The Sublime Color of Hazelnut

Yesterday I was on a job and the tree pollen, which normally does not affect me, was intense...coughing, sneezing, etc. I began to think about tree pollen and what good things we could create from something so bothersome...

I believe that everything in Nature has some use if only we can determine what it is. You know, like penicillin being developed from bread mold or something like that...(I am not sure about that example..)

So in the interest of learning to love tree pollen I found this unusual and interesting item in 'In Living Color' . It was written by Kate Smith and details the artistic use of tree pollen by Wolfgang Laib. 

Laib uses natural materials to create his works of art.  As Smith notes,

he is an artist who is "awed by nature and inspired by ritual...".

His gallery Sean Kelly Gallery writes that, " During the spring and summer months he collects pollen, including dandelion, hazelnut, pine, buttercup, and moss varieties, from the fields surrounding his home.

 He displays this laboriously gathered material in simple glass jars or sifts it through sheets of muslin directly onto the floor to create large, square fields of spectacular color."

Indeed, the color is sublime..but as Kate Smith writes, our response may be more on the sniffling and wheezing side of appreciation...nonetheless, it is a look at what a physician-turned-artist can do while living in the Black Forest of Germany.

Of course, another use of hazelnut pollen is to create hazelnuts:

RED and more in the garden

(Red Poppies in Jim's Garden, photo by Jan Johnsen)

Bold. Bright. Pop.

This is what RED adds to a garden.

RED, an eye catching hue, stands up to the summer sun's withering glare in the afternoon.

When all pastels fade away, red, orange and yellow sing their hearts out....and RED always steals the show.

RED has a vivid history - Check it out on the sensational color website. It is the color of the root chakra (this means 'energy point) of the body:

"This chakra is located at the base of the spine and allows us to be grounded and connect to the universal energies. Groundedness, belonging...."

(sounds perfect for all us grounded gardeners)

In Japan RED is associated with certain deities. Their “Shinkyo” (Sacred Bridge) in Nikko, Japan is a wonderful example of the contrast RED makes with green in a natural setting.

You can also see how effective RED is in the modern Chinese Red Ribbon in Tanghe River Park, designed by Turenscape :

This use of RED has always been popular in Chinese gardens...Here is another example showing a red Tori or gate...what great proportions too.

I was first introduced to the power of red by the French artist, Matisse...I loved his 'Red Studio' when I first saw it as a child in a NY museum:

And of course Red furniture outdoors attracts the eye:

Here is a landscape I designed - the red bench definitely dominates the scene:

I often plant RED Callibrachoa in my clients' gardens. It is a eye catcher for sure!



I also plant a mass of red begonias next to dark green leucothoe to make a statement. This is what I did along an entry walk:

Of course the spilling over of Superbena Royale Red Verbena in a pot is unmatched:

(courtesy of Proven Winners)

And Nemesia, a cool season annual flower, is also a knock out in red, Sunsatia Cranberry Nemesia :

(courtesy of Proven Winners)

Did you know that Bees can’t see the color red, but they can see all other bright colors. Red flowers are usually pollinated by birds, butterflies, bats, and wind, rather than bees.

I love red tulips against a white fence so I planted these Parade tulips:

(Jan Johnsen)

And of course the traditional Red Geranium always signifies 'welcome' in so many languages:

So please consider 'spicing up' your outdoor surroundings with some RED today - you won't regret it!

(Silas Mountsier Garden, photo by Jan Johnsen)

Tiptoe through the Tulips

My dear client, Mark, has been overcome with Tulipmania.
It is a wonderful malady that encourages someone to plant thousands of bulbs in the fall.

It started out gently for Mark - we had just finished the total site design around a magnificent house he had built. This included viewing gardens, a terrace and outdoor kitchen for entertaining, entry drive and parking area, walls and steps and more.

I planted some tulip bulbs around a newly planted Kwanzan cherry tree to give him a quick burst of spring color.

Mark was very appreciative the next spring when he saw the deep red tulips encircling the tree at the entry to his house.  He just wished I had planted a 'few' more.....

Well, that was about 5 years ago.  Today Mark plants tens of thousands of tulips on his lovely property.  And the effect is overwhelmingly delicious!

The tulips are planted with abandon - color blends dominate and it looks, to me,  like an ice cream social! Those sherbet colors meld together in a sweet concoction of tulip-iciousness. ( hey, a new word!)

So look now at those bulb catalogs coming your way - even if you have a 'postage stamp' of a yard - like I do - you can still plant fabulous colors and dreamy blends in a sunny corner...

Just keep those pesky deer away....Yes, Mark has a fence.

By the way,  a good bulb catalog you can order from now is Van Bourgondien

Jacques Majorelle and his Blue Garden

Blue features are the most mysterious elements in a landscape.

Nowhere is this more true than in the magnificent ‘Majorelle Garden’ located in the heart of Marrakesh, Morocco. Originally created in the 1920’s by the French artist and gardener, Jacques Majorelle (1886-1962), this remarkable 12 acre haven has revolutionized the way we think of color in the garden. 

Majorelle was an avid plant collector and filled his botanical park, now open to the public, with exotic plant species from all over the world.  But the overriding feature in this hot and dry environment is Majorelle’s favorite color: a rich shade of cobalt blue. It embellishes buildings, pergolas, fountains and more.

Photo from Talking Dog UK

This alluring color comes out of the traditional Moroccan aesthetic but Majorelle used 'his blue' with great abandon.  It serves as a spectacular backdrop for multi-colored bougainvillea, bright orange nasturtiums and planters filled with pinks, yellows and apple greens that are scattered about the grounds. In fact, he used it so extensively in the gardens that it now has a trademark name called, fittingly, ‘Majorelle Blue’.

Jacques Majorelle's garden was saved by Pierre Berge and Yves Saint Laurent, the great French fashion designer. Today the Majorelle workshop houses their magnificent Islamic art colleciton.  Put this on your gardens to visit list as it is a place of great serenity, luxurious vegetation and powerful inspiration...and a lot of cobalt blue.

Purple Angelonia and more in a Purple Garden

Johnsen Landscapes & Pools - Angelface Blue Angelonia and white Begonias

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 “If you pass by the color purple in a field and don’t notice it, God gets real pissed off.”

~ Alice Walker

Purple tickles the brain. It speaks to us of mystery and enlightenment.  Purple gardens evoke delight and sumptuousness.

Leonardo da Vinci said that light streaming through purple stained glass windows could increase the power of meditation ten fold. And scientists have found that purple stimulates the brain activity used in problem solving, integrating both hemispheres of the brain – the thinking left side with the feeling right side.  Stare at purple and your mind will stop chattering...Try it!

 In 2008, the ‘Color of the Year’ selected by Pantone was ‘Blue Iris’ (Pantone 18-3943), which combined, "the stable and calming aspects of blue with the mystical and spiritual qualities of purple..."  So true - calming and mystical.

Indeed Blue/ Purple Iris are intoxicatingly beautiful. Especially Siberian Iris 'Caesar’s Brother' which is a velvety rich purple perennial that blooms profusely in late spring and is spectacular when planted in masses.  Very reliable, trouble free and grows zones 3 -9 in sun or part shade.   Also deer resistant and suitable for heavy soils! (photo from Bluestone perennials)

This is a must for a Purple Garden.

Purple Smokebush - Cotinus 'Royal Purple'

In feng shui, purple is used in healing and meditative spaces. In gardens it is used to create a luscious setting that captivates all who enter.

In my small front entry garden I have a purple Smokebush 'Royal Purple' (Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple') which has beautiful, velvety, dark purple foliage throughout the growing season. It is  topped with smoky-purple flowers  in mid-summer creating a smoky cloud.  It is in the corner and is a wonderful accent  shrub. I prune it down in the very early spring to about 2 ft high and the new growth is gorgeous. Deer resistant too!

 Purple is a blend of stimulating red and calming blue, the proportions of which determine its hue. Shades range from an indigo blue-purple to a violet red-purple. In Hinduism indigo purple governs the pineal gland or third eye and Violet purple triggers the crown chakra at the top of the head. Focusing on these respective colors quiets the mind. 

 Okay - purple gardens rule!

Purple Gomphrena - 'Buddy Purple'

One of my favorite purple annual flowers - blooms until frost - is Gomphrena Buddy Purple or Purple Gnome. I plant it with everything - here it contrasts beautifully with Jack Frost Brunnera. And below I  paired with pink supreme roses, iris ensata and more...

 Purple flowers have been proved to be rich in nectar...that is why bees and butterflies love purple flowers. Here is a butterfly on a purple aster:

Purple Dome New England Aster is an outstanding compact perennial ( comes back every year) notable for its mounding habit and luscious deep lavender-purple flowers. 18” x 18” wide. Easy to grow in any decent soil and not bothered by mildew.

Purple Dome Aster courtesy of Plant Delights

Another great and easy pruple plant is Agastache 'Purple Haze'...One of the easiest and most rewarding perennials to grow! This new selection of Anise Hyssop produces darker purple flowers and looks amazing when planted en masse. Vibrant violet-purple flowers on strong, upright stems bloom from midsummer to early fall.   A great plus: The leaves smell like black licorice when cut or crushed.

Purple Haze Agastache courtesy of Acorn Farms

And by far one of my fave raves for purple in the garden is Angelonia - an annual flower that blooms throughout the season....Plant in beds or pots....This is Angelface Blue but it looks purple. I paired it with Silver Licorice Plant (Helichrysum) and Pink petunias.

Of course purple comes in all hues so here are a few more plants to add to a purple garden:

Variegated Iris

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Black and White in the Garden

Black and White, the oh-so-chic color combination that we see adorning all the hippest living rooms in all the coolest urban settings is just as alluring in a garden...and perhaps even more so because the colors are not from Benjie Moore but from Mama Nature....

(black walls anyone? This is from apartmenttherapy.com, a great website!)

Black and white tulip combinations create a luscious contrast especially if they are surrounded with green, green and more green...White Flower Farm combined the 'Queen of Night' tulip, as close to black as a flower can get, with the white delicate Lily-flowered Tulip, 'White Triumphator' - that is the photo at the top of this post.

I too planted Queen of the Night black tulips with a white tulip to create a late tulip show that is also a wonderful cut flower combo.

Another black tulip you must consider is the heavily frilled and feathery-edged Black Parrot tulip which is especially beautiful -  it is dark purple outside and almost black on the inside. (Protect these from wind)

Van Bourgondien Bulbs mixed this tulip with others to create their Mystery Passion Blend:

But Black and White in the Garden is more than tulips....Here are some outstanding black (or at least very dark purple) plants that I have used in various settings:

(Ipomoea 'Blackie' - photo from White Flower Farm)

I started using the trailing Sweet Potato vine (an annual in my part of the world) as an eye catching, foliage plant cascading from containers but it soon outgrew its confines and was just too large for a pot. In my opinion, it makes a great dark groundcover or as a plant to soften the edge of a raised planter or atop a wall, as shown here.

Ipomoea 'Blackie' is the perfect contrast for white lantana, white potentilla or white ageratum flowers. You can pinch it back to keep it within bounds..... 

(this photo from casaconiglio.blogspot. - check it out on my links)

Euphorbia 'Blackbird'  has dusky, dark-purple, evergreen foliage which gets even darker in full sun. For drama, plant them next to white deutzia gracilis or white Candytuft - Iberis.

 In spring, this Blackbird creates its own contrast with long-lasting yellow-green blossoms on red stems. Deer Resistant!

(Thanks for this photo to white flower farm)

Of course, Coleus is a great accent plant in a garden and the darkest varieties are the best foil to any other plant...The  puckered foliage of 'Black Magic' coleus is a dark velvety purple with a green, scalloped edge. What a striking contrast it makes in a partially shaded spot with regular White Impatiens or white New Guinea Impatiens!

(White Flower Farm photo - go to their website!)

And lastly, 'Hillside Black Beauty' Snakeroot (Cimicifuga) is a dark-leaved form of Bugbane selected by Fred and Mary Ann McGourty. It has black purple foliage, grows 5 ft tall and looks best in light shade.....A statuesque plant that would be spectacular next to white leaved Hostas or white caladiums or white astilbes.
I am sure there are many more ideas for black and white garden combos - if you have some suggestions, would you comment and add your ideas here?