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Paperwhites Blooming

Katy Elliott — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 02:16:28 +0000

My paperwhites began to bloom on the first cold day of winter. The long white roots tangle between the dark gray rocks I gathered from the beach. The scent: heady and sweet.

Paperwhites with Periwinkle Shells

Katy Elliott — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 14:27:18 +0000

The tide was way out on Sunday morning and the periwinkle shells grouped together in a long curving band the length of the beach. I gathered a few in my hand inspecting all the different shapes and colors. I thought, “What could I make with these?” I dropped a few handfuls into my bag and kept walking. I spotted a group of perfectly round dark smooth rocks at the end of beach; dark grays rocks are a particular favorite. I have bowls with different collections scattered around the house.

When I got home I filled a large glass footed urn with gray rocks mixed with broken mussel shells. I nestled five paperwhite bulbs in a circle within the rocks and filled the container with fresh water; making sure I didn’t add too much because my bulbs could rot.

The tiny little periwinkle shells got a cold fresh water bath while I planted individual bulbs in dirt. I picked up the the terra cotta urns from a recent trip to Snug Harbor Farm in Maine. I scattered the periwinkle shells around the bulb just covering the dirt. I liked the contrasts of the rough bulb, tiny twisting shells, and smooth terra cotta. I added a few more and watered the bulbs. Hopefully by Christmas I’ll have paperwhites blooming in my windowsills and on my kitchen table.

An Antique Terrarium For My House

Katy Elliott — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:34:33 +0000

Do you remember the beautiful antique terrarium I picked up last fall? It’s been sitting in my bedroom collecting dust. The stand had been turned into Greg’s clothing rack, so sad.

Over the weekend I took a trip up to Snug Harbor Farm in Kennebunk to gather plants to finally fill it. I decided I’m tired of waiting for the “fun” house projects till the renovation is complete. A beautiful terrarium can live amongst paint cans and tools? Yes, a bit unconventional but really fun.

My terrarium has a removable glass pitched roof. I liked the idea of having a a tall, dramatic focal plant and then smaller plants and mosses in different textures and shades. When I was choosing plants I didn’t factor in enough room for planes of just moss. I would recommend bringing the actually terrarium with you; so you don’t buy too many. Just like in the composition of an abstract painting you need resting spots for the eye. Plus, you need room for plants to grow. I imagined my terrarium to be a fern patch found in the woods of New Hampshire.

Below how I made my terrarium plus, a list of plants I choose with the help of the wonderful staff at Snug Harbor Farm. All of the plants below prefer cooler conditions with low sunlight.

Mother fern
East Indian Holly Fern arachniodes simplicior
Birdnest fern
Jerrissa (tree like)
Button fern
Sellaginella “krassiara area’ yellow spikemoss
Baby tears
French staghorn (wish I could have used this but it didn’t fit; needs to stay a little dryer then the rest)
Myrtle
Cushion spikemoss
Variegated Creeping fig
Dwarf pilea
Variegated acorus gramineus (spiky grass)

All the plants I choose for my project.

Scatter rocks in the bottom of the terrarium.

Cut a screen to fit the base and place over the rocks.

Scatter a layer of soil in the bottom. As I added plants I added more soil creating higher and lower areas.

I made the composition with a center element and smaller plants around. Here I’m playing around with different center elements. I thought the Jerrissa would be really beautiful but it was too tall even after a little haircut.

I ended use a fern as my center element and smaller ferns and moss in different textures.

Give the terrarium a look from the side to make sure you have some nice height with some room for growth.

I didn’t use all the plants I purchased. I planted them in small terra cotta urns I picked up Snug Harbor Farm.

Every room has been a victim of the renovation. Why not have a beautiful terrarium?

Book: Making The Most of Shade

Katy Elliott — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 17:00:28 +0000

This summer I really struggled with my garden. In the Spring it started off with a boom! I was afraid I had too many plants in my border but as summer waned on I realized I had far less afternoon sun then the year before. My plants chugged along offering a few blooms but none of my high summer plants got as big and lush as I hoped. In late August they received a significant trampling from the insulation guys and I gave up.

I think I need help. I’ve come to the realization that I won’t have the cottage garden of my dreams overflowing with peonies, echinacea and hollyhocks. The learning curve for this house and garden is steep which at the moment is terribly frustrating. Can’t something just grow and be beautiful so I can move onto something else to pour my money into?

I picked up Making the Most of Shade (Rodale), by Larry Hodgson, in hopes of gaining more insight. For me it’s been hard to envision a shady border on an urban size lot. When I think of shade; I imagine woods and wetlands. I only have one tree but my corner is canopied in shade by my neighbor’s trees.

The book focuses on perennials offering a two page discussion on each plant’s profile, growing tips, problems and solutions, top performing varieties and garden notes. Under Aruncus ‘Goat’s Beard’ Larry offers this note:

One of nicest hedges I’ve ever seen was composed not of shrubs but of goat’s beard planted in row in front of a farmhouse. The hedge was full and as dense as any shrub could be and coiffed with beautiful feathery white blooms. When I stopped to take a picture, the owner came out and we talked a bit. It turned out the owner had unsuccessfully tried twice to grow a “traditional” hedge, once of arborvitae and the other time of lilacs, but snow shoved onto the plants from a passing snowplow kept tearing off branches, and they never filled in properly. With goat’s beard, though, the entire hedge sprouts anew from underground each spring, eliminating damage from the snowplow.

Sounds like a familiar problem? I have the same issue in my front garden bed. I’ve tried endless summer hydrangeas and then boxwoods which I plan on yanking next Spring to move to containers because of the snowplows and potential dog pee problem. I’m not sure goat’s beard will be the right fit but I think using a perennial would offer me the advantage of it dying back in the winter.

A beautiful “hedge” of goat’s beard found on Macgarden’s blog.

Red Geraniums In Window

Katy Elliott — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 15:20:02 +0000

I’m getting a bit grumpy about the impending winter. I don’t mind the snow but the dark days really get me down. I’m brainstorming ways to combat my seasonal depression and my first tip is flowers. I ordered Paperwhites and two Amaryllis to get me through till January. Tending to growth in the darker days of the year will give me some perspective.

I’m reminded of the red geraniums I spotted in the windows at the Olsen House in Maine a few summers back. I have a shelf in a window in my kitchen that I could fit three plants in terra cotta pots across. Red buds and happy green translucent leaves will surely put a smile on my face as the light trickles in and I drink my morning coffee.

Ben Pentreath’s Tulip Border Tips

Katy Elliott — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 15:38:45 +0000

I have a pile of bulb catalogs sitting next to me at my desk with pages turned and tulips circled. I planted a few tulips this Spring but they were nothing compared to Ben Pentreath’s borders in England—the color, the combinations, the mass of flowers! All summer long anyone that would talk to me about garden would hear, Have you seen this guy’s garden??? I’ve been living in tulip envy and hoping that maybe I can create something similar to Ben’s borders next Spring. How amazing would be to see a garden full of spring flowers on my corner lot? Ben was sweet enough to share his tulip secrets with all of us! Be sure to check out his blog, shop, and website for more inspiration.

Ben Pentreath: “Planting tulips can be a daunting affair. There is so much to chose from: shape, colour, species, and time of flowering. It feels a little bit impossible to get it right. Last year was my first year in the garden. I had just cleared the borders of a mass of weeds and I was itching to get something up in the spring. Like most things, I find that trial and error and a bit of confidence go a long way – not to mention quite a bit of cash – tulip bulbs (at least on this side of the atlantic) can get seriously expensive.

My first tip, therefore, was to find myself a good wholesale company – the sort of people who sell to garden centres and suppliers. Their prices for 1000 bulbs are the same as for 50 bulbs from a pricier, more exclusive catalogue. The danger is that you get tempted into making some seriously large orders – be prepared for backbreaking work in the autumn – but the advantage is that you can afford to bring on the massed bands – which I think was one of the reasons my tulip planting succeeded last year.

Second, planting distance. If I’m really honest, I think I bunched them a bit too close together last year. This year I’ll be spreading them out a bit more. Plant your bulbs in drifts – say 4” between bulbs – rather than clumps – 1” or 2” between bulbs – and I think the effect will be a bit better. Planting depth – they always say the deeper the bulb the longer it will last (a bit more on longevity later).

Third, colour. I think this is the most important thing of all. I wasn’t quite sure when anything would come up – I’m still not! But I wanted to make sure that there were colour themes running through, which worked. In my hot border, it was a question of going all out – hot purples, oranges, reds. In my cool border – pale creams, whites, greens. I LOVE bicoloured/dutch tulips so these weave their way throughout. This year I will be planting 1000s more Queen of the Night – dark black tulips – which co-ordinate brilliantly with pale or hot colours, but help stitch the whole garden together.

I will also be more intrigued by spot hot colours. I’ve purposefully ordered some strong burnt orange tulips that I am going to dot through the cool border. Just to see what happens.

Fourth – shape. Personally, I don’t like stubby little tulips – especially the early ones. I love the stature and structure of Darwin hybrids, and I LOVE parrot tulips more than you can imagine. My only rule is – if it belongs in a french underwear shop, it doesn’t belong in the garden. So nothing too pink, and nothing too frilly.

Fifth. Longevity. The real pain of tulips is you go to all that expense, and then all that effort – and then the rumour is they don’t last for more than a year or two. My plan at the Old Parsonage is to have started with a bang, but then keep adding more fireworks. I made another massive order this autumn, which we’re about to start planting now. Either next years’ display will be even more manic, or some bulbs won’t have made it, in which case the new will hopefully supplement the old. But as I said at the beginning, the key is to find a wholesale company where you’re not paying through the nose to start with. One can be a lot more relaxed when each bulb has cost a few cents rather than a few dollars. Tulips in that way become a lot more intriguing than cut flowers – a lot cheaper, a lot more beautiful, and much longer lasting!

Last year, as I say, I went a little mad. Some combinations worked brilliantly. Others not quite so well. The beauty was the latter. Those were the tulips that you could go out into the garden and pick, in massive bunches, which looked great indoors – while all the time improving the effect in the border. I think that is known as a double win.

The company I use to purchase my bulbs: dutchbulbs.co.uk.

Thank you Ben! View more images from his gardens, here.

Katy: Stateside bulb catalogs to check out: vanengelen.com (best prices for large orders) and johnscheepers.com.

All images courtesy of Ben Pentreath

My New Sun Hat

Katy Elliott — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 14:04:22 +0000

Chelsea snapped this photo of me sporting my new sun hat at Terrain. I’ve been really into hats this summer with the excessive heat and my fear of burning my face—I have really fair skin. I seek out hats with large brims and UV50+ protection. I love the Abby hat for the beach, gardening, or walking around town. For sailing I’ve been wearing this one made by Scala. The brim is a bit larger and it has a internal cord so I can tie it tight to my head so it doesn’t blow away.

Photo by Chelsea Fuss

My Day At Terrain

Katy Elliott — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 16:09:49 +0000

Styer’s garden cafe

On Tuesday I was invited to a blogger event at Terrain in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania. Owned by parent company Urban Outfitters; Terrain is a garden center, cafe and home store. I spent hours strolling the property checking out beautiful unusual plants. The attention to detail and design is incredible.

Above a snapshot inside the year around cafe. The flowers and light tangle together creating an out this world lunch experience. Around the corner a store featuring gardening, cooking and home accessories completes the experience. Follow a path out to the gardens and be lost for hours in the rows of plants.

In the afternoon we made terrariums using this glass hanging orb and collection of plants found in their nursery. The one I made has a violet, maiden hair fern and a pink polka dot plant which is good for a house without a lot of sun. Maybe I’ll stick it on a bookshelf?

I had a hard time editing down my photos because the store is so beautiful and so many of you have already e-mailed me asking for photos and how my trip went…I hope you enjoy and hopefully you can take a trip to visit too!

Terrain
914 Baltimore Pike
Glen Mills, PA
610-459-2400
shopterrain.com

Tables layered with containers and plants are scattered throughout the property.

A wall of coleous caught my eye.

Gorgeous and unusual stripe petunia combination.

Echinacea glowing in the afternoon sun.

A wall outside the cafe covered with grain funnels.

The cafe during lunchtime.

A view of the ceiling of the greenhouse cafe.

The terrarium room inside the store filled with containers and plants.

Painted canvas hanging over our heads during the terrarium class.

The terrarium I made.

A table at the entrance displaying a fall color story.

Shade perennials and cottage where I got a facial!

A beautiful display of sedum.

Giant leaves inside the store.

Books, tabletop and plants displayed inside the store.

A large container with echinacea and a view inside the store.

*Full disclosure: I was invited by Terrain to attend the event. I was NOT asked to write a post. I am happy to help promote the store because they’re amazing. I have purchased a number of products previous to my visit and have been extremely happy with their customer service and quality.

Snug Harbor Farm

Katy Elliott — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 15:28:58 +0000

I took the day off on Wednesday and headed up to Maine to hang out with Michael Penny and his lovely wife Sara. He’s an editor at Canadian House & Home and writes a great blog too.

We spent the morning scouring the booths at Antiques USA in Arundel and then headed down to Snug Harbor Farm in Kennebunk. We spent at least 2 hours looking at all the different plants, poking in and out of greenhouses and enjoying the beautiful scenery. It’s such a special place!

I picked up a few new perennials—even though I have no room in my garden—and a beautiful succulent to place on my desk. Below snapshots I took on my visit.

Snug Harbor Farm
87 Western Avenue
Kennebunk, ME 04043
(207) 967-2414
snugharborfarm.com

Blue Hydrangeas From My Garden

Katy Elliott — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 16:59:01 +0000

Blue hydrangeas cut from my garden after a torrential rainstorm. Their buds rain soaked brushed the ground. Seven blossoms pruned and layered into a white ceramic bowl to be placed at my bedside.