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Is this the very best recipe for asparagus?
Posted by 11320Carol Muskoron
The garden in Chelsea
Nicky has a hybrid conservatory/greenhouse where he grows bulbs, masses of
geraniums, echeverias and other pot fillers, which he plunges into
containers of all shapes and sizes and carts all over the place, a musical
chairs-like arrangement, so that he can appreciate the plants to the full.
Creating a space that flows out fluidly from the house for eating,
entertaining and just enjoying is carried out with verve. Nicky firmly
believes “that food tastes better outside, and it’s even truer with
flickering flames” – no outdoor heaters here – “just
piles of rugs and old Barbours”.
His garden furniture is often an eclectic mix, a variation of styles that are “much
prettier and more relaxed than if they are all matching”. If he is
ordering furniture, he almost invariably specifies Brown Jordan
(brownjordan.com) from California. Otherwise, his terrace will be decorated
with small, Gothic tables, the equivalent of those you might put by a sofa,
but they show off a small planted tub (bringing it nearer eye level) instead
of a lamp. The tables, tubs and other huge planters may well be painted in a
trademark coordinating colour. In his own home, he has used a smoky
blue-grey. This adds subtle colour in our dull winter light, without being
so bright as to make everything beside it look deathly dull. In summer, it
is fabulous with our lush greens, powerful but understated. The fabrics come
outside too; he designed “Melba”, which is a bold green stripe
splattered with the occasional pink magnolia flower. At The Hunting Lodge,
he has made cushions covered in this to fit his Gothic metal benches. He has
a definite “thing” for green and white stripes; he makes up
awnings in this, maybe to go over some windows, or a larger one over a
terrace.
His garden designs often include eye-catchers, which may be a “stone”
obelisk in the distance – often in reality just timber, cut and painted, but
it definitely fools the eye. Gates and mini pavilions are used to add style,
function and interest. He will design them with the architecture of the
house in mind, perhaps picking up an iconic detail, curve or feel. On his
own house, a blank, rather boring wall was lifted with a simple false door.
The frame around it is on the lines of an ogee arch, with trellis framing it
and a step leading up. All the detailing makes it convincing.
As to planting, as you would expect, Nicky has his definite favourites.
Anything pink and blowsy is welcome, such as peonies, roses and stocks.
Anything that looks like it might work on chintz is welcome. He picks up
tricks from fellow designers and was impressed by Nancy Lancaster’s idea of
putting plant pots full of colour raised up on wire stands to add height and
interest in a border. He has a more laid-back approach, too. A sweep of
bracken lined a walkway; he has slashed the bracken back (every two weeks
initially to eradicate it) and discovered masses of wild orchids have come
up instead, which have been much encouraged. Structure is important, and low
box hedges outline a strong pattern work of beds, keeping all incumbents on
the straight, if not narrow.
Video: Nicky Haslam’s sumptuous garden
‘Folly
de Grandeur’ by Nicky Haslam (Jacqui Small,
£40) is available to order from Telegraph
Books (0844 871 1514) at £36 + £1.35 pp.
A sliding door — say, a door of planks hanging from exposed hardware — transforms a room. It’s so eye-catching, so unexpected, that it invites closer looks. It brings smiles.
There are also practical reasons for choosing sliding doors. They can be larger — taller, wider and heavier — than hinged doors. They don’t require open floor space like swinging doors. But mostly, architects and designers love them for their looks.
A sliding door softens a formal room, said Emily Bourgeois, a Charlotte, N.C., designer who used sliding pantry doors in an award-winning kitchen she created for a Charlotte townhouse. The doors were painted a vivid blue and featured exposed hardware.
Any door delivers a message about the space, she said. “So what’s it saying? Let’s all sit up straight? Or please feel free to put your feet on the table?”
Architect Ken Pursley says a large sliding door doesn’t just create an opening in a wall — when opened, it removes the wall. And, like Bourgeois, he appreciates the look: “There is a charm to it. It ‘de-suburbanizes’ the door.”
For all those reasons and more, interest in sliding doors is growing.
You’ll find sliding doors at Lowe’s, Home Depot, Ikea and the Sliding Door Co., which has a showroom in Fort Lauderdale.
What are the basics?
For interiors, architects and designers typically use custom sliding doors built by local craftsmen or, perhaps, vintage doors.
Familiar door makers such as Marvin and Jeld-Wen make quality exterior sliding doors, Pursley said. They’re a good choice, because the barn door style can be hard to seal tightly.
Whatever the style, a sliding door needs to operate smoothly. It’s going to invite attention — and tempt people to give it a try. “It’s very important, if you’re going to use one of these doors, that you use good hardware,” Bourgeois said.
Stanley makes sliding door hardware that’s widely available. At the upper end, the German company Hafele makes sliding door hardware that’s both sculptural and sophisticated. Bourgeois and Pursley prefer hardware from Crown Industrial, a California company.
Beverly Morgan, Crown’s sales manager, said residential sales have been growing the past few years.
The familiar barn door look is especially popular. In that system, the door is hung by rollers from an exposed bar across the top of the door. The exposed hardware — like the hardware on Bourgeois’ award-winning doors — is an important part of the look.
There might be a visible track at the bottom of a sliding door, or there might be a pin on the floor that fits into a slot on the bottom of the door. It’s important to keep heavy sliding doors from swinging and banging to the wall or door frame.
Black hardware for a 3-foot-wide door would be $312; in stainless steel, the cost would be $776.
Sliding doors can define spaces in an open, urban setting and create separations. Need another bedroom? Visit The Sliding Door Co. online (www.slidingdoorco.com). Customers in New York are latching onto its designs.
“They were using our product to create a nook or bedroom without all those permits and the construction dust,” said Ron Jacobs, president of the East Coast division.
These sliding doors don’t hang; they roll in shallow tracks. There’s a special “slow shut system” that slows the door before it bangs into the frame. They can be installed with a screwdriver and glue gun. Cost depends on style and size, but a door 48 inches wide and 80 inches tall would be about $800.
Lowe’s offers doors suitable for closets. They feature composite frames and tempered frosted glass. These hang, and the doors include matching fascia.
Prices start at about $300. A 72-inch-wide set with five glass panes is listed online for $399.
Here are design tips:
• Use sliding doors to open up a space or create enclosures. They also can make a powerful design statement, setting a tone that is formal or casual. But if a door is a centerpiece, it needs to be one of a kind.
• Pocket doors can hide beautiful wood or other materials inside the walls. Sliding doors put architectural details on display.
• One of the most popular uses for sliding doors is as replacements for sagging bifold doors or dated wood sliding doors on closets.
Tokyo, Japan, May 09, 2013 –(PR.com)– The garden design team Keizo Hayano of Niwashyu in Shibuya and Jenny Feuerpeil from Dendron Exterior Design in Berlin and San Francisco co-author e-books on their website “Real Japanese Gardens”. In early may they released the last installment of their series about Japanese stone lanterns as an important design element in the Japanese Garden.
These books are an important addition to the current Japanese garden literature. They include more than 50 quality pictures of over 15 different types of garden lanterns. Focusing on a single element of the Japanese garden culture, the authors research the topic in depth using English as well as Japanese garden literature. Following the garden paths of the three remaining Imperial Gardens in Kyoto, they inform in their garden e-books about the history and meaning of the ishidoro – the Japanese term for stone lantern.
Keizo Hayano, designer of modern Japanese gardens says: “Nowadays, in the age of electricity, we look at garden illumination differently than people over thousand years ago. Stone lanterns have been an integral element of Japanese gardens since the Asuka period (538-710), when the first lanterns arrived from China and Korea. Since then they have evolved from being a mere illumination to a common sight in Japanese shrines and temples with spiritual meaning. But they were also used for entertaining guests in the garden. During the Heian period (794-1185), when nighttime boating parties in pond gardens were en vogue, they must have also served as decorative garden item as well as lighting.”
His counterpart, young female garden designer Jenny Feuerpeil adds: “For me, taking pictures of the Japanese tea gardens within the grounds of the palace gardens was a most interesting learning experience. Tea masters in Kyoto of the Muromachi period (1337-1573) incorporated them in their garden designs to lighten the way for the guests of a tea ceremony. First, they bought recycled stone lanterns from Japanese temples and shrines, later stone masons copied popular models for the use in the garden. Since tea gardens are usually small in size, every garden designer can learn a lot from the old Japanese garden masters about designing small gardens.”
About the team:
Providing reliable information to the readers of “Real Japanese Gardens” is the design team’s highest priority. Before writing an e-book, they visit the garden in person and take photos of the garden and its features. Up to 80% of the research is done using Japanese resources (books, journals and interviews) to stay as close to the Japanese garden tradition as possible.
Keizo Hayano is a Japanese garden designer with 20 years of experience under his belt. He is the owner and head designer of the garden design studio Niwashyu in Shibuya, Tokyo (www.niwashyu.jp). He studied the fine arts at the Kyoto City College of Arts and loves small intimate gardens that soothe the soul. Member of the Japanese Association of Garden Designers.
Jenny is a German garden designer who came to Japan hoping to soak up the essence of Japanese design. After leaving her job at a global IT company, she studied garden design in Chelsea, London and founded the garden design label Dendron Exterior Design (www.dendronexteriordesign.com).
In 2010, she decided to go to Japan to learn the Japanese garden tradition first hand as an apprentice in a garden maintenance company near Tokyo. She loves the rough texture of natural materials, the boldness of stone arrangements and dry landscape gardens.
The international design team agrees: “We love Japanese Gardens. And we want the world to know more about Real Japanese gardens.”
Contact Information:
Real Japanese Gardens
Jenny Feuerpeil
+1-415-513-6106
Contact via Email
www.japanesegardens.jp
Read the full story here: http://www.pr.com/press-release/490250
Press Release Distributed by PR.com
Looking for a fresh way to liven up your garden walls? Think plants, not paintings.
Living pictures — cuttings of assorted succulents woven together in everything from picture frames to pallet boxes — have caught on among garden designers and landscapers this spring as an easy, modern way to add color and texture to an outdoor space.
“Living pictures composed of succulents have a gorgeous sculptural quality that work surprisingly well in a number of different aesthetics — contemporary, bohemian, Southwestern and more,” says Irene Edwards, executive editor of Lonny home design magazine. “They’re great for urban dwellers with limited space.”
Living pictures are also nearly maintenance-free (i.e. hard to kill). So even beginners or those with the blackest of thumbs can look like the master gardener of the neighborhood.
Here’s how you can create your own living succulent picture:
PICK YOUR STYLE
There are a few ways you can go.
For a larger living picture, you can use a wooden pallet, framing out the back like a shadow box. Large, do-it-yourself living wall panels are also for sale online through garden shops like San Francisco’s Flora Grubb Gardens and DIG Gardens based in Santa Cruz, Calif.
But going big right away can be daunting, and bigger also means heavier, so many newbies like California gardening blogger Sarah Cornwall stick with smaller picture or poster frames.
Go vintage with an antique frame or finish, or build your own out of local barn wood. Chunky, streamlined frames like the ones Cornwall bought from Ikea give a more modern feel.
You’ll also need a shadow box cut to fit the back of the frame, and wire mesh or “chicken wire” to fit over the front if you’re going to make your own.
First, nail or screw the shadow box to the back of the frame. A depth of 2 to 3 inches is ideal. Set the wire mesh inside the frame and secure it with a staple gun, then nail a plywood backing to the back of the shadow box.
TAKE CUTTINGS
Almost any succulent can be used for living pictures, though it’s usually best to stick with varieties that stay small, like echeverias and sempervivums, says DIG Gardens co-owner Cara Meyers.
“It’s fun to use varieties of aeoniums and sedums for their fun colors and textures, but they may need a little more maintenance, as they may start to grow out of the picture more,” she says.
Cut off small buds of the succulents for cuttings, leaving a stem of at least 1/4-inch long.
No succulents to snip? You can always buy some at a nursery or trade with other gardeners in your neighborhood.
“They grow so easily, don’t feel embarrassed knocking on a door to ask for a few cuttings,” Cornwall says.
Make sure any old bottom leaves are removed, then leave the cuttings on a tray in a cool, shaded area for a few days to form a “scab” on the ends before planting.
ADD SOIL
Set the frame mesh-side up on a table and fill with soil, using your hands to push it through the wire mesh openings.
Be sure to use cactus soil, which is coarser than potting soil for better drainage.
Some vertical gardeners place a layer of sphagnum moss under and over the soil to hold moisture in when watering.
FILL IN WITH PLANTS
Now comes the fun and creative part.
Lay out the succulent cuttings in the design you want on a flat surface, and poke them into the wire mesh holes in your frame.
You can start either in one corner or by placing the “focal point” cuttings in first and filling in around them. Waves or rivers of color are popular living-picture designs, although Cape Cod-based landscaper Jason Lambton has gone bolder with spirals of green and purple.
“We painted the pallet different color stripes to go with the color theme of the back of the house,” says Lambton, host of HGTV’s “Going Yard.” ”It looked like a cool piece of living, reclaimed art.”
Using just one type of succulent is also a simple yet elegant option, says Kirk Aoyagi, co-founder and vice president of FormLA Landscaping.
“Collages with some draping and some upright plants can create a more dramatic look and feel,” he says.
CARE AND MAINTENANCE TIPS
Keep the living picture flat and out of direct sunlight for one to two weeks to allow roots to form along the stems, then begin watering.
“If you hang it up right away or it rains a lot, that dirt will just pour right out. … I made that mistake once,” Lambton says.
Mount your living art once the succulents are securely rooted, which can take four to eight weeks depending on climate.
After that, water every seven to 10 days by removing from the wall and laying it flat. Be sure to let the water drain before hanging your living picture back up, to avoid rotting.
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Today’s News
May 12, 2013
EXPO 1: New York imagines a contemporary art museum dedicated to ecological concerns
Cuban collective Los Carpinteros exhibit in all three of Sean Kelly Gallery’s exhibition spaces
“Drew Heitzler: Comic Books, Inverted Stamps, Paranoid Literature” opens at Marlborough Chelsea
Christie’s announces highlights from its Important Chinese Ceramics Works of Art Spring 2013 Sales
Colgate University gives Indigenous artwork collection to Curtin University in Western Australia
Art Basel announces Parcours: An array of site-specific artworks installed across neighborhood in Basel
Family album of last tsar, many were taken by Nicholas II himself, surfaces in Russian provincial museum
Detroit Institute of Arts sculpture The Lost Pleiad being cleaned in gallery for visitors to observe
The animal kingdom shines in Christie’s Important Silver Sale in New York
Exhibition of Rory McEwen’s remarkable paintings of plants opens at Kew Gardens
Museum of the African Diaspora announces change in executive leadership
Babe Ruth’s 1935 ‘last’ Yankees jersey brings $286,500 to lead Heritage Auctions’ $6.2+ million event
Medieval crown jewels on display at Prague castle marking 20th anniversary of Czech independence
World records tumble at Bonhams £750,000 Poetry Sale
A wide spectrum of timepieces and exquisite antique form watched to be offered at Christie’s Hong Kong
Design Museum Pop-Up Garden opens
“Cut, Rolled Burnt: Manipulated Works of Paper” opens at Elisa Contemporary Art
Audemars Piguet’s watch, made in honour of the world’s best footballer bought by a U.S. collector
Carolee Schneemann’s fourth exhibition at P.P.O.W opens in New York
The Infinite City, by Paolo Ventura on view at Hasted Kraeutler
Marketing Week’s stable of bloggers offers comment, insight and observations on a variety of topics from the fast-moving world of marketing. But we also want your opinion so please join in.
Today, we raise a glass to honor Margie Ruddick, noted landscape designer (though “artist” would be more apt to the genius work she does) and HuffPost Home blogger. She won the prestigious Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award for Landscape Design, highlighting a 25-year award-filled career. We’ve long been fans of Ruddick’s work, for the way she thoughtfully considers the local ecology of a site and the spirit of the community around it as she designs simply gorgeous outdoor spaces. Queens Plaza Dutch Hills Green, the Shillim Institute and Retreat and the Battery Park City Recreation Park are just a few stunning examples of her public works.
Ruddick is just one of those people who makes the world a lovelier place. Here’s what she had to say about her win:
HuffPost Home: How will you celebrate your win?
Ruddick: My favorite new pastimes — buying and planting flowers and vegetables, riding my bike — and, of course, being with my children.
HufPost Home: What words of wisdom do you have for the next generation of landscape designers?
Ruddick: If you ever feel yourself losing the passion that propelled you into this field, take a walk in the woods, but also take a walk through a gallery or museum or installation. This younger generation is so onto the plight of the planet that they may sometimes forget that our work is art, as well as ecology.
HuffPost Home: What project do you want to be most remembered for?
Ruddick: Chuang Tzu wrote that “the wise man leaves no trace,” and I think that’s true of landscape designers whether they like it or not. Most of our landscapes are gone within a generation. So, hopefully of more permanence, will be my forthcoming book “Wild by Design” which I hope will inspire designers and help people who are not landscape designers understand why what we do is so important, even if, as landscape designers, we are a little invisible.
Here’s a glimpse of one of Ruddick’s masterpieces, Casa Cabo. All photos: Scott Frances.
To see more gorgeous outdoor spaces, check out our slideshow of the best botanical gardens across the country.
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