Rss Feed
Tweeter button
Facebook button

Edible garden design, Art-A-Whirl and cool containers

by Leave a Comment



Quantcast




‘);
}
document.write(‘

  • ‘);
    document.write(‘

    • ‘);
    jQuery(‘.navTab’ + ad_AdvertiserArray.data[adt].advertiserID).click(ad_AdvertiserArray.data[adt], function(eventObj){
    window.location.href = “http://” + hostEnv + “www.startribune.com/weekly-ads/?dppAID=” + eventObj.data.advertiserID;
    });
    jQuery(‘.navTabWa’ + ad_AdvertiserArray.data[adt].advertiserID).click(ad_AdvertiserArray.data[adt], function(eventObj){
    window.location.href = “http://” + hostEnv + “www.startribune.com/weekly-ads/?dppAID=” + eventObj.data.advertiserID;
    });
    }

    ‘);
    }
    dppNavTab.start();


    Jamie Durie will appear at Pahl’s Market in Apple Valley on May 17.

    CameraStar Tribune photo galleries

    Cameraview larger

    ul > li > a > img {
    margin-left: 4px;
    }
    ]]>

    Edible garden tips and tricks

    How can you make your veggie and herb gardens look as good as they taste? Jamie Durie, Australian horticulturist, HGTV star and author of “Edible Garden Design,” will share tips on planting a pleasing garden, as well as demonstrating landscape design tricks for your back-yard retreat. Durie’s talk and book signing is from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at Pahl’s Market, 6885 W. 160th St., Apple Valley. Cost is $30 and includes a copy of Durie’s book. For tickets, go to www.pahls.com.

    Northeast art show

    Art-A-Whirl is a chance to get a close look at artists, their private studios and one-of-a-kind artworks for your home that you won’t find in a catalog or chain store. The annual art extravaganza and sale in northeast Minneapolis features sculpture, pottery, paintings, textiles, metalwork, photography, mixed media and other works by more than 500 artists. The open studio tours include demonstrations, live performances and large-scale exhibitions. Hours are 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, noon to 8 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. next Sunday. For details and an Art-A-Whirl map, go to www.nemaa.org.

    Cool containers

    • get related content delivered to your inbox

    ‘);
    }
    if(jQuery.inArray(‘2751’, userSubsArray ) == -1) {
    document.write(‘

  • ‘);
    }
    if(jQuery.inArray(‘2701’, userSubsArray ) == -1) {
    document.write(‘

  • ‘);
    }

  • manage my email subscriptions

    • ‘);
    }

    ul > li > a > img {
    margin-left: 4px;
    }
    ]]>


    ADVERTISEMENT

    • Most read
    • Most Emailed
    • Most Watched

    <![CDATA[

    ]]>

    Connect with twitterConnect with facebookConnect with Google+Connect with PinterestConnect with PinterestConnect with RssfeedConnect with email newsletters

    ADVERTISEMENT

    GetGoAppFPO

    ADVERTISEMENT

    ADVERTISEMENT

    ADVERTISEMENT

    ADVERTISEMENT

    ADVERTISEMENT



    inside the StarTribune


    entertainment

    Your guide to Minnesota museums


    home

    Beer me, Minnesota: Find the brew that’s right for you


    home

    Take a tour of the State Capitol renovation


    help

    Get our Going Out mobile app


    lifestyle

    2014 Minnesota Summer Camp Guide


    lifestyle

    Kid’s’ Health: Latest news and advice


    • 425 Portland Av. S.

      Minneapolis, MN 55488

      (612) 673-4000

    © 2014 StarTribune. All rights reserved.

    StarTribune.com is powered by Limelight Networks





    Close


    Filed Under: garden design

    GREEN THUMBS UP: The basics of garden design

    by Leave a Comment


    By Suzanne Mahler


    Posted May. 10, 2014 @ 2:00 pm

    Filed Under: garden design

    Let there be spaces in your garden

    by Leave a Comment

    .

    Japanese garden design offers a good example of how to create spaces in the garden. Picture: Loren Shirley-Carr

    Related Stories

    Johannesburg – The decision on whether to fill a space in the garden or to leave it needs careful consideration. In garden design, there is a need every so often for a pause – a space – where the viewer is able to rest and absorb what he is seeing.

    The amount of space should be relative to the size of the garden and to the homeowner’s needs. It is about personalising your garden to suit your lifestyle, and creating outdoor spaces where you can relax and entertain, where there is space to walk, to sit, to read and to daydream.

    Identify spaces

    A useful way to identify whether to fill or leave a space is to look at black and white photographs of different sections of the garden. These photographs are best because colour tends to dominate visually, and it is the garden’s design that is the important factor in deciding how to alter or integrate different spaces.

    Centuries-old traditional Japanese gardens emphasised the importance of space; where careful consideration and symbolic meaning were given to the positioning of each stone and every plant.

    The idea of using objects economically, whether outdoor accessories, garden features or plant material, and having only what is either useful or beautiful, is not new.

    In 1938, Christopher Tunnard, the spokesman for both the Modern Movement and at that time the new profession of landscape architecture in England, stressed the importance of understanding that gardens, like houses, are built of space.

    With today’s smaller properties, this perception of space has become increasingly important in both interior design and landscaping, and designers visualise and use space as a sculptural concept, where the emphasis is on clean lines and pure form.

    Types of space

    Space in a garden is relative. It can be defined as great as the distance between the house and the boundary, or as small as the area between two plants. It may take the form of a paved area with spaces left for plants, a boma for entertaining, a pool, or even a sandpit for children. There is space between two upright shrubs and between an avenue of trees.

    Spaces are important in all gardens to a lesser or greater degree, depending on the style of the garden.

    Spaces can direct you to a sculpture, a view or a particular plant. In a formal garden, space remains more or less constant, because hedges and topiary are used to create spaces and plants are restricted by trimming and pruning.

    The opposite applies in a cottage-style garden, where the emphasis is on an abundant, generous look. In this garden, spaces may take the form of a structure, such as a pergola, an arch, or even a gap cut in a hedge.

    Vertical space

    Vertical planting is especially suited to small gardens, where not only does this free up more ground space to make room for lower growing plants, it adds a further dimension to the landscape, creating screens for privacy, defining boundaries and entrances, and taking colour skywards.

    Trellis is one of the most popular materials for growing plants vertically. Pillars and posts on verandas and patios offer vertical support, as do internal fences that separate parts of the garden.

    Arches should have restrained climbers, rather than ones that will need continual cutting back, while arbours can have stronger growing varieties. Beware of climbers that have a rampant growth habit or your garden will lose definition.

    Filling spaces

    Plants that fill spaces in the garden also have an important role to play. They may reinforce or highlight a particular colour scene, clothe bare stems of plants, or cover soil.

    “See-through” plants help define and create spaces in a garden. These plants are so airy and spacious that they don’t cast heavy shadows and so introduce subtle depth in a border; so sheer that other plants in the back-ground are visible through them.

    Short-lived shrubs such as lavenders and daisy bushes are useful for filling spaces in a newly planted garden while waiting for permanent plants to grow.

    Disposable fillers are those that cover temporary spaces among permanent plantings of perennials and shrubs. These usually consist of annuals that can be relied on to compliment a particular colour scheme or to provide seasonal interest.

    The potential of vegetables as temporary fillers in the flower garden is often overlooked. Use plain or frilly leafed lettuce in shades of green and red to fill gaps in the front of a border. Cabbages can also be used as temporary fillers in a flower border.

    Plant red-purple cabbages in a red border or with grey foliage plants. Blue-green cabbages introduce a contrast in form and texture, especially attractive when used in a white colour scheme of iceberg roses, dianthus and nutmeg geraniums.

     

    GENERAL GARDENING TIPS

    * In cold gardens, finish watering by mid-morning so plants can dry out and the soil can warm up before nightfall.

    * For a bright display of indigenous spring flowers, sow African daisy, orange venidium, nemesia and mauve wild cineraria (Senecio elegans) seeds. Plant in their permanent position, in full sun, and in ordinary garden soil.

    * Plant a wide border of pansies along paths, in bold groups in the front of borders, and in containers. You have a choice of single colours, pastel or rich shades. Remove fallen leaves around the young plants as they prevent air, light and water from reaching them. Combine pansies of brilliant orange and black for a dramatic colour scheme.

    * Do you grow plectranthus to add shades of pink, mauve and purple in your autumn garden? They provide a long-lasting display in autumn on low-growing, medium and tall shrubs in light shade. Another worthwhile autumn-flowering shrub that can take more sun is the lilac-flowered ribbon bush (Hypoestes aristata). – Saturday Star

    Get our free Lifestyle newsletter – subscribe here…

    Follow @IOLlifestyle on Twitter

    Visit IOL Lifestyle on Facebook

    Filed Under: garden design

    Green Space | Improve your garden’s design – The Courier

    by Leave a Comment

    OK, Derby is now over and you can get back to a more reasonable pace of gardening. There’s no Derby party deadline to keep you yanking weeds and jamming plants in the ground until well after dark.

    You can take your time and do some gardening that will have long-term impact on the yard. It is in this spirit of the post-Derby gardener that we offer our top tips for improving the design of your garden.

    Design, don’t collect! This is a tough one for those of us who suffer from the collector’s disease. It is an easy affliction to self-diagnose. If you are one who peruses plant catalogs, ordering one of everything even though you know you have no space for them, you’ve been infected.

    We’re sorry, but you’ll have to find an uninfected friend to arrange a horticultural intervention. If you can’t manage that, we suggest you forget calling your place a garden and just refer to it as a nursery. It’ll reduce everyone’s stress in the long run.

    Shape the lawn rather than the bed. This tip comes from one of our great garden-designer friends in New England, Gordon Hayward. He suggests starting your garden layout by shaping the lawn and allowing everything outside the lawn to become planting bed. You’ll be amazed how much easier this makes the design process.

    Plant in drifts. One of the biggest mistakes made by most novice garden makers is to buy one of everything they like and then figure out how to arrange them in a pleasant presentation.

    Rather than one each of 30 different perennials, try 10 each of three compatible varieties. This allows you to weave masses to provide some movement and continuity in the garden.

    Pick a stunning focal point. If your garden is an unending series of blended masses, that’s certainly better than a polka-dotted nursery planting, but it can still lack pizazz. To add some sparkle, pick out a couple of primary views across the garden (outside a prime window, at the end of a path, etc.) and drop in a focal element.

    Long views work best when they terminate in something that grabs your attention. The element can be a stunning container planting, a small tree with standout character or, even better, a nicely placed piece of garden sculpture.

    Focal points, if they are to have the most impact, are best backed up by a simple planting; large groundcover bed, plain green hedge, even a plain fence. The key is to use the background to make the key element jump out. If the setting competes too much with the feature, you end up with a mess.

    When placing artwork in the garden, be sure to account for the changing sun angles and shade patterns and how they’ll change the look of the piece.

    Step out of your comfort zone and plant things you’d never consider in the past. Edge a perennial bed with an herb (the triple cut form of parsley makes a great edge). Plant a summer-blooming vine to scramble over a spring-blooming shrub. Dwarf conifers in bright ceramic containers make excellent garden accents that can be overwintered in the garage.

    The possibilities are endless, especially if you avoid a few of the plant zealot admonitions: “Woodies are weeds” or one with a long history … “friends don’t let friends plant perennials!” Like most sound bites, they might get a quick chuckle but don’t do anybody any good.

    The bottom line is that improving your garden design isn’t rocket science. Follow a few basics, make a bold statement or two and, above all, make the garden your own.

    Happy (post-Derby) gardening!

    Yew Dell Botanical Gardens is at 6220 Old La Grange Road, Crestwood, Ky. Information: www.yewdellgardens.org.

    COMMONWEALTH BANK AND TRUST GARDEN SCULPTURE SHOW

    Featuring Louisville sculptor Ed Hamilton

    What: 24 regional sculptors showing more than 60 garden pieces during the two-month show and sale.

    When: Show, May 17-Aug. 3, during regular garden hours; opening reception, 5:30-8 p.m. Friday, 5/16

    Where: Yew Dell Botanical Gardens, 6220 Old La Grange Road, Crestwood, Ky.

    Cost: Reception, $25 members; $35 nonmembers (reception tickets available at www.yewdellgardens.org). Sculpture show free with paid admission to gardens — adults $7, seniors $5, children under 12 free, active military free, members free.

    Information: (502) 241-4788; www.yewdellgardens.org

    Filed Under: garden design

    GREEN THUMBS UP: The basics of garden design

    by Leave a Comment


    Posted May. 8, 2014 @ 11:26 am
    Updated May 8, 2014 at 11:40 AM

    Filed Under: garden design

    Preparing your garden, rain garden workshops

    by Leave a Comment



    Quantcast




    ‘);
    }
    document.write(‘

  • ‘);
    document.write(‘

    • ‘);
    jQuery(‘.navTab’ + ad_AdvertiserArray.data[adt].advertiserID).click(ad_AdvertiserArray.data[adt], function(eventObj){
    window.location.href = “http://” + hostEnv + “www.startribune.com/weekly-ads/?dppAID=” + eventObj.data.advertiserID;
    });
    jQuery(‘.navTabWa’ + ad_AdvertiserArray.data[adt].advertiserID).click(ad_AdvertiserArray.data[adt], function(eventObj){
    window.location.href = “http://” + hostEnv + “www.startribune.com/weekly-ads/?dppAID=” + eventObj.data.advertiserID;
    });
    }

    ‘);
    }
    dppNavTab.start();



    hide

    Rain garden

    Photo: Lynn Underwood,

    CameraStar Tribune photo galleries

    Cameraview larger

    ul > li > a > img {
    margin-left: 4px;
    }
    ]]>

    Preparing your garden

    Ready to start the growing season? The Dakota County Master Gardeners are offering a series of free talks on successful gardening. The first, at 7 p.m. Monday, will focus on “Tips for Preparing Your Garden,” including information on soil testing, composting, planning garden spaces, planting time and soil temperatures, sun requirements, spacing, watering and weeding, plus staking and trellising. The talk will be held at the Church of St. Joseph, 13900 Biscayne Av. W., Rosemount.

     

    Rain garden workshops

    Keeping lakes and rivers clean begins in our own back yards. Metro Blooms is offering a workshop, “Rain Gardens and Beyond: Healthy Yards, Clean Water,” at several locations in the coming weeks. The workshops will explore the latest in healthy yard-care practices, including proper use of fertilizers, disposal and re-use of yard waste, and managing runoff. Each workshop is designed to move participants quickly from an overview of healthy yard-care practices to a completed rain garden design for their property, with one-on-one assistance from Metro Blooms landscape designers and Hennepin County Master Gardeners.

    The workshops, which cost $10 to $15, will be offered through June. The next workshop is 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Fridley Community Center, followed by a workshop from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Longfellow Park Recreation Center, and another from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Brooklyn Center Community Center. To register for a workshop or see other workshop dates and locations, visit www.metroblooms.org or call 651-699-2426.

    Kim Palmer

    • get related content delivered to your inbox

    ‘);
    }
    if(jQuery.inArray(‘2751’, userSubsArray ) == -1) {
    document.write(‘

  • ‘);
    }
    if(jQuery.inArray(‘2701’, userSubsArray ) == -1) {
    document.write(‘

  • ‘);
    }

  • manage my email subscriptions

    • ‘);
    }

    ul > li > a > img {
    margin-left: 4px;
    }
    ]]>


    ADVERTISEMENT

    • Most read
    • Most Emailed
    • Most Watched

    <![CDATA[

    ]]>

    Connect with twitterConnect with facebookConnect with Google+Connect with PinterestConnect with PinterestConnect with RssfeedConnect with email newsletters

    ADVERTISEMENT

    GetGoAppFPO

    ADVERTISEMENT

    ADVERTISEMENT

    ADVERTISEMENT

    ADVERTISEMENT

    ADVERTISEMENT



    inside the StarTribune


    entertainment

    Your guide to Minnesota museums


    home

    Beer me, Minnesota: Find the brew that’s right for you


    home

    Take a tour of the State Capitol renovation


    help

    Get our Going Out mobile app


    lifestyle

    2014 Minnesota Summer Camp Guide


    lifestyle

    Kid’s’ Health: Latest news and advice


    • 425 Portland Av. S.

      Minneapolis, MN 55488

      (612) 673-4000

    © 2014 StarTribune. All rights reserved.

    StarTribune.com is powered by Limelight Networks





    Close


    Filed Under: garden design

    GREEN THUMBS UP: The basics of garden design

    by Leave a Comment


    Posted May. 8, 2014 @ 11:26 am
    Updated at 11:40 AM

    Filed Under: garden design

    Farah opens flagship in Covent Garden

    by Leave a Comment

    Menswear brand Farah has chosen Seven Dials in Covent Garden, London as the location for their first UK flagship store.

    Located on Earlham Street, the 764 square foot flagship opened this weekend and marks a new chapter for the brand, and aims to complement its existing store within the Boxpark in Shoreditch and its e-commerce site.

    The flagship houses all the Farah collections, covering both the mainline and the younger Farah Vintage line.

    Francisco Gonzalez-Meza Hoffmann, managing director of Farah owner Perry Ellis Europe, said: “We wanted a central London location with a strong heritage of its own for our Farah flagship store. The retail mix and atmosphere of Seven Dials is perfect. We will be in great company in one of the most thriving destinations for fashion in London.”

    Sam Bain-Mollison, head of group retail strategy and letting at Shaftesbury, added: “Farah is a great fit for Seven Dials, which is a thriving, cosmopolitan destination with a unique mix of retailers and restaurants. Farah adds to the iconic international fashion offer that sets Seven Dials apart.”

    Farah is the latest fashion name to open in the area, over the past few months other fashion retailers including Franklin Marshall, Peter Werth and Le Coq Sportif have chosen the Seven Dials area.

    Filed Under: garden design

    When planning a garden, do your homework

    by Leave a Comment

    As a veteran nurseryman who appreciates how gardens affect real estate values, I’m pleased to be a part of this new section. Horticulture is my primary passion, and I’m our third generation to run our family business. Over the years I’ve composed articles for local newspapers, nursery industry publications, Yankee Magazine, and others, and I enjoy giving presentations to groups who want to learn more about using plants effectively. I’m hoping you will find my comments interesting and relevant and, of course, that they add to your enjoyment of the plantings around your home or workplace.

    This column will soon be answering your questions about plants and garden design, and I await your inquiries. Gardening should be fun and rewarding. I’ll show practical and economical ways, even for “non-green-thumbers,” to simplify what may seem overly complicated. To start, a few universal fundamentals apply whenever we use plants, trees, and shrubs in the landscape. Once these elements are addressed, the steps that follow become a lot easier to accomplish.

    Continue reading below

    First, discuss and describe in detail the effect you’re trying to create and how you will want to use the space you’re improving. What is the purpose you seek to achieve: an appealing view from the street, framing a pleasing vista or screening an undesirable one, an attractive entry to your home, play space for children, an outdoor-dining room, a particular garden (herb, vegetable, orchard, etc.)? Fully defining the function you desire for your design will help simplify your choice of plants.

    Next, it’s critical to understand how the trees, shrubs, and plants you are using will change as they grow. So many gardens that look beautiful that first year or two soon become overcrowded and in need of revision because how different the plants become as they mature was not considered in the design. Understanding this needn’t be time-consuming or expensive. Lots of information is readily available at your local garden center, from specialists like landscape designers and architects, in publications, and on the Internet. Before investing in your plantings, be sure to do your homework by taking the time to ask questions about your choices and consider alternatives.

    Last, and possibly most important for the continuing health of your plantings, be sure your soil and locations are suitable for growing the plants you’re choosing. Few plants are adapted to thrive in all soils or exposures; most have particular preferences for best performance. It is unwise to expect a tree that enjoys humusy soil to do well in a sandy, dry location, or a shade-loving shrub to prosper in a hot, sunny area. Many disappointing results can be traced to root systems being ineffectively nourished by soils that are not properly prepared. When you visit your local garden center, describe your site and ask the experts for their advice; most offer kits for basic soil testing. More detailed recommendations are available by sending samples to the Soil and Plant Tissue Testing Laboratory at the University of Massachusetts Amherst for professional analysis.

    Filed Under: garden design

    Fine Living: Head beyond the garden gate in Rosss

    by Leave a Comment

    IF YOU’RE a fan of Beyond the Garden Gate, the popular garden tour of great Ross gardens on Mother’s Day weekend, make sure you go this year — there won’t be another until 2016.

    “We are trying to pace our volunteer efforts over a two-year budget,” says Erica Hunt, chairwoman of the May 10 tour that benefits Ross School’s fine arts program. “Ross is a very small community with 800 homes, and finding homeowners who are gracious enough to open up their gardens to us should be easier on a biannual cycle.”

    To tempt you, she and her team have assembled a roster of four gorgeous landscapes distinguished by their A-list creators — Janelle Hobart, Brandon Tyson and Michael Yandle.

    “Visitors will enjoy a variety of gardens that offer not only beauty and elegance, but also incorporate practicality ranging from an edible garden for family dinners to smart use of natural resources through recycling rainwater and catching irrigation run-off,” she says.

    Here’s a preview of each garden:

    • “Magnificent Mediterranean” is a hillside landscape on a grand scale, designed by Michael Yandle of Michael B. Yandle Landscape Architecture.

    Its stunning components include a beautiful entrance fountain, magnolias and live oaks, white azaleas, climbing roses and clematis, rose-planted terraces, stately cypress and palm trees.

    The pool and pool house have spectacular views of Mount Tam, and it has a potager and a grape arbor over a dining area defined by limestone columns along with an outdoor fireplace.

    The garden also includes a tropical waterfall and a stone-edged pond.

    • “Japonesque on the Hill” is a garden inspired by the owner’s love of the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park and designed by Sonoma County-based designer Brandon Tyson.

    It honors the tradition of Japanese design without the precise adherence to its strict principles.

    The centerpiece is a moon bridge that crosses a pond, bordered by carefully selected boulders, lending sound and movement to the garden.

    A path meanders through the garden full of various trees and plants that celebrate the Japanese influence on gardening. Japanese maples, weeping cherries, conifers and cypress give the garden dimension and color in shades of greens, reds, gray-greens and purples. Smaller plants introduce black leaves, spiked bunches and lime-colored mounds.

    • “Sunny Respite” is a productive garden designed by Janell Hobart of Denler Hobart Gardens that marries edibles with ornamentals.

    A large oak shades the remnants of an old Japanese garden with mature camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons in one area. More shade comes from valley oaks and redwood trees. White crabapple trees border the pool terrace, behind it is a garden filled with roses and foxglove for summer color and at its end is a small orchard of apple, peach, and pear trees nestle.

    Behind the pool house is the vegetable and cutting garden composed of raspberries and blackberries, espaliered apples and pears, and masses of blueberry bushes.

    Tuteurs and obelisks decorate the raised boxes that are filled with rotating summer and winter vegetables, flowers, and bulbs.

    • “Family Frolic,” a second garden on the tour created by Hobart graces the sloping site of a brown-shingled home. Its several layers have been created for family fun.

    There are daffodils, tulips and flowering trees that bloom in spring, and roses, hydrangeas, foxglove, anemones for summer color.

    An old stone retaining wall borders the lawn that leads to a new terraced flower garden with each bed of roses and peonies centered by a pyramid tuteur.

    Another flight of stone steps leads to the family playground with trampoline and swings and where two antique fountains offer a charming bath for birds and support for the climbing clematis.

    PJ Bremier writes on home, garden, design and entertaining topics every Saturday and also on her blog at DesignSwirl.co. She may be contacted at P.O. Box 412, Kentfield, CA 94914, or at pj@pjbremier.com.

    if you go

    What: Beyond the Garden Gate garden tour
    When: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 10
    Where: Ross School and Common Park, 9 Lagunitas Road, Ross
    Admission: $40, $50 at door
    Information: rossgardentour.org
    More: Shuttles leave to tour headquarters at College of Marin’s Lot No. 15 on Kent Avenue every 15 minutes from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; optional boxed lunch costs $10, pre-ordering recommended

    Filed Under: garden design
    « Previous Page
    Next Page »