Serenity in the Garden

  Gardentopia: Design Basics for Creating Beautiful Outdoor Spaces Jan Johnsen. Countryman, $29.95 (288p) ISBN 978-1-68268-396-5 Readers with even the slightest interest in beautifying an outdoor space—large or small—should find something of value in this expansive guide from landscape designer Johnsen ( The Spirit of Stone: 101 Practical & Creative Stonescaping Ideas for Your Garden ). She emphasizes the importance of deciding upon a goal for a garden and visualizing its final appearance before beginning work on it, declaring that the sum of any such project is greater than its parts. Johnsen takes care to dissect these parts, revealing creative possibilities (accompanied by practical guidance) for each nook and cranny. For example, to recover the lost art of “garden strolling,” the design can include a widened, curving walkway that coaxes the stroller through a garden’s various turns and twists. With proper planning and plant placement, the garden wi...

 I am happy to say that I will be signing copies of my new book, Gardentopia, after a screening of the great film, Five Seasons - The Gardens of Piet Oudolf  on Thursday April 25 at 7 pm . Not to be missed if you love gardens! This is a one night showing and is part of the wonderful Focus on Nature film series. Go here for a trailer- Go here to buy tickets - they have a few left. https://burnsfilmcenter.org/booking/five-seasons-the-gardens-of-piet-oudolf/

I adore Fothergilla gardenii Mt Airy. (wonderful photo of fothergilla leaf from Quercus Design blog) Fothergilla is native to the Appalachians, is deer resistant  and sports fragrant, honey scented, early spring flowers before the leaves come out. The flowers are white, short bottlebrush spikes that light up a sunny to partial sun woodland corner. The flowers are followed by blue green, heavily textured foliage. Photo from Robs Plants Website - http://www.robsplants.com/plants/FotheGarde photo by Laura McKillop 'Mt Airy' is a dwarf form and got its name from the Mt. Airy Arboretum in Cincinnati, Ohio. When compared to the native species, Mt. Airy Fothergilla has more vibrant multicolored foliage in shades of yellow, orange and red in October through mid-November. This fall color is the best! It is spell binding in the garden....  Photo for Monrovia by Doris Wyjna Photo by Plant Introductions, Inc  I like to use 'Mt...

This is tip #134 from my brand new book, Gardentopia - so happy to share with you. 134. “MELLOW YELLOW” SPIREA Spirea is considered a common shrub, but ‘Mellow Yellow’ spirea (Spiraea  thunbergii ‘Ogon’) challenges that assumption. It is an early blooming,  deciduous shrub that grows 3 to 5 feet tall and wide.  Small, white  blossoms appear in profusion in March through April before the leaves  emerge, but it is the willowy, twiggy branches and leaves that make it  notable. The wispy, fine- textured foliage starts out yellow, softens  to a yellow- green in summer, and turns a lovely combination of reds,  oranges, and yellows in the fall, making it a late- season star as well. Gardentopia - Design Basics for Creating beautiful Outdoor Spaces Hardy to −30° F, it is easily pruned after flowering in spring. ‘Mellow Yellow’ spirea is a versatile, low-maintenance shrub that brightens up any plant bed. It likes sun, a...

Spring has sprung! I am happy to announce the publication of my new book Gardentopia- Design Basics for Creating Beautiful Outdoor Spaces . Publishers Weekly just released its wonderful review which I am sharing with you. I took the liberty of adding a few photos from my book: Readers with even the slightest interest in beautifying an outdoor space-large or small-should find something of value in this expansive guide from landscape designer Johnsen (The Spirit of Stone: 101 Practical & Creative Stonescaping Ideas for Your Garden).  She emphasizes the importance of deciding upon a goal for a garden and visualizing its final appearance before beginning work on it, declaring that the sum of any such project is greater than its parts. Johnsen takes care to dissect these parts, revealing creative possibilities (accompanied by practical guidance) for each nook and cranny.  For example, to recover the lost art of "garden strolling," the desi...