Green Roof Birdhouses

The Iowa State University Horticulture Club made these fabulous green roof birdhouses that they plan to sell this weekend (April 20 & 21) on campus.  They are so darn cute and will definitely keep your bird friends cool this summer.  

A Misty Memory

We have had a lot of foggy mornings lately.  This misty air takes me back to a beautiful garden trip I took to the east coast several years ago.  These amazing gardens, remarkably close to the Atlantic ocean, had this blurry, mystical appeal to them.  I felt part of another world, one that I wanted to permanently stay within.  Sometimes I think this blog is my way of recreating those memories...and hoping to fashion another world of enchanting landscapes.

Image courtesy of Lisa Russo Fine Art

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

Bright Spots Today

This odd weather is making everything bloom very early.  I thought it would be fun to capture these bright spots once in awhile.  Below is what I caught on film today walking through the Iowa State University campus.

Daffodil Shine

A special flower that has popped up a month early this year.  Can spring really be here (or is this just a trick)?

Image courtesy of The Jonathan Galleries

Garden Design Principles: Repetition

In class we've been discussing the importance of design principles and how they guide a successful garden composition.  I took this picture at the Desert Botanical Garden last March because it exemplified the principle of repetition.   I love how the small round cactus is used over and over drawing your eye down the path.  Very simple, yet very effective.

A Simple Garden

I found this postcard at an antique store last weekend.  I was totally enamored by the simplicity of this landscape...bright white walks, crisp green lawn, stately white house.

Yes, I know, it's totally empty (and devoid of energetic plant life).  But, after grading tons of complex landscape designs this past couple of weeks I think my eyes enjoyed the relief.

For those interested, this is an image of a house in Story City, Iowa in the 1920s.