Annie's Gardening Corner: November 2014

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Rest and be Thankful

Wishing everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving

and in the words of William Wordsworth,

“Rest and be thankful.”

Thank you to everyone...

For flowers, herbs and leaves...

Rest...

and be thankful.

© All Images – property of Bilowz Associates Inc.

Happy Thanksgiving from Bilowz Associates Inc.

If you like this blog, check in for your daily share's worth of garden inspiration, landscape architecture and design tips; always original, not cookie cutter and copied. Just like our design work, we strive for unique! We invite you to contact Bilowz Associates, Inc., or to browse our portfolios. Like our Facebook follow on Twitter or subscribe to the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. You can follow with visuals on Pinterest and find us on LinkedIn and Houzz, too. And you can also find us back on our Google+ Business Page. (Landscape architects/Landscape Design/serving Massachusetts and New England.)

Monday, November 24, 2014

The Attitude of May

Enjoy today’s imagery on every click. Hit the refresh button for a sudden burst of color in November that shines brightly in those early months of spring.

The vibrancy of yellow and red

When there’s less time for content and words, a Monday round of imagery seems perfect and perky as we approach the Thanksgiving holiday.

For the love of Tulips and Daffodils

Take a breather for the beautiful in nature and our surrounding landscapes.

A favorite is where land and water meet

Share a bit of what is ‘outdoors’ beautiful even if it means backtracking to the month of May.

'Outdoors' Beautiful

As John C. Maxwell reminds us, “People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude.” On this rainy Monday morning before Thanksgiving, feel the attitude of May.

"People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude." John C. Maxwell

Friday, November 21, 2014

Friday’s Shades of Red

It’s simply garden imagery for this chilly November Friday.

Because red represents beauty in many languages plus increases enthusiasm, stimulates energy, encourages action and confidence, it seems like the perfect color choice for this chilly November Friday. Let's not skip the obvious - why not bring in a bit of orange for the Thanksgiving celebration. Kniphofia it is!

Enjoy today’s garden imagery and remember not to rush through the holidays. If you forget, just take a flower or nature break.

Speaking of holidays, in case you missed yesterday’s post, Thursday’s Turkey Day Tips, it’s worth the check, especially if you plan on hosting Thanksgiving. There’s also a recap of the week’s post if you want to catch up on your garden and design reading. Be daring and squeeze in that flower break before the Thanksgiving festivities and all the Black Friday shopping rush.

© All Images – property of Bilowz Associates Inc.

If you like this blog, check in for your daily share's worth of garden inspiration, landscape architecture and design tips; always original, not cookie cutter and copied. Just like our design work, we strive for unique! We invite you to contact Bilowz Associates, Inc., or to browse our portfolios. Like our Facebook follow on Twitter or subscribe to the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. You can follow with visuals on Pinterest and find us on LinkedIn and Houzz, too. And you can also find us back on our Google+ Business Page. (Landscape architects/Landscape Design/serving Massachusetts and New England.)

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Thursday’s Turkey Day Tips

If you missed this week’s posts, Trees to Stew On, Frosty Wishes and The Last Bit of Autumn Fun, find some leisure indoor time. Catch up on your garden and landscape design reading this chilly Thursday morning. If it's not apparent, the tipping point of the winter freeze is closing in. Everything in the landscape, even the ponds and lakes begin icing up.

So onto the last bit of autumn fun - Thursday's Turkey Day tips. In need of some tasty ideas for the holiday festivities? Here are a couple of Ina Garten recipes; a must try for Turkey Day. These recipes were tested out last evening by partaking in part of our local library's Cookbook Club. So click on the Roasted Potato Leek Soup and Parmesan-Roasted Broccoli recipes and give them a go.

The best part of this Cookbook Club is using fresh ingredients we grew in our own garden. It makes the recipes extra special with freshness you can't beat. Last month's recipe was a pear pie. With so many Asian Pears from our own trees, swapping out pears for apples was an easy decision. Extra Asian Pears were brought in, which turned out to be an even bigger treat.

With last night's recipes, the fresh leeks, potatoes and garlic were all home-grown. Making these dishes with edible plantings from our own garden add a tasty and fresh aspect, which speaking of edible planting, the Garden Trends Research Report was recently released by the Garden Writers Association Foundation. Good news for 2015. The edible gardening plans indicate that 58% of consumers still intend to grow edible plants next year. And when you use fresh ingredients in your recipes, well, you can just tell. So don’t be part of the group that gave up due to lack of success or that it was too much work. As Corita Kent once stated, “Nothing is a mistake. There’s no win and no fail. There’s only make.”

© Images by Ann Bilowz

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Trees to Stew on

Trees to Stew On

If you missed yesterday’s post, Frosty Wishes, it was a friendly reminder not to procrastinate in the months ahead, at least as it pertains to your landscape design and plans. And when it comes to your planting plan, here are a few specimen trees to stew on and consider for that special place in your landscape. Top on our list is the Stewartia. It’s one we recently added to our own landscape. It’s been on my wish list for years.

One of the best features of the Stewartia - its stunning exfoliating bark, which offers four-season interest.

Stewartia: The Stewartia is an ideal small to medium-sized flowering ornamental tree. One of its best features is its stunning exfoliating bark, which offers four-season interest. Searching for summertime flowers and fall color to boot? Try the Stewartia pseudocamellia (Japanese Stewartia). This sought after specimen is the caviar of the ornamentals. If you have moist, acidic soil with full sun conditions, give this one a go.

Zelkova serrata (Japanese Zelkova): Wondering what might be a good replacement for the diseased-ridden Elm tree? Take a look at the Japanese Zelkova. Related to the Elm, this deciduous shade tree has a similar structure. The Japanese Zelkova can handle some pretty tough conditions and provides fall color without too much leaf clean-up. It makes for a great street tree.

Ginkgo – Ginkgo biloba, another deciduous favorite, is a unique pest-free tree dating back to pre-historic times. Not particularly fussy, this tree can handle extreme conditions (Zone 3 to 9) as well as drought, wind and various soil types. A word of caution with this unique slow grower - don’t get stuck with a female, which you may not know until it is too late! It seldom occurs in the industry but the wretched smelling fruit can be a real show-stopper and not in a good way. A tree of sacred symbolism to the East, this may be one for the meditative spot within your garden.

Fagus sylvatica (European Beech): Majestic in its own right but a bit slow to mature, this long-lived tree requires plenty of elbow room. It can grow as wide as it can grow tall. These big boys may get the standard, run-of-the mill diseases but if you are looking for massive with long-term impact, this is a primo choice. You can also consider the Fagus grandifolia (American Beech), which is equally bold and beautiful. It’s a tough, native nut trees.

So as we think about making a soup or stew on these cold November days, there’s plenty to stew on when it comes to trees for your planting plan. Send your thoughts, questions, comments as we dive into the dormant months.

© Images of our recent addition - Stewartia pseudocamellia (Japanese Stewartia) by Ann Bilowz

If you like this blog, check in for your daily share's worth of garden inspiration, landscape architecture and design tips; always original, not cookie cutter and copied. Just like our design work, we strive for unique! We invite you to contact Bilowz Associates, Inc., or to browse our portfolios. Like our Facebook follow on Twitter or subscribe to the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. You can follow with visuals on Pinterest and find us on LinkedIn and Houzz, too. And you can also find us back on our Google+ Business Page. (Landscape architects/Landscape Design/serving Massachusetts and New England.)

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Frosty Wishes

Your design projects should be breaking ground when the crocuses pop so use this frosty time to design and plan ahead.

As the November frosts become a regular visitor, it’s easy to shelf your outdoor plans. Early grumblings of the winter months close in on us and outdoor thoughts become just that - somewhere out there. The procrastination button clicks into gear. It’s only natural to think it can all wait until spring yet the design process entails legwork and plenty of decisions. Wouldn't you rather plan ahead?

Great results equal perfect timing and these next few months provide that optimum slot for getting your design plans in place. Your outdoor projects should be breaking ground when the crocuses pop so use this frosty time to design and plan ahead. As Antoine de Saint-Exupery once quipped, “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” Now start planning what you wish to see. That is if you want your outdoor wishes to come true next spring.

Monday, November 17, 2014

The Last Bit of Autumn Fun

Ben playing in the leaves

Hope you were able to have fun this weekend and get in that last full day of cleaning up your autumn leaves. And if you need that November/December checklist, here it is again. Get your garden buttoned up before the holidays.