Christopher Bradley-Hole made a stir a few years ago with his Chelsea Flower Show garden, mainly consisting of different heights of boxwoods. Was it cold,
Any plant that has green, soft and succulent stem in spite of the wood and brown
With the right plants and planting technique, you can cut weeding and watering to almost nothing! Learn how to grow a low-maintenance gravel garden here.
Create a beautiful yard with these creative landscape ideas with big impact.
My blogs will not always be about this type of thing because being a mom is the best thing that has ever happened to me and I will also be writing about fun and happy times with my children. Mostly this blog is just about my life, sorta like an autobiography. which I hope to write one someday sooner than later!...
On Victoria’s beautiful Mornington Peninsula, this lush country garden is home to a variety of native plants, rolling lawns, colourful flower beds and even a gaggle of geese.
Paths, pavers, and purple plants exploded on the Gardenista Instagram feed this year; here's a look back at our most popular posts. Not a follower yet? We'
Making plans for your gardens this year? Would that include hiring a professional? Many of you ask me about our process in designing landscapes. I thought I would share our procedure with clients......it's a bit unconventional but going on 30 years in 2019, the process works for us and our customers m So, where to start? After fielding questions from our initial contact, our next important step is our survey, We will send you 5 pages of questions from your likes, to dislikes, what is the architectural style of your home, do you need privacy, drainage issues, favorite colors, and on........... All sorts of preliminary work leads to a successful first meeting, it arms us with information to make each design personal. The more a client can convey, the better. And as you will see, we are fanatical about the details Do you have a Pinterest account? Any magazine cut-outs? Let's review, together At the initial meeting we begin the design process, all the preliminary is complete, let's go! m Our client has two options 1) Just myself, who provides a design as seen below, with a mood board showing the plants and any ornamentation 2) A well loved option is to bring Stephanie Fania, our in-house artist. Together we create a 3D pen and ink rendering which includes the house......soooo much better than a blueprint! So easy for our clients to visualize At our initial home visit, we do a landscape review and then head indoors. I want to see your interior colors and look out strategic windows. How ideal if the interior and the exterior flows. More of our landscape is viewed from the indoors looking out. By pulling the garden "out" versus hugging a homes perimeter, the more enjoyable. Ley's begin the design process. Top 5 Considerations Whether you hire a professional or you manage the project, here are some important questions to ask your contractor and yourself.......... #1 What is the architectural style of your home? How can the exterior and the garden be made into one cohesive design? This is key. Here is a past blog post to help with the Architecture question #2 Consider the colors of your plant palette and your home Choose your colors via the exterior of your home, this too is important . What do I mean? Let's say you have a red/orange brick house. Pale colors would be lost, baby blue, soft pinks would clash but deep purples, dark yellow, rich blues, all intense colors, would do nicely STRONG PASTEL The same principals apply to ornamentation. Try to repeat a color found on your home, or a palette as spoken of above. This client loves purple and with the Victorian homes colors and the complimentary plant material the blend is beautiful #3 List your favorites ........ perennials, shrubs, trees, evergreens? #4 Do you have a preferred style? Type? Low maintenance or "I will love being in my garden" personality, understand your time commitment level. A cottage garden will require more of a commitment than formal. Floriferous and romantic? #5 How will we utilize this space? Cutting or Veg garden? Space for the children? Maybe conversation and dining will be the priority? m Many of our projects are renovations. How can we work with what is existing? What can be saved, what can be pruned (miracles are wrought here!), What to transplant? Remove? Scrutinize with a measured eye. Loving to prune myself, particularly when faced with a creative challenge, I was thrilled to tackle this versus my crew, delighting in the instant results. And a much better idea than removal and starting over It's transformative. Up and over the arch is a glorious climbing rose that once in bloom is breathtaking. As an aside this image makes a great example of brick color to plant tones. Pastels would be lost, whereas the colors of royalty; deep red, dark blue and purple, would compliment this structure. Let's take the above one step further by adding the orange toned Heuchera and a chartreuse underplanting in front of the boxwood.......what a pop and see how lovely these colors would be with the brick. Colored foliage is a delight to work with, they break up the monotony of all green creating an exclamation point of interest Back to the design......... Our field drawings are in pencil and the client has an opportunity to approve or tweak the design before we leave. Designs are created on-site, too many details are forgotten in an office at a drafting table. I return with the sketch in ink, with a mood board of plants and ornamentation. Our clients LOVE this, after all we too are visual, let us help you to "see" your new space Never forget to take into consideration the seasons, What will your garden look like in winter? Do you have any views to conceal? Any to "borrow?" Ornamentation will set your garden apart, what kind and where?. These too should match the exterior. I once went to a home that was a Southern Colonial; white brick, wrought iron filigree in high gloss black....very formal. Her pots....would you imagine were whiskey barrels? And a split rail fence? A total disconnect. m As this process, to us, is not just the garden but your home, It's the total picture. We can additionally assist with the exterior. We ARE NOT ARCHITECTS, just enthusiasts, think "Curb Appeal". We enjoy addressing those details, drawing in any minor architectural tweaks for a full understanding of what can be. Want to see your home with shutters? An appropriately sized light fixtures, No problem, out comes the pencil Change the paint colors? Let's explore! Change the front door, add new porch rails? How about the current style, in need of a freshening? We once turned a mid century Mediterranean into French Normandy, we will draw it...... plus we travel with a big eraser, no risk taken.. m Lastly...... We all know when we are not "being heard", if you sense this is happening with a professional, stop the process and make certain your wants and needs are being fully addressed. Not doing so will lead to costly mistakes later on. Unlike us, completing the design on site, usually in 3-4 hours, the majority of designers will take the details back to an office to craft the design. If you were misunderstood, you will be shocked at the results. Take charge and guarantee your delight. Enjoy the upcoming season! Scentimental Gardens provides on-site visits local, via E-Design and travel....next week I leave for France to help a client in and out. Oooh la la! Pince moi! Fondly, Debra. [email protected]
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Learn everything you need to know about planting, growing, dividing and buying Hostas with this Hosta care guide that has all kinds of tips.
Whether you use it to fill a yard or define a garden path, you'll love this low-maintenance look.
So, very late to the Chelsea blogging party, and, whilst I very nearly didn’t post at all, I was spurred on by the number of times I’ve referenced last year’s two posts (here and …
With beautiful flowers, low-maintenance plants and blooms that come up reliably every year, these are the best bulbs to plant in the fall.
Côté Maison Design lève le voile sur les photos gagnantes du Concours International de la Photographie de Jardin 2014 (IGPOTY), catégories Plantes, Flore et Faune. Autant dire des captures uniques du microcosme de jardin, la beauté singulière d'une fleur et d'un instant animal...
Discover eight of the best cosmos combinations.
If your border is short on sunlight, fill it up with this lush, shade-loving combo. Your garden will look fresh all season long.
The Brazilian landscape designer defied all boundaries in art and design. As the New York Botanical Garden celebrates his life and work with a multi-sensory exhibition this summer, we present a few of our favorite Burle Marx works.
I think I struck a cord with my last post highlighting a small suburban shade garden. Obviously gardeners are hungry for planting suggestions for shade. In this…
Go straight for the Australian native plants that not only suit our harsh climate, but also look beautiful in your garden.
Follow our beginner-friendly gardening landscaping tips to turn your yard into a blooming paradise and get advice for personalizing your outdoor space.
Vintage, rustic, alternative or boho - whichever wedding theme you go for, we've got a tonne of inspirational ideas for you
The trees are still in their infancy, the streets are still tidy with paving hardly showing any signs of use. And most houses in Amsterdam IJburg look even tidier. IJburg is Amsterdam’s youngest neighborhood. Some ten years ago the artificial island was just a sandy, windswept desert. Once presented as the place-to-be for urban pioneers,...
The garden is the ideal place for you as well as your family members to spend a great time throughout the year. And, it is not difficult to see why! Moreover, it is natural for you to try every means to make the garden look as attractive as possible.
Looking for some plants that will grow in the shade and help to hide bulb foliage? This list of shade perennials to plant with spring bulbs is perfect!
Looking for shade plants that can make your not-so-sunny garden look great? These are some of the best!
Zwiebelblumen in Töpfen unter Zierkirsche (Tulipa ‚Apricot Beauty‘, Muscari, Hyacinthus)
Find Peach Blossom Astilbe (Astilbe x rosea 'Peach Blossom') in Regina, Saskatchewan (SK) at Dutch Growers Garden Centre (False Spirea)
If you are just looking for some new ideas, adding to your outdoor spaces or are in need of a major overhaul, we have some fantastic ideas for you.
How do you use roses in your garden? Do you have a traditional, formal rose garden bordered with low boxwood hedges? Or are they part of a mixed border where they jostle with perennials such…
Here are some outdoor decorating ideas for revamping your backyard that may have you seeing your outdoor space in a whole new light.
It seems like spring is finally here and it might be warm enough to safely plant some new things in my garden. This year I want to add more evergreen plants so things don’t like quite so bare in the wintertime. I recently picked up two camellias and I’m thinking about investing in a Magnolia … Continue Reading
Have a shady spot in your yard? You will love these stunning and inspiring shade gardens and find some fantastic plant suggestions for shady spaces.
Looking for a fuss-free perennial that's attractive, dependable, deer-resistant, multiseasonal and extremely long-lived? Meet baptisia-a prairie native whose beautiful spires are reminiscent of the beloved lupine, minus the maintenance.
Like hydrangeas? You'll love the Chinese snowball. Here's how to care for the classic flowering shrub that has graced Southern gardens for generations.
Get to know this selection of spilling and draping plants. - by Roger Fox
We've found the best creepers, vines and edible fast-growing climbing plants for Australian gardens. Find out more.
Mexican feather grass looks like a hazy smudge of golden color in the distance, and who wouldn't want that as a backdrop in the garden? Like other grasses
Die Längerkönner - Die einen fangen immer wieder von vorne an – die anderen pflanzen Stauden.
Gardeners who have a nodding acquaintance with clematis are often only aware of the big beautiful heart-stopping, jaw-dropping blossoms of late spring. As one becomes more and more enamored with c…
