Garden Vignettes

The above two photos show the gradual transformation of the entrance to a hillside garden from July to November. This area was the first sight upon cresting the stairs to a wood deck at the base of several terraces. Prior to the month of July it was a catch-all or a dumping ground for scrap wood, tools, disorganized toys, numerous objects and refuse. By simply removing the jumbled items and slowly relocating metal signs lying in a pile on the ground, metal garden art, and other miscellaneous elements with story-telling potential, garden visitors are now greeted with a scene that puts smiles on their faces.

Condominium Exterior Entryway Redo 

The former planting of azaleas in this small space underneath the open riser concrete staircase, shown on the right in the first photo above, were removed. The azaleas were unable to produce abundant blooms in the low light conditions. The homeowners decided to dress up the area using giant clam shells and succulents that would survive in low light conditions such as Gasteria, Sansevieria, Haworthia, and Aloe hybrids. The above photos were taken on a rainy day. On a sunny day the area will receive brighter light due to the open riser staircase but never any direct sunlight.

The first photo shows the clam shells oriented on the diagonal with the hinged side forward-facing. The second photo shows the clam shells still oriented on the diagonal but turned to highlight the fluted edges. Positioning them in this manner will allow the Senecio rowleyanus, commonly known as String of Pearls, to cascade to the ground. The third and fourth photos were taken after the rock top dressing and existing clay soil were removed. The area was filled with fast draining soil with a high mineral content, crucial for the health of succulents.

The first photo above shows the start of the new fast draining soil being delivered. The second photo shows the space filled with the new soil, the clam shells in their final position and the first in-ground plant installed in the back corner, Sansevieria trifasciata 'Singer's Silver'. The third photo shows a fallen tree limb set in place to add height and interest to the installation. The fourth photo shows all in-ground plants installed and the clam shells planted.

The photo on the left above shows the final plant installation with Spanish Moss added to the cut ends on the smaller branches of the tree limb. The photo on the right above shows the finished installation with the rock top dressing back in place and the entire space lighted for nighttime drama.

Thank you so much for our lovely new garden. We truly are enjoying our new outlook when leaving the house. The light at night adds a lot too. Getting lots of compliments on the garden.

Back Deck Spruce Up

This project originated from the desire of the homeowner to enliven and refresh her back deck. She wanted an inviting and pleasing view when looking out the sliding glass door from the dining room. This was created by placing an outdoor area rug over the deck to bring color, texture, and softness to the space and to conceal the worn wood in need of refinishing. A happy surprise was revealed when the rug was in place. The colors echoed the colors in a stained glass window in the dining room visually pulling the two spaces together.

The next step in providing a welcoming view and destination was to rearrange the existing, mostly empty, pots in relationship to scale, style, shape, and color to know which plants to put in which pots to best feature the plant heights, growth habits, textures, and colors.

POT DETAILS

After the completion of the project the homeowner expressed the following,

“I had no idea how glum things looked at the start. You are truly a marvel! You are amazing.”

1.     Glum: [ɡləm]

ADJECTIVE

glummer (comparative adjective) · glummest (superlative adjective)

1.     looking or feeling dejected; morose.

ORIGIN

mid 16th century: related to dialect glum ‘to frown’, variant of gloom.

Powered by Oxford Dictionaries · Bing Translator

Succulent Planted Retaining Wall

The following photos show progressive images of the transformation of a retaining wall planting that took place over a ten month period. The existing succulents had been set behind the landscape blocks and left in their original nursery pots for ten years. They never received any supplemental watering beyond winter rainfall. The backfill behind the landscape blocks was the existing native clay – not fast draining soil preferred by succulents. To create a habitat more conducive to the conditions that most succulents prefer, a fast-draining, mineral-based mix was added immediately behind the blocks to a depth of at least six inches. Next the succulents were removed from their pots and laid out in an alternating pattern highlighting their species growth habits – echeverias, aloes, and aeoniums. A few new succulents were purchased to add interest and were interspersed into the planting layout.

The above first two photos from top left, moving right, show the succulent wall prior to the start of the project. The next three photos were taken during the first work day. The following three photos were taken a number of months after the completion of the project. A decorative rock top dressing was applied to the surface of the soil to give the installation a finished look and to protect the succulent plant tissues from absorbing excessive amounts of moisture during winter rains. The bottom two photos are BEFORE and AFTER images.

L-Shaped Patio Spruce Up Project

DESIGN INTENT: to create a cohesive entertaining area blending the narrow side patio with the larger main patio by:

• adding outdoor area rugs;

• succulent planted window boxes hung from iron fencing above stucco walls;

• large potted containers in three corners with patio trees or large shrubs pruned to small tree size;

• and four mobile planter boxes with casters and vines on trellises to conceal both the two air conditioner units and the trash bins.

Before Photos

The area rugs needed to be ordered prior to moving forward with the remaining steps involved in sprucing up the L-shaped patio. The colors and pattern on the rug would dictate the color palette of the plant containers and plants in addition to any new furniture items and how to use the existing garden sculpture and art.

Photos with New Area Rugs in Place

AH! So much better! More inviting. The rugs also help to reduce the radiating heat from the concrete during the hot summer months. Now we can move on to ordering pots and making plant selections. Charcoal gray pots were purchased to repeat the charcoal gray in the rugs. Three large 55” long black metal frame window boxes with coco liners were ordered for the purpose of installing succulents. The coco liners were spray painted black to stay within the color palette and not create a diversion from the scheme. The succulents that were chosen for the two main patio window boxes were made to echo the colors in the rugs - Aeonium ‘Zwartkop’, a black aeonium with burgundy accents; Aeonium ‘Sunburst’, a mostly yellow aeonium with pink and green accents; Cotyledon orbiculata, a silvery green succulent to pick up the icy blue in the rugs; Echeveria ‘Afterglow’, a dusty rose pink echeveria to pick up the pink in the area rugs; and a Sedum with pink accents. The homeowners made the decision to divert from the area rug color scheme with the succulents selected to be installed in the smaller patio window box, using a mostly green color palette.

Plants at Last!

More plants!!!

Container Plant Choices: Acca sellowiana/Pineapple Guava was installed in the largest charcoal gray container to serve as a small patio tree. The undersides of the leaves are silver and will repeat the icy blue in the area rugs. During the May-June bloom-time the flowers sport pale and deep pink hues that are in keeping with the magenta hue in the area rugs. The leaves of the Cordyline baueri will also repeat those same colors. The rectangular boxes were filled with a combination of plants that also repeat the colors in the area rugs: a dwarf form of Loropetalum chinense/Chinese Fringe Flower with burgundy foliage and magenta flowers; Centaurea gymnocarpa with silver foliage and magenta pink flowers spring to mid-summer; and a variegated form of a pale pink flowering vine called Pandorea jasminoides 'Rosea'/Pink Bower Vine.

Finished project photos

Client appreciation:

“You have gone above and beyond and so very much appreciated.  I think I keep repeating myself BUT can’t help it.”