What are you doing this weekend?  My parents are coming to visit — cross your fingers that they are on one of the very flights to leave Denver today.  We will know in a couple hours.   Meanwhile….it remains unseasonably warm here….but I just can’t complain.   If you aren’t outside enjoying the weather, here a few interesting things…..

• The Plant Journal #2  – Exciting!! — See more here
• Quirky Garden shoes for the New England Prepster crowd?
• I can’t hardly believe that this is what it really is.
• Expecting guests? Thinking that this might be a nice way to make a first impression.
• Green and White …..L.O.V.E
• Wouldn’t it be great to install one of these right next to you garden spigot?
• Urban Growth Strategy 1, 2, and 4.  A totally cool set I think.

image from The Plant Journal.

This feels like a real tease -I’m sorry (kinda).  But I suppose it wouldn’t be a real garden story if you didn’t feel the full range of emotion that a garden design client feels.  Including impatience. ;0

When building a garden with a design and build team, there is, of course, the excitement of the crew showing up.  The rapid change as everything quickly gets torn up is startling and amazing.  Then the period where the hardscaping seems to take so much longer than you want it to.  But when the plants arrive the thrill comes back…..but you will have to wait until next week to see the end…..but until then, you can wallow in the middle part where a whole lot of stuff happens but it sometimes seems like forever until those workers will be gone!

Images from Earth Designs – See the beginning stages of this  garden story here and here and here.

I woke up this morning wishing for a big vase full of cut Viburnum bodnantense. Lucky for me, it is ever so happily growing in my garden.  I go outside in pajamas, slippers and with coffee and visit my shrub.

To force or not to force-that is the question. Should I wait the month for them to open naturally or take them in?

Felcos in hand I decided to walk around the garden. Checking in on my dear woody bloomers and making sure that there was not something else I should be snipping for arrangements.

AND then it hits! It feels too much like spring and I start fussing around in some sort of gardening autopilot. My January border is brimming with potential.

The quinces ‘cameo’ and ‘jet trail’ are budded up and ready for the forcing challenge but then there is Corylopsis glabrescens ‘longwood chimes’, which could look so nice cascading out of apothecary jars. Wait! Big branches of Magnolia stelatta and Cornus mas that I could place in large cylinder vases or display in tin fluted urns. And fragrance? What about Lonicera fragrantissima and the many witch hazels?

Since it was 40 degrees, I was able to slow down and take it all in. My coffee was starting to get cold. Slippers and fingers muddy from removing leaves from the base of a stewartia where scilia soon will be emerging. Last year on this very day I could have been shoveling 13” of snow and skating on the frozen vernal pool. I would happily be in winter hibernation where seed and plant catalogs with their tantalizing descriptions and glossy close ups would be enough for me.  Happy that my plants were all tucked in under the snow and were somewhat out of sight. Is this how global warming will affect us gardeners? An early onset of spring fever?

With too many choices to sort out with out a full cup of coffee in system, I decided to snip a few pieces here and there and start an experiment that I will share over the next few weeks: 6 great woody shrubs /ornamental trees that are great in the garden and lovely when utilized in arrangements. Stay tuned!  - Roanne

images from roanne robbins, rogerstone gardens, away to garden, the examiner, sweetbay 103, forest farm, and fantastic plants.  (links to come)

Do you know that this past few weeks has witnessed some particularly spectacular Aurora Borealis Displays in the far north? It is apparently due to a solar storm that has been showering our atmosphere recently. The Aurora Borealis is only visible in the north and likewise ‘borealis’ in plant nomenclature refers to northern plants – or plant from Northern areas. Given the high latitudes, it can generally be assumed that ‘borealis’ plants are pretty hardy. Care to see a few borealis plant? Visit my B is for Borealis board on Pinterest.

Image above of Jovibarba ‘Borealis’ is from Simply Succulents.  And the video below is a fascinating look at the dancing light of the most recent Aurora Borealis over Birtavarre, Norway.

Keeping track of products and sources from a show like the gift fair is harder than it seems.  I am trying to sort through booklets and brochures and pair them with images.   It is a struggle so I am going to keep this super simple.  Mosaic of images here — more information on Pinterest.

Here’s the first round of things worth remembering from my trip to the NY International Gift Fair.   I am also in the process of pinning each one of these image (in full size) over at Pinterest (with a fair bit of additional information where I have it).

Left to right by Row:

Painted Garden Table, Outdoor pillows, Outdoor Poofs.

Outdoor mats/ rugs, art packs from Hudson valley seed library,  Metal Birdhouses and outdoor accessories

Kitchen paper picnic mat, kitchen paper cake mat, Garden apron

Klein Reid vases, self watering herb pot, self lit container garden

wooden-look place-mat, woven detail on metal furniture, beach bags

outdoor tableware, garden calendar, garden window decals

solar powered waving queen of England, colorful display, pretty fabric (not exterior)

Capiz chime lights, painted bike helmets, Full Pot Flourishes Resin Planters

Did you see the fantastic mural at a NYC nursery by street artist Roa over at Leaflets yesterday?   I am absolutely in love with this art — so much so that I am re-considering a plan I am about to put in place.

Have I mentioned that I am going to be commissioning a mural for the garden side of my barn?  I have a few ideas about what I might like as a backdrop for my garden and what I want to see when I look out my front door and take in the scene but I want to see what happens when I share my vision and then turn it over to another artistic mind.

My plan has been to (hopefully) find someone who is looking for a giant canvas through the magic of craigslist –  I think it would be wonderful to perhaps give an opportunity to a young artist – but now I am wondering if it might be a better idea to reach out to specific people whose work I like (though I just don’t know who they are)  - or maybe street artisits…. hmmmm.   What do you know about commisioning art? Working with muralists?  Finding street artists?

images from Unurth

I love Mondays and the fresh starts that they bring each week.   This morning, while I organize my notes and pictures from a weekend visit to the New York Gift Fair (in preparation for sharing later today) I hope you enjoy Studio’g's newest contributor’s first post.  Jen Sundeen is one my dearest friends and partners in crime.  We are going to spend this year exploring all manner of earth based celebrations, recreating them where we can, attending them, documenting them and bringing you along for the fun.  The hope is that trough this exploration we will, ourselves, have more than a few great stories and adventures to share, and that we will inspire you to also use ancient and cultural rituals and seasonal celebrations to enrich your own lives and help you to have a greater connection to the natural world around you.  This isn’t a religious experiment, and while there are lots of beliefs tied into this, our goal is to learn about history and many cultures, to highlight land based ceremonies and wisdom and generally keep the focus on those things whose origins are based in agriculture and seasonality.  If we missed something that you think we should share, let us know in an email (we are always up for discovering something new!).  We are calling it Kiss the Earth and the first post is about Wassailing.

It was a cold moonless January night, the snow barely blanketing the frozen earth.  We solemnly stole our way out to the ancient apple tree, standing alone amidst a circle of candles.  The dried gourd from last year’s harvest held hot mulled cider, its steamy breath warming the air.  The bread was dipped in the cider and gently hung on the branches.   And then, without warning, a great howl filled the air.  The wild ruckus had begun…

OK, in truth, it was a new apple tree, two years young, and in truth, the ruckus was just a few of us moms and kids, laughing and dancing, but it was Wassail after all, and anything goes on this fabulous mid-Winter’s eve.

A ritual that began a long time ago in the days of old Great Britain, Wassail is a fertility festival that is meant to awaken the trees from their slumber and ensure a fruitful year ahead.  Blending it’s pagan roots with later Christian celebrations, it is part of the Yule festival and celebrated on Twelfth Night, January 5th, or in some places as late as January 17.  It is a time of revelry, of merry-making, marking the true end of the holiday season.

The word ‘wassail’ is a toast meaning ‘a drink to your health’ or ‘in good health,’ the Saxon equivalent of ‘cheers’ or ‘salut.’  It later came to be known as the warm spiced drink such as mulled cider or spiced wine used to toast the health of apple trees for the upcoming year.  Both traditionally – and even today – in villages across the globe, Wassail enthusiasts gather around an old apple tree in January.  A wassail bowl is filled with warm cider or wine.  Evil spirits are warded off with shouts and howls, gunshots or the banging on kettles.  The spirits of robins and other small birds are fed by dipping bread into the warm cider and placing them in the crooks of branches.   Cider is poured onto the roots of the apple tree in honor of the upcoming year’s harvest.  Mummers’ plays, a crowned king and queen, singing, music, dancing, costumes, and great bonfires are all part of the revelry.

While our first attempt at the Wassail celebration was rather…interpretive, to say the least, it sure was fun to empty the gourds and mull the cider and dance around the tree and howl in the wind.  No doubt the thousands of apple trees in our village awoke that night, and we’re pretty sure the bountiful harvest that’s undoubtedly coming will be on account of our debauchery.  We’ll be sure to report back at harvest-time this September. – Jen

Jen is preparing an ‘In the garden With….’ post so that you can all get to know her a little bit better, but until then, make sure to visit the writers page as I have just updated it to include her bio! -Rochelle

images by Rochelle Greayer, and from real cider and ceremonial magic.

I am off this weekend to the New York Gift show.  It is my first time attending, so I hope to find some exciting treasures to share with you.  If you are interested to follow along, Susan Cohan (my Leaf Magazine Co-Editor) will be sharing her finds all day on Saturday and I will be sharing mine all day on Sunday.  It will (hopefully) be a rapid-fire design inspiration event that will go down on the Leaflets tumblr blog and Leaf’s facebook page (take your pick for where you want to keep up with us)

Until then,  here are some other weekend things to ponder:

• I just discovered that someone I respect tremendously has written the book that I have long wished existed….not sure how I missed it, but here it is now.
• Is all this warm winter weather tricking you into thinking that summer is soon?  It is for me, and I am daydreaming about sleeping porches.
• Need Valentine Inspiration?  check out my column this week on Apartment Therapy.
• I have always been fascinated with these….can they really carry water?
• I LOVE the style of the these plant profiles for ‘Weeds’….er I mean ‘Spontaeous Urban Plants’….or as my mom would say – ‘Volunteers’.
• Who lives way up north? These are fantastic, but I want more!! Please Share!

image from pinterest

Moonrise Kingdom’s trailer is such a ridiculous visual feast of a style that I simply adore.  And so much of it makes me long for summer garden days. I am watching it over and over because it sparks ideas literally every single second. I wish I had a full set of stills to study.

Oh and that music — sounds so much like the Chicha music that I fell in love with when we made the first Leaf Magazine video. Do you remember it?

This installation in Jaujac, France by french Artist gaëlle villedary, not only feeds my incessant yearning for French travel, but it also so beautifully illustrates the power of lines on the landscape.   A long grassy path leads visitors through the village to the heart of this beautiful place.   It weaves  through trees, and all manner of interesting places, and you can see by the pictures how natural it is for people to follow it.

I am struck by how powerful a line can be, how it leads us, draws us, and guides us.  And I am reminded to remember this in design work.

To see more of this landscape art, visit Tapis Rouge Gaelle Villedary

(images from Tapis Rouge Gaelle Villedary)

Oh Friends — this is going to be one of those heavy posting days…..where I have plans to share a thing or two with you and then something just comes and smacks me in the face…..and it must be shared immediately.  Like DanMala the flower mandalas that Kathy Klein creates.

Kathy creates the danmalas (defined in sanskrit as dān: the giver, mālā: garland of flowers, hence, the giving of flower circles) by first centering herself in a meditative devotional space.  She gathers flowers and natural objects while her mind is kept in mantra and her creations are reflections of the nature and the beauty  that she found in her surroundings.

To me they are like the wonderful feminine form of the Andy Goldsworthy style of art created by manipulated and gathered nature.

She also had a great poem on her site that I just love (and had to share) -

My mom carries an orb of light with her
wherever she goes.
She shows it to people sometimes,
and they laugh.
Sometimes it’s around her face
and her eyes glow like emeralds.
And when she is ready,
she sets it on the ground,
and flowers hover around it in perfect symmetry.

By Seffa Klein

Make sure to check out Kathy’s website where you can see a huge array of her amazing creations.

images from Trendtablet.

I am so torn, I thought this feature should be every week, then every other week, then now, I am back to thinking every week….Because I seriously just can’t wait to share with you the plan and the 3-D renderings for this super cool Garden Story project.

Katrina’s at Earth Design’s Solution:

“The garden combines functionality and contemporary elegance to create an unusual and usable space.  It is divided into three areas, each with a distinct purpose and ambiance.

The first section, adjoining the house, is dedicated to relaxation and entertainment. Directly outside the patio doors will be an area of oak decking, chosen to echoing the floor of the kitchen. This deck will be large enough to accommodate a weatherproof rattan sofa. Along the right side of this section will be an outdoor dining area.  Surfaced with Mint Fossil sandstone, this area will benefit from a substantial dining table and benches constructed from railway sleepers.”

“The second, central area of the garden is planted with low maintenance architectural plants.  Four screens of various dimensions emerge from the planting and help to obscure the rear of the space from view.  Each screen features a different material: wooden panelling, textured stone tiles, stainless steel mesh and orange Perspex.  A stainless steel water blade installed on one of the screens will give the space a contemporary feel that emulates the interior of the house.”

“To the rear of the garden the final section is home to the children’s climbing frame and a storage unit for bicycles. This section is hidden from view by a timber screen. An artificial lawn provides an extremely low maintenance and safe surface beneath the climbing frame. A low, timber framed tunnel with coloured Perspex lenses in the roof provides additional opportunity for play. Both boundaries will be softened and masked by climbing plants.  The existing row of conifers at the back of the garden are to be retained to provide a backdrop to the garden and privacy from the road beyond.”

To see previous installments of this Garden Story click here and here….in order.   Next week — We will see the construction get underway!

This might be one of my most favorite blog series’ of all time.   The Fashioned Florals collection that Joy at Oh Joy! commissioned from Liz of The Nouveau Romantics is simply wonderful.  It brings together everything I love about inspiration, art and design.   The series takes art and photography of really anything and uses it as inspiration for a floral arrangement.  This is perhaps my favorite:

The arrangement  was inspired by the painting by  Christine Soccio.

See the whole series of Fashioned Florals.

And find a few more of gems in the gallery.

I have been thinking about a little woodland patch right outside my living room window. Last year, I planted hellebores and sweet little epimediums and now I just want more. This year I will plant my spring containers with a composition similar to this cercis planting.

When the hellebores have overstayed their welcome, they will transition to that sweet garden nook where I can snip selections for early spring bouquets.

I love this gorgeous hand tied grouping of hellebore and pieris from Marigold & Mint
-Roanne

(Images: John Gruen and Marigold and Mint)

I am increasingly becoming a seed growing convert.  No, I am not rigging up crazy light contraptions in my home (in the absence of the dreamy greenhouse) but I am more frequently participating in a direct to the ground sort of experiment to get some great plants for less money than I would pay if I were to purchase grown-up potted plants.   My success rate is pretty splotchy, but when I only waste about $2.50 for a pack of seeds, I feel alot better than when I kill something that cost me twice as much.

California Poppy ‘Rosa Romantica’, Ageratum ‘Red Sea’, Cosmos ‘Rose Bonbon’,  Poppy ‘Falling in Love’ all from Select Seeds.

Enter Select Seeds.…which after a peruse this morning has me all inspired for Valentines Day.  I am scheming on some sort of seed based gifts for all my sweeties.   (I will share when the idea becomes fully formed)  but in the mean time…..checkout this fantastic collection of Rare and Heirloom seeds that I think would be so perfect for V-day.

Amaranth ‘Love-Lies-Bleeding’, Love-in-a-Puff, Primrose ‘Viennese Waltz’, and Kiss-Me-Over-the-Garden-Gate

It comes down to all the charming names for me and potential for Valentine cutesy-ness. Take (for example) Love-in-a-Puff (Cardiospermum halicacabum)!  What a fantastic name!  I simply must give this to someone.

But…it’s totally new to me, have you grown this?

Sweet William ‘Newport Pink’, Chinese Forget-Me-Not ‘Chill Out’, Love-in-a-Mist ‘Hispanica Mix’, Sweet William ‘Claret’

And these pretty Dianthus; Would you agree, seeds are really the only acceptable way to give carnations on valentines day??

Perhaps the best trade show I have ever attended is Maison et Objet (which is currently underway in Paris).  There is just so many exciting new things to see there and I always wish I could make the trip.  So with much excitement I just read a round-up post over at Apartment Therapy by Ellie Tennent about the current show and some of her favorite picks.

Can we all nod our heads in agreement that these stack-able Matrioshka doll-like candle holders (that are perfectly misty/milky at the bottom) are just about amazing?   I’ll take 2….wait make that 10….

‘Bougies Russes’ candle holders designed by Stephan Lanez.

I continue with my lusty search for just the right neon sign to hang near my (hopefully completed this coming season) new deck and pergola.  So now that I have found 5 of them, I am not sure which to choose…..Artist and Designer Rory Dobner created all of these and he launched this collection at the show.  My rudimentary knowledge of the neon sign market makes me not even want to ask what it will cost me to actually own one of these charmers.

images from Apartment Therapy and Rory Dobner

Correct me if I am wrong, but I think this is a picture of a lavender garden.  I came across this image when putting together my last post about the Landschaftpark in Duisburg-Nord (which is where this was taken). Though I am not 100% sure that is what this is, as I study it, I think I see a huge variety of lavender plants, that have  different growth habits, textures, and color  and the result, when planted in strict rows, totally satisfies my stripe fetish.     (utterly appealing, don’t you agree?)

And if in fact, this isn’t all lavender, I am not sure that is at all relevant to me….because I have already been inspired to plant and grow  lavender (and other plants too) in this way.

image from josyannevanderdonk

Post Industrial Landscapes aren’t something I generally give much consideration to, but seeing this project in Germany, I am inspired to see these types of sights, and their potential for re-development, in a new light. Designers from Latz+Partners have transformed a 200+ acre site north of Duisberg Germany, which was once an ironworks plant, into gardens, parks, public space, and recreational areas in an experiment to celebrate the industrial past and the hard work that once took place at the this site.

The site now houses trails that follow the former railroad tracks, climbing walls that were once imposing industial walls and buildings, stacks that have been cleaned and transformed into scuba diving practice facilities, whimsical slides that recall large pipes that once connected the site, and even formal gardens.  It is certainly worth a visit to the site or at least to Latz+partner‘s website to learn more about it.

See the Google Map of the Location, which is about 30 miles north of Dusseldrof on the Rhine River.

(images: Latz+partner,  www.bezreg-muenster.nrw.de, josyannevanderdonk)

What are you doing this weekend?  I am participating in an ancient ceremony tonight….as part of another new Studio ‘g’ column.  I am excited to introduce it and the columnist who will be creating it, to you on Monday!  Until then, here are a few links…..

• As a certifiable list keeper, this, from one of my favorite writers,  charms me.
• I’ve seen alot of this kind of thing lately…..tell me, do you think it is a trend in floral design?
• No more Latin!!
• I was reminded of this post today — and it still makes me smile.
• A planter DIY that I need to try soon.
• I have been obsessed with Bug Houses this week….I also wrote about them on Apartment Therapy this week.
• And I thought my grandparents grew up in a Black and White world?  Love seeing it in color.
• Clever idea for standing around (rather than sitting around) the garden.

(image of pretty bug habitat from urban hedgerow)

I am charmed by the idea of dressing up container plantings — both inside and out — with little villages. These houses from Ontwerpduo in the Netherlands are safe to withstand the occasional water dousing (even though they resemble paper!).   It has me wondering what kind of architectural adventures I can create for all the things that live in my containers.

(images from ontwerpduo.)