Lighting | Deborah Silver & Co.

The Holiday Outdoors

As much as I like representing the holiday season in the garden, I like getting ready for it in the garage. Our garage space is large; we can set up a pop up fabrication shop that even Buck would like. The approach to the work comes first. It is key to doing a job efficiently, and successfully. We had a garland to make for a holiday installation. Dan Prielipp from Prielipp Greenhouses, a long time supplier at the Oakland County Farmer’s market, custom makes our mixed fir garland. We find that concolor, noble and douglas fir holds up the best and the longest of all the possible garland greens. We stretch out the garland on a series of cardboard boxes we save especially for this purpose. This brings the garland up to a height that is comfortable to work on. We split the garland in half, and reattach the pieces such that the vertical parts of the garland both left and right side have branches that face up. Branches up one side, and down the other offends my sense of symmetry. Upfacing branches will eventually respond to gravity, and open up. Open branches are more volumetric. Branches hung down will close as they loose their moisture.

We add noble fir where we think the garland needs more presence-these new boughs are attached with zip ties. We loosely wire and attach groups of pine cones to the garland. This is not a job to do on a ladder. All we will do on the ladder is wire the finished garland in place. Working on a flat surface helps to establish the front face of the garland. Once the groups of cones are attached, we wrap the garland with grapevine. Rob makes sure we have loads of these 35 foot long rolls in stock for the winter season. The grapevine was cut and rolled when fresh. When dry, these branches are wiry, and keep their circular shape no matter the weather.

The grapevine, rolled generously over the surface of the garland, is beautiful in its own right. But it also provides an armature upon which lots of other elements of the garland can be attached. I like garland that has is airy, and has a sculptural shape. The faux berries and glass ornaments of this garland were attached to nthe grapevine, not the garland. More importantly, we attached brown corded 100 count light strands to the grapevine. This placement will illuminate the garland at night. Lights wound around the greens are too close to assembly to properly illuminate it. I like to get the lights out there, over and above the garland.

Any materials that go outdoors have to be prepared to deal with freeze, and thaw. Every glass ornament we attached to the greens in the containers needed to be sealed with glue. Any water that would get inside and freeze would wreak havoc. The big idea here? Any element going in the garden for the holidays needs to be water tight, and securely attached. Take the time. The time it takes me to stake up a flopping Annabelle hydrangea or delphinium in bloom is 7 times the time it takes to put the plant supports in early on. Why this concern about the time it takes? Every gardener needs some free time to enjoy the results of the work they have done.

The garland got wired up in no time. For those of you who are afraid to put a screw into an exterior wall, I would suggest that the potential damage to the integrity of the wall from such a slight act is minimal. Hanging screws make hanging a garland simple. The peace of mind knowing that garland will stay put is well worth those little holes. My advice? Don’t fret over some holes in the wall 1/8 inch in diameter. Give your attention to the bigger picture.

A holiday expression in the garden takes some effort. Minimize the effort with a construction plan. Good planning can make the effort well worth the reward. This weekend promises milder temperatures. Get out there. Your family, friends, and community will appreciate it. Driving home tonight, I see so many houses in my neighborhood with holiday lighting ablaze. Love that. The installation of this project took only 2 hours. The centerpieces and greens were arranged ahead. The garland was road ready on delivery. There is no need to stand outside in cold weather longer than necessary.

This client likes red at the holidays. Integrifolia dyed red is perfect for her pots. The red glass dots enliven the greens. The garland lights will make the container glow, after hours. Red in December shines.

My crew spent a lot of time getting this project ready for installation. It was better than a day’s work. There was a lot of talk between them about the look of the finish. This I like. They review everything we do, and talk to me about it. The review from my crew-I treasure that moment. Work is one thing, but reflection and appreciation is better. Make, furiously. Reflect. Remake, or stand pat. Wade into the process. Enjoy every step of the way. Do more than you thought to do. Be generous. This is how I would describe garden making.

Brown corded lights attached to grapevine

red integrifolia centerpieces

A holiday landscape is a landscape for a moment. The winter celebration-delightful.

Posted on: November 29, 2014 15 Comments

Filed Under: Lighting, Color, Holiday Tagged With: the december garden, holiday in the garden, holiday container arrangements, holiday decor

At A Glance: And To All A Good Night

New Years evening, January 1, 2014.

Posted on: January 1, 2014 32 Comments

Filed Under: Garden Stories, Lighting, Picture This Tagged With: the new year, New Years 2014

Merry Christmas, Luca Della Robbia style

An Italian sculptor named Luca Della Robbia produced many charming works in glazed terra cotta from 1400-1475. Many of his plaques featured frames depicting fruits and vegetables. This style of decoration still persists centuries later, in a style of Christmas decorating known in this country as the Williamsburg style. Someday I would like to go there at the holidays, and see all of the wreaths and architectural elements decorated with the fruits of the harvest and holiday season. Though the Willamsburg decor is traditionally done with real fruits and vegetables, my interpretation of the style makes use of faux fruit. The fruit in the above wreath is produced from a weighted core, and a rubbery, almost waxy outer layer. The color and texture is incredibly realistic. This magnolia della robbia wreath, with proper care thast protects the dry magnolia leaves, will last many years.

Why am I thinking about the della robbia style? Rob made me 2 sets of Christmas lights-one for my tree and one for my mantel. The red, yellow and green lights have a remarkably jewel like glow. They so remind me of the Christmas trees I remember from my childhood. Those big glowing lights on on our Christmas tree were enchanting. Seeing anything through a child’s eyes is a way of seeing like no other. How would I decorate my tree to make the most of these extraordinary lights? It seemed a natural choice to pair this color and texture with a mantel and tree decorated with ornament of a similar feeling.

My holiday tree does not have ornament with an intrinsic history. No objects which provoke memories, in and of themselves. I actually like it that way. I like having the option to decide on a scheme or a theme that is quite different than the previous year. The challenge of creating a display that reflects the immediate sentiments, importance, and aura of the season is an activity I enjoy. When the seasonal work for clients comes to a close, it is time to go home, and create a little holiday spirit of my own.

The della robbia tree had a modest beginning. A Christmas tree, an evergreen garland, plastic ornament balls in lime green, and lots of faux fruit. Having been laid low by the worst cold in a decade, Steve saw to getting the tree and mantel garland up, and the ornaments on the tree. Angie stuck the large fruits with floral picks; it is vastly easier to secure a stick than a heavy round slippery fruit. The rest would be up to me. For the better part of a day, I worried I might not have the strength to decorate our tree. Funny how once a project captures your interest, troubles fall away. Early on it became apparent that the big fruits could not go on the tree. They were much too heavy. The big fruits would have to go on the mantel.

The mantel garland was secured around a thick bamboo pole, and secured to the weighty metal mantel lights with zip ties. I managed to find spots in the evergreen garland that would grip the picks. As for the tree, I had to change gears. A trip to English Gardens yielded 10 boxes of dark red glass ornament balls. Miniature limes and green apples could easily be fastened to the tree-after Buck wired bag after bag of them for me. 40 red berry picks, when taken apart, yielded 480 individual berries. Other bits included 6 boxes of shiny lime green mini berry clusters.

I like a Christmas tree that still looks like a tree, even after it is decorated. This involved wiring on many small bits. Big bits can engulf a Christmas tree. I favor lots and lots of just a few types of little things.

I attached the red berry balls to the tips of as many branches as I could. At the time of this writing, I still have about fifty to go.

The tree and mantel only have 30 lights, but the bulbs are big, and make an impression. How this feels to me is nostalgic and warm-just how I like to celebrate the season.

I owe the look to the inspiration provided by Rob’s lights. May your holiday be just as warm and bright as mine has turned out to be.

Posted on: December 24, 2013 14 Comments

Filed Under: Winter, Lighting, Holiday Tagged With: Christmas tree, holiday decorating, holiday lighting

Shimmering

It doesn’t take much to add a little holiday shimmer to a winter container arrangement. Anything that sparkles is very festive. Sinamay is polyester fabric that can be found shot through with metallic threads. It holds its naturally curvy shape no mater the weather. Not great with swags and bows? This material does the work for you. I fold it over, and run a wire through the bottom near the crease edge. Once I pull the wire as tight as it will go around the centerpiece, I get plenty of curls and curves. That shimmer is great during the day, and especially effective at night in pots that have lighting. A little glitz and glam has its time and place. It takes but a second to remove it after New Years. Should you decide to leave it on all winter, the metallic threads will dull down after exposure to winter weather.

New for me this year is eucalyptus with a metallic finish. The centerpiece in this pot is 2 parts whitewash, and 1 part silver metallic. This is just enough shimmer to brighten the daytime look. I am sure the look is quite sparkly at night, given the lights in the topiary form.

The arrangements have a subtle glow, given the late day sun, and read well from a distance. The pots are placed at the end of a driveway, where they frame the natural landscape behind.

The side door pot has the same combination, with the addition of some white flocked picks. The dry natural stems have just a hint of silver flake on them. The overal effect-shimmery.

These pots have plum eucalyptus mixed with copper. The effect is subtle enough that I wouldn’t be afraid to leave them in the arrangement all winter. Michigan winters are particularly dreary. Anything that reflects what little light we have is a visual treat. The snow and the cold are ok, but the gloom is just about intolerable.

Red bud pussy willow has a naturally copper cast. The copper metallic leaves by themselves are a little overwhelming, but in a mix, they shine

These winter pots have pale green glittery picks in between the pussy willow and the white berry picks. They are the perfect note for a holiday party.

That glittery layer speaks to the holidays coming up. Once the holidays pass, those picks can be removed. The more somber winter arrangement will look great through March. Spraying wiltpruf on fresh cut greens does improve their longevity. Wiltpruf is a water and was emulsion which slows the rate of evaporation from the needles. Cut evergreens that dry out look bad. The most effective professional grade antidessicant is called VaporGard. Growers at my local market spray their ornamental cabbages and kales with it after transplanting them out of the field. It does indeed prevent wilting.

These light strings on metal poles Rob calls lightsicles. Certain of the mini lights have plastic light covers over them in a random pattern. They look great hung from the eaves of a house, or from a tree. For the holidays, we loosely wrapped a sinamay ribbon around the poles, and pushed the glass lights through the mesh. The ribbon reflects natural light in a very subtle way. Light strings are very hard to use in a design, as the daytime look is so much about the wires. Using lights with brown cords, or garland lights that have the bulbs placed close together can help.

This little bit of sinamay ribbon allows the light to shine through at night, and covers the steel pole and wires during the day. The chartreuse ornaments are plastic-a perfect material for outdoors.

It’s time for the sparkles.

Posted on: December 7, 2013 16 Comments

Filed Under: Detroit Garden Works, Lighting, Holiday Tagged With: holiday decorating, holiday decor

The Holiday Outdoors

At A Glance: And To All A Good Night

Merry Christmas, Luca Della Robbia style

Shimmering

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