casual boxwood planters

via~HabituallyChic

via~The Urban Un-Martha

via~Homedecorphotos.blogspot.com

I have always wanted boxwood planters by my front door.  Partly because I live in Chicago and by February I am longing for something green by the door.  The other part, well, I just like the look.  Our home is not formal.  A 1967 basic split.  And with boxwood containers generally evoking a feeling of formality, I was a bit torn.  So what's a girl to do?  After doing my research and finding some inspiration of loosely shaped boxwoods in simple planters I just went for it!

Our front porch is primarily shade so I have always planted ferns and impatiens.   I went with Green Velvet Boxwoods because they do very well in the shady areas of my front garden.

Some basic planting tips I found from various articles...

~Choose a fast draining pot that is at least as wide and tall as the plant itself
~Stay away from heavy soils such as topsoil
~Leave space at the top to keep water from spilling out
~Water at least once a week in the summer months...be careful not to over water
~Add compost in the spring
~Try to rotate your containers

If they do well we might just have some green this winter and I won't have to buy annuals this spring to fill the pots!

Are you working on any containers this season? 

As always happy making, baking and growing!!!

MAKING Mondays....ghost garland {and some more pics of our garden room}

I started Making Mondays a while back to push myself to create at least once a week.  Ahhh..... let's just say that didn't happen!  One day the studio will be done, my stuff will be in one place, AND maybe I will have a few minutes to consistently create SO why not hang on to this idea for a bit longer!  

Projects these days have to be somewhat quick or kid orientated.

When the flood hit our home my Ikea curtains got stained from the muck water.  I knew I could repurpose some of the material and was able to do just that with this project.

All of the materials I had lying around...

*styrofoam balls *pushpins *dried flowers and stems *sequins *rope, yarn, ribbon *white material 

Using pins to attach the hanging loops and faces saved me a lot of time!

Instead of stringing my garland like I had originally planned, I hung the individual ghosts from our coat hooks.

Linking up with...

The Shabby Nest

The Lettered Cottage

I Should be Mopping the Floor

And here is what I accomplished today in the garden room...

lattice is installed and climbing hydrangea is planted

Autumn Clematis is safely transplanted to be grown over arbor

Catmint (Montrose White) and Miscanthus sinensis (Graziella) are planted under the window

Joe Pye Weed is planted..I have always wanted one of these guys!  Hope he blocks that meter soon!!

Japanese Forest Grass and Japanese Painted Fern transplanted today

It really doesn't take much to make me happy.  Just looking out the dining room window now brings me pure joy!  

All the best in the week ahead friends! 

Happy making, baking and growing!!!

side yard SOS...take 2!

Our side yard is coming along!  I can't say that it is lush and green and looking like this yet.....

Source via-Roomzar

or like this...

Source via-FIneGardening

But some changes have been made to create a private garden room.  

Some before shots...

And some progress...

fence and arbor installed

I planted a "silhouette"  which is a tall narrow tree to screen our neighbor's upper windows.

Leveled the ground after removing our raised veggie box and started adding some stones for stepping.

I found a bunch of bricks that were buried so I started using them for edging along this bed where I moved a "Blushing Bride" hydrangea, a pot of Impatiens,  and several Solomon Seal.  

I have to take more photos of what I have accomplished in the area but one of the beans dropped mom's camera!  Hence the pictures from my phone!!

until then....Happy Gardening!  

Salvador Dali and my dahlias

As I watch my dahlias emerge and eagerly wait to see how they will unfold, I was shocked by the surreal appeal of my dahlia "Mystery Day."  It made me think of an artist I studied back in my days at art school.  Salvador Dali is best known for his dramatic and bizarre images which were always fun to dissect for their meaning.  

Melting Clocks...source

I can't help but notice that Dali is similar in both spelling and pronunciation as dahlia.   Though they are both surreal to me, I do have an obvious favorite!

Happy making, baking and growing!!!  Here is to a wonderful weekend!

Linking up with....Fishtail Cottage

side yard SOS

The kitchen table is where it happens.  The stories, the laughter, and the memories.  Which would explain my frustration with this.....

One of our main windows looks out on to our south facing side yard.  We pretty much look at our neighbor's house.  And yes that is our air conditioning unit too!  As I have said before, when you live in the burbs you have to deal with the "suburban circumstances!"

  The patch to the left is our neighbor's and we are to the right.

The jungle is part of our veggie crop.  Tomatoes, peppers and carrots.

The idea is to create our own little secret garden that leads you to our garden gate.  I would like to take advantage of this sunny spot for more flowers.  And I have promised my 3 year old that our secret garden will have butterflies! 

So with the three beans in tow today, we hit the nursery for some Captain Yews to act as a screening for the side yard.  Might I add that loading 3 small children in a minivan with 3 medium sized trees and a stroller is just hilarious!  I now know that I can do anything!

via-Willoway 

 I won't bore you with my list of to do's here, but much of the transplanting has already begun thanks to J taking the beans to the park so that I could get digging!

Some lovely inspiration to push me along and to remind me to be patient!

 via-Fine Gardening

 source unknown

via-Houzz

 via-Oregonlive.com

via-Oregonlive.com

It is going to take time to transform this space, but I am up for the challenge and ready to hit it!  

Wish me luck!

partying at...Fishtail Cottage

a formal start

I'm not formal.  Nope.  On a typical day you'll find me with holes in my jeans, cuffed at the ankles so I can dig around in the dirt, one handed, with a baby on my hip.  Which is why it is so ironic that I am drawn to formal gardens. 

Now don't get me wrong, I do love the areas of my garden that are free flowing like these...

 But...

This quote about sums me up when it comes to garden design!  I plan on naming the different areas of my garden thanks to Laurrie at My Weeds Are Very Sorry and her fantastic post about garden names.  

The center bed has been changing ever since I planted a wall of privacy shrubs.  It has now evolved into a space fit for my small formal garden.

Shrubs filling in and hostas to be moved...

bed pulled out...

a start of a grouping that failed due to conditions and squirrels...

and today we are making some progress...

Ok, so it's a start!  The bed basically consists of Hydrangeas, foam flowers, New Guinea Sun Impatiens, and English ivy as a filler for this year.  I would like to add boxwood down the center leaving some space in between for plantings.  A larger focal point is key for the center of the bed but I'm waiting to find that special piece.  I will be adding several more plant varieties to this tricky space of shade and afternoon sun.  Overall, the goal is symmetry with a bit of whimsy! 

Looking to some inspiration....

I have admired the gardens of Craig Bergmann for some time now.  He is a Chicago based designer who also owns a 25 acre nursery.  In the latest issue of Michigan Avenue, Bergmann stresses his love of the seasons and says, "If you don't listen to the site, the site comes back and bites you in the butt."  Other designers refer to him as a "purist" who pays homage to the land. His work ranges from English gardens to green roofs.  

Craig Bergmann's work inspires me to push beyond the expected and to create a space that has depth through the use of formal and informal elements.

Craig Bergmann Landscape Design, Inc