Serenity in the Garden

Tuff Guard Hose wreath  It is that time of year and you want to give wonderful, heart warming gifts to your garden lover friends. You want to find unusual and touching presents that acknowledge who they are and what they are into - not just hand cream. Right? And you don't have a lot of money to spend and you would rather order on line than go crazy in a crowded shopping scene... So,, in that spirit, I am going to suggest some inexpensive gift ideas for your gardening pals...the money limit is  $20. and less  for some fab ideas... the market research is this:   If I want it then they will too. Amazon - Cavallini Papers You can use them as gift wrap or - better yet- frame them or laminate them and place in a suitable location.  Vegetable gardeners would appreciate the fruit and vegie gift papers. Succulent lovers will like this one: And of course mushroom hunters will warm to this gift: For the more prac...

As you may know, I love Garden Design magazine. It is gorgeous, each issue is 148 pages thick and packed with fascinating gardening info and landscaping ideas and, best of all, it  has no ads!   It is published quarterly, one issue per season. How can they make it work? Well, it is a subscriber-supported magazine. Jim Peterson is the publisher and Thad Orr is the editor. I think they have made it the best garden magazine out there.... Would you like an issue? I am giving out the current issue to 3 lucky winners...see below for my random drawing.  And I am thrilled to say that Garden Design chose to feature my ideas on Creating a Relaxing Retreat in their current issue which features Serene Spaces. I am honored and so happy that it is being shared by such a prestigious and elevated magazine! The 6 page article, 'Serenity and the Sweet Spot', offers my tips for creating relaxing outdoor spaces that I have refined over the years. I look to ancient ...

Kousa Dogwood in Fall - Jan Johnsen Check out  'Ideas for a Fall Garden'  on gardendesign.com. Please click on the article name above for some great end-of-the-gardening-year ideas for your garden. Their website accompanies the new magazine that I really like, Garden Design . Click on it to see more. from gardendesign.com

I must share! The latest issue of Garden Design   magazine is out and it is fabulous! I don't often gush but this issue is outstanding... The variety of articles is what really impresses me..no matter where you live, you will find something to chew on here. From Garden Design Magazine Full disclosure: I am co-author of a piece on Kim Wilkie, landscape designer extraordinaire, in it. I love his work. There are several blog posts about him in this blog. Kim Wilkie And the 'Fresh' info is fascinating. They write all about Ginkgo trees, a remarkably tough tree with great fall color. And so much more. Garden Design - Gingko trees So if you are an avid gardener or designer take a look at the new and revived  Garden Design magazine .  It was definitely worth waiting for.  Click here to check it out.   GARDEN DESIGN MAGAZINE - Connecticut

The Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD) has officially made its magazine available to everyone. For years, it was only open to the eyes of members but no more.... 'The Designer' is a magazine that is full of fascinating advice, tips and examples for everyone who likes landscape design. I am proud to say I have an article on designing with the four cardinal directions on page 28 of this digital publication. Check it out!

The new re-imagined Garden Design book-a-zine is out - and what a first issue it is!   Garden Design Premiere Issue 2014 This is a completely new incarnation of the stalwart magazine that we have known for years. This new edition goes beyond the glossy photos of furniture and lush outdoor enclaves that dominated the pages of the previous Garden Design to delve into fascinating details, ideas, places, people and plants. It harks back to the early days of Garden Design when I would read the magazine cover to cover.   This is one of the articles I am an huge a fan of the new Garden Design (full disclosure: I am a contributing editor of Garden Design) - it is a basically a gorgeous book that has NO ADVERTISEMENTS.  A big plus is that the paper quality is the best - book quality - and as you turn the fully illustrated pages you realize you are reading  a compelling new garden book - one that has been developed with care and an honest desire to create ...

Image credit- James Newton Leicester Park in London has been redesigned to provide Londoners and visitors alike a lovely urban park to enjoy.  It is known for hosting film festivals and premieres in the heart of  the city.  They stage over 50 film premières every year as well as a number of other large scale events and the park attracts approximately two million visitors each week!    So this redesign was aimed to  make the park a truly outstanding public gathering space.   From The Style Examiner Along the perimeter of the square there is a curvilinear white granite ribbon bench where people stop and enjoy the setting.   Its organic shape brings ‘inside’ and 'outside’ together and this soft transition of the edge is helped by the mirrored stainless steel railings.   The new gates and railings were  manufactured by Midas Technologies Ltd.  The panel sheets were pre-polished and cut to desired ...

I just wrote an article about the amazing Steinhardt Garden for the great Garden Design newsletter ... I took the photos a few weeks ago on a clear, November morning..Please click on this to see the article : http://www.gardendesign.com/visit/the-steinhardt-garden-a-must-visit-landscape Here are some other photos I took of Steinhardt (besides the ones I included in the article) : Steinhardt Garden photo by Jan Johnsen Steinhardt Garden photo by Jan Johnsen Steinhardt Garden photo by Jan Johnsen This last photo is in the article and I describe what it is....

Garden writing is a delectable occupation. It allows me to offer up choice morsels of horticultural trivia, succulent design tips and full flavored philosophical musings about all and sundry. Today I am presenting the first installment of my signature dish  --- grass steps. one of my projects - can you see the steps? no? great! I refer to grass steps - or grass treads, which is the more correct term - as my signature simply because I have been incorporating them in my landscapes since the early 1980s.  I first saw grass steps in the mid 1970's in one of my favorite landscape venues, Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C . this great photo from Dumbarton  is from The Photo Garden Bee website Beatrix Farrand, the preeminent American landscape gardener (as she called herself) of the early twentieth century, installed three grass treads in a sloping lawn in Dumbarton Oaks. When I first saw them I was struck at how they disappeared when viewin...

One of my firm's projects is featured in the latest issue of the wonderful magazine, 'East Coast Home + Design'   (click on their name for their new digital issue)   Once there, click on 'search' and type in the name 'Johnsen' to get to the 2 photos and a brief description of one of my recent pool and spa projects....The hit ZOOM to make it bigger... Please let me know if you like it! Also, while there, enjoy the great magazine...it is stunning.