Landscape & Garden Design services in Pittsburgh for homeowners, DIY projects, landscapers, or nurseries

Soil is not dirt.

6/13/2019

Mottos of a healthy and sustainable landscape:
Plant a 10 cent plant in a 10 dollar hole.
Feed the soil, not the plants.

Welcome to our Garden Inspiration Blog! We’re glad you’ve found us. This particular blog is more technical and detailed than our previous blogs. What you’ll learn here is one of the most essential building blocks of creating a healthy, sustainable home garden. Improving your soil organically will save you money too -- money you’d waste on chemicals and replacement plants.

Believe it or not, soil is not dirt. Dirt is the stuff you wash off your hands or sweep off the sidewalk, undesirable stuff to get rid of. Soil, on the other hand, is an ecosystem, a diverse and intricate mix of minerals, organic matter and a range of flora, fauna, and fungi. (plantnebraska.org) If you want healthy grass and plants, feed the soil, not the plant. “Plants need the right combination of nutrients to live, grow and reproduce. Whether you are planting grass, perennials, shrubs, trees or crops, soil anchors plant roots. Soil serves as a storehouse for nutrients. When plants suffer from malnutrition, they show symptoms of being unhealthy, because they are a living organism. Too little or too much of any one nutrient can cause problems.” (University of Arizona Cooperative Extension)

“Soil consists of minerals, air, water, organic matter, and microorganisms. Poor soils lack one or more of these essentials, making it challenging, if not impossible to grow healthy plants. (plantnebraska.org) The mineral portion is made up of small fragments of rocks that have disintegrated from weathering. Thus, each region's soil is unique due to the native subterranean rocks. The organic portion is composed of plant and animal remains in various stages of decomposition. This breakdown of matter creates humus, adds stability to soil, buffers the pH, and is effective at storing carbon. The quantity of water and air in soil depends on the soil's texture and structure." (example: clay, sand, silt) (Penn State)

Fertilizers, whether organic or chemical, may be a waste of effort and money if the plant cannot absorb them. Adequate nutrients may be physically present in the soil, but not available. In order for plant roots to obtain nutrients, there must be appropriate hydration and pH. The hydration and pH ranges differ for each plant, and most plant’s requirements can be found online or on their plant tag.

Hydration: Soil must be sufficiently moist to allow the roots to take up and transport the nutrients. Some synthetic fertilizers and chemical pesticides actually restrict water and air movement in the soil.

pH: The acidity of the soil must be within a certain range for nutrients to be releasable from the soil particles.

For example pH for grass is between 6.3-7.0 (slightly acidic to neutral), but the ideal pH for a rhododendron is between 4.5 and 6.0 (acidic).

When planning your garden or landscape you’ll want to include plant combinations that have similar hydration and pH needs. For example, you don’t want to plant acid loving Rhododendrons (4.5) with more neutral loving plants like lilacs (6.5-7.) Roses, however, prefer a similar pH to lilacs and would be a better complimentary plant.

You’re probably not a chemist, or a soil science major. So you might want to know: How do I feed the soil? What nutrients does my soil need? If your plants and grass are growing well, you don’t need to do anything. However, if you see plants that are suffering or a lawn that is bare or with a lot of weeds, do a soil test. It is like your doctor doing a blood test before prescribing a medicine. Fertilizers are expensive and you may not even need them because your pH or water factors may prevent your grass and plants from absorbing the nutrients.

Look into your state’s agricultural extension or cooperative office and obtain a soil test. It’s a simple test done for a small fee. The state university (Ex: Penn State, Rutgers, Cornell, Vermont, Va Tech) sends you a kit (some zip lock bags, directions, etc.) You mail in your soil and wait for the results. On the form, you indicate what you want to grow, such as grass, shrubs, vegetables, perennials. Then the test results will include recommendations for amending your soils for your growing requirements. Local Master Gardeners and extension offices are also informative and free resources for seeking answers to plant and soil problems.

Note about lawns and soil: pH, water, soil compaction and fertility impact weeds in your lawn. Adjusting your pH can reduce your weeds without ever using a chemical. You can reduce Clover, Dandelion, and Knotweed by adjusting your soil’s pH. Check out How to “read” the weeds in your yard. Applying high nitrogen fertilizers on lawns can disrupt the nutrient balance, accelerate turf growth, increase the need for mowing, and contribute to thatch buildup. The application of pesticides harms what is naturally essential for maintaining healthy soil and turf, microorganisms, beneficial insects and earthworms. Learn more about organic lawn care.

Have you ever seen: White and yellow tiny leaves? Twisted pale new growth? Dark veins with lighter leaf tissue? Pinholes with a yellowing edge? Check out these guides to Symptoms of Plant Nutrient Deficiencies 

Practices Harmful to your Soil

Landscaping Fabric

Have you used landscaping fabric and:
Still have weeds?
Plants look weak and are dying?

Landscaping fabric appears to be the obvious cure for preventing weeds. It does more harm than good to your soil and the plants. Eventually, within a few years, organic matter accumulates on top, weeds still grow and their roots can penetrate through the landscaping fabric. Landscaping fabric does not promote healthy plant growth or support healthy soil, which we know, is the anchor of all vigorous plants. The holes cut in the fabric strangle plants as they mature, as well as stop perennials or groundcovers from spreading because they do not have contact with the soil. The fabric prevents organic material from decomposing in the soil. It also inhibits worms and other beneficial insects from doing their role because they cannot travel through the fabric to decompose organic matter or aerate the soil. During heavy rain events, water runs off quickly. The slick surface increases the speed of water movement, thus washing away mulch and preventing absorption of the water into the soil.

Soil Compaction

Soil Compaction occurs when soil particles are pressed together. It is the reduction of soil volume due to external factors, like pedestrian traffic, cars, riding mowers, and heavy machinery. Consequently, compacted soil has a reduced rate of both water infiltration and drainage. To prevent soil compaction, control traffic in your garden with paths. Protect mature plantings when building homes, additions or buildings.

Final Words

Feed the soil, not the plant.
Stop or reduce chemical use. Chemicals don’t feed the soil, and they harm the environment.
Administer a soil test before putting nutrients into your lawn or planting beds.
Know your plants and where they like to live. Make them feel at home with proper light, soil, water, and pH.
Evaluate the compaction of your soil.

If you would like more detailed information, check out this article on soils and plant nutrients for the home gardener from the NC State Extension.

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Bones of the Garden

5/31/2019

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One way to think about creating your garden is to compare it to a musical. The bones give it the
beat or rhythm that you can tap your foot to throughout the seasons.

This is our fifth blog. Thank you for joining us as we share our advice with you. If you’ve missed the other four, check them out. We’ve talked about color and creating garden rooms. Bones of the Garden builds on the development of garden rooms. Every garden room has structure, rhythm and of course your personal touch. Any part of your garden room — the floor, wall or ceiling - offers an opportunity to provide the bones of your garden. Rosemary Verey, a famous English garden designer, made ”the bones of the garden” a vital consideration for any landscape, whether formal with clipped boxwood hedges, an informal cottage garden, a foundation planting in suburbia or a city garden.

Why are the bones of the garden important? They provide structure, dimension, and foundation for the rest of the plantings on your property. Bones offer winter interest and can be living like a hedge or inanimate like an arbor, fence or gate. Bones are the first design element to consider when updating or starting from scratch.

For those who live in climates with all four seasons, it is worth considering what your garden looks like when deciduous plants have lost their leaves. It is best to evaluate the bones of your garden when all the flowers have faded and plants have dropped their autumn leaves. Views from within the house and those seen by the public are especially important. Southern gardeners also benefit from starting with a strong backdrop to support the continuous seasons of flowers and greenery. Bones of a garden include structure, rhythm and winter interest. They serve as the backdrop for the landscape. Without good bones, a garden looks like a sloppy, hodgepodge collection; the result is unpleasant on the eyes. Even perennial and casual country gardens have bones. Purposefully including garden structure gives the gardener the luxury to splurge purchase a favorite plant without creating a mismatched landscape.

One way to think about creating your garden is to compare it to a musical. The bones give it the beat or rhythm that you can tap your foot to throughout the seasons. Certain plants dance in the chorus line and during the various acts, star performers take center stage. Some plants, like those with a beautiful voice, command more attention than others, like the color yellow or variegated foliage. In the winter, the star performers are the bones of the garden.

Rhythm and Beat

The beat is the steady pulse that you tap your feet to. Rhythm is the actual sound of the notes, which in a song would be the same as the words. The consistent beat in landscape provide unity and structure so that the garden looks cohesive and attractive not only in the winter, but throughout every season. A misconception about bones is that they must be evergreen and formal. Let’s begin by putting that assumption aside. Of course, evergreens like boxwood, holly, arborvitae, and cypress add structure, and repeated placement offers a ‘beat’. Rhythm is the choice of the individual plants and elements that form your landscape. .Let’s take a moment to consider other creative ways to achieve beat and rhythm. By repeating plant shapes and colors, or using containers of like shape and color family, we achieve a similar effect.

Evergreen

Let’s start with the obvious. Loose or sheared boxwood, holly, rhododendron, yews, and other evergreens are wonderful ways to add winter structure to the garden. They are easy to shape and many cultivars are available for any size landscape. Beyond boxwood and arborvitae, look into other forms of evergreens: Japanese plum yews, magnolias, and some perennials. The key here is to read labels and make sure the plant fits your growing conditions (light, soil, zone). For example, if you want your shrub to only grow 2-3’ tall, don’t purchase one that wants to grow 6’. It requires more work and pruning to keep large plants within bounds. Too often after 10 years, homeowners are back to square one, ripping out plants that either were the wrong choice, or weren’t maintained properly. Mistakes like this will cost hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. By repeating the same evergreen in strategic locations throughout your beds, you’ve created the chorus line for the spring, summer and fall seasons. Then in the winter, they step into the spotlight.

Repetition

Repeating the same color with varied plant material and possibly urns or artwork gives the garden rhythm too. Think beyond the color of leaves. Evaluate the color and texture of bark, as well as urns, statuary, and flowers. Let’s say your color theme is red/burgundy. For the spring, use red azalea/rhododendron; early summer, use astilbe, roses, and plants with burgundy foliage. To support the color theme between bloom times, try planting Japanese Bloodgood Maple and Wine Rose Weigelia. In the winter, you might choose Sangu Kaku Maple Maple, or Red Twig Dogwood for its seasonal red bark.

If yellow is your preference: Brass Buckle Japanese Holly, Golden globe arborvitae and junipers offer a yellow shrub layer, while Peabody or Golden Ribbon arborvitae provide veritable structure. The Tiger’s Eye Sumac and Chamaecypirais 'Soft Serve' are beautiful focal points. Lower level perennials with yellow are Japanese forest grass and carex.

If you prefer a gray- green color theme, use the varied sized blue spruces. Iseli fastigiate is tall and narrow, globe type is lower and round. Pancake or Bowling ball (cypress) offer a shrub layer. Heuchera leaves have all- season silver interest. Special note about variegated foliage: for example, Daphne, boxwood, certain iris, and others. Use these unique plants with interesting foliage as focal points or place in areas to attract attention. Too much variegation looks busy and fussy. Variegation also does not show up well against light- colored backgrounds, such as pale stone, white or vanilla- colored brick, light siding, and white fences.

With some thought and planning, using color to offer structure is easier than you might think.

Texture is another way to create rhythm and bones. For example, if you are a collector of daylilies, ornamental grasses, hydrangeas, or camellia, you can provide rhythm by repeating your collection throughout the landscape. Then mix in contrasting foliage to make your favorite plants pop. For example, for grasses or daylilies, add oakleaf hydrangea or other large-leaved plants, or strongly structured evergreens.

Shape

Try repeating a form either in the hardscape or with the shape of plants (ball-shaped boxwood.) The bones can also be part of the hardscape or overall shape of the repeated architectural elements. You’ll often see this technique used in Japanese gardens and small modern gardens

Urns, rocks, sculptures

Certain inanimate objects support the rhythm and structure of the garden. If you have a lake or ocean home, using a variety of nautical elements adds consistent structure and interest as the seasons change. If you live in a rural area or in the mountains, local rock formations, barrel planters, and rustic fences add structure. If your color scheme is red, choose a red urn, bird bath, or sculpture to support your theme. More formal gardens may have metal orbs, obelisks, and benches to serve as the bones.

Path and hardscape

Paths, brick, pavers, and stone all provide structure and beauty while plants lay dormant for the winter. Arbors, gates, garden furniture, water features and fountains, and stone pillars also contribute to offering structure and rhythm. Strong geometric lines and cleanly-edged beds are soothing to the eye and serve as part of the garden structure. Truth be told, this is the time that the art of the stone craftsman shines —when the plants aren’t jumping in the spotlight. Ways to create rhythm with stone: if you have a small stone waterfall or pond, repeat larger varieties or colors of the same rock within the landscape by making arbor pillars and benches out of similar stone, or choosing pavers or garden boulder groupings in the same color/shape. If you have a wood arbor, use the same stain on fencing or gate posts.

Perennial, English or Cottage Gardens

While all landscapes benefit from having a strong foundation, it is even more critical for perennial, English or cottage gardens. Without structure or rhythm, these areas may look weedy and hodgepodge. There are a couple of ways to create rhythm. First, you can use evergreens or structural elements like trellises or obelisks and repeat them within the bed. Second, plant larger structural herbaceous perennials like ornamental grasses, baptisia, peony, or cohosh or large hostas and repeat like you would a shrub. Then add your favorite perennials in between. Another option is to create groupings. Each grouping would include 4-6 plants, one for each season: early spring, late spring, early summer, late summer, fall, and winter. Repeat these groupings throughout the planting beds. Perennials tend to only bloom for 2-3 weeks, so varying seasonal bloom time ensures color and visual interest throughout the year.

Final Thoughts

When creating or evaluating your existing landscape, the first step is to evaluate its bones. Do you have too many star performers stealing the stage? Is there one season when your garden appears flat and one-dimensional and could benefit by adding the height of a flowering tree or tall evergreens? What does your landscape look like in the winter? What is creating a beat? Is it color? Evergreens? Hardscape? Keep views in mind as you evaluate the landscape. In a front yard where traffic may travel quickly, use bold statements of rhythm with strong color or structural evergreens. For informal gardens, or gardens experienced while strolling or meandering along a path, you have the opportunity to use more subtle forms of structure, like groupings of perennials. Remember that creating the bones of your landscape doesn’t have to be the repetition of a tightly sheared, round boxwood. There are infinite ways to achieve good bones in your own garden. Each method is a chance to infuse the landscape with your personal style and creativity.

Visit me on Pinterest for more inspirational photos.

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Garden Room (Part Two)

5/15/2019

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Now that you’ve evaluated your site and put some thought into your needs,
what’s next?

Two Purposes: relax & dining up to 6 people

1. Start with a purpose: What do you want to do in this room? Just like a house, you eat in the dining room, fix food in the kitchen, sleep in the bedroom -- you get the point. Think about how you'd like to use your outdoor space. Now that you have your evaluation done, get specific with realistic uses based on your property, time, energy and budget. Your garden room can have more than one use. Your purpose influences the next steps.

2. Define the boundaries: What will make up the floor, walls, & ceiling? Think of your outdoor room like the interior of your home. On paper, the layout may seem one dimensional. But the space is three dimensional. Select flooring which best meets your intended use. For example, you might want to consider an even, solid floor like concrete or pavers for safety while entertaining. For a private, reflective space, crushed limestone, grass or ground cover are suitable choices. Similar to a home renovation, you may want to consider the vertical element in the landscape: Are there walls you want to take down or rebuild? Vertical elements in the garden can create openings or close them.. Lastly the ceiling of your garden can enclose, shade, or open the view of the sky or a neighbor’s window above you.. Read below for guidance on creating your own outdoor room:

Floor: pea rock, stone
Wall: hedge
Ceiling: tree

Entrance: How will you welcome guests and pull their eyes into the space? Garden gates, arbors, selectively placed focal points, and specimen plants greet your guest, create a mood, and draw the eye and your guest through the landscape. Your “halls” or paths also direct views and movement of the eyes and feet. Place fragrant plants at entrances and seating areas. If you or family members are allergic to bee stings, place the plants the bees favor away from gathering areas. Bumble bees sting, honey bees do not. Both are considered beneficial insects. Bees only sting when harassed, become entangled in folds of clothing, or when something steps on their nests. However, bee allergies are life-threatening, and should be considered in your design. For more information about bees, inviting them to your property, or reducing sting risk, visit www.pollinator.org.

Paver defines where to walk.

Floor: Your goals for the space dictate the material for your floor. If you have children, you may want a grassy area. If you want a stable and sturdy foundation for dining, pavers may be your best bet. For casual seating areas and fire pits, gravel or natural stone set into slag or sand may be appropriate. Today the myriad of choices for pavers can be overwhelming. Visit paver supply centers and look at their displays and consider how the colors and style will blend with your home’s exterior.

Inset stone subtly identifies a seating area.

Wood and stone separate use areas. Wood balances the space and absorbs light reflection from white stone.

The floor can be divided into rooms and halls (paths).

Halls “Paths”: Whether grass, stone, gravel, or pavers, they all convey a pace and theme. More formal paths (like your front walk—main entrance in a house) may be wider so two people can approach at once. Main or primary paths are typically wider and accessible. Secondary paths are informal like the halls in your home. They cause people to slow, walk singularly, and guide the movement and eye through your garden space.

Outdoor Lounge

Formal Seating with Subtle Water Sound to mask Urban Noise

Borrowed View

Rooms: Are there areas where you will perform an action (such as potting plants or snipping kitchen herbs?) Enjoy a view? Listen to a bubbling fountain or birds? Watch wildlife? Relax, eat, or entertain? The floor in your garden room is decided based on your style (formal/informal) and use. For example, a private seating area can be gravel; a dining area for family can be cut bluestone; and a play area can be mulch or grass.

Herb Garden Room

Wall: Are vertical elements in your landscape. They can be permanent or moveable, evergreen or deciduous, living or manmade. These vertical elements define seating or dining areas, and manage views from within and outside your home. For example, looking through an arbor frames a view like a picture frame. Just make sure you’re not “framing” your neighbor’s garbage cans.

Ideas for vertical elements include the obvious -- like a hedge of trees or shrubs or a fence. Other ideas include:

Trellises with clematis grouped in a row with alternating evergreens.
Mixed border of grasses and large shrubs.
Awning curtain shade.
Effective positioning of potted plants.
Espaliered fruit tree.

Ceiling: Consider the function of your ceiling. Is it to borrow a view in the horizon like a city line, mountain or lake? Screen a neighbor? Or to shield against the elements? The ceiling can be natural or created. The sky is a nature’s “ceiling”. Or the canopy of a mature tree offers shade in the summer and sun in early spring and fall. Some more obvious ceilings include roofs, awnings, pergolas and umbrellas. The key to deciding the most suitable roof for you is to consider the sun’s location and its effect on the use of your space. Kids’ play areas may need to be out of direct blistering sun. You may want the sun in the morning and shade in the afternoon. Moveable umbrellas make your space flexible.

Entrance focal point: Yellow attracts attention

Herb garden serves as focal point

Focal Points: Are great for distracting from eye sores and keeping a view within the confines of a space. NEVER decorate an eye sore. Instead, use a focal point to direct the eye away from it. Like art work, focal points greet guests, provide visual pleasure, and allow the eye to pause. Any inanimate object in the landscape causes the eye to pause — a rock, statue, planter, bench etc. On the other hand, some inanimate objects are just unattractive: gas meters, air conditioner units, garbage areas.

Invitation to enter space with a bench. Pots and trees frame the view.

Heat, Air and Light: Consider the temperature, time of day and season you plan to use your space. You might extend the seasonal use of your garden room by installing outdoor fans, heaters and accent lights or candles.

Finishing Touches: Once the major work is done, (once the “carpet is in, walls are painted and furniture placed”) make the space your own. Customize by adding the last layer: your unique style. Try adding a whimsical statue, formal urn or a paver made by your grandchild. Remember that these finishing touches often serve as memorable focal points for your garden guest.

This two-part blog lays the “groundwork” for you to plan your very own Garden Room. Don’t be surprised if it becomes the favorite room in your house!

Check out more garden rooms and their elements on Pinterest. There are so many pictures I want to share!

Follow Me on Pinterest

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Garden Rooms -- An Extension of Your Home (Part One)

5/1/2019

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We've all seen them in Better Homes & Garden, Fine Gardening, Arboretums, Garden Tours -- "Garden Rooms." If creating a garden space seems complex, we can simplify it by examining the landscape and considering it as an extension of your indoor living space. Evaluate your landscape as if it is a room in your home. Outdoor garden areas aren’t complicated to create as long as you follow a few basic guidelines. If you consider these guidelines, you'll be well on your way to visualizing your own space.

Big or small....reflective or public....all share these basic elements of design:

Sun & Shade
Soil
Water Drainage
Views
Sound
Number of People
Flow
Look Up
Creativity

Before you purchase anything for your outdoor space, step back and assess your site and your needs. A summary of these will serve as your touchstone. As you plan your garden room, continue to revisit the answers to the questions below to ensure you are headed down the right path. This will save you from disappointment, as well as wasted time and money.

SHADY

SUN & SHADOWS
Where are the sunny areas, shady areas? This helps to determine your ceiling and your plant material. You may want to enjoy the summer sunrise, but not the hot, baking summer sun at dinnertime.

SUNNY

SOIL
If you want a screening hedge, flower bed, or vegetable garden look at the soil. Is it wet, dry, compact? Go to your extension office and acquire a soil sample kit. This inexpensive and informative test gives valuable information about how to amend soil for your planting needs.

WATER DRAINAGE
Water drainage: Make sure all changes in the landscape direct water AWAY from your house. Naturally wet areas or places with natural springs are not an optimal place for patios and fire pits. Always address any drainage problems as part of your process.

FRAMED VIEW

EYE SORE

VIEWS
Take two view inventories. Views from within and outside your garden, and also the views inside your home looking out.. What views do you like? Which views do you want to change? What do you see from your kitchen sink? The answer to these questions will help you situate bird feeders & baths, furniture, plantings, and focal points. Do you need to screen an eye sore, or a neighbor’s view into your eating area or into your bedroom? If you are inside during the winter months, what are your views? How will furniture on a deck or patio affect your views?

BORROWED VIEW

SOUND
Sound can be positive or negative. Are surrounding properties or roads creating noise? You may benefit from a small water fountain to create white noise, a screening hedge to absorb sound, or outdoor speakers to pipe in your favorite music. Have you thought about the sound under your feet? Gravel garden paths offer a pleasant feel and sound as you stroll, whereas mulch is quiet.

INTIMATE DINING FOR TWO

FEEDING A CROWD

WHAT & HOW MANY?
How many people will you want to entertain? Just the two of you? Or do you have large family events in the near future –like baptisms, confirmations, graduations, holiday cookouts? Do family members have mobility issues?

FLOW
How do you move through your space? How will you get from your door to the grill or from the grill to the table? If your grill is currently up or down steps and you’d like to change it’s location, now is the time. How fast do you want to move through the space? Will people walk side by side or one at a time? For example, the path to and from your grill, may have a more even solid surface, where as a garden path slows one’s pace with stepping stones.

Encourages guests to walk
side by side to back yard.

Causes slower pace as transition
from patio to grass.

Encourages a slow stroll through the garden.

LOOK UP
Are there power lines? Neighbors that look down on your property? Do your trees “litter” by dropping sharp seed pods or sticky goo? These factors impact the placement and maximum height of the trees you plant, pergolas, awnings, and umbrellas as well as seating areas.

CREATIVITY
Even small front yards can be made into a small sanctuary with careful thought and planning. Your garden room should reflect your personality. In addition to plant material, select furniture, lighting, and accessories that suit your unique taste .

The thought and planning you invest in designing your garden room will pay you dividends for years to come. In Part Two, we narrow the focus to concentrate on selecting the most appropriate materials to suit your individual needs. At the end of the day, you’ll get the most use of your garden room if you make all the parts of the space work for you!

Check back in two weeks for part two.

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Color Inspiration for your Containers

4/9/2019

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Inspired by Phipps Spring Garden Show

Lessons from Childhood: Do You Remember the Colors of the Rainbow?

Back in elementary school, do you recall an acronym we were taught to remember the sequence of hues in a rainbow? R-O-Y-G-B-I-V.
Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Indigo
Violet

These same colors also make up a “Color Wheel,” a circle with different colored sectors used to show the relationship between the colors. Believe it or not, Sir Isaac Newton developed the Color Wheel in 1666. Every color can be traced back to the three primary colors on the color wheel. By mixing the three primary colors together, we get the secondary colors. Combining the primary and secondary colors together, we get the tertiary colors.

For a breathtaking dose of inspiration, walk through the Spring Flower Show at Phipps Conservatory. This year’s theme is Gardens of the Rainbow, and as you’d expect, visitors will be delighted by the array of color combinations.
Color can be soothing or exciting, monochromatic, or a riot of bold hues. Color is extremely personal, as it should be. You don’t want your garden to have the same color scheme as your neighbor’s. Or the same colors every year. Like the interior of your home, different areas of your yard can have different color schemes. You don’t see all of your backyard at the same time you see your front yard.

Understanding basic principles of using color can turn your garden plans and dreams into reality. Here are some basics:

Holly's favorite color combos:

chartreuse and purple-red or deep purple

peach, orange and blues

Gwen's favorite color combos:

purple and white

salmon and purple

Monochromatic Color: shades all on one color block. Think red and pink, red being the more saturated color.

Complimentary: mixing colors. Use the color wheel as a guide, but don’t be afraid to experiment. Eye-catching combinations include blue/orange, violet/yellow, and red/green. Use these in areas that you want to attract attention, such as next to your front door. A pot of blue salvia with yellow/orange zinnia, for example.

Analogous (Tertiary): groups of three colors next to each other on the color wheel. Ex.: red, orange and red-orange, or blue, indigo and violet. Many displays at the Spring Show at Phipps use analogous colors for a cacophony of gorgeous color.

Neutral: colors that can be used with any other color without changing the effect you’re trying to achieve: white, grey, silver, and shades of brown. These tend to tone down other colors, and can be used as a buffer. While white serves as a neutral, it serves another purpose. White flowers glow in the early morning and evening. If you work all day and can only enjoy your garden in the early morning and evenings, you’ll want to include splashes of white and silver.

And one more thing....
Special note about yellow: Yellow attracts attention because of its psychological effects on the eye. We are trained to notice yellow in our environment…a yellow light, yellow vest worn by crossing guards and construction workers. Likewise, yellow (or white) will accentuate an eyesore.

Avoid doing that.

Colors fall into two basic categories: dark and bright. Dark colors, such as blue and purple, tend to be calming and serene. So, on a bright, sunny patio or deck, try darker colors. You’ll get more “bang for your buck” because they won’t get washed out in the glaring sun. The opposite is true in the shade where there are lots of shadows. Dark colors fade, so choose bright colors like yellows and oranges as well as pastel pinks, blues, and lavenders. Bright colors will also draw attention to areas you want to highlight: a front entrance, featured flower beds, seating areas, or even garden art. Bright colors are also festive, conveying: “Let’s eat, drink, and have a party!”

Container Gardening Inspiration

Container gardening is gardening at its simplest. It provides instant gratification. Once you have what you need, it seldom takes more than an hour to fill your pots. It’s not a big investment of either time or money. Pots are portable, so can be moved into interesting groupings, or moved into better sun or shade. Experiment and have fun with color!

Use the pots created by the talented garden elves at Phipps to inspire you. Notice that in each room, the color scheme is also reflected in a pot. Go ahead and take a picture of a pot you admire. Then take it to a nursery to select colors to match. It doesn’t have to be the same plant, just the same color. With containers, focus on colors, textures, and layering. Don’t shy away from mixing perennials, annuals, bulbs, and dwarf evergreens.

Consider pots of different sizes and heights, for visual interest. Have you tried thinking of the color of your pot as part of your overall color scheme? How much sun will your pots receive? How much shade? Think about this when you select your annuals, because they will thrive in the proper growing conditions. If some annuals (like mine) peter out in July, replace them while nurseries still have a good selection. You’re not married to the combination of colors and plants. If you don’t like something, swap it out.

One option, which is fairly simple, is to create a “scene” with several different-sized pots, putting a different color in each one. You can rearrange them or add and subtract colored plants throughout the growing season. You can even custom-plan a color scheme for a graduation (school colors, anyone?), or birthday party.

Cool Colors, bulbs, shrub and perennial

Grouping Pots of Various Sizes

Final Words

The rainbow offers us a myriad of possibilities to play with color in our gardens. Get outside and let your creativity guide you! Your colorful containers will provide months of pleasure for both you and the bees and butterflies.

Whether you experiment with color or not this year, the display at the Gardens of the Rainbow at the Spring Show at Phipps Conservatory is open through April 21 from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily and until 10:00 p.m. on Fridays. Admission is $17.95 for adults, $16.95 for seniors and students, $11.95 for children ages 2-18, and free for members and kids under 2.

If you have a few more minutes check out our recent garden adventures to Charleston, SC and Phipps Spring Flower show.

Container and Window Box Inspirations from Charleston, SC Garden Tour

Inspirational pics from our visit.

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HELLO!

3/31/2019

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Thank you for taking the time to meet us and join us on our gardening journeys. We love landscaping, gardening and sharing our knowledge, experiences, and mistakes with you. We plan to post twice monthly.

HOLLY SCHULTZ

Gardening is in my blood. Growing vegetables, harvesting sour cherries from the tree in our childhood backyard (that doubled as a climbing tree,) being raised in a home surrounded by pretty specimen shrubs and roses, having an uncle with a masters in horticulture who loved flowers so much his nickname was Rosebud…tagging along as my parents pruned and deadheaded…asking questions…and soaking in the pleasures of connecting with nature. That's when my love for growing things started. It’s been a life-long journey of fulfillment.

Let me tell you about myself. I have lived in Pittsburgh most of my life, except for seven years in Colorado during high school and college. Married thirty-four years to one of my favorite people in the world. We have two sons, 19 and 26. They make me so very happy.

Professionally, I have a B.S. in Advertising from the University of Colorado at Boulder School of Journalism and an M.A. in Broadcast Journalism from Point Park University. My work experience has been fairly diverse. Was part of a creative team in Product Information for Federated Investors, Inc. Freelanced as a production assistant and makeup artist for corporate video. Was a location assistant on a movie shot in Pittsburgh. Collaborated and wrote scripts for training and educational video. Freelance contributor (mostly features) for Mt. Lebanon Magazine. Twenty plus years of writing experience.

Active volunteer with my church, community, and board service with Family Promise of Southwestern Pennsylvania, which serves homeless children and their families.

Gwen and I have been friends for thirty years. We met through our husbands, who were and still are work colleagues. We also attended the same church. That connection helped establish an enduring friendship as we volunteered together and raised our young children in a community of faith.

Gwen and I have a lot in common. We share a passion for gardening. I was so proud when she went back to school for her second Masters degree, focusing in Landscape Studies. Out of her passion, she grew a thriving business.

Other ways we are similar: I’d say we are both independent women and prefer to define our own paths in life. We have similar priorities. We love meeting new people, but we also maintain old friendships. We’re lifelong learners. We share a reverence for both the magic and complexity of horticulture. And we love life.

Through the years, Gwen has always been there for me when I struggled with everything garden-related. Selecting out-of-the ordinary ornamental trees, adjusting from a shade garden to full sun after we lost an enormous silver maple in an ice storm, designing a hillside garden, seed-starting, and trips to nurseries where I tried to memorize her tidbits of wisdom while trying to manage my excitement of being in my “happy place.”
Gwen has a treasure of knowledge to share that will make us all better gardeners. We hope you’ll subscribe!

Gwen Wisniewski

My love of outdoors started when I was a young girl sailing with my family on the Chesapeake Bay. When we weren’t on the water, I was watching my father tend to our vegetable and flower gardens. Some weekends my sister and I would go on ‘expeditions’ with my dad in the woods and swamps of my sleepy southern Maryland community. Gardening is in my blood, too. My maternal grandfather owned and operated a thriving apple business in West Virginia and my paternal grandfather traded his home in Mt. Lebanon, PA for a farm in Peter’s township, PA. The desire to transform my gardening hobby to a profession was during a visit to Butchart Gardens in Victoria, Canada. When I had a young family, I created an English perennial garden, children’s garden and taught myself about composting and amending tough clay soil.

Let me tell you about myself: I married and raised my family in Pittsburgh, PA. I have been blessed with four wonderful children and one grandchild. I married the love of my life 29 years ago. We continue to enjoy hiking, traveling to see our family, national parks, cycling, and skiing.

Professionally, I have a BS in Communication Disorders and MS in Curriculum and Instruction from Penn State. Like Holly, I spent my initial career in training and development, developing customer service and team training videos and print material. After my third child I closed this chapter and focused on my family. When this door closed (corporate work) another opened when I pursued an education in gardening and landscape design. I began teaching garden and landscaping at a local community college, taught annual gardening classes at Trax Farms as a PAWC outreach, and started my formal Landscape education at Chatham University. From here my business started as my students asked for design assistance. While continuing my landscape consult work, I continued with my graduated studies and earned a MA in Landscape Studies in 2004.

I love to learn and teach others. During the past 5 years I have continued my professional education and enjoy sharing the knowledge with my friends and clients. In 2016 I completed Phipps Conservatory’s Sustainable Landscape Certification and courses in Organic Lawns, Pests and Diseases. The Penn State extension offers many informative classes. I have taken IPM (Integrated Pest Management), Pest Identification, and an 8-week seminar called ‘Woods in your Back Yard’. I am also a certified Master Watershed Steward.

My landscape design mottos: Plant a 10 cent tree in a 10 dollar hole. Plant the right plant in the right spot. The best designs are formed when I have a collaborative client relationship.

Stay in Touch with us. It is a gift to know Holly and her family. I am excited to collaborate with her to bring you fun and informative landscape, gardening, and sustainable environment topics. We will begin with some broader landscape subjects for the first couple months and then dig into more specifics later this summer. Along the way we may share some of our own gardening challenges and successes. In the future we hope to visit various botanical gardens and share our visits with you. If there are topics you’d like us to cover, please reach out via email: gwdesigns@verizon.net.

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What type of gardener are you?

3/28/2019

Have you recently purchased a house? Tired of your current landscape? Inspired by a recent visit to a botanical garden or a friend’s amazing yard? Have you binge watched gardening and outdoor shows this winter and feel inspired?

You can transform your drab yard into a delightful garden.

But where do you begin? Money doesn’t grow on trees. There’s not enough time in the day, right?

What Type of Gardener are You?

You begin by giving yourself an honest assessment of expectations, time, talent, and finances and most importantly your goals.

First let’s start with: What type of gardener are you? Choose the ones that best describe you.

I want my space to look like the home and garden shows on TV. I want it big, I want it fast and I want it now.

Get it done now!

I want my space to look like the home and garden shows on TV. I have tried, have a vision, but I keep wasting money and time on plants that die or the deer eat.

Tired of wasting $

My space is small, but I want a pretty garden. I have a small budget too. I can do the work myself. Where do I start?

Limited Budget

I have a major project with walls, patio and other features. I have gathered pictures, but don’t know who to call.

Major Construction

I have a small patio or deck with very little space. But I need help converting my space into a “garden room.” Shopping at the garden supply centers is overwhelming and confusing!

Small Space & Overwhelmed

I’ve moved into a new house and the landscape is overgrown. I don’t know what to keep or what to remove.

New House & Overgrown

I love to garden. I just need to fine tune a few things.

Green Thumb

I’ve been in my house for many years and have neglected my yard. It’s time to give it a facelift.

Landscape Rejuvenation

Final Words of Advice

for every type of gardener.....

Have fun: Spending time outdoors is a gift and a respite from the busy lives we lead. Gardening is great exercise for the body and soul.
Read plant tags: Know your planting zone, sun and water requirements. Plant the right plant in the right spot.
Get help: Prevent costly mistakes by contacting your state's extension offices, and visit websites, libraries, local garden centers, courses at arboretums & conservatories, or consult a professional. A successful gardener asks questions and is constantly learning.
Prevent deer damage: Ask for help in identifying effective deer repellents and choosing deer-resistant plants.
Have a plan for maintenance: Identify if you need a monthly maintenance plan from a landscaper/gardener, weekly mowing, or an annual clean-up. Unless you pave your yard or plant plastic, outdoor spaces need maintenance.
Be realistic: Start small to prevent feeling overwhelmed by the time, energy and cost.
Take time to enjoy your space: Nature will astound you with it’s sights, sounds, smells, and textures.
Choose the right tool for the job: Every gardener or homeowner requires a basic set of tools.

Tools for Every type of Gardener

Soil is not dirt.

Bones of the Garden

Garden Room (Part Two)

Garden Rooms -- An Extension of Your Home (Part One)

Color Inspiration for your Containers

Inspired by Phipps Spring Garden Show

Container Gardening Inspiration

HELLO!

What type of gardener are you?

Final Words of Advice

Authors

Categories

gwdesigns@verizon.net

​Container Gardening Inspiration

Final Words of Advice

Authors

Categories

Container Gardening Inspiration