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Shop Light, Shop Bright

Today was one of my most favorite days of the gardening year. I never know what day that will be-that is part of the excitement of the event. What event? My crews get most of the last of the landscaping work, and the winter and holiday pots finished. One moment later, they swarm the shop, intent on getting our holiday and winter display out front up and running. The 6 pots in front of the shop have had their centerpieces of pussy willow since before Thanksgiving. I have had lots of time to think over a plan for the holidays. Time has not particularly helped me this year-Icould not figure out what I wanted to do. But I knew I needed lights-and lots of them. So why not just get started with that?

The winter is a tough season for any northern born and passionate gardener. How I might survive the months of the grey freeze is of great interest to me. I would much rather create a hospitable place where I can live, than wring my hands, and spread discontent. Each of my 6 pots got their own nest of lights. We twist and zip tie 4 or 5 strands of lights of different sizes, and colors. White, red and lime is this year’s scheme. This is not an entirely simple thing-we plan the spacing so each 45 foot garland has lights equally dispersed along its length.

This giant wreath based on many stems of huck-I have owned it at least 8 years. Dusty,wobbly and in need of some some restoration work, I got it out of storage a few weeks ago; it would be perfect for this year’s field and weed holiday theme. I added many more twigs; I reglued every stem all around. Most of what existed from some 8 years ago was sound. The staying power of weeds is well known to every gardener. Rob is, and has been the driving force behind this year’s holiday. His trips into the fields to collect dead branches and weeds have made for a season with focus, purpose, and structure. This weedy wreath would be perfect.

A big part of the window box display in front of the shop-the dried remains of asparagus. The cultivation of asparagus-I have read lots about this. But only from Rob have I learned about the dry stems of asparagus-how their wiry skeletal branches might play a part in the winter season. The dead stems are amazingly persistent.

Once I get my act together on a plan, my crews make quick work of it. The window boxes got green, and had a bed of c-9 and c-7 lights installed in the center. Lucio was in charge of sticking the asparagus branches between the light string wires.

Bamboo stakes at the corners of the pots form an armature around which to wind the lights.

This gold and green sinamay does several things. It provides a soft transition between the geometrically placed willow stems, and the hard structure that is the light nest. The shimmery polyester threads will amplify the light coming from the garlands.

Multiple pots with lots of lights draws a lot of power; the shop has 2 20 amp circuits specifically installed for holiday lighting.

We have enough lights in the pots to create a daytime glow. Michigan is well known for its cloudy winter days-this day is no exception.

Dusk arrives 4:30 in the afternoon this time of year; we have an answer to that.

If you have not put lights outside for the holiday and winter yet, one light garland draped in the branches of the tree will do you, and your neighbors, a world of good.

Some holiday lighting asks for a well placed spotlight. Lots of lights can throw unlighted decor deep into shadow. Our wreath would not be visible at night, save for a pair of spotlights.

The window boxes now provide warm companionship to Rob’s pot o fire at the end of the driveway. Only one more detail remains to be done-can you spot what or where it will be it is?

Do try this at home. It will warm you up.

Posted on: December 14, 2011 6 Comments

Filed Under: Landscape Design, Holiday, Detroit Garden Works Tagged With: landscape lighting, holiday lighting, holiday decor

French Terra Cotta

I had notice from my customs broker today that the first of our two containers from France is in customs. This is such great news. This July 2010 photograph by Bertrand Kulik of the Eiffel Tower during a storm perfectly describes my anticipatory excitement. French garden design, French garden pots-what is not to like? Rob’s trip to France was in mid September of last year-some 4 months ago. Why so long a wait for a pair of containers? The bulk of our purchases were terra cotta pots, made to order. We bought many pots from the Poterie de la Madeleine over the past 15 years. Rob had a long standing relationship with the owner Roland Zobel, and his assistant, Madame Pellier. After his untimely death in 2004, the poterie de la Madeleine changed hands.

Rob shopped this past September in new places. New to him, that is. When he buys glazed French terra cotta pots, he does not buy from existing stock. He special orders every pot to be custom made for us. He specifies styles, sizes, and glazes that appeal to him, and contribute to a coherent collection. It takes a lot of time for these small French poteries to fill a special order.

Glazed French garden pots are indescribably beautiful. There are those classic designs and classic colors dating back centuries. There are new glazes and shapes that are enchanting. The small artisanal poteries produce very fine quality pots. They are very well schooled in the history, and small enough to take chances. Of course we are interested in all of the above.

These pictures from his trip to France are astonishing. I have never seen terra cotta for the garden produced and displayed on this scale in the US. I suspect the mild Mediterranean climates have much to do with the large space that is devoted to garden pots. Gardening is a way of life in Europe. This casual display is telling. The pot yard has a dirt floor. A garden pot has a job-it holds the soil, that enables the plants to grow-all in a beautiful way.

Of course I want my garden pots to be beautiful-who doesn’t? If they are steeped in history, I love that simmering stew. Should they have beautiful proportions, sound and sturdy construction, and heft, I am interested. Should their beauty enchant my eye and heart, the planting of that pot is as close to a perfect moment as I can imagine. Rob dealt with every French poterie in that self effacing and attentive way that marks his relationships with all of our overseas suppliers. This means we have a container in customs that is all about his respect for their craftsmanship, and his passion for the garden. That intersection of fired earth, and his vision-inside that container.

He called me multiple times last September about a matte green glaze that caught his eye. I completely trust his judgment. If he loves a matte green glaze, then I do too. 16 years of buying garden pots in France means he knows how to feel the clay. What do I mean by this?

I cannot explain this so well in words. He introduces himself to the pot makers. He looks at the thickness of the clay. He tries on every glaze, every patine ancienne. He considers the history. He considers every new interpretation. He takes the time to make thoughtful decisions. He imagines a relationship between a pot and an agave, or a tomato, or a topiary. He edits. Making his thoughts come to life depends on the relationships he has nurtured for many years. He asks if special glazes are available. He devotes whatever it takes that might result in a garden pot of distinction.

Garden pots made in France-why would you want one? Why wouldn’t you? A beautiful pot makes the gardening all the more pleasurable. The shapes and glazes please the eye.

These are our pots, ready to load in the container.

We try to completely fill the container top to bottom. There is no sense in shipping air across the ocean. It is extremely difficult to estimate what will fill a container. That is why we have a second container due in Detroit over the weekend.

All of the poteries cooperated in delivering their pots to the poterie where we had our largest order. This picture was taken on January 5. Should the trip through customs go smoothly, we should have our pots in no time.

Posted on: February 2, 2012 4 Comments

Filed Under: Garden Ornament, Garden Design Tagged With: French glazed terra cotta, French garden pots

At A Glance: Shipping The Eagles

If you read this blog regularly, you may remember that I wrote a month ago or so about the sale of a pair of 18th century cast iron armatures which at one time were part of a pair of hand wrought and cast iron fully feathered eagles. I was told they graced the roof of the Palais Royale in the 18th century-who knows if this provenance is truth or fiction. In truth, I did not care about the provenance. Though great age had reduced those birds to their bare bones, no garden sculpture known to me has ever made such a powerful and personal visual statement. Though I can see right through them, they have incredible presence. They speak much to life, age, aura, memories, gardens- and dissolution. They are history represented in a way I cannot really explain. I could have lived with them all my life. But once I decided to buy and sell garden ornament, I knew there would be times it would be hard to let go. In this instance, it knocked the wind out of me.

We finally had a call to ship. Buck would crate them for what was the last leg of their long trip from Europe. From Paris, to Brussels, to Paris, to New England, to me. I only had them for a time-they moved on just a short time ago. I know the person who bought them, loves them. That is enough. They had travel ahead of them. We wanted to be sure they would be absolutely safe and secure for that trip.

It took Buck an entire day to build the pallets and crates, and load them up for shipping.

The designer was kind enough to email me that they made the trip without a hitch, and were unloaded without incident. I did respond with a request to see them installed in the garden. This went unanswered-which I understand. Neither he nor his client has any obligation to me. I had them for what seemed like a brief moment. This someone new and unknown to me will steward them with the same care as I did-of this I am sure. No one would buy these, unless they were sure they could not live without them.

Posted on: February 19, 2012 2 Comments

Filed Under: Uncategorized

A Day In The Life

This day was a something of a blur. A new house needed sod. A pair of annual plantings in a far away location needed to get finished today, as tomorrow is a set date for another planting. Three major plantings in one day-we worked it out. Steve’s landscape crew filled my pots, and planted the old topiaries this morning-he was on his way to sod a a new house landscape we have been working on since last fall. Scott and Shannon delivered the planted to our job 2 in the morning. Angie, Owen and Lucio knocked out this big planting by 2pm. At 2:30, we were a block over, planting 13 pots. Everything got done, in spite of the rain.

I have been landscaping, and planting pots for this client for better than 20 years. She has extraordinarily good taste, and is willing to change things up at a moment’s notice. Every spring, I look to her for a color scheme. This year-red, purple and lime. I was happy to oblige. This is a big job. 130 40 pound bags of soil-for starters. We have been wintering a number of topiary plants for her better than 10 years. They weigh a lot. Those over wintered plants constitute an entire truckload. She is 45 minutes away from me-so we have travel to consider. The terrain-a lot of up and down. This summer planting takes 11 people 7 hours to plant.

I print out pictures from last year’s planting, with notes about what I want to see happen this year. Those notes are broad. Once the broad strokes as established, I personally place every plant. There is no substitute for being there in person. A client, an environment, several truckloads of plants-something inspired needs to happen. I worry like crazy the entire time it takes me to drive there. What if nothing seems like it is working?

Once I am there, the worry falls away. I have work to do-there is no time to worry. I cannot really describe what happens next. It is a mix of my relationship with a client, the horticulture, and plants at hand. As this is client is far away, I pack two trucks full of plants. I want every plant that works available to me. Planting on location means I need more than what I need-at hand. What happens next is one part science, one part relationship, mone part inspiration, and one part experience growing plants.

This pot has a hyacinth bean vine in the center. The look of this pot will be much different, come August. But today I value the bones of that look-purple, lime, with a dash of red. There are upright elements, and horizontal elements. At the very last, before the sweep-up, all the topiary frames get straightened.

The deck off the master bedroom-an expression of the color scheme-with the odd pot out. To the far left in this picture, an old peach flowered abutilon. That one element that doesn’t fit in will work just fine here. Annual plantings that match too perfectly- to my mind, too cold. I like any expression in the garden which is personal. Really personal-all the better.

We had winds and heavy rains half way through this planting. The red leaved red flowering leaved canna Australia-who knew my client would like this? We surrounded it with red dahlias and red leaved alternanthera. The verdict on this planting-due in late August.

There are red purples, and blue purples. I opted for a mix, with some deep red Caliente geraniums. Hypnotica lavender dahlia is a great plant-it performs. The mini blue veined petunias-a great performer. Lilac wave petunias-a favorite of mine. I like this mix, with a smattering of creeping jenny and lime licorice. I feel fairly confident that these deck boxes will only get better over the course of the summer.

Our box truck-just about empty.

These old wax leaf privets have a new home this year. Last fall I told me client that she needed bigger pots, or we would have to abandon these privets on standard. She was not willing to let them go-I do not blame her. They are beautiful. She bought new pots. These 30″ tall by 30″ diameter pots handle these topiaries with ease. We under planted them with scaevola, variegated licorice, and mini blue veined petunias. Today, this planting is all about green, texture, form and mass. In August, there will be a another story about color.

The torrential rainstorms that have been passing through for the last few days means that all of us are wet. Really wet. My shoes and socks have been soaked for 3 days. The late spring weather has not been easy to deal with. The last time that the spring weather was easy to deal with-years ago. This is a way of saying that no late spring planting season is easy. The transition from one season to the next is always about turmoil. Michigan weather can and does turn on a dime.We have done a number of annual container plantings in the past 3 days. Thankfully those plantings look a lot more put together than what is left on this truck. Not that I am complaining-this is work I truly love to do.