Thought for the Day

Be like the sun and meadow, which are not in the least concerned about the coming winter.

- George Bernard Shaw

What's Happening in the Garden Today

The last harvest of Bright Lights Swiss Chard
can only mean that winter is in the wings.

Every Man a Rembrandt

Found this completed paint-by-number masterpiece for $1 at a flea market this summer.
I fell in love with the color palette and the kitchy take on a country landscape.

Extremely popular in the 1950s, paint-by-number became a symbol of mechanical performance and mass culture. For critics, the paint-by-number phenomenon provided ample evidence of the mindless conformity gripping national life and culture.

"I don't know what America is coming to," one writer complained to American Artist,
"when thousands of people, many of them adults, are willing to be regimented into brushing paint on a jig-saw miscellany of dictated shapes and all by rote. Can't you rescue some of these souls, or should I say morons?"

So what, I say. Surround yourself with things you love, even if no one else does.

A Tannenbaum Fun Fact

Shelf Tree by Frank Visser of IJM

The Scottish botanist David Douglas, after whom
the Douglas Fir is named, died in extraordinary and terrifying circumstances.

In 1832, upon his return from the northwestern United States, his ship docked in Hawaii to replenish supplies. Douglas seized this opportunity to explore the mountains in search of new species. Tragically, he fell into a pit dug to capture ferocious wild cattle that roamed the hills. One such beast was already in the pit that he fell into and Douglas was powerless to prevent it from trampling and goring him to death. His remains were discovered by a search party a few days later.

Speculation continues to this day about the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death.

String Gardens

It's a bit disconcerting to see a plant that isn't grounded but these ethereal living sculptures are so cool they seem to take flight. Created by Amsterdam based Fedor, this installation project is comprised of hanging gardens made from twine wrapped around a root ball or bulb. The idea is based on a Japanese botanical style called kokedama. For more celestial beauty visit the String Gardens website.

Gardens to See Before You Die

View looking west from the High Line in Manhattan.

A must see attraction that's relatively new to New York City, the framework for the High Line was built in the 1930's as an elevated rail line. Abandoned from use since the 1880s, the structure was threatened with demolition in 1999 which prompted a concerned community group to successfully preserve it. After more than two years of construction, the park opened to the public in 2009.

The inspired landscape, which incorporates the original rails, was designed by James Corner Field Operations with plant design by the esteemed Piet Oudolf. The landscape design emphasizes native species with an impressive plant list that is in continuous bloom from late January to mid-November.

Try to avoid visiting on beautiful weekend days... it's packed. Great people watching but it's harder to see the park and it's unique beauty. The High Line runs from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District to 34th Street between 10th & 11th Avenues.

What's Happening On Site?

Before and after photos of some recently planted pots. Client requested new designs for 6+ large outdoor containers in three locations for a fall party. At this time of year, plant choices are slim to none at the nurseries so an extra jolt of creativity is in order. We wanted the designs to transition well through the holiday season. Client loved them.

1) Green Spire Euonymus (Euonymus japonicus) for height, sedge (Carex morrowii), and icicle pansies for the larger pots. Standing as sentries are an assortment of adorable, dwarf evergreens looking like perfect miniature sculptures. They were planted in stone and terra cotta pots and the soil topped with river rocks.

1) BEFORE:

 

1) AFTER:

2) This porch pot below is viewed from the inside of the house through glass doors at the end of a long hallway. Impact was in order. For dramatic height, we planted a young pyramidal hornbeam (Carpinus betulus 'Fastigiata') with leaves that will turn yellow-orange as it gets colder. At the base, pony tail grass (Stipa tenuissima) to the rear, with hardy red mums, and lavender thyme. A spray of red dogwood twigs adds a colorful spark that acts as an exclamation point to the entire arrangement.

2) BEFORE:

2) AFTER:

Gotta Get It Garden Gear - Cube Planter

The Cube Planter from Pull + Push Products was designed by Nobuhiro Sato. It is a solid planter with 4 concrete walls and colored glass windows. They also make one that sports balconies, called the Mansion Planter, and one with the rebar exposed, called the Truss Planter. They can also be used as a very cool candle holder. 

Ten Brilliant Autumn Trees

Amelanchier - orange red
Bald Cypress - red
Birch - yellow
Dogwood - purple red
Gingko biloba - yellow
Maple - orange red yellow
Sassafras - orange red yellow
Sourwood - purple red yellow
Stewartia -  orange red yellow
Sweetgum - orange purple red

The Sound Garden

Created by Nick Bertke, a 22-year old electronic musician from Perth, Australia. “Gardyn” is an original song he created using only samples of his mother’s voice and sounds from her garden. He captured textures and materials and put them together to create beautiful, ethereal music. The final result is an fantastic ode to his mother's love of gardening. Check it out:

Dig-a-(free!)Tree

Help yourself to free native trees while maintaining the meadow habitat. In preparation for spring mowing of the field, a designated area of the Marshlands Conservancy in Rye, New York is available for digging. Black Cherry, Black Locust, Sassafras, Pin Oak, Black Oak, and Sweet Gum may be among the varieties. People will be available to help with identification and offer tips on transplanting. Wear protective clothing and work gloves, and  bring a spade, loppers, bags or burlap and be prepared to dig. Arrive promptly at 10am for orientation. Do your part to help sustainable land use by transplanting native trees and shrubs to your own yard.

Saturday & Sunday, October 30 & 31, 2010
For additional information call 914.835.4466

There's a Fungus Amongus

 

A decaying 125+ year old pin oak was removed on this site a few years ago. What you can't see underneath the surface are the remains of the ground up tree roots. This abundant source of food in the soil has ensured the fungus's arrival and this colony of mushrooms is obviously thriving in this semi-shady location. 'Shrooms are amazing and bizarre, non-flowering plants that can spring up overnight like these did. Those you can see are the visible part of more complex organisms. They are the fruits of a larger vegetative system called mycelium which is composed of tiny filaments that continue deep down into the soil. I think these are Russula mutabilis, one of the more stinky members of the mushroom family, fairly common in eastern North America.

I'm not unhappy these appeared since their presence means the decomposition of the stump below will accelerate, quickly turning it into food for the plants above. You can't get much more natural than that! 

Feast on some of these creatively descriptive mushroom names: Stinky Squid, Dead Man’s Fingers, Destroying Angels, Jellied False Coral, Gem Studded Puffball, to name a few. A good source of photos can be found at the Fungi Gallery.

Gotta Get it Garden Gear - Stainless Steel Pinwheel

The fresh and modern design of the Stainless Steel Pinwheel stakes allow them to catch the wind and spin. Made of durable stainless steel that will reflect light and create contrast with the surrounding plant colors while the industrial finish will add a cool edge to the garden or yard. Available in small and large. Handmade in Germany. For more info and to purchase, visit the New York Botanical Garden Shop.

The World's Fair of People Who Make

Went to an amazing event this past weekend at the New York Hall of Science in NYC.
Dreamed up by the mad scientists behind 
Make Magazine, Maker Faire was a whole weekend
of larger than life creations brought together by engineers, artists, crafters, tinkerers and scientists. Extremely cool.

One great idea that incorporates innovative concepts is the The Windowfarms Project.
It allows city dwellers to grow food in their apartments year-round and channels their experience into research for the future of urban agriculture. Thousands of participants are building these compact vertical hydroponic gardens in windows around the world, proposing and testing design modifications, and experimenting with different veggies and nutrients.
It's R&DIY...  Research and Develop It Yourself!

For more info or to purchase a kit go to Windowfarms.org

- Photographed at Makers Faire NYC

What's Happening in the Garden Today?

Gardens can appear in the most unlikely places.

When you order a drink, it should not only taste good, but also look good. That being said, a good garnish will never improve a bad drink. Simple, logical, and fresh. The perfect reward at the end of a long, hot day of weeding or mulch-spreading. Another delicious way of bringing
the outdoors in. Salute!

From Garden to Table

My very generous friend Marjorie dropped off a glut of cucumbers recently. I welcomed them with open arms. In fact, I needed both to hoist them. We’re not talking gherkins here, these were cucumber blimps. Torpedos. One was at least 16” and the rest not much smaller. I stared at the pile and debated what to do with them.

A simple salad of fresh tomato, red onion, and balsamic vinaigrette is always a delicious and refreshing way to serve cukes, but that would only take care of one of the huge specimens lurking on the counter. These monsters were too huge for pickles. Even my beloved tzatziki wouldn’t make a dent in my mountain of Cucumis sativus! What to do, what to do? As I also have a plethora of mint constantly threatening to invade, it was decided.

This recipe is easy, refreshing, and the slight kick from the mustard complements the crisp, creamy flavors.

Easy Cold Cucumber & Mint Soup
(Adjust recipe accordingly for cucumber blimps.)

4 (normal) cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 cup non-fat plain yogurt
1 cup light sour cream
3/4 teaspoon high quality, dry mustard, or to taste
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

In a blender puree all ingredients. Taste to adjust flavors. Chill soup overnight to let flavors blend. Serve cold with a mint sprig for garnish.

- Adapted from Gourmet

Chew on This

It takes about seven gallons of water to grow a single serving of lettuce. Roughly 2,600 gallons are required to produce one portion of steak.

- The Curious Gardener’s Almanac

What's Happening in the Garden Today?

The number one reason to grow
your own. The weather this year
has made tomatoes very happy
and these Brandywine tomatoes
were shot just after harvest.
The larger fruit had a diameter of six
inches before it was sliced, sprinkled
with Murray River Salt Flakes,
and devoured.

Brandywine is an heirloom variety that
dates back to the Seed Savers Exchange
in 1882. It is considered to be one of the
best tasting large tomatoes.Creamy
texture, thin skin, and wonderful flavor. Organic seedlings were purchased from Streambank Gardens.

Beach Art

Planning. Patience. Perseverance.

Be amazed.

What's Happening in the Garden Today?

Found this Praying Mantis on one of my tomato plants. Strange, but adorable. The triangular-shaped head and face of the praying mantis bears an eerie resemblance to some supposed extraterrestrials, in particular, those portrayed in various photographs and illustrations of the “crews” who occupied the UFO that supposedly crashed near Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947.

On the Drawing Board

Cropped section of a concept sketch for a memorial garden. Heavy black outline is
monument location.

How Did He Know?

“The sun, with all those planets revolving around it and dependent on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else 
in the universe to do.”

- Galileo  (1564-1642)

What's Happening in the Garden Today?

The Passion Flower is a great plant. It has 3” diameter, unique, and beautiful flowers that start to bloom in July and continue until frost. The vines can easily grow up to 15 feet in a season. The fruit produced by this plant is an oval berry, a little smaller than a kiwi fruit. The fruit of Passiflora incarnata is edible, but pretty seedy. Passion Flowers were named by missionaries in the early 1500s. They believed that the petals, rays, and sepals, symbolized features of the crucifixion of Christ.

Garden Pests

Hey y’all! These is good tips for keeping away crows, deer, and gnarly bugs that eat greens. Finally, a use for that perfume gift that you can't bear to wear.

To view the complete video, go to Garden Pests.

Found Art

This gnarly fungus was found thriving in my garden. I picked it and shot it. It measured about eight inches across and 10 inches tall. 
See what can happen when you put off weeding?

Garden Fun Fact

Water travels up tree trunks at roughly 150 feet per hour.

-The Curious Gardener’s Almanac

What's Happening in the Garden Today?

A JohnnySeed.com
custom mix of spicy red and green leaves that was planted this year. Included is Arugula, Red Giant and Green Wave mustard greens, and Kyona asian greens.

Hello lunch!

What's Happening in the Garden Today?

Like all of us, trees can develop an awkward, undesirable shape. Luckily, for the arboreal types, there is a solution.

A thin supple branch can be reshaped by bending it into a new position and can be achieved by using a clothespin to attach one offshoot to another. Another method is to use a piece of wood to push a branch away from the trunk. My personal favorite is to hang a weight on a young limb until it bends to the proper position. This works best on branches that are at least two or three years old. Fishing sinkers and weights work well since they usually have a hole at one end.

Once the limb has grown and stays naturally in the new position, the weighted device can be removed. Weighting or bending limbs of fruit trees stimulates early production.

Gotta Get it Garden Gear - Sun Jar

Are there fireflies in there? The Solar Sun, designed by the late Tobias Wong, is a fully portable solar light with style. Simply place the frosted glass jar in full sun during the day for hours of a soft warm glow at night.

The Sun Jar is environmentally friendly so it’s perfect for using in a tent or on your deck or patio and comes in a variety of colors – soft Blue, original Orange, or Pink. A great eco-friendly gift available at your local Amazon.com!

Flowers of the Zodiac

Aquarius - Daffodil
Pisces - Freesia
Aries - Tulip
Taurus - Iris
Gemini - Peruvian Lily
Cancer - Rose
Leo - Carnation
Virgo - Gladiola
Libra - Dahlia
Scorpio - Gerbera
Sagittarius - Anemone
Capricorn - Chrysanthemum

Go Vertical

I was impressed to see this example of a living wall at my local wholesale nursery. A vertical garden has many advantages; small footprint, lower energy consumption, and a natural buffer between weather and inhabitants. When located indoors, it can improve air quality. No matter where you live, urban or suburban, cold or hot, indoors or out, a vertical garden can add green almost anywhere.

Though there are many ways to construct a living wall, Patrick Blanc, a French botanist intent on creating a garden without dirt, utilizes a three-part system consists of a PVC layer, felt, and metal frame. This provides a soil-free self-supporting system light enough to be hung on the wall. There are also wall pocket systems made of felt, wool, and recycled plastic.

ELT, an Ontario company that specializes in green roofs, began selling living wall systems a little over three years ago and is now one of the biggest suppliers to the United States. Greg Garner, the company’s president, said that its green-wall sales have increased 300 percent since 2008. Four months ago, the company introduced a cheaper, lighter kit to make living walls accessible to the average gardener; prices start at about $40 for a one-square-foot panel.

Click here for in progress shots of the construction of a succulent wall in Newport Beach, CA that was designed by Joe Zazzera for Dr. Andrew Weil. I'd like to see if this concept will fly for a public walkway renovation project that it is the works.

Nature's Graffiti

"What is a weed? I have heard it said that there are sixty definitions. 
For me, a weed is a plant out of place."

-Donald Culross Peattie

What's Happening in the Garden Today?

Portuguese Man-Of-War Though a beautiful cobalt blue, the tentacles of this jellyfish contain a potent toxins and a sting can inflict severe burns, blisters and swelling. This species of jellyfish is found from Florida to Texas and Mexico, in the Bahamas and West Indies. Australians call them Blue-Bottles because the fin floats on the top of the water and is used like a sail.
The stinging tentacles, which hang below the surface, can catch any fish or plankton passing by. 
The captured animal is usually paralyzed by the nematocysts, and is drawn into the mouth of the jellyfish. Ba-bye!

Photographed in Boca Raton, Florida

Gotta Get It Garden Gear - Fence Fabric

Who needs a fancy-schmancy landscape designer now that 
Fence Fabric has arrived. You can block a view of the neighbor’s yard or create a cozy outdoor room instantly. A few zip ties and... voila! It will look like you installed an expensive rock wall or grew 
a hedge overnight. These lightweight, vinyl mesh fence covers are also available in morning glory, ivy, brick or stone. Just don’t look too closely.

Get yours before they run out!  Faux Fence Fabric

Big Fat Juicy Ones

You may not be able to tell by looking at them, but earthworms are very hairy. They are covered in thousands of tiny hairs which help them move through the earth.

- The Curious Gardener’s Almanac

What's Happening in the Garden Today?

Bleeding Heart Vine   
(Clerodendron thomsoniae)
A gorgeous, heat-loving plant, native to West Africa, that is only hardy outdoors in the southern U.S. 
but makes a fine houseplant. It looks best in a hanging container to show off its full, lush foliage and branches that spill over the edge of the container. The bark is reddish brown and has nicely shaped, dark green leaves. But, what really sets BHV apart from typical houseplants are its masses of stunning red and white blossoms. (This vine should not be confused with Bleeding Heart, a Decentra genus. That is a completely different plant.)


Photographed at the United States National Arboretum, Washington, DC

Wicked Plants

Great video teaser for Amy Stewart’s informative and entertaining book that anyone interested in gardening should read. It's fascinating how many deadly, intoxicating, and lethal plants there are out there. Who knew nature was so ruthless?

Classic Casual

Bluestone, which is cut in Pennsylvania and New York quarries, is a sedimentary rock that is attractive, durable, low-maintenance and complements a wide range of landscaping styles. When installed, 
it yields a relatively smooth, flat surface. Though it is called bluestone, colors range from blue, blue/gray, greens, browns, and even lilac. For this project, I chose stones with an irregular cut since I wanted a more informal look, even allowing low plants to grow between the stones.

Plants Recognize Rivals and Fight Play Nice with Siblings

"Plants can't see or hear, but they can recognize their siblings, and now researchers have found out how: They use chemical signals secreted from their roots, according to a new study.

Back in 2007, Canadian researchers discovered that a common seashore plant, called a sea rocket, can recognize its siblings – plants grown from seeds from the same plant, or mother. They saw that when siblings are grown next to each other in the soil, they "play nice" and don't send out more roots to compete with one another.

But as soon as one of the plants is thrown in with strangers, it begins competing with them by rapidly growing more roots to take up the water and mineral nutrients in the soil...."

Check out the rest of this article at LiveScience.com:
http://www.livescience.com/environment/091020-plant-siblings.html

Landscaping Don't

From the "Good Fences Make Good Neighbors" Department.

What's Happening in the Garden Today?

Snowflakes that stay on my nose 
       and eyelashes,
Silver white winters that melt
       into springs,
These are a few of my 
       favorite things.

Spring, are you coming?

Eye Candy

This time lapse video is simply stunning.

Gotta Get it Garden Gear - Seed Bombs

Throw and Grow Garden Grenades for guerilla gardeners. 
Finally a way to turn those forgotten areas and municipal scrublands into a wilderness with compacted wild flower seed bombs. In about a week, ryegrass will be the first thing to grow. Buttercups and poppies will emerge around three weeks later. And you thought you didn’t have green thumb! 

Available here in packs of 3.

My Happiness Project

If you want to be happy for a day, get drunk. 
For a week, kill a pig. 
For a month, get married. 

For life, be a gardener.

- Chinese Proverb

What's Happening in the Garden Today?

This lovely couple came to visit
      in the garden today.
They didn’t stay long.
A pair of friendly puddles
       arrived later.
They also skipped town.

How NOT to plant a tree

This photo was taken in the parking lot of a supermarket. 
I’m finding it hard to breathe just looking at this. (Note to self: Do not buy produce from this store.)

He Loves Me

It's official.

Five Trees that Sound Nice in the Wind

• Aspen
• Eucalyptus
• Fig
• Magnolia
• Paper Birch

What's Happening in the Garden Today?

Though neighbors and building management may scoff at the unruly look of leaving grasses and perennials uncut for the winter, nature’s less colorful off-shoots create a habitat for small animals, seed heads that feed non-migrating birds, and an ever-changing visual painting created from the dried plants, ice, snow and even shadows.

Garden Challenge Accepted! - Part 2 of 2

The new garden was planted in the Spring of 2009 with the help of local elementary school children. This is the first garden on White House grounds since Eleanor Roosevelt's Victory Garden during World War II.

Garden Challenge - Part 1 of 2

In 2008, Roger Doiron started a campaign to urge the next President to grow food on the White House lawn. Click below to view his video pitch.

Sunflower Stems

Sunflower stems were once used to fill life jackets before the invention of synthetic material.

- The Curious Gardener’s Almanac