Potscapes Design Blog

A visit to Tower Hill's Orangerie and Limonaia

2011-03-10T06:18:00.000-08:00

I recently took a few of my family members for a visit and lunch to Tower Hill in Boylston, Ma. For me it is a 'must do' visit every year in either Late February or Early March before our New England Spring arrives in the garden and landscape. It was a wonderful day, we drove thru overcast skies and windy cold temperatures to reap the reward of this wonderful gem. The forced daffodil bulbs are now in the Orangerie and Limonaia working on their little blossom bulge for display soon. The real show however is the stunning display of tropicals and succulents that are in bloom now. One family member was so amazed at her experience entering the large doorway to the Orangerie she stopped short in her tracks and stood and just gazed at it all. Once we entered of course the experience blossomed to a full bouquet of ah's and oh's then questions. What is this! I have to have one of these! I just love the color of this! and WOW look how big this one is. Responses I've often heard all repeat when I bring them to visit.

I was intrigued at seeing the large Aloe blossom ready to open. I have only ever seen photos of this, so of course, now, I shall have to go back and see the real thing.

The difference in materials used building the Limonaia are obvious and the experience with the visit there was a bit different. We of course enjoyed it and also the wonderful view of the courtyard between the Orangerie and Limonaia. The Camellia's really were quite the show in the Limonaia.

The water feature in the courtyard was so inviting we just had to go out and see it, despite the wind and cold temps. The large turtles (or maybe they are tortoise) appearing to spew water at each other were a site we all imagined how fun it must be as a child to come and see them.

The plantings in the courtyard we could see are young and newly installed yet we enjoyed the color, texture, shapes and sizes they offered in this dormant season of New England. Some of us began to shiver beckoning our return to the indoors. We stopped and viewed the wonderful WitchHazel display at the Twig's Cafe entrance and enjoyed a nice warm lunch before heading back home.

A special thank-you to the Worcester Horticultural Society and all the generous folks who over the years have provided support and donations to this wonderful place. It's a bit of a ride for the folks from New Hampshire I brought, but their last comment was, 'I can't wait til Spring to come back and explore the outdoors here, and let's bring the rest of the family'.

I hope you enjoy the few photos I took, you can also visit the Tower Hill website for more info. Take a look at What's in Bloom to see learn about some of what's waiting for you to come see!

Spring is coming, Honest!

2011-03-01T04:43:00.001-08:00

Now that February is behind us here in the Northeast we have begun the countdown to when Spring truly arrives. The official start of Spring this year is March 20th. This is a time when we all start looking for the signs that the season is here. This year we have so much snow and ice it will be a good bet as to when we will really start to see and feel Spring.

I recently read a book borrowed from a friend that I enjoyed so much that I must mention it here. Before you start getting ready to make your lawn the blue prize of the neighborhood this year, I ask you to consider some of the things this books author has written about. The numbers I'm about to clue you into were provided by author Douglas W. Tallamy in his book Bringing Nature Home. In the United States there are over 40 million acres of lawn and we spend 45 billion dollars on caring for it. Did you know that 1 hour of lawn mowing produces the same amount of pollution as 650 miles of driving? How about the price of gas these days, did you know that yearly 800 million gallons of gas is consumed by lawn mowers?

Bringing Nature Home is a great and easy read. It is a discussion on what can be done by all of us to sustain wildlife with native plants. Now don't go thinking you can not contribute, you can. Whether you have property that provides a place to plant or not, you live in a community, communities have schools, public spaces, private business and corporations have parking areas, all of these can be landscaped with plantings that invite and sustain a wildlife environment. Wildlife, what is that? If you are thinking bears, deers, wolves and other such animals, think again. A point made by Mr. Tallamy at a recent presentation I attended at New England Grows was his observation that once native sustaining plants were placed in the landscape, birds native to the area were noticed returning and many of the huge population of non-native birds moved on to other areas. The book discusses this example very well.

Want to know what all the hoopla is about invasive plants? There are documented examples and photos supporting them in this book. Some 'invasives' perhaps have good traits for a one time fix, but, over time they become out of control and harmful to the natural environment, next time you drive along the highway or an area that was disturbed during construction and left to its own instead of re-landscaping properly, take note of the invasives that have blanketed the native trees, you'll see that trees are dead or dying from vines that have deprived it of sunlight necessary to sustain life or perhaps it has broken off from the weight of vine cover during months of snow and ice here in the Northeast.

I'm a gardener, and often when I come upon insects in the landscape I'm not sure what kind it is, is it a good insect? is it a bad insect? The images and descriptions in this book are a prime reason I will have keep this book handy for referral. I've always known that a rule of thumb is that is you see an insect in large numbers you probably should know what it is, its possible there is an imbalance in the garden when this happens, it could be ok or not. After reading this book it may be that you simply need to introduce a few native plantings to provide the balance that nature needs to do its job. I enjoyed learning about oh so many insects and cannot wait to see how many I will hopefully be able to identify this year. We have lost some beautiful and worthy insects due to loss of habitat, did you know many insects only feed on certain types of plants? The Royal Walnut Moth is the largest most beautiful Lepidoptera in North America, says Tallamy. It is now extinct in New England, scientists say from light pollution. The poor thing would literally die from exhaustion from attraction to man-made light.

As a designer I've always supported keeping natives in the design process. Knowing what a native plants purpose is enhances the overall effect of the landscape both for the customer and nature. It certainly does not have to be an 'all or nothing' native planting design, but care should be taken on what mix of natives and non-natives are expected to co-exist with each other. There is some discussion on this topic as well in the section 'What Should I Plant'. Basically the message is simple, native plantings should continue throughout a neighborhood to provide a thread of the natural environment that was there before its interruption. If you think about protected areas, such as wetlands and many conservation lands, this is the rule, developers are required to provide a list of what is intended to be planted near these areas, and for good reason, not just to keep invasives out but to maintain the sustainable nature of the space that was there to begin with.

With that I'll close with the following statement from the author, he says:
our gardens need native plants to support a diverse and balanced food web essential to all sustainable ecosystems

for a look inside the book visit the link below...enjoy!
Bringing Nature Home

Design By Nature

2010-06-21T04:17:00.000-07:00

Truly we all are impacted by the surroundings of nature. Opportunity to learn from nature and use it in our daily living is so simply attainable, we just have to take the moment to capture and experience it. For me there are 2 times of the day I favor for viewing what Nature does all on its own. Sunrise and Sunset. The effect they have on what we view is always a reward, changing from minute to minute. You can experience the view from the grandest perspective or from a detailed perspective and the reward is just as great for each. Take a roadside view you perhaps travel each day. How different it will appear during different times of the day. The shadows, the movement, the color, the outline. I took a few photos that I just 'had' to stop and capture during sunset on my way home from a routine drive. The difference this time that made me stop was the combination of the time of day and weather. The day had been one of a 'misty rain' which I think provided the lovely low rolling foggy looking mist in the photo. That combined with the time of day as an image that is now captured and stored in my humble human memory.

On most trips past the view of the tall grasses, I probably never took much notice. But this time they compelled me Stop! Get out of the vehicle! and Take a picture! As the passing cars 'whizzed' past me I thought, they don't know what they are missing, or surely they would have at least slowed down along this stretch of the road.

To me the view offered connections with thoughts and feelings of peace, rest, silence, a slow dance, a lullaby song. The large island in the distance provided the backdrop for the display up front. Sort of like the curtain on stage does for the performance front and center.

There is a look of slight 'order' to it all. The trees all clumped together on the island beyond, the small shrubs dotting the area like focal points to a garden and the grasses like a carpet surrounding it all. I suppose that describes best how I interpret Nature's Design to apply to my own designs. I'm always wondering how can I apply that beautiful scene on a different scale, using different plants or ornaments. Sure we can all pop open a book and follow the designs of folks famous for their work, or even use snippets from a favorite magazine, but for me there's not enough 'connection' doing that. I enjoy the process and reward of noting Nature's Design and taking that connection and applying to a design I can call my own. Well sortof, I did after all borrow some of the idea from perhaps the best designer on the planet, Nature.

So on your next trip out along the beaten path, take a second look, you may discover something that has been there all along waiting for you to capture and experience. Here's a final image of my discovery on this sunset evening drive home.

Remember to Look UP and UNDER!

2010-05-11T04:23:00.001-07:00

Anyone who appreciates the canvas of nature's beauty knows full well that all the senses are to be engaged in the process of experiencing what nature offers us. We must make the time to stop, look, listen, smell, touch and sometimes taste the elements of nature that surround us. One may drive or bike or walk past this somewhat ordinary looking crabapple and think, oh, what pretty white blossoms! Maybe they will notice the aroma they offered if the day is warm enough, or hear the bees busy at work helping it to create the small crabapples that hang on into winter for the birds who then eat it; or.... maybe they will be the type of person who really gets to know this tree a bit more than the obvious. Look at the bark, touch it, feel the texture and island like chunks that look ready to peel or fall off but never really do, or perhaps they will notice the details of the blossom, which by the way is of the rosaceae family (meaning the blossom are 5-petaled) Wikipedia Malus Info is worth a visit to learn more about this genus.

As a design consideration the malus is one of the easiest trees to include in a design. Simply put you need sun (although there are some cultivars that tolerate part shade) space that will accomodate it's natural growth pattern (there are many to choose from, vase like, tall sprawling, short rounded, etc) and correct soil conditions (again most soils can work for a correctly chosen cultivar). Beware however of what else you include in a design with malus. Always choose disease and pest resistant varieties to provide best chances of a long-lived healthy tree, and don't plant non-companion plants in the area, such as cedar and juniper. Although on this particular site both do exist, this crabapple is a resistant type and in the 20 years it has been in this location it has yet to show signs of suffering from apple-cedar rust.

Some crabapples can offer a great canopy to sit under on a hot day. This location of the bench offers a beautiful view of the crabapple and is well away from the busy street you would experience actually sitting under this tree.

There are 3 crabapples on this property and each is a different type. All have small fruit that remain on the tree thru the winter, two have a bright yellow/orange colored fruit and one has a red colored fruit. The structure of the trees are different. This one has a vase like shape (although a large white pine fell through it last winter, changing its look a bit) and the other two trees have a more 'rounded' form.

Although the photos of these trees have a white blossom once fully open, they actually had different pink tones when in bud and start of bloom. I so enjoy walking under these older trees looking up thru the canopy. To me that is the prize. Each season the branch structure inside and up offers interest I truly enjoy. Do have an arborist help you keep your crabapple canopy in good health, suckers should be removed, dead and diseased wood should also be removed, perhaps in a field setting some of these issues would be left handled by nature, but for a lawn tree it's best to give them the proper care, you will be rewarded with a view up close you won't want to miss.

Make time to experience Spring 2010 and plan for next year

2010-04-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

Spring the season is here, officially until Summer begins in late June. So please do get out there and experience it. In your own backyard, neighborhood, park, botanical garden, forest or tradesmen plant nursery.

Most Spring bulbs are up or emerging and the weather determines how long or little they will be putting on the show. A Rainy Day Viewing can be rewarding if you get out there before things flop to the ground. Which is one reason you want to plan a bulb garden that has material with varying heights, such as grape hyacinth mixed in with daffodils and/or tulips. The hyacinth will stand with the wettest weather, but the daffodils maybe not. On a dry day a walk thru the bulbs will reward you with fragrance, if you have selected bulbs that will provide you with such. And, finally, a choice of early, mid and late season bloomers will provide a display for a number of weeks. So now is the time to go out and about and reap the rewards of careful planning in hopes of generating your personal horticulture masterpiece for Spring.

Nantucket holds a great celebration each spring in April - Three Million Daffodil Celebration
They are just wild about daffodils! April 23-25 will be all things daffodils if you can manage to get there. There will be however more time to see daffodils after the event, but the true experience should be planned during the festival when everyone and everything is adorned with daffodils.

The American Daffodil Society offers a plethra of information on daffodils. Each year they select a National Gold Winner and the US Postal Service even has a daffodil themed stamp you can purchase.

Did you know that deer and rodents will not eat your daffodils? The bulbs and leaves contain a poisonous substance that they are not interested in consuming. Tulips however are like a fine dining experience for them, so you can try surrounding your tulips with a ring of daffodils, sometimes this works, but not always.

Did you know you can plant daffodils in a shady area? If the shade is created from deciduous trees (meaning they lose their leaves in autumn) your daffodils will be a welcome display in the Spring until the trees wake up and start their own show.

Do you know the difference between a daffodil and a jonquil? If you are interested in entering daffodils in competition, it would be important to know this difference.

How about the difference between daffodil and narcissus? Careful, could be a trick question. If you know botanical latin it will help with the answer.

It is now that I go out into the garden and determine where I need to put more bulbs for next year's display. I usually will take color coded wooden craft sticks and place them where I need to add that color to an area. Later during the Fall I acquire my bulbs and plant them where I've left a marker to do so. Easy! I don't have to worry that I'm digging an area already planted or that I'm just adding more of the same color to an area.

As a bonus I use the colored stick (it's flat like a tongue depressor) and write the name of the bulb I've just planted there. The following Spring I enjoy my walk thru the garden learning about the new bulbs that are up and asking us all to please come up close and see and touch and smell! Remember to bring some indoors to enjoy as well!

Spring is back and so is the Boston Flower and Garden Show.

2010-03-20T07:40:00.000-07:00

I'm looking forward to getting a sneak peak at Spring in full bloom this year at the Boston Flower and Garden Show. It's back after a year of absence and managed by a professional events group. The Mass Hort Society will still be a big presence and judging and awards will be provided in fewer numbers that the past. But at least it's back, and this year at a t time we will not worry about snow in the forecast. I hope you all get a chance to see the show this year and form your own opinion vs. reading about it in a journal or online social network. There is just nothing like the 'real thing' when it comes to blossoms and blooms. The theme this year is 'A Feast For The Senses'.

Be sure to visit the 'HopeInBloom' exhibit that I'm helping out with this year. Visit the website for more info on HopeInBloom, they provide gardens free of charge to patients undergoing breast cancer treatment. Stop by the exhibit and learn about this worthy cause and the people that make it happen thru volunteer efforts. Funding for HopeInBloom gardens are provided solely thru private donations.
The HopeInBloom exhibit will portray a typical outdoor garden that is installed during the seasonal months of the year, they also provide indoor gardens and florals for those not able to have an outdoor garden.

I attended the Philadelphia Flower Show this year for the first time. It was a fun and rewarding experience. It is true that the show is 'large' and many 'large' displays. The theme was Passport To The World. The florals were amazing. My observation was that exhibits in this show had a mix of landscape and floriculture in each of the themes. The Africa theme display used dried floral and beans to create life size models of African culture and face masks. Very impressive. The India theme used dried materials and blossoms to create a large elephant draped with an ornamental back carpet accompanied by a large peacock. All of this was very impressive but as as a horticulturist I really wanted to see the 'down in the dirt' displays.

I did find exhibits that I had hoped to see. Sustainable of course was in the description for just about any exhibit that portrayed a garden or landscape. Some were realistic and considered what I would call 'doable' by the average home owner, others of course were way outside of the box, nice to view, and obtainable with a large price tag I'm sure. I enjoyed most the exhibit that provided walk-thru with posters explaining the goals of the horticulture used in the exhibit.

I enjoyed the hort and garden societies entries most. Porches adorned with a mailbox and walkway were really fun to look at and seek out what materials were used to create them. Balcony plantings and window boxes accompanied by a lamp post were also a treat to walk thru and see how the same theme was created so differently times 5.

The amateur hort displays are always fun to walk thru. I really like the lay out they offered at this show. You could actually walk thru the displays like you would an outdoor nursery and see the exhibit up close. Really nice for taking photos. There were some wonderful topiaries and under glass miniature gardens that folks had been very creative with. I think I'll try one of each myself this year.

And we must not forget to mention the vendors. There were many, as there usually are at these shows. The quality was pretty good. It was a treat to see more 'hort' related vendors than some of the products I'd rather go to your local discount store to purchase. The economy has triggered many folks with huge talent and creativity to make $ense of it all. I saw some very nice unique artistry as a result. A building contractor started building and selling birdhouses, but not any ordinary birdhouse, these are works of art. He had cuts the copper tiles for each roof, and each house is unique. The show was his first exposure to the public, his booth was 'very' busy.

So we all have our reasons for attending the various Flower and Garden shows each spring here in New England. Whether it be to learn about the hottest newest plants to buy or how to's on growing your own garden or maybe see a new floral display splash you'd like to try, there certainly is one great benefit to attending the show, the people! You get to meet so many folks like yourself that are ready to jump in and get going with the growing, seeing, smelling, touching, hearing, taste of the season, what a great way to experience them all at the 'Feast For The Senses' show in Boston next week.

Check your trees and shrubs for needed pruning this time of year

2010-02-11T11:23:00.001-08:00

It's February, the days are getting longer and the sun is getting stronger. Before your trees and shrubs wake up for their long awaited spring show, this is a great time to get out and check them all for damage due to winter weather and/or critters.

Removal of damaged branches can often prevent more damage from occurring either to the damaged tree or other trees and surroundings. The ground is frozen this time of year meaning less damage occurs from falling branches and/or their debris during the clean-up process. Consider a shade garden for instance. You certainly don't want to be out trying to tip toe thru the upcoming garden while doing needed pruning to your trees and shrubs.

Any diseased growth on trees could be removed now as well. Many diseases have less chance of spreading if removed during the colder months of the year. Be sure you know the disease you are dealing with and follow recommend procedures. For instance, there seemed to be perfect conditions last year for fire blight problems. It is still evident on many trees this winter, which is a good time to remove affected branches.
Many University sites have fact sheets and images on diseases and how to treat trees affected with them. A best practice when planting is to choose trees that are highly resistant to the disease your area may have problems with.
I found the life cycle information on fire blight below at one of the may University sites that provide such helpful data.

Pruning of trees and shrubs for shape is necessary less often if they have been planted in the 'right place'.
There are of course topiary, espaliers and fruit bearing trees that require pruning on a regular basis. It is important that pruning of these be done at the right time and using the right tools and methods. For instance, pruning of blueberry bushes is very different from pruning apple trees. Even when trees and shrubs are pruned to form particular shapes or rows, there is a correct technique to be used to provide optimum health for plants that are forced to grow in unnatural forms. There is a fun little animation tutorial on pruning provided by the Arbor Day Foundation. Take a couple of minutes and enjoy it at the link below.

http://www.arborday.org/trees/pruning/animation/launch.cfm

There is an unfortunate tree in the back of my own property that snapped at the top third of its height during a recent wind storm. It is now lying semi-horizontally about 15 feet off the forest floor among several other trees which of course are stressed and possibly somewhat damaged by this event. Since these trees are not on my property but my neighbors I will alert them of the situation. This seems to be an 'out of site, out of mind' area to the owner, which is a shame, as this small woodland is shrinking from lack of proper care.

Arborist services should be considered for any work that you do not have the proper tools for and for large and dangerous situations. Large trees typically should be left for the pros as well as any treatments for infected trees. A Certified Arborist has had to attend educational classes and training and maintain their education each year, please use them, most damage done to trees is due to improper pruning. When looking for an arborist check their status and check their references. In the state of Massachusetts you can obtain information on current Mass Certified Arborists at the Listing Service for the Mass Arborists Association
If you are not sure how to do light pruning of your young and small trees bring in a consultant who can teach you or advise you. If you think you need a chain saw to prune your tree, you need a professional! A chain saw should only be used on a dead tree or a tree that is too large to handle by most homeowners.

Happy 2010 - Spring is distant but coming, til then....

2010-01-04T17:24:00.000-08:00

Well, here we all are, in the 2010 New Year watching our gardening ToDo lists grow but not much else here in the Northeast. We are surrounded by snow, ice and long grey days. I have taken to catching up on some of my reading this time of year. Seated next to a warm fire in my favorite spot on the couch with the cat and blanket, I enjoy thumbing thru some of the books I've pulled and piled up high in the Living Room during the summer months when I was too busy with the outdoor tasks at hand to sit and peruse for wanting knowledge.

I have a wonderful book that I found in 2004 that I enjoy and use very often. It has such wonderful little quick reads on gardening. It is actually a question and answer guide. 'The New York Times 1000 Gardening Questions and Answers' . Written using the column 'Garden Q&A' and materials by Leslie Land. It's an inviting looking book as well, a very nice bright green cover with a beautiful tulip in the center of the front cover. It looks quite large, but don't steer away from it on that account. Each subject question and answer really only populate 1 or 2 pages at most. It's a great resource to quickly find the answer to that daunting question you keep asking yourself or someone else keeps asking you.

Take all those questions folks have on hydrangeas for example: what kind of hydrangea do I have? how do I get my hydrangea blooms blue? or pink? when should I prune my hydrangea? An experienced gardener could purchase a book that is entirely about hydrangeas and enjoy obtaining detailed knowledge on the species, but most folks just want to cut to the chase and get the direct answer to their direct question, without being a plant guru. This book provides just that, a direct question with a short descriptive direct answer.

Although there is a great Table of Contents that lists topics by gardening type, I prefer to use the Index. I usually find my answer in less than a minute or two this way. The book sections are also page tabbed with 2 or 3 word sub-category description making it easy to fan thru the book and find a particular area of interest as well.

There are some very nice drawings here and there throughout the book. Typically the drawings seem to be available in cases where it's just better to show you than to try to describe in words the information you need to absorb to get it right. Roses are a good example, pruning, planting, over-wintering are all subjects that describe textually the information and offer drawings for the reader.

As an accredited organic landcare professional I find that most of the practices recommended in the book are within the guidelines we are committed to following, this is a very welcoming feature. As an example. It's January, most if not all Christmas Trees that were cut down and placed in our living rooms for the season have been removed. Most trees probably ended up at the road side waiting for some very large gas guzzling truck to pick them up and leave them at some undetermined trash site and process. The book has sections that are not questions or answers but informational/educational blocks of text highlighted with a light green background. The tip in this case is to Recycle That Tree, suggesting uses for the Tree beyond the use in the Living Room during the holidays. Don't have a garden? No problem, use the boughs on your outdoor window boxes and containers.

I'm traveling soon to attend a wedding in Florida. I plan to bring this book along with me and thumb through it adding a few more dog-ears to the pages and curl to the front cover. I so enjoy the ease of using it and the instant gratification of learning about something and/or having the answer stored in my head for the next time someone asks me their question or plea for help. I have had more than a few interesting conversations at airport gates waiting for a flight with this little big green book in my hand, and I suspect, so will you!

Snowscapes

2009-12-09T06:49:00.000-08:00

Today it is snowing, I think our 3rd occurrence since Thanksgiving. Hopefully this will mean we will have the so loved traditional 'White Christmas' we all love here in New England. Sometimes such lovely happenings leave some folks indoors due to an inability to navigate thru such weather physically and for others perhaps a psychological distaste for the event.

Today I prefer to gather the beauty of the event. I am fortunate to have a lovely yard to experience from outdoors should I choose to. Anyone can however find beauty with this season from anywhere they view from the inside. I've put together a few very amature photos of what I found this morning looking out my windows and doors. I'm sure you could too. Some perhaps see the day as one of gloom without the sun shining bright, but if you stop and really look there is a lot of wonderfulness out there without the sun.

I'm always amazed at the monochromatic setting a snowfall provides. I appreciate many areas of my landscape that I might otherwise overlook for that colorful rose calling me or stand of flowering perennials offering their chorus of blooms. Today I'm connected to the black and white of it all. Trees that I can now see their beautiful twirling branches reaching for the clouds, shrubs with their bright colored berries like a string of lights on the Christmas Tree, and of course the beautiful conifers our Zone provides us naturally.

I took my little camera and attempted to capture some of it all to share with you. Mostly I did this little exercise to show all of you that you need not let 'cabin fever' get the best of you this season; instead, on those days ahead that you are unable to get out and be 'in the moment' of it all, stop and take a few photos of the beauty that is out there busting through your windows and doorways for you to see and enjoy! The simplest things i find often have the greatest reward.

This is a great time to take note of what you may want to add to your garden and/or landscape to provide you with much sought after interest during our long winter months. Plants, trees, and shrubs with 'winter interest' perhaps provide color such as the native Cornus stolonifera sericea(Red osier dogwood) with its red stems cannot be missed during our snow covered season. I have used the cultivar 'Arctic Fire' in large container plantings that remain outdoors over the winter, providing a stunning look especially during our Holiday Season. The popular Hydrangea petiolaris
(Climbing Hydrangea) provides great interest in winter, the blossoms of Early Summer hang on holding the snow like little umbrellas and the bark is beautiful with it's cinnamon color and peeling look.
Of course there are the conifers, all of which provide their own individual shape and color to the winter garden. Mix them up, like a kaleidescope, greens, blues, large needled, small needled, thin, thick needled, to me they are part of the glue that holds the rest of the garden together in winter, with our without snow. I have many of our native pinus strobus (eastern white pine)about my yard, they provide a wonderful curtain like back drop for many other shrubs and plants, and with new fallen snow they are quite grand, not to mention I didn't have to buy them or plant them. I've decided to put a Pinus strobus 'pendula' on my list, taking inspiration from the look many of the young Pinus strobus in my yard have today. I am imagining how nice it will look next to a large boulder.
Remember too about interests that may not be growing, but of a natural state, such as boulders. My husband is a rock lover, and creates whimsy for the garden with them. He makes interesting rock chains we have hanging about in areas where you can see and touch them. Whenever you find something that 'speaks' to you or 'calls' you, definitely try to include it in your garden or landscape, it will give back to you pleasantly, repeatedly.

So, if you think you need something to get you thru this winter (and trust me, you do!), grab your camera, have fun taking some photos from inside looking out, and try a little exercise creating a list of things you'd like to add to your view. Libraries have wonderful books on winter interest for the garden and many web sites have suggestions that may help point you in the direction you'd like to travel on this little journey, It's free, and will give you a nice enjoyable ride from December thru March!

Fall Color - How to see over 700 species in one location.

2009-11-01T04:21:00.000-08:00

I had the pleasure of visiting Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Ma. last week to attend a tour given by the horticulture curator Dennis Collins. The tour covered information on the sustainable practices now being used in the care of all aspects of the property. Anyone who is teetering on whether to go organic with landcare could certainly take a trip and see the results at Mount Auburn.

The real treat for me was the Fall show during the walk thru the grounds. The colors were amazing. There are over 5000 trees of over 700 species to see. You can walk thru the grounds following the green line in the middle of the paved pathway. It will get you back to where you started. I pretty much walked thru looking up, so be sure to watch your footing! I even found a tree that I've been trying to identify in my own neighborhood for some time now. So its a great place to go and learn about trees at all stages of their seasonal growth/display.

The oriental maples where in their glory the day I visited. It was an overcast day which allowed some pretty good capture of them with a camera. Look at this one, bright pumpkin orange! So lovely when allowed to grow into their natural form, I've seen others at business grounds that have been sheared into those mushroom shapes, such a shame when you know if left alone the majesty they can ultimately portray. Most often a tree has been pruned into some geometric shape due to someone planting them in an improper area for their growth pattern. So any of you considering planting trees out there, make certain the area will provide the space and culture needed for it's mature size, not the size you buy it when you plant it!

If you're not sure how to achieve a particular desired display of color and texture in your landscape, a visit to a renowned property such as Mount Auburn Cemetery has hundreds of examples to view. Bring paper and pencil and a camera! When you find a combination you just love capture it and document information about it. Identification tags on the plantings provide the botanical name, the common name and usually when they were planted so you can get an idea of a minimum age they are.

Don't be afraid to plant something 'different' and/or new to you in your landscape. We don't all have to have the same trees plunked down in the middle of our front lawn. As an example the Katsura tree is readily available in the industry today, and yet I see so few out there in my consultation travels. It has a beautiful bark for winter interest, great fall color and it flowers before the leaves appear in the Spring. It's great to have a yardful of Native Trees but it's also nice to have a gem like this one that's non-native, especially as a focal point. Did I mention it has a unique fragrance in the Fall when the leaves drop? Sort of like cotton candy. Now how great is all that? And look at the beautiful multi-stemmed shape of this tree at the back of the cemetery. Speaking of which, there are trail gardens and greenhouses behind the scenes that support all the wonderfulness you see as you walk thru the grounds. The rainwater from the greenhouse is captured and stored in rain barrels for use to water some of the specimen plantings that would be over-stressed during drought conditions. There are categorized bins for waste to be stored from the grounds maintenance. A bin for green clippings, a bin for dead floral display, a bin for concrete, and so on and so on. So Kudos to Mount Auburn Cemetery for talking the talk and walking the walk on sustainable practices and organic care of this historic gem. Take a look at the photos in the Potscapes Fun Slideshow for examples of sustainable plantings and practices that appear to be working for this large property (hundreds of acres) with accessible limitations (gravestones) and lots of foot traffic. I encourage you to visit Mount Auburn Cemetery ( the first cemetery garden in the United States), I assure you it is worth the trip! Bring your camera and a large supply of oh's and ah's.

Extending The Growing Season

2009-10-09T10:19:00.000-07:00

So its Fall 2009 now, officially. The garden is beginning to go dormant. But... we don't have to give it all up til Spring! We can use a coldframe to extend the season or start the new one early! I was inspired by a friends coldframe and decided to try and build one for my own use. I naturally included my friend and husband to help out. And, my special 4 legged friends Charlie and Willy. Charlie was having a bad photo day, so we only have smiling Willy in the photo display. Maybe Charlie will be ready to smile for us in the Spring when we uncover and display all the bulbs I'm hoping to force in this lovely addition to the garden.

You know how project A always turns into project B. Well, for us it was the fence. We had to make access to the cold frame thru the fence, so the gate was the first addition to the scene. I've been wanting a gate into this area of the garden for a long time, so finally, I have one! Something I think most writings I came across on building a cold frame forgot to mention is how much soil you are going to have to put someplace when you dig the area. We had quite a pile! We dug an area 108"L X 35"W X 28"D. The lower portion of the frame faces South for best heat capture/retention and I have a little step into the frame due to the depth.

Many of the materials we used were recycled. Some old cinder blocks we had been storing out back were on the property when we moved here over 17 years ago, the window tops were freebies from the side of the road on my husbands daily commute to work and the shelves to be used inside the coldframe are leftovers from a friends project and a few of our own.
We did purchase wood for the frame and gravel for the floor.

It was a fun process learning how to make some of the materials work, such as the windows. They needed to be reglazed and painted. The cinder blocks had to be placed in a fashion that would allow all the wall corners to fit just right. And the wood frame, well the wood chosen had to be arrow straight, not curvy like some of the stuff you get in the recycled or seconds pile. On a dry day I will get the wood painted then the frame will be ready to fill.

Many thanks to my friends and husband for their support and knowledge in building my so very appreciated cold frame. I can't wait to start filling it up with my container plants, it will leave my garden shed floor free for me to use this winter instead of trying to hop around and over everything. I plan to capture and post my cold frame experience so be sure to check back maybe monthly to see how its going. With some luck I hope to enjoy a lovely display of forced Spring bulbs and maybe even some fresh greens before the ground thaws next year.

If you'd like more specifics on building your own coldframe I thought GardenGate magazine had a nice description complete with photos and materials list for a coldframe project
FineGardening magazine also has a great article of different types of coldframes you can build/use. So don't let the coming winter season here in Zone 5-6 put your green thumb into hibernation, go ahead and try even a simple coldframe to extend your current garden and start next years garden early! Most of all, enjoy the process, your reward will be more than just an extended harvest or early start of the growing season.

How About That Gourd!

2009-09-04T16:57:00.000-07:00

Fall harvest is quickly approaching, and, one of the fruits of the garden are gourds. As a designer I am always looking at shapes. I consider how they can be maneuvered to fit the space, theme or feeling I want a design to achieve. I must admit though I had never considered looking at a gourd as a tool for a design pattern.

Well, I know someone who has the gift of the gourd so to speak. He takes these grown and harvested fruits and turns them into all sorts of wonderful works of art. The workmanship is meticulous, an obvious sign that he's doing something he truly enjoys. What started out as a past time has turned into a true revealing of artistic flair and capability. But then most things this fellow does are way out of the ordinary. Like participating in the Iditasport , you know, riding a bicycle in the snow, in Alaska. And then there's living in Fargo, North Dakota before settling into retirement in Arizona. Peter says he can make custom gourds if you'd like. A visit to his website will show you more of his talent. Or you can use the link Peters Gourds above the Search area of this blog to get to the gourd website.

I'm always looking for objects of interest for the garden. I'm told the birdhouse gourds can handle our winters here in New England. And who couldn't find a perfect spot for any of these creations indoors. I know first hand that each of these creations has a story. The Bike & Bean is a favorite coffee stop of the artist so he created a bowl for use at the cash register.

Part of being a Landscape Designer is finding and using good one-of-a-kind artist creations for the landscape and/or garden. When you are looking for something special for your landscape or garden, remember that it should be just that, special... not the neighbors special, your special.
Many artists such as this one welcome the opportunity to create for you a custom piece of artwork. Try not to talk yourself out it, but rather, embrace it and enjoy the journey!
I'm certain you will be pleased to learn about your own creativity and then see it come to life through the training and experience only an artist can provide. If you'd like to inquire more about Peter's Gourds, send an email to potscapes@gmail.com with a subject matter PetersGourds. We'll get you in touch.

Keep Your Eye on the Cone!

2009-08-13T16:34:00.000-07:00

Cones, Cones, Beautiful and Lots of Cones Everywhere!

I had the pleasure of visiting the White Mountains earlier this month and hiked Mt. Osceola with some friends. It was a glorious day, the rains had stopped and the sun shone brightly. We enjoyed cool temps along the trail and an outstanding view at the summit. Check out the photos taken on our hike and enjoy the exquisite color of these cones! The summit was so full of them one had to force the eye to look beyond at the sites of the other mountain tops in view.

As many of you are noticing the conifer cones this year are quite abundant. You can see them at the tops of the trees from a distance, pulling the upper branches down into an umbrella like arch. The cones for many conifers actually take more than a year to reach their mature size, did you know that?

The red squirrels are busy trying to harvest the cones in the trees that surround my property. It sounded at first like someone either was hitting a slew of homers that fell the hardball in our yard or maybe they were throwing stones. We of course went out to 'check out' what the heck was going on. And thunk, thunk, then thunk thunk, thunk thunk thunk we heard them falling.

No it wasn't the wind, the air was still, so what was it causing them to drop? There are too many on the tree my husband said, I disagreed, I knew all too well what those little four legged furry tooth sawing, gnawing creatures were up to. Sure enough I found em, Red Squirrels, up at the top of the 50' or higher white pine, harvesting the crop! And below, it was 'bombs away'. The ground littered with fresh new cones not yet ready to fall. All nice and thin and green and fresh pine aroma in the air. Alongside of these perfect cones were the cartoonish looking skeletized cone, nothing left but a long thin post with a pointed top and rounded bottom.

So, keep your eye on the cones! For a couple of reasons, they just may fall on your head if you have a busy critter like we do in the neighborhood, and because they just look so beautiful hanging there in large clusters like I don't ever recall seeing before. Perhaps I just never noticed because they didn't get harvested by nature until later in the season when they may have lost a few on their own, or maybe I was just always busier that I am these days to have looked up enough to catch such a site.

I'm grateful this year for whatever the reason we have such a grand display of cones.
I'm also grateful that I'm able to enjoy and experience the journey to the summit of a mountain.
Nature is the most perfect designer of the landscape. I am most inspired by the plans that nature creates all by itself. Thank you Planet Earth for allowing us to join you for the view!

The human spirit needs places where nature has not been rearranged by the hand of man. ~Author Unknown

Containers are masters of magic for the tired garden

2009-08-04T12:21:00.000-07:00

Oh yes it's here, the hot humid days of August in the New England garden.

Many of our gardens are now bursting with color! Yellows, oranges, pinks purples whites blues and more!

Soon September will be here and many of the garden colors will begin to wain.

If you haven't a container ready for placing in those oh so lonesome spots that emerge when the perennial burst is over, now is a great time to begin them. Many annuals and perennials are still out there waiting for a home! A container planting could be the perfect answer.

Here I've filled a dark corner that looks lovely with its Spring blossoms, but right now without the container it would be nothing but green, greeen, green. The oranges and yellows and limes I've filled the container with are visible from my Kitchen window a good 75 feet away! How nice is that.

The hummingbirds love the fuschia and impatience. I can opt to place the bright colored heucheras in the garden in late autumn, or overwinter them in the container for next year.

I will likely fill the container with a few interesting woody stems and evergreen boughs and berried holly stems for the winter season, a welcome site along the path during December and January journeys to the shed.

I have many containers - as you may have guessed with a name like 'Potscapes'. I use them in all areas of my gardens, patios, entryways, walkways, decks and landscape.

I enjoy planning what I will do with each one every year. Some years I've put roses in them when I wanted to know how a particular rose would look in the garden, other years I've planted them with vegetables to harvest from the kitchen patio. I bring many of them in to overwinter indoors. The lavendar I brought in last Fall flowered over the winter in my South facing dining room. Such a wonderful treat!

Finding the container to fill is as much fun as filling it. I've found a few fun things in my travels and received others as gifts. I'm always on the peek for something different and of course have a nice collection waiting for their chance to be part of the magic welcomed by the tired garden. Wouldn't you agree that meeting this little monster just might make your day!

Filled with Parsley and Portulaca, this little monster is a favorite of many visitors to my garden.
If you'd like me to help you with a bit of magic for your garden, visit my website and give me a shout.

Sun and Shadows in the Garden

2009-07-27T17:28:00.000-07:00

The morning sun is such a welcome friend. I watch the rays stretch into the garden while brewing my morning cup of coffee. Which by the way was the plan from the start of this area of my landscape.

We often get all caught up in the beauty of a particular plant, or bloom or single characteristic of a tree or shrub, but a good master plan for the landscape considers what sun and shadows will offer the landscape when the garden is complete and mature.

You need to consider exposures of the sun when you design your garden or landscape. Where will the sun be and where will you be viewing the garden from? What will happen to the landscape when the trees have matured? Will the sun still shine through? Do you need or want it to? And what about the different seasons? What will your landscape offer when it's the dead of winter here in New England?

This is the Eastern border of my landscape, the towering white pines are quite large now and yet sun is still stretching through them. The shadows the pines cast are an art form and light show in themselves. On this particular morning there was a light misty fog in the air that was just lifting, providing the view of the sun's rays bouncing into the blue spruce. I had hoped when we planted the spruce next to the perennial garden nearly 18 years ago that this might be the finished product. I got lucky. Nature didn't hamper the plan with its own obstacles nor did the neighbor on their property next door.

Imagine the above photo without the 3 blue spruce, it would not have nearly the same effect. And the dwarf alberta spruce also has an impact on the image. They frame the rays of the sun. I'm no expert or even a novice on photography, but when I see an image that has an impact on me I research what it takes to reproduce it or create one with the same effect. Often the imperfections of the garden or landscape are just a gem not discovered. The tall pines have lost many of their lower branches in our New England winter ice storms, the blue spruce have thinned at their bases and the lawn, well it's always having some sort of issue, and yet, on this morning it all came together and harmonized into the perfect morning lightscape.

So, next time you're thinking about adding to your garden or landscape or removing from the landscape, stop and think about what it may mean to the 'big picture'. You can have a lot of fun with sun and shade in your gardens and landscape, so remember to think about them when you're designing or having someone do a design for you.

Truly a morning dance by nature! Enjoy!

What's Eating My Plants!

2009-07-19T04:52:00.000-07:00

Oh the joys of summer gardening! Yes they are here. Those pesky pests! And, they are voracious consumers of our prized plants.

Japanese Beetles! These little machines feed on nearly 300 species of plants as adults!

So What To Do...
Well there are many styles of dealing with this particular critter. But.. the best practice is to prevent them from a life cycle in your lawn. If you deal with them in their larvae stage of life you will have fewer to trap or kill as adults. The eggs are laid in the soil and overwinter as larvae below the frost line. They produce 1 generation per yer. The larvae are called 'grubs' , a white C shaped image that is quite repulsive when you see them. If you have dead brown spots on your lawn, you may have had grubs in there eating the roots as they transformed into the flying beetle adult form. If your lawn peels back like a rug, you should check for grub infestation. Grubs can be controlled thru lawn care at the appropriate time of the season. There are many products out there to apply, but I would suggest you use those that are the most earth and human friendly. GardensAlive is a great place to find information and products you can purchase that are safe for you and your environment. Be aware that these little darlings can fly up to 5 miles to find a choice meal, so if your neighbor has them, you will have them too!

Dealing with the Japanese Beetle as an adult is much more challenging. Pheromone traps are really only useful in finding out when they've arrived, so please don't put one in your garden! You may as well post a sign that says 'Good Food Here!'. I actually do not use the traps. Part of good IPM practice is to visit your garden daily and spot problems early, like the arrival of the Japanese Beetle. I carry along a large open plastic bowl 1/3 full with water and dish soap on top that I drop these little pests into as I find them in the garden. It's quite simple, if you prefer not to 'touch' them (sometimes I just squish em with my fingers), just place the bowl near the area of the plant you've found them in, jiggle the plant and they will fall into the deadly soup. The dish soap keeps them from crawling out and eventually they will drown. I do this early in the morning before they become too active.

Some birds like to eat them, so attract birds to your property with housing, food and water for them. To mention a few: Cardinals, Robins, and Sparrows will feed on the adults, Starlings and Crows will feed on the larvae.

Choosing plants not preferred by the beetle will help if you just can't deal with them. Personally, I'm not willing to give up the beauty of a rose just because of this little critter. Persistence and good garden and lawn practices will help keep them under control and allow you to enjoy your landscape and all it has to offer.

UMASS and USDA have great fact sheets with information on the Popillia japonica pest we all love to hate.

Summer Color in the Garden

2009-07-11T05:05:00.000-07:00

"There is no blue without yellow and without orange." --Vincent Van Gogh

and what an orange this Hemerocallis is. This one's name is 'Orange Crush' just like the soda pop you may be enjoying during the hot days of summer. For those of you who dislike the commonly seen naturalized roadside sweeps of orange daylilies this may be the choice for you.

This one is planted next to a Hibiscus syriacus (Rose of Sharon) 'Blue Satin'; a striking combination as they bloom at the same time.

July is what I call day lily month, yet you can plant early, mid and late bloomers that get you from June to the end of August quite nicely.

Hemerocallis in Greek means day beauty. Each blossom does only last a single day which is why they are named as such. A good site to take a look at all these beauties is the American Hemerocallis Society website. Each year the list grows as new cultivars are introduced. Anyone can grow a new cultivar and submit it for registration thru the society. It can become quite a pastime er...obsession.

We have a lovely provider of hemerocallis here in Masssachusetts. They actually dig your plant after you've chosen your prize to take home. On my first visit it was quite a surreal experience as I chose to go at peak bloom time, which you can call ahead or visit the website to find out when that is. If you want to know what it feels like to walk thru what seems to be a European masterpiece of art, visit R. Seawright gardens in Carlisle Ma. Bob and Love Seawright are extremely knowledgeable and willing to help you find that perfect day lily!

Be aware of day lily rust and how to recognize it, its a good idea to select cultivars that are resistant to this disease. Cornell has a nice easy to understand description and best practices for dealing with it. I have not had any problems to date with it and I've been growing day lily cultivars in my gardens for over 16 years. Day lilies are a great plant to add color to your garden, they come in just about every color you can imagine, are easy to maintain and in a few years offer clumps large enough to dig and share with others.

Oh and did I mention I often see butterflies visiting day lilies? They twit and flutter from clump to clump while I sit and watch peacefully from my stump :)

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T03:04:00.000-07:00

Did you know there is a Rhododendron maximum named Independence? It was discovered and propagated right here in Massachusetts. It flowers late June into early July during the 4 of July, hence the name. You can find out more about it at the Syringa Plus nursery website (where the gentleman involved in propagating this plant can be visited still today!)
http://www.syringaplus.com/independence.htm

Did you know our Statue of Liberty will receive guests at her crown today for the first time since 911. This is a very good day!

I will look for more flags flying at peoples home fronts as I walk and drive today. And there will hopefully be those welcoming patio and entry containers all planted up with red, white and blue blossoming annuals accented with tiny american flags in the center or on each side of the container.

Ah, yes, its the 4th of July! And even with all the rain we've had here in New England these last 2 months, the garden still offers its own fireworks display. Astilbes are standing full and proud like our American soldiers and Stella d'oro's offer their lovely blooms and skirted foliage like the bride waiting for her soldier to return home from his duty at war. The Spireas are now in full bloom without a hint that they've been barraged with heavy rains for several weeks, like our soldiers ships and planes assisting them in battle.

Not that war is something I prefer to talk about, but we are fighting a war, whether I'd choose we do so or not, I do support our troops who are sacrificing so much. I hope you will remember them today and salute our flag in their honor.

You can view our Statue of Liberty via web cam at this link, visit and say hello to lady liberty.
http://www.earthcam.com/usa/newyork/statueofliberty/

Its Independence Day and the sun is shining and I can hear the birds singing again.
The BBQ grill stands waiting for activity later in the day and the patio cushions are drying and the tiki torches are citronella filled, the lawn is ready for games and the cooler ready for some picnic cheer! So get out your blanket and basket and enjoy the Independence this day is all about. Remember our troops everyday but especially today, they are not at the beach having a picnic with loved ones, they are dreaming and hoping that next year they will spend their 4th of July as you have the opportunity to spend yours today.

As you can see, gardening and horticulture is about oh so much more than the dirt and green of it all, its also about things of the spirit, heart and mind. Oh yes we can always talk about plants, but there is alot more to it than that. There is a connection, a network, we use with the language and life of plants, an amazing energy that flows to and from all who listen and watch. Today I give thanks for the opportunity our country offers to all, and I give thanks to those who commit to our military services to keep us safe and strong. So again I say stop and smell the roses, there will always be the 'to do' lists in life, but just remember to keep the ones like these on the list too!

Happy 4th of July America!

Rain Rain go away, the sun is out we hope to stay.

2009-06-27T05:26:00.000-07:00

So now we can finally go out and view the garden and landscape without a rubber suit, an umbrella or the need for wipers on our eyeglasses.

Be sure to check for slugs as they will be abundant this year. I'm even finding them in the lawn.
Hostas are always plagued by the little critters so be sure to choose types that are labeled as slug resistant. Types that have ruffled or textured leaves are less preferred by slugs.

I don't really use any slug baits or traps, I find it takes too much of my time to be ruled by a slimy little wormy looking thing, they don't ever destroy the whole plant but maybe a few leaves which can be removed if they start to look really bad.

Oh and I've seen hummingbirds visit the HoneyBells hosta flowers, so for those of you who want to cut off those flower spikes you're missing something, the hummers are wonderful to watch, you can always remove the spikes when the flowers are done.

July is nearly here a time to relax and enjoy the season. Try to remember why we plant the things we do and stop and smell the roses while they're in bloom.

If you're in the Northshore area there is a lovely garden at the Trustees of The Reservations Headquarters in Beverly, Ma. - Long Hill

http://www.thetrustees.org/pages/314_long_hill.cfm

here's a photo of an area planted with hosta that is lovely to visit.