Garden Terms: Topiary

Topiary is the art of clipping plant materials into an ornamental shape.  This practice can be traced back to Roman times through their extensive writings and wall murals.  Since then it has evolved through French and Italian Renaissance gardens to those of today.  How can you miss those fun stacked green globes in many a landscape?

Image on left courtesy of Belle Botanica, while image on right courtesy of Topiary Classics

Image courtesy of Vintage Decor Prints

Image courtesy of Modern Toile

A Plant Binge

How many times have you entered a nursery center with looking as your only goal, but leaving with handfuls of plants?  The worst case is at the end of the planting season when everything is marked down to pennies.  How could you not purchase a few more goodies for the garden?  I fall into this category often, but I do follow a few personal rules.

1. Try to buy at least three (or more) of one plant.  Though you may not have a destination in mind yet, at least there will be a nice grouping for the final design (and it will look like you planned it).

2. Try something new.  If you're only paying 99 cents, why not try a new plant?  If it doesn't do well, no biggie.  My garden is filled with sale (and even free) plants that no one else wanted or recognized.  I now have some amazing plants that I would have never dreamed up on my own.

3. Is there a season you're lacking great color?  Late summer or fall perhaps?  Try to find plants that fill those gaps.  Don't let the lack of bloom in the nursery distract you - just because it's not blooming at that moment, doesn't mean it's not fabulous.  Read the tags and grab the beauties others missed.

4. Pick up those small, special plants (less than 12" tall).  These itty bitty plants are perfect for the front of your border or tucked in small spaces.  Buy as many as you can.  It's so much fun spreading these out along the front of a planting bed to pull it all together (what? a sale item creating a a cohesive design?).

What other hints do you have?

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.

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?

Farm House Arbor

This rustic, yet quaint arbor is located at the Farm House Museum on the Iowa State University campus.  It was reconstructed from old photographs several years ago and is such a nice addition to the site.  I walk past it often and suddenly felt compelled to share it.  I love the combination of the perfectly constructed bird gates paired with the natural wood structure.

Garden Terms: Bosquet

A bosquet is a formal grove of trees...planted in a perfect grid.  These became popular during the French renaissance and provided nice shade for those enjoying the intricate parterres (formal garden beds) beyond.

Image via Wikipedia

Garden Thresholds: Gates

Have you ever thought about how one moves from one space to the next in the garden? The point at which you leave one garden room and step into another should be special...maybe even magnificent.  This transition point or threshold can include an arbor, columns, a break in a hedge or even a simple paving change.  Below are images of my favorite type of garden threshold...gates.

Image courtesy of Gary Heller Photography

Image courtesy of Baker Photography

Image courtesy of Gilding Lilies

Image courtesy of Chez Jolly

Image courtesy of Katie Lloyd Photography

Garden Terms: Allée

I have always been intrigued with words that evolved from gardening.  As I find fabulous images that depict these terms, I'll throw them your way.

Today I found a beautiful photograph from Briole Photography that shows a stunning example of an allée formed by oak trees.

Definition :: An allée is a walkway or road lined with trees or tall shrubs.

Garden Planes

These are not for flying through your landscape, but a way to organize it.

When you walk through a fabulous garden, do you ever wonder why you're so intrigued with it? It's often because that garden was successfully organized into lovely rooms. These rooms are composed of vertical, ground and sky planes (or more simply walls, floor and ceiling).

Photo courtesy of Jonas Peterson

My next three posts will highlight each of these dimensions and hopefully provide ideas for your own landscape.

Two Small Jumps Equals One Big Leap

Tomorrow I'm making a big shift in my life.

It's the day I split my professional life between two places: my position at a botanic garden, plus a new position, teaching landscape design to horticulture students.

I am excited about sharing my enthusiasm for garden design and equally thrilled to learn a fresh perspective from students and fellow faculty. I've learned so much the past eight years from my fellow botanic garden staff, that I can't wait to pass that on too.

Photo courtesy of hearblack

This is what popped out of my fortune cookie the other day:

Two small jumps are sometimes better than one big leap.

Though neither of these positions are small by any means, together I think they'll make my creative life richer. And here we go...

The Personality of a Garden

I have an infatuation with gardens.
The more formal the better. With people...the most intriguing.


Photo by Jonas Peterson

Beauty and function should go hand in hand. Why have a beautiful garden unless you actually use it? Interestingly, many stylistic garden images are devoid of people. I understand why...it is easier to capture a pristine space without the clutter of humans bounding about. These are lovely photos, but they lack energy and emotion.

I hope to show you the energy of a garden by the people in it...laughing, loving, eating, playing, and creating. This is how a garden exhibits personality.