GardenDesignOnline

Garden Art, Accessories: Outdoor Rugs & More

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I really like the hand-woven outdoor rugs from Harbour Outdoor of Australia. Very ecological as well. The fibers are made from one hundred percent recycled plastic bottles, and they are hand-woven by artisans in India.

Check out the Harbour website here, download their catalogue, and if you scroll to near the end, you'll come across the accessories, including all the rugs.  There are quite a few options for patterned rugs, as well as solid colors.  Rugged and perfect for outdoor areas.

  I also liked Harbour's fireboxes, your choice of white marble or black granite (shown here). Harbour has two showrooms in New York City, and also in Los Angeles and Costa Mesa, CA. 

And don't forget to check out their terrific furniture collections. (More on those at a later time).

Books: Grand Gardens & Grand Design

Landscape architects aren't generally known for their expert plant knowledge, but one of the great exceptions is Edmund Hollander, who's been designing grand gardens with his business partner Maryanne Connelly since 1989 at Edmund Hollander Design.

In his new book, The Good Garden: The Landscape Architecture of Edmund Hollander Design (Monacelli Press, 2015), with text by journalist Anne Raver, Hollander explains how to use plants to complement architectural elements and reinforce the beauty of the landscape design. 

Climbing hydrangea ambles up and over the door of a country cottage, framing the entryway. Brick walls support espaliered fruiting pears.  A layered hedge composed of yew, boxwood, and wood ferns encloses a garden and forms the edge of a serene lawn area. A natural grove of native red cedars is left in place -- invasive vines pruned away and lower limbs sheared off -- to create an almost spiritual landscape room.  Stairways are positioned dramatically and set off beautifully by beach grasses, flowering shrubs and perennials, arching evergreen trees.

The book is divided into thematic entries such as entry areas, terraces, gateways and paths, pergolas and fences, borders, seaside gardens, walled gardens, meadows, woodlands, modern gardens -- just to mention a few.  In each section, there are gorgeous photos accompanied by brief text that tells you exactly which plants are serving what landscape purpose.  For example, Hollander tells you that summer-blooming Syringa reticulata, visible in the distance from a poolside terrace, help isolate the pool from other areas on the property. In a modern garden, he says, simple plant combinations -- such as allium and Russian sage -- create a contemporary feeling.

Anne Raver sums up the plant strategy beautifully in the introduction:  "A group of Prunus serotina -- wild black cherry trees considered weed trees to most designers -- became the unlikely centerpiece on a waterfront estate's front lawn because Hollander convinced the clients of the beauty of their trunks, sculpted by the ocean winds.  Drawing on such powerful icons makes a design unique to its place and time." 

It's a book that belongs on every designers bookshelf ... it's a terrific reference, and you'll learn things you never knew about defining your landscape with plants.

Happenings July 2015

Selected Events Around the Country:

thru November 1: Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden Life, Bronx, NY
NY Botanical Garden 718-817-8700

JULY Garden Dialogues:
July 18, Lakeville, CT (LA Larry Weaner)
July 19, Falls Village, CT (designed by AE Bye)
July 18, Dedham, MA (LA Keith LeBlanc)
July 18, Boston (Landworks Studio) & (Studio 2112 LA)
Garden tours with the landscape architects who designed them, TCLF, 202-483-0553

July 9-11, AHS National Children & Youth Garden Symposium, Austin, TX
Educational sessions, field trips, keynote speakers 703-768-5700
July 10, Quick Design Sketching, Glencoe, IL
8:30AM-12:30PM, Workshop, Chicago Botanic Garden, 847-835-5440
July 10-19, International Hydrangea Festival & Conference, Sandwich, MA
Heritage Museum & Gardens, Sandwich, MA 508-888-3300
Keynote speaker: Dr. Michael Dirr

July 11-12, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours: NY, NH, ME, NJ
NY: Eastern Long Island, Garrison, Ulster Cty; NH: NH Seacoast, Lee; ME: York; NJ: Bergen, Monmouth Counties.
July 11-12, 5th Annual Gardenwalk, Cleveland, OH
Self-guided tours of 200 or so Cleveland area gardens.

July 12, Gardens in the Watershed Tour, Rockland, ME
10AM-5PM, self-guided garden tours. 207-594-5166
July 13-19, Crested Butte Wildflower Festival, Crested Butte, CO
Hikes, Garden Tours, Workshops, Much More.
July 15-18, Cullowhee Native Plant Conference, Cullowhee, NC
Western Carolina University, 800-928-4968
July 17, Woody Plant Conference, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA

July 18-19, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours: CT, MA, NH, NY
CT: Litchfield, Hartford, New London Counties; MA: Berkshire Cty; NH: Merrimack Valley; NY: Putnam, Columbia Ctys, Albany Area.
July 19, Dearborn Garden Walk, Chicago, IL
57th annual self-guided garden tour, 312-632-1241
July 19, West Seattle Garden Tour, Seattle, WA
"The Art of Gardening," 206-324-2061
July 25-26 Gardenwalk, Buffalo, NY
10AM-4PM, Self-guided tours of 380+ urban gardens.
July 25-26, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours: IL, NY
IL: Chicago North Shore; NY: Dutchess, Westchester Ctys.
July 27-Aug 1, Perennial Plant Association Symposium, Baltimore, MD 614-771-8431

LOOKAHEAD:

Sept 18-21, Gardenwriters Annual Symposium, Pasadena, CA
Oct 5-8, Cities Alive Annual  Green Roof & Wall Conference, NY, NY
Oct 8-12, APLD International Design Conference, Washington DC
Nov 6-9, ASLA Annual Meeting & Expo, Chicago, IL

Film: Versailles, Le Notre, & More

Whoever thought someone would make a movie about the creation of the gardens at Versailles? Opening July 26th is A Little Chaos, a feature film -- actually a romantic drama -- focusing on the major personalities involved in the building of Versailles.

In the starring role is Kate Winslet as Sabine, a landscape designer who's been hired to work on the project by King Louis XIV (Alan Rickman).  She, of course, is struggling with class barriers and becomes romantically involved with the visionary who designed the gardens -- André LeNôtre, played by Matthias Schoenaerts.  The film is directed by Alan Rickman and also stars Stanley Tucci as the Duc D'Orleans.

Probably a must for all of us who are landscape designers -- and dedicated gardeners everywhere.

Watch the trailer here.

Hummers everywhere

If you're like me, and you plant certain shrubs and flowers to attract hummingbirds -- what gardener wouldn't? -- you'll definitely want to check out this new Hummerbar.

The two foot long version accommodates 22 hummers, and the four-foot long version takes twice as many.

If you haven't seen it already, you have to watch the video of feeder in action here.

The video was filmed in California, where there of course are lots of different hummers, but maybe if you put one in your Eastern US garden, you'd have all of them in the neighborhood!

Reprieve for Russell Page Garden

photo: Frick - Michael Bodycomb

In a rare victory for preservationists, the Frick Collection in New York City dropped major expansion plans that would have demolished a garden and water lily pond designed by the renowned British landscape architect Russell Page. 

A statement posted online by the Frick said the museum's Board of Trustees has decided to approach the future expansion plans in a way that "avoids building on the garden site."

Opponents of the original expansion plan included architects, landscape architects, the Municipal Arts Society, local residents and many others. 

Page's formal viewing garden includes a flat pond with water lilies and lotus, and a row of Callery pears.  Other plantings include four major trees: a crabapple, a goldenrain tree, a Kentucky yellow-wood, and a Japanese pagoda tree.

More in the Magazines June 2015

The American Gardener May-June
*Balcony gardens with almost everything you'd want
*Best of the best in hydrangea choices
*Irises for every site
*Whimsical garden art
Note: Subscription through AHS (American Horticultural Society)

 

Sunset June
*Design for a dog-friendly garden by landscape architect Karen Ford
*How to deal with drought in the garden
*Big-leaf lavender grown for its foliage
*Birch log vases by designer Leslie McKenna
*Low-water dreamscape by Sanctuary Landscape Architecture

Better Homes & Gardens June
*Bi-level deck for maximum garden space & entertaining by designer Lori Scott in Portland, OR
*Sedum tiles for instant groundcover
*Easy annual vines

Landscape Architecture June
*Lutsko Associates of San Francisco designs an award-winning rustic landscape that echoes the natural agrarian surroundings
*A visit to Governor's Island in NYC, landscape by West8
*New York state takes dramatic steps to deal with invasive plants and animals
*The tree canopy in Louisville is disappearing

Garden Art in Denver

photo: Meredith Harris Photographers

Next time you're flying through Colorado, make sure you take in the huge lily sculpture at the Denver International Airport.  Denver Lily is by Denver-based artist Price Davis, and it will be on display through July.

The airport's art and culture manager, Chris Stevens, says the goal of the giant flower sculpture is to "surprise and delight passengers during spring, while showcasing a local artist's talent."

Artist Price Davis said the sculpture "embodies the components I strive to include in my art:  conceptually simple, accessible and interactive.  The purpose of art is to inspire, and I hope this work contributes to global inspiration in some way."

Seems like Davis would be a great candidate for custom-made garden sculptures -- large or small -- for commercial sites or private residences.