Anthro Inspired

The June 2011 anthropologie catalog arrived a few weeks ago. To say I was inspired and obsessed would be an understatement. The styling on their catalog is so effortlessly perfect with the unexpected mix of patterns, colors and graphics. Love!

You may remember a post about my garden from a year or so ago. We have this lovely stamped concrete patio that has a huge curved planter bed below the edge. In the past it has looked like this:

 Today it looks like this:

Motivated by the gorgeous mix of colors in recent Anthropologie catalogs, I decided to redo the entire planter and fill it with the unexpected.

Hot Pink and Orange, you bet:

Imaginings Scarf

 Yellows, Blues, Greens Top it Off

Texture, color, form and movement, without adhering to typical gardening rules. Soon hot pink "Dolce Flambe" petunias will be spilling down the walls of the planter with tall swaying grasses as a backdrop. I will have to post another photo once it begins to fill in.



BGGF

Best Garden Girl Friend

Arrange Selections, Step Back and Evaluate

Copy Nursery Display Containers

Love the Color Contrast

New Use for Tires

Smaller Pots = Better, Less $

We Mean Business!

Ah, Spring!

I usually consider myself very lucky to live in the NW. Our weather allows us the option to grow so many amazing plants and edibles. After last nights' snow in April, forget it! I would like to move now please!

That won't be happening though, instead, here's a trip down gardening lane, photos from a trip to Wells Medina Nursery last spring.  Something I hope to be doing again very shortly.

I have a BGGF: Best Gardening Girl Friend. They are good to have, I tell her to put stuff back and she tells me that my container combinations are not so hot. We make a good team, sifting through our favorite nurseries, finding our favorite plants and bringing a little spring home.

Here are some of our tips:

• Make a list the containers you need to fill, the glee of plants galore can easily lead to overbuying. If you don't make a list bring a practical/mean friend like me that will say:  "STOP".
• Call the nursery ahead of time to see when their shipments come in. You want first dibs on the newest, healthiest plants.
• Gather up the plants that catch your eye and arrange them on your cart to visualize how they would look in your container. Go for big impact, lots of contrast! If you are uninspired, just copy the nursery containers. No one will know and your containers will look genius!
• Always pick the smaller, less expensive plants. They are happier, easier to plant and will grow to the size of the bigger plants quickly. 

I always look forward to our nursery outings. The exchange of ideas, inspirations and creativity mixed with the anticipation of warmer days just makes me giddy with happiness. Thanks BGGF!

Do you have any other container gardening tips for the spring season?  Who else has a BGGF?

Plum of My Eye

Italian Plum
Typical Plum (delicious but tree is enormous)

I am so happy, I finally found the Italian Plum/Prune tree I have been seeking. For at least a year, I have been trying to find this tree with several specifications:

• Can't grow too big
• Blue/purple fruit
• Self-fertile (does not need another tree to cross pollinate)
• Delicious fruit
• Not expensive

Yesterday, my friend Linda, and I found just the tree! This $34.00, semi-dwarf Italian plum tree will grow only 10-15 feet tall and wide. The fruit is oblong and a beautiful blue/purple. It is the perfect tree and I have the perfect spot.

It's true what they say about gardening, you have to find the right plant for the right space. If I had given up on my search for the perfect plum tree, I might have purchased one that would've grown too big, (blocking the house), or had coloring that did not have a place in the garden. I do not readily summon patience, but when it comes gardening, it's necessary to keep looking or editing your plans. Try not to be swayed for "insta-grata" buys. In time, you may be pulling that plant, weeding its self-sown offspring, or dealing with structural issues to your home due to overgrowth.

Of course I will be posting before/afters of the deemed Italian Plum planting spot. I can't wait!

Seasonal Switch

I apologize for the horrible flash in this photo, tried many times to capture the tree through the window without the flash, just wasn't working

This won't be a post about that nagging list of spring cleaning to dos. We all have those items to attend to, i.e. cleaning windows, blinds, baseboards, etc. I have a seemingly strange springtime ritual dependant on the blossoming of a backyard tree.

Just outside our upstairs bedroom window is a gorgeous hawthorn tree. In late April/early May, the tree produces clusters of white flowers. At first the flowers look like tiny white balls, they then open to a delicate 5 petals. Covering the tree profusely, the flowers weigh down the branches. The effect is incredibly lively and bright, and for me, indicative of the change in seasons, summer well on its way.

Once I see those white flowers filling our bedroom window view, the winter duvet and thick blankets are replaced with crisp white sheets and a white matelasse coverlet. With the walls now painted a greenish gray, the clean white stands out even more. Every spring I look forward to the dramatic change of my view and the change in my room.

Aside from the usual spring cleaning, what changes are prompted in your home/lifestyle once spring arrives?

Community Supported Agriculture

Photo Courtesy of Seattle Farmers Market Examiner

Today, my sister-in-law, Wendy, blogged about volunteering: SimplyBrookes.blogspot.com. Her post had me thinking about the volunteer time I spend each summer at Root Connection in Redmond.

Root Connection is a 14 acre CSA farm located near the Sammamish river, just a few miles from my home. CSA members purchase "shares" in the farm's bounty from June to October, and get the satisfaction of reconnecting to the land by eating local, chemical-free food. Members are also able to harvest herbs, greens and flowers on their pick up days.

On my first visit to Root Connection, I was drawn to volunteer. Beautiful produce growing in a river valley so close to home with flowers, herbs and greens (swiss chard, mustard and collard greens) to harvest, meshed with my homesteading nature.

Field work at Root Connection isn't easy, you are harvesting, hauling, weeding, and cleaning, all while trying to keep up with experienced employees. My goals in volunteering were to learn about organic farming, be introduced to different seasonal produce and of course, meet new people.

Look for the opportunity to volunteer or become a member of a CSA in your area. You will be helping to protect farmlands from development, supporting small farms and providing your family with delicious fresh produce. And, as I have, you will come away with a bounty of knowledge, discovery and new found appreciation for real food.

Fil's New Home

One of my favorite plants in the garden is a purple leaf Filbert. Fil also goes by Corylus, Harry Lauder's Walking Stick or Hazelnut. This purple leaf variety is gorgeous due to the dark plum colored leaves on contorted stems. It is slow grower allowing for less of a contorted mess among its stems.

It has moved many times in the yard, never seeming to find the right spot. If you enjoy the structure, whimsy and year round interest of this plant, it's imperative to find a place where the background can accentuate its' ornamental beauty.

In the large garden bed out back, Fil was lost amongst the giant evergreens and open space of the backyard. In this beautiful pot at the front entry, the background enhances the plant. It will need pruning to keep its shape within boundaries for the space but I think the effect of structure and shadow are as beautiful as having ornamental iron work hanging on the wall.

Glimpse into my Garden - Part I

Side Front Garden - Mid Summer
Gate to Back Side Yard Guarded by Lola
Sidewalk to Backyard Dining Area
Upper Deck
I am revving up for an all out spring/summer gardening bonanza in my yard. Of course I plan on blogging the details. So I thought I would get you started with a glimpse into my current garden. This will be a 2 or 3 part series as I try to find all of the past photos.

Photo #1: The side front yard has a long side bed with a variety of ornamental grasses and perennials. It is pretty much self maintaining but I plan on tucking in more blueberry bushes and getting rid of the lady's mantle (oh but how I am going to manage without that gorgeous chartreuse sprig of color)?

Photo #2,3: I love the weathered gray color of the rickety old gate, it will stay. Down the sidewalk to the backyard dining area, I have ferns, blue hostas, black mondo and bright green Japanese forest grass. In late June, dozens of sorbet colored peonies pop out of the monochromatic landscape. I probably won't change much along the walk, it gets very lush and I like the repetition of plants.

Photo #4: You can see the wrap around planter, probably late spring. One year I had it filled with apple blossom, cream and black colored tulips. Unfortunately, they come back weaker each year. The tulips are an early show, followed by flowering azalea and hardy fuchsia. This entire planter will undergo the most dramatic change this spring and summer. I plan on taking all of the plants out, (replanting elsewhere), and making the planter a vegetable garden. Produce production with flowering annuals tucked in and around is my goal for this planter.

Now that I have posted my garden goals, I will have to follow through and follow up with some after photos. What are your garden goals this summer?

Grammys' "Jarmoire"

To say I love storage solutions is an understatement. I like to have a place for everything and everything in its place, behind closed doors is even better. My incredibly creative mom just sent me photos of her completed garden shed to house all of her garden tools. She decided to "Brangelina" the name of a garden (jardin) closet (armoire) and deem it a "jarmoire". A storage shed this cool deserves to be named.

Using rescued doors and windows, she etched glass with a stencil design to obscure the contents of the shed. It is seven feet wide, two feet deep and eight feet high in the back. It is truly just a closet and took about four days to build!

Her inspiration was this under the eaves storage shed from Sunset Magazine:

What a great use of space, unique design and clever touches to make it her own. Great job mom!

Shed Chic

What a great day! The sun is out, spring is just around the bend, March Madness begins and my kids have their first track meet of the season! Until I head off to their meet, I will be cozied up in a sunny spot devouring this incredible book: Shed Chic by Sally Coulthard. I have touched on backyard structures in a previous Modern Shed post, but this takes additional living space to a whole new level.

Would you create a digital free haven for reading and writing, a purpose-built home office or a guest annex? So many charming possibilities are brought to light in this beautifully photographed book. There are a couple of "sheds" that I could just live in and need nothing else. Add this book to your list, you won't be disappointed.

p.s. If you read the book, I would love to know your favorite sheds. Please send me an email (heather.runners@gmail.com) or comment on this post!

Time Management

El Nino has been good to us in the Pacific NW. We are having spring like weather in February with daffodils blooming, birds chirping and weeds thriving. I love yard work but can often feel overwhelmed by all of the weeding that needs to be done, especially in early spring.

Instead of avoiding the monumental task of conquering weeds, I have devised my own time management system: 2 or 5 gallon buckets. Depending on time and energy available, I will grab either sized bucket and weed until it is full. Once full, I clean up and head inside. Within just a few days, you wouldn't believe how many weeds are pulled with seemingly little effort.

Bucket time management is my solution for those of you feeling daunted by yard work.

Forcing Flowering Branches

Flowering Quince, Housemartin
Crab Apple Branches, Sunset

Witch Hazel Branches, Valeaston

Dogwood Branches, Habitually Chic

I can't say enough about the beauty of flowering branches for an early spring display indoors. Any chance I get, I will trim flowering quince from a friends 20 ft. high quince bush, bring the branches inside and display in a huge vase on the dining room table. The structure and form of the branches alone are visually attractive, and once the flowers bloom, an astounding display!

Just today, while heading out on a walk with a friend, I saw 8 giant yard bags filled with pruned cherry tree branches. The branches were covered with buds and even some open flowers (it has been unseasonably warm this winter in the NW). What luck, just bags and bags of flowering branches waiting to be hauled off to yard waste. One of those 20lb. bags came home with me.

Flowering branches are a simple way to make great impact on any table. Cut the branches at least twice the height of the vase. You really want to maximize their structure. Trim off the lowest leaves, suckers or buds and sink into a vase of cool water. Change the water frequently and you will enjoy their display for weeks.

Winter Fragrance

Sweet Box Sarcococca
Even with a stuffy nose from my cold, I am intoxicated by the wondrous scent that comes from winter flowering Sarcococca plants. I have two of these beautiful shrubs just outside our backyard patio. From a foliage standpoint, this evergreen shrub is not necessarily a stand out. The leaves are dark green and glossy and the shrub grows densely with a shaggy attitude. And while I can always count on it to survive and thrive throughout the summer, it truly comes into form from January on (in the NW). Tiny white flowers bloom all over the plant, their fragrant vanilla scent carries throughout the entire backyard and even drifts out front. Additionally we appreciate the occasional visiting hummingbirds and black berries that follow the flowers.

I love how Sweetbox Sarcococca's seasonal display beckons us outside to enjoy even what winter brings.

Modern Shed

There is a far corner of my backyard where nothing seems to grow. The douglas firs and our 100 year old big leaf maple demand all of the dirt, nutrient and water resources. I no longer want to compete with or disturb their very deep roots. I love the idea of a structure to fill the space and enjoy our established trees. One of these gorgeous buildings from Modern-Shed would be perfect.
My shed would be warm and cozy, outfitted with electricity for light and heat and perfectly sized for a yoga or reading retreat. If you can't beat them, join them (the trees that is).