This sassy arrangement of winter pots reminds me much of the client to whom they belong. She has an eye all her own, and doesn’t mind using it; this makes it easy to design for her. Tall thin woven planters make a forest of the porch. The distinct curving silhouette of the fantail willow makes a saucy statement up top in the large willow baskets. Four smaller roughly woven grapevine planters get a topping of twigs, chubby grapevine wreaths and chartreuse netting. Smashing.
Lighting the twig baskets themselves is unexpected and very effective. Multiple strings of mini lights with brown cords make it clear even during the daytime, that strong seasonal lighting can create a special look all its own. This big dose of lighting fun can’t help but make one feel better.
The summer plantings in these boxes, and pots are a welcome contrast to the stark and edited landscape. This picture makes me sigh just looking at it-this garden moment is a memory now.
The winter demands a whole new set of materials. The effect is more formal, and more subtle. The landscape still looks finished, even though the garden has gone down. Having the energy to pursue a project at its end with the same energy evident that I had at the start has much to do with the success of a design.
The lighting adds a dimension that responds to the fact of our quiet and dim winter season. Is there a need to give in-not so much.
The quiet and graceful arrangements in these containers rely on an interplay of color and texture. The subtle reverie of pale blue eucalyptus and yellow twig dogwood contrast with the highly textured white pine. The dusting of snow is so beautiful. Weather plays just as important a role here as it does in the greater landscape.
The lit topiary sculptures make another statement all together. Dressed for an evening out, these topiaries have the added bonus of bathing the entire porch area in a warm winter glow.
The transition from fall to winter can be a bleak one. This old finial looks chilly, now that the leaves have dropped from the lindens.
Fortunately nature has a way of providing her own special brand of winter light. The white snow catches and reflects all the available light however litlle there might be-even at night. Though I have been known to complain about the 6 months I have to spend gardening alternatively, in truth I would not give this season up. The snow cloche-lovely.
The Michigan skies go dark during our winter months. We have few sunny days; the winter solstice date, this year December 21st, is the shortest day of the entire year. The dark comes at 4pm, and is still around at 7am. The cold and the snow don’t bother me nearly as much as those gloomy skies. Should you not light your landscape, their will be precious little to see. Formally lighting the landscape is a topic all its own. I am interested today in how people garden with light. These scotch pine on standard in Belgian oak barrels outside my office window-a strong defense against the dark. 
My native winter landscape is notable for its cold, its interminable length, and its relentless snow. The light garland over my door is a combination of white, amber, and yellow lights; the centerpieces in the pots wound round with gold frosted lights. The pots are stuffed with giant nests of raw hemp fiber. The effect is warm and cozy. I am all for turning the lights on.
Light strings need not be confined to rooflines and Christmas trees. Urethane topiary forms densely wound with light strings cast their warm light in every direction. The biggest requirement for this project-the patience to wind and pin the wires with fern pins. A landscape focal point comes to life in a very different way, thus lighted. 
Rob invented these light bars. Wrapped closely around a galvanized pipe, and installed in the ground over steel rebar sunk in the ground, they shed light in every direction. They are beautifully sculptural in a contemporary setting. 
Many many light strings were needed to describe the shape of this old oak in lights. The structure of this tree is never more apparent than it is this time of year. 
He spot lit certain elements in the room- the refreshment tables in the middle of the space for the sake of utility, and ornament on the walls, for drama. What he lights is balanced by what he keeps dim. He strongly lit the auricula theatres on the wall, so his forest stick and light orb sculptures would not throw them into harsh shadow.
Simple votive candles can put light right where you need it. In this case, lighting the garden at the floor plane also lit the underside of our old French fountain planted with ferns. Natural candle light instantly romances anything it touches. 
Some of Rob’s light garlands get another decorative element. Light cords are are an incredibly unnatural shade of green; I cannot understand why an olive/brown color is not an option. We do buy lights with brown cords for wrapping sticks or tree trunks. This garland has a weatherproof ball garland that gives the light a diaphanous quality. This is my idea of good garden jewelry. 
Large light fixtures on the wall of the shop subtly light the Boston ivy vines on the opposing wall; the intense light in the pots, and on the tuteurs bring the ornament into focus. 
The chartruese lights repeat the color of the moss, and add dimension to the light. The light emphasizes the sparkle and sass of the holiday elements.
This is Rob’s winter berried vine light garland. The olive plastic holiday balls wired on every so often add texture and color that looks great even during the day.
The linden is draped in his light rendition of spanish moss. The unseasonably warm weather we have had for the past few weeks has been favorable for outdoor installations. In years when the really cold weather comes early, this kind of work can be daunting. With the temperature at 57 today, it is a perfect day to dress a garden in light.
These commercial grade light strings have frosted bulbs; they produce a very soft light that is easy on the eye. 
Though the ball garland in this strand is silver, the color of the terra cotta pot in which they are installed makes a richly colored night presentation vastly different than the day look. 
