Botanica Gardens Archives - Page 2 of 5

Take Advantage of Vintage by Chris H. Olsen

November 7, 2017 by Laura LaRue

Part of a series: Living the Good Life with Chris Olsen

Christmas decorations for the home provide the lion’s share of all seasonal marketing year in and year out. The Victorians were the first to install—and instill—holiday scenes and festive touches in each room of their houses. Manufacturing and mass merchandising were coming into their own and the burgeoning middle class all of a sudden had income to spend on baubles that were only meant to be enjoyed a few weeks of the year. But it was always sensible to pack them away for the next year, so as not to be too frivolous. These little decorating novelties often became imbued with memories and sentiment, however, and extra care was taken so they could be brought out annually, along with the stories they told and the feelings they evoked about the family whose attic in which they resided 11 months of the year.

That’s the sociologist’s clinical observation of it. But I want to interject here that all those stacked boxes, all those reams of creased and worn tissue paper, hold items that you can not only use every year, but can use in unexpected ways, and add some real depth and flavor to your Christmas decorating.

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Plan for Spontaneity by Chris H. Olsen

October 11, 2017 by Laura LaRue

Part of a series: Living the Good Life with Chris Olsen

The best parties are the ones that seem spontaneous, right? Fun is had when party-goers get to enjoy what seems to have been just laid out, casual and not stodgy. Well, all that informality takes work. It’s not just chemistry, but also a bit of an alchemist at work. I’ll show you some photos of my annual Halloween party from last year, which will accompany my ideas for you to throw your own event that will get remembered. I’m about to give you some counter-intuitive advice: If you want your party to be talked about long after you throw it, you need to plan, plan, and then plan some more.

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Fall for All by Chris Olsen

September 7, 2017 by Laura LaRue

Can you tell there’s a change about? You’ve probably noticed that the light has evolved in the last couple of weeks, becoming less potent, but also more golden. The air has also stilled a bit. Except when hurricanes come ashore, that is. The scents borne on breezes have also taken on a bit of an edge. Fall approaches. And aren’t we glad? No sense waiting for crisp mornings and forests of turning foliage to give you official permission to create a bit of change in your seasonal décor, however. Select a couple of surfaces you want to use for fall bounty, start now, and add elements as the season progresses.

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Perennial: In Every Sense of the Word

August 8, 2017 by Laura LaRue

Don’t you wish occasionally that you could just plant something and walk away? Never have to prune, water, feed, deadhead, divide, or replace when it turns up its toes? Then maybe I have an idea for you. What if I told you you could just about have it all? Year-long color and zero maintenance. Never have to reach for your snips because your garden addition would always be exactly what you put in the ground. I’d like to show you some ideas for additions to your garden that will last and last.

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Immerse Yourself in the Details

July 6, 2017 by Laura LaRue

We all want people to enjoy themselves when they come to our home. How does that enjoyment come about? We serve good food, encourage hearty conversation, give our guests an experience they wouldn’t necessarily have at home. The best get-togethers entail a certain magic, don’t they? Your job as host is to attend to the details, so the magic can take place. And no detail should be beneath you. I suggest you prioritize, maybe make lists, but then stand back and look around. Is each room, each corner, each setting, done up in expectation that your guests can make themselves comfortable and delight in their surroundings? Have you anticipated and provided everything you think they’ll want? Once you’ve attended to the big stuff, it’s time to pay attention to even the smallest of details.

Sit a spell. Many of us entertain around the pool during the warm months. People love to be near the water, even if they aren’t taking a plunge. Dress up your pool area with towels you‘ve selected for this purpose, and provide ample seating. When I say ’seating,’ I don’t just mean chairs and chaises. Drop pillows poolside and provide a towel for each. Your guests might want to dangle their legs in the pool and you’re giving them a way to do it. Even the most formal party will benefit from this touch. Your guests may not take advantage of your offer, but they’ll appreciate it just the same.

Stack ’em up. Move a chaise even nearer to the pool edge, then plunk down a towel and pillow. If a guest doesn’t want to sit directly on the concrete, he or she can still access water’s edge with this seating nearby. And pay attention to color, either contrasting or complementary.

Fire and Water. After you’ve provided seating and towels to wick away moisture, don’t forget to add candles for a glow that will take you into twilight and dark. Scented or unscented will do, and to ward off mosquitoes, don’t forget the citronella. Exterior lighting can be abrupt or harsh, and candles go far to soften it.

Bringing it together. This photo is deceptively simple, but it encompasses quite a bit. You’ll find the seating, towel, pillow, flickering candle, and finally a robust plant in a pot. You’ve set the stage for your guests to stay as long as they wish. Isn’t that what we all seek when you entertain? That our guests linger and enjoy the conversation and surroundings? It’s all in the details you provide, the staging you set.

You’ll notice I didn’t state that everything must match, or that there are rules to follow for success. The towels should be selected for poolside use, but that’s the only requirement. Maybe you want to mix it up with contrasting colors or pattern, or use the same color palette all the way around the pool. And the diverse selection of cushions and fabric made to use outdoors has skyrocketed, so you’ll find a wide selection to chose from anywhere you shop. Once you‘ve paid attention to each detail, when people arrive, they can relax and spontaneity will set in. Not only is it in the mix of guests and entertaining elements, it’s also in your eye for detail. And all that means is taking a look around and anticipating what your friends and family–and you–will enjoy.

Live Life to the Fullest,

Chris H. Olsen

Botanica Gardens

chrisholsen.com

botanicagardens.com

Fountains Provide a Cascade of Pleasure

June 12, 2017 by Laura LaRue

A great landscape design is not just about the plants, or color at specific times of the year. You’ve heard me say that before, but it bears repeating: In order to truly enjoy your outdoor spaces you need to provide points of interest and novelty, not just perennials and annuals, growing cheek by jowl. Further visual interest can be incorporated with rock and what’s known as ’hardscape,’ These additions can contrast perfectly with what’s growing. But how about adding another sensory element, such as sound? No, I’m not talking about a speaker system. What can work well can be a water feature, which adds much, much more to your visual design. I’ll show you two distinct fountains that can add real pleasure to your outdoor spaces.

This traditional fountain placed at a strategic point in the garden performs a great task; it serves as a destination and focal point. It has all that typical fountains provide, such as low maintenance, attraction for songbirds, and a style that is complementary to the house. Bust as you gaze at this photo, you know what’s also here: The calm and lovely sound of trickling water. That one sound makes a fountain, no matter its size, a point of interest to all. Something else cool about this one is that, no, it’s not made of cast iron. It’s concrete stained black. Talk about low cost and upkeep. And your foundation plantings and annual planted for seasonal color seem to almost lean into this water feature.

One of a pair, this fountain is fabricated from recycled brick, vintage waterspout, and glazed jars we offer at Botanica. I designed this pair to serve as a sort of boundary in the garden, and everything to build them was found and repurposed. I created an open top, and installed four LED uplights within. The fountains are also lit at night. I used vintage spouts and inserted the motor in each. You can just plug these water features in and walk away. What’s nice here is that they’re upright and not bulky, which means they won’t overpower the space and you’ll have plenty of room to nestle plants all around. Fountains, by the way, don’t call for specific or traditional plantings only. A water feature will only bring out the best of your plant groupings, no matter the style or quantity.

Remember this fountain is not cast iron, but concrete. You wouldn’t know that unless you studied it closely. It is a great addition to this garden, however, because it’s on another level and creates further dimension to the design. And, like I said before, the sound of the water–soothing and tranquil–will attract and delight your guests.

Because this pair of fountains would be part of the garden boundary, I wanted to make sure the fence itself didn’t detract from them. And, in keeping with the recycle-reuse-repurpose philosophy I was mindful of while creating the fountains, I chose iron salvaged from an old carport on the property. The brick fountains pull the eye up, and aren’t hulking or massive, yet are also unexpected. These fountains have spouts that control the water flow, so what you get in the way of sound here is a ’burble,’ not a splash. Which means you can convene the book club nearby, and everyone can be heard.

Garden design doesn’t have to be confined to elements that we can see only. Don’t forget your other senses when planning your space. And fountains don’t have to be expensive or large. You can find a fountain design–or design one yourself–that will fit any budget and any space. The sounds of water flowing up, over, and down as it follows gravity will delight you and your guests, no matter the season.

Live Life to the Fullest,

Chris H. Olsen

Botanica Gardens

chrisholsen.com

botanicagardens.com

Small Space, Big Impact

March 2, 2017 by Laura LaRue

A landscape, no matter its size, is not just one contiguous area filled with growing things or concrete. It is divided into ‘rooms,’ which can contain different elements according to use, space, and growing conditions. And even if you live in a smaller space, you can still bring in some great—and personal–design to that courtyard, or corner. Creating something unexpected is the point, and it’s not hard at all.

Here, you see a typical garden wall and gate. Functional design, varied and hardy plantings, lighting and security in place. Ho hum. But see past the gate? What lies within is key. It’s a small space, so an easy design. We used Chinese elements here, installed fairly simple plantings, provided a water feature for real interest, and an imposing pagoda to anchor it all. Design theme, water, plants, architectural element, rock and stone. That was the checklist. Notice it isn’t a long list of requirements. Start out with one connecting idea, then implement it with plantings and other elements.

Because it’s a small area, we wanted to make use of sound as well as sight. Hence, the flowing water. It cascades down the rocks and collects in a pool at the base of the Japanese maple. That maple is the workhorse of the design because it gives a great show twelve months of the year. The foliage of these small landscape trees are what gives them value. You’ll find hybrids with leaves that pretty much run the color wheel between black red and pale chartreuse. Even in the depths of winter, a Japanese maple’s trunk and bare branches provide interest. It always works in corners and small spaces because, depending on the cultivar, will never outgrow its space. Use of a small tree with brilliant foliage also meant we didn’t have to rely on annual plantings for color, which further simplifies the design. Just some water-loving grasses were all we needed to finish this part of the design.
Contrast, which you’ll want to be aware of, comes in the use of natural rock slabs, river rock, and pavers. Don’t forget to incorporate texture into your design. Natural juxtaposed with manmade, straight lines versus what’s found in nature.

And the best kind of contrast comes with the interplay of light and shadow. The kind of shade cast by elements of our small garden means it looks great at 6 AM, as well as 6 PM.

A touch of whimsy is always welcome. This globe was used because the fire engine red color can be seen from afar, and is merely the outline of a circle; the plants can grow through and over it. Let your plants run free every time you can, but give them something in the way of support.

Pools call for frogs, and this one’s no exception. Stylized and amusing, he splays out on the rock sunning himself, and adds that element of personality you’ll want in your design. I write a lot about showing your personality in the landscape, but that doesn’t mean you have to create a major production and spend a lot of money. Often, just one element, like our metal lounging amphibian, will do the trick.

The stone pagoda adds gravitas, yet also a bit of fun. Plus, it telegraphs the importance of Chinese elements in our design. It anchors the space year-round and, while formal, is welcoming. Find one large piece to serve as focal point like this one, and your design comes together. You can design a small garden around something you already have, or you can look for something as you go.

It’s really fairly simple to put together a small garden in a small space. Limit your design and its elements. Think functionality, but don’t forget whimsy and the occasional piece that will delight you and your guests. Don’t be afraid to experiment. After all, you aren’t creating a five-acre park. Think of it more as an inviting little space where you make unexpected use of what you can find all around you.

Live Life to the Fullest,

Chris H. Olsen

Botanica Gardens

chrisholsen.com

botanicagardens.com

It’s Not Just About the Plants by Chris Olsen

January 9, 2017 by Laura LaRue

Ever notice how, often, the yards and gardens you really like seem to incorporate more than blooming annuals, stately perennials or swaths of grass? That’s because they do have more than simple plantings. They have small—personal—additions that make them stand out. It’s the little things that can make your plantings fresh and interesting, and also express just a bit of your personality in the process.

Yes, everyone waters with an automatic sprinkler system or hose, so it’s nice to see that old-fashioned metal watering can still make its appearance. If you don’t own one, you can source them many places, either still-functional or timeworn. It’s not about their use. It’s about them adding a quaint quality to a border or pot grouping. The fact that a watering can left among growing plants, and out in the weather, can also be turned up to water that wilting begonia, is a plus.

See the faded antique metal daffodils poking their heads above this mixed shade bed of foliage plants? I found them in a vintage store in Dallas and, because I was flying home, had a friend bring them in his car later. When you take a vacation or business trip, always be on the lookout for such objects. Not only do they add that unexpected whimsy to your garden, they are dear to you just because there’s a story behind them or their acquisition. And they are not something picked up at a big box store, either. I don’t know what their original use or site was, but they look like they’ve been blooming in my yard for quite a while. And who needs a shrub for height when you can have these lovelies?

A phalanx of watering cans marches to its own beat, nestled among ferns that have naturalized along the gravel path. Why have one can, when you can have several? A good rule to remember: using more than one of the same item adds strength to your design.

If you have a tree in your landscape, you just might need a table beneath. Often, we set up our gardens solely for the plants, and provide paths to get close to them as a sort of afterthought. But don’t forget your guests and a vantage point for yourself, so all can sit within what you have created. A table that can withstand the elements is apt, and then you can stack it with whatever you wish. I found this table on someone’s curb, waiting for the trash pickup. A coat of paint, and I wheeled it into place, under this mature tree. Functionality is good, but improvisational design is better. (Meaning, don’t worry too much about table surface area. Just so long as there’s room for you slide in, maybe with a cup of coffee and the newspaper, it’ll be fine.) I used weathered terra cotta pots, spheres and glass bottles bound for the recycler, plus a couple of plants I already had potted up. Looks like it’s been here a long time, doesn’t it? And to get to it, you get to hear that delicious crunch of gravel underfoot.

Think texture with your design, not just plants. The bonsai ficus, from my collection, is perfect scale for the table, and I tossed in interesting rock and pebble, along with overturned lichen-encrusted terra cotta.

An what better to hang above than wire acrobats? I found this tribe of metal people at Pike’s Market in Seattle. Yes, I had them FedExed home. How many times have you seen an ordinary wire basket of fern hanging from an overhead limb? These acrobats are a nice—and unexpected—touch.

Squirrels run rampant in all our yards, but this painted concrete fellow is an import; I brought him home from a trip to San Diego. He’ll always be ready to dash up the deck railing.

While on a trip, if you encounter something unexpected that really speaks to you, I encourage you to bring it home and find a good place for it. And that good place doesn’t mean the garage or attic. What can make your garden design special is not always the plantings themselves; it’s also what you add and blend and meld into them along the way. Little things can make big impact.

Live Life to the Fullest,

Chris H. Olsen

Botanica Gardens

chrisholsen.com

botanicagardens.com

Tower of Power by Chris Olsen

September 6, 2016 by Laura LaRue

With any change of season come ideas about how to change your interiors for that season. Yes, you could alter the entire color scheme of your room or house, remove pieces of furniture and haul others in to take their place, bring in yards of fabric, and empty the contents of a barn to create fall ambiance everywhere you look. Or you can be a bit more subtle, and incorporate smaller items that still make a big impact. All I did was add a pair of shelving units above the mantel and pile a bit of seasonal color at the base. Light a fire, and you have instant seasonal display.

Begin at the beginning and set up your floor display. Remember to use the three elements of design: color, texture, shape. And don’t use pumpkins and gourds solely. I brought in the rock from the patio and a twig apple that matches the spirit of the season. And don’t be afraid to use both real and artificial components in any display. The lit pumpkins are from Botanica Gardens. They come pre-lit with an orange bulb, and are glazed, which gives them a look of elegance, but a nice touch of spookiness for Halloween.

Like so many, I have a flat-screen television above my mantel. And I didn’t even move it for this look. I just decorated around it. Note the squash and branches beneath the screen. The anchor for my look is a pair of bookshelves. They’re actually brackets from The Container Store, and a book slides into them, which means an actual book becomes the bookshelf. I chose matching vintage books with metallic titles to go with the season. The compartment boxes within the brackets and between the books are vintage slide boxes I bought at an estate sale in San Diego. (Another bit of advice: Always be looking around for personal additions to your home; you will find them just about anywhere, and often in your travels.)

The bookshelves become a tower for the season with little effort. I brought in flowers in an earthen vase, an owl, a pumpkin. Three components are all it takes to represent fall. Or spring. Or any holiday. You don’t want a heavy hand. And I left all those little compartments empty. If I hadn’t, I might still be looking for small–tiny–objects to fill them, which illustrates my design point; be sparing.

The casual seasonal mound on the floor is comprised of natural and man-made elements, real and artificial. The one unexpected piece–and you should have one–is the large aggregate quartz rock. Talk about texture!

The pair of shelves isn’t clunky or overbearing, and represent fall at its best. Wood tones, a bit of color, and texture. And, because I didn’t fill this display with lots of items, the vertical lines of the shelves aren’t hidden, and echo the lines of the mantel, which makes the ceiling appear higher. I created a mirror effect by incorporating identical pieces and matching each shelf with its mate on the other side.

The overall look matches the room, and both the floor and wall displays use the same elements. I’ve both blended my seasonal look with the existing room décor, yet created a shrine that immediately pulls the eye up. And something else to note as well. Not everyone thinks about painting the mantel silver, but use of this color makes my mantel a neutral staging area for any seasonal look.

You don’t have to fill up a room with representative pieces of the season to get your point across. Make one slight addition, use pieces you already have, bring in some natural elements, and you’ll have a chic display, and one that conveys your personality and sense of whimsy. That’s all you need for decorating changes that will tower above.

Live Life to the Fullest,

Chris H. Olsen

Botanica Gardens

chrisholsen.com

botanicagardens.com

Steady as a….

August 11, 2016 by Laura LaRue

Rock has a place in your landscape, every bit as important as seasonal color and foundation plantings. We tend to get caught up in the bright and shiny aspects of design, and often forget the real heavy lifting of any landscape plan can be done by rock and stone, stacked and laid. Want a great flowerbed? Don’t forget to outline it. Want a defined walkway? Use flags, instead of concrete. Want a retaining wall? Skip the bricks, and think about boulders.

Give your flowerbed a real lift by outlining it in stacked flat stone. Raised beds are better for plantings because of drainage, so there’s a start. And plants cascading, nodding and dipping ever so slightly over a rock edge just seem happier. Stacking a small amount of stone also helps keep your border more natural, and less rigid. Let your design follow the rock. You also have a choice: stack your stone naturally, or use cement/mortar to keep them aligned. If you spend the time getting the rock just right for stacking, you find it ‘holds’ well enough without the cement. You just aren’t able to stack it as high, so think about limiting the height to two or three stones.

Stone doesn’t just anchor your design, it also adds a touch of permanence and weathering, as if the design were always there. Yes, you want seasonal color and the change that comes with mature plantings, but you also want your landscape to have a sense of timelessness. Think of English pastoral vistas or the stacked stone fences of pre-Revolutionary America. And rock complements your foundation plantings, too. Look how well it works with the cypress at the back of this planting; as if both components had been in place for a long time.

If your property has ‘destinations,’ such as lakefront, garage, detached deck, or outbuildings, then you probably want a defined walk. Rather than mixing concrete, think about using flags. And if you want a wider defined path, just shop for wider flagstone, about 30-36 inches across. Lay it out, create a foundation so each stone is flat and flush with the surrounding area, and let the grass grow around the edge of each irregular piece. The fun in this work is shopping and matching—or contrasting–the flags you want to use.

Nothing can be simpler than using larger rock, such as these boulders, as a retaining wall, just like found in nature. Rock is so real and dense, why not use it instead of brick and mortar? And it contrasts with and complements sod, decks, and water in a natural unassuming way. These were chosen for size and stackability. And don’t forget rock is often cheaper than anchor blocks or building a wall.

Think about color, scale, dimension, and plants that work with your exposure. But don’t forget the use of rock, as borders, walls, and walks. It’s inexpensive as a rule, and so much more fun to work with that manmade elements. Stone and rock yards can make for interesting excursions when planning any landscape project, and using what you find there will make your design that much more unique. And who doesn’t want that?

Live Life to the Fullest,

Chris H. Olsen
Botanica Gardens

chrisholsen.com

botanicagardens.com

Take Advantage of Vintage by Chris H. Olsen

Part of a series: Living the Good Life with Chris Olsen

Plan for Spontaneity by Chris H. Olsen

Part of a series: Living the Good Life with Chris Olsen

Fall for All by Chris Olsen

Perennial: In Every Sense of the Word

Immerse Yourself in the Details

Fountains Provide a Cascade of Pleasure

Small Space, Big Impact

It’s Not Just About the Plants by Chris Olsen

Tower of Power by Chris Olsen

Steady as a….

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Part of a series: Living the Good Life with Chris Olsen

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