A Candy Colorful Rainbow of Winter Color November 2, 2009

In the no man’s land of the Winter garden, after the Japanese Maples have closed out their Fall show, there is the “hurry up and wait” for Spring. The landscape can look a wee bit barren if you don’t actively plan for the rainbow of color options that are out there waiting for you. Many people, just close the door on the winter garden and miss out on a plethora of foliage and bloom options.

Here’s one idea for your full sun spot with great draining soil- (here in the NW, that HAS to be said!)

 

Collection of colorful Heather's

 

All of these Heather’s were purchased during the cold, dark, wet months of Winter. I just couldn’t resist getting a bunch of these. Some are Spring blooming, some are summer or fall blooming. I don’t really care when they bloom as long as I can have color like this to look at during a long gray Winter!

Have you made a plan for your Winter garden color?

 

Mmmm, Buttery Garden Goodness October 30, 2009

Resisting a good plant rescue is very hard for me. When I cam across a severed chunk of buttery Corylopsis Pauciflora a few years ago, it was about to go into the trash pile. Too good to pass up, I thought. And my gamble has rewarded me richly with pastry rich, butter colored, fragrant flowers in the spring and elegantly textured foliage.

Deciding whether I like it more in bloom, paired with deep pink Hellebore in April or with deep pink Chrysanthemums in fall is a tough challenge. Someone putting me up to a decision like that would very likely have to provide some sort of decision make pastry to sway me one way or the other.

Corylopsis Pauciflora, Hellebore

Corylopsis is a spectacularly elegant alternative to Forsythia. When placed where you can appreciate the bloom and foliage up close, this plant earns it’s keep and gets better with every season. Pair it with darker foliage plants to really make her shine. I have it in a bed with Sambucus ‘Black Beauty’. Today, the Sambucus foliage has warmed from deep burgundy to a coppery bronze tone. Next to the Corylopsis it’s transcendent.

Corylopsis pauciflora, Sambucus 'Black Beauty', Ghost Fern

The most alluring point of interest about this plant to me is not the bloom, it’s the lovely foliage. Delicate, and deeply textured leaves are each a work of art unto themselves. And when they reach fall, the colors of butter yellow turn to ocher yellows and rich rustic amber.

 

 

 

 

Star of the Fall Show Needs Backup Singers October 28, 2009

The focus on all of the glorious color of fall is righteous indeed. After a spring and summer of sumptuous floral displays and vegetable tableau’s that can rival any formal shrub border, it’s only natural to get a bit more introspective about the use of the giant color wheel of fall and delve into the details. I also think it’s important to take a good, long step back and see who else is out there helping to make that color sing.

Top performers know there is a bevy of behind the scenes action that lifts up and supports the lead. They are all of the names that are rarely on the fronts of magazines or books. They dazzle in a more understated way. I like to think of them as the back up singers of the plant world. Silver and grey are the back-up singers that I regularly look for in most plant combination’s that I design. They are reliable, show up consistently, and are rarely demanding of the limelight.

Barberry 'Crimson Pygmy', Nandina 'Gulf Stream', Spanish Lavender, Wooly Thyme

Sometimes the melody under the song is even lovelier when you listen close. You could even think of it as an up light on the stage. The bold and bawdy red lead singer out in the front of the house always looks better with a little supportive light from underneath, from the side, or in the back. Who sings back up in your garden designs?

Artemisia 'Cirrus' with a leaf from Euonymous Alata

Nandina 'Gulf Stream', Salvia 'Tri-Color'

The Last Gasp of Fall Color October 23, 2009

Rhus Typhina or Sumac is in all her glory right now. I saw this in my E-Mail today http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/potd/2009/10/rhus_typhina.php and thought about the ones in my neighborhood with such glorious color on them I had to run out and take some pictures to share.

In some areas of the country this small tree might seem ubiquitous as we sometimes feel about some of our common trees  here in the green Northwest. But, you have to hand it to Mother Nature on this one- she out did herself!

After chatting with neighbors on this lovely fall evening, I found a couple of other fall color shots that stood out too. Enjoy!

Autumn Blaze Maple

Leafy Carpet

Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day Post October 15, 2009 October 16, 2009

Japanese Maple ‘Inaba Shidare’

Eunoymous ‘Monstrosus’ & Sumac ‘Tiger Eyes’

Sedum ‘Bertram Anderson’ with Euonymous ‘Emerald -n- Gold’

Nandina ‘Gulf Srteam’

Nandina ‘Gulf Stream’

Nandina Domestica

PJM Rhody with Chrysanthemum

Sedum ‘Bertram Anderson’

Zinnia ‘Profusion Pink’ with Salvia ‘Tri-Color’

Basil ‘Magic Mountain’

Orange Geranium

Nandina ‘Firepower’

Rose ‘Flutterbye’

Rose ‘Flutterbye’

Rose ‘Flutterbye’

Erigeron ‘Santa Barbara’

Yarrow ‘Moonshine’

Chinese Plumbago

Cotoneaster

Hardy Geranium

Variegated Geranium

Spirea ‘Magic Carpet’

Chrysanthemum

Coleus with Oxalis ‘Sunset’

My favorite Lobelia ‘Cambridge Blue’

Variegated Wallflower- Erysimum

Viburnum ‘Spring Bouquet’

‘Quick Fire’ Hydrangea Has Slow Burn October 14, 2009

Hydrangea Paniculata is one shrub that I would have to put on my “Never to be without” list of plants. I can only compare my passions for these shrubs by contrasting  it this way:  It is to Hosta lovers “Patriot”, it is to Rose enthusiasts “Mr. Lincoln”, it is to Edibles growers “Sweet Basil”. No longer can I be without some form of one in my garden

Hydrangea Paniculata 'Quick Fire', Leucothoe 'Rainbow' & Heuchera 'Green Spice'

When I first started on this former bachelor pad back yard, there was only a sorry patch of grass. Among the very first plants I put in were three, three gallon pots of Hydrangea ‘Quick Fire’ by Proven Winners.

The benefits of incorporating this plant into any landscape are so terrific, I would be hard pressed to find a down side. They have a lovely, dark green leaf with a delicate texture. They begin blooming at the opening bell of summer, with creamy white panicles. And with each passing day they produce more and more blooms that age with elegance. Each head of blooms color enriches more and more  until it becomes a champagne peach, a blushing rose or even a dark, feisty mauve, depending on which variety you may have.

As fall rolls in, then the slow burn begins! ‘Quick Fire’ will deepen its bloom color into its last phase, then the fiery fall foliage comes on each day to the last encore of fall sun before the curtain drops on winter.

Hydrangea Paniculata 'Angle Blush' September

Soon after I got those in the ground, was fortunate to be able to buy a tree form of Hydrangea ‘Angel Blush’. She is smack in the middle of my dining room window at eye level and I adore her! ‘Angel Blush’ struts her stuff right up until the very last leaf has fallen and even then she will not drop her blooms unless I personally snip them off for winter flower arrangements.

Cold hardy, non- fussy and performing to the end, Hydrangea Paniculata should not be missed- not if I have anything to say about it!

Soon, I will have to make that list of mine: The “Never To Be Without” Plant List. But, until then, the factored requirements to make it on my list have just gotten just a little bit harder.

“Listen up plants, you now have competition in your ranks, and I suggest that you all perform admirably- OR ELSE.”

Finding Fresh Design Inspiration October 11, 2009

Getting inspiration to bring new, fresh ideas to my Personal Garden Coaching clients is a conscious effort. Being constantly on the look out for a new way of looking at plants and combination’s, design plans and uses for garden elements is sweat, creativity, patience and maybe a little divine intervention.

'Green Spice' Heuchera

After discussing this with other designers and coaches, I have found that there is a certain amount of cynicism that creeps into the minds of designers, usually this time of year. We’ve all been through a spring and summer of creating and energizing ideas, bringing them to life for others. It seems that I get a little bit of a drained feeling. Inspiration and new ideas seem very distant.

Fall color inspiration at the nursery

Clients and customers need to feed off of our energy and enthusiasm about plants, gardening, horticulture, style, fashion, design and bring to life the ideas that others couldn’t realize. This is what we sell. This is what they need to buy from us. And providing that can be challenging when you are feeling void of new ideas.

But, by the time we get to spring, there are garden shows, and a new season of design, when we begin feeling renewed. New plant introductions come out. Designers are flushed with exciting new ideas that have been incubating all winter long. Garden fashions are introduced to us, in what feels like in a whole new light.

But, right now in these waning hours of garden daylight in the dusky fall, I am one Coach and Designer looking at this moment of the season, with joy in my heart over the smallest details in a leaf. Or a fall grass combination that evokes a sense of style. Sometimes, it’s just as simple as seeing the same two plants together, just as I always have, but on this particular day and in this particular light, they make me think that I’ve never really seen them before.

Sea Oats, Blood Grass, Acorus

Maybe that’s enough to take my cynical edge off for a while. Maybe I’m not really as bored with the same old plants and combination’s as I thought I was. Maybe nature gives us a rest from her active spring and summer excitement to immerse ourselves in a winters sleep and birth new ideas. But, right now, I’m going to give her a few more days to inspire me before my winter nap.

Sedum 'Autumn Joy' & Phormium 'Jack Spratt'

One Shovel-Full Away From Bliss February 3, 2009

Have you ever been in a garden with a grumpy person? I’ve been a Gardener, Landscaper, Designer, Horticulturalist

Peony type Tulip 10" across!!!

and Plant Geek since I was very small. And in all of my time working in nurseries and with my private clients, I can tell you with certainty, that it is virtually IMPOSSIBLE to be a truly unhappy person in the garden.

Of course there are life’s little upsets in our gardens, small set-backs and unexpected events that will firmly re-establish where we are in the pecking order of Mother Nature’s plans. But, overall I have never met a person who wasn’t happier and dare I say, more grounded, by working in the garden.

Some of us, like myself make our living this way because we are, as I am, lost in any other environment. Like many people, I use gardening as a mental white wash of sorts. Others use it as a way to numb themselves from the daily grind. I respect ALL of those reasons and would encourage anyone to join those of us in communion with our beloved tools, gloves and favorite flowers.

I am fortunate enough to be able to witness the before and after effects of gardening with my clients. Those who are intimidated by the seemingly daunting task of renovating or creating a space they can enjoy are soon overtaken by the oneness they feel with what they have created afterward. No pills or potion can duplicate that high. That’s a fact that doctors worldwide have known for hundreds of years.

One of the highest and best aspects of being a Garden Coach to me, is giving people permission to “BE” in their gardens. You might be shocked at how many people are almost terrified of this. A conversation that I had with a younger fellow gardener brought this point up with me recently. She said that the pressure she felt of having to “know everything”, the way more experienced gardener’s do, took the fun out of it.

My take on this is so very different. There are not many activities left in the world where you can just dive right in and do it completely “wrong” and still have the most gratifying outcome! I spend so much of my time in just counseling clients on the fact that they don’t have to really know anything about gardening at all to enjoy being with it, to breath in the blissful unawareness of life’s problem’s and to learn in the church of nature.

If losing your job possibly looms over you, get out and dig. If your relationships are sour, go outside and listen to the birds. If you are frustrated with the body you have and wishing for the body you want, go outside and rake the lawn.If your home is not the magazine centerfold you dream it could be, put on your shoes and prune up a hedge. The feeling of bliss and harmony that is there waiting for you, is abundant and it will never, ever let you down.

Must reads:

http://www.momsonlineretreat.com/gardening-happiness.html

http://blog.atmajyoti.org/2008/12/cultivating-happiness-a-gardening-metaphor/

Wedding Cake Landscape Design Theory February 3, 2009

The sun peeked out long enough for me to talk the dog into going out for a quick walk. During this darker part of the year, I am on the lookout for the plants that outshine all of the others. Today’s top candidate:

Arborvitae ‘Rheingold’

This photo was taken during high summer, but if I had my camera with me today, you would have seen an example of this same plant in a stunning russet/orange color for winter.

Not many people are aware that there are a tremendous number of evergreen plants that do change color in the winter. Both Conifer and Broad leaf evergreens have many great choices that offer winter color for the landscape.

Take a look in your neighborhood at what might be looking terrific right now. Some others to be on the look out for? Sedum, Heuchera, Leucothoe, Juniper, Heather, Hebe.

I use these investigative walks as a design tool. When I create a design plan or make suggestions to a client about what to plant, I inevitably begin with planting for winter color. In the longest, darkest season of the year, especially if you live in a gray climate like mine, it’s paramount to create a colorful to enjoy during those rough months.

I want to look out my window, or pull up in my drive and feel proud of how colorful and interesting my landscape looks at the harshest period of the seasons. It’s what I call the “Wedding Cake Theory” of landscape design. It goes as follows: If you have a SUPER YUMMY wedding cake (insert your favorite flavor here) but the icing on the outside is the icky, lard based gunk, then no matter how pretty that icing and flower design is on the cake, it’s going to sully the cake.You can still eat the cake, avoiding the icing, but why?

I think of the gardens that I work with as those cakes, what good are a few weeks of stunning blooms, if the garden as a whole does not  have  a great base to work from. I want my cake and my icing too!

In the mood… January 15, 2009

The Inauguration is days away and the excitement is building. I don’t have a ticket to this historic event, but I can watch on TV and on the Internet. My participation is pretty much limited to a small number of avenues. But, after the holidays are over and most of the country is either trapped by weather or recovering from weather, I think we’re all in the mood for some fun. And since I can’t make it to the most major party of our time, I can participate another, that for a Gardener, rivals it. The Northwest Flower and Garden Show. (Angels and Choirs inserted here)

Northwest Flower & Garden Show

There has been some recent research that shows Gardeners are online in HUGE numbers from October through April, blogging, Twittering, Facebooking , you get the idea. And then after that nothing. Apparently it was some huge surprise to the researchers that we dropped our keyboards and picked up pruners! That’s because we’re like heroin addicts looking for a hit! We’ll take anything that looks even remotely like it could grow. The discussions online regarding seeds, seed starting, seed catalogs- are gaining speed and they may hit a compost landmine any minute!

I, for one, have been TRAPPED inside for weeks. Dramatic you say? “Snowmageddon 2008″ as I have dubbed it, had us under almost 4ft. of snow (IN THE SEATTLE AREA!!!!)  and as of this writing on a now otherworldly sunny day, 48 degrees, it’s not melted yet for some! Still too dramatic? After the snow, we had 14″ of rain in 48 hours. Still the snow remained.You can’t even go out to really accomplish anything of any real consequence in those conditions.

So, in horticultural state of frenzy, we will all gather for the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. We will worship anything that is put in front of us. From the smallest point of titillation, in the form of Narcissus, to practically surgically enhanced versions gardens we can never attain, we are in the mood to celebrate. Cheers!