Serenity in the Garden

Lamb's Ear  One of my assignments to my graduate students in the landscape design program at Columbia University was to take a  paragraph  from the book, ' The Hidden Dimension' by Edward T. Hall and share a personal experience related to the topic of the selected excerpt. 'The Hidden Dimension' is a time honored classic on the role of spatial understanding in  culture . The following is an essay that the talented designer,  Yuliya Bellinger, wrote. I think it is so lovely and wanted to share it with you. Simple is beautiful.   TEXTURE in the Garden By Yuliya Bellinger “Texture, about which I have said very little, is appraised and appreciated almost entirely by touch, even when it is visually presented. With few exceptions …it is the memory of tactile experiences that enable us to appreciate texture. So far, only a few designers have paid much attention to the importance of texture and its use in architecture is largely haphazar...

Are you feeling a little down? depressed? Well here is a way to fix that -  go out and plant something... Studies have found that an hour of gardening a day reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke and increases bone density more efficiently than aerobics or swimming! In fact, even looking at nature can result in a drop in blood pressure within five minutes and lower our stress hormones. One 16-year study in Australia revealed that those who did daily gardening even cut their risk of getting dementia in later life.    (Gardening boosts endorphins, the body’s good-mood chemicals. Personally, my theory is that we need the sunlight on our pineal gland and this can delay dementia, but I have no proof, its just a 'knowing') Here is a lovely story from  Timesonline United Kingdom,  dated March 27, 2010 "...Jane Robertson was earning a small fortune in the pressured world of derivatives markets when she had a breakdown at the age ...

I must admit I first discovered  Drumstick Allium  when I could not find any other allium bulb to buy... It was late fall and I had waited too long to buy the popular Globemaster Alliums... What to DO? I bought the Drumstick bulbs and was thrilled at the result. These purplish - red blooms are small - 1" -and oval shaped.  They bloom in my part of the world in June- July  atop wiry 24" - 30" tall stems and wave in the breeze... They make a superb cut flower (which you can dry to be an 'everlasting').   THEY ARE DEER RESISTANT.   Drumstick Allium bouquet - Martha Stewart Photo Drumstick Alliums look fantastic tucked in the early summer flower border...You can add these small bulbs easily in the fall around clumps of established perennials such as Globe Thistle ( a great combo) Artemesia, Yarrow, Nepeta and Agastache.  They peek out around these plants and are a delightful a...

Mexican Salvia - Vermilion Bluffs®   Do you want Hummngbirds to live in your garden next year?  Well, hummingbirds love red and they love salvia flowers. So next spring plant the hardy  Vermilion Bluffs® Mexican Sage ( Salvia darcyi 'Pscarl').   This 4 foot tall, easy to grow, perennial is a show stopper with its brilliant scarlet flowers that  are borne on 3 foot erect spires from July to October.  Not many garden perennials can boast this length of blooming season.   The foliage and stems are very aromatic.  After frost, the leaves die to the ground and then return in spring.  Vermillion Blluffs Mexican Sage from Plant Select - click here Place it in a sunny area or in containers in loamy s oil with  good drainage. When its starts blooming the red color and sweet nectar in the bright flowers will brin g hummingbirds to your yard. Its underground runners form a tough mat that blocks weeds. ...

"Many gardeners will agree that hand-weeding is not the terrible drudgery that it is often made out to be. Some people find in it a kind of soothing monotony.  It leaves their minds free to develop the plot for their next novel or to perfect the brilliant repartee with which they should have encountered a relative's latest example of unreasonableness.”  ―  Christopher Lloyd ,  The Well-Tempered Garden

I am thrilled to say that I was invited to be one of the 30 book authors signing books this evening in Sharon, CT for the benefit of the Hotchkiss Library there.  Please join us !

Sometimes I find something that makes me so happy - I just read this post which was written several years ago by Kurt Fromherz in his Natureworks blog -  https://naturework.com/jan-johnsen-of-serenity-in-the-garden/ I never know how or if what I write reaches people..and now I know...Thank you so much Kurt Fromherz. Here is what he shared - I am so honored: This winter I made the trek up to snowbound Boston to see a woman speak that I have been following for many years. Jan Johnsen is a garden designer and writer. Her Serenity in the Garden blog caught my eye a long time ago and I fell in love with her posts. When I heard that she had published a new book, Heaven is a Garden, and would be speaking at New England Grows trade show the first week of February, I signed up. She was AMAZING! Her book is all about designing serene outdoor spaces for inspiration and reflection. I read it cover to cover the minute I returned home. I have to admit at times I was moved to tears...

'Milkshake' Coneflower I am a kind word uttered and repeated  By the voice of Nature;  I am a star fallen from the  Blue tent upon the green carpet.  allium by Jan Johnsen I am the daughter of the elements  With whom Winter conceived;  To whom Spring gave birth; I was  Reared in the lap of Summer and I  Slept in the bed of Autumn.  At dawn I unite with the breeze  To announce the coming of light;  At eventide I join the birds  In bidding the light farewell.  NY Botanical Garden - Jan Johnsen The plains are decorated with  My beautiful colors, and the air  Is scented with my fragrance.  As I embrace Slumber the eyes of  Night watch over me, and as I  Awaken I stare at the sun, which is  The only eye of the day.  Profusion zinnias - Jan Johnsen I drink dew for wine, and hearken to  The voices of the birds, and danc...

I am sharing excerpts from my new garden design book, Gardentopia : The screen here (a deer fence) acts to 'hide' where the walk is leading. One of my landscapes - Jan Johnsen If you want a small outdoor space to appear larger or more interesting, you can use an ancient Japanese design technique known as miegakure , or 'hide and reveal'.  This technique involves partially screening a view or section of a garden with a strategically placed shrub or wall to create the illusion of distance. This walk at the public garden, Chanticleer , in Pennsylvania leads you on by hiding what is at the end. Photo- Jan Johnsen By providing a half-hidden vista, you encourage people to go farther into a space. This is effective because people cannot help but want to see what is around a corner or a blocked view. This popular garden design technique is used for making smaller yards appear larger than they are.  People will invariably walk forward to see what ...