BLOOMTOWN

I Spy Spring

The first crocus are starting to peek out here and there; encouraged by warmer days and spots of sun. Delish.

 

 

 

Yucca love -- it's all in the grooming

I saw these plants on a recent walk in the neighborhood and was able to catch a "before" and "after" of these Yucca gloriosa 'Variegata' (not sure I've got the plant ID exactly right, but that's close) as they were being groomed to remove old, unsightly, winter-damaged foliage. Sometimes the difference between having a Yucca plant that looks great, one you're happy to be growing, and one that looks unkempt and unattractive is just a few minutes of elbow grease.

 

It's show time!

Mark your calenders and make your plans! While there are a number of shows and events that will be happening in the upcoming weeks, my time is limited so I tend to hone in on the Yard, Garden and Patio Show in Portland and the Northwest Flower and Garden Show in Seattle.

The Northwest Flower and Garden Show takes place February 8th through the 12th at the Seattle Convention Center. All the info you'll need can be found on their website.

Next up on my roster will be Portland Yard, Garden and Patio Show. It takes place February 17 through the 19th at the Convention Center in Portland. All you need to know can be found here.

If I happen to have any show stamina left I'll consider going to the Portland Home and Garden Show the following weekend at the Expo Center. After two shows in quick succession, I usually have plenty of new ideas and inspirations to process so most years I tend to peter out and not make it to this one.

To whet your appetite, here's some photos of last year's shows:

2011 Northwest Flower and Garden Show in Seattle

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

 

2011 Yard, Garden and Patio Show

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

 

 

 

Sightings: Cohesive use of color

I was struck by this engaging front entry that I saw while walking in the neighborhood recently. I was impressed by the cohesiveness of the color story they employed. Even in the dead of winter, on a cloudy and otherwise dreary day, this scene has snap. They've repeatedly used a coppery red; in the accent paint and containers flanking the front entry and then draw it out further with foliage and stems in a similar shade. Bravo!

 

 

Design Tip: Plant evergreen shrubs behind winter blooming plants

In the example below, the orange blooms of the witch hazel (Hamamelis x 'Jelena') are much more visible when backed by the evergreen shrub (Pittosporum tobira 'Tall and Tough') than when backed by the open sky, where the blooms would have a tendency to disappear.

 

 

Another group of shrubs that would benefit from this treatment is the winter hazel (Corylopsis), Corylopsis pauciflora, pictured on the left.

Actually any delicately-blooming, deciduous shrub could likely use the extra help. Other examples that come to mind include dawn viburnum (Viburnum bodnantense 'Pink Dawn'), Stachyurus praecox, and Edgeworthia chrysantha.

 

 

Adding visual interest to raised beds

While walking the neighborhood I encountered this creative way to add visual interest to raised cedar beds by using a router (or similar tool) to add a simple linear pattern to the exterior. These beds were newly constructed; I look forward to watching this streetside vegetable garden develop.

 

 

 

Winter Container Ideas

A couple of super-simple winter containers that I did recently for a client are shown in the photos below. Both are dominated by structural evergreen plants of varying foliage colors and textures accented by reliable winter bloomers. 

This star of this container is the ubiquitous Yuletide camellia (Camellia sasanqua 'Yuletide'). Though common, it still pleases me to no end to see it blooming its heart out all winter. I especially like it in combination with the Yucca filamentosa 'Golden Sword' which shines like a beacon; brightening this ensemble on dreary winter days. Also included is a purple-leaved Heuchera 'Frosted Violet', Helleborus x ballardiae 'HGC Pink Frost' which will bloom later in spring, and blue fescue with its evergreen blue tuft contributing textural contrast.

This container is in a sheltered but very shady, bordering on dark, spot at a covered front entry. The bright variegation of the Carex morrowii 'Evergold' acts like a footlight for the boldly textured Schefflera taiwaniana 'Yuan Shan.' The bright, shiny faces of the Helleborus niger 'HGC Jacob' blooms add further sparkle.

 

Ta Da!! ... The Official Unveiling of Bloomtown's Front Garden Renovation

Last fall, I began a comprehensive renovation, rejuvenation and overall heavy edit of my front garden. I've been gardening on my 50 x 100 lot in NE Portland since 1998, so some of my initial plantings had run their course.  I removed several large shrubs to make some of the larger framework plants more "comfortable" and to make room for some fresh understory plantings.

But I'm particularly pleased with and excited to show you the hardscape additions I've made. These new hardscape features include a steel and stone retaining wall along the front of my garden and the addition of curvaceous raised beds made of steel flat bar woven in a sinuous, basket weave pattern.

I'd been enjoying working with steel in my client projects for some time, but hadn't yet landed on a way to incorporate some of my ideas into my garden at home. I believe that the combination of the steel with the basalt boulders really make this addition "work" within my existing garden. I've got a fair amount of existing stone and steel in my garden, so the union of these two materials make sense and ensure that the wall and the raised beds in the parking strip feel like a part of the larger whole.

Deciding to pursue these changes was the result of a combination of forces.  Believe it or not, it started with the decision to change the way that I water my garden ... but alas, that’s a topic for another post. All that I’ll say about that part of the decision at this juncture is that I decided that I needed a wall or edge of some sort that would prevent water from immediately running off the slope and onto the sidewalk. And one thing led to another.

Additionally, some of the primary structural plantings in my garden had developed some heft and were ready to do more of the heavy-lifting in terms of holding the overall garden structure together. In particular: two Japanese maples (Acer palmatum), a crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia x indica 'Zuni'), a Magnolia stellata and my dynamic duo of Taxus x media 'Sentinalis' that were planted in the early stages of the garden's development and which are now quite established.

Another important factor was that some very lovely shrubs that I've enjoyed for a number of years had simply outgrown their welcome. The most significant removal was a very large, very beautiful doublefile viburnum (Viburnum plicatum tomentosum 'Mariesii').  It was one of the initial framework shrubs in the first incarnation of my garden, and a dozen years later it commanded the bulk of the southwest corner of my front garden. It was somewhat difficult to decide to remove this shrub, but once it was gone, it was immediately obvious that it was the right thing to do. Its removal allowed the structural plants I mentioned first to really do their thing.

The three photos above were taken very recently and give a pretty good idea of how the newly-installed steel elements fit into the front garden and provide a structural frame to embrace the exuberant plantings. The flowing form of the woven steel presents a satisfying juxtaposition to the sturdy, linear lines of the retaining wall. 

As always, I'm certain that I’ll continually tweak and tinker with my planting schemes, which is one of the things that I find most enjoyable about garden-making. With the addition of this steel frame and the editing of my structural plantings, I'll be able to do that and preserve a sense of orderliness in the overall scene. 

• 
• 
• 
• 

I always like to see process shots, so I've included some of those as well. In the first photo in the sequence just above, the paint lines show how I "roughed-in" the cuts and general shape of the raised edging in my parking strip. While I moved and removed a number of plants, I wanted to work around an Albizia julibrissin 'Summer Chocolate' that was really starting to develop a nice shape. The second photo is taken from the same angle immediately after we completed construction. The third photo gives a closer view from a different angle. The fourth and final photo was taken at the same angle very recently. 

• 
• 
• 

There are two pathways that are cut into the parking strip to improve pedestrian access. The series of three photos above show the primary path leading to the front walkway to our house. 

• 
• 

The two photos above show the front retaining wall just after construction was completed.  The second close-up view shows the steel and boulder joint. The wall face is constructed with sheets of 3/16 Cor Ten steel plate, trimmed with a 3 x 2 angle iron cap situated such that there is a 2" reveal on the front and 3" on top. The wall seams are finished with an additional piece of flat bar and secured with bolts.

I want to close with a note of thanks to the landscape professionals who helped bring my concept to life. Once again, I had the pleasure of working with Pete Wilson of Pete Wilson Stoneworks on this project. Pete and his crew are skilled professionals that have been behind the construction of many of my most memorable projects. In particular, Niall Hannan of Pete Wilson Stoneworks was an instrumental partner in the implementation of the woven steel and boulders in the parking strip. Rob Trautmann is another frequent contributor on client projects and was a natural fit to work with Pete on the installation of the steel wall. This project was a first for all of us in terms of bringing the steel and stone together in this way and shows the true power of a collaborative construction process.

 

HPSO Get Growing! Workshop with Darcy Daniels: A Exploration of Planting and Garden Design FUN-damentals

Back after a hiatus, the popular Get Growing! series that I teach in collaboration with the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon (HPSO) is back in a fresh new format: a three-day intensive workshop spanning Friday evening, September 30th through the afternoon of Sunday, October 2nd. The series includes a combination of lectures, slide shows, exercises and field trips designed to energize your garden planning and plant selection process.  The program is geared for the beginner, but is suitable for gardeners of all experience levels. Regardless of your current experience, my goal will be to challenge you to think in new ways about your garden and how you select the plants for it. 

The weekend will begin with an evening gathering in my garden in NE Portland with light refreshments, followed by slides and an informal lecture. The Saturday and Sunday sessions, also based out of my garden studio, will be a combination of lectures, exercises and field trips designed to inspire and inform, helping you be more successful in your garden-making. This multi-day approach allows for a broader range and more in-depth exploration of the topics.

We’ll cover basic garden design principles -- providing an introduction to the garden planning process, as well as lots of food for thought and some great tools for helping you to create plant combinations with strong visual interest and seasonal flow in your garden.

Classes are held at my home garden & studio in NE Portland. There will be field trip(s) on Sunday, and possibly Saturday. Carpools for the field trips will be arranged Friday night.

Topics include:

• An introduction to the garden planning process - we'll get you thinking about your garden in new ways!
• Successful plant selection - right plant, right place.  Selecting plants that are well-adapted to your site is a key element of successful gardening. We'll talk about specific plants for specific settings and situations; shady sites, sunny, dry gardens, screening, hedging, maintenance considerations ... there are plants for just about every situation, and solutions for every space.
• Tips for creating visually engaging planting combinations that deliver the ever-elusive all-season-appeal we often strive for when creating our gardens.
• Ideas for incorporating edibles into your garden in an ornamental and productive way. You'll come away with ideas for growing beautiful food, beautifully.
• We’ll visit gardens that illustrate the design principles covered in the exercises and lectures -- discussing them on-site and in-person to further enhance our classroom activities.
• I garden organically and naturally and will emphasize these methods in my teaching.

Here's what students from previous classes are saying about the series:

"I'm a fan! Darcy's great, very knowledgeable and can communicate effectively, very organized"

"...[H]elped some things 'gel' for me in a way they hadn't before ... have a firmer grip on design principles and starting points for thinking about the garden ..."

"I would have expected it to cost more"

"Idyllic location"

"Great for home gardeners, not overwhelming"

"Thoughtful, well organized"

" Darcy is great; able to teach beginners and more experienced folks at once. Practical but very creative, approachable"

The Fall 2011 Get Growing! series is scheduled for Friday September 30th, 5 pm to 8 pm and Saturday and Sunday, October 1st and 2nd, from 10 am to 4 pm. Get Growing! costs $150 for HPSO members for the series ($165 for non-HPSO members), payable in full prior to the class. Act quickly, as class size is limited to 13.

TO REGISTER: go to the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon (HPSO) calendar page and follow the link to register or phone the Hardy Plant Society at 503-224-5718.

 

Simple Red Daylily Backlit

The sun will return, I promise. Until then, here's a scene from my garden taken one evening last week after a lovely sunny day; a single red daylily collecting the days' last rays. 

For those inclined to ask ... it's a pretty standard daylily called Hemerocallis 'Garnet.'

Window Box Planting Bloomtown July 2011

I couldn't be more pleased with how my window box planting is developing this year. Screaming orange begonias brighten my spirits and my dining patio. This simple combination includes vivid orange begonias, copper-toned coleus, drippy-drapey cream-variegated creeping charlie vine and frothy green foxtail asparagus fern.

HPSO Spring Plant Sale and Garden Festival

It's that time again -- one of my favorite rites of spring, the HPSO Spring Plant Sale and Garden Festival, takes place this weekend (Apr 9 & 10th, 2011) at the Expo Center here in Portland, Oregon. Everything you need to know about this amazing event can be found here on the HPSO Plant Sale info page.

It's a wonderful gathering of some of the best Pacific Northwest nurseries, offering the most interesting and widest selection of plants you'll find in our area. Check it out!