Garden Gab

From food to fashion to furniture, the green revolution is finally in full swing.  While the past few years have heralded a return to the garden, self sufficiency and elegance through simplicity, 2010 is shaping up as the real start of the outdoor living renaissance.  With more and more of us enjoying our own and our neighbors’ homes this holiday season, why not kick off this new era of renewed hospitality with a New Year’s Eve party highlighting all the great things to come?

With many homeowners utilising smaller indoor spaces this year, entertaining may seem a stressful or even impossible task, but if you utilize your outdoor space, it need not be.  Even in colder climates opening up your idea of entertaining space is possible and even desirable.  The trick is to decide which aspects of your party will take place indoors and which will take place in the outdoor kitchen or living area.  For those hosts blessed with mild weather or those who have a very good patio heater or large firepit, it may be possible to serve your entire dinner outdoors. 

Outdoor Dining sets can now comfortably hold a larger number of guests, such as the Harvest Dining Set from www.thepatiofurnitureshopper.com

Outdoor barbecues can still be the casual affair we enjoyed in the last decade with our neighbors and friends, but these days the food tastes better, stays hotter, and is ready quicker.  Full dinner parties can be prepared in these beautiful new patio kitchens, which is good news, because experts say the cocktail party is on the way out for 2010.   Guests want relaxed atmospheres and full sit down dinners with several small courses rather than forced mingling with drink and hors d’ouvres in hand.  So if you are equipped with a small outdoor dining set or warming it sufficiently is not an option, save your indoor space for your formal meal and utilise your outdoor kitchen for your bar, a skating or sledding party for the kids, or even as your dancing space.

Canopied gazebos with solid floors, like this Tigerwood Gazebo from www.gazebosonly.com are perfect for your bar, dining area or dance floor even on snowy days. This one has an option for modular panels so you can make it as large as you need!

The next year is expected to focus on relaxation and casual get togethers, so invite your guests to dress warmly and comfortably for your affair, especially as it will be partially outdoors, rather than making it black tie. 

Homegrown and local products are all the rage both this year and far into the next, so highlight your menu with a mixture of locally produced entrees and your own garden’s products.  Build both your bar selection and your meal around what you do best.  If growing food is not your cup of tea, it might be that one of your neighbors is a champion gardener and would love to swap for your gorgeous flowers, plant cuttings or orchard fruit.  The point is to make it as local as possible.  Food in 2010 is going to be about preparing it from scratch.  If you are a wine hobbyist, make mulled wine from the stock that you put down yourself.  If you grew a spectacular herb garden this year, utilise your herbs in both your meal and in some handcrafted drinks, such as lavender infused gin, Meyer lemon vodka, or homegrown Bloody Mary’s.   Remember, part of the charm is that these handcrafted drinks and homemade meals are not going to turn out perfectly.  The real gift you bring to the table as a host is your expertise and part of that is good food, good drinks and good company- not corporate perfection.  Your guests will appreciate it all the more.

Make your own homegrown meyer lemon drops this year

With this year’s emphasis on home grown food and the growing popularity of the staycation, an outdoor space centred around a beloved hobby such as wine making is a perfect option for entertaining and unwinding.  A home vineyard isn’t hard to create and requires surprisingly little space.  Add a mediterranean storage and tasting area to add vibrant, welcoming color and warm hospitality to your home.

Grapes can be grown in many regions, so no matter your growing zone you will be able to find the right wine making grape for you with a little research.  Experts say that once your vines begin to produce you can expect to get up to a gallon of wine from each vine, and a good average number for a home winery is about 10-12 vines.  This may sound like it would take a massive amount of space, but grapevine is actually very space friendly since it will grow from one central, woody vine up.  If your space is very small, consider replacing privacy fencing with metal trellis screens- it will be just as sheltered once the grapevines are trained up them.  You could also utilize a pergola or arbor- even a metal gazebo can be trained with grapevine.  Make lots of use of your garden structures and you can pull it off.

Gazebos like the Rococo Arbor from www.gazebosonly.com feature latticed sides perfect for training grapevine for cool shade

There are just two important points to remember when laying out your home vineyard.  Grapevines need full sun as often as possible and metal trellises will be better in the long run, as grapevine is a strong grower and eventually will pull apart a wooden trellis.

The Vintner Trellis is a good, sturdy choice for long term grape growing. www.thetrellisstore.com

Once your vines are set up, you will need a place to enjoy both your space and your wine.  Most tastings are small, casual affairs and a furniture set reflecting this will set the perfect mood.  If you are going with a mediterranean theme, a comfortable leisure set with rich red or deep gold cushions will match nicely.  A dining set will work, but will give your space a more formal feel.

The comfortable round barrell shape and casual coffee table of the Graycliff Seating Collection from www.thepatiofurnitureshopper.com echo both the mediterranean and wine theme.

Your planters and lighting options should also echo the rotund curves of antique wine bottles and casks to keep the flow.  Reproductions of ancient olive oil and wine casks like these from Pottery of Tunisia.

Wine Amphora flower pot

And for lighting, these Madeira lanterns:

The Madeira Lantern from www.gardentorchesonly.com

Wine tastings go best with colder foods to cleanse the palate, so your outdoor kitchen can focus on an outdoor wine cellar and small refrigerator rather than an elaborate oven and grill set up.  Outdoor wine cellars range in size from 5-10 bottles all the way up to 50-60 so you can keep a selection on hand and in easy reach of your gorgeous home vineyard.

This dual zone wine cellar from www.lifeluxurymarvel.com is built for outdoor kitchens

Once your vineyard is set up and you have mastered the art of wine making for yourself, stepping into your garden can transport you to the sunny south of France, the beautiful Napa Valley or the rich hills of Italy, with all the sights, sounds and comfort of your favorite getaway.

Miami's EPIC hotel offers rooftop lounge areas

Experiencing a plunge in holiday and even business travelers, the hospitality industry is pulling out all the stops.  It’s not enough any more just to increase a hotel or restaurant’s customer base, these days survival means cornering the local market as well.  In this unfriendly war between competitors, the little guys are often emerging on top.  In the past few years even business travelers, that cash cow of the hospitality industry, have underutilized or even abandoned memberships at large chains in favor of small sprawling inns or tiny country bed and breakfasts.

Why this shift?  Experts say that the past few years “comfort” rather than “luxury” has been the element Americans have valued most, not only in their travels but also in their homes.  As the trend of “stay-cations” has increased, the value of a comfortable, stress free environment has become paramount.  Even (or especially) those who do travel often are trying to find the hotel or restaurant that will make them feel most at home.  Smaller inns have a headstart in this area.

The beautiful, relaxed garden of the Iris Inn in Ashland, OR

As major chains focused on meeting every guest’s request for extra amenities, perks, and special rates with memberships and best business practices during the last decade, small hotels continued to focus on comfort and a homey, welcoming feeling with handmade quilts, extra soft beds, and intimate outdoor spaces.   While the entire hospitality industry has striven and achieved new heights in quality of service, this sadly, is simply not enough for today’s travelers.

The hotels and restaurants that are surviving, or even thriving in today’s market are those that are offering an experience as close to home life as possible.  And for many Americans this year, that includes a comfortable outdoor living space.  Some, like Gramercy Park in New York are using memberships not to offer special rates or material perks, but to grant access to these much coveted, beautiful fresh air spaces.

Gramercy Park's private roof club features a seamless transition between indoor and outdoors and features a retractable roof

Other hotels are freshening up their balconies by replacing old plastic or iron patio furniture with comfortable, cushioned sets and living plants or garden sculptures on each guest’s private balcony.

The petite Graycliff Seating Collection is an ideal example of comfortable pieces for small patios or balconies

Those hotels without individual outdoor spaces for guests are creating them with private poolside cabanas or shady golf huts complete with access to an outdoor bar or restaurant.

Reservable cabana at La Playa Beach and Golf Resort in Naples, FL

While almost every large establishment now sees the value and has invested in outdoor dining facilities, one of the largest and still most rare advantages an inn usually holds over large chains is the addition and perfection of outdoor reception spaces.  While major chains now sometimes offer outdoor meeting spaces, they still consist of large green lawns covered in tents.  Some banquet facilities, though, have made the outdoor reception or meeting a work of art.  These package deals feature guest rooms, blooming reception spaces featuring specific color themes, and even highlighted spots, like gazebos, covered bridges or hedge mazes for photo opportunities.   Throughout the decade, these package weddings, often called “destination weddings” have been held in exotic locales, but more and more frequently, these are being abandoned for a local version of the same experience.

The Lavendar Gardens set up for an outdoor wedding Kirkwood Inn in Mason, OH

Just as an outdoor living space is one of the best renovations to make to a home to increase it’s value for little cost,  so is renovating the hospitality industries version of outdoor living.  Originally the source of inspiration for outdoor living with a resort feel, the hospitality industry is now looking towards home life for its cues.  As this trend toward comfort, and especially outdoor living spaces continues to grow throughout 2010, major chains are scrambling to catch up.

The use of turf benches as garden fixtures originally became popular during the Middle Ages in European monastery and castle herberies, as a way for visitors to enjoy a cool, fragrant rest and allowed ladies who were jealous about their fair complexions enjoy the garden in shade and privacy.

One of the most famous depictions of a medieval herbery: Madonna on the Turf Bench by Martin Schongauer

As outdoor living becomes more and more prevalent, gardeners are again turning to the turf bench as an alternative or in addition to plastic or wooden furniture sets.  Turf benches stay cool long into the summer months, even in direct sun, and they can be planted with fragrant herbs or flowers to surround the sitter with pleasant smells and small bursts of color.  Turf benches can also perform double duty, acting as a container herb garden as well as a functional garden seat.

Turf benches can be made by creating natural banks of turf if your space is exceptionally hilly, however, we like the simplicity of starting with a large trellis planter.

The wide Nottingham Lattice Planter from www.thetrellisstore.com makes an ideal housing for a turf bench

This particular trellis planter is on wheels, making it easy to move to our final spot when we’re through (or easy to move back to the hose to be watered), but if you choose one without casters, you may want to build the bench in its final location, as it will be heavy when finished.

Fill the planter with soil, but keep it loose.  If you pack the soil down your turf will have a tough time rooting.  You will want to plant any climbing plants for the trellis toward the back of the planter.  Choose the most fragrant plants: roses, honeysuckle, or sweet pea for example.  You may also choose to hang planters from the trellis rather than train plants to climb up.  The goal is to provide shade for the seat’s back and utilize soft breezes to produce a pleasant smell from your flowers.

The next step is to add the turf or sod.  Turf is simply a thick mat of grass and grass roots that can be cut either from a spot in your yard (say where you are breaking ground for a flower bed) or purchased from specialized turf growers.  You could also opt for artificial turf if you prefer to have low maintenance, but will not be an option if you want to scatter herb plants on the seat.  Cut your turf to size, leaving an opening for any climbing plants to push through and gently tamp down and water your turf immediately to encourage rooting.

One of the attractions of the turf bench is that it is always cool.  However, if you live in a very damp climate, you may want to lay a permanent seat with the sod.  A small slab of river rock or a disc of tree trunk will work nicely, simply cut a space in the turf for it and press your seat in.  As the turf roots it will knit itself around the seat, anchoring it firmly.

You can purchase (or cut) purely grass turf, or you can explore flowering turf, which looks more like meadow grass:

You can also create this yourself once after laying your turf.  Simply make small incisions with a sharp spade or knife to plant rampant growth herbs like chamomile or mint or to plant small flower bulbs such as flowering crocus.

Your turf bench may take up to a year to become fully established with growing herbs and flowers, but it will actually be usable within a few weeks: as soon as the turf has rooted, it is ready for use as seating.  To keep your turf bench trim and healthy, remember to water it along with your other flower beds and potted plants and use a weed wacker or even a hedge trimmer (especially if you have planted woody herbs like thyme) once a month or so to keep it short and comfortable.

Mercury glass, once used as a cheap and easily replaceable substitute for silver, is enjoying an upsurge in popularity and is becoming highly sought after for it’s stylish look and exotic forms.

Do you have a collection of mercury glass? You can easily find sparkling vintage selections like these from eBay

Many of us have a box of antique mercury glass (also known as silvered glass) ornaments that stay safely tucked away rather than risking breakage by hanging them on a tree.  It’s a shame to keep these beautiful pieces of art from being seen, and winter’s silver, white and blue themes make it the perfect time to show them off.

Choose a nice mix of both silver mercury glass and painted or colored mercury glass, both of which you can find as vintage pieces or their modern, much more polished equivalents, such as these gorgeous bohemian glass vases from The Shopper’s Link:

Start with one large open piece, such as a basin or platter to hold your fragile ornaments.  If you do not already have one, mercury glass reproductions have become extremely affordable, such as this pedestal bowl from Organize.com.

You can use a beautiful ice blue, white or silver cloth or ribbon to create a soft nest for your ornaments, or for a more modern look, fill your piece halfway with silver or gold jordan almonds and nestle your ornaments into them.  The small almonds will absorb any shocks or jarring movements, protecting your ornaments all while creating a dazzling landscape.

Around your large piece, scatter only a few of your most interesting mercury glass pieces, whether for their pretty colors or interesting shapes.

mercury glass comes in many beautiful forms like these doves from www.vintageweave.com

Surround your pieces with twining deep blue ribbon and scatter more jordan almonds to keep your table from looking bare at the base level of the pieces.

Lastly, add appropriate lighting.  We like candlelight for the way it flickers over the mercury glass, so we’ve chosen these beautiful blue mercury glass candle globes from Garden Torches Only.

Subtle blue mercury glass adds extra shimmer to these candle holders

Because there is such a variety of mercury glass available now, and because they range from antique to modern specimens, your display will be completely unique and beautiful.  Don’t let your collection languish in the dark, with a few precautions and a select number of attractive pieces you can enjoy your mercury glass for years to come.

Taking cuttings from your plants or dividing perennials to make a personal, thoughtful gift for friends can seem daunting but it is actually very simple and can be done with just a few basic tools and a few minutes of preparation.

Taking Cuttings

To take cuttings you will need:

• Seeding soil (this is the best mix to give young cuttings for quick growth and to eliminate the risk of disease)
• Sharp garden clippers (dull clippers will crush the plant rather than making a clean cut)
• A warm, moist container such as a terrarium or cloche

If you are new to cuttings, start with either a houseplant that has long thrived under your care or a plant with a semi-woody stem, as these will give you the most success. A plant that is losing its leaves or is long and lanky rather than bushy probably will suffer if you take a cutting or the cutting could be malnourished or diseased. Woody stems are harder to crush and usually snip easily.

Look at the top or newest leaves of your plant. About 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch below the leaf node, or where the leaf seperates from the stem, snip the plant stem. This is your cutting. You can place it in a glass of warm water for a few hours to stimulate it, but don’t leave it longer, as new roots formed in water will experience root shock and collapse when planted. Plant your cutting in loose, very damp soil. Place in a warm sunny place and cover with a cloche (or plant inside a terrarium).

Roots should begin to form within 1-2 weeks, but slow growing plants may not be ready for transplant for a month.

Dividing Perennials

To divide perennials you will need:

• A flower pot filled with soil or a hole in the garden for the new plant to go (do this before everything else, you want to get the plant into soil as quickly as possible
• A cutting or prying tool, such as a hand axe, saw or pitchfork
• A sharp spade or shovel

When a perennial has outgrown a pot or space in your garden, or when it develops a dead space in the center of the plant, it is time to divide it. Not only does this make another plant, it also helps both halves survive longer and be more healthy. The day before you decide to divide the plant, cut back the leaves about halfway (this will make the newly divided plant do less work to maintain itself. This is also why some gardeners prefer fall as a dividing time, because they will be cutting back leaves and tidying up anyway) and really soak the roots.

On the division day, try to start in the morning when the day is still cool, the exposed roots will dry out much slower than in the afternoon (even crisp fall days can turn hot in the afternoon). Starting in a wide circle around the base of the plant, roughly 4 inches out from the base, cut the soil about six inches with a sharp spade or shovel. Once you have completed cutting the circle, gently insert the shovel on an angle and try to lift the plant. If it is somewhat loose, work it out of the ground and lift the plant clean to the top of the soil. If the plant really resists, try digging the circle a little deeper, you want to get as much of the root ball as possible. Don’t shake out the roots, try to keep as much soil as possible around the roots to keep it from drying out.

When the plant is out of the ground it’s time to cut it in half. If the plant has especially woody roots, you may want to chop it with an axe or saw it in half. Plants with softer root balls can be prized apart with your hands or with a pitchfork. You may want to get a partner to hold one side while you pry the other side away. This process may take some time, but be patient, it will come apart. When your plant has been divided into as many pieces as you like, immediately replant or repot both plants and water. If you are doing this in fall, covering with a small layer of mulch can keep the moisture in the root system, if in fall, starting the plant in a shady area and then transplanting to a more sunny location can help the perennial regenerate faster.

Now is the ideal time to begin planning a plant swap to cheer up those midwinter blues.    Set a date for late February or early March, sometime between major holidays to see dear friends and begin thinking of spring.

Unlike many events where everything else is prepared before sending out invitations, a plant swap should send out invitations as quickly as possible.  This way, you and your guests will have an idea of how many swaps can take place (by how many people will be coming) and have time to create cuttings that really have time to thrive before the party.

Don’t limit yourself just to cuttings though, many gardeners have lovely flower books they no longer need or seeds they have saved, or even lightly used garden tools that they may have too many of. 

When guests rsvp, ask what type of seed, plant, or other object they would like to swap.  This will keep everyone from bringing one type of plant (say an aloe) and no one really getting to swap.  Or if you like, on each person’s invitation drop a subtle hint about a plant you really enjoy that they grow, for instance:

Dear Mary,

I would like to invite you to a garden swap on March 20th at 1:00 pm.  We will be swapping anything and everything garden related, including plants, books or flower pots.  But Mary, I’ve always particularly loved your Jade plant it’s so lush!  I hope you will be bringing some cuttings of it, as I’ve never had good luck with Jade plant myself, and I need a little of your green magic!  I’ll be bringing a variety of cuttings and seeds, but if there is a particular plant you would like, do let me know, I’d be so happy to share!  I look forward to seeing you- the company and the beautiful plants will surely banish everyone’s winter blues!

Love,

Deirdre

This way, you and your guests have a chance to both admire each person’s handiwork and request the plants they would truly like and can use. 

As time goes on, we will of course return to the topic of a swap party, but for now, letting everyone know to get ready and start their cuttings is a great way to start!

In the last post, we discussed the first half of creating an heirloom seed box to be tucked into a gorgeous pot or given as a gift on its own.  I have chosen the theme of an herb garden, and decorated the fronts of my recipe cards with a detailed drawn picture of each herb.  Again you can use photographs or even pressed flowers if you like, I just like the hand drawn look as it is more personal and this is for a dear friend.  If you would like to use a pressed plant, you need only dab a small bit of clear drying glue to fix it in place, we will protect it at the end by covering the recipe cards with contact paper or laminating them, so they will last for a very long time.

Here are two examples of my cards:

These are the fronts of my Rosemary and Lemon Verbana cards.  When I have laminated them I will attach a small envelope to the Rosemary card with seeds (the verbana grows well with cuttings so I will have to make a separate gift of that).  The detail you put on the drawings is of course, up to you.  I’ve tried to detail what the flowers look like, what the leaves and roots should be like, because I am primarily interested in these being a reference tool.  I wanted my friend to know what a healthy plant should look like, a. because I am a terrible one for weeding, I never know which plant to pull, so I feel like a visual would help other people with similar problems and b. if the plant were not healthy, it’s differing appearance could tell a gardener right away.

On the back should be several short bits of information. 

• When to plant (whether its a month or as soon as the ground thaws, after the last frost)
• How deep to plant seeds, spacing of seeds or seedlings and soil makeup (for example, rosemary likes soil with more alkaline properties)
• How much sun and when to water
• I included a bit of history or trivia on each card, such as what folklore says about the plant or how it has been used in other times and places
• Uses (besides being pretty!) and which parts of the plant to use (for instance, lemon verbana’s leaves can be used as a substitute for citrus peel in baking)

Here is a photo of the back of my rosemary card, I also added tiny drawings to decorate the card (scrapbooking elements, tiny pressed flowers or petals, or stickers would be beautiful too).

Add as much information as you can find, you never know what’s going to be useful (in the sowing, growing or harvesting!).  When you are through, simply laminate or encase in clear contact paper.  Tuck the cards into your box, and be sure to leave some blank cards and a little growing room so your friend (or yourself) can add to it down the road.  Make sure to let your friend know to store this box in a cool, dry place to prevent germination of any seeds that are enclosed (the outdoor gardening shed would be perfect).  Once you and several of your friends have these “recipe” boxes, you can trade both seeds, cuttings and recipe cards from your own gardens.  This would make for a very special gift, ensuring long exchanges and friendships.

Have you got any suggestions on making this recipe box more special?  Or how to incorporate cuttings?  Have you got any nice ideas for tucking into gardening pots to be given as gifts?

Please send us photos of your recipe boxes, we’d love to see all the creative ideas and artistic plant drawings out there!

I love to give planters as gifts for my gardening friends, because they are so versatile and come in such stunning designs.  This year’s favorite?

The Sueki Urn is ideal for my very special gardening someone and the whimsical thimble pots are perfect for funloving friends and especially children who love gardening, both are available from The Trellis Store .  But I always hate to give planters empty, as attractive as they are, empty planters always feel a little forlorn.  Sometimes I find a nice set of garden tools or gardening gloves, or a few beautiful outdoor books.  This year though, with almost everyone I know crafting something special with their own two hands as a gift, I wanted to create something special and unique, something that people would know was from me.

 

This is a hard time of year for too many people.   Frequently, our neighbors who have been on the margins, whether financially, medically or psychologically experience a turn for the worse around the holidays.  While these days should be ones of health, hope and happiness, too often it means the opposite for some.  While we all look for ways to help throughout the year, the holiday season makes us feel we want to do more somehow.  With all the demands on our time and our wallets, we can sometimes feel stressed or resentful when someone asks us for more.  So here are a few things we can all do while enjoying a favorite hobby, gardening.

1.  Bring your brightest, freshest flowers to the local hospital.  Did you know that research has shown that having fresh flowers in a hospital room can help patients need less pain medication, have lower blood pressure and make them feel less fatigued?  There are too many patients that are without this simple pleasure.  The nurses on any floor can help you find someone in need of a little green cheer.  Not only will the fresh flowers help, it will also help to know someone cares.  Make those blooms count!  We promise that the person you give them to will appreciate them and think them more beautiful than you can imagine.

2. Give your extra produce to a local food bank.  This can be done on a personal level (we all have extra potatoes, zucchini, squash, onions or herbs that we don’t need) or you can organize an indoor Plant  A Row for the Hungry drive to supply food banks with fresh produce over the lean winter months.  You can find info on the Plant A Row program at The Garden Writers Association.   It’s very difficult for food banks to afford fresh produce in winter months, leaving many people to go without.  With just a little extra effort, our neighbors could be enjoying healthy fruits and vegetables year round.

3.   Visit a  local assisted living center or nursing home with potted plant cuttings from your houseplants.  Not only will these plants have the same pain ameliorating and emotion boosting effects as flowers in a hospital room would have, but research has shown the longer a person has the opportunity to care for a living thing, be it plant or pet, the better they fight off depression and anxiety.  Residents with potted plants or pets not only live longer, but have a better quality of life and are more active than residents who do not have this.  Make sure to make the pot small, so that if space is limited the resident can keep it without making their room uncomfortable.  You can always come back for a nice visit to check on how the resident and your plant are doing and bring a bigger pot!  It will give you something in common to talk about and you will make someone’s day so much brighter!

4.   Collect seeds from your plants and donate them and your time to a community garden.  Many urban and suburban communities are recognizing and honoring the value of green spaces.  Chances are, there is an underfunded, undermanned community garden near you.  Not only do these gardens usually need supplies, they also need people that know how to garden and most especially, know how to teach others to garden.  You don’t have to be a master horiculturalist.  If all you know is how to grow potatoes or roses or even just how to prepare soil, your knowledge is important.  Go spend half an hour a week weeding or teaching.  You will be pleasantly surprised by how enthusiastic the participants are and your gift of both seeds and knowledge could hardly go to a more worthy endeavor.

5.  Go and care for a sick neighbors plants.  Winter or spring, plants need care.  Some of our neighbors just can’t get around their home or garden easily this year and might need a little help trimming, watering or just shoveling snow to get to their greenhouse.  There is nothing so crushing to an avid gardener than to see their work wither away or spill over with choking weeds.  Not only will your neighbor be much more cheerful with a tidy, healthy space, your whole neighborhood will appreciate it (and hopefully pitch in!).

These are just a few ideas that will cost you little to nothing in both money and time but will result in an astonishing amount of happiness for a few people that really need it right now.  Can you think of some other ideas from the garden that could help?  Do you have a charity that could use a gardener’s assistance?  Send us a note so we can share!