GARDEN DESIGN RECIPE OF THE WEEK: ALL SEASON COLOR BORDER

Shrubs, to me, are like See's candy boxes to a chocaholic.

The reason, in three words:  Lushness, variation, dependability.

Using shrubs with varied colors and shapes of foliage, and with different flowering seasons, gives a mature, full garden border all year long.  Leaving one foot gaps between the shrubs lets you add seasonal annuals, garden ornaments, or even decorative stones or gourds, to change the look around without a lot of cost or work.

     

INGREDIENTS (per 25 feet x 5 feet bed)

3  Pittosporum tenufolium 'Marjorie Channon' or 'Oliver Twist'

 

3  Rhaphiolepis indica 'Clara'

   

2 Phormium 'Bronze Baby' or 'Sundowner'

3  Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold' 

2  Salvia leucantha 'Santa Barbara'

5 quarts of Lemon Thyme or Sedum confusum

9 Allium 'Globemaster' bulbs (or other large variety of Allium)

 

6 cubic feet of planting compost (four 1.5 cf bags)

7.5 cubic feet of shredded or micro bark (five 1.5 cf bags)

1   eight pound bag of GroPower Plus

DIRECTIONS

Add planting compost and Grow Power to existing soil.

Dig, stir, dig, stir, dig, stir, dig stir.

Dig planting holes the same depth as the plant pot and three times as wide. 

Gently loosen root ball of plants and set in hole as per diagram below.  Back fill and tamp down gently.

Create slight watering dam around plants.  Water in well. For extra fluffy plants, add some Plant Starter (humic acid) to water.

Add layer of bark mulch around plants, avoiding direct contact with plant stems.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GARDEN DESIGN RECIPE OF THE WEEK: CHRISTMAS TREE FOR BIRDS

Happy Holidays!  I don't celebrate any religious holiday, but I do love the festivities and sparkle of this season.  This year I decided to splurge on a real tree, but hate to waste my artificial tree... so, I'm going to use it to decorate the front yard.  But instead of using artificial decorations on it, I'm going to turn it into a Christmas tree for the birds!  (Squirrels and field mice will also enjoy this.)

INGREDIENTS 

1 Artificial Christmas tree in stand (you can also use a real cut or living tree)

Any combination of the following:

20 sprays of millet (available wherever pet bird food is sold)

Several clusters of hard berrries:  Holly, currant, viburnum, etc.

10 small apples (Lady apples are perfect)

1 package of dried figs (make sure they don't contain sulfites)

1 cluster of red grapes

1 bag of rice cakes

1 bag of unsalted unshelled peanuts

1 large box of raisins

 

3 bags of raw cranberries

Several pine cones

Wild bird suet cakes

Mesh socks filled with niger seed

 

Dried ears of corn

1 bundle of green and/or red raffia

1 large package of soft moss (available at craft stores)

Pre-made bird food decorations (available online or at Wild Bird stores)

Optional for California and Arizona:  2 small tube style hummingbird feeders with clear nectar

DIRECTIONS

String the cranberries, raisins, peanuts and dried fruit into garlands or bundles with natural cotton twine.

Tie berries and millet sprays into bundles with raffia.

Poke hole through apples and rice cakes and string with cotton twine leaving hanger loop.

Stick clumps of moss among the branches.

Stuff pine cones with suet and place among branches.

LIGHTING:  For lighting, its ok to use outdoor tree lights if they are not plugged in during the day.  A safe alternative would be to use a low voltage spotlight to shine on the tree at night.

Replace materials as consumed!

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!

100 SQUARE FOOT ITALIAN VILLA GARDEN

INGREDIENTS


SPLASHING FOUNTAIN.


BOXWOOD TOPIARIES.

LEMON TREES.

LAVENDER and JUNIPERS and ROSES.

FLAGSTONE PATHWAY.

And it's all in a patio twelve foot square.

This little condominium patio has all of the elements of a classic Italian garden.  Well, not counting the villa that should go with it.  It took one day, and under $2,000 to create.  Here's what we used:

Fountain:  This one is concrete, by Giannini, and cost $750.  But there are a lot of wall fountains available for a lot less.

Concrete bench:  Also by Giannini, matching the fountain.  But I have one almost like it that I got at Target for $60.

Lemon trees in pots:   I used Meyer lemons, which are smaller scale.  If you can't find those in your area, a Eureka will do just fine, kept pruned.  Underplant it with sweet alyssum and thyme.

Gravel mulch:  Classic gray pea gravel from Lowes.

Flagstone path:  Its really fun, in a small garden, to create a "path to nowhere."  This one curves around the air conditioning unit (concealed behind an airy Pittosporum tenufolium 'Marjorie Channon) to the back corner of the patio walls.  Its only seven feet long, but since the terminus is hidden, it seems longer.  And a wall mirror was added to visually double the size of the garden.

THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE BEFORE

Topiaries:  Green Mountain boxwood and Blue Point juniper do well in pots.

Climbing Iceberg Roses:  This white rose blooms almost all year round here in southern California.  Its low maintenance, disease resistant, and has delicate canes that don't take up much room.


Dwarf lavender:    'Hazel' spanish lavender (lavandula stoechas 'Hazel') and 'Munstead' English lavender (lavandula angustfolia 'Munstead) fit into the 1.5 foot wide borders.

Creeping fig:  These photos, taken soon after planting, don't show the creeping fig that we planted to cover the concrete walls.  But eventually the garden will be enclosed with dark green walls, hiding the new construction.

Linking t  o

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.