Well, now here are my thoughts continuing the “Garden Design-101″ article which I wrote for White Rocks Best, the Online Lifestyle Magazine , where you can find many other articles that I have written dealing with garden design.

I had begun by saying that attention to detail can make all the difference between an ordinary garden and an amazing one. One of the most important details that I always first take into consideration is colour. ‘Eye goes to colour’ and without carefully thinking about your colour choices, your gardens will always have a feeling of ‘what do I look at first?’ If there are all colours going on everywhere, all at once, the scene is not going to feel serene nor ‘connected’.

Let’s consider the three main “greens” that play such an important part in Garden Design: the true greens, the yellow greens and the blue greens.

In the photo, below, which is of one of my paths in my Bellingham gardens, we can see that true greens predominate. But what makes it an interesting scene is that there are so many different textures of this same green. There are also so many different shapes, as well. The pointy, sharp tips of the fern,the contrast with the tiny round bits below it and then, the strong shapes of the Rhododendron, near the top of the bank. All of these details, in just shades of green, produce a serene atmosphere, but at the same time it is very inviting, never boring at all.

My apologies to my readers from the Online Lifestle Magazine, White Rocks Best,(  where I also write articles, ) as I had promised a continuation of my article re: using the colours of true green in garden design, but life ( aka my own design business ) has become a tad busy just now, and I have not been able to get to this article, yet. However, this photo of one of my garden paths is going to be part of my example, and so, if you would study the details here and be patient, I will have time to finish this, on the weekend….

Cheers!

Susan

Well, I would have to say that one of the best things about this West Coast living is that we actually have flowers (!!) in the winter! Yep, it’s great! Below, are some close-ups of the flowers that are in my gardens, blooming now. I plant my Hellebores whenever it is possible, so that they are just a little higher than normal. For example, across my backyard there are terraces, and so, I have the Hellebores planted so that, as you come up the steps, you get to look into their fabulous faces….really, it is such a boost at this time of year.

In February, this little pink bunch of buds started to appear and now they are in full bloom. This Hellebore is ‘Rosemary’ and it is one of the longest blooming cultivars and it continues to look lovely ’til May, and then, its flowers turn to a very quiet green. Last year I put it into my front planters in November, and then, as the year progressed, I added these little saxifrages to the pot, below.

Here is Helleborus x ‘Rosemary’….

Here are the new buds of Hellebore ‘Rosemary’. These began to appear in early February and now are blooming away and brightening up the whole area!

Hellebore ‘Rosemary’ in full bloom in my garden, in March of this year.

Just below, you will see the fresh little Saxifrages that I added a little later on. They really make the whole planter come alive.

Two more close-ups of Hellebores from my gardens…

Well, certainly here on the West Coast winter fragrance is a given! And these two plants, below, offer fragrance just when we need it most! Both of these plants have been blooming in my own gardens for about 3 or 4 weeks now, and as soon as a bit of sun appears, the fragrance wafts across the gardens.

At my front door I have Sarcoccocca ruscifolia (Sweet Box is the common name) and in the back yard my Hamamelis X intermedia ‘Jelena’ is planted in front of a hedge of Thuja occidentalis ‘Emerald Green’ where its winter flowers show up so well. It has turned into a small tree and is certainly a great favourite! (See above.)

Here is my Sarcoccocca ruscifolia under the front windows, right by the front door, where its fragrance can be appreciated every time we go in or out! Although the flowers are very small, they have a wonderful fragrance.

Well, for those of us who live here, on the West Coast, the weather has taken an unexpectedly mild turn. This is good news, as long as it stays mild and we do not get a sudden hit of cold, nasty frost! However, I think that I am going to take the positive approach and expect good weather. Yesterday I did a clean-up in the front gardens by raking out the last of the fallen leaves and I discovered that so many of my Hellebores are really budding up. Below are some of those shots. These two Hellebores are in what I call the ‘Blue Garden’. This garden has been almost completely renovated this past year. As well as moving most of the plants around to better accomodate the large Fir, I added a number of large stepping stones throughout the garden. This is necessary in a garden of this size as it is otherwise almost impossible to groom and care for all the plants that are there. It is also a very good way to see all of the plants up close, especially when they are blooming!

Below, you will see the ‘Blue Garden’ which has a lot of Junipers and Blue Spruce, as well as other very  ’blue’ plants such as the Euphorbia myrsinites ‘Donkey’s Tail’ which is trailing over the garden edge.

Here are other views of the ‘Blue Garden’ as it is to-day.

Notice the stone ‘steps’ that permit grooming of the plants.

Several of my clients have asked me for lists of my “best” plants and so, I have put together a soft-cover book, ” …the Best Trees, Shrubs and Perennials”,  for zones 5 to 8.  For more information scroll to the  bottom ad, on the right.

]]> http://greengardeningtips.net/winter-reading-dreaming/feed 0 http://greengardeningtips.net/fragrance-near-the-front http://greengardeningtips.net/fragrance-near-the-front#comments Thu, 22 Dec 2011 10:43:00 +0000 susan http://greengardeningtips.net/?p=1174

Yes, why not have fragrance near your front entry! It is one of my favourite gardening tips and I do have fragrance at my own front door, even in December….The plant that I am referring to is Mahonia X media ‘Charity’. Mine, as seen below, is just about to open, as we have had a very mild autumn, up to this point, (December 22 2011). It really does have a most beautiful fragrance and certainly is a treat at this time of year as its flowers are such a bright yellow-green. Another great feature of this plant is that it is evergreen and will provide needed structure in a shady location.  Most people would not usually think about gardening tips for December, but we are a bit spoiled, here on the West Coast of Canada, as our winters are not all that harsh.

Next post’s gardening tips will be about other plants that provide interest in the winter and some even have fragrance, as well.

The fragrant Mahonia X media ‘Charity’

These planters, below,   show how using live plants can add colour and interest during the coming winter months. In the first two, I have used Skimmias and Bergenias. The Skimmia buds will stay looking great, well into the early Spring. For colour, there is the dark red of the Leucothoe leaves, and they also add some height to the whole design. The wide, green leaves of the Bergenia have begun to turn a deep burgundy, on their edges. Sometimes, if the weather is just right, these leaves can become almost entirely red! Beautiful!!

 

Note the unusual white-coloured buds draping over the edge of the planter. These are Eucalyptus buds. They certainly add an interesting twist.

 

My white Enkianthus was in great form this Autumn. It has only bloomed twice for me in about six years, but this autumn it was especially lovely. Look closely and you will see the woodland ‘spirit’,  quietly watching.

This beautiful Barberry has turned this amazing orange/red in November. It is one of the most brightly coloured plants for the late Autumn or early winter. It is complimented by the evergreen Bergenia which also turns colour. Some years, depending on the severity of the weather, the edges change to a bright wine or even red. Some leaves turn completely red!

Well, where has the summer gone? However, here on the West Coast, it is really still very beautiful in the gardens. My Tuberous Begonias are still doing so well! I must admit that I am putting up my large umbrella overnight to help keep the morning dew from soaking them. If they become wet, as well as cold, that will be IT for sure! But, as this photo shows, they are keeping up appearances, quite nicely.

Rhododendron 'Van Ness Sensation'

Although the gardens this year are almost 4 weeks behind their normal blooming time, because of the cold spring, my Rhododendrons are now blooming very nicely. This large Rhodo, Van Ness Sensation, is the main focal point across the back terraces. In this first photo, above,  it is still in bud, and it is very lovely. But a few days later, below, most of the buds have opened and then its real beauty is seen. In the wooden planter nearby, we see the first lime-green shoots of the shade loving Hachonechloa. In a couple of weeks it will be spilling out of the box and it will provide a beautiful focus throughout the whole season.

Rhododendron ‘Van Ness Sensation’

This is one of my first plants to show some pretty colour this cold, wet spring!! (Well, other than the amazing Hellebores, I should say…) We have been experiencing a most unusual weather pattern which means that our plants are at least 3 weeks behind, as far as blooming goes.This is a Sorbaria and it is a good container plant as it does like to ‘run’ and so I do not let it loose in my gardens.In the second photo, I have put next to it a pinkish-red Heuchera and I think that both colours complement one another. The round leaves of the Heuchera contrast nicely with the very fineand spikey texture of the Sorbaria.  This would be one of my GARDENING TIPS for this week. I think that paying attention to the scale of the plantings is key to achieving a balanced look.

The contrast of the two completely different shapes of these leaves shows how interest can be developed by paying attention to the small details. Also, the warm colours of the reddish tones link the two quite nicely.