Farmer D

Growing up, many of us “did for ourselves”—we walked the dog, mowed the lawn, fixed our bikes, and helped cook and clean. In fact, that work ethic of ours is probably part of what’s helping us be successful today. However, as work keeps us busier and busier, we may not think twice about hiring others to help us with some of the chores we used to do for ourselves. Let’s face it, it’s nice to come home to a clean house, trimmed lawn, and dry-cleaned clothes without having to push the vacuum cleaner or lawn mower, or iron the shirts ourselves. It’s no different with our home garden.

Sure, there are lots of ways to relax and enjoy yourself gardening, but if time is truly at a premium, then there’s no reason why you can’t turn to the experts for your home garden as well. In fact, there are a whole slew of gardening-related services you probably didn’t realize you could contract out. You are only a phone call away from getting in on one of the biggest movements in the nation right now—gardening. You could be hosting a dinner party in your new garden this very weekend, without even having to clean dirt out from under your fingernails. (And yes, you can cater it.)

A local nursery, landscape company, garden center, or a company that runs an urban farm may be able to provide you with gardening expertise. Whether you want to bring a garden to your home, community, place of business or any other environment, it’s tough to find the time to make these projects happen in today’s 24/7 business marketplace. Why not put the experts to work for you?

The following are some of the services performed by the pros:

1. Garden design. Garden experts will be able to recommend the best location, design, and materials for your specific objectives and budget. Their expertise should help you reduce risk, maximize efficiencies, manage variables (like sun exposure and water availability throughout the seasons), and complete your project as soon as possible. At my company, for example, we conduct a site survey or, for bigger projects, lead design workshops that involve all stakeholders in helping to form the final design solution. Detailed budgets, timeframes, and visuals keep things on track.

2. Garden maintenance. Worried about what happens after your garden is installed and planted, and your “black thumb” is in charge of keeping it alive? This becomes even more of a problem if you travel frequently for business, or if your project is a high-visibility showcase where aesthetics count. That’s where garden-maintenance services can be lifesavers—especially for your vulnerable plants! You might consider weekly, biweekly and monthly service options to tend to your garden—and even harvest your produce for you. For larger projects, such as farms, commercial landscapes, golf courses, athletic fields, and parks, a professional can help you determine organic land management strategies for improving yields and reducing chemicals.

3. Garden supplies. Once you establish a healthy, organic garden, the next challenge becomes accessing appropriate seeds, plants, and supplies to keep the goodness going. You can ask or call around to find out how others committed to organic growing in your area are meeting their needs. Many communities have small, independent shops that cater to this expanding segment of the gardening population. The big box stores carry a reasonable selection of offerings as well. Most gardeners committed to growing organically, however, do end up ordering online to get exactly what they need. In fact, you could order everything you need for your garden today, from site survey to supplies, right from the convenience of your computer. Now, how much easier can we make it?

“If I only had the time” no longer needs to be your answer for why you’re not doing something you may have been planning to do for a while. Please patronize your favorite gardening business, and get your garden project off the ground (or, rather, on it).

Tap in next week and I’ll share some tips for helping seeds grow—in your garden, and in life.

Hungry for more? Write to eatandrun@usnews.com with your questions, concerns, and feedback.

Daron Joffe is a 30-something eco-entrepreneur who lives to make a difference in the world one homegrown organic fruit and vegetable at a time. Known as “Farmer D,” Joffe has grown food for celebrities, private communities, and elementary schools in his “town-by-town mission to re-energize the food culture.” His products are sold at select Whole Foods and Williams-Sonoma stores. Born in South Africa and based in Atlanta, Farmer D is online at www.FarmerD.com.

Former Capel Manor garden design student brings her Chelsea medal winning garden back to college

An artisan ‘Naturally Dry Garden’ is being recreated at Capel Manor College where it will be officially opened this autumn.  The garden, which won a Silver medal at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show and was sponsored by Veolia Water, one of the world’s leading water companies, was designed and built by former Capel Manor garden design student, Vicky Harris.  Vicky wanted to encourage people to use water wisely in a garden that is also beautiful, incorporating drought tolerant plants and ideas for capturing rain water. 

Garden designer Vicky spent many years working as a plant buyer for a couple of leading London garden centres, before coming to Capel Manor to study garden design.  With a long held interest in horticulture, she initially started in the industry as an assistant in the plant area of a London garden centre, teaching herself the botanical names of plants along with their habits and characteristics.  But after a career break to raise a family she needed a more flexible working life and garden design has proved to be a perfect career path.  Vicky said:

“My aspirations include a desire to work with plants as much as possible and to enhance outdoor living spaces for others to enjoy.  I am so pleased that my Chelsea garden will be given a permanent home at Capel Manor, as I found all the show gardens a fabulous learning tool myself, and I am thrilled to think that the garden can live on to be enjoyed by other students and garden visitors.”

Vicky completed her studies in Garden Design in July 2011 and graduated as ‘Best Student’.  She studied for one day a week over several years and needed at least a day a week for private study and coursework.  Perfect for those considering a career in garden design, the courses she studied focused on horticulture, plant knowledge and use, drawing, design and graphics, and included visits to gardens in England and abroad, as well as the opportunity to take part in extra workshops and talks.  During her course Vicky completed a few private projects, one being a large family garden in North London and another being a smaller Mediterranean style terrace garden.  She said: 

“Capel Manor has been a fantastic place to study, not only as it is situated within acres of superb gardens but also for the high quality of teaching by very supportive and enthusiastic tutors.  It is one thing to fulfil the guidelines and brief of a coursework project but it is another to complete a project for an actual paying client.  After my three years at Capel Manor I found that I had achieved a standard that gave me the confidence to set up my own small garden design company. And even after graduating, they have continued to support me by forwarding any work opportunities that arose, one of which was the introduction to Veolia Water who sponsored my garden for the Chelsea Flower Show.”

Head of School for Garden Design, April Cameron, said: “People usually become garden designers because they want to be their own boss and enjoy both the creative process and challenge of implementing a design. All are passionate about plants. Being creative is important but garden designers also need to be enterprising, focussed, determined, self motivating and able to work alone.

“Most of our students do explore design as a career but not all. Some work for the RHS and Kew in garden and administrative positions. Good plant knowledge and design skills also see students secure jobs with bodies such as The National Trust or other prominent gardens. Some go on to become garden writers or do degrees in related subjects like landscape architecture.”

Capel Manor is the largest land-based college in Greater London, home to the National Gardening Centre, the Institute of Horticulture and Gardening Which? magazine.  The college centre in Bullsmoor Lane, Enfield, has wide-ranging plant collections and specialist design studios, and their students and staff have won awards at RHS shows on a regular basis for the past 16 years.

There is a Level 2 Certificate in Garden Design starting at Capel Manor week beginning 17 September and there are places still available for this year, with subsidised tuition fees being offered.  To find out more or to enrol speak to their Admissions team on 08456 122122 or email enquiries@capel.ac.uk  

George WeigelA young holly ‘Red Beauty’ in early winter.

   Q: I am trying to design a garden that is approximately 6 feet by 12 feet. I want something that will mature to 5 feet wide and 6 to 8 feet tall. It’s in light to moderate shade. I was thinking some kind of broadleaf evergreen, maybe a holly. I am attempting to provide some kind of privacy as we walk out our back door.

   A: Hmmmm… broadleaf evergreen… light shade… 6-8 feet tall, 5 feet wide… that rings up to ‘Red Beauty’ holly in my mind first.

   This fairly new upright is a slow grower with large red fruits that are held on the tips of the branches. It’s one of the most attractive fruiters but needs a male (‘Blue Prince’ is good) somewhere within 100 yards or so to fruit.

   ‘Dragon Lady’ and ‘Castle Spire’ are two other similar upright hollies that grow faster and get bigger (maybe 12 feet by 5 or 6 feet in 10-12 years without pruning). You’ll need to start trimming them a little sooner to maintain 8 by 5. It may take ‘Red Beauty’ a dozen years to reach that point. Both ‘Dragon Lady’ and ‘Castle Spire’ also need a male to produce fruit.

   I also like the variegated falseholly ‘Goshiki’ (Osmanthus heterophyllus), but it’s even slightly slower than ‘Red Beauty’ and a tad “fatter,” although still somewhat pyramidal in habit. Pruning also can keep it as pyramidal as you look. This one looks like a holly but instead of red fruits it has variegated leaves of cream, green and for part of the year, splashes of burgundy.

   A third option is the narrow upright boxwood ‘Dee Runk.’ This beauty is dense, nicely formed and a moderate grower up to about 10 feet tall but only 3 feet around in about 10 years. It’s fine in light shade and can be trimmed to 8 feet or less once it hits that height. That’s a little skinnier than you mention, but you could plant two or even three (in a triangle) for a grouping that adds up to the total size you’d like.

   Boxwood ‘Elegantissima’ is a variegated boxwood that’s very attractive (about 5 feet tall and 3 feet wide in 10 years), and ‘Green Mountain’ is a tight, green, upright boxwood that eventually will work its way up to near your goal (also about 5 feet tall and 3 feet wide in 10 years).

   Keep in mind that plants never really stop growing until they die, so any size guideline is just that — a guideline for a given point in time. Some things are going to hit given sizes faster than others, so a key consideration here is how fast you want your plant to reach the desired size vs. how much ultimate trimming you’re willing to do once it hits that size.

   I’ve got photos and more descriptions of most of these evergreens on my web site at this address: http://georgeweigel.net/plant-of-the-week-profiles/evergreens.

Helen Floto has a magic touch with flowers and foliage, creating arrangements that bring the garden into your home. Lisa Millard smells the roses

Tucked away in the picturesque village of Elsworth, nestled under a thatched roof and embraced by borders of feathery fennel, bushes of blowsy roses and boules of fragrant lavender, is the lovely home of Blossom and Berry, Helen Floto Designs.

“I’m fascinated by the language of flowers, the meaning of them, and how you can pass on that joy to other people” says Helen, a Cambridge University graduate who also studied at Capel Manor College, as she picks a selection of flowers to create a pretty posy for these pages. Freddie, the family’s black flat-coated retriever, bounds around the gently-sloped garden that combines pleasingly curvaceous borders, wild meadow, vegetable plot, tree house and even a turf sofa, designed and made by Helen and her two children, Anna and Ben, which sits, all green and fluffy, at the top of the garden.

Helen designs flowers for a range of venues and events, including the Old Bridge Hotel in Huntingdon, Childerley and South Farm, specialises in border designs, and runs bespoke workshops demonstrating how to create floral arrangements from garden posies and rose bowls to winter wreaths and autumnal displays.

“I designed a bouquet for a spring bride earlier this year and filled it with cow parsley, bluebells, hawthorn, honeysuckle and aquilegia. Each May she will see her bouquet blossom in the countryside. Flowers can be so evocative and, to me, that’s very special. I am creating memories from what nature does naturally.”

Helen has a connection to flowers, she understands what works and her eye is well honed to the wild beauty in nature. She passes me a heart woven from hazel, which she hires for weddings and events,made by her friend’s niece, Emily, and called Emily’s Hearts. “The hazel comes from a bluebell wood and Emily, who has been very poorly, made them with her aunt who told me that the day making the hearts was full of laughter.

“It makes the hearts very, very special,” says Helen, draping one with ivy and tying a cornflower and wispy love-in-a-mist posy to the pointed tip, transforming the structure into a thing of breathtaking beauty. “That’s an important part to what I do. It’s the special ingredient.”

Helen’s garden is testament to her talent and provides a place that is a constant source of comfort and joy. A former television producer and campaign film maker, Helen moved back to Cambridge to base her life around family.

“In recent years there have been life-changing losses that have floored me. But I have learned to pick myself up and my garden has been my salvation,” she smiles. “I am becoming the person I was, the person I want to be, and I think that comes out of loving what I do.”

As Helen picks the final flowers to make two ‘how-to’ displays for Journal readers, Sheena, the Elsworth postie, arrives with buckets of sweet peas grown in her greenhouse. Sheena, pictured below, supplied her flowers to a Gold Medal winner at Chelsea this year and her sweet peas can be bought from the Elsworth Community Shop.

“I think the beauty comes from the combination of flowers, textures and scent,” says Helen, smelling the delicate sweet peas. “People come to me because they have heard about what I do and they put their trust in me. It’s a huge accolade.”

Blossom and Berry, Helen Floto Designs, can be contacted on 07789 560646.

To see more of Helen’s designs, see www.facebook.com/pages/Helen-Floto-Designs. Email Helen on helen.floto@gmail.com

For the first time in its history, the City of Sydney has sought an artist to provide the overarching artistic vision for the development of a new public space, the ‘New Century Garden’ in Chinatown.

Contemporary Chinese-Australian artist Lindy Lee will lead the design team set to create a new public space in the heart of Sydney’s Chinatown.

In collaboration with design consultancy Urban Art Projects and the City’s design team of landscape architects, urban designers and technical experts, Lee will bring the ‘New Century Garden’ to life.

Under the City’s long-term public domain plan for Chinatown, part of the prominent Thomas Street is set to be closed to traffic and transformed into a pedestrian-friendly public plaza.

Lee will draw on the principles of Taoist and Buddhist philosophy to create a major new artistic space providing a contemporary interpretation of traditional Chinese gardens.

City of Sydney CEO Monica Barone said she was delighted an artist of Lindy’s calibre and experience would be involved in the City’s ‘New Century Garden’ on Thomas Street.

“In a city like Sydney, where public space is at a premium, it’s vital that our plazas and gardens are well-designed, reflecting their social, cultural and historical contexts,” Barone said.

“Chinatown is such an important part of Sydney – so making it a more enjoyable place to live, work and visit by putting people first is an absolute priority.

“We’re thrilled to have Lindy Lee, one of Australia’s foremost contemporary visual artists, onboard to guide the design of this new public space.

“I’m sure Lindy’s bold artistic vision and her dedication to helping us improve Chinatown will lead to the creation of a beautiful space that Sydneysiders and visitors alike will enjoy well into this century and the next.”

The idea of a ‘New Century Garden’ emerged from the City’s extensive community consultation in Chinatown, which identified the need for more open public spaces in the area.

Following the success of Jason Wing’s new artwork in Kimber Lane, Haymarket – In Between Two Worlds – the City decided to appoint another artist to lead the design direction for the improvements to Thomas Street and adjacent Hay Street.

The City’s Chinatown Public Art Curator, Aaron Seeto, last year hosted a forum of more than 60 artists, curators, writers and community members to discuss options for the development of the new public space.

Artists were invited to submit proposals responding to the ‘New Century Garden’ theme, with 27 submissions received from a wide range of emerging and established artists from across Australia. Lindy Lee’s proposal was selected from a shortlist of five.

Lee’s career as a visual artist has spanned more than three decades and seen her exhibit work across Australia, Asia, Europe and North America. She has been featured in the Biennale of Sydney, had a solo exhibition at the Sydney Opera House and held a residency at Red Gate Gallery in Beijing.

Lee is a founding member of Gallery 4A in Chinatown and has held positions with the Art Gallery of NSW, Australian Centre for Photography, Asian Australian Artists Association and Artspace. She currently holds the post of Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney’s College of the Arts, and her work is held in nearly all of Australia’s major gallery collections.

Lee said she was deeply honoured to be selected to lead the artistic development.

“Chinatown holds a unique place in Australia’s cultural and social history, and through the Chinatown Public Domain Plan, the City of Sydney is acknowledging the importance of Australia’s Chinese community to the making of its national culture,” Lindy said.

“I envisage a garden which holds ancient Chinese spiritual values, experienced through an Australian landscape. Fire and water are important elements in Chinese Buddhism and Taoism – both denoting flow and change – and these symbols are also powerful symbols in Australia, given that our predominant experiences of nature are of fire and water – bushfire, flood and drought.”

The Chinatown Public Domain Plan is the City’s long-term vision for the transformation of Chinatown. Under the first stage of the plan, three laneways in the heart of Haymarket were given major facelifts earlier this year – Little Hay Street, Factory Street and Kimber Lane.

Detailed concept designs for the Thomas Street closure and improvements on adjacent Hay Street will be presented over the coming months, involving extensive community consultation.

Experts Bunny Guinness and Renée Killian-Dawson to come to The Vyne for Design Day

12:00am Monday 3rd September 2012 in Leisure

LOCAL National Trust property The Vyne welcomes two experts from the world of house and garden design this month. 

Bunny Guinness and Renée Killian-Dawson will share their passions and expertise at an exclusive day of horticultural and interior styling at the historic estate on Friday, September 21.

Bunny is a professional landscape architect with over 30 years’ experience, who is not only a six times gold medallist at Chelsea Flower Show, but is also a panellist on BBC Radio 4 Gardeners’
Question Time.

On Design Day, she will present a unique look at how to transform a garden, however large or small, whether a city terrace or a countryside haven.

Bunny said: “People regularly tell me that although they like their gardens, they don’t feel they’re getting the best out of them. They are so familiar with their own garden landscapes that it’s
hard for them to see what could be changed, and how.

“I’ll be talking about how to view the garden through fresh eyes as a first step to making that exciting transformation.”

At the end of the talk, Bunny will be joined for a question and answer session by Hampshire horticulturalist, and chatelaine of the idyllic gardens at Hook’s West Green House, Marylyn Abbott.

Renee Killian-Dawson is known for designing beautiful interiors in historic buildings and contemporary homes around the world with her husband, Robert.

Her unique approach to new buildings has resulted in commissions ranging from a London Regency town house and plans for a Michelin star restaurant, to large country houses, even a castle!

During Design Day, Renee will offer practical ideas for turning an historic or modern house into a warm, liveable home. She will also showcase a new collection of fabrics inspired by the
collections of England’s great country houses.

Renee commented: “Entering an historic space is always a thrill. You can’t help but think of all those people who have passed through these rooms in previous centuries, and of course one must
remember that these huge houses would once have displayed the very latest, most fashionable interiors of their day.”

On her first visit to The Vyne, she was particularly enamoured of the rare surviving Tudor Chapel, which is filled with Renaissance stained glass, and the floor of which is laid with exquisite
Flemish Majolica tiles.

“These 16 th century tiles are a particular fascination for me,” she added. “It’s amazing to think that Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn would have walked on them. Centuries later, they are still
incredibly vibrant.”

*Design Day takes place on Friday, September 21 from 10.30am – 3.45pm. The day includes morning refreshments, a guided tour of the house, lunch, gift bag and a chance to enjoy the gardens and wider
estate. Tickets cost £95 and booking is essential on 01256 883858.

 

Wildlife garden at Mere Primary

5:04pm Monday 3rd September 2012 in News

Wildlife garden at Mere Primary

A NEW wildlife garden has taken shape at Mere Primary School during the summer holidays, with help from local teenagers.

Garden designer Angela Tettmar collaborated with pupils from the school’s eco club to develop the design for the new outdoor learning space and natural play area.

Adding to the existing pond and vegetable beds, the new garden area features raised walkways and viewing platforms, hidden dens, sensory plants, bird tables and bug hotels, a textured path of
recycled materials, and a fire pit with a storytelling and teaching area.

Teenagers from Mere Youth Centre acted as peer leaders and worked with a group of children aged 11 and 12 to make and paint wooden nest boxes, a tepee and a bench for the garden.

The teenagers got involved as part of the National Citizen Service and they also helped with fundraising activities to enable the project to go ahead. Part of the funding came from the school’s
Fireworks Festival in November last year.

As a reward for their work, the children were taken on a camping and water sports trip, which was also organised and led by the older group.

Headteacher Catriona Williamson said: “We are so grateful for all the hard work put in by the young people from the youth centre and everyone else involved in making this garden a reality. It has
been a real team effort and the children are in for a real treat when they come back to school.”

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Designing the Monrovia Festival Crest

By Jane Shields Williams
Guest column
September 1, 2012

MONROVIA
In the early 1990s, my sister, Martha Gannon, was president of the Monrovia Festival. She decided to have polo shirts made for the committee and officials to wear during t …

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By Tay Suan Chiang

When retiree KC Ong was designing his three-storey bungalow in Changi three years ago, he was not just concerned with the architecture of his home.

The landscaping mattered to him too. “Landscaping can create the right mood and ambience,” says Mr Ong. “Without landscaping, the house is cold.”

Garden State
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Together with John Tan, landscape director of Esmond Landscape and Horticultural, they planned out where the landscaping would be for Mr Ong’s home, even before the old house which stood on the land was torn down.

Mr Tan, an award-winning landscape designer says that “landscaping is no longer an afterthought; an increasing number of homeowners have landscaping in mind even when their home is still being designed”. As Mr Ong wanted lush greenery fast, he asked for mature trees to be planted. His architect had to keep in mind where the trees would be, so that provisions could be made when designing the house to accommodate the trees’ mature roots. The retiree says he wants to create that resort feel in his home, so he spared no expense, spending about $30,000 on the landscaping.

A special alfresco area by the living room was also built so that “I can bring the outdoors indoors and have the plants as close to us as possible”, says Mr Ong. There is so much planting around the home that regardless of which room he is in, Mr Ong is able to see greenery.

Mr Ong left the choice of plants to Mr Tan, but had two requirements of the landscaping. “The plants must be able to provide shade, especially since part of the house receives a lot of sun in the afternoon,” he says. “I also wanted the plants to provide privacy for the home.”

From the outside, with trees flanking both sides of the house, the home is shielded from prying eyes. Along the boundary on Mr Ong’s land, Mr Tan put in plants such as heliconias, frangipanis, and foxtails around the home. “The landscaping has a tropical feel and they shield the house,” says Mr Tan.

Other landscaping experts that BT Weekend spoke too also agree that homeowners are paying more attention to landscaping.

Ann Teo, managing director of landscape architecture firm Coen Design says, “Homeowners seek out landscape consultants early in the planning stage, so they can better integrate the garden spaces in relation to the room planning and the house layout.” She adds that “gardens are an extension of the homeowner’s character, allowing them to express themselves in green volumes”.

Yeong Weng Fai, associate director at DP Green, says that “the environs of the house is inextricably linked and spatially connected with the interiors – the landscape is an extension of its interiors”.

Virginia House Garden Tour: Horticulture staff leads an in-depth look at the more than 8 acres of gardens designed by Charles Gillette, 5-7 p.m. Wednesday at Virginia House, 4301 Sulgrave Road. $6; Virginia Historical Society members free. (804) 353-4251.

Ikebana Demonstration: “Back to Basics” is the topic of a lecture/demonstration by Rosalie Ingenito for a meeting of Ikebana of Richmond, 10 a.m. Thursday at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, 1800 Lakeside Ave. Free. (804) 285-3085 or www.ikebanaofrichmondva.org.

Fall Lawn and Garden Care: Chesterfield County Office of Cooperative Extension offers seminars on fall lawn and gardening chores at various dates, times and locations:

• Thursday: Cool Season Lawn Care, 6 p.m. at Chesterfield Central Library, 9501 Lori Road.

• Saturday or Sept. 17: Lawn Weeds and How to Control Them, 10:30 a.m. Saturday and 6 p.m. Sept. 17, both at Central Library.

• Sept. 12: Preparing the Garden for Winter

• Sept. 20: Pruning

• Sept. 22: Flowers Year-Round

Seminars are free; to register, call (804) 751-4401.

Native Plant Society: Pocahontas Chapter, Virginia Native Plant Society, meets at 7 p.m. Thursday at Lewis Ginter, 1800 Lakeside Ave., for a talk by Matthias Leu on “Construction and the Spread of Japanese Stilt Grass.” Free. (804) 741-7838.

Lewis Ginter Programs: Increase your gardening know-how with programs at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, 1800 Lakeside Ave.:

• Tuesday: Ginter in the Morning seasonal garden walk, 10 a.m., $15; members free.

• Saturdays through Sept. 29: Basic Home Landscape Design, four-session course 9 a.m.-noon Sept. 8, 15, 22 and 29, and optional studios 1:30-3:30 p.m. Sept. 16 and 23, $210-$254; “Graphics for Home Landscape Design” is a prerequisite.

• Sept. 11 or 25: Explore the Garden’s Trees, 10-11:30 a.m., $15; members free.

• Sept. 11 through Oct. 9: Basic Floral Design, Part 1, five-session course, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesdays, $225-$280.

• Sept. 13: Successful Seed-Saving, 5-7 p.m., $25-$36.

Registration is required for all classes. To register or for course information, call (804) 262-9887, ext. 322, or visit online at

www.lewisginter.org.

Garden Walk at Sandy’s Plants: Grower Sandy McDougle offers a tour of her display borders, chats about her favorite perennials and answers garden questions, 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday at Sandy’s Plants, 8011 Bell Creek Road, Mechanicsville. Free; registration requested. Email spi@sandysplants.com or call (804) 746-7092.

Richmond Symphony Designer House Gala: Early 20th-century mansion, Pinifer Park, tricked out by local designers to benefit Richmond Symphony, opens with a gala preview party, 6 p.m. Saturday at the house, 3312 Robious Crossing Drive, Midlothian. $140. 337-4661. After the gala, the house will be open Sept. 10 through Oct. 8. www.rsol.org.

Perennial Herb Maintenance: Workshop on caring for perennial herbs takes place 10:30-11:30 a.m. Saturday at Lavender Fields Herb Farm, 11300 Winfrey Road, Glen Allen. $15; advance registration and payment required at the website, www.lavenderfieldsfarm.com. (804) 262-7167.

Pat Row