Upcoming Presentations

This will be a first. Two webinar presentations hosted by Greenwich Library. I cannot yet confirm if this will be open to the general public or library members only. I will keep you posted.

Greenwich Library
101 West Putnam Ave Greenwich CT 06830

7 pm May 19th 2020

Webinar Presentation

THE STONE WALLS & STRUCTURES OF ENGLAND & NEW ENGLAND: AN EVOLUTION

Concentrating on the stone structures of England and New England, this lecture draws comparisons, similar and dissimilar, between the geology, building styles and techniques, and follows the evolution of stone walls and structures from colonial times to the present day and explains how they fit into the garden and broader landscape, past and present.

                                                                                                 

Greenwich Library 
101 West Putnam Ave Greenwich CT 06830

2 pm June 13th 2020

Webinar Presentation

THE ART OF THE COTTAGE GARDEN

Horticulture maybe a science, but creating gardens which speak to one's soul is an art form. This presentation explores the qualities and characteristics that define cottage gardens and offers practical advice on how to achieve this in your landscape.

These are webinar presentations only. The library is closed.

The Art of the Cottage Garden

This morning I will be presenting my new talk "The Art of the Cottage Garden" 11am at Essex Meadows. Below are a few photos and comments from the presentation.

The design aesthetic of a garden is often driven, and rightfully so, by the style of the domicile which it aims to enhance

In our garden we are partial to sowing seeds of poppies and other self sowing annuals.

An aged patio, into a corner of which is arranged an assortment of mismatched and weathered planters and pots filled with color.

Planning for next year.

At this time of year and throughout the summer is a good time to take photographs of your gardens. comparing colour texture and form for possible future plant combinations.

One of our plant combinations, pastel colours for spring, will be supplanted by more vibrant colours to compete with the mid-summer sun.

Perhaps a combination of a pure pink rose

with a clear blue hydrangea.

A selection of Kniphofia  after the German physician Johann Hieronymus Kniphof (pronounced nip HOE fee uh, not ny or nee FOE fee ah) 

with a combination of Hemeracallis.

Lemon yellow 

with the blue and white Geranium Splish splash.

 Golden yellow

with a blue/purple salvia

 I'm always reluctant to prune the greenhouse overwintered Pelargoniums of their early spring blooms, but by doing so pays dividends as they grow into domes full of flowers, this one is 30 inches across.

One should never be content or satisfied with what is and always be thinking what if.

A pleasure garden.

Our dear friend/client suggested we come visit her gardens, which we designed and installed three years ago, because she felt they were looking more spectacular than usual. A committed Anglophile, she wanted a garden that felt like an English cottage garden and we were happy to make her garden fantasy a reality.

An initial site analysis to determine soil structure, texture, pH and nutrients will go some way to determining which plants are chosen.  We are sticklers for garden preparation, amending the soil with copious amounts of composted horse manure, and organic fertilizer. 

 This year, we fertilized the gardens again, before replacing the mulch, and the results surprised even us. Hosta leaves the size of a tennis court (slight exaggeration) do not grow by simply throwing in a few plants.

We create colour combinations that will maintain visual interest even when some of the plants are past flowering. This chartreuse leaved hosta, plays well against the darker foliage of the peony and will remain interesting long after the peonies have stopped flowering. Colour combinations that transform throughout the year,

Colour combinations that transform throughout the year, from the pastel shades of spring,

to the more vibrant colours of summer

 keep the garden interesting throughout the seasons.

We succeeded in mitigating the starkness of the white vinyl fence by planting a selection of climbing and shrub roses and clematis so that they would grow up, over and through the enclosure.

 We restricted the floral colour palette to white, pinks, blues, purples; combinations that create harmony, and added plants with chartreuse and silver foliage for contrast of color and texture.

For those of you with green fingers, we offer online garden design.

Garden consultation for a more hands on approach

and full service design and installation.

Peony Heaven

Some of our peonies, and the gardens where they grow.

The picture would be complete if photos had fragrance.

No more words are needed.

 

Roses are next.