Archives for 2014

Sunday Opinion: Good Hands

Watching this garland go up yesterday, it occurred to me that the real story of our holiday landscaping is about the people who make it all happen. Rob, Sunne, Monica, Christine, Shannon, Scott and Margarita make sure that Detroit Garden Works is stocked with every material we might need. From fresh cut great quality greens,branches and cones, picks in every conceivable color and style, lighting both stock and custom made, to zip ties and bamboo poles in bulk, this wide range of materials makes it possible to put a look together. If you shop at Detroit Garden Works, you probably have put the names with the faces, as they do such a great job of interacting with people.

The people who work for the landscape design and installation division, Deborah Silver and Co, work behind the scenes. They do all the fabrication, and installation of our projects. It may be startling that a group of people who know how to lay out a landscape, plant, and finish an installation know how to construct and install winter and holiday containers and garlands, but they do. Each one of the eight of them has their particular strengths. To their great credit, they all know how to work well with one another to bring a project to life. They certainly deserve the lion’s share of the credit for everything we do.

The columns are quite beautiful. They did not need anything in the way of decoration. My preference was that the garland would seem to drop at the outside edge of the porch roof. The fascia would need enough screws and concrete wire to hold the heavy garland. Owen and David, who usually take the lead in an installation, added a pair of vinyl covered steel poles at either end. This would provide an armature that would take the garland wide of the columns.

Four people and 4 pairs of hands made the business of getting the garland aloft a graceful and fairly quick affair. All of the design and fabrication issues had been dealt with in the garage. All of the installation issues were reviewed and planned on the ground. It was easy to locate the center of the porch roof. The dentil molding on the underside of the overhand was symmetrical. This garland would be hung in the center first, and then progressively, out to each edge.

Everyone involved with hanging the garland could rely on the integrity of the fabrication. The top, bottom and front face of the garland was clearly marked. The plug for the lights was on the left side, as the only exterior electrical outlet was on that side. Every element, even those we attach on long wires to permit rearranging, were securely attached.

It was a pleasure to watch the four of them work. While we 5 were on this installation, 3 people were in the garage, working on our next project.

We did put lighted winter containers on the porch, on either side of the door. The porch roof makes this a dark spot, in spite of a ceiling fixture. A pair of wire baskets were lined with moss sheeting, and filled with mulch and soil. The centerpieces were comprised of several bunches of cut pussy willow. Fresh cut magnolia and gold poly mesh added another layer of interest. AG does most of our exterior lighting and hookups. A strand of lights tucked behind the magnolia would light the pussy willow at night. A strand of garland lights would illuminate the mixed noble and silver fir. An extension cord was place right next to the step up into the house, and covered with a door mat, for safety’s sake.

The garland detail

A pair of pots with boxwood had been on the top tier of the stair pillars. We moved them down one level, so all four pots would be visible from the street.

The crew that made and installed this garland is a highly skilled crew indeed. They have expanded their skills in ways of which I am very proud. We have worked together a long time, and it shows.

My clients sent me this picture last night. They are pleased, and so are we.

Posted on: December 7, 2014 23 Comments

Filed Under: Winter, Lighting, Holiday Tagged With: the holiday landscape, natural garlands, holidays containers, decorating for the holiday, holiday garland, winter containers

All Natural

A client whose exuberant husband was campaigning for more in the way of holiday decorations outdoors had only one request. All natural materials, please. Garlands comprised of fresh fir, grapevine, tallow berries, pine cones and magnolia are as natural as could be, and fit right into an existing landscape. All of the materials came originally from the landscape. The textures, colors and forms are easy on the eye, meaning is just about impossible to over do a natural look. I was not worried that my client would feel overwhelmed. I was sure it would just feel warm.

Properly judging the volume and scale needed can make a world of difference in the result. For an entrance garland, big sugar cones have much more impact from the ground than white pine cones. Magnolia leaves read well from a distance, as they are large. White tallow berries stand out, as everything white in the garden does. Rolls of grapevine come spring loaded with volume. What might look over scaled on the ground will look just right, hung high on the wall of a building. To be sure we would have enough volume, we had 2 25 foot lengths ready to hang.

The first garland was attached from the right top corner of the front porch. The first 11 feet would be attached at frequent intervals across the width of the existing fascia board, to the left. The last 14 feet would drape down the left side of the porch.

Making sure a garland is firmly attached is a must. I have no idea how much this garland weighs, but the last thing you want is garland sagging in the wind and snow.

Having multiple points to attach the garland means you have the ability to place it exactly as you wish. For this porch, hanging the garland straight across and parallel to the ground would leave the view of the stone arch on the wall intact. Multiple points of attachment means the weight is spread out. Outwitting gravity just takes a little more time and care. It is easier to swag a big garland. The weight and gravity will see that your loops look graceful. But some architecture calls for a clean and simple look. A swag here would run counter to the lines established by the architecture.

Garland 2 was attached at the top left corner, and hung from the left all the way to the right side. This means there is a double thickness of garland above the door, and a single thickness down each side. A porch of this size calls for a substantial garland, hung outside the coach lights. The garland is a frame for the porch, and will not interfere with any coming and going.

We did run brown corded lights all along the grapevine. This will help to illuminate it at night. All you can see of the lighting in this picture are the light bulbs. The brown cords up high blend invisibly into the grapevine. The overall look of the garland is appropriate to the size of the porch, and looks very warm and inviting to my eye. The containers are simple. A roughly spherical shape of boxwood in the center is surrounded by silver fir. The topiary forms are strung with lights that describes their shape. There are garland lights tucked into the greens.

A pair of large windows in the front are faced down with steel boxes from Branch. The boxes were made wider than the window, and have a subtle bow front. The centerpiece from the fall planting was augmented with 2 additional pieces of the same material. These were added to the left and the right of the original centerpiece. The front 2/3rds box is stuffed with a mix of silver fir and boxwood. The rear 1/3rd is all boxwood. The boxes have lights near the centerpiece assembly, and in the greens.

Every year we hang one of Rob’s light rings in the window, with a plain magnolia wreath in the center. We wire the wreath to the ring in four places, so it stays put even on windy days. This year we added a garland over the top. A single garland is centered over the window, and hung high enough so the stone arch is still visible. The garland stops 16″ above the box, so as not to interfere with the shape established in the container. This is a warm winter look, with a splash of holiday.

Posted on: December 6, 2014 15 Comments

Filed Under: Winter, Holiday Tagged With: hanging garlands, winter decor, holiday garlands, holiday gardening, holiday decor

Day And Night

Day and night get equal play in our zone this time of year. There is no need to convince you. The dark and the cold is obvious to any gardener within range of my zone. Winter and holiday containers can help mitigate the down and dormant garden. Whatever you create in the way of winter pots has to have a little evening wear waiting in the wings. These pots positioned at the end of a driveway have silver eucalyptus and matte surfaced holiday balls-these materials are naturally reflective. White in the landscape comes to the foreground visually. Dark colors recede. The night light in this pot-wound around the topiary form. This form in a summer setting could provide structure for a vine. Unadorned, it is a sculptural element hovering over a planting. In the winter, it is an armature for a source of light.

The night light provided by the topiary forms is strong and lacy. Even the glass balls have a subtle glow. My client calls these the onion heads- with great affection, I might add. The look at night is welcoming. There is a practical aspect. The way to the garage is marked loud and clear.

We plant a pair of tall Belgian wood boxes for a client, every year, for all four seasons. We removed the fall planting yesterday-I was pleased that it still looked good. But for some wilt in the kale after a string of nights around 12 degrees, the fall planting was entirely presentable. But now is the time to move beyond the fall to the winter season. The winter arrangements need to be large, as the pots are big. They also need lighting, as the front of the house is not especially well lit. A string of garland lights, which has 300 bulbs on a 35 foot strand, has been wound around the base of the centerpiece. This will provide a first tier round of lighting at night.

Barely visible here is a second strand of 100 count mini lights on brown cords. This lights have been tucked between the eucalyptus and the red twig dogwood. During the day, those lights strings are all but invisible. At night, they will glow. A number of tall gold picks will pick up the twinkle light in the evening hours, and provides a little holiday sparkle. These branches can be taken out after New Year’s. The red twig and eucalyptus will look great for the remainder of the winter.

This is the basic structure and shape of an arrangement that will last all winter. I would bet it will still look serviceable in March. Cut noble fir wears like iron over the winter. The branches and the needles are very strong, and will handle any bad weather a winter has to dish out. The preserved eucalyptus will survive the winter without a blemish. No container arrangement delivers so well and for so long as a winter arrangement. No watering. No deadheading, or fertilizing. All there is to do is look, and be pleased about what you see.

The final details come after the basic structure is in place. Bringing the holiday expression, and the red of the holiday down into the lower portion of the arrangement makes for an execution which is all put together, and ready for company – top to bottom. A third layer of lights is added to the greens. Could there be too many lights?

During the day, these winter pots keep the front door company in a formal way. A holiday way. A winter way. The color compliments the stone on the house. These boxes are dressed for the winter season. The lighting contained within these pots will illuminate the entrance to the front door at night, over the course of our long winter. These clients are serious about the garden and the landscape. They rue the coming of the cold as much as you do. These pots express that interest in the landscape every day of the dormant winter season.

These boxes provide lots of light at the front door, after dark. Any light says welcome. Lots of light creates a glow that would warm the heart of any visitor.

I so value a beautiful expression of light for the winter season. Our darkness is long, and even the days are cloudy and gloomy – for month to come. A fresh snow will glow in this light. These lights will burn off a heavy blanket of snow. My advice? Turn the lights on.

Posted on: December 5, 2014 11 Comments

Filed Under: Holiday, Winter, Lighting Tagged With: lighting winter containers, landscape lighting, winter containers

Lighting Winter Containers

The most obvious sign that winter has arrived is the coming of the dark. By 5pm, our natural light is waning. If I leave work at 6pm, it is dark outside. If I leave home at 6am, it is dark. The dark and the cold can weigh heavily on one’s spirits. No wonder that many people express and celebrate the holiday season with lighting in some form or another. I have long thought that seasonal lighting is a form of gardening. I am not in my garden much now, nor will I be for the next 3 months. The winter garden is not a place to be, it is a place to view passing by, or view from in doors. The winter season has a beauty all its own. The bare trees and shrubs in the garden have a starkly sculptural appeal. The dried flower heads of hydrangeas are a warm brown-in a mass, dormant hydrangeas are beautiful. Provided that one can see them. Beautiful lighting in the landscape is an important aspect of good design. It consoles the spirit of the gardener who has been forced indoors for the duration.

If you have ever been to Detroit Garden Works, you know who Rob is. He does all of the buying for the shop, and is a very talented designer who has helped countless gardeners select ornament, furniture and containers for their garden. At this time of year, he helps people to design their winter and holiday containers. He also creates winter arrangements for clients. He has an abiding interest in lighting. He takes great care to redo the lighting in the shop every season. He has designed lighting sculptures that make a visual statement with a minimum of effort. One of his steel light rings hung from a tree in the winter is beautiful in the most simple way. Hang it up, and plug it in, and enjoy both its form, and its illumination. A second series of light rings have a stand comprised of 4 steel rods that can be driven into the ground. Strategically placed in a garden bed, or in the grass, that ring will light whatever is within range. Over the years, his lighted sculptures have been created from topiary forms and found objects. Invariably, the containers he creates for clients have some form of lighting as a key component.

Given that we have just as much night time as day time, planning a seasonal container that has a presence in the dark only makes sense. We carry brown corded holiday lighting in a number of different lengths. The brown cords are much less noticeable during the day than the usual green corded mini lights. For these pots, he cut the tops off of a pair of rusted steel cone shaped plant climbers. This provides an armature for the light string that is floating above the greens. The steel top ring has been covered in grapevine- the light cords blend right in. A strand of lights encircles the pussy willow centerpiece. This light from the bottom helps to make the centerpiece read well at night.

I have no idea where these containers will be placed, but wherever that is, they will help light the way. I have a large container which I will light for the winter next to the stairs that go from my deck into the yard. Should I take the dogs out after dark, I can see my way down those stairs. I do have down lights in my trees, so I can enjoy the landscape at night and from inside. The additional light from that container puts a little light closer to ground level. These winter pots will have the same effect.

Even indoors in the garage, the halo light in these containers has a strong visual presence. If the person who ordered these containers is anything like me, they will run the lights all winter, until the days begin to get longer. A lighted winter landscape is a pleasure indeed.

early evening

mid evening

the light at night

Posted on: December 3, 2014 22 Comments

Filed Under: Holiday, Winter, Lighting Tagged With: lighting winter containers, container lighting, landscape lighting, holiday lighting

Archives for 2014

Sunday Opinion: Good Hands

All Natural

Day And Night

Lighting Winter Containers

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