Cooking in the Garden

My sister-in-law attended a garden tour in Woodstock, Illinois and found this fabulous collection of vintage kitchen ephemera. This is such a great example of displaying something you love outside, rather than on an interior wall.

A Maze of Garden Links

I've been on a search for some great garden blogs...ones that have a slightly different landscape perspective. These are quirky, tough, imaginative, and have a touch of style, plus still have lots of great information.

This is a short list I've pulled together for you to enjoy:

Garden Rant
Heavy Petal
Miss Rumphius' Rules
The Germinatrix
You Grow Girl

The Florida Keys

My mom, daughter and I visited the Florida Keys over the weekend for my brother's wedding.  It was so beautiful that I had to share some images...from a garden perspective.

We experienced Islamorada (that's where we stayed), plus Key Largo and Key West.   Everything was lush and spilling over with flowers and southern hospitality (see that pineapple?). I didn't know that roosters roamed the streets of Key West (and even sneak inside the shops)!

Being someone that loves formal gardens, I was thrilled with all the perfectly trimmed hedges.  I also loved the bright colors, stucco walls, fancy gates, and just general quaintness.  We even got up bright and early the first day to see the sun rise...look at that.  Just imagine a soft, warm breeze.  

Many parts of the keys still have that 1950s-1960s aura...adding more mystic.  It's just an amazing place surrounded with great history, expanses of ocean and lots of sun. 

Arrangement of Plant Forms

Once you understand that all plants have a form, try arranging some in front of your house (see post prior to this one).

Take a photo, place tracing paper on top, then start creating a nice composition of plants. You don't need to know specific plant materials at this point.  Just arrange the forms in a pleasing way...and don't forget to layer your plants.  Two to three rows (one in front of the other) is much better than one!   Don't stop at one option.  Try several until you find the perfect solution for you and your house.

Plant Forms

There are three design elements to consider when creating a planting design: form, texture and color.

Each plant you choose encompasses these characteristics in different ways. Though you should consider all of these it is important to know that form is the most consistent, then texture and finally color.

A good planting design should start with a strong composition of forms.  Below are some examples.

Can you think of plants in your area that fit these forms...whether tree, shrub or even perennial?