The centerpiece for a winter container will be all the better with the addition of light. After all, we have 12 hours of darkness this time of year. Nothing warms the winter landscape like lights glowing. Years ago it was a source of endless frustration, trying to arrange and suspend incandescent light strings in the air-so as to illuminate a twig based centerpiece. LED lighting devices are readily available now, making the job of getting winter containers to glow an easier one. Many of them so faithfully mimic a natural twig that they are invisible during the day. But no device is as beautiful, sculptural, effective, and simple as Rob’s light rings. A steel circle welded from steel channel is wound round with LED light strands that are attached every few inches with small zip ties. The rings have a base with 4 prongs that can be inserted into the soil of a container, or in the ground. The winter container pictured above was done by a good client of ours, whom we loosely coached on the finer points of our method of winter container construction. It did not take much time for him to grasp it all and run with it. This 54″ diameter bowl is home to a 5′ diameter light ring. The effect, even during the day, is spectacular. A light ring of this size needs additional ballast in the form of steel rebar, which is pounded down in to the soil, and attached to the light ring armature with concrete wire.
This picture reveals the look of the light ring from the side. We frequently make a separate foam form for the light ring, which will sit on top of the form that holds the greens. This makes for an easy installation of the light ring. Barely visible at the bottom is the triangular steel armature for the ring. This form is incredibly strong and stable.
This particular construction features ball shaped lights attached to white faux branches. As the container has white faux berry stems, the lighted sticks are readily disguised. Making the lights in a container as invisible as possible during the day is a mark of thoughtful construction. Once this container is installed, no one will see the cords, transformers and electrical strips. What will shine the brightest is that all over glow.
The light ring is first and foremost a circle. That geometric form has no end of symbolic meanings, many of which have significance to gardeners. The lighted ring is a symbol of hope to me-the hope for the light at the end of the long tunnel coming up called winter. And the banishment of the winter dark. If none of those descriptions prove to be appealing to you, there is also the simple beauty of the form, and how it can organize and add visual and emotional heft to a winter pot. I am personally fond of an arrangement that keeps the complete circle visually intact. We either cut the greens below the lights on the ring, or install short pieces.
When Birdie adds greens to an arrangement, she is always watching the effect of her placement, and not her hands. This is a difficult concept to put in words. The hand will find the spot to insert a stem when the eye finds the spot where the stem should be. It takes imagination and confidence to work like this. The dry floral foam is very forgiving of a placement that needs to be changed or tuned up.
Though the twigs, picks light sticks look wonderfully chaotic, the process of assembling them so all the elements are evenly and brightly lit asks for a focused hand.
I can tell by the relaxed look on Birdie’s face that she is about to sign off on this pair of arrangements.
They look fiery in the shop. They will light the front door and portico of our client’s house in a dramatic and welcoming fashion.
The finished winter box has a sculptural presence, even during the day. It is evident in this picture that all of the lights in the ring will be clearly visible at night. Tougher to spot are the lighted white stems integrated into the dogwood branches. They will help to illuminate those branches at night.
pair of lighted pots
Snow flurries and a garland finishes the winter warm up.
See what I mean?
Ordering materials for containers on line or from a print catalogue is incredibly difficult. I have tried it, and I have had plenty of materials delivered that were not great. As in, did I buy this, no kidding??? I have tried to avoid shopping on line. I shopped the holiday and winter materials in person with Rob for 5 or 6 years. I liked being able to hold a pick in my hand. I could see the color. I could assess what its durability would be in a container. I could see the finished height-and the width. I could see how it would read. I could see how the shape, mass, and color would work with other elements under consideration. I could see what picks would be investment caliber, and which would be a one season fling. My shopping days are over now. I am happy to turn over the shopping for the winter season materials to Rob and Sunne. I have confidence that their choices will work for a wide range of my projects. And I respect and am intrigued by what materials they chooses from their own individual aesthetic. It is up to me to put what they buy together in such a way that my clients feel their taste is represented. If you are thinking that my design for holiday and winter container arrangements is fueled by beautiful materials- you are right.
A client came in last week wearing a tee shirt that had the word BEAUTY printed across it. A few days later her Mom came in, wearing the same shirt. I have no idea as to the origin, intent or meaning of that word having been printed on that shirt. I did not ask. But it did set me to thinking about beauty. And how the pursuit and appreciation of it has been a life’s work, and the source of so much pleasure and satisfaction. Like many others, I came to be a gardener from an intense interest and fascination with the natural world. The visual drama of an emerging leaf, the impossibly intense blue color of a delphinium flower, the fragrance of a mock orange in bloom, the shape of an ancient beech tree-everything about the life of plants provides vigorous exercise and engagement to all of the senses. It is not at all unusual to know of a gardener swooning over this or that flower. So normal in my circle and probably yours. The beauty of nature provides a profound pleasure for the heart, hand, and soul, if you will.
A definitive explanation of what constitutes beauty is next to impossible, as it does not exist in a vacuum. A beauty designation is entirely arbitrary and fiercely personal. There is a unique relationship between the observer and the observed. What is seen and what is there to be seen. There are those gardeners who adore green flowers or spring ephemera, and those who wax poetic about hot pink peonies, yellow dahlias and red hibiscus. There are others that would be hard pressed to name a plant they don’t like, just as there are those who think that a beautiful landscape would by definition be confined to hellebores and beech trees. Zinnias are most beautiful to me in large part as they remind me of my Mom. Everyone has their own closely held ideas about what is beautiful.
What constitutes beauty in a garden is a topic of endless discussion. Gardeners and designers of gardens fiercely debate the fine points, and acknowledge their common ground. I admire some gardens and landscapes more than others, as some are more beautiful to me than others. Whether it be plants, houses, landscapes, art, books, music, bridges or… garden pots, a need for beauty has always been an integral part of the human experience. It is as simple and as complex as that.
It has been my good fortune over the years to come in contact with ornament for the garden of great beauty. I owe most of that exposure to Rob, who has been shopping and buying for Detroit Garden Works since before it opened in 1996. It is our 25th year in business this year. I find it remarkable that a modestly sized garden shop in the Midwest has not only survived for that long, it has prospered – buying and selling objects and plants of beauty for the garden. That beauty designation by Rob might include something smart and forward thinking. Some other item might be redolent of the earthy odor of history, sassy and off center, or strongly evocative of a farm garden. His is a very discerning eye, and his range of expertise in his field has been amassed over a long period of time. Opening the shop all those years ago was about wanting to share that aesthetic with other gardeners, and make beautiful garden ornament available to others. That is what we do – celebrate the beauty of the garden.
Which brings me to a discussion of these pots. They are of French manufacture. A poterie that has been in business since the late nineteenth century has evolved from a company making terra cotta roof and drain tiles to a fine art studio creating pots of great beauty for the garden. The poterie was built but 300 meters from their clay quarry. There is precious little about them that is not to like. The sculptural shapes are classically French. The designs date back centuries. Each pot is hand made, and signed by the artisan who made it.
The contrasting surfaces are as appealing to the touch as they are to the eye.
This picture makes it clear that each pot is hand made. Each one of these olive jars is subtly different in shape and size than its neighbor.
The pattern of the rope inside survives the glazing and firing process.
The stamps
The collection of medium olive jars
This is indeed an extraordinarily unusual and beautiful collection of pots.
I am several years into a landscape project with great and ever so patient clients. In 2019 we removed their old dysfunctional driveway, regraded the entire front yard, and added back a new driveway and a landscape to go with. So far, so good. The back yard has been the subject of our efforts for better than a year. As the house is built on and into a steep hill, the rear yard had no flat usable space outdoors. Unless you count the 400 odd square feet pictured in the photo above. A large scale ipe deck with a swimming pool – part of which is cantilevered over an 11 foot drop in grade – has strongly addressed that problem. They like to entertain, and they are actively involved in supporting their greater community. They also like spending time out of doors. They were keen to create a place that would be beautiful and functional. The deck and pool were monumental undertakings, due to the sheer size, the difficulty accessing the site, and the extreme grade. We are very near the end of that part, but for the glass rails that will surround the deck. I am hoping the project will be entirely finished by the end of May, so they have the rest of this season ahead of them to enjoy it.
One component of that landscape was a pergola to be fabricated at Branch. Those of you who follow this blog know that I bought a 7 acre property with industrial buildings and large capacity bridge cranes in 2004, with the express idea of designing and fabricating heirloom quality objects for the garden in steel. We have been at exactly that over the ensuing years. The years have provided an opportunity to tune up fabrication protocols. And they have provided a framework for the evolution of design. Our original pergolas from years ago were designed primarily to provide large scale, organizing structure to a landscape. Seating areas under them naturally came to mind. They also could support large growing lax vines. Think climbing roses, climbing hydrangea, grapes and wisteria, or sweet autumn clematis. Both the strength of the steel and the permanent performance of the finish made them a great partner for vigorously growing vines that would put on weight, year after year. Those leafy plants that eventually grow over the roof would eventually provide shade.
However, not every location for a pergola is accommodating to in ground plants. The south end of this deck is long ways away from any soil, and the location is very sunny. We needed a structure with the intrinsic ability to provide shade. A pergola that could provide a shaded area for dining and seating would be a welcome addition to the deck furnishings. The curving louver design was inspired by the art glass sheathing a waterfall next to the pool. Engineering this roof took time. Eventually, 28 individual fixed louver steel roof panels that could be dropped into a framework built in to the roof were fabricated. The structure is 32 feet long, and 14′ deep. The 11′ height of the structure matches the height of a horizontal frame set in a series of 6 large windows on the facade of the house. The columns and corner brackets are beefy, as the roof is heavy.
All of the roof panels are identical. But they cast different levels of shade depending on their orientation. Since the spring season is up next, and the intensity of sunlight at that time of year is subdued, the panels were placed to provide a more open shade from the south side. Being outdoors on a sunny spring day is one of the garden’s most memorable experiences.
From the north side, the shade cast will be much more pronounced. The sun is still low in the sky now, so it will be interesting to see what level of shade is provided once the sun is directly overhead. In any event, the pergola will go a long way towards providing a comfortable place to enjoy the outdoors.
Everyone’s interest and participation in the landscape is unique to them. I have come to have loads of respect for all forms that expression might take. On a practical level, it means trying to provide whatever direction it takes to get people outdoors. It also means cultivating empathy as an essential element of good design. What could happen next is not predictable, but I have had numerous instances over the years of a tentative interest in nature blossoming into a commitment to the health and well being of a piece of property. Or down the line a garden with which to teach their children how to grow vegetables and flowers. Or a new found love for spring flowering bulbs or fruit trees. It happens.
There is a special personal satisfaction in having taken the design of a structure for the landscape to another level. Our head of design and engineering, Dan Moore, and his fabrication group of 6 do a terrific job of manufacturing our stock line of boxes, pots, fountains and ornament. They do an equally great job of engineering and fabricating something they have never made before. I think they like making those forays into the unknown. All they needed from me was the concept.
It will scarcely be another month or two before this space will be humming with activity. The waterfall will be running and the pool will be open to the sky.The glass rails should be installed by Memorial Day. The furniture has arrived, and is in place; the outdoor grill is hooked up. I can easily imagine this space full of people enjoying a summer evening.
The last part, as usual, will be the landscape. We will be ready to start that in a few weeks. Most of what we plant will be trees. A new generation tucked in to an existing old woodland.