HOW TO LABEL PLANTS

When we create a landscape design it's important that we communicate what's on the plan. The plants are one of the most important elements and typically take up most of the design, so an organized system to labeling them is a must. A beautiful design can look messy and unprofessional if plant labels are not laid out well. Below are the rules I use when labeling plants in plan view (looking from the sky down towards the garden).

If you're interested in more articles like this one, plus would like to receive a free copy of my theme garden eBook, please sign up for email updates here.

MY RADIANT ORCHID GARDEN

Unlike what the title of this post indicates, this garden does not include any orchids.  Instead it celebrates perennials that showcase Pantone's 2014 color of the year: radiant orchid.  My illustration below doesn't even come close to these flower's amazing vibrant purplish-pink color, so I also created a Pinterest board, where you could see their true colors (as true as a photograph expresses anyway!). All of these plants grow in US zone five.  What would you include in your radiant orchid garden?

If you'd like a digital file of this image to print out for yourself, this one is available for purchase in my Etsy shop (along with several others).

If you're interested in more articles like this one, plus would like to receive a free copy of my theme garden eBook, please sign up for my email updates here.

BOOK LOVE

Since it's the week of love I thought I'd share some books that have impacted my love of design.  These are not all traditional garden books, but they have all inspired me in my love of landscape design. I always encourage you to look for inspiration within the gardening world, but also look outside on the fringe.  You never know what will spark that new idea.

IN AND OUT OF THE GARDEN by Sara Midda

My favorite book of all time.  This is such a special collection of illustrations and garden fables.  I'm still infatuated with it as much today as I was when I received it as a gift over 20 years ago. It taught me that we can communicate our ideas in so many beautiful ways.

THE ELEMENTS OF GARDEN DESIGN by Joe Eck

Back in the 1990s I visited an amazing garden in Vermont by Joe Eck and Wayne Winterowd .  I was a young designer grasping for formulas on how to create an amazing garden. This book began to break it down for me and I kept it a close resource for many years. It's simple and easy to read, plus it brings back memories of that wonderful visit to North Hill.

THE VICTORIAN GARDEN by Allison Kyle Leopold

I read this book many years ago when a local group asked me to present on Victorian gardens.  The amazing thing I learned was how much our society impacts landscape design....including such things as religion, technology, and politics.  This book sparked my love of garden history.

101 THINGS I LEARNED IN ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL by Matthew Frederick

Gardens are never mentioned in this book, but the author does an amazing job discussing how to create space...which directly relates back to landscape design. This book has a refreshingly simple way to look at design which has lured me through it's pages over and over again.

If you're interested in more articles like this one, plus would like to receive a free copy of my theme garden eBook, please sign up for my email updates here.

THE WELLIE RAIN GARDEN

Last week I wrote a post on rain gardens and thought it would be fun to use my theme garden design process to add a little more punch to this type of landscape.  I've been thinking about using Wellington rain boots as a theme for months and this was the perfect opportunity.

I followed my theme garden design process to whip up my Wellie Rain Garden Plan:

1. PICK A THEME. Wellington rain boots!

2. BRAINSTORM. These are the words that pop into my head then when I think about rain boots: colorful, fun patterns, rubber, polka dots, red, yellow, rain coat, puddles, umbrellas, storms, wet, showers, wellies, Britain

3. RESEARCH. To find out a little bit more about Wellie rain boots, I dove into the internet.  This is what I found:

• The Wellington boot was invented by the Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, in the early 1800s in Britain.
• Wellesley was considered one of the greatest defensive commanders of all time.  He beat Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo.
• This time period was also the height of the English landscape style.  This style broke away from the formal gardens of the Renaissance into expansive informal landscapes with large lawns and curving paths.

4. TRANSLATE TO PHYSICAL FORM. After looking at my brainstorming and research lists my plan evolved this way:

• Colors: bright, mostly warm colors that make me think of fun rain boots.  I threw a little bit of purple/blue in there to signify rain, but focused more on the reds, oranges and yellows.
• Shapes: The circles are inspired by umbrellas and polka dots, plus the rectangle and rows of plants symbolize the Duke of Wellington's marching army. Though these are both strong, geometric shapes they are placed informally like the English landscape style (yes, I know I'm stretching it here on the English landscape style, but decided to just focus on the informal/asymmetrical aspect of it).
• Furniture: Of course, I included a bright colored umbrella. Wouldn't it be nice to sit under the umbrella during a spring shower and watch the rain garden do it's magic?
• Plants: All of my plants are recommended for rain gardens in US zone 5.  When designing your own rain garden, just Google rain garden plants for zone # and a myriad of sources will pop up for you. Think about height, textures and colors.  I kept mine to 3' or less.

5. CREATE THE PLAN.  See above.

If you're interested in more articles like this one, plus would like to receive a free copy of my theme garden eBook, please sign up for email updates here.