So many choices.
At A Glance: Great In The Shade
Posted on: July 11, 2014 34 Comments
Deborah Silver is an accomplished and experienced landscape and garden designer whose firm first opened its doors in 1986.
Deborah Silver is a landscape and garden designer whose firm, Deborah Silver and Co Inc, opened its doors in 1986. She opened Detroit Garden Works, a retail store devoted to fine and unusual garden ornament and specialty plants, in 1996. In 2004, she opened the Branch studio, a subsidiary of the landscape company which designs and manufactures garden ornament in a variety of media. Though her formal education is in English literature and biology, she worked as a fine artist in watercolor and pastel from 1972-1983. A job in a nursery, to help support herself as an artist in the early 80’s evolved into a career in landscape and garden design. Her landscape design and installation projects combine a thorough knowledge of horticulture with an artist’s eye for design. Her three companies provide a wide range of products and services to the serious gardener. She has been writing this journal style blog since April of 2009.
Copyright © 2024 · Deborah Silver & Co. · Detroit Garden Works
What a pleasure it would be to live with any one of these artfully collaged plants at one’s side on a shady patio, book in hand, the birds singing. Some ,especially the green and whites are as cooling as a Trane unit…. and oh, the containers themselves,… esp. that verdigris one.But that glazed egg shaped dark green one with the crazy antenae leaves…. that one seems to be saying “Human, take me to your leader!!!” . Thank you D, anyone who is lucky enough to get those…they’ve got it made in the shade~
Wow. Just wow.
LOVE them! How did you get that Coleus in the 3rd photo to grow like that? Some kind of support?
So many choices indeed!
Deborah,
Have you ever thought about putting together a coffee table type book of Container Garden Photos? I truly enjoy sitting and studying, not only your plant choices, but the containers as well. Maybe something to do during your free time. lol
The brilliant greens really light up the space. My favorite is still pic 13; the massive green pot that looks as though it were deposited by a dinosaur. Where does the sea green chair (pic 17) come from? I’d love to see a feature on garden furniture that can take both scorching sun and sprinkler water. So wish you had a West Coast shop!
Thank you for sharing wonderful pictures of the ways you use plants with color and variety. I love them all.
Dear Sara, you are welcome. Thanks for your letter, best, Deborah
A picture is worth a thousand words…
Beautiful!
Many thanks, Cynthia. You are so right. A good picture can tell the tale. Best, Deborah
Some lovely combinations here. Inspirational! Thank you.
I used several of your “planter recipes” this spring and summer Deborah. And I am a very happy gardener. Every time I walk by them it causes me to stop and stare and ponder and say thanks to you for sharing.
Thanks for your letter, Greg. I feel like we know one another! best, Deborah
Wow! LOVE THE SHADE!!! Great ideas and can you tell me what the name of the lime green plant that is dripping over the pots and out of the window boxes…looks like creeping jenny but don’t know as it is…beautiful color!
Thank you always for the inspiration!
Carolyn, What is dripping over is creeping jenny-yes.
All inspiring, as usual, but I especially love how the reds and purples “pop” thanks to the lime green and whitish leaves. The patterns of light and shadow are arresting, too!
Do all the beautiful ceramic pots have drainage holes? If not, how do you keep the plants from getting overwatered? I just bought beautiful teal colored pots and just realized there are no drainage holes!
Dear Pat, you can drill holes in your ceramic pot, with the proper drill bit. Best, Deborah
In the run up to the Hampton Court Flower Show, the BBC has aired a full hour’s coverage for each of the three nights preceding. Looking at your lovely photos reminded me of a waspish comment by one of the presenters who pointed out the hostas planted alongside lavender in one of the award winning gardens – something that would never happen in real life. Well, your containers are not just beautiful, they also ‘work in real life,’ which is a quality not to be disregarded….thank you again!
Containers that work in real life-that is a very important consideration. best, Deborah
I really, really, really love your work. Your containers remind me of Saipua’s flower arrangements.
Dear Lisa, that is high praise indeed! I greatly admire their work. Thanks, Deborah
Stunning! I have a wonderfully shaded yard, so am truly delighted to see all of your shade containers. What is the large-leaved plant shooting out the top of the big glazed green pot? Maybe a type of elephant ear? With the skirt of creeping jenny, it is a gorgeous container. Thanks.
Dear Marjorie, I am embarrassed to say that I do not know what that large leaved plant is-tropical plants are not my forte. It is a pretty commonly available tropical though. Tropical plants that tolerate conditions inside the house are great in shady places outdoors-in this case, under a big beech tree. Thanks, Deborah
I am pretty pleased with how my garden and pots look, then I view you sight, stunning as always. I thank you for sharing as I do learn so much from your photos nd blog.
I love your planters! I see you use a lot of nicotiana. Do you not have problems with aphids? I tried using N. sylvestris last year and they were like sticky fly paper for the aphids – regardless of whether they were in sun or shade containers. Anyone else have this issue?
Dear Barbara, I never plant n. sylvestris for exactly that reason-they invariably become infested with aphids. The other varieties don’t have that problem-for me anyway. Deborah
I adore the puple oxails. What a color. Lovely collection.
Wow! I should pay you for a Dr. visit, Deborah! I’ve been so under the weather, but the #13 green pot with creeping charlie and the taller leaves made me smile and helped me feel alive! Thank you! I love Marguerite’s comment: Some are as cooling as a trane unit. Splendid!
You are breathtakingly talented. Thank you for all of the gorgeous images. I adore the green pot with the tone-on-tone plant material. So pretty. xo, N.G.
Many thanks for your kind letter, NG. Best, Deborah
I’m sure you get this a lot, but could you please id the plants in the 12the pic from the top, the one with all the oranges? I think it is stunning and my husband would love it – he is a warm color person and I am a cool color person. Sometimes we find combinations that we both love and this is one of them. Thank you.
Dear Karen, the solenia apricot begonias are accompanied by 2 kinds of “finger” leaved coleus-I do not know the names. Hope this helps, Deborah
I’ve also enjoyed planting annuals coleus and caladium in my shade planters in the spring where they look great — until fall (here in Nashville, TN – zone 7), when the coleus get leggy and scraggly and the caladium flop over. Then what do you replace them with during winter?
Christina, my winters are very different than yours.You can search this blog for what we do for winter pots, but probably you have other options. best, Deborah