Serenity in the Garden

"The world is moving into a phase when landscape design may well be recognized as the most comprehensive of the arts."    Geoffrey Jellicoe ,  'The Landscape of Man: Shaping the Environment from Prehistory to the Present Day'  Creative ideas don't just come out of thin air - they are a blend of what we have learned and used in the past.  A garden maker should look to landscape designers of the past and present and learn their design philosophies. Never stop learning. by Bill Bensley, Thailand By looking at other cultures' approach to the natural world you can enhance your garden immeasurably.  The English garden designers such as Russell Page, Arabella Lennox Boyd, and Gertrude Jekyll stand side by side with their counterparts in the United States, Canada,  Japan, South America, Thailand, Indonesia, Hawaii, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Italy,  Holland, Germany,  France and India in my world. blu...

'Lemon Daddy' Hydrangea lights up a soggy scene in one of my gardens.  The theme is rounded forms. The colors are green, yellow and beige. The mood is slightly damp. The lighting is muted, as are the sounds. It is a precious moment and Lemon Daddy adds a simple sizzle. garden and photo - Jan Johnsen, bench - Campania

Benches make a garden.... After you arrange all the plants, the rocks, install the paving and whatever you choose...then you place the bench.  The bench is what calls to us. And the bench adds a special sparkle that touches the visitor directly.  After all, the bench seat is what we feel when we sit down.  :-) Monet Bench at NYBG - Monet's Green is Pantone 327 and the closest Benjamin Moore match is Juniper. So it must look great and feel good.  Here are some choices for your garden. Roseto Bench by Crate and Barrel This  plantation harvested teak bench  has a clean, contemporary double vertical slat-back design.  mortise-and-tenon joinery. This red bench is in Croton on Hudson, NY . A great place to sit and look at the Hudson River....  I love stone benches: And modern ones are so fun - like this eye beam bench: Lucky Beam Bench by Katch Design The  Lucky Beam  bench by Brooklyn-...