Annie's Gardening Corner: June 2014

Monday, June 30, 2014

Summer Design Thoughts

It’s a direct pull from the winter archives, January to be exact. It's a road map for your summer terrace design thoughts with a post on Patterns. That is if you’re still pondering a hardscape element in your outdoor space. But don’t jump in without doing a bit of design homework first. So take a moment and peek at the Patterns post. Hopefully it puts you in the right frame of mind for summer hardscape projects and offers a sense of design flow at the same time.

But today's photograph is just a beautiful flower moment. This bright red Asian Lily from the weekend garden is simply stunning. If not captured, it is sure to pass. Without those beautiful garden moments, the summer design thoughts may never start to flow.

If you like this blog, hope you check in for your daily share's worth of inspiration, design, and garden tips; always original, not cookie cutter and copied. Just like our design work, we strive for unique! Like our Facebook follow on Twitter or subscribe to the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at Annie You can follow with visuals on Pinterest and find us on LinkedIn and Houzz, too. Don’t forget Google+ where you can find us under Ann Bilowz and Bilowz Associates Inc.

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Time is a Game

Summer is the perfect time to garden but it’s also a good time to stretch the imagination with a bit of play. That’s the scoop on this #WordlessWednesday. As Heraclitus pointed out moons ago, “Time is a game played beautifully by children.” Relax and enjoy this beautiful June summer day.

© Copyright note: this image and design has been developed by and is the property of Bilowz Associates Inc. and should not be reproduced in any manner nor are they to be assigned to any third party without the expressed written permission and consent of Bilowz Associates Inc.©

Monday, June 23, 2014

Outdoor Vases

With the official start of summer, one of my favorite summer morning activities is arranging fresh cut flowers from the garden. It’s meditative to walk the grounds and find an unusual patterned vessel that can hold the latest flowers in bloom. But do you extend your cut flower vases to the outdoor living spaces? Do you take your favorite blossoms from the garden and add a bright spot to an otherwise boring front door stoop?

A potted container full of summer annuals are a passion but it doesn’t give that otherwise daily versatility of a ‘pick and choose.’ With the assortment of summer blossoms popping up in the beds and borders, you can take them to an outdoor table, entry way - the choices can be endless. And with plenty of green foliage in a variety of textures, shapes, and form, you can easily add a hint of plant life anywhere you choose.

Yes, the containers full of summer annuals are instant splash but placing outdoor vases can give that same instant splash and be welcoming, too. As Emily Dickinson poetically said, “How strange that nature does not knock, and yet does not intrude.”

Friday, June 20, 2014

A Gardener’s Touch

As we are about to kick off the start of summer, just one quick Friday thought. It’s the difference between a polished landscape and a gardener’s touch. One of the many ways to give your polished landscape that extra touch is to experiment with plant palettes and allow what grows to weave together; not planned out. It just happens when two great plants find that growing together can be quite fun. Take for instance one of my favorite Roses, ‘New Dawn’ weaving and climbing throughout this Bayberry bush.

And if you want to plant an herb for the summer months, give Spearmint a go. It’s one of my favorites plus there’s nothing that hits the ‘easy’ button like this particular herb. And if you need some culinary reasons, here are a couple of archived posts – Spare me the Spearmint and Spearmint – The Secret Ingredient . A summertime drink and another if you want to experiment with a tomato sauce.

Enjoy the first day of summer tomorrow. And keep in touch through the regular social media haunts.

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

The Rosiest Part of Wednesday

#Wordless Wednesday, which means it’s a tad light on the content for today. But because it is one of my favorite Roses, the Floribunda Rose (Rosa) 'Hot Cocoa', you can bet I’ve mentioned it in a few past blog posts. Here’s an archived favorite on the ‘Hot Cocoa’ that also gives you plenty of Rose tidbits. And if you missed yesterday’s entry, A trail of Roses, hope you’ll take a peek and get your Rose full on this #WordlessWednesday.

Floribunda Rose (Rosa) 'Hot Cocoa' © Image by Ann Bilowz

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

A Trail of Roses

If you can, leave a trail of Roses somewhere, someplace. It's pre-summer garden advice for adding something special to the mix. A bit hesitant on whether you have the perfect Rose conditions or the desire to plant something that can be deemed ‘finicky’? One simple hint: choose a disease-resistant variety and ensure a few hours of sun each day. If you need a great Rose selection, take a peek at the David Austin Roses, an all-time favorite.

There’s a sense of tradition and completeness when you add this woody perennial to your garden mix. Plus, it adds beauty to your cut flower vases. The Rose’s popularity is for very good reason, including those that adorn us with heavenly scents.

Limited with garden space? Certain Rose varieties can do quite well in containers. There’s no excuse when planning your summer garden. One must leave a trail of Roses somewhere, someplace.

Monday, June 16, 2014

June Thoughts

Friday, June 13, 2014

Sight and Sound

When you spend a fair amount of time outdoors, sight and sound tend to be the overstimulated senses. It's a wonderful gift, sight and sound, we often overlook. We forget its natural beauty, the sights and sounds that can only be found via a walk in the woods.

Need some help getting your senses prepped? Close your eyes and imagine the sound of falling water off in the distance. Continue on and then this source of sound, you discover it - the cascading flow of water tucked away in this hidden place. And if you didn’t hear the sound of water, the songs of birds, well, it’s an orchestra playing just for you. You can even hear the quiet of the woods; there’s a sound to that, too.

And for your eyes, this array of fascinating and wonderful plant life somehow occurs in these isolated places. With no human interface or fancy gadgets – it is this incredible cycle of natural growth taking shape. Boy, I sure missed these last ten weeks of my walks in the woods.

As Helen Keller once said, “…it is a great pity that in the world of light the gift of sight is used only as a mere convenience rather than a means of adding fullness to life.” Nature is a clear path to opening your world to sight and sound. Father’s Day weekend is a great time for a spring walk in the woods with Dad.

© Images by Ann Bilowz

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Presenting Coral Charm

Imagery it is today...and the Thursday pick from our garden is a special Peony, one that was on our Facebook page this past Saturday. But watching it open up into fullness keeps it on my Bestseller list - the Thursday flower pick of the week. Coral Charm Peony it is.

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

The Tuesday Mixer

Here’s a trend in the garden world that doesn’t go out of style – low-maintenance perennials that can take growing ‘on the rocks’. Here is a winning combination – use it for a stone wall that gets a bit of sun. It’s a combination of Cerastium tomentosum (Snow-in-Summer) mixing it up with a variegated Euonymus ground cover. There are so many low-maintenance perennials that can handle a rough and rugged plant life, just hanging out on a stone wall. Use your imagination and get daring with what you try.

And if you missed yesterday’s post, Against All Odds, it’s a good one to read if you need something simple to get you past any garden failures. After this past winter, we are all looking at a few, 'dead as a doorknob' plants. That’s why you always mix it up a bit. It’s similar to fashion. Never go with just one thing as mixing it up can give your garden a splash of originality. As Stacy London points out, “Matching your hat to your shoe to your bag, or your necklace to your earrings, has a tendency to look dated. Mixing up your accessories adds interest to an outfit, and can make you look much more modern and polished.” When it comes to the low-maintenance perennial garden, use your imagination. Get daring with what you try. That's the Tuesday mixer. Get working on some different twists. And if you enjoyed the Tuesday mixer, make sure you share it with a plant friend.

Monday, June 9, 2014

Against All Odds

Some folks don’t want to garden or delve into their own landscapes because it’s tedious, dirty, or simply too much work. There isn't a whole lot to convince that group of the flip side; the beautiful part of the garden world. But the one group that can be a little unsettling to a garden lover’s ears - that group that lets fear get the best of them from giving it a garden go. Whether it's getting a plant or an entire landscape to flourish, there’s this crippling fear of not doing all the right things. Maybe a bad experience or two of watching a few plants wither and die are enough to keep someone out of the garden game for good. But this group needs the extra encouragement because a few failures shouldn’t stop anyone from testing the garden waters. We all need certain things to nourish us and I believe one of the often overlooked - greenery and plants around us at all times.

This blooming Amaryllis is a Monday example that sometimes we can be surprised when we just let things be and allow them to do what they will. Just like the game of life, this same philosophy can apply in our landscapes as well. Sometimes things take their own time while others can be finicky. But there’s always the ones, well, they just seem better at the ‘Against all odds’ game. So when I am reminded of a plant that stands the test of ‘Against all odds’ (Cold winter storage in the garage with no water and not much sun) I feel obligated to remind that segment of tentative garden folks, here’s a reason to give this gardening thing a shot with something simple like an Amaryllis bulb.

Robert Jarvik states it best about leaders, which is easily translated into garden language. “Leaders are visionaries with a poorly developed sense of fear and no concept of the odds against them.” If you want to garden, shed the fears and grab the trowel. Against all odds, if you stick with it, you can get something to blossom and continue to grow. Here’s a link on the text book version of how to make your Amaryllis bloom again.

Friday, June 6, 2014

Container Thoughts

Some Friday morning imagery to get you thinking about plant options for your containers.

It's always nice to make some outside vases as well. Enjoy your weekend.

Thursday, June 5, 2014

A Thursday Peony Pick

Here’s a wonderful Peony bloom that’s taking shape in the garden. This world famous intersectional, Bartzella, offers a robust girth to fill your spaces with its 32” tall, 54” wide shape. Its soft yellow bloom releases a lemony scent, making it great for your cut vases. Its foliage is phenomenal, which is always a big plus. In the #Spring2014 market looking for a great shrubbery effect? Seeking a stunner, than this one is it. This Thursday Peony pick doesn’t’ require any staking either.

To wrap it up with a #Daily!Quote,it’s one from Theodore Roosevelt, our 26^th President. “The best executive is one who has good sense enough to pick good people to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.” Wouldn’t you agree the same thing can be said about certain plants? Bartzella is this Thursday’s pick. On this rainy day, a yellow Peony blossom is bound to give a bit of sunshine when you need it most.

© Image by Ann Bilowz

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Tuesday Flower Trends

Imagery it is today.

The first pair of Lady’s slippers

A Columbine that seeded itself

And an all-time annual favorite, Portulaca grandiflora that’s a must-have; I plant it every year.

Those are my Tuesday flower trends. What’s trending in your neck of the garden today?

Monday, June 2, 2014

A Hummingbird’s Landing

The other day in the garden, a Ruby-throated Hummingbird landed in a patch of Geranium macrorrhizum ‘Bevan’s Pink’. It’s a timely reminder to seize this stretch of the spring season and divide up your healthy perennials, especially those that create Hummingbird landings. And one more tidbit to share on this beautiful June morning - it's finding the best hot spots for this season's plant landings.

Remember where last year’s compost bin resided? That area is now the perfect spot for this season’s new or divided transplants. Shift your compost bin during the off-season and create some great plant hideouts the following year. Here’s a Hosta transplant ready to take off in its new found digs.

On this delightful spring morning, the poet and philosopher, George Santayana reminds us that “The earth has music for those who listen.”

© Images by Ann Bilowz

If you like this blog, hope you check in for your daily share's worth of inspiration, design, and garden tips; always original, not cookie cutter and copied. Just like our design work, we strive for unique! Like our Facebook follow on Twitter or subscribe to the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at Annie You can follow with visuals on Pinterest and find us on LinkedIn and Houzz, too. Don’t forget Google+ where you can find us under Ann Bilowz and Bilowz Associates Inc.