GARDEN DESIGNERS ROUNDTABLE : UNDERUTILIZED PLANTS

Honestly, when have you ever seen a specimen like this ?

Guy walks into the tree and shrub department with a photo of his front yard and says he wants the most unusual tree we've got, cost not an issue.  Sold him an Acer 'shishigashira ' or  as its dubbed  ' The Lion Head '  Japanese maple for several thousands dollars. Saw him later and he told me it was the perfect tree and none of his neighbors knew what it was and he wasn't telling. Turns out he was a well-known restauranteur that felt he had to outshine all the neighbors.



As a tree and shrub specialist I get to see all the unusual specimens that our buyer brings in from around the country.   The most coveted tree on our lot is the aristocrat of the tree world - Acer Palmatum, or Japanese Maple.  I've seen cultivars priced at $5,000 and up .  With hundreds of varieties from bright red, orange, burgundy, variegated green and pink and, chartreuse, there is bound to be one that will steal your heart. For me it was the 'Autumn Moon ' Maple, shown above,  and since I've rarely seen another in a garden I think it is very underutilized.

 Whenever possible I use evergreens in my design and a very underutilized specimen is Chamaecyparis obtusa  nana , or Japanese Falsecypress.  Elegant and artistic, it is much pricier than other evergreens but its uniqueness makes it worth the cost. 'Templehof' is one of my favorites.  Note the beautiful swirls and do not, by any means, compare it with Thuja , or arborvitae.  There is no comparison.

At first glance you'd probably not be able to name the colorful specimen above, which is another underutilized plant that I love for its colorful leaves that are attractive all season.  St. John's Wort is easy to grow but again, underutilized .

Rhododendron 'poukhanense ' or Korean azalea is one of the beauties of the Spring garden with its pale lavender bell- shaped blooms.  Azaleas in general are underutilized in the Chicago area because some have proven difficult to grow in our harsh climate. This azalea grows in Korea's rugged Poukhan mountain region with only mother nature as her keeper.  Enough said.

A camellia tree in Chicago? Be still my heart ! Actually its a Stewartia pseudo camellia and it comes in Chinese, Korean and Japanese versions.  A much over-looked under utilized tree, it's beautiful camellia-like blossoms appear in July and its stunning Fall color and beautiful exfoliating bark make it an ideal small ornamental tree of about 30 feet in height. 

The list of underutilized plants is endless but it must end here for the sake of brevity.  Please visit the Garden Designers Roundtable to read the posts of members who are writing on the subject for this month's theme. 

Written by Carolyngail at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago All rights reserved

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A Change of Heart : Renovation and Renewal Time at Garden Designers Round Table

I remember the exact moment the renovation bug bit me.  It was early September and I had rare 4-day Labor day holiday all to myself.  I was reading the latest edition of my GGG  ( Glossy Gorgeous Gardening ) magazine under the shade arbor, sipping a glass of Sweet Tea.   

"Are you tucking your vegetables in far corners because you think they're dull and ugly?  the garden article asked.  A nod and sigh to the tomato and peppers near the utility box. Think your garden is too small to grow them?   Umm , pretty small, lots of herbs in pots on the patio.   " Why not have a beautiful garden and eat it too? Vegetables, fruits , herbs  and flowers growing happily together in what the French call a potager .  Well I'm already enjoying the fruit of my prolific Asian pear tree, and the two grape vines I planted this Spring will produce their first crop next year, so if I plant an apple tree and some blueberries I'll have a home fruit orchard.



The more I thought about having an ornamental vegetable garden the more I liked it. The idea that the potager is an ornamental, four-season landscape that can be the center of attention even in a small urban plot such as mine was appealing.   Of course I also had visions of fried green tomatoes, okra,  succotash and a beautiful salad with nastariums and pansies.  So with this is mind I cleared my back 40 of most of its perennials and began my adventure in potagering ( is there such a word?  If not, there is now. We Southerners like to make up our own.)



With the exception of removing a huge 25 year old yew I'm proud to say I did all the grunt work myself and lived to tell the tale .  This 40-year-old body trapped in a 66 one wasn't even sore the next day, a true testament to what gardening and landscaping has done for me.



The fun part was selecting and planting the clipped boxwoods, 'Knockout ' rose shrub, two blueberries, coneflowers, ornamental kale and variegated sage.  Before planting I prepared the beds with my special recipe of alfafa humate and cattle manure compost, cottonburr compost and fine pines soil conditioner.  When passersby got a whif of it they thought they were in the country.  In a barnyard.  No matter how composted it is, cattle manure smells like a barnyard until it airs out.



 This is merely the beginning of an exciting gardening adventure . I'll need more potager- appropriate whimsicals such as Rusty the Rooster who now sports a bright red coat.  My collection of colorful gourd birdhouses will have a place on the garden wall.   Fall will be spent planting bulbs for Spring and securing a dwarf apple tree, Winter for planning the raised bed veggie and herb beds and Spring for planting . 



Busy with my new garden I lost touch with the real world.  Then out of the blue came a message from the Garden Designers Round Table :  This month's topic is renovation and renewal and you're on the list.  No kidding.  Very timely, y'all.  Here's my contribution :

New beginnings :  A peek at my potager .

" Continuity gives us roots; change gives us branches, letting us stretch and grow and reach new heights " - Pauline R. Kezer

For more on renovation and renewal visit the Ladies and gents of the Round Table at :

Andrew Keys @ http://www.gardensmackdown.com/garden-designers-roundtable/2010/garden-designers-roundtable-restoration-and-renovation/





Genevieve Schmidt @http://www.northcoastgardening.com/2010/09/garden-restoration-renovation/

Jocelyn Chilvers, The Art Garden @ http://jocelynsgarden.blogspot.com/2010/09/renovation-evolution-of-garden-garden.html

Susan Morrison @ http://www.blueplanetgardenblog.com/2010/09/garden-designers-roundtable-from-junk-pile-to-garden-art.html

Lesley Hegarty and Robert Weaver @ Hegartywebberpartnership.wordpress.com

Rochelle Graeger @studioblog.com

Susan Cohen @ susancohengardens.com

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GARDEN DESIGNERS ROUND TABLE : SMALL SPACES

                                

First word of advice :  If you have a small garden you need a small dog.  Just kidding. But do keep dogs out as they and gardens do not mix.  Unless its Jojo,  my mini-Schnauzer and garden companion.  I've taught her the difference between a flower and a weed and she is ever so mindful of them. Plus, she keeps the rabbits, possums and racoons away.  Well, most of the time.  She missed a bunny the other day that ate my asters down to the ground. 

For June's Rountable posting I am using my small city garden as an example to show the unity, creativity and texture I try to bring to each of  my designs. There are endless possibilities in designing a small space and while there are no set rules there are guidelines that will help you avoid the pitfalls along the way.  

It's a very short walk from the public sidewalk to my front porch so making the entrance to my century-old American Foursquare as inviting as possible was my first goal.   A container with seasonal color flanks the stairs and a  Japanese maple, ' Autumn Moon ', brightens the small corner planting bed on the right.  Every inch of space is packed with long-blooming perennials and annuals that provide color, texture and interesting foliage.  And BTW,  I've planted everything in my garden myself, including the trees, so it is truly my creation.

A path swings around to the back garden entrance and a  beautiful pink climbing rose graces the fence.  You can see how little space there is between houses.  My  neighbor's large bold-leafed Oakleaf hydrangea draped on the fence shares its  blossoms .

 Click to enlarge

I had a client that planted thousands of dollars of annuals in her garden each year just for the wow factor.  It looked like Disney World !  I could fill my garden with mostly annuals for instant glamour but being an avid gardener I enjoy seeing perennials that I love come into bloom.   April and May is for tulips and daffodils, June is for roses and lilies, July for Phlox and Blackeyed Susans, August for Sedum and Asters, September for Mums, etc.  .  But how the garden looks when it's not in bloom is key to a good design and in a small space every plant must do its job.  Plants with interesting texture or form, colorful foliage that's effective even when not in bloom, evergreen shrubs that give year round interest, and colorful annuals will make your small space garden a delight.  Mine is so tightly packed with my favorites that a weed finds it difficult to enter and eliminates the need to mulch.



Below is the layout of my front garden made to go along with my last will and testament  which may give you an inkling of how I feel about  it.  And this is just the front.  My somewhat larger rear garden is my real paradise.

I encounter a lot of weekend warriors searching for ideas to use for their own small urban gardens and have enjoyed helping many of them at Gethsemane, Chicago's best garden center .  My advice to them is do your research before buying a single plant. Know how much sun/shade you have, your soil, the size of your plot, preferred style -formal or informal, plant likes or dislikes, etc. and how much maintenance you're willing to do.  Allocate a budget and try to stick to it.  Be prepared to put in a lot of sweat equity as well. 



In today's economy more  homeowners are doing their  landscapes themselves, whereas they would've hired a designer before the recession hit.  For these brave souls I say go for it but remember that a great garden starts with thoughtful planning.   Read gardening books and check out the many garden websites offering advice.  Take a stroll and seek out gardens that please you.



 Get in touch with the designer inside and turn that small space into your pride and joy.   The secret to a good garden is not how big or small it is but how you use it.

In his garden every man may be his own artist

without apology or explanation.

Each within his green enclosure is a creator

and no two shall reach the same conclusion ;

 nor shall we, any more than other creative workers

 be ever wholly satisfied with our accomplishment.

Ever a season ahead of us floats the vision

 of perfection and herein lies its perennial charm.

-Louise Bebe Wilder

For more on small space garden design visit these members of the Roundtable:

Jenny Peterson at http://www.jpetersongardendesign.com/

Laura Livengood Schaub at http://www.interleafings.blogspot.com/

Lesley/Robert at http://www.hegartywebberpartnership.wordpress.com/

Shirley Bovshow at http://www.shirleybovshow.com/

Susan Morrison at http://www.garden-chick.typepad.com/

Susan Schlenger athttp://blog.landscape-design-advice.com/

Tara Dillard at http://www.taradillard.blogspot.com/

  

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