The gardener's eye

The Gardener's Eye

Sunday, October 28, 2012

My View From Federal Twist


The garden bogging world is a small one and you never know who you might bump into at a symposium or conference. I went to the Perennial Plant Conference at Swarthmore College last week with some gardening friends and spotted a familiar name on a tag: James Golden. James, if you don't already know, has an excellent blog called View From Federal Twist chronicling his "New American" prairie garden, called Federal Twist, in Stockton, NJ as well as his contemporary urban garden in Brooklyn, NY. He has developed a beautiful, what he refers to as wet prairie garden, influenced by gardeners such as Piet Oudolf, Noel Kingsbury (who also visited Federal Twist that day) Dan Pearson, Henk Gerritsen, and Oehme and Van Sweden.

James invited me and my friends, Maude and Tovah, to visit Federal Twist on the way home to New England and we all agreed to take him up on the invitation immediately. We had a full agenda that day because Tovah had a book signing for her new book, The Unexpected Houseplant in the morning so we didn't make it to Federal Twist until after 4 PM. As luck would have it, the light was magical, as was the garden.

























Thanks, Jim, for a wonderful garden tour. It was such a pleasure to visit in autumn when the seed-heads and fall foliage were in their full glory. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend View From Federal Twist. James is a thoughtful and erudite writer who has a real pulse on what is currently happening in gardening.

37 comments:

  1. Lucky you - I would so much love to see James's garden, and some day I will; I think I would find there so much inspiration for my garden in Sweden. Thanks for the report, it is so much fun seeing James's garden through your "eyes"!

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    1. Liisa,
      Yes, lucky me! There is lots to inspire.

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  2. I am not sure whether I need to visit this garden..I have followed it for many years and regard it as a very rare gem in a sea mediocrity in the garden world. (and so too James) To visit just might destroy the magic of it all. I must say that James often under-sells himself in tipping his lid to the 'name' writers of books about this type of garden equation he likes to read...anyone who has arrived at such a compressive and richly complex ensemble as 'F.T.' knew their onions deep down all along anyway!

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    1. William,
      I agree with you except on one point; visiting will enhance the magic, not destroy it. BTW he is equally modest in person and a very generous host.

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    2. Yes you are of course absolutely right! Whatever possessed me to say that! But i am afraid it will be highly unlikely i will ever find my way back to your country! One talky tour by me on the West Coast a few years back is about all your country can cope with it seems! I do find it great though that the likes of you and others who have communicated with JG for some time have actually met without a keyboard! Good stuff!
      I too worry about James and thought maybe folly they decided to go to NY..I believe house fires are happening in Brooklyn..not looking too good!

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    3. Billy, I was wondering what possessed you! You know, it is a big country. I think the East Coast could go for a talky tour. I'd go. James would go. It was great fun visiting FT. If you do the talky tour, you could see for yourself! It is magical.

      Not much damage here due to Sandy. I am waiting to hear about his Brooklyn garden.

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    4. Michael,'Talks' are predominantly the domain of published authors..they are commercial PR excercises...I got nothing to sell but my soul! Many of those authors write about stuff they may not have accomplished for themselves but nonetheless
      the 'audience' is pretty well all their's!
      Thanks for coming to my talk!

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    5. Any time! I have no doubt you will talk about what you, in fact, have done.

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    6. Michael,

      I really appreciate your wonderful post on my garden. Can't believe I missed all these comments until today, Feb. 22!! Speaking of William Martin's giving a talk on the East Coast, we should put our minds together and see if some organizations here wouldn't be interested in sponsoring him. I have the podcast of his Vista lecture in London from a couple of years ago. I thought it was superb. Can send you the link on the Thiking Gardens web site if you don't know of it. I could certainly see Billy as a speaker at the Swarthmore Perennials conference, as one example. - James

      James

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    7. Michael,
      I can't believe I didn't check back to see all these comments until today, Feb. 22!! I think it would be a great idea to get William Martin over here for something like the Swarthmore Perennials conference. Have you heard the Vista lecture he gave in London a couple of years back? It's on the Gardens Illustrated web site. Billy would make a great speaker and might shake things up a bit. We need that. Let's try to generate some interest (assuming he'd want to come).

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  3. That looks like a lovely autumn garden. Definitely an argument for not cutting back dry perennials before absolutely necessary; I could imagine this garden being absolutely magical with a dusting of snow later in the year.

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    1. Soren, I'd like to visit Federal Twist in the spring and summer but autumn was magnificent. We are about to have a storm here. Hopefully the garden will not have any damage so the early winter dusting of snow can do its thing.

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  4. Hold tight MG...Be thinking of you all! Best Billy

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    1. Thanks, Billy. It looks my garden is further from harm's way than either of James's gardens.

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  5. Beautiful photos...stay safe Jim!

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    1. Thanks. I am worried about the storm for Jim. I think we will be OK in New Hampshire.

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  6. A very different garden style from my own. So much texture, movement, freedom and wonderful scale. Glorious! A true plantsman and thoughtful designer. Thank you and James for this garden tour. Enjoyed it ~ Cheers, Loi

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    1. Loi,
      I am not surprised that you would appreciate all kinds of gardens and/or art. Jim is a plantsmen, designer and garden writer. You should check out his blog if you haven't already. It is extremely well-written.

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  7. I was fortunate to visit James' garden several years ago, but on a very oppressive, hot summer day, with harsh light. I was disappointed in my photos, but not in the garden. It was a wonderful treat with two gracious hosts.

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    1. I remember when you visited FT, Les. I was very jealous. we were very fortunate to see it in autumn. I couldn't agree with you more, Jim and Phil are warm and engaging hosts. We had a wonderful visit.

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  8. WoW!!!
    Super photografes beautiful flowers.

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    1. Thanks, Monika. I also said "WOW" when I visited the garden.

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  9. I revel in seeing a garden I have been reading about for a long time, thru a fresh set of eyes. It takes the garden from 'two-dimensional blog posts blurring into movement', to three-dimensional life. For a garden that I will never see in life.

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    1. Diana, I'm glad my post fleshed out James' garden for you. That is a high compliment. Thanks!

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  10. That was a rare opportunity, Michael, to see for yourself a garden that stands up in its own right as an original, and to meet it's gifted creator. I hope I can do the same one day!

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    1. Faisal, I hope you do, one day. I'm sure James would be delighted to have you! And yes, it is an original....a gem.

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  11. Looks like I missed out speaking at a conference in Las Vegas. Oh to be a jet-setter...thanks for your camera eye! Just looks chilly and serene.

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    1. Dave,
      It was chilly and serene. I'd go to Las Vegas (maybe bring James along) if you speak at a conference!! I mentioned in his blog that Christine Ten Eyck's gardens reminded me of your work. Top notch on both counts.

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    2. Perfect day for this time of year - wow! I'm sure our paths will all cross, perhaps when I speak somewhere. I did catch your comment and James' on Ten Eyck - thanks (me smiling), hoping to be in her league someday. And if all goes well today, I'll see her private home on an Austin Open Days tour Saturday, or connect with her on the way back?

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    3. I'd love to see a post about her garden if you visit. Her talk was the high point of the conference for me. She made me want to move out West and start xeriscaping!!

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  12. The litmus test of a beautifully designed garden is how it transforms itself in autumn. That would make Jim's garden a masterpiece and, as was commented above, Jim is rather modest about his design accomplishments. However you, Michael, should be proud, as well. Photographing gardens is not an easy task and what you have shared with us in this post is both beautifully hypnotic and masterful.

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    1. Allan,
      Thanks for your kind comments. I was happy that so many people responded to the post. Essentially, I just documented our walk through the garden. The garden did the rest.

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  13. That's true Billy! How are you doing? I just saw James at the Perennial Plant Conference this past week. I had another view of Federal Twist in October 2015 but not this year. Thanks for stopping by.
    All the best!
    Michael

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    1. Fine thanks Laddie. Teaching this last 2.5 years in Thailand.
      “When you buy a piece of land, remember –you own all above it; you own that far reach of ether in which the stars drift over your land, the moon as it hangs above your trees, the sun as it passes through your sky-claim; and best of all you possess all the dreams which lie between you and infinity.”– Hanna Rion, gardener, artist, writer.

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    2. I love the quote. Thanks. Hope to hear more from you. All is well here. We had the most beautiful autumn day today. It is one of the joys of living in New Hampshire: beautiful clear warm autumn days.

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