In an effort to help celebrate 50 years of excellence at the Indiana Flower and Patio Show, Pro Care Horticultural Services has created our 2008 garden called “Romancing the Stone”.  This year we will be located at the north end entrance of the West Pavilion.

Our focus this year was to create a space that would allow an opportunity to have multiple outdoor areas, or rooms if you will, where people could entertain in small intimate groups utilizing an individual area or the entire garden.  Even better, it could allow children to be in one area and adults located in another.

All the areas are connected utilizing interesting patio products and yet separated by a centralized water feature of Basalt Spires.  This is a volcanic stone from the Northern West Coast with interesting color and texture.  Angled Indiana white to grey limestone web walls and planters are used to frame the patio spaces and create a sense of coziness.  The garden is complete with the addition of a unique custom built screen used to create a visual break and back drop to the garden space.  Colorful planting of evergreen trees and shrubs as well as broadleaf evergreens, deciduous planting, perennials, grasses and groundcovers are added to bring additional warmth surrounded with large Brown County sandstone boulders.

Please make time to stop by and enjoy the individual spaces or the garden as a whole as Pro Care Horticultural Services “Romances the Stone” March 8^th thru March 16^th, 2008 at The Indiana State Fairgrounds’ West Pavilion. www.procarelandscapers.com

See the Garden Cam for this Garden !

What is the most important day of every woman’s life? Her Wedding Day. The perfect setting will be created by McNamara Florist, masters of creativity and detail in Central Indiana.

The all white hyacinth and tulip lined aisle will be framed by a colonnade of white columns and covered by an arbor of cascading plants. Fountains will dance and gurgle with excitement as the Bride walks down the aisle created by this arbor accented with sparkling hanging crystals and romantic hanging candles. The rose petal covered aisle ends in the perfect ceremony setting. Beautifully set with all white flowers artfully arranged by McNamara’s talented designers. All we need is the Bride and Groom to complete this fantastic fairy tale setting.

Whether it is a wedding or other special occasion, trust the design team at McNamara Florist to create the magical setting for your event. www.mcnamaraflorist.com

Take a journey through the gated archway that transforms you from the outside world into the “Secret Garden”.  As you explore the garden the sights and senses will entice you to reminisce of childhood days and playful memories.  The garden will envelope you with lush plantings, roses, tulips, ferns and ivy flourish along the path that surrounds a reflecting pond.  The pond catches the beauty of numerous flowering trees, shade trees, and pine.  A hidden grotto lets your imagination run wild as to the journey that is before you. www.buddelandscaping.com

Together with the 1950’s thematic ambiance of the hit movie “Hoosiers”, Stonycreek Farm’s garden at the 2008 Indiana Flower & Patio Show will feature traditional landscape design and plantings as well as the newest hardscape ideas, water features and plants which perfectly compliment today’s suburban Hoosier yard complete with sitting areas, entertainment spots and even a basketball goal.  This beautiful garden will offer show patrons a place to sit, relax with friends or discuss landscape ideas with Stonycreek landscape professionals.
www.stonycreekfarm.net

Custom Lawn & Landscape will once again amaze its audience by depicting an island tiki bar atmosphere on the beaches of Jamaica.  Brian Flanagan, a young and confident bartender, makes his way to Jamaica from the Upper East Side of Manhattan to become the areas most entertaining bartender.  With his tricks and unending knowledge of the bartenders guide, a truly exciting display is sure to follow!

The garden will include a grassed-thatch roof, bamboo trimmed tiki bar, set in a tropical setting of palms and the like.  An island waterfall behind represents the noise of the ocean waves as the tourists enjoy a stay in the sand and sun! www.customlawnandlandscape.com

Wm. H. Brown Landscape will again bring together all aspects of this year’s show by developing an entertainment area in the center of the West Pavilion.  Here, you will be able to eat, drink, be entertained by various venues and, of course, talk with the folks at Brown Landscape Inc.  With this year’s show theme of past cinema favorites we also celebrate 50 years of the presentation of the Indiana Flower & Patio Show to the Indianapolis area.

As in the movie, “Casablanca”, you will experience the mid 50’s Moroccan ambiance as you relax in Rick’s Americana Café.  Weather you are interested in eating or just sitting down with some friends for a drink, the Café will be centered in the show for easy access to all.  Here, you will also enjoy original movie posters of the period represented in the show.
www.brownlandscape.com

Franco Landscaping will take you back to the 70’s with its recreation of “Caddyshack” at the famous Bashwood Country Club.  The famous Bill Murray and Chevy Chase scene will be recreated in full detail as you transcend into the future of outdoor entertainment.

As you step up to the bar for a cool afternoon refreshment, there is a distant clatter of the groundskeeper in the process of dealing with a very pesky critter.  The famous gopher that we have all come to know from the movie “Caddyshack” is once again in our midst at the Indiana Flower & Patio Show.  As you look across the way, you will see the imitation of Bill Murray dealing with those famous clay dummy bombs in his very rustic living quarters.  Here you will feel at home with him and feel part of the trials and tribulations that he must have suffered to rid the golf course of the little furry creature.  As smoke fills the air from the demolition process, and water hose abounding from the attempts to drown the rodent, you will see it in person as the gopher dances for all to see.  For you know that it is true – he cannot be caught. www.francoland.com

“It’s a Wonderful Life” to have a landscaped retreat in your very own backyard.  With the hustle and bustle of everyday life and no time to vacation, your back yard becomes your own vacation destination.  The tranquility of running water as you relax on your hammock helps sooth your soul.  The unique fire pit is always a hit at every gathering, neighborhood get-together, family outings or holidays.  Entertain your guest with the custom bar and grill with a fish tank tabletop. www.apremierlandscapeanddesign.com

See the Garden Cam for this Garden !

“Over the Hedge” takes place in a subdivision in which the animals are separated from residential backyards by a hedge.  The hedge is new and the animals have never seen backyards before.  The animals are amazed at all the wonders the backyard holds.  Our garden will simulate the newly discovered backyard that is on the other side of the hedge.  Our garden will include different amenities such as a fire pit and pergola.  Also included will be a swimming pool with a water feature.  Flowering plants abound to add beauty.  This colorful garden, surrounded by a hedge, or arborvitae, will create an outdoor space that both critters and families can enjoy. www.calvinlandscape.com

See the Garden Cam for this Garden !

Look under Disney to See the Garden Cam for this Garden !

Feel the wind in your face.  Hear the gentle crunch of cinders beneath your feet.  See the limestone slabs at the edges of the garden.  Experience the excitement as the cyclists flash by in a blur of color and sound!  The greatest cycling movie of all time comes to life in our garden!  Set in the late 70’s in Bloomington, Breaking Away is the story of four young men struggling to find themselves amidst class distinctions of wealth and privilege, and the pressure of growing up, who persevere to win what may be the “grandest amateur cycling event in America.”

www.easylivinglandscapes.com

The secret to designing a Tuscan garden is much like our movie theme implies.  You find redemption and second chances in ways you hadn’t imagined.

A Tuscan Garden requires that the gardener preserve the past, such as an old well or fountain, or maybe even a ruined portion of an old building, while still choreographing the infusion of new life through the use of lively, well thought out plantings.

Like Diane Lane’s character in the movie, people are rediscovering the beauty of old, timeless gardens.  They long for the comfortable size and grand scale designed by the old masters.  Come linger by a cozy outdoor fireplace and marvel at the craftsmanship of the hand carved Travertine fountain.

One of our most inspiring techniques comes from the use of the “trompe l’oeil” which literally translated means “a trick of the eye”.  Renaissance Italians were the early masters of lavishly painted three dimensional architectural scenes that were used both inside and out to make spaces seem bigger or more interesting.  Such techniques can be used in new gardens in a reinvented way to make a dramatic effect.  Why not paint a window into a fictitious garden at your own home?

All these techniques and more are here to bring the beauty of the Tuscan landscape to the Indianapolis area and hopefully inspire your own home. www.browerjacques.com

“A Red Carpet Affair” is the theme of the 2008 Flower & Patio Show.  Aspen’s garden, “There’s No Place Like Home”, will bring an inviting garden to the show inspired from the classic film, “The Wizard of Oz”.  As backyards continue to be transformed into outdoor living spaces, “There’s No Place Like Home” reveals just how comfortable and versatile one’s backyard can become.

The garden design is cozy enough for morning coffee on the patio, while still providing the option to entertain a garden party in a moment’s notice in your own backyard.  Seating walls and The introduction of an Aspen water feature being incorporated into a table will provide for wonderful conversation around the soothing sound of water, as the shade structures give the patio a sense of security.  An inviting natural stone path winding through the garden leads to a secluded fire pit tucked away in an evergreen border.  Finally, to enhance the warmth of the space, masses of dense plantings varying among vibrant colors, textures, and forms allow for a natural, yet polished backyard feel.
www.aspenoutdoordesigns.com