Serenity in the Garden

Federico Forquet Garden  - click here  Federico Forquet has spent his long life in the fashion industry and in design of all kinds. Here is his garden in the Tuscan hills in Italy. It is a serene sanctuary. Forquet says that creative fulfillment is a personal quest, not a public endeavor. “If you create an Empire you become an Emperor. But I prefer being a private and happy citizen of the world.”

mediterranean-landscape ken lindsteadt Ken Lindsteadt , architect, includes this in his page on Houzz... So alluring! wish I was there right now.....

Pineapple Lily - by Jan Johnsen Oakhurst Pineapple Lily (Eucomis 'Oakhurst') has p ineapple-like stalks of creamy flowers and strap like foliage.  A summer stunner, 20" tall! This deep-purple leafed lily loves sun and has a tropical look.  It holds its color when the weather gets extremely hot.   This bulbous perennial also exhibits excellent cold hardiness.   Looks great in planters, especially with silver foliage. Lasts 21 days as a cut flower! Give it a year after planting before you expect flowers. USDA Zones: 6b-9

stone bench by Johnsen Landscapes & Pools  Stone Bench by  Johnsen Landscapes & Pools  In August, gardens in my part of the world, are a tangle of foliage, flowers and dense tree canopies. We know we should start cutting back, limbing up or clearing out the overgrowth but what we really want to do is sit in the cool shade and drink a tall glass of iced tea. Antique sandstone Bench from  English Garden Antiques Ah, a place to sit in the cool leafy shade! What better contrast to the soft green lushness that surrounds you than a stone seat or bench, immutable, grounded and cool to the touch... See some great stone benches at the  Stonepost  website Stone seats in the garden have a storied history. The Druids of Northern Europe fashioned stone chairs out of boulders. It is surmised that they were used for rituals and perhaps coronations of a sort.  Today, in the British Isles and in France, you can find a...

Hosta plantaginea 'Aphrodite' at The Mount in Lenox, Ma. photo by Jan Johnsen.   The old fashioned 'August Lily' (Hosta plataginea) is a magnificent fragrant, white flowered Hosta that deserves to be rediscovered. Perfect for an evening fragrance garden. It needs sun to bloom. First imported to England from China in 1790,  Hosta plantaginea came to the United States a short time later.  Since this species is from a more southern clime than other Hostas, it is more heat loving than most.  It also blooms later in the year and features a honeysuckle like fragrance! The large white flowers of Hosta plantaginea certainly puts it in a class by itself.  They  are 6 inches long, pure white and open at  4 pm in the afternoon.  (Most hostas have flowers that open around 7 am in the morning). And the best feature for me is that Hosta plantaginea continues to produce new leaves all summer long!  This is a particular advan...

dandelion pappus by polarblogger The  pappus   is found in  flower  heads of the plant family  Asteraceae .  The pappus may be composed of bristles, sometimes feathery. In some species, such as  Dandelion  or  Eupatorium , feathery bristles of the pappus function as a "parachute" which enables the seed to be carried by the wind. dandelion by binzy The name derives from the  Ancient Greek  word  pappos , meaning "old man", used for a plant having bristles and for hairy seed of certain plants. Horseweed seed heads

photo by  Nick Page This strange ice formation - found in woods in  goes by several names - frost flowers,  ice flowers, ice ribbon, rabbit ice, rabbit frost, ice wool and more.  Photo:  MarkInspex/Flickr Rabbit ice forms when the air hits freezing temperatures and  sap  in the stems of plants expands as it freezes, causing cracks to form along a stem. Water is then drawn out through the cracks, freezing as it hits the air, and forms layer after thin layer as more water is drawn out, eventually creating petals or ribbons of ice. Image Credit Flickr User Cotonis   It looks like a puff-ball of cotton candy made up of clusters of thin, curved ice filaments.  Image Credit Flickr User markinspecx Your best chances of spotting rabbit frost is in the early mornings in wooded, shaded areas when weather conditions are just right.    Image Credit Flickr User slowmoz I have nev...

Looking for garden ideas? Check this - http://t.co/mgWHIQ7mVw #gardendesign #landsccapedesign #deerresistantplants pic.twitter.com/ucoYLopr9c — Jan Johnsen (@janjohnsen23) August 15, 2014

photo by Debashish Samaddar  It is butterfly season now and I search for them everywhere. They are few and far between because of the pesticides people use.  Ironic, isn't it? We apply poison to have unmarred flowers and leaves only to kill the very creatures that the flowers are here for.  Here is what others have to say about these magical little beings:  "The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough."   - Rabindranath  Tagore "What the caterpillar calls the end of the world the master calls a butterfly."  - Richard Bach monarch butterfly "What's a butterfly garden without butterflies?" - Roy Rogers “Well, I must endure the presence of a few caterpillars if I wish to become  acquainted with the butterflies.”  ― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry,  The Little Prince glass butterfly  “Butterflies are self propelled flowers.”  ...

Dahlia 'Smartie' " The earth laughs in flowers..." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson If Emerson was right, then the earth in my part of the world, the northeast United States, is guffawing right now. Big belly laughs of coneflower, Shasta daisy, dahlias and more. scaveola, mini petunias, lantana photo by Jan Johnsen Chuckling up lantana, giggling petunias.....how could you not smile? Flowers make us happy — but why? flowers make us happy! Well, a fascinating study in the journal of   Evolutionary Psychology – ISSN 1474-7049 – Volume 3. 2005. - 121  reported on this phenomenon. Psychological researchers from Rutgers University wrote,  " An Environmental Approach to Positive Emotion: Flowers" Pool Design and Flower garden by Jan Johnsen Some of their findings include (I chose the following excerpts from their study):  "our results indicate that the simple presentation of flowers, even a single flower , will...

Cornell Plantations Garden photo by Justin D.Kondrat  The Cornell Plantations gardens in Ithaca, New York are intoxicating in summer!   This is the YOUNG FLOWER GARDEN there.   This garden celebrates our responses to significant plants by revealing how these plants are reflected in  art,  literature, ceremony,  the symbolic meanings they communicate,  and the emotions they evoke .  Cornell Plantations click here The Young Flower Garden is a combination of annuals, perennials, and shrubs hardy to a northern climate.  They have booklets that focus on the lore and cultural uses of 10 common flowers: the rose, carnation, daisy, sunflower, poppy, lily, iris, tulip, peony, and chrysanthemum. Click  here  to download a plant list for this garden   (pdf file, 46 pages).

Lotus Flower - Phipps Conservatory, Pittsburgh, Pa.  The sacred lotus flower at the Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh, Pa. Highly Recommended!  An amazing place to visit.  Click here for their website.

A stone garden path brings calm to an outdoor space As the pace of modern life quickens, our desire for an outdoor oasis, where we can find some peace and comfort, increases.  serene setting on bali We look to plants, earth and sky for inspiration for our environment. We see beauty in rough wood, mossy rocks and moving water. rock and water_cascade by_Clodagh_Photo_by_Daniel_Aubry Sherwin Williams made this very short video to celebrate the colors of earth and sky for a 2015 color mix. click here: http://youtu.be/vj3O0j7Rawk?list=PLAEZY2hC-IOD8N_xe6yYxbtkh5BwvZ5jY and here are the 2015 colors they recommend for this feeling:

How inviting and simple!  The alternate layout of the narrow stone  pavers  is so elegant and functional. The shrubs along the side create safety and shelter.... the arched window in the distance adds to the allure. This is at the  L'Albereta, the five-star resort in Lombardy. from GQ magazine source :  http://www.thethreef.com/2012/05/mille-miglia-with-acqua-di-parma-albereta-resort-gala-dinner-day-1.html