Garden Design | Deborah Silver & Co.

Blistering

I am hard pressed to remember an early July with a string of days over ninety degrees, and going on to push one hundred degrees. For five days now, our weather has been blistering hot. Of course every gardener’s attention turns to the well being of the plants, when the weather goes haywire. The obvious medication for relentless heat-water. OK, watering is essential, but informed watering puts your efforts where it counts. Water does not solve every high temperature issue. Annual plants-they love the heat. Most are native to tropical climates where high temperatures are the norm. I have no idea off the bat where cosmos originate, but those needle like leaves mean they are drought tolerant. Why is this? Plants take up water, and the leaves sweat. A plant with a minimal leaf square footage transpires slowly. The giant leaved ligularias and butterburrs have enormous leaf surface; in the sun, or at the end of a hot day, their leaves are alarmingly droopy. Don’t sound the SOS yet. Heat makes all of us sweat. But heat does not necessarily mean they need more water. You can overwater plants, trying to cool them off.

Rob has had a hose in his hand for the better part of a week. Hot and dry conditions affect our trees, our container plantings, our boxwood-he waters. The extreme heat-I am seeing him in a baseball cap for the first time in 18 years. He looks like someone I never met-disconcerting. This astonishing tail end of June excruciatingly high heat makes the job of watering a critically important job. People and plants alike suffer-proper hydration is key.

This photograph taken in full sun does not much speak to heat. White flowers look fresh, no matter the temperature. The silver dichondra is waving to the right-your only visual clue that this 95 degree day was accompanied by a strong, drying breeze. Every plant in this old cistern is heat resistant. The burgeoning datura centerpiece is immune to the high temperatures. The thick leaves that transpire slowly-an ace in the hole. Petunias-so drought resistant. Euphorbia Diamond Frost-should you want to grow giant euphorbia, water sparingly.

These ultra double white petunias grow long-it is their only fault. Should you plant them with company that disguises their leggy arms-they shine. Never mind the withering heat.

Lotus-they love the heat. Those giant leaves never wilt- why would they? Submerged or just above the water’s surface every day, they look juicy no matter what the temperature. Clients that have no time to water- a container stuffed with water loving plants and lots of water-this might be an idea worth pursuing.

Junipers-even people who do not really garden know the word. They thrive on neglect-meaning, the less water, the less of everything, the better. Like the annual cosmos, their needle like foliage presents little surface area from which to transpire. 95 plus degrees-the junipers are unfazed. Should you have really high heat, sort out what needs water, and what is wilting from heat. If your trees and shrubs need water, soak thoroughly.

The cirrus dusty miller-no one grows this plant but my grower-at my request. The large silver felted leaves are so much more beautiful than the serrated dusty miller-would you not agree? These large hairy leaves are heat resistant-but big leaves need your hose when the going gets tough.

Phormiums-New Zealand phormiums-are immune to high temperatures and dry conditions. This plant-I have had it for the better part of ten years. I have never seen it wilt. If you garden in intense heat and dry conditions, get some phormiums going on in your garden. They look fresh and great, when it is one hundred degrees.

Most tropical plants love the heat-this banana centerpiece is no exception. Should extreme heat be sweeping through your neighborhood, remove those leaves at the soil level that threaten to rot. Encourage good air circulation. Clean culture is a good idea. I water the surface of the soil-and not the leaves. Heat and water provide an ideal climate for mildew and other fungal infections. Just like you, I have the idea to put as much as I can to a distress call; this weather makes me want to shower everything with cool water. I have desperation watered plenty of times. Should you get a garden SOS, think before you act.

Late day comes, sooner or later. What you were sure would flop over and expire lives to see another day.

It is appallingly hot-no gardener in my region questions this. Nature-she has a way of making everything in a garden a challenge. My annual plants are loving this heat, and growing like crazy. Keeping them watered is like adding a part time job when I already work full time. But when I look at my plants, all in all I like what I see.

Posted on: July 6, 2010 1 Comment

The Garden Cruise

For the past three years I have sponsored a tour of landscapes and gardens of my design or influence-in the interest of contributing to the programs of the Greening of Detroit. I am embarrassed to say that I only became acquainted with the Greening only three years ago. This year is their year long 20th anniversary celebration-marking a 20 year committment to planting trees in the city of Detroit, sponsoring urban farms (over 600)-and the teaching. Teaching people how to grow, how to protect and preserve the environment. What they do for our city-astonishing. One of their board members, the architect Michael Willoughby, nominated me to their board. I was pleased to accept. I am not the best board member-I am better at a local, and more hands on event in support of them .

I committed to sponsoring this garden tour, the proceeds of which would go to the Greening. 100 percent of the proceeds of all ticket sales-every dime goes to the Greening of Detroit. Deborah Silver and Co, and Detroit Garden Works maintain the cruise website, advertise the cruise, and put on the reception. I am happy to do so in recognition of what they do for our city.

I am out of my element, if the topic is politics. I am not good attending meetings, nor am I happy to be part of a committee. I have no interest in discussing community service-I was just raised to believe I should do my share. I was raised to believe that if I am able to help, I should. I told Monica from the Greening-I will make it my business to organize a tour, with the intent of raise money for the important work that you do, to the best of my ability.

The past two years, the tour has raised 25,000.00 for the Greening. Were you to ask me for a list of projects I am most proud of-this tour would be right up there. Should you live in my area-try the tour. This year, we had people calling in March for tickets. The tickets are available at Detroit Garden Works. If you cannot tour July 18, consider a contribution to the Greening of Detroit.

I am not the go to person for social, political or economic innovation. But I am quite sure that the work of the Greening over the past twenty years has benefitted our city. I would do what I could to support it. If you are able to support it via the tour-I am asking that you do so. Hard times have hit all of us-should you not be able to tour, spread the word however you can. The tour is exceptionally interesting to committed gardeners. Check out the tour website: www.thegardencruise.org.

These photographs do not begin to do justice to the gardens on this year’s tour. It is a friendly and fun event for gardeners. I’d be pleased should you decide to join us.

Posted on: June 23, 2010 1 Comment

Filed Under: Landscape Design, Garden Design, Detroit Garden Works

A Dwarf Conifer Garden

I made my first visit to this garden in 2006. My clients-serious gardeners. Ray is first and foremost a rock lover. He collects little rocks, big rocks, boulders-like I said, he loves rocks. He built a waterfall and pools in their backyard-I was impressed by his efforts. Janice-she is a committed science teacher, and horticulturally adept. She is a player. The two of them asked me to intervene in their efforts. In 2007, I planted a group of dwarf conifers for them.

The pond bridge, the waterfall, the pools,the deck, and the perimeter plantings were largely in place when I got there. I assembled a group of dwarf evergreens I thought would soften Ray’s rocks, and provide year round interest. They live in a neighborhood; the views to the neighbors-not so good. They needed a landscape that addressed their sophisticated tastes in plants, that also screened out untoward views. A private garden oriented around interesting and unusual plants.

Proper planting means big spaces in between. Dwarf conifers grow slowly, but they grow. Some so called dwarf confiers actually attain considerable size when they age. I am by no means an expert on the topic, so I studied up on those evergreens that interested me in terms of shape or needle texture or color. A few key or central plants, and a supporting cast for each. The first year-there is lots of bark in evidence.

My visit today, some three years later-a different story. They are great gardeners-every conifer has grown, and looks healthy. I could barely believe I was visiting the same garden. Dwarf evergreens of contrasting forms, colors and textures had covered the ground. It may be tough to spot, but my arrangement of dwarf conifers took into account a view of a blue spruce on a community berm at a distance. Blue evergreens-they look their best far away. Study this picture. That blue spruce far away adds visual depth to what is a small garden. Placing blue needled evergreens far and away adds great depth to a landscape. Though this spruce does not belong to them, it is part of their garden view.

The varying textures and colors of greens are very pleasing to the eye. I would imagine this garden is lovely with a dusting of snow, or on a rainy day. The best part of evergreen plants is how weather changes their appearance. No doubt there will be some sort of weather, every day. Planning a landscape to take advantage of all of the seasons is worth the challenge. A good landscape design takes the predictable growing, the weather, and the unexpected issues into account, and still reads strongly. How this garden looks today pleases me.

Ray’s bridge has settled down-it reads as part of a whole now, given its green company. Goldfish swarm the pool. There is a water lily blooming. Most everything I planted is growing vigorously.-no garden is without loss and disappointment. These clients have an oasis of their own making. They have done all the work of the watering, the pruning, the feeding, the nurturing-the fussing about. I spent two days there. They have done four years worth of work.

I do not mind visiting some projects, years later, with enchantment on my mind. My favorite clients-those gardeners that scoop up the idea and the installation-and go on from there. How I admire those clients who understand what it means to take up the reins, and go on. A Princeton Gold maple planted outside the fence, and as far away as possible, lights up the foreground planting. It was mrecilessly hot and sunny yesterday, but the look here is lush and refreshing.

This conifer garden-I would have it. They have looked after it in such a way that they deserve a prize. I do my share of the work-but a committed steward is everything to a garden. Some days I would just as soon give away my garden as have it. Then I have lucky days. Yesterday Buck accidentally locked himself out of the house an hour before I got home. All the watering chores got done. I was only adrift for one second- I got in the fountain, and had a glass of wine.