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)

Best 30 Plant and Seed Companies

courtesy : Green Jean blog

Now is the time in the northern hemisphere when we itch to go out and start to turn the soil...

Birds are chirping and we peek out to see if the robins have arrived....

Green Jean talks about this in her great garden blog, Green Jean.

 The website, Dave's Garden,  keeps a list of the top rated companies (by their readers) in their large database. If you are looking to buy garden plants these are some great sites to check out.

And I want to add a favorite of mine: Comstock, Ferre and Co. to the list

(The Dave's Garden site has them all with their websites linked in.)

A Nearly Native Nursery
Almost Eden Plants

Annie's Annuals and Perennials

Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co.

Bluestone Perennials

Brent & Becky's Bulbs

Brushwood Nursery

Chamblee's Rose Nursery

Classy Groundcovers

Diane's Flower Seeds

Easy to Grow Bulbs
Forestfarm

Garden Crossings LLC

Garden Harvest Supply

Gardensoyvey.com

Hallson Gardens

High Country Gardens

J.L. Hudson, Seedsman

Lazy S'S Farm & Nursery

Made in the Shade Gardens

Nourse Farms Inc.

Oakes Daylilies

Old House Gardens - Heirloom Bulbs

Onalee's Home-Grown Seeds & Plants

Pedricks Corner

Premium Plant Plugs (premiumplantplugs.com)

Santa Rosa Gardens

 

Sooner Plant Farm (Shop Smarter Shop Sooner)

St. Clare Heirloom Seeds

Summer Hill Seeds

Show'r from Atelier Tradewinds

I guess I must really want an outdoor shower because I cannot stop looking at pics of them on the internet....and it doesn't hurt that right now the temperatures in my area are over 90 F everyday.

So here are a few more ideas for outdoor showers.

Show'r from Atelier Treadewinds is a mobile outdoor shower made out of galvanized and powder-coated iron tubes and a black locust wood base. (Cold water only)  Wheels are placed at the back to allow the shower to be moved easily. Just click your garden hose to the standard quick connector at the base and your garden shower is ready.  Show'r is also easily dismountable.


As I say, it is the setting that makes an outdoor shower outstanding.  Add color, texture, plants or all of the above!  Examples of showers and their enclosures below:

Guardian

Paint a poured concrete and concrete block wall blue and it makes for a private 'Blue Lagoon.'

.

Sunset Magazine

Take some wood and box in the shower ( see at top of shower?) and Voila! a privacy screen. Add some bamboo, if you dare.

Andersson Wise Architects

What to do with all that wood from the trees you cut up? Make a privacy wall. Seal it very very well.

James Crisp architect, Millbrook NY

A lovely wooden screen fence for both the shower and changing station. Fabulous. Make the doorway wide, as shown here.

Garden Bells - A Sonorous Addition to Your Landscape

Decorative Garden Bell from Cox and Cox

 Tintinnabulation  is one of my favorite English words.

It is a noun that refers to the ringing or sound of bells. The word sounds like what it is describing....

Edgar Allan Poe used this word in his rapturous poem about THE BELLS. It is one of my favorite poems and Phil Ochs put it to song.

Here is a snippet :

"Hear the sledges with the bells -
Silver bells!
What a world of merriment their melody foretells!
How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle,
In the icy air of night!
While the stars that oversprinkle
All the heavens, seem to twinkle
With a crystalline delight;
Keeping time, time, time,
In a sort of Runic rhyme,
To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells
From the bells, bells, bells, bells,
Bells, bells, bells -
From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells."

How can you not want a bell in your garden after that?  :)

Here are a few bells you may be interested in...or Make Your Own...My mother, when she attended Cooper Union as an art student, made a memorable sound sculpture from hanging cans and lids that I would hit with wooden kitchen spoons.  I loved that thing.


The Harmony Hollow  Gardeners Bronze Wind Bell

Gardeners Bell
From  Harmony Hollow Bellworks

This bell is hand made from brass, finished in a beautiful verdigris patina. A perfect gift for a gardener.  I particularly like this bell because each gardeners bell comes with a lovely message that says

"It is universally believed that bells have forever driven away bad spirits and called upon good ones, and this GARDENER'S BELL is no exception.

By attracting the spirits of air (a soft breeze), of fire (warm sunlight), of water (rain plus a little help from the watering can), and of earth (rich soil), its pleasant vibrations are conducive to growing healthy plants.

 Moreover; this bell's melodic ringing puts anyone aspiring to a green thumb directly in touch with the natural rhythms of Mother Nature.

May you dance in her beautiful garden, rejoice in a bountiful harvest, and in so doing, may you cultivate your soul."

I have to buy this bell after reading that! Their website lets you choose which  specific bell to attach  in the middle and lets you hear each sound that their different bells make.  I like the A6. (Click on it to hear)....

Cox and Cox  - Decorative Garden Bell

This cast iron outdoor bell is individually hand cast and can be attached to any door or wall. Beautiful and rusted - it is a euphonious way of calling one in from the garden.

Patina - Star Bell

This is hand wrought with flame cut details and a natural rust patina. It comes with a 7" wall mount which allows for mounting to any vertical surface. The 3" steel clapper had a Rawhide pull.

There are so many more and I will feature more in the future....

Beautiful Outdoor Benches Complete a Garden

Baseball Bench by Douglas Thayer

Benches make a garden....

After you arrange all the plants, the rocks, install the paving and whatever you choose...then you place the bench. 

The bench is what calls to us.

And the bench you place adds a special sparkle that touches the visitor directly.  After all, the bench seat is what we feel when we sit down.

So it must look great and feel good.  Here are some choices for your garden.

Roseto Bench by Crate and Barrel

 

This plantation harvested teak bench has a clean, contemporary double vertical slat-back design.  Handcrafted with mortise-and-tenon joinery. Add on the weather-resistant Sunbrella cushion in neutral stone for extra comfort.

Lucky Beam Bench by Katch Design

 

The Lucky Beam bench by Brooklyn-based Katch Design is made from 100% recyclable aluminum,  features a solvent free powder coat finish and a reclaimed  Pine seat coated with an all-natural, zero-VOC oil base. The  Lucky Beam adds an urban feel to any space.

Lucky Beam Bench by Katch Design

Doug Thayer makes some great benches...Look at this one - LeBlond:

LeBlond Bench by Doug Thayer

“Bountiful Bench” by sculptor, Christina Murphy, is functional art that represents  nature, country, environmental consciousness, and a return to one’s roots.  Visitors can sit on the “lap” of Mother Nature, who is, the artist says, 'the greatest artist of all'...She wears a blanket and sits with outstretched hands.   Assets of the earth are nestled in its folds: corn and vegetables, wildflowers and trees, wheat and soil, fruit and seeds, livestock and fish.

Bountiful Bench by Christina Murphy

Bountiful Bench by Christina Murphy

'Polyphony' is functional art by Cameron Van Dyke. This segmented bench is constructed of colored cast concrete. The concrete pods are polished, sealed, and mounted to aluminum plates which are bolted to the sidewalk. The pods provide durable outdoor seating Collection of the city of Coral Springs, Florida.

Polyphony by Cameron Van Dyke

The firm, Kircodan, also makes some fabulous outdoor benches:

Espresso Bench by Kircodan

Timber Bench by Kircodan

I hope this whets your interest in finding an interesting bench for your garden. Happy Hunting!

 

What is a Water Butt? A Beautiful Way to Collect Rainwater

from simply waterbutts

What is a water butt?

This is what I thought when I looked at Hermes' posting in his marvelous 'Gardens of a Golden Afternoon' blog....

If you live in an area where the summer months are dry you may want to collect rainwater from your roof to keep your garden watered. This can be done in a rain barrel or as the people in the UK call it, a water butt.

Plastic rain barrels (in various sizes and styles) can be connected to a downspout of a house to collect rainwater from the gutters. They can collect water through the top lid or through the side through a pipe diverter. If you use a diverter then the rain fills the barrel (or water butt) first then,  once it's full, flows down the drainpipe as usual. A gutter filter can be used to will keep out unwanted debris.

I found several water butt sites and want to share a few fun items with you:

The Cascatia Decorative 245 Litre Waterbutt
is made of plastic, but looks like a terra cotta pot. At the top is a planter! It was designed in Canada and is manufactured in the UK. This fun  water butt features an outlet with an attached section of hose so you can water nearly plants with it. It also has a shut-off valve, overflow spout and a screen guard. Direct your downpipe straight into the top or attach with an optional divertor.

Rustico Walnut-Effect 275 Litre Waterbutt

The attractive Rustico Water butt looks like authentic woodgrain Walnut but will last much longer. It adds a rustic touch and is supplied with a plastic tap and downpipe connection kit.

Roman Column Waterbutts - Green

These decorative columns collect 333 liters of rainwater and add a touch of class to any property. It has a brass tap and a Downpipe Connector.

Noblesse Decorative 270 Litre Waterbutt Sandstone

This is  my favorite - plastic 270 Litre waterbutts that look like sotne. They come in Granite, Sandstone or Charcoal.  Complete with plastic tap and downpipe connector kit

Wall-mounted Water Butt

This attractive wall mounted water butt collects 100 liters of rainwater and can be fixed to a house wall at a convenient height. The compact design has a tap (included) that on can be fitted either side of the butt for easy access. There's a built-in overflow system that automatically tops up the butt when it rains, diverting excess water back down the drain pipe.

Old Fashioned Rain Barrel
And to collect the rainwater like the US settlers in the Wild West used to do then this 59 gallon white oak barrel (recycled from whiskey barrels and wine casks) fits the bill!
 
The wooden whisky barrel is 30 inches in diameter and 40 inches tall. When its full of water,  it would take a strongman to move the barrel. The barrel comes with brass spigots and a  brass overflow with a 3/4 inch hose and a downspout filter.
 
There are so many more models to choose from but these water butts and rain barrels should get you thinking of ways to collect the rain  before the hot weather comes along.