home projects services contact awards

2.28.2013

Designing In The Shade



What could have been a dark colorless shade garden has been transformed by the design group of Janet Rosenberg & Studio. It all began by cutting back the existing shrub border to make way for white flowering shrubs and variegated plantings, a big key to making this design feel brighter and more airy. Small pops of color planted where they will get a fair amount of sun round out the design.
With the shrubs cut back and boxwood planted following the shapes of the hardscape, a stronger classic design was created. Some thing to be considered if a renovation to a more classic design is on the horizon.




all images via Janet Rosenberg & Studio

2.27.2013

Stairs Like No Others

image via pinterest

Planted steps do require extra care and are really suitable for secondary staircases that get little traffic or those used only seasonally. They not only help to soften the masonry but add as sense of drama and old world charm to your design.

Other than sod, which would need to be trimmed occasionaly, planting any of the "steppables", as the landscape world has dubbed them work just as well.  If you are really adventurous sedums, clipped dwarf bowood, beehive euonymus and flowering thyme, to name a few, could work as well. 

 image via pinterest

image via providence ltd
 image via pinterest
 image via pintrest
image via pinterest
image via pinterest
image via pinterest
image via pinterest
image via pinterest
 image via johnsen landscape
image via botanical seed

2.26.2013

Up On The Roof


Pinned Image
For a while now I have been toying with the idea of doing 
a series...of series 
Hopefully the beautiful images and design ideas I come across in my daily work will be just the thing to spark a long held design dream of yours.
That being said, I would like to introduce you to my first Series entitled "Up On The Roof"...and what better way than to start with a roof garden I am sure is close to all our hearts.
One of Paris' best held secrets. The luxurious Hermes Roof Garden,
high above 24 Faubourg Saint-Honore 
Pinned Image
Cherubs whisper  secrets holding guard as you entry this area from the upper paved walk
Pinned Image
 roses, sage, rosemary, hibiscus, balsam, hawthorn, magnolias, lilies  were chosen specifically to perfume the air

Pears and apples were chosen as well for their spring bloom
A small grass area was included for laying out and watching the beautiful Paris sky go by
In house and head perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena taking a moment to enjoy
Un Jardin sur le Toit - JCE -Yasmina 4
And the woman behind it all Hermes head gardener Yasmine clips , prunes , waters and perfects this magical  site
all images via Pinterest

2.23.2013

underwater sculpture garden





Always on the lookout for unusual garden sculptures to share with you, I came across what I believe to be one of the most beautiful sculpture gardens around. Devoid of the usual outdoor elements of sound and smell all you are left with is sight and the muffled sounds of underwater life.

  




  










In the waters surrounding Cancun, Isla Mujeres and Punta Nizuc an underwater world exists know as the MUSA (Museo Subacuático de Arte). British sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor has created over 450 permanent life-size figures, made from specialized materials which in time have helped promote coral and other sea life to mulitpy and flourish.
The Museum's aim was to create a complex coral reef to increase biomass on a grand scale. Art and Science working in pure harmony!


images via Jason deCaries Taylor


2.22.2013

It's Friday!

image via fine gardening
Echinops ritro

Wishing you all of restful weekend.

2.20.2013

A tree blooms in winter

From a distance Hamamelis x intermedia commonly known as Witch Hazel 
can easily be mistaken for Forsythia in the late winter landscape, 
a closer look reveals tiny bursts of color.

Fragrant fringed petals of yellow, pink & red burst open in late winter along bare branches
Just like Forsythia, Witch Hazel cuttings can be forced to bloom indoors
hamemlis Diane
Copper Witch Hazel  "Jelena"

"Firedance" , with its burgandy evergreen leaves
Glowing embers a delicate yellow
"Diana" a red variety 
With spring & summer Witch Hazel fades to the background and so it is best planted 
among spring & summer flowering shrubs
Come autumn the shrub will once again come to life with a display of yellow and orange foliage
Witch Hazel an understory tree in the wild will give the best flower display 
planted in an acid soil in full sun.
Planting Zones: 5, 6, 7, 8
Plant Type: Deciduous
Light requirements: Partial Sun, Shade
Soil Conditions: Moist
Height at Maturity: 10 - 20 ft
Growth Rate: Slow
Fruiting: Yes
Flowering: Yes
Bloom Color: Yellow
Fragrant: Yes
Bloom Season: Fall, Winter 

and "Yes", the astringent we know as "Witch-Hazel" comes from the bark of this 
glorious winter bloomer
images via flicker & pinterest