A PLUMMET-MEASURED FACE: Garden Statuary

I always recommend adding a statue or some kind of sculpted object in a garden, for the following reasons:

BALANCE:  A well designed garden contains balance of all its elements.  Visual weight, textural contrast, layout.  And too, the balance of hard and soft, natural and manufactured.

An elegant bit of sculpture gracefully introduces the manufactured element.  It also gives the eye a place to rest amongst the multiple textures and colors of the plants. 

   

DEPTH:  Hedges and large shrubs stand their ground staunchly.  The eye quickly dismisses them as a solid mass, a mere divider of a flat plane.  But imagine, as you walk past the tall hedge, a gleam of white marble, and suddenly the block becomes a shell, and space curves.

     

SURPRISE:  My childhood memories of gardens feel magical, because they are about surprise.  A small tortoise under a bush laying eggs.  An unexpected red bridge in a Chinese garden.  As adults in a stern world, we need surprises, like a dragon in the apple orchard, to remember how the delights of magic. 

 

CONNECTION:  By housing a man made object, the garden is integrated into the overall home both symbolically and stylistically. It becomes another room in which to express your taste.

   

FOCUS :  Similarly, our interior rooms have focus:  A fireplace or television, a dining table, the kitchen counter, the bed.  Garden rooms benefit from having similar focal points.

     

Fountain and garden design by Modular Garden UK 

PURPOSE:  Water features attract birds and provide soothing sound to block unwanted noise.  Carved stone benches provide resting spots.  Wrought iron arches guide you through the garden.  Dramatic pots hold plants in spots where they might otherwise not grow.    

 Photo credit to 'Ollie Girl' (Donna) at Flickr

Last, and most important:

BEAUTY:  This needs no explanation.

  

   

 

Photo credit to Kelly O on Flickr

     

 

GORGEOUS EUONYMUS

I REALLY SCORED yesterday at the garden center.   This is a one gallon size, believe it or not!   A Monrovia plant like this, for only $11.00   Yoohooo!

Isn't it gorgeous?  Its a Gold Spot Euonymus (Euonymus japonicus 'Aureovariegatus')

I like to keep shrubs in pots like this, but this would also be a fantastic hedge. 

IT ABSOLUTELY GLOWS IN THE SUN!

SIX TIPS TO MAKE YOUR GARDEN GORGEOUS OVERNIGHT

TRANSFORMATIONS ARE MY FAVORITE THING.


Faces, rooms, gardens... whatever!  I am totally fascinated by "before and after."




Most of the gardens that I work with are small and challenged by poor soil, flat rectangular layouts, and too much concrete.  Hey, its southern California, after all, and land ain't cheap!  So my greatest challenge is to transform that boring rectangle into a beautiful, useable, interesting garden.




I have the great fortune to be making a living from working with gardens.  It gives me joy to hear my clients say "I'm excited!" after we meet to talk about re-designing their outdoor space. Most clients want a fast transformation.  I've got six tricks that really seem to work really well in going overnight from "boooring" to "wow, i love it!"  and don't have to cost a lot of money.

• FEWER and BIGGER:    Pick out three basic shrubs or perennials as the bones for your garden,  get the biggest specimens you can afford, and repeat them throughout the garden.
• DEEPEN and RAISE THE PLANTING BEDS:    Expand the depth of the planting beds to accomodate a minimum of two tiers of plants. Unless you want a formal garden, shape the beds into long swooping curves (no wiggles, please!)  And if the garden is flat, raising the beds will make it a lot more interesting (plus you can bring in great soil.)

  

• ADD A FOCAL POINT:  This could be anything from a birdbath, to a garden sculpture, to a seating area.  Plan the rest of the garden around it.

   

• USE CONTRASTING FOLIAGE:  Use the foundation shrubs to create color and shape contrast.  Combine a burgundy flax with a rounded lime green 'Wheelers Dwarf' pittosporum, for example, or a lacy chartreuse Mother Fern with the massive dark leaves of an Acanthus.

• ADD A SPECIMEN TREE:  Even small trees, such as a Crape Myrtle or Japanese Maple, will make a garden seem grander.  And if you have even twelve square feet to spare, you can create a cluster of fruit trees, pruning them every winter to keep them from overgrowing the space.

• MULCH!  Adding a layer of fresh mulch, whether it is shredded bark or stone or compost, will immediately make the garden look better.  Plus, its crucial for reducing weeds and retaining water.  Use the same mulch throughout the garden to tie it all together visually.

BACKYARD WILDLIFE HABITAT PROGRAM

I'm thinking I'd better get with some plant talk soon.... or I won't rightly be able to call this a garden blog!  But before I do, I've just got to put in a plug for the National WIldlife Federation's "Backyard Wildlife Habitat" program.

Your backyard can be certified as a "Wildlife Habitat."  All you need to do is provide elements from each of the following areas:

• Food Sources. For example: Native plants, seeds, fruits, nuts, berries, nectar



• Water Sources. For example: Birdbath, pond, water garden, stream



• Places for Cover. For example: Thicket, rockpile, birdhouse



• Places to Raise Young. For example: Dense shrubs, vegetation, nesting box, pond



• Sustainable Gardening. For example: Mulch, compost, rain garden, chemical-free fertilizer

When you certify with your application fee of $15, you’ll receive:

• A personalized certificate that recognizes your NWF Certified Wildlife Habitat™.



• A free NWF membership which includes a full year’s subscription to the award-winning National Wildlife® magazine.



• A free subscription to the quarterly e-newsletter, Habitats, full of tips and information on gardening and attracting wildlife year after year.




• Your name listed in NWF’s National registry of certified habitats.

Plus, a really cool sign for your garden!

This could be a great gift for a gardener who loves birds and other wildlife, and whose hard work at keeping their garden safe and healthy for critters deserves recognition.

Plus, another cool thing is that the local kids will stop and look at the sign, and get their awareness raised.

Here is the link to the program:

http://www.nwf.org/backyard/certify.cfm

Now, I'm off to refill the niger seed feeder, to keep the goldfinches around now that the thistle and other flowers are less abundant...