Concave Space

Now THIS is a gardener’s garden.  And what a perfect concave space to view the garden from!   It is our nature to want to sit in a protected and enclosed space with our backs against a wall looking out - able to survey all that is before us.  It is especially appealing when this concave space is elevated.

Secret Gardens of Sydney

Apart from the concave vantage point, this garden space is so harmonious and full of energy.  The plantings are vertical and stretching in nature.   I can just imagine the sounds of the foliage rustling in the breeze!

2013 Top Outdoor Living Design Trends

 

Increasingly, American homeowners want more enjoyment and livability from their outdoor spaces.  It is about time.

 

Source

 

According to a recent survey of its members, the American Society of Landscape Architects (“ASLA”) has identified home owners’ top outdoor living design trends for 2013.  At the top of the list are outdoor rooms for entertaining and recreational activities.  No surprise here – we have seen this trend over the past decade.

 

 

Homeowners want outdoor kitchens …

 

Secret Gardens of Sydney

and entertainment areas.

 

Secret Gardens of Sydney

 

Firepits and fireplaces have also grown in popularity among homeowners,  followed by grilling spaces and seating/dining areas.

 

Lauren Leonard Interiors

 

 

Source

 

Homeowners still want all kinds of water features including fountains, waterfalls, ornamental pools, splash pools, swimming pools and spas.  No surprise there, either.

 

 

And although patios, decking and fencing have been popular for many years, it appears they are still very much in demand by homeowners.

 

Secret Gardens of Sydney

 

Finally, sustainable and low-maintenance gardening is on the rise and becoming more popular every day. 

 

Source

 

American homeowners are finally demanding reduced or no-mow lawns.

 

Rob Steiner Gardens

 

Grow your own vegetable gardens are the trend.

 

 

And the demand for drought-tolerant and native plants is at an all time high.   With the costs of water increasingly rising, homeowners want water-wise drip irrigation and permeable paving. 

 

 

 

Cisterns and other rain-water collection systems are now in vogue. 

 

Kersting Architecture

 

Perhaps, we are finally moving in the right direction!

 

Source

Garden Love

 

Clive Nichols Garden Photography

I love this!  An antique bird bath surrounded by a small square meadow of daisies with a mown grass perimeter.  Brilliant!

Guerilla Gardening: Are you in?

May 1, 2013

is

 International Sunflower Guerilla Gardening Day.

To join up, just visit the Facebook page.

Source

Throughout the world, on this day Guerilla Gardeners will step forth in their communities and plant Sunflower seeds “in the hope that they will bring beauty and health to our neighborhoods.”  What is this day all about you ask? It’s a day to actively take back our urban and neighborhood streets and beautify them with living plants and flowers. It is about becoming a garden activist and taking action against the urban blight surrounding us.



The Guerilla Gardening movement’s mission is to make our public spaces greener and more beautiful.   Started by Richard Reynolds in London in 2004, it quickly spread throughout England, Europe and the World.  Now, it has grown into an international horticultural movement to beautify and green up our public spaces.



Guerilla gardening is the term used to describe the unauthorized cultivation of plants or crops on vacant public or private land.  It can take place privately or publicly in an effort to engage the community into improving its streets.
Some Guerilla gardeners make seed bombs.



And spread them throughout their urban streetscapes, wherever beautification or greenery is needed … or not.



Won’t you join the movement?  This is something we can all benefit from!  Just stop by Here, sign up and create an event in your own community!  Then go out and identify an empty patch of dirt, traffic island or planter in your community.  Cultivate it, plant it and nurture it for the benefit of all!

To purchase wildflower seeds for your area, click on the pic.

       

It is time to reclaim our sterile streetscape!

Happy Valentine’s Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope yours was all you hoped for!

Laissez les bons temps rouler! The Colors of Mardi Gras

 

It’s Mardi Gras!  Carnival season!  And Fat Tuesday is just around the corner.  Ever wonder where those fabulous colors of Mardi Gras came from? 

 

 

In 1872, the three colors of Mardi Gras were chosen by Rex, the King of Mardi Gras in honor of the visiting Grand Duke Alexis Alexandrovich Romanoff, who suggested the colors.  And where do you suppose he found these color combinations?

 

 

Purple Represents Justice.

 

 

Green Represents Faith.

 

Gold Represents Power.

 

 

The colors are found throughout nature. 

 

Johnny Jump Ups Viola tricolor

German Iris Iris germanica

 

Crocus Crocus sativus

 

On the Color Wheel, purple and yellow are opposite colors making them the perfect complimentary color combination providing the best contrast.  This effect makes them jump out at you.  While yellow is a primary color, purple and green are both secondary colors (a blend of two primary colors). 

 

 

For more information on New Orleans’ Mardi Gras, go HERE.  For more information on color in the garden, go HERE.  And to all of you who embrace the season, Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Flower of the Day

 

If you are into daylilys, you will appreciate this …

‘Creature of the Night’ Daylily

Flower color is  purple, white/near White with a yellow throat.  Height is 24 to 36-inches.  These little beauties grow in zones 3a to 9b in full sun to part shade.  I love the dark purple color!  I think I’ll get some for my summer garden.  How about you?