Designing In The Shade

What could have been a dark colorless shade garden has been transformed by the design group of Janet Rosenberg & Studio. It all began by cutting back the existing shrub border to make way for white flowering shrubs and variegated plantings, a big key to making this design feel brighter and more airy. Small pops of color planted where they will get a fair amount of sun round out the design.
With the shrubs cut back and boxwood planted following the shapes of the hardscape, a stronger classic design was created. Some thing to be considered if a renovation to a more classic design is on the horizon.

all images via Janet Rosenberg & Studio

Stairs Like No Others

image via pinterest

Planted steps do require extra care and are really suitable for secondary staircases that get little traffic or those used only seasonally. They not only help to soften the masonry but add as sense of drama and old world charm to your design.

Other than sod, which would need to be trimmed occasionaly, planting any of the "steppables", as the landscape world has dubbed them work just as well.  If you are really adventurous sedums, clipped dwarf bowood, beehive euonymus and flowering thyme, to name a few, could work as well. 

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image via providence ltd

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 image via pintrest

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 image via johnsen landscape

image via botanical seed

Up On The Roof

For a while now I have been toying with the idea of doing 

a series...of series 

Hopefully the beautiful images and design ideas I come across in my daily work will be just the thing to spark a long held design dream of yours.

That being said, I would like to introduce you to my first Series entitled "Up On The Roof"...and what better way than to start with a roof garden I am sure is close to all our hearts.

One of Paris' best held secrets. The luxurious Hermes Roof Garden,

high above 24 Faubourg Saint-Honore 

Cherubs whisper  secrets holding guard as you entry this area from the upper paved walk

 roses, sage, rosemary, hibiscus, balsam, hawthorn, magnolias, lilies  were chosen specifically to perfume the air

Pears and apples were chosen as well for their spring bloom

A small grass area was included for laying out and watching the beautiful Paris sky go by

In house and head perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena taking a moment to enjoy

And the woman behind it all Hermes head gardener Yasmine clips , prunes , waters and perfects this magical  site

all images via Pinterest

underwater sculpture garden

Always on the lookout for unusual garden sculptures to share with you, I came across what I believe to be one of the most beautiful sculpture gardens around. Devoid of the usual outdoor elements of sound and smell all you are left with is sight and the muffled sounds of underwater life.

  

  

In the waters surrounding Cancun, Isla Mujeres and Punta Nizuc an underwater world exists know as the MUSA (Museo Subacuático de Arte). British sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor has created over 450 permanent life-size figures, made from specialized materials which in time have helped promote coral and other sea life to mulitpy and flourish.

The Museum's aim was to create a complex coral reef to increase biomass on a grand scale. Art and Science working in pure harmony!

images via Jason deCaries Taylor

It's Friday!

image via fine gardening

Echinops ritro

Wishing you all of restful weekend.

A tree blooms in winter

From a distance Hamamelis x intermedia commonly known as Witch Hazel 

can easily be mistaken for Forsythia in the late winter landscape, 

a closer look reveals tiny bursts of color.

Fragrant fringed petals of yellow, pink & red burst open in late winter along bare branches

Just like Forsythia, Witch Hazel cuttings can be forced to bloom indoors

Copper Witch Hazel  "Jelena"

"Firedance" , with its burgandy evergreen leaves

Glowing embers a delicate yellow

"Diana" a red variety 

With spring & summer Witch Hazel fades to the background and so it is best planted 

among spring & summer flowering shrubs

Come autumn the shrub will once again come to life with a display of yellow and orange foliage

Witch Hazel an understory tree in the wild will give the best flower display 

planted in an acid soil in full sun.

Planting Zones: 5, 6, 7, 8

Plant Type: Deciduous

Light requirements: Partial Sun, Shade

Soil Conditions: Moist

Height at Maturity: 10 - 20 ft

Growth Rate: Slow

Fruiting: Yes

Flowering: Yes

Bloom Color: Yellow

Fragrant: Yes

Bloom Season: Fall, Winter 

and "Yes", the astringent we know as "Witch-Hazel" comes from the bark of this 

glorious winter bloomer

images via flicker & pinterest