Inspiring your Home and Lifestyle
Learn from the professionals at one of these Arkansas classes
Joon Bridal,Fayetteville
Nov. 16 at 6:30 pm
Join Faith Hundley to create a holiday wreath using a mix of fresh greenery and berries. Class is $65; materials and cookies from The Copper Cookie Co., cider, and other holiday treats provided. Email flowers@faithhundley.com to register. …
The end of summer is a bittersweet time, but it’s also when certain crops are ready for market. And many of your summer annuals, so vibrant and luscious during the hot months, are now showing their age and wear (though some seem to thrive even now, at the end of the season—I’m looking at you, dragon-wing begonia). The last of the hay has been baled, apples and pears are beginning to tumble into the stores and farmers markets, and muscadines are ripe, a fact not lost on true Southerners. So here comes the fun stuff: pumpkins.
Above: A typical display we have at both Botanica and Plantopia. With such variety, how could you go home with just one? Mix the colors, combine shapes, stack them all cheek-to-cheek. There is no formal pattern for your fall display.…
You may not think a lot about walls, but they work on many levels at a property. They can keep something in or out, provide demarcation and boundary, and serve as punctuation for a landscape. They’re the very definition of utilitarian. But I have a question for you: do they have to be strictly about purpose, with nothing left for aesthetics or pleasure? I think a wall can become part of your plantings, which will mean seasonal interest, color, and a bit of something unexpected in your landscape.
…
Suburban houses usually come with a pre-poured concrete sidewalk. That idea is so pervasive we don’t even think about it. You arrive at your friend’s house, get out of the car, and stroll up the walk. A walk invariably flanked by green grass, carefully manicured and fed. What if you want to be just a little different? You can tear up the sod and replace with hardy perennials that will provide interest, no matter the season. And you can bisect your new planting area with a clearly defined pathway, which is both decorative and functional. People are beginning to discover the pleasures of plants, as opposed to sod, and adding rock strewn paths to provide for a pleasing note of individuality.
Once the sod was removed and the plants installed we provided the path. The idea came out of the need to access the backyard by maintenance crews. You can’t drive a mower through the plants, so what do you do? We levelled the designated—curved–area and created a bed for both large flat pavers, and plenty of rock. The pavers are for stepping, the surrounding rock for interest and drainage. And take a look at the perennials we chose; all are rugged, dependable and fit the proportions of the space. Nothing could be worse than having to dig and remove specimens on a regular basis that have outgrown their allotted segment. We chose a complementary mix of rudbeckia, verbena, salvia, rosemary, and other specimens chosen for their growth habits (more rounded than tall, more cascading than upright)….
If you walk outside and stand still, your face into the wind, you’ll know it’s coming; spring, I mean. We’ve had a New England-worthy winter, but better days are on the horizon. Avid gardeners are already curling up with a good seed catalog, discovering new plants and reveling in the color-drenched photos. What better time to think about, well, better times? Let’s go to last year’s garden and poke around.
The Greeks and Romans were right; a pergola always makes pathways more inviting. If you have a somewhat rectangular space and need a path, don’t just stop at flagstones or brick. Look up. Pergolas over walkways mean you can use vines and trailing specimens, and that you don’t block out the sun with anything heavy. Pergolas celebrate the seasons and provide vertical interest. Think about the pavers you use and remember to plant something between them for a cooling effect. Mondo grass is used here between the pavers, but that scrumptious green in the foreground? Moss, which is a great idea for shady areas that have just a bit of foot traffic. Zero maintenance, and almost neon in color after a rain….
Let’s talk about pairs. You have lots of pairs in your life, but here’s an idea you might not have thought of: Put up a pair of Christmas trees this year. No, not green trees, either fresh or man-made. How about some shiny aluminum? These trees are lightweight, reflect and attract light, are easily decorated, and store with ease. And they require no maintenance, which is great, when you think about what you have to do about consistent water level and temperature around the live variety, and the amount of space a man-made green tree might require up in the attic, even if it breaks down into branches and trunk. Aluminum trees can be the answer for practical reasons, but anyone who seeks a fresh approach to Christmas décor will be thrilled at the use of, not just one, but two. They can flank each other in front of a mantel, or in a large window, or within seating areas, and two trees are just as easy to incorporate along with existing furnishings as one.
You can purchase these trees pre-lit with clear lights, and then add old-fashioned colored light strings, like I did here. Adding additional lights means even more reflection. Decorate your trees as much alike as possible. Use the same colors on both, and the same assortment of ornaments, if possible. I used vintage ornaments, because I have many. Making the trees mirror images of each other will also mean making your design statement more emphatic. There’s something about matched pairs that’s pleasing to the eye, whether it be racehorses, chairs, or an (unexpected) Christmas tree twosome.
And don’t concern yourself with erecting a mountain of wrapped packages under your trees, either. Potted poinsettias are easy to maintain, and can take up that space nicely. With the number of poinsettia colors now available, you’ll be able to find the right shade to contrast or complement your tree decorations nicely. You can paint terra cotta pots for your poinsettias, and place all on a tree skirt.
Now, it starts getting good. Once your trees are in place, create echoes of that shininess in other area of your room. You may recall these stacks of antique slide boxes I use most of the year on my mantel. I got them at an estate sale in San Diego last year. I added miniature Mexican-made trees to the box assortment. These table-top trees are also aluminum, like their large brothers, and are painted in clear, yummy colors that just happen to work with the color palette of the big pair.
When you place something right at eye level, like the small trees on the mantel, details are important. The colors of these little trees pop, and the glass bead centers of the flowers are easily seen. Using vintage lights on the mantel underscores the look of the tree pair in front of the fireplace.
And don’t forget tree toppers for both, like this aluminum number to finish the shiny effect. Same color, same feel. Use the same touch throughout your design, the same palette and elements. Keeping this sort of unity means your design is that much more important.
You can purchase the table top trees, pre-order the full-size aluminum trees, and find an array of cool and unique holiday décor at Botanica and Plantopia. Think about the glow your holiday guests will encounter, when cast by, not one, but two lovely, shiny Christmas trees.
Live life to the fullest,
Chris H. Olsen
Botanica Gardens
Anyone who knows me, how I approach my craft, or what excites me knows I love pumpkins. I use them from the time I can first purchase them—sometimes directly from the grower—then deep into winter and beyond. (They can last many months—a fact that wasn’t lost on farmers in the days before refrigeration.) I feel you can’t beat their vibrant colors, wildly varying textures, or happy shapes.
Here’s the thing: they don’t have to be relegated to Halloween displays, carved up into jack-o-lanterns. Pumpkins and all their range of colors and textures are wonderful complements to the fall garden.
Have you ever noticed how, oftentimes, we love our gardens the most at the end of the season? Everything is at its verdant peak—the colors more saturated, the growth more lush. You can add a mix of pumpkins (and ornamental squash) to the plantings you’ve nurtured all summer long. It will add further visual interest and make the approach of fall a little merrier.
To really get the most out of your pumpkins, why not put them on simple pedestals? You highlight their addition to your garden, add height and interest, and ensure they’ll be noticed. And appreciated. We carry these metal pedestals at Botanica, and you can use them throughout the year.
Think about the area you want to use them in. Do you want them to trace the line of your walk? Give height between foundation plantings near a wall? Create visual interest at the end of a path? Provide punctuation to an existing design? Then give them each a small stage, so that they can have their moment in your garden.
Notice that I’ve mixed them. It’s far more interesting to use pumpkins that differ in size, shape, and color than featuring all the same type. The pedestals make the point here that you’ve found really interesting shapes and colors, even warty ones, and you’re now taking them to another level. They become part of your landscape, part of your hearty end-of-season garden when used this way.
It’s a really simple idea, but (as is often the case with simple ideas) it’s a good one. And those little pedestals can be used to display seasonal bits of interest in your garden all year long. Once you elevate a bit of garden color and texture, you elevate the senses and the design appeal, which is what makes your guests want to come back, season after season.
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.
Want to read more from Chris? Last month, he told us how to create a spooky outdoor atmosphere this Halloween–check it out.
Since the dawn of civilization, humans have created open spaces within their active areas of livelihood, places to gather or linger, areas devoted to expression. These sometimes-unexpected meetings of hardscape and plantings can also serve as markers of entrance or exit or as punctuation for the grid of streets surrounding them. By creating and opening up such areas, we provide a certain respite from urban chaos and make an area, although carefully planned and executed, that is serene and almost pastoral. The design elements for these plantings are really quite simple, and you can follow them to either establish a design for your neighborhood or create such a space for yourself.
What you need is an area that is somewhat level and always accessible. If you’re designing something for your neighborhood, think about the entrance or even an available empty lot. (Yes, seek permission first.) You want a place that can be seen.
Craft your bed for planting, remembering one fact: Nothing square is found in nature. Use a pattern that is circular, somewhat so, or even will have a bit of a curve to it. Always raise your bed. It will make your planting more important. Now play up texture, by using something like the stones used here. Since raised beds mean your plants will be closer to eye level, be mindful of heartiness and color.
Work your way into your space, by first using lower plants. Then, add a secondary element. This can be taller plantings, bloomers, or greenery. You want a bit of contrast. And you’ll also want to find plants that are easy to maintain and hardy in most weather.
Then add the focal point, like a bit of sculpture shown here—although your piece of interest doesn’t have to be metal; you could just as easily select an urn placed on a pedestal, or even a tall plant or tree, blooming or not. The idea is for you to select whatever pleases you and will provide year-round interest, for the focus of your design.
Your design for a public place can also be full of rangy color, like this bed full of rudbeckia, begonia and gomphrena. If you want something that is seasonally vibrant, here’s the one for you. Emphasis is placed not on art, but on color.
Good design needn’t be complicated or require lots of sourcing of materials. Find an area for your design, then fill it with what you love, what speaks to you. You can take the principle of ‘public place’ and make it your own ‘private space.’ Just remember scale and good siting for your design. Assemble and sit back and admire. Or forget it until the next time you walk out your door or round the corner. It really is that easy.
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.
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.