When the holiday hulabaloo dies down I relish the thought of clearing all the clutter and starting the new year with a clean slate.  Clean Slate Mentality  drives me in so many ways.  Its why I can’t wait to do a major refrigerator and freezer scrub down.  It’s why I am especially excited about the lack of snow –  I still have time to go mow down the perennials and clear out before spring.  And it is why places like the Saguaro Hotel in Scottsdale, AZ appeal (and also its warm).

Bold stark color and straight lines is the opposite of the visual excess that generally pervades in December and this is what I crave for January.  Who’s ready for a vacation?

Remember when pool side Tiki bars were THE thing?  This beirgarten at the Standard Hotel in LA has me wondering if possibly a rage for a more German inspired version of the garden tiki lounge could be possible.

One that relies on beer and brats?

images from the Guardian and whereLA

If you have been to London, England for even 5 minutes you have probably noticed the Battersea Power Station.  It’s the big interesting looking set of buildings that is within eye shot of nearly every major attraction in the city.  So it is not without anticipation and excitement that its renovation into a mixed use of housing, hotel and shopping comes.  It’s an iconic building even in disrepair, so certainly it will be extraordinary when it is done. (We hope.)

But this level of ‘extraordinary’ is hard to believe.  Really,(?) when it is complete, central London will become home to exotic parakeets and rainbow macaws? And it will have an old growth ancient looking forest along the banks of the Thames river?  Really? Now that is something to be excited about.  If it fact that is what is going to happen.

If not, it leaves me with lots of questions, like, does the design firm responsible for the rendering have any idea about the ecology or biology of the region (as they should) and the fact that these birds don’t really frequent the area?   and  Is there some sort of new trick for making newly planted trees look like an old forest?   and  Is  ‘Ancient Forest’ really the look that best fits this site (smack in the middle of one of the most industrialized, modern cities in the world)?

I get that there is probably a significant amount of artistic license here and ok, I am willing to let some things slide, but I think that this type of presentation causes two problems.  1) Ridiculous expectations are set and disappointment is sure to follow, and 2) This firm is really opening themselves up to questions about their own skill level.  It reminds me of a recent interaction I had with a certain email campaign company.  I researched and tested, got quotes and went to great effort to sort out what I thought would be the best company to support my studio ‘g’ email list as well as my Harvard Farmers Market email list.  And then I got to the paying part…and they don’t have the ability to do online payment!?!  I had to use a Fax machine to send my credit card information!?!  I immediately questioned all my conclusions about the quality of their product. Can a good software product come from a software company who is operating with 1990′s payment technology?  I don’t know, maybe, but I’m not going to find out.  I moved on as I expect that we should with this landscape rendering.  Don’t expect this project to look like anything like this when its done, I’m going to break it to you now,  it just won’t.

I guess my point is that I think as Landscape professionals we all have a responsibility to educate people and doing this type of thing, particularly on such a high profile project, seems to me to put us all in a bit of a bad light.  What do you think?  Am I overreacting or do you agree?

image from bdonline.

When I saw this before and after, I immediately recognized the inspiration source – even before I read about it.  The Hempel Hotel is one of those hidden London places that all the neighbors know.  It is perfectly placed in an area with lots of tourists on foot.  It’s little breaks in the walls give glimpses that get enough street traffic to peak everyone’s curiosity.  Honestly, I don’t know anyone who lived in that neighborhood who didn’t take some stolen peaks at the cool garden behind the wall.

(Maybe you remember a while back, I wrote about how the Hempel was my favorite hotel garden you can click through to remind yourself of the inspiration source).

So with the Hempel as inspiration, Designer Katherine Edmonds created this strikingly stylish residential garden.

Can you see the obvious translation with the square cut lawn and the white gravel? The pleached Limes?  And I am really enjoying the designers twists like the cardoon.  I am a little obsessed with those and think they might have to be added to my 2011 garden.  What about you, what do you like about the design interpretation?

A little note about the gallery : Please accept my apologies for the lame way that you cannot click through the gallery from image to image.  It has been a thorn in my side for a while and knowing that it bugs some of you too, has moved it to the top of my ‘to fix’ list.  I think I have found the solution, but trying to modify my blog template is not so simple…patience….I will let you know when it is fixed. Thanks for the feedback.

Corrour Lodge is a modern twist on the classic Scottish shooting and hunting lodge.  The original lodge burned but was rebuilt in 2003 by architect  Moshe Safdie.  Fitting into the Highland environment and surrounding the lodge are the beautiful wild gardens designed by Jinny Blom.

Jinny Blom is a master of creating the wild and beautiful meadow gardens and the images captured by Allan Pollock Morris are beautiful.   (click through to follow Allan’s Northfiled Editions Collection on Facebook).

Vicia cracca

Throughout the property there are beautiful details.  The sauna has a wild green roof and the sculpture in the trees is by Antony Gormley.  Jinny took pains to create a victorian alpine garden and reinterpreted the ‘antigarden’, as an experimental approach to non-interventionist gardening. The intent was to tend to and renovate native plantations – the results beautiful – don’t you think?

Make sure to check out North Field Editions facebook page to see even more images.

Adjacent the the Berkeley Square hotel in Bristol England was an “embarrassingly dirty and uncared for area”.  Designer Katherine Edmonds changed that and created an oasis in the heart of the city.  What once as a car park is now an eclectic garden space that the hotel can use to host parties and events.

From the designer:

“The large garden has been divided into a number of smaller more intimate dining areas. There are places to sit in the sun and covered areas for times when the elements aren’t so kind. The chunky, green-oak furniture was made on-site and will last a lifetime, gaining character as it ages.

Bespoke features include the handmade glass table inset, which was designed and made by local Easton artist Milly Francis and, along with the wall art and the furniture, it adds an individual touch to the garden.”

What do you think of this funky space? Click through to see more of the details.