiance that stares you in the face, petal on petal.  These lessons seem more tolerable, controlled and learnable in the garden than things like failed marriages and job opportunities.  One has to wonder if gardening was borne of a humble need for sustenance or a yearning desire to see beauty where it’s least expected.  Maybe more as a parable to life.”

For so many people regardless of their age, gardening fills the void and becomes that parable to life.  Now nothing this profound probably struck any of us the first time we picked up a packet of seeds at the grocery store or drug home our first transplants from a generous mentor’s garden.  We were hung up in the lust for the quest, the fever to dig and plant and grow.  But season on season, gardening for each of us starts to mean something more than it did before.  You all know this.  But what about your 12-year old, your neighbor boy or girl down the street, or your niece or nephew?  If we can’t invest in the process and joy of gardening, we obviously can’t expect anything of value in return.

Today’s photo gallery: