Paris Spheres

The School of Paris Florists recent installation at the Parc Floral de Paris proves once again that "Art in the Garden" need not be limited to stone and bronze. 

Weaving pliable branches and other elements found through out the garden itself , creating simple spheres of varying sizes and colors they have managed to create  whimsical sculptures, perfect for  not only a natural setting but a formal garden as well.   

Great Bones

image petit villandry

    image pinmarket

image susan stock

Flying back into NYC this morning having avoided the snow in Paris, I was delighted to see that winter had graced the city with a bit of a light dusting. A wonderful opportunity to once again  view the actual bones of a garden. Colors & textures normally seen are now obscured and quieted from view and we are able to study the line and shape that makes up good design.

And The Winner Is

Polygonatum odoratum ‘Variegatum’

or better know as Variegated Solomon's Seal

The Perennial Plant of the Year Award is voted on by members of the Perennial Plant Association (PPA). PPA is an international organization, comprised of growers, retailers, designers, educators, and others who work in the field of perennial plants. The award is given on a basis of  low maintenance, ease of propagation, multiple seasonal interest and a range of  growing climates.

This year's winner Variegated Solomon's Seal grows 18 to 24 inches tall with oval shaped variegated leaves carried on upright, arching  unbranched stems. The variegated leaves, light green & white turn an attractive yellow in the autumn. Late spring finds them flush with small, sweetly fragrant bell-shaped white flowers reminiscent of Lily's of the Valley. Come autumn they will produce a small decorative black fruit.

Variegated Solomon’s Seal is a classic beauty preferring the moist shade of a woodland garden. It is a great companion plant to other shade lovers, working well mass planted or tucked in amongst the hostas and other shade loving plants you may already have.

Chasing Rabbits

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 Alice at 10 feet tall

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.

The Visions of Anthony Paul

 

A look into the world of British Designer Anthony Paul

Restrained and requiring little maintenance based on simple shapes, forms and color,  Anthony Paul creates a  contemporary landscape that meshes seamlessly with nature. The key to achieving this is to keep the palette simple, and use only those materials and plants that look natural in the existing environment.

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An example of this is the use of  a variety of grasses and rush, as well as a weathered woods, natural stone and water, all repeated numerous times throughout the garden to strengthen the overall design. Note that even the perimeter fencing has been taken into consideration and rather than being hidden by shrubs becomes a part of the overall repeated element of the weathered greyed woods 

 By then adding the clipped hedging and bleached trees a juxtaposition or as I like to call it the yin/yang of  successful planning is created giving the entire project the architectural excitement needed to create great design.

"The way a garden sits in the landscape is my main concern. I sometimes feel that I fill the foreground like a stage and the background is done by a far bigger hand than mine,"  Anthony Paul

photos Anthony Paul