Serenity in the Garden

Hakonechloa, catmint, perennial salvia The design of the landscape is all encompassing.  It includes urban spaces, civic squares, meeting areas, parks, gardens, linear nature corridors, waterfronts and more.  Phipps Sustainable Landscape in Pittsburgh Landscape design can be defined as an outdoor area that is molded and manipulated for an intended outcome. It can be stark, sleek and bold. It can be quaint, cozy and comforting. The common denominator is the modification of outdoor space. Dallas Arboretum - Rocks in landscape What? No plants? Well, landscape architecture should include plants in my opinion.   But the definition doesn't necessarily include them. Drumstick Allium - wonderful With that said, you can follow your own star as it relates to landscaping.  Concrete plazas are your thing? Then so be it. Co-creating with Nature is my mantra. Recirculating cascade - Johnsen Landscapes I prefer natural elements. Rocks. Tre...

Red Obelisk European Beech Red Obelisk European Beech  is a 2015 Cary Award winner and for good reason: it is a narrow, columnar tree with wavy, lustrous, burgundy-black foliage all spring and summer.  And it is a great deep red exclamation point for your garden. !   !   !   !    Ideal for tight planting areas, it can grow 40 ft. high and no more than 10 ft. wide after several decades.  Tolerant of urban pollution so it is good for city landscapes.  Red Obelisk European Beech Tree It is a pest-free cultivar, shows good tolerance to road salt, compacted soils and a little light shade (which reduces the intensity of foliage color). In fall its foliage turns coppery-bronze, holding for weeks, eventually dropping to display a distinct winter-branching outline against the sky. Plant it  for a strong vertical accent.  Or use several trees to form a hedge. Young Red Obelisk trees Red Obelis...

Chris Hansen 'Chick Charms' Sedum in his garden SunSparkler™ Sedums If you have a hot, dry garden and want almost 2 months of vibrant color then try Chris Hansen's collection of   brilliantly colored, quick-spreading, ultra-tough and long-lived sedum cultivars  - SunSparklers™.  Zones 4-9. SunSparkler™ sedums stand up to cold as well as heat,  and once established,  do not mind poor soil fertility or long periods of drought. They are great for containers that you often forget to water ( me...). And there is no better plant for sunny banks, slopes, and rocky garden spots. These perennials  may reach 6 to 8 inches high and spread 18 inches wide within a single season.  Butterflies adore the flowers and deer may avoid nibbling the leaves ( it depends).    Sedum 'Cherry Tart' 'Cherry Tart' has cherry-red, 6" high foliage and 3 season interest.   Deep pink blooms appear in...

For hummingbirds plant something RED.  'Major Wheeler' honeysuckle is a selection of a native honeysuckle ( Lonicera sempervirens 'Major Wheeler')  that produces a blanket of tubular, reddish orange flowers from late spring through summer.   Hummingbirds like tubular flowers so this profusely red blooming, vining plant is a hummingbird magnet! This photo is from a great website Stately Kitsch Grows in Zones 4 -8. They bloom on the previous year's growth as well as new growth so pruning is easy and regular pruning is not required. They grow from 6 ft to 10 ft. long.  You must provide a trellis, fence, or post with wire grid for support for this marvelous vine. It is noninvasive, unlike some other honeysuckle vines. And it is DEER RESISTANT.  Later, the red berries attract goldfinches and robins. How great! It is rarely troubled by insects, diseases, or deer. Bingo. this is from Burpee who calls it a customer favorite ...

Pink Perfume Lilac Lilacs are classic spring-flowering shrubs.  Their reliable blooms and sweet fragrance make them a favorite plant and associated with the best of spring. sweet fragrant Pink Perfume Lilac flower - go here There are many varieties of lilac out there. I just planted a  new lilac called  Pink Perfume Bloomerang® .  It is dwarf and bushy and reblooms with sweetly scented flowers that cover its branches in spring and continue blooming on into frost so you can enjoy the  delicious scent of lilacs again and again. Pink Perfume Lilac has delicate flower clusters of reddish purple buds that open into heavily fragrant, soft pink flowers.  It grows 4-5′ tall so it is perfect for small gardens, pots, and terraces.  Plant one at your  front door to welcome visitors with its heady fragrance.   Remove spent blooms promptly to encourage reblooming.  Plant it in a container! Enjoy the fragranc...