Homegrown Cookbook Author and Award Winning Garden Designer 
Leeann Lavin to Speak about Kitchen Garden Design, April 17

ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS, NJ – Atlantic Highlands resident and award-winning garden designer Leeann Lavin is passionate about food and about gardening, so it’s no surprise that she has her own kitchen garden.

On Wednesday, April 17 at 7:30 pm, she will share her insights on kitchen gardening at the shore, and on cooking with locally grown herbs, fruits and vegetables.

Leeann’s talk opens the Atlantic Highlands Historical Society’s 2013 Speaker Series. This year’s talks will be at the Strauss Mansion, 27 Prospect Circle in Atlantic Highlands. All talks are free and open to the public, and refreshments are served.

Leeann is the author of “The Hamptons and Long Island Homegrown Cookbook,” a beautifully illustrated collection of recipes and stories from popular chefs who create seasonal, market-driven menus inspired by locally farmed, fished and artisanally-crafted ingredients. She is also the author of two gardening blogs. “Master Chefs and their Gardens” is the story of the making of her cookbook, and offers regular reviews and commentary on art and food events, cookbook reviews, greenmarkets and growers and more. “Garden Glamour” talks about gardening best practices, gardens and garden stories, sustainability, book reviews, home improvement and DIY, and horticulture or garden events.

Leeann writes a food and drink column for Examiner.com, has worked in restaurants and catering, and cooks with passion, creating recipes using locally grown ingredients. With experience at both the New York Botanical Garden and Brooklyn Botanical Garden, she is now a garden specialist and principal of Duchess Designs LLC, where she designs artful, sustainable gardens that tell stories and are beguiling in every season.

Leeann Lavin will sign copies of “The Hamptons and Long Island Homegrown Cookbook” following her talk on April 17. She will donate a portion of the proceeds from the sale of cookbooks to with the Atlantic Highlands Historical Society.

The Atlantic Highlands Historical Society is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization created to preserve and share the history of Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey. The Historical Society is working to preserve and restore the Strauss Mansion, the only Queen Ann style mansion open to the public in Monmouth County.

The dream that is Lyndale Gardens is now becoming a reality.

The Richfield City Council approved the final site plans and the rezoning of the property Tuesday night, giving site developer The Cornerstone Group the go ahead to make plans for the groundbreaking.

Named after the former Lyndale Garden Center, Lyndale Gardens is slotted to become Richfield’s new downtown center. The design plans feature retail and restaurant space, apartment and townhome rental housing, splash pad, community oven, community garden, walking trails, market pavillion and a performance stage—too name a few amentities.

As previously reported by Patch, Lakewinds Natural Foods is the first and only tenant to sign on to Lyndale Gardens so far. As part of the agreement, Lakewinds puchased the former Lyndale Gardens Center building and plans to build a completely new store on the south side of the site. After the deal was finalized, The Cornerstone Group moved ahead with the design plans for the north half, which were approved Tuesday.

Lakewinds General Manager Dale Woodbeck assured council members plans were coming together quickly on Tuesday night. He said he expected to be before the council soon, as construction was planned for this summer.

While separate design plan approvals are needed, Lakewinds and The Cornerstone Group are still working together on developing the site. The rezoning ordinance approved Tuesday night covered the entire site.

Colleen Carey, president of The Cornerstone Group, did not indicate an exact start date for construction.

Richfield Patch will continue to follow this project.

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Photo Courtesy Of Laxmi Natarajan

Find inspiration for garden design from a number of sources, including a color, a favorite flower or a photograph.

Some of the most fabulous garden design inspirations present themselves at the oddest moments and from unintended sources.

Many things can spark your inspiration: an object you come across, a favorite flower, a colorful frame, a scene that appeals to your sensibilities while strolling through town, travel memories or a photograph that catches your attention while flipping through a magazine.

The challenge for many is to translate that inspiration into something tangible and practical that can be incorporated in the garden.

Sources that I rely on for design inspiration are museums, art galleries, bookstores, fabric stores, magazines, art shops, nurseries, farmers’ markets, nature with all its different possibilities, and flower and garden shows – the list is endless.

Following are a few easy design steps to turn that inspiration into garden solutions.

• Find a visual inspiration. A photograph, picture, swatch of fabric – any object that captures your imagination – is very helpful.

• Ponder the emotional feel of the inspiration. Take a look at your inspiration. Say it is a picture of a room that really appeals to you – think about the mood and your emotional connection to that picture. Is it peaceful? Happy? Modern? Quaint? Rustic? Choosing a mood or emotion to build the design around will refine your design choices.

• Examine the physicality of the inspiration. Note the physical aspects of the inspiration, including the dimensions, colors, lighting and texture, furniture and architecture. Identify elements that catch your attention and list the many details you spot in the picture to see how the elements work together to creating the scene.

• Define the scope. In terms of functionality, space, budget and time, defining your scope is important. Take time to list your requirements for the garden, breaking the project down to palatable sizes.

• Review practical considerations. Once you have developed a plan, it’s time to map out your space. For example, if you have a 10-foot-by-10-foot area for a reading or relaxation nook, you could create an arbor with a swing with blue bench seats covers and throw cushions that feature an eye-catching pattern. The flowers and beaches you loved on your Hawaii trip could turn into cushions with bold prints and a tiki bar with an umbrella to re-create that memory in your garden this spring. A serene Buddha would invite a Zen feeling.

• Create from inspiration. Figuring out the do-it-yourself spring projects versus those that require professional help for design, construction, irrigation and planting is critical to ensuring success. Consider hiring a garden coach/professional designer/consultant to offer advice that could take your inspiration to the next level, but most of all follow your heart and instinct. Spring is the time to let imagination fly free.

Laxmi Natarajan is a garden and flora designer at Bagicha Garden and Flora Design and a member of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers. For more information, call 703-9756 or visit www.bagicha.com.

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Free Seed, Sow Grow program hosted by Boston Natural Areas Network

BOSTON, MA, March 25, 2013 – Urban green spaces present some unique challenges, such as space constraints, accessible resources, and concerns about soil.  However urban gardening in Boston neighborhoods continues to thrive.

In its ongoing role as a resource to Boston’s 15,000 community gardeners and as part of its Seed, Sow Grow series, Boston Natural Areas Network is offering two special free programs, on Saturday, April 6 at the BNAN office.  The morning session will focus on Urban Garden Design. The program will show you the building blocks of ecological urban garden design.  Participants will leave with a basic understanding of plant selection and how to plan a front, back yard or deck garden.

The afternoon session will focus on Planning your Vegetable Garden. The participants will create planting schedules and learn about companion planting and spacing. When the program is over we hope you will be able to create a vegetable garden plan that fits your space and tastes!

Both workshops will be held at BNAN’s office, 62 Summer Street in Boston (near Downtown Crossing and reachable by public transportation).  The morning Urban Garden Design session will run from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and the afternoon Planning your Vegetable Garden program will run from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Space is limited so registration is required for one or both programs. To register, please call 617-542-7696 or email toinfor@bostonnatural.org. Participants registering for both workshops are invited to bring a bag lunch.

The Seed, Sow Grow horticultural series is free and open to the public and presented February through October by BNAN staff, volunteers, local horticultural professionals and knowledgeable graduates of BNAN’s Master Urban Gardener Program.  For a schedule of Seed, Sow Grow workshops, call BNAN at 617-542-7696 or visit www.bostonnatural.org.

Boston Natural Areas Network is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing together local residents, partner organizations, public officials and foundations to preserve, expand and enhance urban open space, including community gardens, greenways and urban wilds.  For further information about the organization, becoming a member or the calendar of events, visit www.bostonnatural.org, or call 617-542-7696.

This monthly feature focuses on local interior designers and their ideas for choosing color schemes, furniture, art and an overall design style or scheme. Today we focus on Jan Kepler, who has specialized in kitchen and bath design for more than 10 years in San Luis Obispo County. She provides interior design services and custom cabinetry for both remodels and new homes. She recently moved her business to a larger 800-square-foot space adjoining Pacific Coast Kitchen Bath in San Luis Obispo.

Jan Kepler realizes it is easy to go overboard with design fads and trends.

“I try to guide my clients toward more timeless design along with the latest technology to improve the functionality of their kitchens,” she said.

Kepler’s style tempers up-to-date design with a solid foundation of classic elements. Here are the kitchen trends she’s currently eyeing, along with the best ways to bring them home.

Rustic elegance

Rustic elegance is a design style Kepler sees a lot of in San Luis Obispo County.

“We have so many wineries and we are a rural area, so people tend to want to do things that fit in with the landscape,” she explained.

Rustic can easily veer toward shabby, however. Rustic elegance avoids this by bringing in refined details. It’s a controlled version of eclectic, pairing distinct contrasts like vintage with modern, or high tech with warm and tactile.

Rustic does not equal country, however.

“You’re not going to find red plaid tablecloths and ceramic roosters,” Kepler said.

Instead, rustic elements include salvaged materials, artisan-made pieces or warm, earthy materials.

She has used distressed, rustic cabinets and paired them with mid-century modern chairs. In another kitchen, Old World details such as copper accents and cherry cabinetry combine with contemporary elements such as a quartzite mosaic tile backsplash, concrete countertops and blown glass light fixtures. It’s a fun time to be in design,” said Kepler. “You can do things that are a little more edgy.”

Transitional style

Transitional style bridges two worlds of design, ideal for those who like the warmth and elegance of traditional décor along with clean contemporary lines and modern conveniences.

On a kitchen she designed with Anne Fortini in 2008, there were cleanlined traditional elements such as Shaker cabinetry, warm Calcatta gold marble countertops, and a white ceramic subway tile backsplash inset with a Delft tile mural from Holland.

Then there were more overtly contemporary elements. To contrast with the light-toned marble, they covered the prep island in raven-hued Caesarstone engineered quartz. They also used a contemporary stainless steel Zephyr Trapeze hood designed by Fu-Tung Cheng, as well as modern appliances by Zephyr and Sub-Zero.

The style allowed the homeowners to have a contemporary kitchen with hardworking, professionalgrade appliances without clashing with the style of the rest of the home, which has the look of an East Coast beach house.

Most importantly, both transitional and rustic elegant styles are timeless looks that won’t seem dated anytime soon, and can be adapted to fit the architecture and style of almost any home.

New neutrals

Before painting your entire kitchen that trendy shade of turquoise, consider that Kepler has always been a fan of neutrals.

“I tend to like neutrals because they have character, depth and dimension but don’t overpower a room,” she said. “What they bring to your home is an interesting, elegant and often subtle backdrop for beautiful views, striking art work, rich wood work, and colorful accessories.”

Gray is unquestionably the hottest neutral these days, and Kepler has been using it for years.

“It combines well with red, white or black. Warm grays look great with woods, even cherry. A cool gray is beautiful with whites, such as marble countertops that are so popular now,” she said.

Grays aren’t just for kitchen walls. Kepler uses gray stains on floors or cabinets. Some appliances now come in a gray finish, which is a toned-down alternative to stainless steel.

White is still a classic kitchen color and a clean canvas to layer with accent hues. Kepler advises to look at the undertone, such as yellow or gray, to see which type of white goes best with your cabinets and other materials.

Many people ask Kepler what her favorite wall color is. While she uses many, one of the most versatile in her repertoire is Benjamin Moore’s cedar key, a warm gray reminiscent of driftwood.

“It’s soft and pretty and doesn’t make a big statement, plus it works well with walnut, oak and maple,” she said.

Reach Rebecca Juretic at rajuretic@sbcglobal.net .

Subtropicals come out on top in dry summer, writes Meg Liptrot

When planning a water-savvy garden, think about choosing plants with adaptations for dry weather. You could virtually hear a sigh of relief from plants after the heavy rain last weekend. But although we had some sustained rainfall it wasn’t enough to improve the very dry soil beyond the first couple of centimetres.

The subtropicals in our garden are the surprising winners of his long dry spell. The bananas have remained lush, with only occasional watering right through the heat.

I just harvested the best bunch ever from our Musa “Hamoa” bananas. Even our 2-year-old Abysinnian (ornamental) banana looks healthy and vigorous and is at least 3m, filling a corner of the garden with its broad leaves.

Years ago at the Ellerslie Flower Show in Auckland, I bought a couple of Heliconia subdulata for their dramatic lobster-claw flowers. This tropical species has thick rhizomatous roots like ginger, where the plant stores its energy. This root-type helps a plant cope with drought.

The heliconias have flowered beautifully with very little attention, and have colonised themselves in clumps in our food forest, echoing the banana foliage in the sunny margins.

If you look at the adaptations plants have evolved you can see how certain species will cope with dry conditions much better than others. Some retain water in their stems and foliage. Succulents are the most obvious contenders, with their plump juicy innards acting like little water vessels in their natural desert habitat.

Banana plants contain plenty of moisture in their stems and trunks and have done well in the drought.

When planning a water-savvy garden, think about choosing plants with adaptations for dry weather. Many plants fall into this category, so inspiration and design aspirations should not be dampened.

Species with glaucous foliage (silver or grey colours) reflect light, reducing the surface temperature of the plant. Plants with fine fuzzy hairs on the leaves and stems (tomentose) reduce the speed of air flow near the surface of the leaf. This adaptation slows down water loss through tiny holes, called stomata, on the underside of the leaves, and helps keep the air more humid around the foliage.

An example of silvery glaucous foliage is Euphorbia glauca (sand spurge), a threatened species endemic to New Zealand. This plant, found in coastal areas, has soft silver foliage along the length of spreading red stems. This and native iris, Libertia peregrinans, also a vulnerable species, are natural companions. Both are usually available from garden centres or native plant specialists.

Pohutukawa is a perfect example of a tree evolved to cope in harsh conditions. They perch precariously on cliff edges, get buffeted by coastal heat, wind and salt air, yet flower happily year after year. The undersides of leaves, stems and buds are covered in downy tomentose layers that reduce moisture loss. The top surfaces have a hard waxy cuticle layer that guards the leaf from desiccation from salt, and retains moisture and leaf condition like well-buffed and waxed leather shoes.

The feijoa has similar layers. They are both members of the Myrtaceae family, which is easy to see in the flowers, with their clumped red stamens. We have three feijoa “Kakapo” as standards (long trunk, round top) at our place, which haven’t been watered but are quite happy.

They are underplanted with a hedge of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis which, without water, has flowered consistently right through summer. Both are mulched in winter.

If you are planning new plantings then get them in the ground in autumn, and water-in well, so they become settled before the onslaught of next summer.

Be prepared for the opposite conditions and a rainy summer next year and put dry-tolerant plants in a spot with good drainage, such as a gentle slope or free-draining soil. Don’t plant in an area that is typically wet in an average year. Some of these plants are likely to turn up their toes if they are stuck in waterlogged soil.

Next week: A cutting-edge public garden designed for extreme Australian conditions.

– Herald on Sunday

By Meg Liptrot

The Cornerstone Group is just a few votes away from getting most of its final city council approvals for the much anticipated Lyndale Gardens project.

Simply named after the former Lyndale Garden Center, Lyndale Gardens is slotted to become Richfield’s new downtown center. The design plans feature retail and restaurant space, apartment and townhome rental housing, splash pad, community oven, community garden, walking trails, market pavillion and a performance stage—too name a few amentities.

The Richfield City Council will consider a rezoning ordinance, as well as final development plan approval and conditional use permits Tuesday night.

However, there is a small twist.

As previously reported by Patch, Lakewinds Natural Foods is the first and only tenant to sign on to Lyndale Gardens so far. As part of the agreement, Lakewinds puchased the former Lyndale Gardens Center building and plans to build a completely new store. While still part of The Cornerstone Group’s project, Lakewinds and the developer will have to get separate design approvals. The rezoning ordinance, if approved Tuesday, would cover the entire property, according to the agenda.

An issue the council will likely bring up on Tuesday is the parking plans during special events. The Cornerstone Group, which took some flak for its design of Kensington Park early on, has prepared a parking study and worked out solutions such as valet and shared parking. *In addition, staff has reviewed the proposed parking plan and believe it to be satisfactory, according to the council agenda.

Richfield Patch will update readers following the council meeting.

Related articles:

• Developer Presents Latest Lyndale Gardens Design Renderings
• Lyndale Garden Center Developers Team Up With Farmers Market For Community Event
• Richfield Community Members Weigh in on Lyndale Garden Center Redevelopment Plans
• ‘City Loses $500K in Kensington Park Foreclosure’—Or Did It?
• Lyndale Garden Developers Team Up With Farmers Market For Community Event
• Developer Unveils Initial Lyndale Garden Design Plans
• Developer to Host Lyndale Gardens Open House Monday

Editor’s Note: More information on the parking proposal was added for additional clarity.

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FORT EDWARD — When members of the Village Baptist Church and others in the community started discussing a community garden, it was a simple idea, aimed at giving people a place to grow fresh fruits and vegetables and to supplement the Fort Edward Community Food Pantry.

The first dirt has yet to be turned, and the project is already becoming something larger than planned.

“This really fits in with what we are doing,” Ed Carpenter, a village trustee, said at a meeting of the Village Board earlier this month. “The planning is going well, and we are getting ready to move forward. The site is perfect for what we want to do in the village.”

Carpenter, one of seven members of the committee headed by the Rev. Dr. Sheldon Hurst, the church’s pastor, was referring to the village’s overall Renaissance Plan, which focuses on a series of specific zones within Fort Edward. It is designed to improve the community and bring more people downtown.

“We’re really glad Ed came on board, and we are certainly glad the village has seen the wisdom of how this fits into their plans,” said Hurst, who noted that more details on the garden will be available after a meeting Tuesday. Initially, the committee did not know where the community garden would be, but the village offered it on West Street, near a planned farmers’ market building that is part of the Renaissance Plan.

“The way it is set up, you wind up with a triangle, with the community garden at the municipal parking area, the farmers’ market and the waterfront park,” Hurst said. “This really seems sort of serendipitous. In the church we would call it a spirit movement. If it all comes together, it could really be a great chance for people to walk around downtown. I think it will contribute a lot to Fort Edward. This will all make Fort Edward Village a nice place to be.”

The project does indeed seem touched with a little luck. At Tuesday’s meeting, the garden’s design will be announced. It is being out together by Bert Weber of Warren County Cornell Cooperative Extension, who is also designing community gardens in other places, including Glens Falls. His role is being funded by a grant from the Glens Falls Hospital’s “Creating Healthy Places to Live, Work and Play” grant.

Hurst said the garden will be designed not only for growing, but as a community destination. “It will have some design to it. It will be a place to garden and a place to sit and watch other people garden.”

Hurst said he hopes people who live downtown will come grow their own fruits and vegetables. His church will tend a plot for the food pantry.

“This touches so many people’s lives,” he said, “We can connect with the earth, and we can connect with other people.”

Hurst said more specific information on the garden will be available after Tuesday’s committee meeting.

The Blue Steps at Naumkeag are being restored, left, as part of a $2.6 million make over of its historic gardens.

STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — The first phase of a $2.6-million five-phase restoration effort began last month on the gardens of the hillside estate of Naumkeag.

Visited by thousands of garden, landscape and history enthusiasts each year, the gardens are considered a masterpiece of 30 years of collaborative, creative work between former owner Mabel Choate and America’s first modern landscape architect, Fletcher Steele.

The restoration effort is being supported in part by an anonymous donor who has pledged to match up to $1 million in donations.

The initial work includes removal of damaged and overgrown trees, including along the Linden Allee, a pathway modeled after the wooded walks of Germany. Following the removal of the older trees, more than 250 trees of various shapes and sizes will be planted amongst the gardens, following Steele’s original tactic of overplanting to create a fuller, richer g gardenscape.

All of the trees and plants are being removed by Mayer Tree Service, processed on site and delivered to recycling facilities and timber mills in the area.

The 125-year-old Naumkeag — a National Historic Landmark owned by The Trustees of Reservations — is a 44-room estate designed by McKim, Mead White as the summer home of New York attorney Joseph Hodges Choate, an ambassador to the Court of St. James, and his wife, Caroline Sterling Choate, an artist and co-founder of Barnard College. Their daughter Mabel inherited the 46-acre estate in 1929.

A recent video created by the Library of American Landscape History (below) described Naumkeag’s gardens as “a playground for the imagination which boasts some of the most vibrant, original and luminous gardens on the North American continent.”

The gardens are about to undergo a renaissance under the preservation efforts being lead by Trustees’ Cultural Resources Program Director Cindy Brockway and Statewide Curator and West Region Cultural Resources Manager Mark Wilson, and supported by a team of staff, volunteers, artisans and consultants.

Over the last 10 years, several of Naumkeag’s signature garden areas, including the Peony Terrace, Chinese Temple and Evergreen Garden, have been restored. But additional aspects of the garden have suffered the effects of time as well as damage from the harsh New England weather. Original plantings have aged or disappeared, trees have become unhealthy and overgrown resulting in obstructed views and certain structural and design features have deteriorated. As a result, The Trustees are increasing the pace of their restoration efforts to bring all eight landscaped acres surrounding Naumkeag back to their former brilliance and original design over the next three years.

“Few properties in the country reflect the American transition to French Modernism better than Naumkeag,” said Brockway in a statement. “But after more than 50 years, the gardens need a refresh and a rejuvenation of the intricate details of scale, furnishings and plantings that made Naumkeag a work of fine art. By the end of the project, few landscapes in the country will have seen such a detailed restoration.”
 

Perhaps the most dramatic restoration to occur this spring will be that of Steele’s renowned Blue Steps, one of the most famous and photographed garden features in 20th-century American landscape design and a true expression of Steele’s belief that garden design should be considered one of the fine arts. The steps be repointed, repainted and re-grouted, and the iconic white birch trees that frame them will be replaced and supplemented with the planting of 40 additional trees.

Phase one is expected to be completed in time for a summer party to officially kick off the restoration project and celebrate the Blue Steps’ 75th anniversary.

Other structural, cultural and natural garden and landscape features located throughout Naumkeag will also be restored, replicated and reinvigorated through a total of 16 projects, most of which will include rebuilding, and in some cases reproducing, foundational elements such as fountains and waters systems, masonry, decorative arts and original plantings. The restorations are being based on the original plans, historic photos and other documents.

“Like our recent landscape restoration of the Grand Allée at Castle Hill, we take our responsibility as caretakers of these magnificent National Historic Landmarks very seriously,” said Trustees President Barbara Erickson. “The iconic gardens at Naumkeag are one of only a few Fletcher Steele-designed gardens viewable to the public and we want people to be able to experience them in their full and original brilliance.”

“I’ve been fascinated for some time about the link between England and
Japan, as being two island nations and the way that, on the face of it, they
have two very different approaches to the way that they make things,”
he explained.