Birmingham Magazine April 2018 Issue

• CULTURE |
The Hot List
THE HOT LIST
Books,
LOUISE WRINKLE
HAS LIVED MOST
OF HER LIFE on the
property she has cultivated
for more than 30
years. She knows every
inch of her expansive,
natural garden, set in
an unspoiled Alabama
WRINKLE
woodland. It’s impressive
enough that professional horticulturists,
plant enthusiasts, and backyard gardeners all
over the country know it, too.
They’ll know it even more intimately
through Wrinkle’s book, “Listen to the Land.”
The book shows how Wrinkle took exactly
what nature gave her and created a woodland
garden that follows and honors the rough
terrain and idiosyncratic character of the land
with winding paths, a meandering brook,
ages-old stone walls, and rustic rail fences and
bridges. The book is full of stunning photographs,
and the prose is absolutely beautiful.
Wrinkle grew up riding horses along the
bridle trails of Robert Jemison’s 1920s development,
Mountain Brook. People here have been
listening to the land for generations. When
designing his planned community, Jemison
worked with landscape architect Warren
Manning, who started his career with
Frederick Law Olmstead (designer of Central
WHO TO FOLLOW:
30 | Birmingham | APRIL 18
WHAT TO READ:
Listen to the Land:
Creating a Southern
Woodland Garden
by Louise Agee Wrinkle
@thejungalow on Instagram
“Jungalow” is the latest trend in home décor—broken down, it’s
basically jungle/tropical décor for your bungalow. That means lots of
color (especially rich greens and deep blues), funky mismatched prints,
and plants everywhere. Justina Blakeney is the founder of Jungalow,
and her Instagram account will have you dreaming of a bohemian
escape of your own.
Park in New York). Manning described the
land as “wild and picturesque” and suggested
“indigenous” landscaping.
Wrinkle also heeded that advice. Her garden,
with her childhood home in the middle
of it, is a place of native azaleas and beech
trees, of snowdrops and water oaks. She writes:
“I only want those things that would naturally
appear in a woodland garden.” And because
she recognizes the similarities between native
plants in the Southeastern U.S. and some
found in woodlands in Asia, she also grows
Chinese quince and Japanese aucuba.
In the book, we see Wrinkle’s garden in all
seasons. It’s interesting to note that a Japanese
maple looks lovely in golden leaf as well as
with bare branches, which Wrinkle prunes
from the inside “to reveal their graceful skeletons,
which become striking in winter.” The
book also showcases a forest full of cloud-like
native dogwoods, yellow Lady Banks’s rose as
groundcover, and even flower-shaped fungus
sprouting from leaf litter.
On a practical note, there are more than
200 plant profiles at the back of the book with
tips on habitat and placement.
Wrinkle believes that good gardeners everywhere
have a responsibility to the world at
large. “…while protecting and preserving our
own few acres of land,” she writes, “we become
the careful stewards of our common bounty.”
- SUSAN SWAGLER
PHOTO VIA @THEJUNGALOW
movies, albums, TV shows, and
more—this month’s top culture picks
WHAT TO
LISTEN TO:
“County Seat” by Will Stewart
Alabama native Will Stewart spent several years
making music in Nashville, but couldn’t resist the
pull of home. Upon returning to Alabama, he’s
ready to release his first full-length solo album,
“County Seat,” on April 6. Rolling Stone listed
him as one of their “Artists You Need to Know”
in January, and he made his debut at SXSW in
March. Catch him at Sloss Fest in July, as well.
WHAT TO
BINGE:
“Fixer Upper”
If you’re not yet on the Gaines train, one episode
of “Fixer Upper,” HGTV’s home improvement
show, should do the trick. During the 60-minute
show, Chip and Joanna Gaines use their expertise
to turn old, run-down houses into the homes of
their clients’ dreams. Now that the show is in
its fifth and final season (cue the tears), take the
time to binge every episode of the show via the
HGTV website, Hulu, or Amazon Prime.
WHAT TO
DOWNLOAD:
“The Home Depot: Arthur Blank” from
NPR’s How I Built This
What’s the first store you think of when you think
home improvement? Chances are it’s Home
Depot. Learn the riveting history behind how two
hardware store employees turned an unexpected
firing into a company that earns an annual
revenue of almost $100 billion and is one of the
U.S.’s biggest private employers. NPR’s popular
How I Built This podcast has the story.
WHAT TO
WATCH:
“Tomb Raider”
Get ready for a reboot of a favorite action movie
starring a kick-butt heroine that we all love to
root for. “Tomb Raider” is back, but this time it’s
got a new cast. Alicia Vikander plays Lara Croft in
the new movie, which is based off a classic video
game. Croft embarks on a perilous journey to her
father’s last-known destination, hoping to solve
the mystery of his mysterious disappearance.
Get your popcorn buckets ready, because this is
going to be a good one!
ART ON A
PLATE
APRIL EVENTS 2018
April 6 • 6–9pm
First Friday
Support local merchants and enjoy
spending time in historic downtown
Gadsden the First Friday of every month.
Classic cars, food, entertainment and
fun! Classic cars are invited to cruise-in.
256-547-8696
HISTORIC DOWNTOWN GADSDEN
April 13 & 14
Smoke Your Buns 5k /
Smoke on the Falls
Saturday begins early with the “Smoke
Your Buns” 5K run starting at 8 a.m. and
the barbecue festival opens to the
public at 10 a.m. Admission to the
festival is $5 for ages 4 and up and free
for children 3 and under.
256-549-4680
NOCCALULA FALLS PARK
90 Walnut St. • Gadsden, AL 35901 • greatergadsden.com
1-888-565-0411 1-256-549-0351
Corks & Chefs:
A Taste of Birmingham
Tickets: corksandchefs.com
or 205-595-6306
April 28 & 29, 2018
12:00pm - 3:00pm
Linn Park
Art by Lisa Krannichfeld
April 21 • 9am–4pm
Train Show
Coosa Valley Model Railroad Association
invites you to their 32nd Annual Train
Show! Admission is $5.00, children
under 12 are FREE. Admission fee covers
a visit to the Harden Center for Cultural
Arts to see their museum quality layout
of Gadsden in the 1950's-1970's.
205-594-7478
CONVENTION HALL
April 28 • 6–10pm
Downtown Music Festival
featuring Tasha Taylor
Line-up includes: Shane Givens and
Friends, Albert Simpson and the
Continent & Tasha Taylor
256-547-8696
COOSA LANDING
@GreaterGadsden #GreaterGadsden
www.magiccityart.com
COMING IN MAY
May 3-5
“Woodies on the
Water” Boat Show
Members of the Dixieland
Chapter of the Antique and
Classic Boat Society will
converge on Gadsden to
kick-off the 2018 boating
season. Events will include
boats on display at First Friday
and in the water at the
Riverwalk Park at Coosa
Landing on Saturday. Boats
will cruise the Coosa on
Friday and Saturday.
615-390-2561
COOSA LANDING
A8540362-01