I continue to play with this feature,  I want it too look as good as I feel about it.  Anyway, this girl looks like she is ready for a hip party.  A little avant-garde perhaps?


Fashion Sketch by Crisel Eslao

I will start with my plants this time.  Textural and color inspired, I choose a lime Zinnia, Angelina Sedum, Black Ajuga, Colocasia with lime ribs, Equisetum, ‘Lance Corporal’ Persicaria, False spirea,  and white Coneflower.

1. Zinnia Benary’s Lime Green, 2. angelina sedum, 3. Ajuga ‘Black Scallop’, 4. Elephant Ears – Colocasia, 5. Equisetum x ferrissi, Jardin des Plantes, Paris, France 2008, 6. Chevron Stripes, 7. Heucheralla in my Zen garden, 8. Sorbaria sorbifolia ‘Sem’ – Garden Splendor, 9. Double White Coneflower ‘Coconut Lime’ (Echinacea purpurea)

1. Garden Orb Chartreuse

I love a few accents.  Like this garden orb from Bauer Pottery.

The scene needs some fun party lighting.  I found these at Cultural Star.  I think they compliment the orb nicely.

Over at Material Girl Blog, I discovered some great outdoor fabric from Marimekko that would further  enhance our chartreuse garden party design and pull in a few of the accent colors from the dress (yellow and black).

All are available through Textile Art.

And Finally….a party needs chairs and these are about the chicest things I have seen lately.   They are available from Heal’s (which is one of those great stores that makes me miss the UK terribly).

Isabella Outdoor Dining Chair.

So there it is. Is there anything you would add?  What do you think?

When I came across what will be my next pair of garden boots,  I had this idea that I would share with you a picture of  my current pair…which I love, for all their broken-in, muddy, earthy glory.  I have nearly worn the heels off them (I might be a podiatrists worst nightmare).  But then my cat shared his lunch (and a few other things) all over them yesterday….and I think it is just too gross to take that picture. So I share with you the  considerably less inspiring catalog picture of my current boots…I wear them daily and they have served me well… I would recommend a pair ….

Hunter Lady N boots (available everywhere…google it)

But when I saw these I swooned… they will be my next pair….I can’t decide if I am ready for red, or if I will stick to another more garden toned color…. but I can’t get over those laces.  I hope I can still just slip them on and off without having to tie each time.

Photo by Craft & Creativity.
Available from Viking Footwear.

I live in the country, but visit cities as often as I can.  In the country, you can wear your muddy boots to the market and it is OK.  But I would never wear them to meet a client for a design meeting….(always preferring to dress more like the professional designer and less like the contractor).   In recent years, I have noticed the obvious ‘garden boot as fashion’ trend among city dwellers.  I get it…they are super useful for keeping your feet dry and when offered in 5 million colors and patterns, why not?  But I have to admit that I had initial thoughts against the  whole thing, feeling like my garden boots were being a little bit hijacked.    Then I saw these….and while my inner wannabe graceful edgy ballerina cum model says ‘yes!’, everything else about me says WHAT?   I mean really, doesn’t all this decadent decoration sort of take away the whole usefulness of the boot?….really, A white flower on the heal?   But I guess that’s probably not the point,  but I do think the garden boot trend has now officially gone too far.  Are you with me?

If you must, you can buy them here.

Look what I found! Paul Smith Stripes for all my beach gear!…Do you think I can rock them all?

Yeah, Me neither…thankfully I won’t be tempted since the chair is sold out, but the chair comes in other patterns that are still available. Oh and they are calling those shoes razzeteurs (and these are the sizzle stripes). You can find all of them at Quel Object.

Seriously though…I am having a little get together on Friday — first garden happy hour of the season….I have no time to get these for the gathering, but all of it would be perfect for the next one…don’t you think? I would put Lemonade, Limeade, and Pink Lemonade in each of the Carafe’s (for the kids) — and maybe a sangria or margaritas in the wicker one. Ahhh…I am so glad summer is here (but I have no idea what happened to spring?).

The candle tower or two in the corners of my patio for ambiance, the hurricanes on the picnic tables and the honey…well I would buy that because we go through like a gallon of honey in a month in my house….and while I prefer to buy from Fred Farmer (yes that is his name) –my local apiarist — I would get a couple of these just so I can re-use the pretty containers and fill them with citronella candles or something.

I am always interested to learn of a new (at least to me) landscape designer that creates unique and magical gardens. I was reading Chis Heiler’s blog and came across an interview he did with Ryan Gainey. Ryan’s self description –  “Gardener, poet, raconteur, philosopher, mentor, verbite, visionary, designer, and showman all in one…” makes me think I would like him immediately. The interview is worth a read to learn more about the designer who creates gardens today that you would think were from another era.
Definitely a romantic style, I thought I would share a few interesting pictures from his portfolio for your inspiration.

I love this picture of Ryan and this rendering of a show garden for the Chicago Flower Show is something I would love to hang in my home.

Ryan Gainey Portrait from March 2008 Veranda magazine.

Deborah Silver has a new blog called Dirt Simple (which is great and worth a visit) — and she recently mentioned Butterburr in a post….a plant I am completely unfamiliar with, but now plan to become intimately familiar with.

Since living in England I have wanted to be able to grow the commonly seen (there) Gunnera. The closest thing I had ever seen was rhubarb. Gunnera, if you don’t know, has GIANT leaves that can make even an adult feel like they fell through some sort of Alice in Wonderland Hole. Gunnera will not survive in New England, so with disappointment, I had given up on the idea of an oversized garden to make us feel enclosed and ensconced in a beautiful lush plant world.

Enter Deborah’s post about Butterburr and I am on a hunt to buy it RIGHT NOW. Seems Butterburr (Petasites hybidus) is actually a native of Massachusetts (where I live) and Michigan (where she lives) and I think should be successful in my garden. I can’t wait! Look at this gorgeous picture from Deborah’s house….

image from Dirt Simple.

I want edges to grassy areas and walkways that look like Picture #3 and Picture #9. BTW, I think Butterburr is actually one of those plants that gave me ‘vegetation disorientation’ (I love that term– sounds so medical…but we just made it up) in Sweden…I thought they were strange wild rhubarb…

I am reading that they are a bit of work to keep under control, but I am up for the challenge… have you grown these? I am wondering if a mulch filled trench (that can be seasonally dredged) might do the trick? (that was recommended to me for bamboo control by a local bamboo grower)

1. Petasites hybridus – Groot hoefblad, Butterbur, 2. Huge and leafy!, 3. More and more of them…, 4. Petasites hybridus (Butterbur) Cromford Canal, 5. Petasites hybridus — Foliage, 6. Petasites hybridus, 7. petasites japonica, 8. big hand, bigger leaf, 9. Petasites hybridus, 10. Groot Hoefblad -Petasites Hybridus, 11. Petasites hybridus, 12. Common Butterbur Petasites hybridus

I am so excited to give these a try…if I find success in growing them myself, I feel as if I will have a new tool in my design arsenal…they are so dramatic and exciting, sure to wow clients.

This weekend was the final act of a project that has been on my mind in my que for over a year and half. It all started with a visit from my parents when my dad made the first steps toward our eventual tree house. (oh — when I say final act…I mean final act of part 1…part 2, 3 and so forth are yet to come). He constructed and installed the platform that spans 2 trees on our property. Last summer we managed to get the whole thing sealed and railings installed but without a safe ladder and no other interesting features, it was still far from safely usable or desirable by our little people. But at least we could all have picnics up there.

So our big steps for this summer (we have to keep our goals manageable) was to get the ladder safe and permanent and to add a slide. I am so proud that we are almost done with this goal and it is not even May!

I have a few hang-ups though. I hate plastic slides…why?…they are expensive for what they are, they are simply ugly and the slide experience sucks. I feel strongly about this. I know that sometime between when I was a child and when I began working in landscape design, metal slides became a thing of the past. Besides the heat factor…does anyone know why? I can’t think of another reason. So my search for a slide from my youth began…a year ago…constant Craigslist visits finally proved fruitful a couple months ago.
To say I am excited about our new slide (and the bonus steps that I wasn’t expecting) is putting it mildly…I think my enthusiasm equals that of my 3 year old who patiently watched and waited all day while we went to the store for paint, sanded, painted, hoisted into place and carefully attached the new slide.

It is so heavy…all steel construction. I love the vintage quality and that we were able to save and reuse something that just should not go away. I love the adventure of my daughter and I driving over an hour in our old black pick-up truck (down 495) to an unknown place to meet with a young man (the son of my craigslist contact) to get this relic from childhoods past. I was totally charmed by the guy who loaded our slide into our truck…he made the thing (which as very heavy for my husband and I to carry together) seem light… He carried it by himself! and then proceeded to tie it to our truck (it extended over in all directions) so we could safely drive home… He was a master of knot tying (I love that!), kind and handy… I felt like I was looking at my dad at age 20.
I guess I am a sucker for a strong man who can tie cool knots?
For us the slide is perfect…sun will never shine on it…so it will never be hot…and it provides a much needed escape hatch from our elevated platform. Riding yesterday made my stomach drop…