Inspiring your Home and Lifestyle
Hello again. I hope you had a wonderful Independence Day weekend! I love the 4th of July, and my birthday just happens to come the day before, so I always have a lot to celebrate in July. This year I spent the weekend at the lake, soaking up the sun and eating all my favorite foods, generously prepared by my friends. It was a lovely time, and I couldn’t resist sharing this sunset photo from my birthday night. Glorious!
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Well, hello again. I hope you are having a fruitful and enjoyable spring. If you are anything like me (and my garden) you are about to wash away from all the rain! But, as they say: “April showers bring May flowers,” and…well…I suppose all these May storms will just bring that many more blossoms in June! Or, at least we can hope, right? I have been rather lucky, actually, in that I missed much of the dreary weather, having been out of town for half of the past month. Since we last saw each other, I have been traveling quite a bit, mostly for work, and I thought I would share some of my experiences of life on the road (and Outside the Box!).
I started my travels with a trip to Little Rock to give a presentation to the wonderful women of the Little Rock Garden Club. While I failed to take any pictures, I had a great time sharing with them what it means to me to Live Outside the Box, and they were so gracious to welcome me at their monthly meeting.
Next, it was on to Dallas and another group of lovely ladies: The Dallas Garden Club. I was lucky enough to attend their annual flower show with some friends. It was held in the gorgeous home and garden of one of the club’s members, and I managed to sneak a few photographs in between mimosas!
It was such a treat seeing all the special creations and visiting with all the garden-loving gals in the club.
While in Dallas, I found a fun store, Big Mango Trading Company, which imports all sorts of unique items that are great for decorating your home and garden. One of my favorites was this water garden, carved from a single piece of stone.
I also fell in love with this planter, made with real barnacles, and just had to bring it home with me. I love how it looks on the dining room table, filled with graceful orchids.
From Texas, my journey took me for the first time to Santa Fe, NM. While the gardening ‘scene’ is quite different from the lushness of Arkansas, it is beautiful nonetheless, and spring is definitely a beautiful time to be there.
From my hotel room balcony, the sweet scent of wisteria climbing over a neighboring wall greeted me each morning.
And from the vantage point of a rooftop cafe on the downtown square I could take in the beautiful mountains surrounding the town, as well as the steeple of the famed Loretto Chapel.
Nearby, an interesting fountain caught my eye as it filled the cafe with its soothing sounds.
Before leaving town after a memorable weekend, I rode out to the Santa Fe Botanical Garden to take a look. This serene sculpture greeted me at the entrance and had only just been installed that day.
The garden is very new and still very much in development. Nevertheless, there were plenty of interesting things to see. This pavilion near the entrance makes use of branches harvested from the garden to create a unique and affordable shade structure.
Just inside, a meadow garden leads to a collection of sculptures carved from huge pieces of stone.
Further down the trail, dry creek beds draw the eye to other points of interest, including an abandoned highway bridge re-purposed for use in the garden.
Along the art trail, I encountered this creature made from branches gathered from the garden. A desert scarecrow, perhaps?
Along the way, I stopped for a rest in the shade to enjoy the view from the inviting pavilions scattered throughout the garden.
All in all, Santa Fe was an absolutely thrilling experience. But, as usual, I couldn’t wait to be back at home in Arkansas where my garden greeted me with extra vigor…a result of all the life-giving rains. And, so it is with life Outside the Box!
Stay tuned next month to see what else the season has in store!
Exterior designer Daniel Keeley is an Arkansas native and founder/principal of DK Design. His work has won numerous awards and accolades and is featured regularly in various publications. For more information visit dkdesignoutdoor.com. Â
Gardeners tend to embrace seasonal change—love it. even. With each transition comes the opportunity to change out plantings, play up design ideas, or implement new color combinations. And it’s all about renewal, which resonates with all humans. But sometimes, don’t you wish you had something to use that is a bit more long lasting? Impervious to the seasons? Here’s an idea you can incorporate into your planting scheme, and it doesn’t entail construction or site plans. Use cut flagstones to create petals in the outline of a daisy, a nice sort of punctuation to a bed, or bend in the garden path.
Decide how large you want your stone daisy, and create a template to follow to cut out the shape of petals. You’ll want to think about circumference, so petal size and count is important. I had the room, so I created a flower with six good-sized petals. You won’t have to cut out a stone for the flower center because you’ll use that area for seasonal plants.
Flagstones must be cut with a diamond blade, which you can rent, or ask the rock yard to use on flags you purchase. (Most yards or quarries will have one to cut stone.) Here is where having a template to follow for the petals will come in handy.
Because your daisy will be home to concentrated and highlighted plantings, prepare and amend the soil well. Dig deep enough to place two or three concrete blocks just beneath the surface where the petals will rest. The blocks—a crucial addition–will support your petals and keep them from sinking into the cultivated soil.
Arrange the petals with care, working to create a nice round circle that will be planted as the daisy center. Notice I overlapped the petals a bit to create depth. You’ll need to step back from time to time to check the shape of your design, and maintain that round shape for the important flower center.
Once the daisy is assembled, now comes the fun part. Plant the flower center so that it’s almost bursting, with plants selected for tight shape and good color. A mix of foliage plants and bloomers is best. Be sure to finish planting with time-release fertilizer, so you’ll have optimum color throughout the season. Plant around the edges of the daisy ‘petals,’ but not too closely. You want to be able to discern the shape of your daisy and its petals.
The year progresses, and the colors and plants and growth habits change, but you’ll have a garden resident that will outlast them all. And it’s nice to occasionally have something that will make you smile in the garden, like your stone daisy.
Chris Olsen is a nationally known home and garden guru, designer, author, TV personality and public speaker. In his book, Chris shares his landscape and gardening knowledge along with his unique flair for home decor and design.He is also a member of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers. Learn more about Chris and all of his work at chrisholsen.com.
Spring is quickly approaching, and–if you’re like us–you’re happily anticipating being outside enjoying your garden, deck, or patio in the warmer weather. On February 20-22, the Statehouse Convention Center, in Little Rock, will play host to a gardener’s dream weekend that is sure to inspire you. Featuring speaker presentations, display gardens, how-to demonstrations, silent auctions, floral competitions, shopping, and more, the event is a perfect way to prepare for spring. Don’t miss family day on Sunday, which includes special activities and workshops for children. Tickets, $10; 3-day pass, $15; Children 12 and under, free. To learn more, call (501) 821-4000, or visit the show website at argardenshow.com
Thick, textured, lush, healthy, shining. Adjectives from a shampoo commercial? You bet, but they also should be your watchwords for summer plantings. You can achieve the sort of blooming beds—the kind that people will remember—with just a little bit of planning and maintenance, and a few simple design ideas: Plant more; think color, then texture; find vitality in simple design (I like to call this the “shove it and cram it” style); feed and water consistently.
Even if you have only a small area to plant, you should put out more than a few paltry little specimens. By planting more—think of it as more plants sharing tight quarters—you create a unified design. While it’s fun to try mixing different type plants and assorted colors, you achieve a more pleasing look some times by using just one or two varieties of annuals.
You’ve heard me exclaim before about the great impact of the dainty-appearing angelonia, but here it is in full glory. The color range is in the cool spectrum, so you’ll find them in white, pink, and a couple of shades of violet. Crowded in this way, you get the effect of waves of color. And, despite their diminutive stature, they’re the workhorses of summer annuals. Also known as ‘summer snapdragon,’ their bloom is unstinting for months in the summer heat.
Another extraordinarily hardy bloomer is scavolea. This plant tends to creep, run, and ramble, so it can easily be placed as a foundation planting under something taller. Great for borders, where the color can ‘pop,’ or in pots assembled with other bloomers, you get 120 days of bloom every time. And scavolea comes in a thrilling blue. When you see it blooming, you’ll want more, which means creating that unified design I’m showing you here.
Another benefit of the ‘more plants, closer together’ or ‘shove it and cram it’ philosophy is that you can pair them with something taller, to create a texture contrast. These begonias are matched with fan palms. The vibrant red blooms are countered by the nodding fronds overhead, an unexpected pairing, but one of two rugged plants that thrive under the steady sun. And a benefit of the palms towering over the begonias is that those fronds shade the begonias, meaning cooler roots, and less fading of bloom color. Another benefit of close planting is that the volume of blossoms overhead, plus the increased amount of plant leaves and stalks, is that all the roots get shaded from above.
Another good design idea to remember is to FORGET about the color wheel. It doesn’t have to match the brick of your house–it’s all about personal preference. If you want to create a planting pair, try something like the angelonia placed cheek-by-jowl with the brilliant yellow lantana here. Also a great texture and shape contrast, such a planting maximizes your space, and is pleasing from a distance, a good idea if you want your beds and borders to be seen from the street.
You’ll want to build in maintenance for your plantings. Annuals are heavy feeders. Feed with time release fertilizer, like Osmocote or Miracle Gro’s ‘Shake and Feed,’ as well as an occasional dousing with water soluble fertilizer. Yes, it makes a difference. It takes a lot of strength, stamina, and fortitude for these plants to bloom under relentless summer conditions, and they need your help. Which also means water deeply on a consistent basis. Shampoo commercials promise happy, tossing, rolling, shiny waves of hair, and with just a bit of suggested care. You’ll be able to get the same kind of feeling from your summer annuals with a little bit of planning and maintenance, and you won’t have to think about spokesmodels at all.
Chris Olsen is a nationally known home and garden guru, designer, author, TV personality and public speaker. In his book, Chris shares his landscape and gardening knowledge along with his unique flair for home decor and design.He is also a member of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers. Learn more about Chris and all of his work at chrisholsen.com.
Pink, blue, and a touch of gold come together to bring us today’s color palette. Fresh azaleas, clipped from Anna Dickinson’s yard, add a burst of color in her newly renovated cottage. Dickinson, owner of White Goat in Little Rock’s Heights neighborhood, called upon Chris Milligan of Dwellings, Inc. to rework the structure and floor plan of her home. The line between old and new is blurred and the space is filled with vintage treasures, all working together to bring this space lots of character and unique style. Click here to read the full “Before & After” story or find a copy of the July issue on newsstands.
{paint colors: zany pink; arabella; eastlake gold}
We asked our team for their favorite summer flower or plant. Here’s what they found:
Tiffany Burgess, Managing Editor WHAT SHE FOUND: Hydrangeas!
WHAT SHE SAID ABOUT IT: “I absolutely adore hydrangeas. In fact, when I made my 2014 goal list ‘Plant a Hydrangea Garden’ was at the top. Unfortunately they have not done so great this year, but I’m not giving up.”
WHERE SHE FOUND IT: http://www.southernliving.
Mandy Keener, Art Director WHAT SHE FOUND: Peonies!
WHAT SHE SAID ABOUT IT: “The smell and the fluffy petals make me smile!”
Emilie Head, Account Executive WHAT SHE FOUND: Sunflowers
WHAT SHE SAID ABOUT IT: “I absolutely love sunflowers! I love to pick up a fresh bunch at the farmers’ market on the weekends. They are so happy and just scream Summer!”
WHERE SHE FOUND IT: http://theglitterguide.com/
Ashley Gill, Online Content Editor WHAT SHE FOUND: Butterfly Weed
WHAT SHE SAID ABOUT IT: “Butterfly weed is my favorite, because it’s somehow scraggly looking, yet intricate and delicate. And I’m over the moon for a punchy orange. So pretty.”
If you love pure color, waves of vibrant or cool hues, bright patches, rows, and that pop of excitement in the garden, then what you’re really looking to do is plant blooming annuals. People sometimes get the terms ‘annual’ and ‘perennial’ confused, so think of them like this: Perennials stay throughout the seasons, yet make a controlled show only once a year, usually lasting a month or less. Think hydrangeas and cherry trees. But annuals, due to their short life spans–usually less than a year–provide a sustained garden color. They’ve been bred to bloom continuously, so they’re what you want to plant when you want nothing but unrelenting color. Think flowerbed borders, containers, areas you want to highlight. Here are some of my picks for show and resilience in the summer heat:
Torenia is about as cheery as it gets and is wonderful because it spreads and takes a bit of shade. It’s hard to find a reliable blue bloomer that will provide color in shade, so keep this one in mind. It’s also good for borders because it only gets six-eight inches tall and, since it spreads, can be a nice break between your annuals and the taller, rangier perennials behind.
Petunias, because of their range in color, are an annual that people return to time after time. The problem with them, however, has been simple; they won’t take the heat of southern summers, and they play out. But here’s a new one, which is not the upright old-fashioned petunia, or even part of the Wave series of the last few years. Try the Supertunia for vigorous growth and constant bloom. Great spilling out of pots (think “cram it and shove it” as I share with all of the groups I speak to!) or at the edge of your planting, it withstands the elements, and won‘t sulk and quit blooming in the heat. Bubblegum, a light pink, is the strongest of the varieties I’ve found.
But here’s a new one, which is not the upright old-fashioned petunia, or even part of the Wave series of the last few years. Try the Supertunia for vigorous growth and constant bloom. Great spilling out of pots (think “cram it and shove it” as I share with all of the groups I speak to!) or at the edge of your planting, it withstands the elements, and won‘t sulk and quit blooming in the heat. Bubblegum, a light pink, is the strongest of the varieties I’ve found.
For every space, every need, every growth condition, there’s the Big Series Begonia. These are not your grandmother’s begonias. Like their name says, they’re outsized and literally leap out of plantings. Uniform, solid, and happy, they come in green leaf and bronze leaf varieties. The green leaf will tolerate a bit of shade, and both have red, pink or white blooms that will continue all season, right up to frost. Easy to grow and unbeatable, their blooms are like happy jewels!
Angelonia, sometimes called ’summer snapdragon,’ is quite the regal beauty, but one that flourishes in the heat. At about 18 inches, it presides over the garden with its upright growth habit, coming in shades of white to pink to lavender to violet. The flower heads never turn brown, and the serene bloom is unstinting until the very end of warm weather.
This is the perfect time of year to get the best selection available at your local garden center. Don’t’ wait too long; you want to plant your seasonal color now before the heat sets in. I suggest you bring photos of your flower beds and your garden experts will be able to help you out even more! The real key to success with your annual garden is two-fold; garden soil prep and reliable watering.
Amending and loosening the soil is key to maintaining constant bloom with annuals because of their shallow root systems and constant energy burning. It takes a lot of work to provide bloom that extends over an entire four-month season, so they’ll respond to your care.
Prepare your soil by turning it over, and mixing in amendment each time you plant. Then add a slow-release fertilizer that your annuals can rely upon for several months. And, on top of these steps, fertilize every three to four weeks with Miracle-Gro, or something comparable with the word ‘bloom‘ in the title. With this kind of care, I guarantee you’ll see a 40 percent improvement in growth and bloom cover. And don’t forget to water. Make watering as much a part of your summer schedule as barbecuing and trips to the lake. Giving them regular water and feeding will mean they’ll never cease their performance, and you’ll always find joy in their color and energy.
Remember to always think outside of the box and try to out do what you did last year!
Live life to the fullest!!
–Chris
Chris Olsen is a nationally known home and garden guru, designer, author, TV personality and public speaker. In his book, Chris shares his landscape and gardening knowledge along with his unique flair for home decor and design.He is also a member of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers. Learn more about Chris and all of his work at chrisholsen.com.
From Emilie Head, Account Executive: “These gorgeous yellow Layla Grace pillows just scream Spring! What a perfect way to brighten up a room for the new season!” [available at Layla Grace]
From Mandy Keener, our Art Director: “This. I. Love. This. The mix of metallics and the wood slatted walls & ceilings. Gives me a inspiration on what to do with my silver cow skull with one gold tooth!” [from artist Owen Mortensen]
From Blythe Cate, Graphic Designer: “Fresh flowers always add cheer to a home, and this arrangement is simply darling and refreshing! I love the vintage containers, too.” [from Camille Styles “10 Best Spring Floral Arrangements“]
From Ashley Gill, Online Content Editor: “I like this clean and contemporary spin on windchimes. I think this piece would look great alongside some chunky, old-fashioned, wooden ones.” [from Ladies and Gentlemen Studio first spotted on Anthologymag.com]
Considering how positively pretty they are, it’s no surprise Vivienne Tam decided to make peonies the focal point of her Spring 2009 Collection. “Every woman loves peonies,” Tam declared before her show.
Lush and colorful, peonies also play a starring role in our April 2010 issue, featuring Henry Chotkowski’s peony farm on the outskirts of Fayetteville–the three-acre plot of land literally transforms into a sea of green leaves and bright blooms! Don’t miss the Mother’s Day Open House on May 9 from 1 to 6 p.m., with live music, refreshments, dessert and an opportunity to order peonies or buy cut flowers. For more information, visit www.athomearkansas.com.
At Home in Arkansas offers you a look inside the state's most inspiring homes. The magazine features monthly advice from the experts to help you plan your next remodel or redesign, entertain at home, or find Arkansas's best kept secrets. It is your definitive guide to the state's finest homes and gardens, design professionals, fashion and entertaining essentials, and premier shops and showrooms.