Blue Planet Garden Blog

Magnolias and Rhododendrons at Strybing Arboretum

Magnolia cambellii

March at Strybing Arboretum in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco is all about the Magnolias, Rhododendrons and Camellias. Did you know Strybing has the largest collection of Magnolias outside of China? There was a lot to see on a sunny day in early March. Here are some highlights. Enjoy!

 

Magnolia cambellii close-up

 

 

 

 

Magnolia cambellii 'Strybing White'

 

 

 

In the sky...

 

 

and reflected in the water of the moonlight viewing garden

 

 

 

Magnolia doltsopa

 

 

Rhododendron 'Fred Cummings'

 

 

 

Rhododendron macabanum

 

 

 

In addition to the spectacular show of magnolia and rhododendron blooms, I admired the twisted shape of Corylus avellana 'Contorta',

 

The colorful blooms of Berberis darwinii,

and everyday succulents like Aloe vera

 

 

Aloe vera

 

 

 

A sweet garden view

 

 

 

One last reflection in the moon viewing garden. Doesn't it look like a painting?

 

 

On a final note, we weren't the only ones enjoying the unusually warm and sunny March day.

 

 

Lessons in Color Theory from the Northwest Flower and Garden Show

 

Last week I had the pleasure of speaking at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show on design strategies for small spaces. It’s always a bit hard for me to relax and enjoy the show when I know I have a talk coming up, so this year I played it smart. Flying in right before my presentation meant I had a full day and a half to view the show gardens and attend presentations after I spoke. For once, I was able to give my full attention over to new ideas.

 

Image courtesy of Billy Goodnick

The lesson for me this year was all about color. By far my favorite garden was Roman Holiday by the Washington Chapter of APLD. While the whole garden was well laid out, it was the sophisticated use of color in the plant palette that I found both engaging and inspiring. Coincidentally, during the show my co-author Rebecca Sweet gave two thought-provoking presentations on employing color theory to wake up a weary garden (she even used a color wheel in her presentation). The week after the show I attended an excellent presentation by Chris Grampp at Merritt College on the use of color in rendering. Clearly, the universe is telling me to brush up on my rusty color theory skills to get to the bottom of why the blue/purple/gold combination is so appealing.

 

The Itten Color Star

 

There are many ways to combine color, but the above photo of Johannes Itten's color star points out two of the most effective techniques. One option that ensures a harmonious result is to focus on the inner, lightest color values on the wheel. As Chris put it in his lecture, if you washed all your clothes 200 times, they would eventually fade to the point where you could wear anything with anything. He followed this with the excellent example of Gertrude Jekyll, who relied on this approach to achieve a seamless color effect, despite filling her famous borders with an army of unique perennials. Lesson: there's a reason pastels are so popular in the garden (not to mention the top pick of new parents everywhere when it comes to choosing a soothing color scheme for the nursery).

The other option, and one that is used less commonly in garden design, is to focus on the colors at the darkest end of the spectrum, those which live on the outermost edge of the color wheel. Roman Holiday caught my eye because the designers chose this less traveled path. I found the tapestry of deep, blue-violets and blue-greens they created with their plant selection mesmerizing.

 

Another sophisticated way to combine color is via a split complementary scheme.  In brief, instead of combining two complementary colors, such as red with green, a split scheme combines red with the colors to either side of its complement; in this case, yellow-green and blue-green. The result can be a combination that retains the vibrancy of a traditional complementary color scheme, but with more subtlety and refinement.

Split complementary color chart courtesy of Buzzle 

In the case of Roman Holiday, I’m treating the yellow-gold of the stucco walls and the yellow accents of the Euphorbia and tulip blooms as the main color, while the blue-greens and blue-violets of the rest of the plant palette provide the split complements. The power of this combination is reinforced by the complete lack of red in the palette (green is usually always present in some form of course – this is a garden after all).

 

The combination is easier to see in the colors chosen for the house, but it was the plants that mainly grabbed my eye. Whether the designers did this intentionally or would even agree with my attempt to turn their fabulous creation into a mini-design lesson remains to be seen. All I know is, as I gear up for a month devoted to garden design, the talented designers of Roman Holiday have inspired me to push the color envelope.

If you'd like to see more display garden images, professional photographer Mark Turner, who graciously allowed me to use several of his photos in this post, has a whole gallery here.

Gardening App: Foolproof Plants for Small Gardens

 

I’m thrilled to announce the publication of my new gardening app, Foolproof Plants for Small Gardens. Published by Sutro Media and available for $2.99 from both iTunes and Google Play (where it is titled Plant Picks for Small Gardens), this app is yet another manifestation of my ongoing obsession with small space design.

With almost 100 plants and 450 photos, Foolproof Plants highlights some of the best options for ornamental plants that stay a manageable size, from trees that grow less than 25’ to shrubs smaller than 5’—not to mention well-behaved vines that won’t eat your house. It’s all organized in a highly searchable database that allows you to search by plant category, USDA zone, or desirable characteristics like flower color or drought tolerance. 

 

 

Here’s a breakdown on what’s included:

•  90+ plants in seven categories: trees, shrubs, perennials, vines, groundcovers and ornamental grasses plus a special bonus category.

• Plant descriptions that include cultural requirements, maintenance tips, when to “proceed with caution” and alternate varieties.
• Tags that let you narrow down your selection by USDA climate zone, flower color, drought tolerance and more.
• Links to online nurseries and how-to videos.
• Pronunciation guide for botanical names that is both written and recorded.
• Step-by-step guidelines on sustainable planting practices, including sheet mulching.
• Garden glossary.
• Sunset zones included for Western gardeners.

 

 

Because this app is intended as a resource for small-space gardeners all over the country, I enlisted the help of a talented group of horticulturists and landscape designers from other USDA zones to contribute plant choices that represent some of the best small-space plants from their regions. Click on the Contributors section in the app, and you’ll be impressed by the credentials of co-authors Katie Elzer-Peters (zone 7), Jenny Peterson (zone 8), Maria Zampini (zones 5 and 6) and Genevieve Schmidt (Zone 9 and my go-to source for the best maintenance advice).

 

To celebrate, I’m giving the iTunes version of Foolproof Plants away to three readers! To win, leave a comment by next Monday at midnight. Winners will be chosen randomly. Unfortunately, I only have promotional codes for the iTunes version, so this giveaway will run on iPhone or iPad, but not on other smart phones or on your computer. But don’t worry if you're not a fan of technology that begins with i; an eBook version is in the works, so stay tuned for another announcement in the near future…

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Update!  The three lucky winners are Leslie Peluso, Valerie Robertson and Pam Kirsting!

Small Space Design Lesson - Amy Stewart's Cocktail Garden

 

Fans of Sunset magazine, cocktails and gardening should count themselves lucky in February, because this is the month when they all converge. In celebration of her soon-to-be released new book, The Drunken Botanist, noted author, Gardenranter and cocktail aficionado Amy Stewart shares photos from her new garden filled with botanical ingredients and garnishes—and even a cocktail recipe, la vie en elderflower.

I had the great pleasure of helping Amy design her cocktail garden, and if you read the Sunset article, it may leave you wanting a few more photos and information on the garden itself. Accordingly, I'm sharing a few of the design strategies we used to make Amy’s very small garden come to life.

Although collaboration is at the heart of the design process, it is unusual for me to work with a client long distance, providing all design documents and advice based strictly on photographs. Working with Amy was unusual in another way as well. As an artist (and also just as someone with generally strong opinions), she had a fairly definite idea of what she wanted to accomplish. My challenge:  Making everything fit together in a way that honors the owner’s artistic, quirky vision, while still resulting in a garden that is cohesive and practical.

Here are four tips that work to minimze the cramped, bowling alley feel in any narrow garden.

Despite the deceptively spacious feel of the garden in plan view, at its narrowest point it is only 7' wide. Instead of a path running straight down the center, vary the width of the planting beds on either side to add some visual variety, and have pathways merge seamlessly with patio space - don't use a different material. Be practical, however, and avoid the temptation to make the walkway too small. At only 2’ wide, the original path was too narrow for wheelbarrows and other garden equipment and actually made the garden feel smaller. The new one is 3’ wide at its narrowest point.

 

A chair set at an angle (which can be easily pushed against the wall when more access is required) breaks up the rigid geometry on one side, as does the checkerboard pattern of the corner planting bed on the other side.

 

Mix in circular or unusually shaped containers to act as a counterpoint to the rectangular pathways and raised beds.

 

 

Draw the eye up by taking advantage of wall space. A mix of vertical planters, vintage windows and artistic touches turn an ordinary fence into an art gallery. Varying the height of containers also creates vertical interest. This shows the original drawing I made to help Amy with container and art arrangement, and the final result.

I'll be sharing more photos and design lessons from Amy's garden as part of my small space design presentation at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show on February 20 and the Boise Flower and Garden Show on March 22 and 23. Hope to see some of you there!

 

A Visit with the Naples Garden Club in Florida

It turns out that one of the perks of writing a well-received garden book is not instant fame. I am still able to shop at my local Trader Joe’s without hiding behind oversized sunglasses, and no one has ever asked me for an autograph, unless it’s on the title page of Garden Up. But it has given me the opportunity travel to other parts of the country, and speak to groups of all different sizes about vertical gardening and small-space garden design. On my recent trip to Florida, not only did I get to speak to a vibrant and engaged group of gardeners, I also got to tour a spectacular private garden and an inspirational public one.

Can you say tropical paradise? Northern California is known for its mild year-round temperatures, but not this month. When I left for the airport it was a chilly 40 degrees, so you can imagine my delight when I stepped off the plane into the warm and balmy night air of Naples, Florida.

The Naples Garden Club is a warm and welcoming group, and none more so than my charming hostess Linda and her equally gracious husband Jerry. I arrived at their home in the late afternoon, and Linda correctly guessed that the first thing I would want to do was tour her garden. Here’s a peak at Linda’s glorious garden:

 

 

 

 

 

How crazy is it to see so many plants most of the country considers houseplants growing like gangbusters when planted in the ground? Crotons, copperleafs, ferns and bromeliads adorned every corner of the garden.

 

 

While stepping into a tropical paradise like this might make you think gardening in Southeast Florida is a snap, the opposite is true. The sandy soil requires constant attention, while the continuous damp invites a host of pests and diseases. In fact, several trees and plants in the front garden were slated for removal by the city.

 

Foliage makes up the backbone of Linda’s garden, but even in the middle of winter, I was greeted by a few spectacular blooms.

 

Thank you Naples Garden Club for the warm and enthusiastic reception, and a special thank you to my kind hosts Linda and Jerry for opening their home and garden to me.