DRAWING A TREE

A fun way to design a landscape is in elevation - or a straight-on view as if you were standing and looking at it (vs. a plan view that is looking down from the sky). When designing in elevation take note of how all plants have a unique form. Some are circular, oval, columnar, pyramidal, weeping or even irregular. You can read more about plant forms here.

Take a photo of your house, lay tracing paper over it, then try drawing a composition of different plant forms in front of it. Think about accentuating your entry, while also framing your house overall.  Mix different forms, plus layer them (2-3 rows of plants is much more interesting than one). Click here to see an example.

Below is a simple tutorial of how to draw a tree, so you can focus on designing, rather than worrying about your drawing skills (anyone can draw a tree, really).  I also have a slightly different format of this graphic tutorial available for purchase as a digital file here or a hard copy here.

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THE NEIGHBORHOOD SHEDS

I was perusing my former garden blog and came across one of my favorite posts from 2011...a little ditty on garden sheds.  Here is the post as written...

Can functional structures like sheds be beautiful too? 

As we decorated ours with corn stalks a couple of weeks ago I realized how lucky we were to have such a lovely, vibrant shed in our garden. I then realized our neighborhood was filled with similar structures...some old, some new, but all stunning. They all store tools (and some even chickens), plus garden ephemera. Each one has an intriguing beauty. 

Rather than build a typical shed in your yard, create a functional masterpiece that becomes an integral component of your garden. 

Our fun orange garden shed designed and constructed by my husband.

Our neighbor's garden shed and chicken coop to the east of our house. 

A shaker-like shed and beautiful worn brick a couple of houses to the north.

The oldest and most detailed shed in our neighborhood located just to the northeast.

A big thanks to all of our neighbors for letting me tromp through your yards, move around your garden tools and allowing me to flip your light switches on and off to take these photos.

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GARDEN SPRINKLES

For the past few days I've had the pleasure of taking a hand-lettering workshop through Skillshare with the talented Mary Kate McDevitt. We had to pick a quote, go through a series of warm-up exercises, then finally create a final hand-lettered composition. I created three, then plan to create a print with one of them. Let me know if you have a favorite.

You may wonder about the garden sprinkles. Sprinkles are those sweet details that you place throughout your garden to make it extra special.  These may include art, lighting, paint, furniture, wind chimes, etc.

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KEEP IT POSITIVE IN THE GARDEN

Let me tell you a little secret about garden design. It's important to keep your livable spaces positive.

What do I mean? Often we'll lay out beds, think about their shapes meticulously, plop them in our yard, then fill them with plants...creating a negative space for our main livable area. This main area becomes leftover space, even though it should be the main focus of our garden. The main space is often the lawn (though it could be a patio or deck too). This is very similar to rooms in your house.  Each room has a strong shape with walls that reinforce it.
Try designing this way instead...

1. Identify where you would like your main lawn area.
2. Determine what shape it should be...an oval, square, circle, kidney bean, etc.
3. Keep the bed lines clean and/or in broad strokes (not a lot of small wiggles).
4. Place planting beds and plant materials to reinforce your shape (along the outer edge, not in the middle).
5. Now you have an amazing garden where you can place garden furniture, read a book, have a picnic or play a little croquet.

A couple of thoughts...though the positive garden I'm showing you above is formal, your garden does not have to be.  This process works for both formal and informal gardens.  Also, your lawn shapes do not have to be totally surrounded by plants.  You can place them sparingly to still give the idea of a lawn shape, without totally enclosing it.

In the end, I want you to remember that garden design is about creating space.  This space is formed by plants and hardscapes, but you must always remember to create the space first.

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HERB PRINT

Making all that pesto inspired me to pull all my recent herb illustrations into one print. You can find out more about this print in my Etsy Shop.  I also have a digital version available here.

PESTO

As I've been drawing food the last few years I've become more brave in trying some classic recipes. One of these is pesto. I happened to be paging through a magazine one day and came across this recipe and was shocked with it's simplicity.

I actually had most of the ingredients tucked into my cabinets, garden and refrigerator. The missing ingredient, pine nuts, was given to me by a friend (after I traded some fresh strawberries with her). I hate to admit that even though I was growing basil in the garden, I really didn't appreciate it's lovely scent until I prepared it into pesto.

My first batch was amazing, so a few weeks later I made a larger batch, then froze it in ice cube trays.  I plan to use these throughout the winter and mix them into pasta, potatoes, spaghetti sauce and whatever else needs a little extra flavor.

PESTO

Ingredients
1/2 clove of garlic
1/4 cup of pine nuts
2 cups of fresh basil
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Directions
In a food processor, finely chop 1/2 clove of garlic.
Add 1/4 cup of pine nuts and grind.
Add 2 cups of basil and process with 1/4 cup of olive oil.
Add 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and process to combine.
Season with salt and pepper.

This recipe is from Whole Living Magazine.  Their recipe is written in a more flexible format so you can mix in different herbs, nuts and cheese for different tastes.

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TEXTURE IN THE GARDEN

I am infatuated with great TEXTURE in the garden...and the garden I visited last week had amazing texture plastered all over it. So exciting! If you want your garden to pop in all seasons, take note of texture combinations that make you happy.

 

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A DOG FRIENDLY GARDEN

This week I had the privilege of visiting a stunning Iowa garden. When I swung open the ornate wooden gate I was greeted by two sweet little dogs and a third held by this quaint garden's owner. As I walked through, it was such a delight finding all the doggie doo-dads...all done so beautifully.

1. Look at this fabulous set of limestone steps that lead up to a doggie door. You don't see these tiny doors much in the cold winters of Iowa, but it works for the owner well. The plant keeps visitors off the wobbly stairs, while reserving them for those with four legs.

2. Not only is this a beautifully constructed arbor for garden guests, but it also includes little stairs for small furry friends (who should also relax in comfort).

3. One sweet little pup enjoying his favorite garden bench.

4. A serpentine fountain inspired from Welsh travels. Perfect for little paws to hop over while taking a walk along the path.

5. This fence had to be designed twice.  The first row of pickets were installed, then soon after one smart pup slid right through the narrow spaces. The sleek addition of chicken wire and second row of pickets fixed that problem. How could any creature want to escape this garden?

6. Another arbor and gate leading to the back garden. This gate is intended to keep neighborhood kids out (not the dogs). All animals need some privacy.

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FREEZER PICKLES

I love cucumbers...and we do grow a lot each summer. Since we don't do canning I always fall back on a wonderful freezer pickle recipe shared by my mother-in-law. They are more sweet, than salty, but such a nice addition to hot dogs or hamburgers.

FREEZER PICKLES
4 cups of sliced cucumbers
2 cups of onions
4 teaspoons of salt
2 tablespoons of water
3/4 to 1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of cider vinegar
1 teaspoon of dried dill

Mix cucumbers, onion, salt and water. Let stand two hours and drain (but do not rinse).

Add sugar, vinegar and dill.  Let stand.  Stir from time to time until sugar dissolves and liquid covers cucumbers.

Pack in glass or plastic jars with 1" head-space.  Freeze.

Makes four 1/2 pint jars.

While I was at Williams-Sonoma a few weeks ago, I found some beautiful Weck jars for my pickles. I don't freeze my pickles in these, but instead place them inside once they are thawed to store in the refrigerator. Shall I dare admit, that I enjoy looking at my sweet pickles in these lovely jars?

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WHAT WE'RE GROWING FOR EATS

Some of you may know that my husband is a fanatic vegetable gardener. He not only grows fruits and vegetables in our yard, but has more in an empy lot down the street...10,000 SF worth. Whew!

Someone asked me an innocent question the other day about what we were growing in our gardens.  I began answering without realizing I'd become breathless with the long list. I think he regretted asking too. 

Below are some of the fruits and vegetables my hard-working husband grew this year:

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