totem #8 by Alain Delorme via chewingthecud
enjoy autumn
this past weekend I went to a fall festival held at an arboretum in our town. My little 3-year-old daughter made this cute craft out of sticks and tissue paper celebrating trees in fall:
I also spent the day yesterday in NYC, I've always loved New York in the Fall. Or maybe just the idea of it. But in my opinion, nothing beats fall in the country. Fall is about the change in leaves. Crunchy, smelly, piles of leaves. I was hard pressed to feel it yesterday. But then again it was 70 something out.
I do love these autumn collection illustrations by max estes:
I do love these autumn collection illustrations by max estes:
enjoy it!
welcome overgrowth
I was pleasantly surprised when I showed up to a clients house to plant an autumn design in their containers. They were overgrown with the plants I had planted up in May. Full. Luscious. Perfect. Creeping jenny creeped. Wandering jew wandered. I left there designing some containers at other entrances and left these until the frost gets them. I didn't have the heart to rip out such welcome overgrowth.
check out the before photo from may here . yes, it is the same plantings!
found friday: framed objects
viva chile!
chile leather travel journal
chilean flag and insignia chile
chilean artisan copper art I have in my living room
amerique du sud
and a beautiful song by Sting about the chilean port town of Valparaiso. A quaint town with pastel homes lining the rolling hills by the sea, a favorite of mine when I went to visit. listen here. I promise, its a beautiful song.
autumn flower planting choices
white kale, small yellow mums, orange and yellow preserved leaves, ornamental grass and peppers.
Lets face it. When we think of fall flowers, we think chrysanthemums. Hardy mums. They fill up door steps and haystacks, grocery store fronts and landscape beds. Not that there is anything wrong with them, they come in all different beautiful shades and are the quintessence of the season. It's just time to get creative with our fall pre-hibernating thinking when it comes to autumn's frost proof plants (to mix in with the mums of course!). I've gathered a list of my favorites and why:
Kale/cabbage- beautiful texture and colors. Very modern when clustered in a container alone. They often will outlast all other plants in a fall container. They have become more and more popular each year and are relatively inexpensive and easy to find.
Bittersweet berries- These are beautiful twisted around the finished planting design (see photo above). They make the design truly unique. They start in their shells yellow and then burst open to shades of orange and red. These are often hard to find unless you are a florist. I would try asking your local florist for a bunch or two. Although expensive, these berries last for weeks and weeks and are also great to use in decorating your harvest thanksgiving table.
Bittersweet berries- These are beautiful twisted around the finished planting design (see photo above). They make the design truly unique. They start in their shells yellow and then burst open to shades of orange and red. These are often hard to find unless you are a florist. I would try asking your local florist for a bunch or two. Although expensive, these berries last for weeks and weeks and are also great to use in decorating your harvest thanksgiving table.
burgundy mums, mixed ornamental peppers, large kale and yellow pansies
ruby red ornamental peppers
ruby red ornamental peppers
Ornamental pepper plants- they have bright vivid colors and add a warm and extra element to fall container designs. Perfect for an added surprise. Growers are catching on to their popularity and hopefully we will see more available in the years to come in the retail market.
Pansies- a tough flower through and through (it's ironic they are called pansies). Pansies offer a variety of shades of color and withstand colder temperatures and light frosts.
English Ivy- Many times the ivy I plant in the summer carry throughout the winter and begin to sprout new growth in the spring. This classic green is not to be overlooked! A secret. Any ivy plant, even ones in the indoor plant section of a store will do!
rust mums, small plum kale, multicolored pansies and orange preserved leaves
Preserved glycerin leaves- Don't be afraid to liven up a design with added elements such as preserved oak leaves or sugar pumpkins. I didn't say silk flowers and pumpkins though. Lets keep these organic! The preserved leaves give an instant pop of fall color. They can be found at many stores with a dried flower selection. I have even seen them in my local super market floral department.Grasses- I often use them as the filler height needed in the center of larger container plantings. Their wispy effects are perfect for fall's casualness and blow in the cool breeze.
rust ornamental grasses, large kale, burnt mums, bittersweet berries, ornamental red peppers and yellow preserved leaves
for more about container planting DIY, check out previous posts here.
all photos and containers in this post are taken and designed by me
all photos and containers in this post are taken and designed by me
flower ID: delphinium
I like watching the puddles gather rain
Philosophical rain song quotes by designer Mico.
Because it is raining here, has been for a while and will be for a few more days to come. The good thing about all this rain is that I am getting great usage out of my new brown riding boots, sipping some herbal tea to warm my toes, and getting some great 90's rain songs stuck in my head. Fall is here!!!
Check out the music philosophy website and tell me your favorite quote poster. You can also download them free for great backgrounds on your Iphone or desktop. I am saving my favorite for a post down the road, but would love to hear yours!
Because it is raining here, has been for a while and will be for a few more days to come. The good thing about all this rain is that I am getting great usage out of my new brown riding boots, sipping some herbal tea to warm my toes, and getting some great 90's rain songs stuck in my head. Fall is here!!!
Check out the music philosophy website and tell me your favorite quote poster. You can also download them free for great backgrounds on your Iphone or desktop. I am saving my favorite for a post down the road, but would love to hear yours!
choosing a garden planter
Fall container planting season now in it's fullest in the northeast. Here in New Jersey, it has been unseasonably warm but hopefully now that the month has changed, so will the leaves and the high temperatures.
I have chosen a few of my favorite planters found on-line. I also recommend looking for planters at your local home and garden centers, which is where I often find the best.
1.woolly pocket 2 &3. terrain 4. Jamali 5. Neiman Marcus 6. J&M Home and Garden 7. Neiman Marcus
Finding a container:
Finding the right container for your front plantings can be a pretty daunting task in and of itself. You want to make sure that it adds curb appeal and sticks out, but not like a sore thumb. The colors and tones should match that of your house when choosing a container and the flowers to go into them. Proportion and scale are also very important. I often see a large potted urn taking up too much space on a small walkway or two tiny garden pots meagerly accentuating a grand entry way. Another important element to consider is your home's style. Is it a mid- century modern, traditional Victorian, prairie ranch or a country farmhouse? Take this into account when purchasing the containers. A classic garden urn will look misplaced in the front entrance of a modern clean-line home in the desert.
Drainage Holes:
You want to make sure that the containers you have chosen have a drainage hole at the bottom for proper water drainage. If it is lacking drainage holes, drill a hole in it yourself. Without proper drainage, water can saturate the plant roots and cause them to rot.
Filling it up:
Fill the container in with a few layers of loose stones on the bottom for drainage, and stability (if they are made from a light material) followed by clean soil. I prefer to use soil with flower nutrients mixed in already.
Winterizing:
In cold climates, many containers will need to be taken into a warmer space like a garage or basement for the winter to prevent cracking in planters made out of materials like ceramic or terra cotta, even sometimes cement. I do recommend choosing fiberglass and resin for cold climates which can be made to emulate their counterparts but without the heaviness and need for winterizing.
voila! you are ready to plant some autumn beauties. stay tuned! I'm off to fill some autumn planters.
I have chosen a few of my favorite planters found on-line. I also recommend looking for planters at your local home and garden centers, which is where I often find the best.
1.woolly pocket 2 &3. terrain 4. Jamali 5. Neiman Marcus 6. J&M Home and Garden 7. Neiman Marcus
Finding a container:
Finding the right container for your front plantings can be a pretty daunting task in and of itself. You want to make sure that it adds curb appeal and sticks out, but not like a sore thumb. The colors and tones should match that of your house when choosing a container and the flowers to go into them. Proportion and scale are also very important. I often see a large potted urn taking up too much space on a small walkway or two tiny garden pots meagerly accentuating a grand entry way. Another important element to consider is your home's style. Is it a mid- century modern, traditional Victorian, prairie ranch or a country farmhouse? Take this into account when purchasing the containers. A classic garden urn will look misplaced in the front entrance of a modern clean-line home in the desert.
Drainage Holes:
You want to make sure that the containers you have chosen have a drainage hole at the bottom for proper water drainage. If it is lacking drainage holes, drill a hole in it yourself. Without proper drainage, water can saturate the plant roots and cause them to rot.
Filling it up:
Fill the container in with a few layers of loose stones on the bottom for drainage, and stability (if they are made from a light material) followed by clean soil. I prefer to use soil with flower nutrients mixed in already.
Winterizing:
In cold climates, many containers will need to be taken into a warmer space like a garage or basement for the winter to prevent cracking in planters made out of materials like ceramic or terra cotta, even sometimes cement. I do recommend choosing fiberglass and resin for cold climates which can be made to emulate their counterparts but without the heaviness and need for winterizing.
voila! you are ready to plant some autumn beauties. stay tuned! I'm off to fill some autumn planters.
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