Garden designers will go toe to toe over a few square feet at Home + Outdoor Living Show
For The Oklahoman, dyrinda@gmail.com
When it comes to planning a small garden, it helps to look a few years ahead. “We’re going to take measurements, and we’re going to look at what’s going to happen in the next five to 10 years,” said Dan Wagner, general manager of Precure Nursery, 8125 W Reno Ave.
The aim is to avoid having a small space overgrown that it has to be torn out to start over.
A crew from Precure Nursery is putting its skills to the test against Whitetail Landscaping of Blanchard and Garden Anywhere Box of Newalla at this year’s Home + Outdoor Living Show this weekend at State Fair Park. The show is from noon to 9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
In a competition dubbed “Small Space Garden Wars,” they will incorporate a water feature, natural stone, evergreen trees and lighting into individual small-space garden displays in the Centennial Building. People will vote for their favorite designs and may enter to win a $500 gift card courtesy of Christenen Media Group.
Adult tickets are $9 at the door and $7 online, senior tickets are $6, and children ages 12 and under get in free with a paying adult. Discounted tickets are
also available at Buy For Less grocery stores. For more details, go to homeshowokc.com.
Celebrity guests include Chris and Peyton Lambton, hosts of DIY Network’s “Yard Crashers,” and Tyler Wisler, of HGTV’s “Design Star.”
Look, then commit
Wagner said it’s important to take a good look at a small garden space before committing to a plan.
“Among the first things we’re going to approach are how much light, what is the environment, what’s actually back behind them,” he said. “They may have so much shade that that’s going to give them a dark palette for us to start working with — but we want to know if it’s shade or if it’s sun.”
Pots and plans
Pots and statuary can liven up a space before a single plant hits the dirt.
“We’ve probably doubled our inventory over the past two years, and it’s getting more creative,” Wagner said.
There are the glazed and shiny pots with veins of a different color running down the sides. There are the acidwashed pots whose rough finish evokes a certain earthiness. Other pots shimmer with a metallic finish.
“Pots have been around for a long time,” Wagner said. “But you’re seeing different colors and different textures.”
Shady areas can be a challenge, Wagner said.
“A lot of people think in a small space you have to do a lot of plants. Shade in Oklahoma can be a tough palette to fill, and there are a lot of perennials that can get a lot of color for us that way. But we like to do a lot of things with art, small water features, paintings, a lot of new things we’ve used to brighten up a dark fence or a dark backyard area.”