Cornus florida 'Dogwood'

the spent bracts of the flowering dogwood trees and blossoms of the bridal wreath shrubs say good-bye…

Spiraea spp. 'Bridal Wreath'

While the Japanese Maple and Louisiana Iris unfurl to say hello….

Acer palmatum dissectum 'Crimson Queen'

Iris hexagona

Spring… our reminder of death and rebirth, always saying good-bye to the old and hello to the new.

Here’s to all the ‘hellos’ this Spring!

While water activities and good food are delicious ingredients for a recipe of “Fun”, a beautiful setting elevates the overall enjoyment . And, kicking it up a notch is just what the Moores wanted to do with their landscape.

They had left the water front property natural, letting the bayou be the focus. Leading to the boat dock was a lonely picnic table just to the left of the path and a deck just to the right of the dock.

This lonesome pot of violas is about to make a few friends!

But first, the Outerspaces crew did a landscape demolition…

Then a pergola and pavers were installed…

Keeping with a nautical style, a mini wall of sawed off pilings create a distinct area of entertaining.

Once the hardscape was completed the plants were installed. We used saw palmettos, knock out roses, flax lilies, Adagio maiden grass, azaleas, and Japanese holly ferns.

In front of the house we used loropetalum, agapanthus, and added additional cast iron plant and Japanese holly fern. For an extra pop of seasonal color we installed a crescent shaped annual bed.

The Moores got an early start by planning ahead- now ready for Mardi Gras. Bring on the crawfish!!!

“Jambalaya and a crawfish pie and file’ gumbo
‘Cause tonight I’m gonna see my ma cher amio
Pick guitar, fill fruit jar and be gay-o
Son of a gun, we’ll have big fun on the bayou”…

After browsing through and making a purchase or two we cruised on over to a store called Le FLEUR…

where we found unique pieces for both the interior and exterior of home…

great looking trellis- buy 2 to frame an entrance…

I LOVE this table!!!! I know, there’s a lot going on here but check out the arches supporting the metal table top…

Next we meandered our way to the Garden District…

The Garden District

an upscale shop that was closed by the time we arrived so click here to see the style of this beautiful store.

]]> http://visitsimplygardens.com/2011/06/road-trip-garden-shop-exploring/feed/ 4 http://visitsimplygardens.com/2011/06/cause-there-aint-no-cure-for-the-summer-time-blues/ http://visitsimplygardens.com/2011/06/cause-there-aint-no-cure-for-the-summer-time-blues/#comments Sat, 04 Jun 2011 14:51:27 +0000 Anne Brewer http://visitsimplygardens.com/?p=1710 The higher the mercury level the bluer my landscape…

expanding Hydrangeas macrophylla mopheads…

Agapanthus ssp. blossoms stretching to the sun…

Bee bellying up to the Savia x ‘Indigo Spires’ nectar bar…

What’s your cure for the summertime blues??

Monarch on Penta lanceolata

Plant passion vine for the Gulf Frittilaries

Passiflora ssp.

I plant passion vine in a container to keep it from wondering into spaces where it is not welcome. It grows and blooms profusely all summer long and into the fall- seems to be very happy couped up in a pot and the frits love it!

The swallowtails love fennel and parsley…

Fennel for the swallowtails

Plant a way station of milkweed for the migrating monarchs…

Asclepias curassavica -Milkweed

Anything fluttering in your garden?

Hoping to have lots of larvae images next post…

]]> http://visitsimplygardens.com/2011/05/1623/feed/ 2 http://visitsimplygardens.com/2011/05/steel-magnolias-of-the-south/ http://visitsimplygardens.com/2011/05/steel-magnolias-of-the-south/#comments Sat, 07 May 2011 20:17:46 +0000 Anne Brewer http://visitsimplygardens.com/?p=1578 In the aftermath of the tornado outbreak in April, I watched the images of destruction flicker across the TV screen. The shell-shocked look on people’s faces, the enormity of rubble, the immense suffering of loss-the pain and ugliness of it all is hard to grasp. One day life is normal with all the routines in motion, and then in a moment’s time nothing matters anymore except life itself. How grateful one escaped still breathing.

So, what’s left- the clothes on the back, if that. But one lives on….No doubt, many experience intense pain and will continue to suffer physically and emotionally. When the very “thing” upon which we exist, i.e., the earth, is destroyed and everything man-made goes with it, the mind can go into a tail-spin. Simply put, it can be beyond one’s coping abilities. Taking the next step to meet the challenges of rebuilding requires a supportive community.

And, that supportive community enlarges based on the size of the devastation. In these cases, it takes more than just the village- it takes a nation or a globe of large hearts. I ask myself the big question: where and how can I help? Volunteer, give donations, counseling, rebuild- there are lots of needs. If you are asking yourself the same question and don’t know where to begin check with the American Red Cross and your own faith community.

God created the seven Universal Laws within which we go through life, and one of those laws is the Law of Polarity- the law of opposites. Experiencing opposites is what living entails. If we didn’t have sorrow we wouldn’t have joy; if we didn’t have tears we wouldn’t have laughter; if we didn’t have fear we wouldn’t have love; and if we didn’t have death we wouldn’t have resurrection.

So, I look for opposites in the wake of the tornado outbreak tragedy. I’ve heard stories of self sacrifice to save a neighbor, and I see videos of strangers helping strangers instead of ignoring them. Now, surrounded by the ugliness of debris and devastation we will soon know natural beauty on another level when it is recreated.

Here's to all the Steel Magnolias

After we have helped these southern folks get back on their feet with their basic needs of food, shelter, and clothing met, remember ways to bring back the natural beauty in their lives. Send a plant to a friend, or help re-landscape someone’s yard. Gazing upon nature’s beauty is an application of balm to the wounded heart.

For a Tuscaloosa relief tee shirt where all proceeds go to the recovery effort click here.

]]> http://visitsimplygardens.com/2011/05/steel-magnolias-of-the-south/feed/ 5 http://visitsimplygardens.com/2011/02/garden-for-all-seasons/ http://visitsimplygardens.com/2011/02/garden-for-all-seasons/#comments Thu, 24 Feb 2011 03:55:19 +0000 Anne Brewer http://visitsimplygardens.com/?p=1518 A friend recently sent me a copy of an article featured in the New York Times. Although we are fast moving toward the spring equinox, the article “Enjoy the Long Nap” is still relevant for us who are about to pick up our spades to till the warming earth. In Sara Barrett’s interview with Dutch landscape designer, Piet Oudolf, he expounds on the importance of giving life to all the seasons in the garden. So often we forget our yards and landscapes in the winter as we retreat to the warm indoors. And, yes, it is a time for rest- both for the gardener and the land- but if enough forethought is put into the planning there will be winter interest to observe and enjoy as we sit at the fireside looking out.

As much as we all love color, be it primary or secondary, monochromatic or chromatic, Oudolf makes a big point that color is only one facet of garden design. If not at any other time, the barren season illustrates the critical role texture and shape play in the over all plan of a garden. It is these two elements that hold the interest in the winter. We see the “bones” of the landscape, where bare branches expose their true form, and where the texture of bark pops against a bland background. Long after the color fades from the flower, what’s left is a compellingly interesting seed head.

Bald Cypress

Symmetrical skeleton of the cypress stretching it’s branches upward to the sun.

Hydrangea bones

The upright hydrangea stems revealing it’s form.

River Birch

Triadic trunk sloughing off it’s shaggy bark.

Curly layers of shedding bark

Oudolf goes on, waxing poetically about the reflection of our human life cycle in the garden, remarking how winter is the stark reminder of our mortality. Spending time observing the winter landscape we come to accept the frailness and decay of old age, then death. Yet, the many seasons I’ve observed in my garden have revealed to me that after each loss, when life lays tiresomely fallow, birth follows. New beginnings are just a season away….

(The above image is from the bullerdick.wordpress.com website.)

February 2nd is the pivotal point of winter when we begin to focus on the arrival of the spring equinox, another six weeks away. We hold on to the hope of the shadowless groundhog-that the remaining weeks may be milder, not that spring will arrive any earlier.

My grandmother, an avid gardener, loved Groundhogs Day. Every January she would sit by the warm fireplace, planning her garden and ordering seeds from her favorite seed companies. By February 2nd she was ready! Like her, I am ready- Mother Nature, bring on the spring weather!!

While growing up my brother-in-law’s family celebrated Groundshog Day by giving his mother yellow flowering plants or bouquets. As an adult, Fred continues this tradition in his own family, giving his wife and two daughters yellow flowers on February 2nd. Over time I have been included in his lineup of womenfolk, and have become an excited and grateful benefactor of the famous Groundhogs Day bouquets! Look what arrived this chilly morning.

Many thanks, Fred! They are beautiful and they warm my heart!

Believe it or not shades of Spring are beginning to emerge. Be on the look out in your landscape and elsewhere for flowering bulbs, such as crocus, daffodils, irises, etc.

violets

Look up as well, for flowering trees are harbingers of spring soon to be bursting into bloom! Look for these images in the next post…

Happy Groundhog Day everyone!

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