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Before I tell you about these planters, let me apologize for my infrequent posting of late. You probably knew this already, but it’s really not a great idea to work full time, plan a wedding (just 62 days away!) and take an intensive garden design program that takes up every second weekend. It’s pretty crazy. I just try to stick to my to-do lists and try not to freak out if I see an item on those ubiquitous “Wedding Planner” magazine checklists that apparently was supposed to be completed 12 months ago. Whatever.
Nonetheless, I’ve made a bit of time for the garden. After about three weeks of staring at empty pots, purchased after an excessively difficult search, I finally planted them up.
Ta da!
I rather like this arrangement: (clockwise from back) Phormium tenax ‘Dusky Chief’ (New Zealand flax), Heuchera ‘Marmalade’ (coral bells), Muhlenbeckia complexa (wire vine) and Carex ‘Bronzita’ (sedge).
Last week kind of sucked, for no particular reason. By Thursday, I was feeling stressed and depressed, and just wanted to crawl into a hole to hibernate for a while. Then on Friday I received a small package. It was an unexpected gift from Terra Nova Nurseries.
Wow. What excitement. I opened it as carefully yet quickly as I could, peeling back the layers of packing to discover 18 delightful plants huddled together in a little tray. Talk about a pick-me-up!
Included were:
Agave virginica ‘Spot’
Athyrium ‘Burgandy Lace’
Begonia ‘Benitochiba’
Camanula ‘Pink Octopus’ (shown below)
Coreopsis ‘Autumn Blush’
Coreopsis ‘Pinwheel’
Coreopsis ‘Snowberry’ (shown below)
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Even though the longest day of the year is quickly approaching, once the sun goes down, it gets chilly quickly. That’s when I start to wish for an outdoor fireplace, like this one at Unica Home. I wonder what the strata council would have to say about that!
My parents have one like this from Canadian Tire. I don’t even need to check with my local fire department to know that’s not okay.
Not as romantic (for me) or exciting (for my borderline-pyromanic fiance), but probably legal, these natural gas heaters have come down in price in recent years. Maybe we’ll throw one on the registry.
I love this Topo Table from NONdesigns.
Apparently, the designer “got tired of perfectly flat tables” so made TOPO out of common-countertop material Corian, plus plastic inserts formed over rocks which “drop into the table to form functional little landscapes.” Neato.
Via Apartment Therapy.
Last week I had the privilege of touring a private home and garden designed by celebrated architect Arthur Erickson. One of the Vancouver-based architect’s earliest residential works, the minimalist wooden structure seamlessly integrates with the landscape.
From outside the property, dense plantings hint at something special beyond the simple fence.
Entering from the side lane, the house is directly in front of you. To your left (above), is brilliant sunshine and the architect’s trademark use of chain as downspout. To your right (below), is a dark, dense pathway that hints at an emergence in open, bright space.
I loved the feeling of contraction and expansion this garden achieved with varying widths of paths, and with the intensity or absence of light.
Entering the house, the door swings inwards, blocking the view of the stairs behind it until you close the door, look down the stairs and see the pond, seemingly rising up from the basement. In reality, there is a glass wall opposite the hallway at the bottom of the stairs. How blurred the line between interior and exterior space is!
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You knew gardens are good for the community, but now you can put numbers to it:
From a NYU Law and Economics Research Paper:
We find that the opening of a community garden has a statistically significant positive impact on residential properties within 1000 feet of the garden, and that the impact increases over time. We find that gardens have the greatest impact in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods. Higher quality gardens have the greatest positive impact. Finally, we find that the opening of a garden is associated with other changes in the neighborhood, such as increasing rates of homeownership, and thus may be serving as catalysts for economic redevelopment of the community.
Via City Farmer.
I’m in the middle of a weeklong intensive course called “Conceptual Garden Design” as part of my program. Yesterday was spent touring multi-million dollar properties designed by some of Vancouver’s highest-profile landscape architects (yes, I’ll be posting photos. Soon).
But there’s something nice about seeing all these acres of live-in gardener-maintained perennial beds and manicured lawns and realising that you’re satisfied with your lot. Sure, it’s a mess right now, and it’s terribly small, but I’m designing it. I’m going to maintain it. And gosh darn it, I’m going to love it.
Anyway, at one of the gardens we visited yesterday, this plant was everywhere. It stood about a foot and a half high, and had these lotus flower/artichoke-shaped heads. It’s the same one in the photo of the ladybug. Anybody?
Saturday June 3 & Sunday June 4
This weekend, a truly fabulous Vancouver-area nursery, Phoenix Perennials, will donate 25% of sales to the HomeStart Foundation. Phoenix Perennials is a mecca for local plant-lovers, inspiring inspiring many, and causing more than a few to rack up the Visa. At least this weekend I can say, “But sweetie, it’s for charity.”
HomeStart Foundation’s mission is to redistribute safe, clean, functional furniture in a professional, dignified manner, from those who want to share to those who are truly in need (while keeping anything worthy from ending up in a landfill). They provide furniture to people who have been homeless, with the goal of helping them achieve self-sufficiency, self-esteem, and long-term stability.
Goddamn it. The bastards have closed Heronswood.
Corporate-giant Burpee has closed the beloved Northwest-Washington nursery after purchasing it six years ago. Burpee’s president George Ball says, “We tried for six years and it just wasn’t profitable.” I’m sorry, but how did Dan Hinkley manage for the first 14 years while sliding deeper and deeper into debt? I mean, it wasn’t profitable! This makes me so sad, and more than a little angry. What is profit? Making $100? $100,000? $100,000,000?
Thanks to Amy for the heads up, and the fantastic post. I’m too pissed off right now to say any more without the further use of inappropriate expletives. Besides, Amy pretty much says it all.
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