chris olsen : surviving winter’s bite

February 9, 2014 by ark_admin

A wet heavy snow is nature’s curse for certain shrubs and trees, especially evergreens. Their beautiful shape may be disfigured for a short period of time but not usually for long. The best advice is to prune and disregard all damaged branches. As much as possible, try to reshape the bush or tree so it will have a very promising spring flush. If you have a plant that is so damaged, it loses its true look and shape, then replacement is suggested. There is nothing worse than half a tree in someone’s front yard. Please end its misery!!!

The best way to prevent future damage is through selective pruning. Prime example: you may see around town how some people trim back their Bradford Pear trees every few years to about half of their original size. Why? Since Bradford Pears are fast-growing trees, their wood is soft and this will likely cause limb breakage in their mature years. But, if every 3 to 5 years you prune them back to about half their size, their branches are stronger, fuller, and thicker, so winter damage is less likely to occur.

This applies to most evergreens as well. A professional tree company should know how to do preventative maintenance on your large shrubs and trees. Budget money toward a 5 year plan. Every 5 years my large trees are limbed up to allow more light below, and evergreens such as Savannah hollies are trimmed lower and shaped to prevent winter damage for years to come.

Live Life to the Fullest, Chris Olsen

twisted fence garden decor by chris olsen

February 9, 2014 by ark_admin

Our friend and garden guru Chris Olsen of Botanica Gardens sure is handy to have around here! He has an answer to every garden woe, including this month’s solution for dressing up a bare wooden fence. In three steps, Chris shows you how to transform it into a whimsical centerpiece.

(PS- “Like” Botanica Gardens on Facebook for more fun tips throughout the month!)

If you have a boring, dual wood fenceÂ and/orÂ woodÂ gate, then do something about it!! Give new life to your tired privacy fence and gate by simply adorning them with twisted pieces of copper tubing. Now you have a focal point that is guaranteed to “twist” a few heads.

You will need:

Copper tubing (we used 1/4 inch), metal pipe cutter, hammerÂ and small nails.

Steps:

1.Â Cut several different lengths from tubing using pipe cutter. File end of tubing to reduce sharpness.

2.Â Using hammer, tap end of a piece of copper to slightly toÂ flatten it. Nail to fence. Bend and mold tubing as desired then nail other end to fence. You can pre-drill a hole in the tubing if you prefer, but usually a small nail will go right through soft copper tubing.

3.Â Repeat with several pieces of tubing until you are happy with the look.

living the good life with chris olsen: give a lot of heart

February 9, 2014 by ark_admin

Do something special for your Valentine this February. Create a lasting memory by putting your love down on canvas. Depending on the size of your love, you can pick the size of canvas that your own heart desires. You will need:

20” x 30” large prestretched artist’s canvas
Assorted colors of acrylic paints (orange, yellow, red, lime, aqua, teal blue, and pink used here)
Gel medium
Palette Knife
Wide chip brush

Here’s How:

1. Lay the canvas on a covered work surface. Working from above, squirt paint — one color at a time — on to the canvas. Be random, don’t worry about it being perfect! You really can’t mess this up! 2. Mix the paint with a gel medium. 3. Using a spatula, apply paint to create a heart in the center of the canvas. 4. Go over the heart gently with a chip brush. 5. Apply additional squirts of paint to the heart as desired. And voila, you have a great piece of art for your valentine. Live Life to the Fullest, Chris Olsen

decorate your mantle for fall

February 9, 2014 by ark_admin

After a long, hot summer, there’s an inkling that fall might (finally) be in the air! Not one to waste time in the decor department, garden guru Chris Olsen of Botanica Gardens is already planning ways to celebrate the new season in his home decor. This month, he turns to his mantle, decking it with gourds, mums and other tell-tale fall finds.

For more info about Chris and his new book, visit www.chrisholsen.com!

With the cooler temperatures and the shorter daylight hours, most of us start to get motivated to change our dÃ©cor from summer to a colorful autumn display. Since your mantel is usually the main focal point in your home, then why not start there first? Whether you have a flat TV screen or a piece of art hanging above your mantel, add some vertical emphasis by decorating with an odd number of colorful containers just bursting with fall mums and 48 inch high contorted willow branches.

Why stop there? Battery lite candles and an assortment of gourds will finish the mantel look. You never want to use real candles under a plasma TV. I am talking from experience. Live and learn.

Dare to be different and dress up your firebox as well. Here I stuffed the firebox with an assortment of real pumpkins and gourds and a few croton plants to add fluff and hide the ugly charred walls. Then I placed lite squash candles to warm the chilly autumn nights.

Hereâ€™s an easy way to add color to your mantle in a hurry!

You will need:Â 3 potted mums, 3 containers, and 6 large curly willow branches, assorted sizes of small pumpkins and gourds, and candles.

Step 1 – Place your mum in a container. (Note: Be sure to use a liner inside your container to prevent leaking when watering.)

Step 2 – Using 2 branches for each, push branches into dirt of pot. Branches will add height.

Step 3 – Add candles and small pumpkins and gourds to mantle.

living the good life with chris olsen: succulents

February 9, 2014 by ark_admin

Succulents aren’t just for desert climates — they can make a naturally gorgeous statement in any home or garden.

They’re inexpensive, available year-round, and have many uses. The trio in the raku serving piece are a niche counterpoint to the short flowers in the vase behind them. Scale is the key to success when it comes to using succulents.

Don’t be intimated to cut off the roots of these echiveras. Rootless, echiveras can last indoors for months at a time and help soften any tabletop as well as give a contemporary twist to your accessories.

Here is what you’ll need:

-Enough 2 to 3-inch specimens to fill your container. We used three echiverias with bloom spikes.

-Scissors

-Container

Just remove the plants from the pots, being careful not to bruise the bottom foliage. Shake off potting soil.

Then using shears or sharp scissors, cut the roots off flush with the bottom row of leaves on the plant.

Each should then rest on a level surface.

You won’t need soil or water in the tray. All you have to do is mist well every few days and enjoy!

chris olsen’s spooky garden decor how-to

February 9, 2014 by ark_admin

A little fun on Halloween goes a long way. These ghosts are tastefully funny and add a little â€˜spookâ€™ to your Halloween decor. Groupings of pumpkins with potted yellow mums complete our fall look. Maiden grass planted in the flower beds will bloom ever so gracefully each fall season.

You will need: Assorted types and sizes of pumpkins, potted mums, blow up ghosts and heavy fishing line.

Step 1 – Use fishing line to tie your ghosts into the trees and grasses. When hanging think of how they would look flying through the air and tie them accordingly.

Step 2 – Place mums in pots and set in yard; mine are on either side of the gate. Then place pumpkins, stacking and leaning, varying colors and sizes for interest.

living the good life with chris olsen : new life to shady areas

February 9, 2014 by ark_admin

Living in the South, we sure do enjoy our big shade trees, but below these towering beasts, the landscape can be barren with little to no grass. Never fear, such drab areas can become real points of interest all year long with a little know how.

As you see in this picture, rocks become powerful elements and things of beauty now that they have no competition from seasonal growth and color. This down-sloping part of the yard, given to wash and erosion, was afforded new life by creating a meandering streambed for the runoff. River rocks were placed along the channel banks and regular mondo grass was planted to define the curves. A simple garden light and driftwood stump add to the natural look. Mix in some annuals each season and your barren wasteland is now a lush oasis.

Live Life to the Fullest,

Chris Olsen

substitute a wreath with chris olsen’s front door decor

February 9, 2014 by ark_admin

It seems like just yesterday that Chris Olsen, of Botanica Gardens, was showing us his favorite outdoor projects for the summertime! But, alas, Christmas is nearly here, and we have holiday decorating to tend to. Today, Chris shows you an alternative to the traditional wreath. His creative front door decor packs a highly festive punch, don’t you agree?

Save the best for last, and give your guests a real treat by drawing their eyes directly to your door. Who needs a wreath when you can take silk branches, wire them together to create a type of â€˜screen door,’ incorporate some of the same decorating details from inside, and spray it a glittering silver. It weighs almost nothing and can come down with ease. But its effect is immediate.

You will need:

6 two-inch blocks of wood, pre-drilled for dowel rods

Wood screws

6 dowel rods, two for each side of frame and one each for top and bottom

Enough silk branches to recreate the frame, and diagonal pieces for your â€˜screen door.’ Our branches came from a local craft and hobby store. (Note: you can use branches from your own yard. Sweet gum, oak, birch, and pine are simple to use. Theyâ€™re pliable enough to bend, yet can be wired to each other easily.) Youâ€™ll want branches not much larger than the dowel rods. Measure the area and cut to size.

Hereâ€™s how to create your door piece:

1. Attach the first two wood blocks in place to create frame base. You are creating a rectangle that follows the outline of your door.

2. Thread dowel rods into and through them. Screw remaining blocks and insert dowels.

3. Criss cross branches between the dowel rods, wiring in place as you go. Finish by wiring branches to the rods, hiding the dowels and blocks.

4. Attach decorative pieces (we added these awesome snowflakes).

living the good life with Chris Olsen: Just Hanging Around

February 9, 2014 by ark_admin

So many homes have what I call “dead spaces” inside and (in this case) outside. Exterior “dead spaces” are wasted outdoor areas that have no design element and therefore no function. These spaces are forgotten and their endless possibilities are often never utilized. At the 2013 Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Designer House, I found such a space. Hidden in the corner of the back yard this “dead space” was brought back to life with the simple addition of a custom designed and built wooded structure.

Only 17 feet by 15 feet, this concrete hardscape was destined to have the perfect structure built for it. I designed a contemporary pergola with a suspended table surrounded by cotton white modern chairs. When possible, don’t be afraid to mix modern elements with a traditional home. The unexpected is what I strove was my goal and in the end it’s what we so happily got.

The table itself is all wood and is built with a single piece of marine board. Water proof and tough, this table will last for years to come.

To create a more intimate outdoor room, on one side of the patio, a long planter box constructed with treated lumber stands alone. Planted with six foot tall Emerald Green arborvitaes accompanied with lavender geraniums and variegated Algerian ivy, a harsh hardscape has now become a perfect oasis of greenery and flowers.

The pine wood pergola was constructed with all treated lumber and each level was stained with various shades of the same color stain. This gave depth and visual impact. The piece de’ resistenance is the long planter in the the middle of the table.

Fully planted with winter hardy sedums and tender echiveras, the table top arrangement is a sea of greens and grey hues and undertones. Low maintenance, heat tolerant and minimal watering required makes this the perfect planter for a non-gardener.

No more excuses everyone, any outdoor space can become the ideal destination for friends and family to “just hang around.” Build it and they will come!

how-to: chris olsen’s lemon salt scrub

February 9, 2014 by ark_admin

Whether you’ve been gardening or just downright need some pampering, Chris Olsen’s lemon salt scrub will have your skin feeling silky soft in no time. The best part is, it’s easy to make, the ingredients can be adjusted to your liking, and they final bottled product can be a great gift as well.

Lemon Salt Scrub Treats

Give that perfect thoughtful gift or simply pamper yourself with fresh lemon salt scrub. Lemon salt scrub is so fun, easy and affordable to create. I guarantee that anyone who uses this custom recipe will want more.

For that added touch, go ahead and pour the mixture into old fashion sugar dispensers. You can find an assortments of these containers at local flea markets and even yard sales.Â Create your own labels to personalize each bottle.