Yesterday we had the pleasure of hosting Jamie Durie, award winning landscape designer, author, horticulturalist and television personality at Hicks Nurseries. It was a fantastic event.
I’ve been a fan of Jamie Durie for many years, his modern approach to design mixed with rustic elements like wood and metal just speaks to me. So you can imagine my excitement when I heard he was touring top garden centers across the country to promote Proven Winner® Plants – I knew we needed to share his passion and enthusiasm with you, our friends and customers.
Yesterday I was a bundle of nerves! I knew it would be my responsibility to make sure Jamie was comfortable and had everything he needed. He arrived about an hour and a half prior to the event with his luggage – he had come straight from the airport. I reached out to shake his hand, explaining how excited we were to have him and he pulled me into a hug and told me to call him Jamie. It was at this moment I realized it was going to be an awesome evening!
Durie is a warm, down to earth person, which should not have surprised me – he’s a gardener! After settling in I walked Durie through the entire nursery and he stopped along the way to meet our staff and take pictures. I am proud to say he thought the store was beautiful and was impressed with our selection.
He then began to choose plants for the stage. We started with a few shopping carts but quickly realized he would require many more. Durie is passionate about plants and chose all of his favorites for the seminar. Here is a picture of what the stage looked like when he was done. It was amazing and beautiful.
Once the stage was chock full of plants Durie took the stage and spoke for about an hour. He discussed everything from how to easily add color to the garden with plants like Supertunia® Bordeaux and Endless™ Illumination Browallia to the basics of good design and how to choose quality plants.
After the seminar attendees lined up to have their books The Outdoor Room and Edible Garden Design signed by Durie. The books are fabulous! We’ve kept a few to sell here at the nursery, so stop by and shop our Book Nook.
We hope everyone enjoyed the event and we look forward to hosting many more outdoor events in the future. Remember: We love gardens as much as you do.