Karen Chapman
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Browse This Speaker's Upcoming Events
» Karen Chapman to present 'Pizzazz in a Pot'
» Karen Chapman to speak at the Trilogy Garden Club
Overview
Greater Seattle Area, Washington 98019If you love plants, have a good sense of humor and enjoy meeting fellow gardening enthusiasts we are meant to meet!
Gardening should be FUN and that's what I'm all about; learn while you laugh, and never take yourself (or your garden) too seriously
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Description
BIO
I have had a trowel in my hand and soil under my fingernails for as long as I can remember, but that is just the way it is in England where I grew up. Gardening is simply a part of everyday life where plants and produce are exchanged over a cup of tea and neighbors regularly stop to admire one another’s gardens. And so it was inevitable that when we moved to the Pacific Northwest in 1996 it wasn’t long before I was working at one of the leading nurseries where I could continue to feed my plant fix and share my enthusiasm and knowledge with others. Ten years later I took that a step further by establishing a custom container garden and landscape design business, Le Jardinet.
I have been given many opportunities to share my passion with others as a speaker and author as well as on local radio and television stations. I regularly present seminars and demonstrations to garden clubs, nurseries and at the Northwest flower and Garden Show and my designs and articles have been published in Fine Gardening magazine and by the Washington State Nursery and Landscape Association.
Whether on the stage, television or radio my aim is always to inspire, educate and share the fun of gardening with the audience.
Topics
I regularly present seminars to private groups, garden clubs, nurseries and at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. I am happy to work with your event organizer to tailor a topic to suit your needs and the knowledge level of the audience.
Container Gardening; a 1 hour demonstration style presentation, planting two unique designs appropriate to the audience interests and season. Focus on teaching how and why a design works by use of color repetition as well as varying texture and form. Lots of fun with audience interaction and plenty of time for questions. Previous titles have included 'Pizzazz in a Pot', 'From Blah to Ta-Da", 'The Art of Elegance', 'Holiday Containers' and 'Pots with Personality'.
Indoor Container Garden Design; a 1 hour demonstration style presentation, planting two unique indoor container gardens. Learn about containers, soils and watering tips as well as plant selection to design artistic combinations to grace any home.
Dynamic Plant Combinations; a 1 hour plant-lust PowerPoint presentation with photographs and ideas that will have you rushing out to the nearest nursery.
It’s all in the details! Learn how to design like a professional in simple steps as I demonstrate how to create artistic vignettes of color and texture. Whether it is the incorporation of a simple accent piece or by noting the color of a flower bud, these subtle observations will enable you to create more exciting combinations. Be inspired as you gather easy ideas to try in your own landscape and container gardens.
Designing Garden Memories; Gardens should be experienced, not just observed. Learn how to design a memorable garden journey with ideas for entrances, pathways, garden ‘moments’ along the way and destinations which lure you deeper into the landscape. Using beautiful photographs you’ll gain confidence whether you need to add interest and a new look to existing gardens or start from scratch, no matter how large or small your space. 1 hour PowerPoint presentation.
Reducing maintenance (and backache) in the garden; Life gets busy and we get older – two indisputable facts. For those of us who want to have a nice garden both these facts can cause extreme frustration perhaps even more so when we actually love to work in the garden.
Learn strategies to simplify your garden and your gardening to-do list. By identifying the chores which you find most challenging and understanding which plants are maintenance nightmares you will be able to make considered design choices. Learn to be the Master, not the slave!
This talk can be presented to smaller groups as an interactive ‘show and tell’ or as a PowerPoint seminar for larger audiences. 1 hour.
Locations
Washington State.
Photo Gallery
Audience Reviews
Speaker Review for Karen Chapman
Janet Petrovich from Snohomish, WA - 04/11/2012 10:43:32
Karen, spoke at our Snohomish Garden Club meeting, she is such a professional, very knowledgeable, has a great sense of humor, and keeps the audience engaged and interested! I didn't want her presentation to stop! Its easy to see that she loves gardening and people. Excellent speaker!
Best of the Northwest Art in the Garden talk
Pam Rembold from SAMMAMISH - 04/03/2012 14:32:35
Karen Chapman was a delightful presenter at the Best of the Northwest on KOMO 4 Day ~ Her sense of humor and fun was contagious and kept us on the edge of our seats as she potted up a planter while sharing marvelous suggestions on how to create a lovely spectacle of garden art. I have seen so many beautifully created planters, but Karen has a special knack for bringing drama to the pot by incorporating unusually scaled plants with lots of texture and color. Her eye for the fundamental elements of design shone in the large ceramic pot decorated with a gorgeous blown glass piece provided by artist Tracey Vaughn. Karen also discussed how to use art in your garden to create interest, draw visitors into the space and how to use larger pieces to screen your secret gardens for privacy.
What a Gracious Speaker!
Catherine James from Redmond Garden Club - 02/14/2012 13:20:10
Karen is such a great pleasure to work with. She is so thoughtful and generous with her knowledge. Her enthusiasm is contagious!
