container design

Gardens of the World – come for FREE!

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Gardens of the World – come for FREE!

It’s that time of year when Seattle-ites go into season-denial. Sure it may be snowing or raining outside, but within the walls of the Washington State Convention Center the sun is shining, the birds are singing and the air is perfumed with the heady spring time mix of hyacinths, daphne and sweetbox (Sarcococca). It’s Show Time!

Yes in just a few more weeks the Northwest Flower and Garden Show will be back in full swing. Forget Disney – to gardeners this is surely the best show on earth! And the theme this year is Gardens of the World.

What you’ll see

One of the 2018 display gardens that caught my attention last year

There are 20 display gardens to captivate your imagination and transport you to the gardens of Italy, Asia, and The British Isles to name just a few, all created by some of the regions top landscape designers.

Dreaming of recreating the invigorating alpine scenery of a recent trip? Then you’ll want to see Escape to the Mountains – a retreat with “altitude” by Adam Gorski Landscapes Inc. I can’t wait to see the plant selection for this one.

Personally I’m intrigued to see Notting Hill Modern English Garden created by Folia Horticultural and Design – if only because that’s one of my favorite Hugh Grant movies! Join me for a peak into this artsy London neighborhood to see how the designers interpret this contemporary style using symmetry and non-plant elements.

Take heart if you don’t have an outdoor space  as Patterns of Peace on Earth by West Seattle Nursery has the perfect display garden for you inspired by the tropical forests and sandy beaches of Ghana. This distinctive paradise will give you ideas for creating the perfect indoor vacation.

You can read about ALL the display gardens here.

What you’ll learn

After traveling around the globe you’ll be ready to sit for a while so take advantage of one of the 100 free seminars on offer. Speakers include world class notables such as Richard Hartlage and Charles A Birnbaum, top notch “out of town” speakers including Melinda Myers, Nicholas Staddon, C Colston Burrell, and CL Fornari and lots of your local favorites including the one and only Ciscoe Morris, Sue Goetz, Richie Steffan, and your favorite deer-challenged, foliage-first designer: ME! I’d love you to join me for my talk The Squish Factor: Designing Abundant Containers on Sunday February 24th at 4.30pm in the Rainier Room.

 

And be sure to check out the fun Container Wars competition MC’d by my good friend, gardening columnist and television host Marianne Binetti will have you laughing while you learn.

What you’ll want to buy

Delicious food and a glass of wine will soon revive you sufficiently to shop from the thousands of garden-related treasures in the Marketplace.

Win two tickets

I’d love you to be a part of this great show and so I’m offering a pair of tickets that can be used on any day of the show. To enter just leave me a comment below telling me where in the world you’d most like to go and why. I’ll draw a random name on Tuesday January 29th at 9am PST and mail the tickets straight out to you.

Boring rules that have to be stated: comments must be left below, not on an image and not on social media (that just gets too complicated!) You’ll have 48 hours to respond to my email telling you that you’ve won, after which I’ll draw another name. Finally, all entrants must currently live in the USA or Canada.

Visit England for Real!

Chatsworth House, in Derbyshire England

Touring the Chatsworth Estate: Karen & Andy Chapman

Have you always dreamed of visiting England? Would you like to join me on an adventure there next year? Read more about my upcoming tour

“Secret Gardens, Iconic Estates and Medieval Tales of Yorkshire and Derbyshire”

and sign up here to notified of updates as they become available and the opportunity to register. I’d love to share “my England” with you.

Gifts for Garden Lovers

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Gifts for Garden Lovers

If your list is long but your time  is short, these ideas are for YOU! All these gift  recommendations are based on my own experience and use.

For the Homesteaders

We all know someone who keeps chickens, has bees, or grows vegetables – check out the many useful and fun gifts that Stumpdust has to offer. Honey pots, garden tools and chicken ornaments are just a few of these handcrafted gifts turned from salvaged wood in our very own barn here in Duvall, WA. Yes, that’s right, the Stumpdust Santa is non other than my super-talented husband Andy. He has even agreed to offer friends of Le jardinet a special discount. Type the coupon code SANTA10 at checkout to receive 10% off your order of $75 or more. Coupon expires December 4th so don’t wait too long! (P.S. The chicken set shown above would also make a great “new baby” announcement….)

For Container Gardeners

Give the gift of inspiration and education; this popular online workshop is truly the gift that will keep on giving. With clear videos, downloadable handouts, and information packed slideshows this workshop has everything your friends and family will need to get them designing Pinterest-worthy container gardens every time. Check out the details, read the reviews and purchase here.

Ideal for those friends who live overseas as there are no shipping costs!

BONUS: use coupon code 5off at checkout get $5.00 off (expires 12/24/2018)

For the Garden Photographer

As digital cameras  have become easier to use and less expensive, more and more gardeners have discovered the delight of taking high quality photos of their gardens to create cards, e-books, wall art, or simply to share with friends.

A tripod is an indispensable piece of camera kit, enabling you not only to avoid camera shake, but also to take superior low-light shots and frame up the scene in a more deliberate way. I LOVE my lightweight, super-portable MeFoto RoadTrip tripod. It fits easily into my carry-on or can be strapped to my camera back pack, is sturdy enough to manage my 18-135mm lens, is fully adjustable AND even converts quickly into a monopod for those scenarios when there isn’t room for a full tripod (think garden tours, narrow paths…). Lots of pretty colors too! Highly recommended and great value.

Taking all the photographs for my latest book involved traveling with two camera bodies, several lenses, remote shutter release cables, filters, SD cards, battery chargers, and more. I realized pretty quickly that I needed to keep everything with me as I was shooting – I couldn’t go back for something I had left in the car or I’d miss “the” shot. While there are many fancy camera bags out there I have found this inexpensive camera backpack from Amazon ideal, It can quickly be reconfigured to take any combination of gear using the velcro separators and the wide padded straps make it comfortable to carry even when fully loaded through the largest of airports or gardens. Check it out

And finally the perfect stocking stuffer for garden photographers – a waterproof case for all the memory cards one needs! This is the one I use. Many photographers would use it to store 12 cards. I actually use it to store 6. I store unused cards on the yellow side then transfer them to the grey side as I fill them. BONUS TIP: make some paper inserts with a grid of 6 rectangles drawn on. Then write in each grid what is on that card e.g. “Chanticleer”, “Grand Canyon”. It makes it easier to sort things out when you’re ready to download the images

 

For the Creative Gardener

Treat yourself to this fun, online course and make festive indoor containers for all your friends! Check out the video and get all the details here. And to help your budget stretch even further, the first 100 friends to use coupon code holidaypots at checkout will get 10%off

 

For Experienced & New Gardeners Alike

Perfect for every garden lover on your list, this book will teach you how to design with a foliage-first attitude. That immediately gives you a jump start to creating combinations that are lower maintenance, higher impact, longer lasting and truly beautiful. With ALL the reviews being 5 star, you know it’s going to be good. New gardeners will gain confidence as they learn how these combinations were put together, while experienced gardeners will love the unique designs and discover new ideas to try. We are justifiably proud of this book and we’d love to share it with you. Check out Gardening with Foliage First here.

That’s it – shopping complete! Time to put the kettle on and join me for a cup of tea and mince pie.

This post contains affiliate links

 

Creating Sensational Indoor Containers for the Holidays

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Creating Sensational Indoor Containers for the Holidays

 

For several years I taught this workshop at my home, teaching guests how to design festive indoor containers. They were always a hit – and sold out quickly, as we could only get a limited number of folks around the table. But the bigger problem was that only those who lived within an easy drive of our home in Duvall, WA could attend – and trying to accommodate everyone’s crazy Holiday season schedules was next to impossible (think music recitals, business dinners, family gatherings, and more).

About a year ago I began working to make this and other educational workshops available online, knowing that whether you lived in France or Florida, England or Encitas, you could join in the fun and for a much lower price than an in-person event.

Drum Roll please…..

So I’m excited to unveil my latest online course:

DECK THE HALLS: Creating Sensational Holiday Containers.

This fun online workshop will teach you everything you need to know about creating seasonal designs, freshening them up in the New Year, ongoing care and lots more. Indoor Holiday containers are the perfect gift for your neighbor, co-worker, kids teacher, and special friend. Make one for yourself to add a festive touch to the coffee table – or be ready to pass it on as a last minute hostess gift.

When you take a few moments to create something unique, you are giving a gift from the heart – the very best gift of all.

 

And the great news is that you can watch this course as often as you like, whenever you like, on any device. I’ve even created downloadable care sheets for you to print off and give with your gift.

Check out the details and register today!

And to sweeten the deal (and make your Holiday budget stretch a little further), the first 100 friends who use

coupon code holidaypots

will get 10% off the already LOW price!

 

Let’s Deck those Halls together this year!

Deer-Resistant Containers: Before & After

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Deer-Resistant Containers: Before & After

I thought you might like to see how some of my summer container designs have grown in. All three designs are planted in full sun, are deer resistant, and low maintenance.

The “After” images are approximately 6-7 weeks after planting. They all had Osmocote added as a slow release fertilizer when first planted but have not had additional fertilizer since then. Nothing has been deadheaded or cut back except where noted.

Contemporary and Monochromatic

May 19th 2018 – just planted

You may recall helping me design this container! It has looked good from day one, although the ornamental oregano I originally planted did not do well for some reason and has since been replaced with a similar variety called Kent Beauty.

August 1st 2018

I’m really enjoying this! I love how the colors continue to work with the surrounding landscape and how full and luscious the design now looks. Notice though the discrepancy between  the size of the two silver leaved plants (Senecio ‘Angel Wings’). That is because they were purchased from two different vendors and is a reflection of their varying fertilizer and growing regimes. Both plants are gorgeous and healthy, but one is much bigger. Lesson learned….

Plant list:

Platinum Beauty lomandra

Angel Wings senecio

Kent Beauty oregano

Quicksilver hebe

Red Threads alternanthera, Joseph’s coat (hidden in this image but you’ll see where I added it in the original post)

Quick, Easy and Colorful

June 1st 2018 – just planted

The Orange Rocket barberry has been in this pot for several years – I just prune it a little for shape as needed. Truthfully there was zero effort or thought put into this design – I just grabbed three each of three different annuals, focusing on foliage and reliable performance.

July 31st 2018- on a hazy summer day!

I didn’t use any long trailers in the design but I like the ruffle of white euphorbia blooms and that blue fan flower is a rock star! Non-stop color and zero maintenance. (I ought to trim away (or move) the barberry at the base of the container as it is visually interfering with the design). In the photo at the head of this blog post you can see how it looks in the context with the cabin and surrounding landscape.

Plant list:

Orange Rocket barberry

Glitz euphorbia

Fairy Blue fan flower

Walkabout Sunset lysimachia

Demonstration pot

This was the container I planted in the demonstration video for my online course Designing Abundant Containers . It has evolved beautifully as the perennials have changed personality and the annuals have grown. Initially the false indigo and Ascot Rainbow spurge had blooms, but the annual verbena was just waking up. Colorful foliage helped to bridge the gap.

May 14th 2018 – just planted

Just over four weeks later and the Ascot Rainbow spurge is still flowering but the false indigo  blooms are now small seed pods – and look at that verbena!

June 19th 2018

By the beginning of August I had trimmed off the spent Ascot Rainbow blooms and was surprised to find another flowering stalk already emerging. The verbena took a two week break from full bloom, although it was never without color. As flowers finished I cut off the developing seed heads…. and then this happened! I struggled to photograph it in the same location as it is now so much wider!

August 1st 2018

I was pleased that although the silver Angel Wings senecio has got taller it hasn’t become “leggy” and that there is still a wonderful density to the abundant, felted foliage. I also like the the way the lemon thyme fills in the front and the verbena mingles unapologetically through it all yet never overwhelms.

Plant list:

Cherries Jubilee false indigo

Ascot Rainbow spurge

Tequila Sunrise mirror plant

Mexican feather grass

Diamond Frost spurge

Purple Queen

Angel Wings senecio

Lemon thyme

Royal Romance verbena

 

I’m about to head out of town so won’t see these again for a while. My daughter is in charge of watering while I’m away…..I wonder if they’ll look past their best when I get home again or still be photo-worthy?

I hope this series of images helps you see the value of designing with foliage first (I do believe there is a book about that!), and encouraging you that a deer-resistant design can still look both colorful and interesting.

If you’d like more help designing with deer in mind, stay in touch via my newsletter. I’ve been busy creating a special online course Designing a Deer-Resistant Garden that you won’t want to miss, as well as my new book Deer-Resistant Design; both will roll out in June 2019. And as a thank you for signing up for my newsletter I’ve written this FREE guide just for you. Enjoy!

 

If you’d like to receive these blog posts in your inbox, just sign up below.

Mission Impossible? Petunia Conversion!

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Mission Impossible? Petunia Conversion!

“Oh boy,” was my less-than-enthusiastic reaction when I opened the box of plants to trial from Proven Winners and saw several petunias. PINK petunias at that. I can’t stand petunias. They get sticky, messy, don’t deadhead politely, get covered in aphids, don’t tolerate rain – and pink is NOT my color…

As I donned my gardening gloves and pushed my pride to one side I tried to focus on the fact that I was being asked to test these plants as a real gardener so that YOU would have an unbiased review of their performance. Sure it was going to be unbiased. I hate petunias. Did I mention that already? And I don’t especially like pink. I’m not completely averse to pink – I just wouldn’t choose it.

I hastily shoved them in a couple of spare pots adding whatever I could round up to work with them (did I mention that I don’t “do” pink?) and set up the drip irrigation system.. I then left town for 10 days – for 8 of which it poured with rain. When I got back home did I rush out to see how they were doing? Noooo. I hunkered down in my office for another 8 days to finish writing my book, during which time it rained – a lot.

When I eventually emerged and ventured out to check on them I anticipated a sticky, molten mess. I kid you not – they were stunning. No sticky goo. No aphids.

I didn’t even primp them before taking these photos – this is as real as it gets!

Et Voila: Supertunia Vista Bubblegum

Of the two, so far, I’d say Vista Bubblegum has a tidier habit – no awkward sprawly bits – and it is playing beautifully with the delicate, silver Artemisia ‘Makana Silver’. And although I don’t go for pink as a rule I could honestly be tempted by this one. It’s a lovely clear shade of pink with deeper veins- not too bright and not too pale. I think it will hold up well to bright summer sun come August. And just one little plant is really giving a lot for the money.

….and Supertunia Vista Paradise

Supertunia Vista Paradise is a little more sprawly but not excessively so and I am deliberately not going to pinch it back as I want to see how it performs on its own. Chances are it will even out and have a similar habit to Vista Bubblegum.

Supertunia Vista Paradise with a blue fanflower (Scaevola), Sedum ‘Lemon Coral’ and a lovely new Angelonia called Angelface ‘Steel Blue’ that will be available in 2019. All except the fanflower are from Proven Winners

It’s a really deep shade of neon pink that looks stunning with bolder shades of yellow and blue-purple so is a little closer to my usual color tempo. This one will be available in nurseries in 2019

Stay tuned for a late season follow up but dare I say I am impressed? By a petunia! Proven Winners  – you have achieved the impossible.

Although the plants were from Proven Winners I have not been paid to give my endorsement. Opinions are my own and unbiased. (I DID tell you that I hate petunias, right?)

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