Garden Share Bristol

Inspiration comes in many forms and guises.  Sometimes I have to seek it out, other times it hits me as a surprise observation or a flash of an idea from out of the blue when I'm busy at another task (Weeding, anyone?).  I've written about a number of my inspirational influences here, so today I'd like to focus on just one:  my colleagues.

Last week I attended ProGreen Expo, the annual, week-long conference and trade show for landscape professionals in the Rocky Mountain and High Plains regions.  With over 100 seminars to attend and 600 vendor booths to visit, it's the perfect opportunity to find inspiration.  If you didn't know it before, I'll tell you now:  people in the green industry — designers, contractors, irrigation specialists, arborists, etc. — are extremely open and sharing with their expertise and information. Regardless of what part of the country they work in or the size of their business, there is usually a new idea or fresh perspective that I can adapt.  Here are just a few of the ideas that I gleaned from my colleagues...

Inspiration:  tools and technology
Roundtable member Susan Cohan taught a couple of sessions on digital imagery as design tools. My aha! moment came with her tutorial on using "secret", or hidden, Pinterest boards to collaborate with clients.  Design styles, specific plants, hardscape products, colors, etc. can be reviewed and edited to help communicate and customize a landscape or garden design. Did I spend the weekend reorganizing and expanding my Pinterest site?  Yes. Yes I did!

Photographs are a key component of my business, so I'm always looking for good tips and examples to help me improve my landscape and plant photos.  Rich Pomerantz, a master photographer with a beautiful portfolio, had some solid reminders / ideas for me (which I ran right out and tried):

1.  Play with the depth of field.  Not everything has to be in focus all the time.

2.  Play with the light. Back-lit "rimmed" subjects can be lovely.

3.  Shadows can be your friends (they make the subject look more three dimensional).
4.  Sometimes you want to "sell the steak" with your photo, sometimes you want to "sell the sizzle."

Inspiration:  regionalism
Another Roundtable member, David Christiani, gave two presentations on using regional cues to create designs that have a visual "sense of place" and are sustainable.  David recommends not only knowing your climate (much more than the USDA Hardiness Zone), but also the plant patterns of your eco-zone.  Plants are going to form groups and colonies — patterns, if you will — differently in the high plains than they do in the desert or woodlands, for example.  Recreating those patterns in the built landscape will go a long way towards creating a regional design, even when different plants are substituted.
Here's an example of a built landscape in my neighborhood park that replicates that of the high plains region. Grasses are the dominant plant species with the occasional  shrub, thicket, or tree.  Woody plants have naturalized here more than the norm because of their proximity to a lake and drainage/irrigation ditch.
             (More of Rich's photo tips:
             5.  Use the line of a path, wall, planting bed, etc to take the viewer's eye from the corner of the    image into the center.
             6.  The foreground doesn't always have to be in focus.)

This look could be interpreted in a home landscape by emphasizing low profile plantings with the occasional tall accent plant, something like this:

Denver, Colorado, designer unknown

Inspiration:  Collaboration

a small courtyard garden is visually enlarged - and enhanced - by its shadow. Casa Benavides Inn, Taos, New Mexico

As the days of autumn shorten, the low-slung sun casts longer and more distinctive shadows. The play between positive and negative space becomes more exaggerated; an even match for the color drama going on now, too.

Shadows help us see forms. Various textures and shapes reflect and collect light differently allowing us to distinguish unique elements amongst landforms, hardscapes and plants.

dunes at White Sands National Monument

enhanced shadows expose the topography

shadows created by the foliage texture of this kale help us analyze and understand the plant's form

the variety of textures and forms in this garden create shadows that make it more readable

Shadows cast upon a vertical surface create a multiplying effect that gives depth to a garden. They can also provide new interest and beauty to a blah surface.

Allium shadows on brushed stainless steel at Kevin Robb Studios

the shadow of an tree creates the illusion of a climbing vine

Shadows cast upon a horizontal surface heighten the textural nuances of the hardscape material and create a distorted echo of the item itself.

ghostly images from vintage iron posts enhance a plain-Jane concrete patio

a lattice shadow on river pebbles has a watery distortion

Another type of "shadow" is a silhouette. Items back-lit by the sun and viewed through a translucent screen have a fascinatingly different appearance -  sometimes simplified, sometimes more complex.  (Either way, it does give one the sense of having x-ray vision.)

hidden flower buds, exposed

colors and shapes interplay like multiple layers of stained glass - Denver Botanic Gardens

a tangle of grape vines, simplified

Our landscapes are changing rapidly now.  As autumn moves into winter, and darkness dominates our days, I hope you will seek out the shadows and enjoy their stories.

Please visit my fellow members of the Garden Designers' Roundtable for more inspiring ideas and information on our theme of Darkness:

Lesley Hegarty & Robert Webber : Hegarty Webber Partnership : Bristol, UK
Genevieve Schmidt : North Coast Gardening : Arcata, CA

Thanks to M. Zwalen and M. Komodore for allowing me to photograph their gardens!

The rounded bench back echos the rounded line of the wall. Design by Phase One Landscapes

One of the most valuable components of a landscape, whether large or small, is destination seating. Every garden should have a spot where you can sit and relax, dream and scheme! More importantly, a place to and look at the garden away from your main window or patio/deck view gives you a whole new vista. Gardens are composed of three-dimensional forms and, like a piece of sculpture, should be viewed from multiple points to be fully appreciated.

View from back of house to seating area. Design by JHChilvers

View from seating area to back of house. Design by JHChilvers

Two seating areas on opposite sides of a small space. Design by Phase One Landscapes

The same concept with a more rustic interpretation. Design by owner.

  Another reason to create a destination seating area is that it will pull you into the garden. There's nothing like actually walking through the space, instead of just viewing it as a static "picture," to get you interacting with nature again. A small seating area can be an oasis of quiet and calm, a place to regenerate.  Conversely, it may bring you closer to the action if you site it near a play structure or active lawn area.  Hey, there's no rule that says you can only have one!

Front yard pair of chairs perfect for watching the world go by. Design by owner.

Multi-season impact. Design by JHChilvers

Design by owner

And finally, a pair of chairs, a teak bench, a large boulder, etc. can also act as a focal point in the garden. Try and select a seat that is harmonious in color, materials, or character to the architecture of your home and the other furnishings in your landscape. Choose materials that are low maintenance or attractive to you in their rustic state. Also think about weight - you don't want something that will end up in the next county every time the wind blows.

Albuquerque Botanic Garden

Chair lift swing, Telluride, Colorado

Rustic flagstone bench in garden designed by Elenor Welshon

 Now sit back and enjoy!

 As the weather turns cold, most of us will be spending more time indoors reading about plants and gardens than doing any actual gardening.  My favorite garden reading right now is Gardens Illustrated magazine, from Great Britain. As an experienced gardener it's easy for me to discard the gardening/plant information that's not appropriate for my region, yet glean plenty of new ideas worth trying.  Mostly, I appreciate the magazine's focus on British and, especially, European design. The ideas seem fresh and different, yet readily adaptable to our plants and climate.
What is your favorite gardening magazine, and why? Do you depend on different magazines for different aspects of gardening, such as design, plant profiles, and gardening how-to?

The bitter cold and snow we’re experiencing right now has me thinking about (and wishing for!) warmer days in the garden. Since gift giving time is right around the corner, I thought I’d offer up some ideas. You may have a loved one that would appreciate a gardening related offering, or you may see some ideas to add to your own wish list!

Today I’ll present a few ideas that you may be able to acquire on-line or with a quick phone call---no braving the cold necessary!

1. A subscription to a magazine. A great gardening magazine is educational, inspirational and entertaining. There are many fine how-to publications out there such as Fine Gardening, Horticulture, and Organic Gardening that are chock-full of great information. Some regional home and garden magazines do a good job, too. I especially like Sunset for the western US. However, two of my favorite occasional splurges are Garden Design and Gardens Illustrated. Garden Design is pure eye-candy with lots of outdoor, and outdoor themed, living products and (mostly) estate type gardens featured. Gardens Illustrated is from Great Britain and is a refreshing and beautiful take on European style gardening. I love browsing the ads, reading the copy (often quite informative if not applicable to my region of the world), and drooling over the beautiful photos. Single copies of all of these magazines are available at larger newsstands, like Barns & Noble, and would make great stocking stuffers.

2. A membership to a botanical garden or arboretum. Nothing beats the opportunity to see mature plants in a naturalized setting, something the garden center can’t always offer. These organizations often offer classes, docent tours, lectures, concerts, and volunteer opportunities as well. A membership is a gift that can be enjoyed all year, and keeps your gardener in touch with the seasons. Here’s the link to Denver Botanic Gardens.

3. A membership to American Horticultural Society. This organization was never on my radar; like many things in the horticultural "establishment," it is located in the eastern US and I never thought it could have much relevance for me either personally or professionally. However, I decided to join up about two years ago and have been very pleased with the return on my $35.00 annual dues. Their website is fantastic, but I especially like their magazine. The articles cover all aspects of horticulture, including landscape design, and are well written and with enough detail (though not textbook-like snooze inducing) to make them a cut-above your grocery store variety publication. The most recent issue included “America’s Evergreen Hollies,” “Gardens for Recovery,” and a profile of American plantsman Allen Bush, among other things. As a landscape professional for nearly 30 years now, it was refreshing to find a new resource and a fresh perspective on gardening!

I hope this gift idea list gives you a few ideas to consider. More to come!