A Home for the Holidays

When asked to do a holiday display for a new client there is always lots to take into consideration.  After the initial consultation you get an idea of what the client is looking for, now the challenge begins. In this case, a young family living in a somewhat traditional home who would prefer less traditional decorations
I'm always up for a challenge.

Though there was no way around some of the traditional lines of this home, it did afford room for some modern thoughts.

The garlands over the porch are lighted with light garlands of two sizes of lights. The look, a modern twist to those old larger lights....old is new again

The bows in the pots are simply red Tulle, more like medallions. The ornaments on the garland over the window are more like gathered bouquet's. This look is repeated throughout the rest of the design. A light dusting of snow added to the look.

The space between the columns could have been left a void, instead evergreen arrangements fill this space  This allowed more color for this space.

Red and green are traditional Christmas colors, so some traditions were kept.

My favorite compliment was when this client told me she would like to keep these decorations up for as long as possible, way beyond Christmas. This I like.

A look at the Holiday Garden

Holiday decorating, is much like gardening in the warmer season.... only different

You are still working outside with green materials, sometimes we use fake, such as in the case of these holly berry pics. The pine cone is real though.

You add color to containers. Garlands become the new vines, instead if a trellis we use nails for support.

Snow-ball lights,  you are still working with water..... sort of

Preserved materials will hold up in the weather, such as this Eucalyptus........ choosing the right plant for the situation

 Leaf-less sticks now have a  purpose.

You sill harvest fruit, though it's fake.

 Leaf litter is still an issue

Red is a preferred color in the garden.

 Boxwood and Magnolia clippings, now they look good in containers.

Chartreuse still looks good wherever you put it.

The garden can still be enjoyed at night, with the help of lights.

 You are still entertaining your clients pets.

A look at Holiday decorations Pt.1

Enjoy your Holidays

Thank God that's over

I am so happy the planting season has come to an end. Our growing season here in Michigan left a lot to be desired. It was not the most favorable year for growing. Scorching heat, torrential rain, cool temperatures  played havoc on most gardens. Canna's that never bloomed, petunia's that rotted, these are just a few of the mis-haps of the year. What's a Gardner to do? look forward to the next season is about all.

The winter season can bring new life to the garden especially to your containers, a new season, with new possibilities to the garden.

Winter containers  require  little of your time, they just want to be enjoyed.  They are not demanding and require little if any maintenance. No water is needed here, maybe just some Wilt proof.

Soil issues are part of that other season, these are planted in Styrofoam. Sun or shade? it does not matter anymore.

Winter pots know little of torrential rains and dry spells and scorching heat, this in not part of their vocabulary. Insect and rot are unknown in this garden 

Pruning and deadheading are part of the past garden , sure there may be snow, but that only adds to the garden.

Winter garden can be enjoyed at night just as summer gardens are by adding some lights, these gardens can be seen from the comforts of inside. Perhaps with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine.

And the garden is still full of green.

No pot left behind

I believe that no pot should be left behind. If you have pots or containers that can withstand the sometimes harsh and unpredictable winters like we have here in Michigan, you should fill them with evergreens. As you can see from the photo's in this post, this is not a Holiday display, but  just a way to enjoy the winter season with some greenery, and not have your pots go bare through the winter.

Do not try this with Terra-cotta pots , they will crack, if not this year, then the next, or the year after that, it's best not to take the chance. I have lost plenty of pots from our freezing and thawing weather, even the one's that say "frost proof" are not safe here in our zone. Concrete, metal, wood, wire, and fiber plastics can safely survive outside all year long.

Evergreens work well in winter pots, branches and sticks also do just fine too. Take a look around your yard, if the snow does not destroy it , it will probably work. You can add even more interest by using artificial and hardy preserved materials such as Eucalyptus. Natural materials won't look fake through the winter so keep this in mind.

Frozen soil is almost impossible to work with, no one wants to be chipping away at frozen dirt in a attempt to stick in evergreen branches. 

In a up coming post I'll show you how to do a winter arrangement that can be done in the comfort of a garage or basement, and then installed outside. You have no excuse for leaving a pot

behind

The final dance

The Hydrangea's were dancing above the Yew's. The last dance of the season some might say, the Grand finale to the season.

I Know a lot of people are thinking about decorating their homes and gardens this time of year including myself.  I just thought I'd share with you another way type of decoration. A style that only nature can

design

 On a recent visit to one of my clients garden I could not believe how beautiful the garden looked. I was there to do the holiday decorating.  The beauty of the dried Hydrangea's and the Ornamental grasses took my breath away. This was decorating that only nature can do. 

I had designed this garden a number of years ago, and it is finally coming into it's own. The garden is beautiful during the warm season. Now the garden is beautiful in the fall and early winter, this I like.

Here we see the Ornamental grasses along the fence, A gentle cold breeze gave movement to the grasses, and to the garden, a dance of their own.

 The dry hydrangea blooms were the most amazing gold color. the garden was alive with this color, no decorating I could do could compete with this. The Limelight Hydrangea's dry blossom's seem to dance in the air above the leafless branches.

 The Hydrangea's and grasses are set off by a background of evergreens, a perfect color combination. In the spring and summer the garden is alive with pink's and purples, now the garden has taken on a whole new color scheme

This garden is a real example of a garden should have many seasons of interest. No lights needed here.

Dance on, dance on.

Jane's

This post is about my client and friend Jane

 Sadly, Jane sold her house.

 

For years I've been in charge of maintenance of this small urban garden which mostly consisted of weeding and pruning the boxwood shrubs, this was a low maintenance garden.

Though plant material palette in this garden is limited I always love the simplicity of it. Green and white garden are one of my favorites

Annabelle hydrangeas grow beautiful here with boxwood's keeping everything in check, a sense of order is achieved here.

The Myrtle  has the same small leaf texture as the box, the two together work well. When the Myrtle is in bloom the boxwood seem to float in a river of periwinkle blue. The Cornus Kusa dogwood picks up the color of the Hydrangeas.

The lines of the boxwood are softened by the billowing Hydrangeas.

The backyard is also simple in the color palette. A carved piece of granite that holds water sits atop a stone.

The drive way is lined with limbed up Pear trees, a wall of white blooms in the spring in a sea of Myrtle.

The stone wall gave the feeling of a sunken garden. A fire pit created by her son replaced a pond.

A huge grove of Oakleaf Hydrangeas was stunning in bloom.

Even though Jane's yard was small and simple in color and plant material it was one of my most favorite, I'll miss visiting with Jane there. 

The new home and garden owner hired me to continue working in this yard, and Jane just bought a new home with a even larger yard that we'll start designing this spring...... this I like.