Showing posts with label garden design. Show all posts
Showing posts with label garden design. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Change is Constant: Never Underestimate Mother Nature & Other Gardening Lessons I Learned


I have to thank Mother Nature that we completed our planned garden design changes during the spring’s “Silly Season” ~ long before the relentless, blistering temperatures and water shortages we’ve endured this summer.  

Remember my last post introduced my garden design plan to “do less.” Well, we shuttered the garden changes not a moment too soon. 

They say war is hell.  So is trying to garden in an extraordinary, inhospitable climate.

Still, like any great matriarch, Mother Nature teaches us many things.  Here are a few I took to heart this growing season….  


Friday, May 20, 2022

Inspiring Horticulturist & Author Abra Lee, Shares Garden History Discoveries from "Conquer The Soil"

I was smitten with Abra Lee and her groundbreaking work the moment I was introduced to her. (Pun intended.)

See, Abra Lee is a horticulturist; a gardener.
Lee is also a refreshing, revolutionary kind of garden historian, speaker, and author of the soon-to-be-released book Conquer the Soil that, according to Timber Press, her publisher, “profiles 45 hidden figures of horticulture—the Black men and women whose accomplished careers in the plant world are little known or untold.”

If you’re like me, there’s nothing better than “digging in;” satiating one’s curiosity.

I love to learn and to be inspired.

Abra Lee checked all the boxes. I couldn’t wait to soak up more. A garden adventure awaited…

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

Got You Covered! Pretty Ornamental, Native, & Evergreen Ground Cover Plants Your Garden Will Love

 

“Ground Cover” sounds so pedestrian. So banal. Yet, we shouldn’t “look down” upon these workhorses of good garden design. Rather, let’s think of Ground Covers as a kind of garden tapestry that adds a carpet of beautiful color, (oh the metaphors!) along with fragrance, and texture ~ all while keeping the soil in and weeds out. 

Let’s explore what are some of the best, most beautiful, easy-maintenance ground covers; many that are native which are beneficial for the pollinators, too. And you’ll see that these pretty, low-growing blooms look so fetching as cut flowers for your indoor floral design compositions. 

Here, I’ll share with you some of my favorite, go-to groundcovers that I turn to when designing for my clients and in my own gardens.  

 

Friday, July 24, 2020

Gardentopia: A Garden Design Book Shows How to Create an Outdoor Space Brimming with Joy & Serenity

 Gardentopia: Design Basics for Creating Beautiful Outdoor Spaces by [Jan Johnsen] 
For those who’ve been following me, you’ve “heard” me say often that “good garden design tells a story.” The book, Gardentopia, tells many a good garden story. The garden design guide is brimming with successful designs. Perhaps more poignantly, or perhaps more to the point, is that today, more than ever, we have come to recognize the importance of being in nature, nesting at home in our gardens…

If there is any silver lining to this coronavirus for those lucky and blessed enough to have a yard and property to shelter-in-place at, is that most everyone wants to create a garden retreat; to create their own arcadian hideaway.

But how to go about it is the speed bump.

Jan Johnsen’s book, Gardentopia was released last year and I think it is even more salient now. And I’m not just saying that to assuage my guilt about not writing the book review until now. It’s true I was sent a review copy of the book when it was first published and for no good reason (or for many working reasons!) I am just now sharing the good garden design news found in Gardentopia…

Seriously, the hard cover, large-format book is a tome (283 pages) chock-a-block with colorful photos - some with thumbnail captions that describe the story or detail about the image (not just the usual lusty garden display) - that showcase the plants -- there’s an entire chapter; more than 40 pages devoted to the “Plants and Planting” that Jan characterizes as “everyone’s favorite part of the garden. There are four other chapters showcasing the elements of Jan’s good garden design:

  • Garden Design and Artful Accents ~ this is the garden’s framework, according to Jan

  • Walls, Patios, Walks, and Steps ~ these are the bones of the outdoor space

  • Theme Gardens ~ here’s where creativity and whimsy make a garden special
  • Color in the Garden ~ Jan cites the impact of color and celebrates its potency and how to use it



Be assured that the sheer breadth of Gardentopia’s contents is well, breath-taking. If you never purchased another garden design book, you’d be just fine. This book is that comprehensive.

While It’s often said the devil's in the details; the original phrase was "God is in the details,” meaning that you needed to ensure that everything you did was done truthfully. Here, Jan’s masterful garden stories are abundant in their authenticity because they are based on her true to life experience and client examples and deliver on the finer elements without getting ahem, “into the weeds” or losing focus. Like her garden design guidelines or principles she advocates, it’s all about the balance...

As you know, I too, am a professional garden designer as well as a writer and author. I review many garden and plant-related books and in the days BC (before corona), I attended a plethora of garden design and horticulture lectures in New York City: most of them produced by the New York Botanical Garden and Metrohort. This is my wheelhouse to say the least. So trust me when I say what sets Jan’s book apart especially, is the way she talks to us in the book. This is no crunchy, esoteric guide for the garden elite. Although they too will delight in the sage advice found on every page of Gardentopia. While Jan quotes the venerable landscape designers including Isamu Noguchi, Frederick Law Olmstead, Geoffrey Jellico, among others, she leaves no doubt she is talking to us - the garden and flower lover. The homeowner. The novitiate.

Reading the book feels like you’re sharing a cup of tea or a glass of wine with Jan, while talking about your garden dreams and goals and she is gently, expertly, guiding you.

Jan surely knows her way around gardens and writing. If you are not familiar already with her and her garden design pedigree, she is “one of the most popular writers on GardenDesign.com” according to its publisher, Jim Peterson. Jan has successfully managed her own Westchester, New York based firm, Johnsen Landscape & Pool for nearly 35 years. Her work has been featured in numerous publications including This Old House and Horticulture Magazine. She was awarded the 2019 Award of Distinction by the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD).

Gardentopia is published by Countryman Press and joins her other books, Heaven is a Garden (St Lynn's Press, 2014) and The Spirit of Stone (St Lynn's Press, 2017).

I know Jan from my days working at NYBG as well as the rather intimate clan of garden and horticulture enthusiasts based in Gotham. Jan is kind. She is generous. And those traits, along with her esteemed talent, makes this the perfect book to guide you garden designs. Even if your garden is more aspirational you will nonetheless enjoy curling up with Gardentopia

Along with all the tips - and there are nearly 140 of them - Jan’s Gardentopia, she reveals what the garden “power spot” is; the principle of the three depths; the utilization of the ancient Japanese design technique of miegakure or “hide and seek” which embraces the design of “partially screening a view or section of a garden to create the illusion of distance,” and why that’s important to good garden design - (in contrast to a rather banal exterior looks borrowed from interior design - that of the open space where all is revealed or seen in one expansive view. In good garden design, we much prefer the mystery and romance of leading you through the garden that enhances the connection to nature and it’s mysteries.

Moreover, Gardentopia provides practical, hands-on, experienced advice on how to achieve effects and results.

Honestly, this is a book to be experienced. It somewhat challenges a neat review. You, like me, will, return to it again and again. For inspiration. For instruction and guidance. For dreaming…

Thank you, Jan.

Image
(All photos courtesy of Gardentopia/The Countryman Press)


Tuesday, July 23, 2019

How To Design and Build a Grillscape Garden Room for Seasonal Entertaining; Plus Overcoming a Crucible with Fortitude





It came together rather quickly once the new grill “ignited” the obvious need for a better BBQ experience.

But truth be told, I had been turning over design concepts for a new garden room for some time. I kept the kind of “back of envelope”/notepad sketch I did some years ago while sitting on the beach during our annual holiday to Aruba.


With few exceptions, the main design remained true to the original.

I wanted easy egress from the speakeasy/bar area in the house - out to the garden room.
So there would be a 4 x 12 foot walkway to the room.
Because the backyard has a more pronounced grade up on the right side and the farmette is on the left side - I could center the room ever so deftly on flatter ground without too much grading…

The main design concession was dropping the idea for the custom cement table with the built-in water rill (for floating candles, wine, flowers) into a water feature. My budget could not accommodate.

Our existing - and was later had pointed out to me - vintage, wrought iron and glass table would do quite nicely. (This vintage element comes into play later in the story…)
Updated garden design sketch overview & material metrics
For my husband Bill’s birthday, I got him the top-of-the-line Genesis grill (Kalamazoo notwithstanding) from our local hardware store, Jaspan’s. They assembled it, brought it to the house and took the old one away! Shop local. There’s no substitute.

With the gleaming new grill it became all the more apparent that the lame, sorry excuse for a BBQ area had to get a makeover.

I dusted off the garden design plans and began in earnest to secure the elements/components necessary to turn this blah, somewhat gnarly space into a chic, sophisticated garden room that we’d be happy and proud to entertain our beloved guests in.

Oh, and I have to add that the design makeover needed to be complete by July 4th because we host an annual Independence Day soireĆ©e to celebrate Mother’s birthday (July 3rd), and the town where our country house is sets off spectacular fireworks in the marina below us so we celebrate all the special occasions. This year, the fireworks were scheduled for Friday, July 5th.

I am also blessed to have world-class garden design clients and they also needed their gardens ready and beautiful for the same event -- so lots on the “to-do” lists. It’s always a “silly season” race to the 4th. I plan. I do spreadsheets. I train for this! Ha.

Grillscape Garden Design

The first thing to go was the slate from what was laid (plopped?!) there after the terrace above was redone years ago and relocated here.

It’s lovely slate but the weedy grass was growing up through it and so even when mowed it felt kinda “itchy” sitting on top of. To me, anyway.

In the center of the above circle - under the chair - was the bird bath fountain.

Nice to watch our feathery friends bathing - and for parties I floated candles and flowers; however it was a weed incubator under it - a thankless job to keep it clean and really - it was just a disconnect to the space.

Next I had to measure out the space to accommodate the table and chairs, grill, and soon-to-be- accessories.

I wanted to get a cooler that was good looking, naturally, and easily accessible.

Previously, Bill would fill the low, plastic (!) cooler and then walk to the cooler in the shade and bend over for every suite of burgers and dogs, and run in and out for more ice… Time and effort wasted.

I wanted a storage area for the rolls and cutlery and more. So when my friend and client Angie asked if I needed anything while she was out shopping, I asked, “If you see one of those six-square storage cases - please pick it up.” She’s an angel - and did. I had already ordered the collapsable bins.

I knew I wanted custom couches so that I could get the expansive seating - and angled the way I wanted it in order to take advantage of the spectacular view we have overlooking Sandy Hook Bay and the New York skyline beyond.

We already had the red, solar-powered lighted umbrella from last year. And when we contemplated what color to paint the soon-to-be seating, Bill suggested red. I LOVED that assertive, heart-throbbing color for the finished look.

I was already committed to a red, white, and blue plant color palette.

And because the Grillscape Garden Room is primarily for Independence Day Birthday celebration through Labor Day: a red, white & blue -- and black color scheme as part of the exterior design worked.

To soften the overall look and to add a level of sophistication, I selected a soft graphite for the rug near the speakeasy door entrance to the Grillscape Garden and for the seating custom cushions - and accent pillows and cocktail tables.

I shopped extensively for the flooring. I needed to find a beautiful yet rugged material that would not only stand up to the foot traffic (and nighttime animals -- we host fox, the occasional groundhog) but also the seasonal weather elements.

I found these rather Moroccan~Moorish looking interlocking tiles at Wayfair (I’m part of the Trade program) and ordered them in Shadow Grey (soft white). They are very glamorous yet easy to take care of. And except where we needed cut to fit my trapezoid edges of the Grillscape Garden room design - most all of the tiles were laid down in about 30 minutes.



Construction
In order to determine the quantity of the construction materials: ¾ inch stones, Stone Dust or Decomposed Granite (DG), and soil, I had to do the arithmetic. We needed to remove the weeds - er grass/turf - and dig out approximately 7-8 inches and grade away; soil - 1-2 inches; 3-4 inches of stone and about 2 inches of stone dust or DG, topped by the flooring at ½ inch.


Darin - who is not only a Master Gardener but is someone who can make and build just about anything me or our Duchess Designs clients want - installed the metal borders around the new space and then we layered in the materials.

He tamped down the DG all around prior to putting the flooring down. Darin did the walk and Bill and I did the main room - in our dinner clothes - as we were meeting family for a birthday dinner at a restaurant (yeah for Lobster Rolls!) with Bonnie and Gerry.

And I wanted to get the flooring down before night fell. The adorable baby foxes had been using the new space as their private sandbox. They are too cute; however I didn’t want then to corrupt the tamping that was done!


Can you see the frolicking foxes?? 




Just look how cute they are -- you can’t help but love them! They just don’t always respect the design work. (Smile)

Seating
To make the seating, I explored more than a few DIY sites to locate one that would be a good base or template for Darin to work from. He got the materials from a local lumber store - pressure treated wood and screws, nails.

He set up the saw table nearby on the lawn.

Darin can readily improvise too. For example, he made the seating more as it appeared in the DIY but when I saw them - I found them too big. So in a kind of Goldilocks process - we modified the design in order that the furniture would angle ever so slightly for expansive seating and to allow for better bay viewing.


Too big.

 
Just right. 

Once all the materials were laid in and the seating was complete, next up was to cut out the garden beds for the border plants. 

The added issue here - that I’m all too aware of - is the hostile environment presented by the mountain there - just beyond - that elevates us from the marina and the water but that is riddled with invasive plant material.
As if that’s not bad enough, neighbors don’t police the ever-encroaching wicked plant stew, including, kudzu, English ivy, Ampelopsis glandulosa/Porcelain Vine, Buckthorn /Rhamnus cathartica, Chokecherry/Prunus virginana, Aralia elata/Japanese angelica tree, Berberis thunbergii/Japanese barberry, Celastrus orbiculatus/Asian bittersweet, Sumac, Chinese honeysuckle (we took out our honeysuckle a few years’ ago, replacing it with a long border of boxwood-looking Ilex ‘Compacta’. I did a Garden Glamour posting on that hellish redesign - learn here).

This year, I was worried about what could creep in from the “lawn.”

In order to help the new, ornamental plants as much as possible, we lined the new beds with fabric, put in new good/manured soil, and fronted each new bed with Mexican Grey “Pebbles”/Stones that I found at Rysers, my local landscape supply yard here, with the help of a patient staffer. Nothing was hitting me until he said, “I have one last stone you may like. A little expensive but…”

They are perfect. Heavy to move but good-looking - their grey, organically-looking pebbles complement the graphite and black of the garden room look. In addition, this pebble border will further distance the beds from the “lawn.”


Garden Beds




I kept the Patriotic-themed Red, White and Blue plant palette simple:
  • Boxwood for structure base and winter interest; 
  • White is Achillea ‘The Pearl,’ 
  • Blue is ‘Tiny Tuff Stuff’ hydrangea and dwarf purple Salvia ‘Merleau Blue,’ (Sadly, the nursery had no more delphinium) 
  • Red is Echinacea - a fragrant one! ‘Hot Papaya’ -- I love their shape too. 
  • And two rosemary for the front bed ends -- to use for grilling! 
I very much wanted black mondo grass and couldn’t source it locally. With some trepidation, to be honest, I found a source online -- at Etsy: Daylily Nursery Well, I was more than delighted! The plant plugs arrived so clean - pristine, in fact. And so very healthy. I highly recommend Daylily Nursery - not only are the plants perfect but they are also a dream to work with. So very nice and accommodating. Thank you Merrill.

I usually source all my plants from our local nurseries in the Garden State, Brooklyn, or Long Island and the Bronx for my in-town clients but these more exotic plants couldn’t be had locally. Moreover, I wasn’t at the house for a few days so asked Mother to open the boxed delivery and water till I returned. She’s the best admin you could hope for. The black mondo grass all looked beautiful days later when it was time to plant.


I love the look of black mondo grass. Like that little black dress.
Years ago, I used these plants in a design for my client’s front border walk and they have done so well. Beautiful. I’m so glad I did it then.
For the Grillscape, I tucked the mondo grass in the beds on either side of the walk. Perfect.

Time to Paint the Custom Seating
I took a photo of the red umbrella to match up a paint for the seats. Reds are tricky. And there are so many shades, hues - a little one way or the other and the look can seize up. I chose Benjamin Moore’s Rose Parade - a bit like a happy geranium but decidedly red.

We knew we had to wait for the pressure treated wood to rest for a good while. But I also knew they use less chemicals than they used to. We washed it. It rained. A lot. But we got in a number of dry days, thankfully. With the calendar tapping us on the shoulder, we tested - sprinkling droplets of water onto the wood. The water droplets were absorbed confirming the wood was ready to be painted.

Bill first primed the two pieces of furniture.

Bill had purchased a spray painter - both he and Darin noted this would make the painting go faster than a brush.


Next was the spray painting.

The Grillscape Garden Room was coming together.




 
Oh - and I got a great deal on new black cushions from Pier 1 so table setting would be more coordinated.

My fabulous cushion and pillow seamstress, Donna, made these perfect, custom seats. She recommended a source for the graphite-colored high performance material, and cushions. She’s so smart. She came to the house and using my drawing tissue paper, made a quick pattern guide.

The final cushions were created with zippers in back and velcro on both edges of the sides of triangulated cushions -- therefore - as Donna explained, we won’t have be “rubik's cubing” the cushions trying to figure out which side and end goes where. Brilliant!

Further, Bill spruced up the chairs with a coat of spray paint and his artful spray of just a scinch of color on the chair’s floral designs - this time in rose. Just a hint.

I also saw these adorable cocktail cooler tables in House Beautiful magazine and had to have them.
The Keter Cool Bar can be adjusted to two heights. The top locks into place. At the high end it can hold 80 pounds. When closed it holds up to 300 pounds. When raised, it’s like having a resort high top table - with ice and beer and wine (or soda) - in the belly of the barrel. So guests don’t have to juggle their drink and their plate. I resisted ordering a red color and went with a classic grey. But that cherry red is happy cute. Too much red would be much too hot -- needlessly stimulating guests in the Grillscape Garden.
 
I love these table coolers! What a great design concept. You’ll see them later in the garden room’s completion below.

I got solar powered lights to sparkle up the garden room - and for safety too.
So glamorous. 
Here, you can see a bit of the new grey rug I purchased from Houzz (I’m part of their trade program. And I love my account manager, Cassie. I am trying to update my profile and include my tablescapes there -- puff, puff. I’ll get there. But in the meantime, you can follow me there - or here. Smile) 

Everything was going according to a slightly deviated schedule. (Ha. Longer story.)
Until it wasn't...

For all intents and purposes, the Grillscape Garden Room was complete.
The other garden rooms were now being groomed.

All the entertainment elements were already delivered (new blue melamine plates, the new blue denim napkins we made last autumn with the help of Mother and Angie’s pinking shears, new glasses, compostable cutlery.)
The menu food and dessert and hostess drink recipes were waiting their turn in the party spreadsheet.

The arborists were scheduled to cut the invasives from the hill/mountainside. I just had to pay for the permit that morning - July 2nd. Two days till party time. All according to plan.

My favorite aunt - Aunt Margaret - was up from Florida that morning. She and Mother stopped by while I was working in the Physic/Herb Garden. They gave two thumbs up to the new Grillscape Garden.

But all was not to last.

Here was the last photo I took while prepping that morning before disaster struck.



When Nature Gives You a Poke in the Eye
I was moving the slate pieces that had been the “floor” under the table in the old space to the arbor.

Out of nowhere - and I mean that fervently. Suddenly, big, fat raindrops were pounding down. No warning. Just like someone (mmmm, angry Mother Nature?).

She turned on a spigot.

Hard, Heavy. Pelting rain. And the wind! Take that, earth! - she punched back...

I had to race/run up to the loft office because my Mac is there and uncharacteristically, I had opened all the windows fronting the desk! In spite of being in my now mud-stained garden clothes, I bounded up the spiral staircase. Cranked closed (why did it seem to take forever?!) first one, then the second and third big one, then the last one.

What next? Oh gosh. I had also left the French doors in the bedroom open that morning onto the Juliette balcony while doing my Spanish lesson and emails. I almost “fire-maned” my way back down the spiral staircase and proceeded to kinda’ grand jetĆ© up to the bedroom. I had to fight the wind and rain to close the doors. Was I in a remake of the “Perfect Storm?!”

I heard a crrracckk! Was it a masthead? I couldn’t see what it was exactly because of the driving rain. With a sinking heart I knew it came from the new Grillscape Garden.

I raced back down, grabbing my rain slicker on the way.

When I arrived in the Grillscape I honestly didn’t know what I was looking at. While there had been times when the sun umbrella pulled a Mary Poppins and popped out of the table to land on the lawn, in this case something else was awry. Wiping wind and rain - it became nauseatingly apparent that the umbrella had lifted the entire glass table -- and in a bad Mary Poppins way - transported the table about 10 or 12 feet east to the other side of the Grillscape Garden room. Shattering the glass!

It was still a driving rain. I tried to pick up the broken pieces. Like a bad cartoon or animated action film where things curiously melt away, the tempered glass crumbled into scads of pieces before I could get any of that handful.

I got a bag for what would now be teeny pieces. My hands were bleeding. In the rain. On my new white/grey mist Bergo flooring.

Couldn’t use gloves as they weren’t flexible enough for this strangely morphing tempered glass.
As I writer, I was already thinking how will I describe and relate this story…
Tempered Glass looks like ice 
Tempered Glass splayed on new garden room floor 
And then, just like that. The wind subsided. The rain stopped. I wanted to blink back the 15 minutes of damage and destruction. Was it a bad dream? No. It was all too real.

Mother Nature is understandably mad about how she’s been treated lately… But please, don’t take it out on me! I’m one of your most steadfast advocates…

But this was my crucible now - my test.
I would not let this “disaster” stop the garden room completion nor allow it to mar the party.
I recognize there are bigger world issues. It’s just that I live in this world… This bubble…

New plan. I needed to get the umbrella and glass table replaced.

I took measurements.



I started calling and texting and searching the internet. The few options were winnowing for a two-day turnaround with Independence Day obscuring most commerce for what was a looonng weekend coming up.

I thought back to earlier in the day when Donna, the seamstress, had asked to see a photo of the cushions in situ - and besides noting how good it all looked - she remarked about the vintage wrought iron dining set that was similar to hers. At the time, I gulped, writing back, “Vintage? I didn’t think that much time had passed.” Ha.
At this juncture, I wrote back to Donna, describing the crazy tragedy, asking if she knew the name of the maker. She did. They still haven’t written back even though they are still makers..
Donna was such a comfort - she found a smaller table at Home Depot that could work.

It did.

My joke for the party was, “Honey, I shrunk the table!” But it worked fine. Thank you, Donna.
The other joke is that Bill vacuumed the lawn after my glass pick up and had the entire table of glass pieces in a small bucket so he could show guests, “This was our table!”
At the same time, I got our local glass and mirror makers to do the custom replacement.
Should be ready in a few weeks.

In the meantime, we turned the original vintage table upside down and it became a big holder for the metal wash bucket and a beautiful hydrangea.


Bill gerry-rigged the umbrella so while it was a wee bit bent - it worked for the party. I ordered a new one (still disputing their lack of a 2-day delivery but that’s another story).

It was all a very bad Lemony Snickets’ series of unfortunate events if there ever was one.

This was the next day!

We enjoyed a pre-birthday celebration with Mother - and Marissa - who shares the same birthday. And my sister Linda from North Carolina now - and Aunt Margaret and Riley from DC. There’s Bill at his new grill. Happy man.
Almost as good as new…



Marissa, you left your “M” - it’s waiting for your return!
I painted a G for Mother in blue (the G for Ginny was prettier than the V for Virginia).

The night of the Fireworks Independence Day Birthday Party, we were back in the good “bubble”:







Glow balls ~ two sizes - from Ballard Designs. Inspiration from a favorite restaurant in Aruba





The magic prevails...



Celebrate the season, family, gardens, glamour, fireworks, and yes, Mother Nature.

And overcoming obstacles. Garden design and gardening is nothing less than a series of challenges - it’s an art that cannot be controlled. We garden and landscape designers and horticulturists learn patience. Fortitude is our badge of honor.

Cheers to you. And good garden design. Plants make people happy.

Friday, August 25, 2017

Summer Garden Projects - How to Create & Manage an Exterior Design Project


lave_nder.jpg

Now that we’ve witnessed the majesty of the total solar eclipse - we turn our eyes back to the glory of our terroir - our land - our gardens.

No special glasses needed.

Every summer I tackle a home-based garden room project or hardscape design that time and budget allow.

This year, there must’ve been something in the air - and I mean more than those ions swirling - pre-eclipse. Because most of my clients also had some major projects in the queue.

For the month of July especially, we were happily overscheduled; Designing, presenting, installing.

For sheer beauty, for best horticultural practices, and to solve a problem or correct a space flaw. Good garden design offers the single best makeover for a better lifestyle. I just love when my clients text and email me how much they are enjoying their new garden(s) -- how they feel they are in a splendid vacation locale! Nothing beats garden love.

Here then are a few snapshots of garden makeovers -- from concept to completion. I love those HGTV Shows that take the viewer from Yikes to Yesssss! So without too much text -- Pictures are worth a thousand words -- let’s get going with the magic of technology.

Project 1 
Challenge: New patio. Hardscape needs, plus garden beds to soften the look. Careful to not limit egress with garden beds. And produce a new garden under the windows looking out to view and pool.

Before-ish image of patio. Already, the top deck has been removed here. A blank slate.





Here is the interim -- arches are in, stucco going on.

I pick up from here with garden design - here are the before and afters.



This is the artist Jean Galle's rendering that was part of the client presentation. My garden design drawings spring to life with Jean's talent -- allowing the client to readily see the change and design.

Here, the design was to create a series of Pillar Potting Beds

* Five, 3 different sized beds - allowing for egress, conform to pillar and arch metrics and location

* Drainage to channel drain

* Center bed 30 x 24 x 8

* 2 side beds - 30 x 16 x 8 - flush w pillars

* 2 corner beds - angled

Here and below - you see how we laid out the Pillar Planters for size & scale






This is the actual first planting in the new Pillar Planter Beds!




So exciting -- getting there!

Next up was the mason -- our wonderful Irish national mason, Aiden. I had them put in a sleeve for the irrigation hook up later, along with drains in the side window border garden. I asked previous mason, a great Mexican American, who also worked at our home, to put in drainage from the Pillar Planters out to the french drain in the lawn, some distance away. Grading and drainage is key here. The gardens front the bay and the view of the Manhattan skyline beyond. 
Sandy beat up this area rather badly…  Recovery continues in stages...



Window Garden

I wanted to design a 4-season garden that can be enjoyed as a winter garden and not block the view during the summer or warm-weather season. There should also be a plant show element - using perennials for not only low maintainance (even though the Duchess team does the horticultural fine gardening work we need to create a garden bed that doesn’t require fussy care.)  That show part is garden entertainment -- something always in bloom -- lots of color and texture. Good bones.



This is the before. The pavers were removed to allow a garden bed. And like the High Line, not a deep garden bed.

This is the artist's rendering of mixed border to-be:






With the client’s approval - we got to work.

I went with Aiden the mason, to choose the border pavers. I wanted a textured top; nothing too expensive as the plants will swoon over the tops. The gray color will match the pool pavers that will be installed next year -- so thinking ahead.

Needed to take out the weeds and the “dirty” soil that was er, dumped in, following all the construction work. Duchess team put in topsoil blended with horse manure for a rich, bedding environment to welcome the new plants.



Exciting first shot of the new, English Garden bed!



As part of the Garden Design Presentation, offered a number of choices: edible, single plant or mixed border.













Boxwood provides good bones and evergreen look. Together, we decided a mixed border would offer the most bang and joy.

I also wanted plants that provided a pretty look from inside the kitchen windows -- almost a flat top looking down perspective.

Here’s the varied plant list that punched up the color and look and feel of the transitioning outdoor design.

Plant List:


  • Lavender ‘Hidcote Blue’ 12” x 12” summer
  • Salvia ‘Marcus’ 8” purple
  • Aster ‘Happy End’ 3” Pink autumn
  • Achillea ‘Love Parade’ June - Sept. 18-23”
  • Toad Lily Tricyrtis - 30” h x 12” w
  • Gaura- ‘Stratosphere Pink Picotee’ 18-24” May - September
  • Verbena ‘Homestead Purple’ 12-18”
  • Eupatorium ‘Baby Joe’ 2-3’ purple - Autumn - I had to get this -- not only do I love it -- I have the big Joe in my border garden -- but the client’s name is Joe!
  • Hydrangea serrata ‘Tiny Tuff Stuff’ 18-24” x 18” blue to pink - Love this size and color - even in the winter.
  • Delphinium grandiflorum ‘Summer Blues’ 10-12” spring to summer
  • Baptisia ‘Screaming Yellow’ - 2-3’ x 2’ spring/ early summer -- We planted these in the blueberry garden bed for texture and color contrast (love blue and yellow - so French).
  • Liatris ‘Kobold’ 2’ x 12-15”

Everyone was thrilled with the results. 
I just love when the client clasps their chest and repeats, “Oh my gosh. Oh my god!” Over and over. And then takes the time to text how beautiful it all looks and how the family is enjoying. 
Such garden glamour...

Good garden design is hardscape, grading and drainage planning, careful selection of plants -- all with a recognition of lifestyle and personalities.

This is the start of a change in the use and look of the outdoor space. More summer projects to report on.
What projects have you taken on this season?

If you want to make a change in your garden design -- after all, lifestyle changes occur so outdoor needs can grow from a child’s play area with lots of turf to one that boasts more of an outdoor living area with kitchen, sitting areas, and healthy edible gardens.

Tips for creating a garden room

Planting gardens and hardscape construction both require a professional. Whether you ultimately end up with a DIY project, it’s best to get a seasoned pro to offer ideas and design concepts and a suggested budget estimate. Yes, that will cost money - just like you pay an architect or an attorney or other professional for their talent; but at the same time you will benefit in terms of time and budget by bringing in outside counsel.

From there, you can retain the garden designer as a garden coach - helping lead you through the process but with you doing most of the work and labor involved in researching hardscapes and plant choices, shopping the nurseries and quarries, securing soil, mulch, pavers and more for the bones of the landscape space.

Did I mention irrigation and lighting?

And finally there is the installation of the plant material - by season, height, color, texture -- to garner maximum benefit. Knowing plant companions and interactions is knowledge accrued from experience and learning. I myself attend as many lectures and garden tours with horticulturists as my schedule allows. I bring that knowledge to my clients’ projects.

If you choose to have your garden designer carry through the project to completion, you can rely on their design and build expertise -- and follow up for the fine gardening maintenance that will need to be provided. Gardens are dynamic. They require care - even if low maintenance plants are selected. After all, they are living things! And there’s no denying it -- Gardens are an investment. Gardens and good landscape design (vs. “mow, blow, & go” lawn care) add to the value of a home with estimates ranging from a ten to 25% boost to a home’s cost.

And the intrinsic value is well -- priceless...

What luxury and enduring garden glamour….