Relocating to New England from England about four years ago seemed, at the time, (and often still does) like the landscape equivalent of a chef moving from Paris to Poughkeepsie. More than anything, I get frustrated by the overuse of a relatively small palette of plants. The primary target of my irritation is the rhododendron. At first I vowed to never use them, rip them out at every opportunity and speak with every grower about the need to diversify. But with time, I have have remembered that at Kew Gardens outside of London, The Rhododendron Dell was a magical place that was celebrated and visited by people far and wide. Here, they are ubiquitous. They are used as foundation plantings at every turn, often sited where they have little chance of success, and mostly in the most disgusting shades of candy or baby pink. They inevitably clash with the adjacent house or building color. But as I have mellowed into my new life and home, I have come full circle again on the rhododendron – but only in good colors and really celebrated for what they can do and used sparingly and smartly. I found this cover of Selvedge (an amazing publication about textiles) so inspirational. It feeds my passion for fashion and gardening….

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A few months back I was asked by the lovely editors at “Design New England” Magazine to be involved in creating their ’selections’ section that would be focusing on the landscape. The brief was interesting….Using a “romantic” plant or flower as inspiration suggest various landscape elements that you would incorporate into an outdoor room…. Not having done this before, and knowing also that they had also asked a couple other designers to do the same, I panicked. Thinking that there are only so many “romantic” flowers, what if the other designers choose the same ones, then what would happen? Out of shear fear that they would change their mind and pick another designers version of the same romantic plant, I decided that must go over the top and provide them options. They chose their favorite, and I later found out that the brief for the other designers was different, so I needlessly feared duplication. I have included my board here and then what the actual spread looked like….. I will post the other boards that they didn’t use in the next few days.

Our ‘Studio g’ version…..
And the magazine version….

I must share with you this excellent inspiration board that our own Emily did. She imagined it as a rooftop garden but but it could be applied to a courtyard or lounge.
With this posting I want to invite you, our readers, to send us your inspiration boards for gardens. Send us something and we will post it here with our own boards. Make sure you tell us a little about yourself and the place you are designing for. (Send them here info@greayer.com)

Bamboos are a huge design trend but installation can quickly become prohibitively expensive as running bamboos need to be contained and that involves root barriers. I just came across this product, the DuPont™ GreenVista® Root Barrier and according to the manufacturer, it is

“a new and unique product that creates an impenetrable vertical barrier to contain a plant’s root system. It is made of a technically-advanced flexible fabric that is tough enough to contain even the most aggressive root systems. Now you can ensure that you have only planned growth in your garden”

They also claim that

“Root Barrier can also be used to protect your landscaped areas, buildings and utility channels from damage by root invasion. … It is also a useful protective measure for your pond, to prevent the pond liner from being damaged by root growth….Recommended for bamboo.”

Lowe’s seems to carry the exclusive line of Dupont garden products in the USA but not this… Has anyone tried it and can tell us if it lives up to the claims?

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I found them!….the pictures of the unique landscape lights at Tivoli gardens in Copenhagen. The posting the other day about the ‘lotus lights’ reminded me of these. Real thought was put into each one to make sure that not only are they sculptural and purposeful as garden planters during the day, but at night the effect that they create is somewhat unexpected.
Please forgive the terrible night photography, but you get the idea.

At night, the structure faded into the darkness and all you saw where the little round globes — each only a few inches in diameter.

This venue, in the heart of the city of Copenhagen, is a ‘not to be missed’ attraction. It is filled with restaurants and night life and a pleasant mix of rides and attractions. I found the ambiance of the gardens and the fact that it was much more of a social gathering place than any current American theme park that I have been to, refreshing and truly enjoyable.