We worked hard Saturday in the 90 degree heat on the landscaping and fine tuning the lot at the Indiana project. There is a lot to be done. When a house is under construction for many months and work trucks are driving all over what was already a poor excuse for a lawn, you’ve got your work cut out for you.
Construction debris has to be raked away, dead limbs have to be cut, existing shrubs have to be pruned/shaped, a lawn may have to be installed.
We purchased our plant stock back in January, so it was transported over, unloaded and ready to be placed. My Mom and I typically do the layouts and we shoot from the hip when it comes to landscape design.
We are far from done after this weekend but its a start.
Some friendly neighbors came over and asked to tour the house and we obliged. They spent a while inside and emerged with some pretty positive feedback. I happen to know which house is theirs in town and I’m pretty impressed with their home but they want to move to Indiana! They described our renovation as “breathtaking”…this makes me feel great. After all, this is a huge risk and to hear something like that gives you a tiny bit of relief.
I’m liking this little set up that Viva Terra has got going on. Where have I seen that stool before?
Oh yeah…at Ione Skye’s house
When we go to the mountains of NC, my Mom and I typically visit a couple of our favorite nursery spots. Two weeks ago we ventured to High Country Greenhouses in West Jefferson, NC. Nestled in Ashe County on NC Hwy 88, High Country offers a wide variety of annuals for plenty of spring time container gardening.
Its pretty safe to say that these ladies are good at mixed container plantings. The greenhouses were stocked to the brim shortly before Mother’s Day.
Here’s a sampling of the sites…
If you are in the area and you need a plant fix, High Country can help.
On Tuesday I posted about my mother’s porch swing and the accent pillows from Terrain that I suggested she add to the mix.
Aqua Thistle pillow, Terrain, $54
And then I was perusing Tonic Living for fabric for DC’s room and I saw this…
Sweet William Teal, Tonic Living, $9.95 a yard
Finally, I found the same pillow at Tonic Living for $24.95, SCORE!
My Mom would like to revamp her porch swing and she’s been bugging me about helping her find some outdoor pillows. She wants the swing to to look more inviting with a lot of pillows and a nice long cushion. Here’s the blank slate she’s working with right now.
This swing came with Bungalow 404 and my Mom commandeered it. It is a lovely FREE wicker swing.
Here’s the plan,
My Mom already has two solid brown Sunbrella pillows and the swing. So she’s adding more throw pillows, a bench cushion and some thick industrial hemp rope to suspend the swing instead of the chain.
She really wants to buy off the shelf so thats why we went with the aqua thistle pillow for now. The thistle pillow shares the green with the ceramic pots framing the entryway.
I’d recommend that she find a brown fabric that matches her existing pillows and have a long lumbar pillow made to anchor the back. She can add other accent pillows over time. As much as I would like to pile the swing high with lots of worn linen and batik pillows, I have to be realistic and consider durability and exposure to the elements. In North Carolina even under a covered porch, this swing will experience more than one drenching in a driving thunderstorm. We had to go with easy care and durability.
Just a friendly reminder that I want to own one of these. It’s been a little while since we talked about it. And I only bring it back up now because I’m keeping the dream alive. This puppy could cost you up to $3,000 from Design Within Reach. I am DIABOLICALLY opposed to that sum of money. But the other night I was cruising down Lincoln through Venice at warp speeds when I passed a storefront that had one of every imaginable color out on the sidewalk. I have to get back over there on a Saturday to see what the asking price is there.
I think I am in love with this…
What the hell is it? Well they are Glow bowls of course. Put airplants or tea lights in them, either way it’s magic. I just found them on Sunset magazine’s website along with a bunch of other fabulous stuff.
It’s a last minute addition Santa, sorry I know you’ll understand.
My source for holiday outdoor eye candy is Deborah Silver’s blog Dirt Simple and her holiday portfolio. I’ve mentioned Deborah before along with her beautiful corgis here. This is just a small sampling of some of Deborah’s beautiful creations. Deborah, I am in awe.
Eucalyptus & Noble Fir
There is still time to get a little magic going on your front stoop.
I like dags. Brad Pitt likes dags.
This is my boy Lex enjoying the NC mountain life.
This is Betsy’s patchouli-laced Newfoundland Pollock, his friends call him Pocket.
I discovered Deborah’s beautiful corgis Howard and Milo on her blog Dirt Simple. I’m not sure what part of Dirt Simple is my favorite, her Sunday musings, the images of her work, her landscape design advice or explanations about the design process. Can you tell I’m hooked!?! Deborah is a veteran landscape designer, offering a wealth of great images of some of the projects she has worked on. I only wish I lived closer to Detroit so I could go to Deborah’s retail spot Detroit Garden Works. You can also visit Deborah at her website to view her beautiful portfolio and if you’re so lucky, to hire her to transform your outdoor space. I’m pretty sure this won’t be the last time you’ll hear me talk about Deborah.
P.S. My Mom and I started researching long-haired corgis, do I really need more pet hair to vacuum?
Detroit Garden Works, Summer 2009
There is a lot of shelter and garden eye candy out there, this much we know. But if you ask me, Fine Gardening has got the lock on gardening for all levels be it gumshoe or advanced. Their tips are concise and actually helpful, probably because they are written by real gardeners living in the regions they write about planting in. The writer that is advising us on the top ten shade plants for the Southeast actually lives in the Southeast.
I was recently drawn to this article in Fine Gardening about front yards and first impressions and specifically to the brief section on designing for Arts & Crafts style homes. The edging caught my eye because its simple, tumbled bluestone and the beds aren’t raised or mounded.
Why this particular article, well because Dan and I realized that after we spent a significant pile of cash on the stone planting wall in the front of the house, we felt ourselves pulling out of the driveway slowly feeling like the front left something to be desired. I guess we thought that the wall was going to give us this instant perfection and that we were going to be the stars of the neighborhood. Truth be told, the front yard isn’t done but it’s done for this season because we are committed to working the backyard before winter and we need our fire pit ASAP.
After standing in my front yard and staring, I realized that the beds coupled with the old concrete paths band together to become linear overkill, everything is straight and squared off. The beds don’t have any natural curve and yes there are other obvious problems as well like the plants are young, the concrete walkways are old and non-descript and the squares of grass are boring and really unneeded and I need a window box underneath the left bank of windows. But…as I said before, backyard takes precedent.
It does make me feel better when I remind myself of what we started with, gnarly, old and abused boxwoods and weeds.
