The Magic Created by Garden Rooms

(Click the photo to enlarge, if you'd like)

Today was one of those days that come in mid-winter, when I know the weather won't stay like this, so I appreciate it even more. It was in the mid-60's, but there was enough of a blustery wind to remind me that it is definitely still February. The temperatures have been in the 50's and above for about a week now, so the spring flowers are starting to really show off in the garden.

I was walking through the garden early this morning, and came to the area that is named "Zone 35" on my official work list, but which we all call "the white swing." Most everyone knows that I have huge respect for the original landscape architect, and this area is one that has matured very beautifully over ten years. The additions I've made recently "garnish" this area in a way that I hope compliments the original design.

At this time of year, the white swing area is distinctly blue and white, although one wouldn't probably say that at most other times. I've attached a photo of this garden room taken last June, which shows the more wooded, dark green cast that it has most of the year.

This little area really demonstrates the beautiful magic that comes from dividing the garden into smaller "rooms." The garden in total is more than 4 acres, so it sometimes feels just massive; having little rooms like this brings things down to a more intimate scale. Since the deciduous shrubs are now bare and have been pruned back, what is left is the gray Crab Orchard stone, the pristine glossy white of the classic swing, and the distinct blues of the Vanderwolf Pine, the Carolina Blue Sapphire, and some Blue Atlas Cedars that are out of view in this shot. I realize I need to take a winter photo as I'm reading this back, since you also can't see the dozens of snowdrops and white pansies that lead up to the swing. It really is the perfect place to sit with a book to enjoy the unusually warm February day in complete solitude. Hopefully you're enjoying this beautiful season, as well.....

A "Sense of Place" in Gardening

I'm finally able to wrap up some things from the Southeastern Flower Show, though my garage still contains a giant tub of plants sitting in moist soil that came out of a number of different containers; one of tomorrow's projects is repotting those things to utilize them in some cool summer display.

I spent much more time at the show this year than I typically do, which gave me the opportunity to really look at some of the awesome exhibits in great detail. The show was smaller this year, but I felt it was much more appealing in lots of ways, as well.

On one of my many forays into the bookseller's booth, I picked up a book called "Great Gardens Great Designers," which starts out talking about how people changed their style of gardening in England at the turn of the last century; specifically they were responding to the Victorian collecting of exotics, and moving in a direction that was geared more to native plants, hardy plants, etc., that were more typical of England. The lightbulb went off for me that this is the same pattern we're seeing now, and it's why there was a certain comfort in this year's display gardens at the SEFS.

It was a treat to see so many gardens that were realistic for Atlanta, and weren't a collection of exotics that need to be disassembled in September to be crammed into the greenhouse for the winter. It seemed that many of the designers featured more of the things that do really well here -- lorapetalum in a million forms, lots of conifers that have proven their value here, azaleas, rhododendrons, gardenias, and such. It was also great to see very little turf being used in the display gardens....let's face it, there is nothing easy about growing a great lawn in Atlanta! What a radical idea to promote plants that actually do well here! Why not have a garden that identifies itself as an Atlanta style, rather than tropical, Mediterranean, or desert?

I was very proud to have only purchased two new plants for my garden at this year's show. First I got an amazing pine (Pinus densiflora "Aurea") with chartreuse needles that is going to be amazing against a backdrop of magnolias and hollies in my garden; second, I got several "Bramble Ferns," which are native. Anyone who know me is clear that I'm not one of the native plant geeks, but this fern is just beautiful, growing about 3 feet tall in and around camellias, pines, azaleas, etc. It's my new filler plant, to bring some sense of order to my wooded area......as if that's possible.....