Collecting Obsessions in Potomac, MD

By Kathy Jentz

Plant lovers don’t know how to say “No.” Let’s face it, we are a greedy lot and our passion can quickly grow into a life-long mission of acquiring one of every kind of a favorite flower or shrub.  On the upcoming Region 2 Meeting on the last Friday of May (5/24), we will be touring through gardens that were created by several obsessive gardeners and collectors.

We start off the day at McCrillis Gardens  for an early morning photo shoot. This little-known public garden is a hidden gem in a prosperous suburban neighborhood.  William McCrillis made the garden and it is best known for the collection of azaleas, but it also has many rare ornamental trees and shade-loving perennials. He was assistant to Harold Ickes, the secretary of the interior from 1933 to 1946. McCrillis became friends with the chief horticulturist for the National Park Service, who helped him acquire trees and plants globally.

Next, we visit Glenstone, which houses the collection of post-World War II art of Emily and Mitch Rales in a sustainable landscape.  We’ll also get to experience their newly opened Environmental Center is a multi-use maintenance and education facility that offers experiential learning. Here you can learn about our efforts in composting, organic landscape  management, waste reduction, materials recycling and water conservation—and how to take these practices home with you.

For lunch, we go to the Pike & Rose development and a rooftop farm, Up Top Acres. We’ll learn about the transformation of a suburban sprawl to an urban oasis.

The Seneca Park Shwartz Peony Garden  is thanks to Edward P. Schwartz, a wealthy realtor, who put together a massive personal collection of peonies from dealers in Holland, France, England, and Germany as well as the United States. The field on display is only a portion of that original collections, but is still impressive.

Susanna Farm Nursery is offering our attendees a 20% discount: off any purchase, but it is Brant Baker’s obsession with dwarf conifers and Japanese maples that make this a “do not miss” stop. The “farm” looks more like an arboretum with its large specimen collection in a spectacular landscape setting.

Join us at the end of the day for an old-fashioned champagne punch cocktail at LilyPons Water Gardens, the perfect cap-off to a truly filling day. You can explore this 100+-year-old family business that was founded by G. Leicester Thomas, Sr., who turned his goldfish and water lily hobby collections into a thriving business.

Finally, those of us who want to avoid the worst of the evening rush hour can join us for Dutch-treat dinner at May’s Seafood, known for classic Maryland crabcakes.

I urge you to sign up TODAY as there are only 30 spots available and they will fill fast!

Meet the Author

Kathy Jentz is editor of Washington Gardener Magazine and a long-time DC-area gardening enthusiast.  To book her for a garden talk, find her at Great Garden Speakers.  She also edits the IWGS Water Garden Journal and is a columnist and guest blogger for several other publications. Her latest foray is as the social media voice for horticultural brands. She can be reached at KathyJentz@gmail.com.

 

 

 

Facebook Livens Up Communication

By Peggy Riccio

This blog post originally appeared as an article in the March-April 2018 issue of On the QT, GardenComm’s newsletter. “GWA” has been changed to “GardenComm” to reflect our new change.

Many GardenComm members use Facebook to promote their products and communicate gardening messages. With almost two billion monthly users, Facebook can be an effective platform for building a garden communicator’s business.

About a year ago, Facebook launched Facebook Live (FBL), enabling users to broadcast and interact with viewers. Viewers can comment during the event and the user or broadcaster can reply in real time. Once posted, the video can be re-purposed for other communications such as a link in an e-mail newsletter.

Facebook Live can be spontaneous, inexpensive and yield a high level of viewers and engagement, resulting in an increased number of followers (or customers). Using FBL garners more viewers because Facebook prioritizes live posts and high engagement activity.

According to Facebook’s website, “Facebook Live videos are more likely to appear higher in News Feed when these videos are actually live, compared to after they are no longer live. On average, people spend more than three times more time watching a FBL video compared to a video that is no longer live and to comment more than ten times more on a FBL video than on a regular video.”

GARDENCOMM MEMBERS USE FACEBOOK LIVE

Eleven GardenComm members responded to a callout for people to talk about their use of FBL as a promotional tool to increase their reach and build their following.

Most learned to use FBL through trial and error but all agreed that it was simple to learn. All the respondents recommended FBL, provided that you are comfortable in front of a camera and there is high quality content. Interestingly, the live feature adds an attractive human dimension.

IMPRESSIVE RESULTS

“My business coach told me about how much the Facebook algorithm prioritizes Facebook Live videos over pre-recorded videos or written content,” said Katie Elzer-Peters. “I decided to try it and was amazed with the number of eyeballs on my video, which translated to new leads for my business.”

A few were intrigued after hearing about or seeing others use FBL. “I saw a lecture about using Facebook Live as a promotional tool at the GardenComm conference in Atlanta, and I decided to give it a go,” Jessica Walliser said. “My first video was about growing sesame seeds from the garden at the Atlanta History Center the very next day. It was watched almost 2,000 times and shared by over a dozen people. I couldn’t believe it!”

Kim Roman conducted weekly book giveaways for the Square Foot Gardening Foundation culminating in short FBL posts. “Since using videos and FBL, our reach has definitely increased—from about 400 for a regular post to at least 1,400 for a FBL event,” Kim said.

“Using Facebook Live captures the moderator’s excitement, surroundings and real time experiences,” Teri Speight said.

“It is imperfectly, but uniquely, a great way to invite people to follow you, and then they also will read your written words,” Jen McGuinness said. “I recommend using Facebook Live because it helps showcase your personality and provides a human element to those who are only familiar with your writing or photography.

HOW TO USE FACEBOOK LIVE

• You only need your computer or mobile phone. Although it is best to use Wi-Fi, you should have at least a 4G connection.
• To start, look where you would normally post on Facebook for a red, old-fashioned movie camera with an eye in the middle and the word “Live” next to it.
• Click on the icon and you will be directed to a screen where you can see what will be seen by your viewers.
• Select the audience (for example, friends, only me or public).
• Type a short description of your video.
• After you tap “Go Live,” you have a three-second countdown. While taping, you will see feedback in the form of comments or symbols representing feelings.
• You don’t have to respond, but the more engaged you are with your audience the more interesting the experience and the more likely you will have viewers during and after.
• When you are done, tap “Finish.”

TIPS WHEN USING FACEBOOK LIVE

Equipment

Dee Nash: An external mic is the best way to have good sound. However, with just my iPhone 7, I can make pretty good Facebook Live videos.

Gary Bachman: Landscape view, use a wired lapel mic or Bluetooth. Do not rely on the omni-directional phone mic. Use a tripod with the camera set a little above eye height (my personal preference). Selfie sticks will work but tend to move unintentionally, making it harder to view. If you want to build your audience, be consistent. Keep it short—five to seven minutes.

Timing

Jessica Walliser: Keep it short—three to four minutes. Find something interesting to show people. Teach them something; a quick tidbit they can use in their own garden. Hold the camera steady and vertically. If you mess up, don’t stop and say “I messed up, let me try that again.” Just keep going.

Kim Roman: Announce ahead of time that you’re going to do a Facebook Live event; give the date and time, including the time zone. When you start your session, say something interesting but “fluffy” and give people a chance to gather—keep this under a minute.

Katie Dubow: Plan at least two to three minutes of content, because the longer you are on, the more people will see your video.

Consistency

Erin Schanen: Even if you don’t have a large audience for the “live” video, it will still get a lot of views when you post it to your page. Go back and answer questions you might have missed and post links (affiliate, if possible) to the products and plants you talked about. I use the same wireless lavaliere mic I use for videos, but a wired lavaliere will help too.

Chris Link: Make sure whatever content you are posting is well thought out and worth people’s time to consume it.

Katie Elzer-Peters: Write notes for what you want to cover ahead of time. Commit to a regular schedule. Include a call to action: Like your Facebook page, buy your book, subscribe to your email list. Summarize at the end of the video. Use a tripod.

Jenny Peterson: To practice, set up your Facebook post as if you were doing a live video, but change your privacy setting to “Only Me.” Put your phone on “Do Not Disturb.” Make sure your Wi-Fi connection is strong. Interact with your audience, even if nobody is commenting.

Jen McGuinness: To prevent the phone’s battery from being drained, plug the phone into a portable battery in your pocket. To prevent a shaky transmission, use a mount for your phone.

Meet the Author

Horticulturist and writer Peggy Riccio publishes PegPlant.com, which features local gardening news, resources, and plants for those who garden in the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area.

Clip art from Sitejerk.com